Page 11 - Israel

Israel strikes Yemeni port of Hodeida as Houthis activate air defences

Israel on Tuesday launched airstrikes on the Yemeni city of Hodeida as Iranian-backed Houthi rebels activated air defences. The Israeli military said in an update that it struck military infrastructure used by the Houthis at Hodeida port. The Hudaydah Port is used by the Houthi terrorist regime for the transfer of weapons supplied by the Iranian regime, in order to execute attacks against the State of Israel and its allies, the statement read. Our air defences are currently confronting the Israeli aircrafts that are launching an aggression against our country, Houthi spokesperson Yayha Saree posted on X. Saree said in a statement that the Houthi air defences caused great confusion for Israeli aircraft and forced some combat formations to leave Yemeni airspace before carrying out the attacks, thwarting Israel's incursion deep into Yemen. Earlier Israeli strikes targeted Sanaa The latest strikes came as hundreds attended funeral services for 31 Yemeni journalists who were reported

Israeli forces launch Gaza City ground offensive as Palestinians flee

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday, vowing to overwhelm a city already in ruins from nearly two years of war as thousands of Palestinians fled in vehicles strapped with mattresses and other belongings that clogged a coastal road. The operation into the largest Palestinian city escalated a conflict that has roiled the Middle East and likely pushed any ceasefire with Hamas farther out of reach. The military would not offer a timeline for the offensive that aims to crush the militant group's ability to fight, but Israeli media suggested it could take months. Gaza is burning, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared as the operation began. Heavy bombardment pounded the city, and troops began moving in from the outskirts after weeks of airstrikes and buildup toward the renewed assault. The offensive began the same day that independent experts commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel rejected the

Israel launches expanded operation in Gaza City, urges residents to leave

After a night of heavy airstrikes, the Israeli military announced Tuesday that its expanded operation in Gaza City to destroy Hamas' military infrastructure has begun and warned residents to move south. The announcement by Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee followed Defence Minister Israel Kataz's statement that Gaza is burning and further escalated the Israel-Hamas war as any potential ceasefire feels even further out of reach despite weeks of diplomacy. Also Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio left Israel and arrived in the energy-rich nation of Qatar, where he planned to meet with its ruling emir as the nation is still incensed over Israel's strike last week that killed five Hamas members and a local security official. While Arab and Muslim nations denounced the strike at a summit Monday, they stopped short of any major action targeting Israel, highlighting the challenge of diplomatically pressuring any change in Israel's conduct in the grinding Israel-Hamas war.

Starvation as warfare: UN panel finds Israel committed genocide in Gaza

A UN panel accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, citing 60,000 Palestinian deaths and the use of starvation as warfare. Israel rejected the report as 'fake' and biased

'Gaza is burning', says Israeli defence minister after overnight strikes

Israel's defence minister said Tuesday that Gaza is burning after heavy strikes overnight targeted Gaza City. Defence Minister Israel Katz's remarks come as Israel has been planning a new offensive targeting Gaza City. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to journalists while leaving Israel for Qatar, suggested the offensive had begun. The Israelis have begun to take operations there. So we think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen, Rubio said. We don't have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks.

Trump calls Qatar 'a great ally', warns Netanyahu to act with caution

Following Israeli strikes that killed a Qatari officer and five Hamas members in Doha, Trump praised Qatar's role and urged Israel to exercise restraint

Qatari PM calls Israeli attack on Doha 'state terrorism, grave escalation'

He affirmed that Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States, will continue efforts to end the war

Rubio arrives in Israel as strikes intensify on northern Gaza region

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel on Sunday, as Israel intensified its attacks against northern Gaza, flattening another high-rise building and killing at least 12 Palestinians. Rubio said ahead of the trip that he will be seeking answers from Israeli officials about how they see the way forward in Gaza following Israel's attack on Hamas operatives in Qatar last week that upended efforts to broker an end to the conflict. His two-day visit is also a show of support for the increasingly isolated Israel, as the United Nations holds what is expected to be a contentious debate on commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly opposes the recognition of a Palestinian state. Rubio's visit went ahead despite President Donald Trump's anger at Netanyahu over the Israeli strike against Hamas leaders in Doha, which he said the United States was not notified of beforehand. On Friday, Rubio and Trump met with Qatar's prime

Trump meets Qatari PM after Israeli strike in Doha raises regional concerns

President Donald Trump met Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed in New York days after an Israeli strike in Doha targeting Hamas leaders heightened tensions between the US and its Gulf ally

Israel slams Pakistan at UNSC, says 'bin Laden killed on your territory'

Pakistan cannot change the fact that Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden was sheltered and killed on its soil, Israel has said, as it lashed out at Islamabad in the UN Security Council for its "double standards". "When bin Laden was eliminated in Pakistan," Israel's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Danny Danon said, pointing his hand towards Pakistan's UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, the question asked was not 'why target a terrorist on foreign soil'?" "No one asked that question. The question was, 'Why was a terrorist given shelter at all?' The same question must be asked today. There was no immunity for bin Laden, and there can be no immunity for Hamas, Danon said. The sharp exchange between the envoys of Israel and Pakistan came on Thursday at a Security Council meeting held to discuss the Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital of Doha. In his remarks, Ahmad strongly condemned what he called Israel's illegal and unprovoked aggression against Qatar, term

Rubio meets Qatar PM ahead of Israel visit as US balances ties with allies

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Qatar's prime minister on Friday before he visits Israel this weekend, showing how the Trump administration is trying to balance relations between key Middle East allies days after Israel targeted Hamas leaders in a strike on Doha. Despite tensions between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Rubio will arrive in Israel on Sunday for a two-day visit. It is a show of support for the increasingly isolated country before the United Nations holds likely contentious debate on the creation of a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu opposes. Rubio also is expected to travel to a divisive archeological site in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim for the capital of what they hope is an eventual independent nation. The same day his trip to Israel was announced, America's top diplomat sat down at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. There was n

Spain summons Israeli envoy over Netanyahu office remarks amid Gaza war row

Spain summoned Israel's acting ambassador in Madrid Friday in response to comments made by the Israeli Prime Minister's office that accused the European nation's prime minister of threatening Israel. Spanish Foreign Minister Jos Manuel Albares called in Dana Erlich, Israel's charge d'affaires in Spain and the highest-ranking diplomat in the country to categorically reject the false and slanderous statements from the Israeli Prime Minister's office, an official at Spain's Foreign Ministry said. The Foreign Ministry official was not authorized to speak publicly and declined to be named. It's the latest development in an ongoing diplomatic tit-for-tat between the two countries that ensued after Spain's prime minister announced measures Monday to pressure Israel to end the Gaza war. In a post Thursday on social platform X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Snchez had made a blatant genocidal threat," in reference to comments made by th

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Netanyahu killed hostage deal hopes with strike on Hamas in Doha: Qatar

Qatar's prime minister intensified his criticism of Israel over its attack targeting Hamas leaders in his country, saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu killed any hope of releasing hostages still held in the Gaza Strip. The comments from Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani ahead of appearing at the United Nations on Thursday underscored the wider anger among Gulf Arab countries over Israel's strike, which killed at least six people. I was meeting one of the hostage's families the morning of the attack, Sheikh Mohammed told CNN in an interview aired late Wednesday. They are counting on this (ceasefire) mediation, they have no other hope for that. Sheikh Mohammed added: I think that what Netanyahu has done yesterday, he just killed any hope for those hostages. Qatar and Egypt have been key mediators to try and reach a ceasefire in the war in Gaza. Qatar has hosted Hamas' political leadership for years in Doha, in part over a request by the US to encourage negotiation

Expel terrorists or bring them to justice: Netanyahu's warning to Qatar

Drawing references from the September 11 attack, Netanyahu said that Israel too has an event similar to September 11, referring to October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel

EU Commission President seeks sanctions against Israel over war in Gaza

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday said she plans to seek sanctions and a partial trade suspension against Israel over the war in Gaza. The 27-nation EU is deeply divided in its approach to Israel and the Palestinians, and it's unclear whether a majority will be found to endorse the sanctions and trade measures. Von der Leyen added that the commission will set up a Palestine donor group next month, part of which will focus on Gaza's future reconstruction. Von der Leyen said that the events in Gaza and the suffering of children and families has shaken the conscience of the world. Man-made famine can never be a weapon of war. For the sake of the children, for the sake of humanity. This must stop, she added, to applause in the European Parliament at its meeting in Strasbourg, France.

White House's rare criticism of Israel highlights risks in Gaza conflict

Caught between two US allies, Trump said he spoke with both Netanyahu and Qatari leaders after the strike and that he assured Qatar that such an attack wouldn't happen again

Oil prices edge higher after Israeli strikes on Hamas leaders in Qatar

Brent crude futures settled 37 cents, or 0.6 per cent, higher at $66.39 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures also climbed 37 cents, or 0.6 per cent, to close at $62.63 a barrel

Israel expands list of Hamas officials, allies killed in past 2 years

Israel has killed multiple senior officials with Hamas and its regional allies since the deadly October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants in southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. On Tuesday, Israel struck the energy-rich nation of Qatar, which has been mediating ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Israel targeted a gathering of Hamas political leaders who were discussing the latest ceasefire proposal in Doha. Hamas said in a statement that six people were killed, but that all of the targeted officials survived. From Gaza to Lebanon to Iran, Israel has killed leaders with Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iranian military leaders. Here is a list of top officials who have been assassinated by Israel during the war: Saleh Arouri The deputy political head of Hamas and a founder of the group's military wing, Saleh Arouri was killed January 2, 2024, in a drone strike in a southern suburb of Beirut. Accused of masterminding attacks against Israel in the West