Page 95 - Israel

President Biden returns to White House to deal with West Asia escalation

Austin 'made clear that Israel could count on full US support to defend Israel against any attacks by Iran and its regional proxies,' Ryder said

Govt in touch with Iran to secure release of 17 Indians onboard seized ship

Seventeen Indians are on board an Israeli-linked container ship that has been seized by the Iranian military amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel. Official sources said India is in touch with Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels, both in Tehran and in Delhi, to ensure the welfare and early release of the Indian nationals. The Iranian action came amid increasing fears that Tehran may launch an attack on Israeli soil in retaliation to a strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria 12 days ago. "We are aware that a cargo ship 'MSC Aries' has been taken control by Iran. We have learnt that there are 17 Indian nationals onboard," said a source. "We are in touch with the Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels, both in Tehran and in Delhi, to ensure security, welfare and early release of Indian nationals," it said. Reports said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards seized MSC Aries on Saturday morning when it was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran-Israel clash: US sends warships to 'protect' Israeli, American troops

The Pentagon has been actively strengthening air defences for US troops stationed in Iraq and Syria, according to international media reports

'Don't': Amid fears of an imminent attack on Israel, Joe Biden to Iran

The US has been on high alert for a significant Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel in recent days, as fears grow of a wider regional war

Israeli settlers rampage West Bank village, kill 1 Palestinian, wound 25

Dozens of angry Israeli settlers stormed into a Palestinian village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday, shooting and setting houses and cars on fire. The rampage killed a Palestinian man and wounded 25 others, Palestinian health officials said. The violence was the latest in an escalation in the West Bank that has accompanied the war in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli rights group said the settlers were searching for a missing 14-year-old boy from their settlement. After the rampage, Israeli troops said they were still searching for the teen. The killing came after an Israeli raid overnight killed two Palestinians, including a Hamas militant in confrontations with Israeli forces. Palestinian health officials say over 460 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces since the war erupted in October. The Israeli human rights group Yesh Din said that settlers stormed into the village of al-Mughayyir late Friday, searching for the Israeli boy. The group said tha

Netanyahu says Israel preparing for scenarios in areas other than Gaza

Netanyahu made his comments as Israeli troops and warplanes started an operation in central Gaza which the military said was aimed at destroying infrastructure of armed Palestinian groups

As tensions mount, Iran may attack Israel in the next two days, reports WSJ

The heightened tensions follow Tehran's accusation against Israel regarding an airstrike on a diplomatic building in Damascus, Syria on April 2, which killed its top military officials

Indians advised not to travel to Iran, Israel till further notice: MEA

Iran blamed Israel for the strike and there have been fears that Tehran may launch an attack on Israel soon

US predicts Iran attack on Israel, says doesn't want to be drawn into war

The United States has been on high alert about possible retaliatory strikes from Iran and US envoys have been working to lower tensions

Watch: Indian students in Israel hail Modi govt for support during the war

Amid the Israel-Hamas war, Indian students studying in Israel thanked the Modi-led Govt for their support in times of need.

'Matter of when, not if': US intel says Iran attack on Israel is imminent

Citing intelligence assessments, a Bloomberg report says an Iranian strike against Israel could involve high-precision missiles and drones

Over 6,000 Indian workers to reach Israel by May to help labour shortage

More than 6,000 Indian workers will arrive in Israel during April and May to help the country's construction sector meet a labour shortage following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict. They will be will be brought to Israel on "air shuttle" following a joint decision by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO), finance ministry and the construction and housing ministry on subsidising charter flights, a statement issued by the Israeli government late Wednesday said. The construction industry of Israel employs workers in specific fields where there is a lack of Israeli workers. The largest group of about 80,000 workers came from the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank and another 17,000 from the Gaza Strip. But a huge majority of them had their work permit revoked after conflict started in October. The statement said this is the largest number of foreign workers arriving in Israel for the construction sector in a short time". "Thanks to the joint financing of the PMO,

3 sons, 2 grandchildren of Hamas chief killed in Israeli airstrike on car

An Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip killed three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday, relatives and official Hamas media said, with Haniyeh accusing Israel of acting in the spirit of revenge and murder. Haniyeh's sons are among the highest profile figures to have been killed in the war so far. It was not immediately clear how their deaths might affect the months-long cease-fire talks being brokered by international mediators. Haniyeh confirmed the deaths Wednesday in an interview with the Al Jazeera satellite channel, saying his sons were martyred on the road to liberating Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The criminal enemy is driven by the spirit of revenge and murder and does not value any standards or laws, he said in the phone interview. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army. In his interview with Al Jazeera, Haniyeh said the killings would not pressure Hamas into softening its positions. The enemy believes that by targeting the families of the

Israel Gaza War Iran secretly smuggles weapons to West Bank

Iran is operating a secret smuggling route across the Middle East to deliver weapons to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to officials from the US, Israel, and Iran . Watch the

Israel threatens to strike Iran if it launches attack from its territory

Israel's foreign minister threatened Wednesday that its country's forces would strike Iran directly if the Islamic Republic launched an attack from its territory against Israel, as tensions between the rival powers flare following the killings of Iranian generals in a blast at the Iranian consulate in Syria. If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack in Iran, Israel Katz said in a post on X in both Farsi and Hebrew. The remarks came after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated early Wednesday a promise to retaliate against Israel over the attack on its consulate in Damascus earlier this month. Tehran holds Israel responsible for the strike that leveled the building, killing 12 people. Israel has not acknowledged its involvement, though it has been bracing for an Iranian response to the attack, a significant escalation in their long-running shadow war. Khamenei spoke at a prayer ceremony celebrating the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan

Biden terms Netanyahu's approach to war a mistake, rift likely to deepen

US President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza a mistake and called for his government to flood Gaza with aid, ramping up pressure on Israel to reach a cease-fire and widening a rift between the two staunch allies that has worsened as the war has dragged on. Biden has been an outspoken supporter of Israel's war against Hamas since the militant group launched a deadly assault on October 7. But in recent weeks his patience with Netanyahu has appeared to be waning and his administration has taken a more stern line with Israel, rattling the countries' decades-old alliance and deepening Israel's international isolation over the war. Biden's most recent comments, made in an interview that aired late Tuesday after being recorded last week, highlight the differences between Israel and the US over humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, where a monthslong war has led to warnings of imminent famine. What he's doing is a mistake. I don't agree with hi

Iran's supreme leader reiterates promise to retaliate against Israel

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated on Wednesday a promise to retaliate against Israel over the killings of Iranian generals in Syria. Khamenei spoke at a prayer ceremony celebrating the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, saying the airstrike that demolished Iran's consulate in Syria earlier this month was wrongdoing" against a diplomatic post that is considered Iranian territory. When they attack our consulate section it looked like they attack on our territory, Khamenei said. The evil regime must be punished, and it will be punished. The strike killed 12 people: seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard members, four Syrians and a Hezbollah militia member. Israel has not acknowledged its involvement, though it has been bracing for an Iranian response to the attack that was a significant escalation in their long-running shadow war. State TV broadcast Khamenei's remarks live. He did not elaborate on the way Iran would retaliate. Khamenei also criticised the Wes

'Don't have evidence' of Israel committing genocide in Gaza: Lloyd Austin

Austin referred to the horrors carried out by Hamas on October 7 as a 'war crime' but refrained from calling them a genocide at the hearing on Tuesday

Israeli deal didn't meet Palestine's demands, yet it's under review: Hamas

Israel and Hamas sent teams to Egypt on Sunday for talks that included Qatari and Egyptian mediators as well as CIA Director William Burns

Netanyahu vows to carry out Rafah invasion which US calls a mistake

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his pledge to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which is filled with around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip. It will happen. There is a date, Netanyahu said in a video statement Monday, without elaborating. The United States, Israel's closest ally, has said a ground operation into Rafah would be a mistake and has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians. Netanyahu spoke as Israeli negotiators are in Cairo discussing international efforts to broker a cease-fire deal with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israeli troops withdrew Sunday from Khan Younis, another city in southern Gaza, ending a key phase of the war. Defense officials say they're regrouping ahead of a push into Rafah. Palestinians who visited Khan Younis on Monday said the city is now unlivable, offering them little immediate chance to return. Many have been sheltering in Rafah. The ...