israel

Israel says in Talks 'Right Now' on South Syria Demilitarisation

  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel was engaged in talks aimed at the demilitarisation of southern Syria, implicitly acknowledging for the first time contacts with the new Syrian regime. Following deadly sectarian violence in Syria last month, Netanyahu met with a Druze leader in Israel, reassuring him that his ...

Lebanon Welcomes UN Decision on UNIFIL Mandate

President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed on Thursday the United Nations Security Council’s decision to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until December 31, 2026. President Aoun thanked all 15 Security Council members for their unanimous support, singling out France as penholder ...

UN Security Council Votes for Lebanon Peacekeepers to Leave in 2027

The Security Council voted Thursday for UN peacekeepers to leave Lebanon in 2027, allowing one final extension after pressure from Israel and its US ally to end the nearly 50-year-old force. Israel hailed the termination of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and urged the Beirut government to exert its authority after an Israeli ...

Yemen's Huthis Say Israel Launches Attack on Sanaa

The Israeli military attacked the Huthi-controlled capital of Yemen on Thursday, four days after a deadly round of bombings against the Iran-backed group, both Israel and the rebels said. Israeli forces "struck a Huthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa", the military said in a statement. The Huthi news channel ...

Israeli Forces Dismantle Turkish Spy Equipment Near Damascus

Israeli forces conducted an overnight airborne raid on a site near the Syrian capital after bombing it several times, Syrian state media reported Thursday. Israel has not confirmed the raid, but Defense Minister Israel Katz said its forces operate "in all combat zones" to ensure the country's security. If verified, it would be the ...

Lebanese Lieutenant and First Adjutant Killed in Israeli Drone Blast

Two Lebanese soldiers, a lieutenant and a first adjutant, were killed Thursday in Naqoura while a military unit was inspecting an Israeli drone that had crashed while carrying an unexploded bomb. According to preliminary information, the drone was attempting to drop the device on an excavator before crashing. Ambulance teams rushed to the scene ...

Macron Voices Support for Lebanon’s Weapons Restriction Plan

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday expressed support for the Lebanese government’s plan to restrict weapons, describing it as a key step that must be carried out carefully, “especially since it has received broad European and international backing.” In a phone call with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Macron discussed ...

Sweden and Netherlands Call for EU Sanctions on Israel, Hamas

Sweden and the Netherlands have urged the EU to adopt sanctions on Israel and Hamas over the war in Gaza, including suspending the EU-Israel trade deal, according to a document seen by AFP on Thursday. In a letter to European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, the Swedish and Dutch foreign ministers called for targeted sanctions on Israeli ...

Israel Army Says Intercepted Drone Launched from Yemen

Israel's military said it intercepted a drone launched from Yemen on Thursday, after sirens sounded in communities near the Gaza Strip. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the drone, but Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel since Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the Gaza ...

UN Security Council to Vote Thursday on UNIFIL’s Future

The UN Security Council is set to vote Thursday on the future of the blue helmet peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon, which has faced U.S. and Israeli opposition. The Panamanian presidency of the Council announced that the session, repeatedly postponed, will be held on Thursday. Some 10,800 peacekeepers have been acting as a buffer between ...

Israeli Troops Raid Bombed Syria Site

Israeli ground troops raided a Syrian site it had already bombed on Wednesday and a day prior, Syrian state media reported. Israel had struck the site near Kisweh, outside Damascus on Tuesday, killing six Syrian soldiers according to Damascus' foreign ministry, and bombed it again on Wednesday according to state television. Quoting a ...