Israel

Israeli lawmakers on Tuesday called for a parliamentary inquiry into the police’s alleged use of sophisticated spyware on Israeli citizens, including protesters opposed to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following a newspaper report on the surveillance. Hebrew-language business newspaper Calcalist reported that in 2020, police used the NSO spyware Pegasus …

Israel said Tuesday it has successfully tested a system designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the earth’s atmosphere. The Arrow Weapon System is part of an array of missile defenses Israel has developed in recent years to protect itself in any future conflict with archenemy Iran or regional militant groups, …

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said funding for Iran could lead to “terror on steroids” on Tuesday, in an apparent warning against world powers easing sanctions against Tehran as they seek a new nuclear deal. “The last thing you want to do … is pour tens of billions of dollars …

“Media reports that the United States has brokered an energy deal between Israel and Lebanon are false,” the U.S. State Department tweeted. Israeli Channel 12 news had said that the U.S. had brokered an agreement for Israel to indirectly supply natural gas to Lebanon through Jordan and Syria. The report …

Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Saturday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and would self-isolate but continue working from home. “I feel good and will isolate in the next few days,” Lieberman said on Twitter. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tested positive on Monday. Lieberman has faced some …

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Monday he had tested positive for COVID-19 but was in good health. Lapid, who heads the largest party in the government, was isolating at home, according to a spokesperson. “I feel great because I am vaccinated. Go get vaccinated, put on a mask, …

Israeli security sources claimed Friday that drones captured after being flown across the frontier from neighboring Lebanon have provided insight into the growing aerial surveillance capabilities of Hizbullah. Drones have become a regular feature of heavily guarded border between Lebanon and Israel Images extracted from one drone downed in August …

Israeli tanks fired on suspects along the Syrian border in the Golan Heights after they were detected near Israeli forces, the Israeli military said. “A short time ago during army activity in the Golan Heights, soldiers identified suspects close to a military position and fired in their direction from tanks,” …

British actress Emma Watson on Wednesday received an online backlash and was accused of antisemitism by Israeli officials for her social media post in solidarity with Palestine.  Watson, known for starring in the “Harry Potter” series, had shared a post on her instagram page on Monday showing her solidarity with …

Norway will elevate UN Security Council discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to a ministerial level on Jan. 19, in an effort to highlight the need for the council to restore its focus on this decades-long conflict. That was the pledge by Mona Juul, Oslo’s permanent representative to the UN, who …

Two Israeli pilots were killed when a navy helicopter crashed off Israel’s Mediterranean coast late Monday near the northern city of Haifa, the Israeli military announced. The helicopter was conducting a training flight when it crashed. A third crew member, an aerial observer, was moderately injured and evacuated to a …

Palestinian militants in Gaza fired two rockets toward the Mediterranean sea on Saturday, causing an explosion off the shore of Tel Aviv, Israel’s military said. Police said there were no casualties or damage. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket firing from any of Gaza’s militant groups. …

Israel has signed a deal with the United States to buy 12 Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) CH-53K helicopters and two Boeing Co (BA.N) KC-46 refuelling planes, the Israeli Defence Ministry said on Friday, estimating the total price at around $2 billion. The deal, signed on Thursday, is part of an upgrade of Israel’s air …

An Israeli was wounded in a shooting attack on the Gaza border on Wednesday, the military said, after a rare visit to Israel by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas drew condemnation from the enclave’s Hamas rulers. The Israeli military said it responded to the shooting with tank fire, targeting Hamas posts …

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday that Israel would not automatically oppose a nuclear deal with Iran but world powers must take a more firm position. “We are not the bear who said ‘no’,” Bennett said in an interview with Israel’s Army Radio, referring to a popular naysaying character …

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday the country intends to double the amount of settlers living in the occupied Golan Heights with a multimillion-dollar plan meant to further consolidate Israel’s hold on the territory it captured from Syria more than five decades ago. Speaking at a special Cabinet session …

Israeli forces clashed with Palestinians in the West Bank in an area that has seen a recent uptick in friction, the Israeli military and Palestinian medics said. The clashes late Saturday were part of days of tension in the area surrounding a West Bank settlement outpost and a spike in …

Israel’s former military intelligence chief says Israel was involved in the American airstrike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January 2020. It is the first public acknowledgement of Israel’s role in the operation. Soleimani headed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force and helped orchestrate Iran’s involvement with paramilitary …

A British Jewish woman who fell foul of the UK’s Labour Party over her anti-Zionist views is threatening to take legal action against the party. Diana Neslen, 82, believes that the party unlawfully discriminated against her on the basis of her stance. She is now being investigated by the party …

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan will visit Israel this week for detailed discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Iran’s nuclear program, a senior Biden administration official said on Monday. Sullivan, joined by the National Security Council’s Middle East director Brett McGurk and other US officials, are expected …

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday told visiting U.N. chief Antonio Guterres that Israel does not want a role for the U.N. in the sea border demarcation talks. “I thank the U.N. for supporting the army and there are daily Israeli violations of Lebanon’s airspace,” Berri said after the meeting …

Iran will retaliate with a “crushing” response against any Israeli attack, a commander said according to an Iranian news agency linked to the country’s top security body. “If Israel carries out attacks against Iran, our armed forces will immediately attack all centers, bases, routes, and spaces used to carry out …

An Associated Press photographer was pushed and beaten by Israeli police in an unprovoked attack while covering a protest in a tense Jerusalem neighborhood, sending him to the hospital with head injuries. The AP said it was outraged by the violence against staffer Mahmoud Illean, while a prominent journalists’ advocacy …

“We have blocked the entry of dozens of oil tankers to the Gulf of Eilat”, said Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg, a member of the social democratic Meretz party.https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html She described the move as a “huge and dramatic environmental achievement”, that was based on the ministry’s policy of zero …

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col has chaired a Tripartite meeting with senior Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and Israeli army officers in Ras Al Naqoura. “In his remarks, Major General Del Col reflected on developments in UNIFIL’s area of operations over the past twelve …

Israel’s intelligence minister said Tuesday that Syria cannot be allowed to obtain chemical weapons, after a report emerged that Israel targeted the country’s chemical weapons facilities. In an interview with Israeli Army Radio, Elazar Stern would not directly comment on the report in the Washington Post that said that Israel …

The United Arab Emirates is walking a diplomatic high wire between superpower ally Washington, new friend Israel and old adversary Iran as it seeks to avoid a costly regional conflict that could torpedo its trade and tourism ambitions. Abu Dhabi hosts Israel’s prime minister this week and will receive a U.S. delegation …

Former President Donald Trump lashed out with profanity at Benjamin Netanyahu for congratulating President Joe Biden on his victory in last year’s election, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday. Trump accused the former Israeli leader of disloyalty, saying he had helped Netanyahu in his own elections by reversing decades of U.S. …

U.S. and Israeli defense chiefs are expected on Thursday to discuss possible military exercises that would prepare for a worst-case scenario to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities should diplomacy fail and if their nations’ leaders request it, a senior U.S. official told Reuters. The scheduled U.S. talks with visiting Israeli Defence Minister Benny …

Israel’s Justice Ministry said Thursday it was closing an investigation into two police officers who shot dead a Palestinian assailant as he lay on the ground, accepting the officers’ assertion that they acted in self-defense. A Palestinian attacker on Saturday stabbed and wounded an ultra-Orthodox Jew outside Jerusalem’s Old City. …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he is open to improved relations with Israel, but the country must first display “more sensitive” policies toward Palestinians. Erdogan told a group of journalists in Qatar late Tuesday that better ties with Israel would be “beneficial” for peace in the wider region. …

Israel on Tuesday announced the completion of a sensor-equipped underground wall on its side of the Gaza border, a counter-measure developed after Hamas militants used tunnels to blindside its troops in a 2014 war. Israel went public with the project, which also includes an above-ground fence, a naval barrier, radar …

Fires caused by an Israeli “aggression” at Syria’s Latakia port on Tuesday had been extinguished, leaving material damage, but the status of any casualties was unclear, Syria’s state media reported. Five explosions rocked the port city after an Israeli “aggression” hit the port’s container yard, sending fire trucks racing to …

Dubai’s DP World has pulled out of a joint bid with an Israeli company to privatise Israel’s Haifa port, Israel’s privatisation body said. Israel is selling its state-owned ports and building new private docks in an effort to encourage competition and bring down costs. DP World had signed an agreement with Israel …

Israel’s defense minister said Thursday he hopes a better nuclear deal will come out of upcoming talks between world powers and Iran, but that Israel is hedging its bets and building up its military capabilities. Benny Gantz spoke to reporters at the close of a two-day visit to the Moroccan …

Poland’s Foreign Ministry has said that the European Union nation will have no ambassador in Israel for the time being, bringing the mission level down to that of Israel’s mission in Poland. The traditionally sensitive bilateral relations soured in the summer after Poland adopted legislation seen as banning claims for …

Israel’s deputy foreign minister has canceled meetings with Belgian officials after a decision by Brussels earlier this week to begin labeling products made in Jewish West Bank settlements. Idan Roll said on Twitter he was scrapping meetings with the Belgian Foreign Ministry and parliament during a visit this week to …

Israel gave initial approval on Wednesday for thousands of new settlement homes that would cement occupied West Bank lands within its municipal boundaries around Jerusalem, drawing a Palestinian demand that Washington intervene. Most world powers deem the Israeli settlements illegal for taking in territory where Palestinians seek statehood. The Jerusalem …

Apple Inc AAPL.O said on Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit against Israeli cyber firm NSO Group and its parent company OSY Technologies for alleged surveillance and targeting of U.S. Apple users with its Pegasus spyware. The iPhone maker said it is also seeking to ban NSO Group from using any Apple software, services or devices …

An Israeli ‘air aggression’ on Syria’s central region killed two civilians and injured seven others, official media said on Wednesday. State media said Syrian air defences intercepted the attack above the city of Homs. “An Israeli air aggression targeted parts of the central region, and the air defences are responding,” …

The executive due to take over as CEO of Israeli spyware company NSO Group has quit after the business was blacklisted by the U.S. Commerce Department, the company said on Thursday. Isaac Benbenisti, who joined the company in August, was named on Oct. 31 as the future replacement for CEO …

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are holding their first joint naval exercise with Israel, a year after normalizing ties with the Jewish state, the US Navy said on Thursday. The five-day maneuvers in the Red Sea, which is linked to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal,  are intended to …

Israel has warned Hizbullah against initiating any military action, as it announced that it is willing to offer “concessions” in the negotiations over offshore gas and oil resources. “We don’t fear Hizbullah’s military power and if it decides to attack us, it will pay a hefty price along with Lebanon,” …

The Palestinian prime minister has warned Israel that its refusal to accept a two-state solution to the century-old conflict would perpetuate a system of “apartheid” and eventually result in a one-state reality in which Israel loses its Jewish character. The Israeli government sworn in last June consists of parties from …