Haaretz english edition
Trump drops planned Hormuz transit fee
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has abandoned plans to impose a 20 percent fee on cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz after Gulf leaders proposed expanding trade and investment ties with the United States instead. Speaking from the Oval...
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Knesset passes contentious Basic Law promoting Torah study
The Knesset approved the Basic Law on Torah Study in a 63-52 vote on Monday, a move that promotes Jewish religious studies but has unclear implications due to its vague wording. The law, sponsored by United Torah Judaism and Shas, includes only one...
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U.S. antisemitism czar worked to remove NSO from blacklist
A month before U.S. President Donald Trump announced the appointment of Yehuda Kaploun, an Israeliborn ultra-Orthodox activist and rabbi, as his special envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism, a group of consultants approached the Israeli...
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Lying about timing? Shin Bet says Zini decided to probe leak before meeting far-right pundit
The Shin Bet security service claimed that its director, David Zini, had decided to launch an investigation into major television news network “long before” he held a meeting with a pundit close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from a competing...
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Arms designed in Israel, made in Kurdistan, smuggled via Jordan
Deep in Iraqi Kurdistan, near the Iranian border, a weapons factory was established a decade ago. The initiative came from the region’s ruling political party, while the financing was provided by the Faruk Investment Group, one of Iraq’s largest...
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Trump to consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, despite Netanyahu’s objections
U.S. President Donald Trump said that selling F35s to Turkey is “certainly something we will consider” while speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Tuesday, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they were “promised five jets.” Prime Minister...
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The West Bank settlers drifting away from Israel’s far right
In Israel’s last election, nearly 48 percent of the voters in the West Bank settlement of Alon Shvut cast their ballots for Religious Zionism – the far right, ultra-nationalist party led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, which merged with the...
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Netanyahu wants Trump as his reelection campaigner, but both know ‘who’s the boss’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to meet in the United States in the coming weeks, officials from both sides said over the weekend. Netanyahu’s visit would be the two leaders’ first meeting since they...
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Khamenei’s legacy: Destruction and an ambitious vision for Iran
“Death is ostensibly the end. But in politics, it is often the beginning of something else. First, it’s a rewriting of the past, a struggle over memory and a renewed effort to preserve or rebuild legitimacy.” That’s how Iranian publicist Ali Reza...
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Trump sticks to diplomacy in Iran talks; IDF strikes Gaza
Thursday will mark 1,000 days since the massacre on October 7, 2023, and will feature two minutes of national silence and several memorial events. Protests across Israel are being planned for the day, to demand a state investigation into the...
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Shin Bet trying to recruit antigov’t activists
The Shin Bet security service has ramped up efforts in recent weeks to recruit activists involved in protests against the government, offering financial incentives and other benefits in exchange for information on planned demonstrations and right-wing...
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Judges call to drop bribery charge in one of Netanyahu’s criminal trials
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday accused law enforcement and the judiciary of using his criminal trial as political persecution aimed at forcing him from office. Netanyahu made the remarks during a hearing at the Jerusalem District Court...
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Car explosion, shootings kill five Arab citizens in separate incidents
A 38-year-old man was killed Sunday morning and a 6-year-old moderately wounded in a car explosion in downtown Jaffa. Three other people were fatally shot in Taibeh and Kalansua, bringing the total number of people killed in Israel since the start of...
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The U.S.-brokered deal is great for Israel, but it will tax Lebanon
Suffice it to listen to Hezbollah’s furious reaction to conclude that the deal, unexpectedly signed by Israel and Lebanon in Washington on Friday, harbors good tidings from an Israeli perspective. The very willingness of Lebanon to take full...
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Nationwide Haredi protest disrupts traffic
Hundreds of vehicles across the country slowly drove toward the Beit Lid military prison on Wednesday in a four-hour protest against the arrest of ultra-Orthodox men for evading the military draft. The Haredi protest convoys exited multiple cities in...
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Israeli killed in Montreal attack, shooter said tied to incel ideology
A 68-year-old Israeli man was identified as the civilian killed in Monday’s shooting in Montreal, which also left a local police officer and the suspected gunman dead. The Israeli consulate in Montreal said that Michel Mizrahi was killed in the...
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Two Jewish Democrats battle in New York over Israel aid, AIPAC
A congressional primary race between two Jewish candidates in one of New York’s most Jewish districts has evolved into a microcosm of the Democratic Party’s intense debate over the future shape of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and how Israel fits into...
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U.S. and Iran hold direct talks despite their mutual threats
BURGENSTOCK, Switzerland – The United States and Iran met on Sunday in Switzerland for talks on the memorandum of understanding to end the war, but threats by U.S. President Donald Trump put a strain on them. Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that...
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IDF’s Russian roulette in Lebanon continues – and no one knows why
The United States is continuing with its efforts to impose a cease-fire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah. The two latest American declarations were not honored by either side. However, on Saturday afternoon, after two days of heavy fighting in...
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Knesset grants Likud lawmaker immunity after she exposed identity of Shin Bet agent
The Knesset approved on Wednesday the immunity request of Likud lawmaker Tally Gotliv, after she was accused of exposing the identity of a Shin Bet security service operative. Gotliv is accused of disclosing and publishing classified information in...
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Israeli officials concerned amid slim details regarding Iran deal
Senior defense officials have voiced increasing concern in recent days over the American negotiations with Iran, because Israel has been almost completely excluded from them, with no ability to influence the outcome. Security issues that directly...
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U.S. and Iran sign preliminary agreement
President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with details of the agreement slated for publication within 48 hours. The official signing ceremony will take place in Geneva on Friday, attended by Vance and presidential...
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As PM tries to hold off U.S.-Iran deal, relations with Trump worsen
The tail is making another effort to wag the dog. Even as the United States and Iran, according to reports from America, were on the verge of signing an agreement, renewed tensions between Israel and Lebanon erupted on Sunday. This is now threatening...
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Tel Aviv Pride draws over 100,000 for first parade in three years
Over 100,000 people gathered to attend Tel Aviv’s annual LGBTQ Pride parade, which returned Friday after a two-year hiatus due to security concerns, bringing participants back to the city’s waterfront. Marking its 28th year, the march resumed its...
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Do these voters in Ra’anana back their neighbor Naftali Bennett?
In a matter of months, Israelis will hold an election that could reshape its future. The outcome could determine whether Israel remains a Jewish and democratic state, true to the spirit of its Declaration of Independence, or a Jewish state under...
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Israel, Iran pause attacks at Trump’s behest
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that Israel has halted its strikes on Iran, as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that they have also ended military operations against Israel. Both Netanyahu and the IRGC warned the opposing side...
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Iran launches missiles at northern Israel
Iran fired several barrages of rockets at northern Israel on Sunday evening, triggering sirens. This was the first time Tehran had targeted Israel since the U.S.-Iran cease-fire came into effect April 8. All missiles launched from Iran so far have...
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Father of baby shot dead by IDF: ‘I stopped the car, then they fired’
The father of a sevenmonth-old Palestinian baby killed by Israeli army fire in Hebron said soldiers opened fire on his family’s car moments after he complied with an order to stop, rejecting the military’s account that the shooter perceived a...
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Ultra-Orthodox protesters try to break into justice’s home
Police officers at the Alon Shvut home of Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg on Wednesday after dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters attempted to break in as part of a protest against the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers. Dozens were arrested....
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Italy’s only Jewish LGBTQ group barred from Rome’s pride parade
Later this month, Roma Pride – Italy’s largest LGBTQ+ pride festival – will bring in guests and revelers from across the country and around the world for events, celebrations and, of course, a massive parade boasting hundreds of thousands of attendees....
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Trump declares cease-fire as Hezbollah drones continue to kill Israeli conscripts
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday night that he had stopped a planned Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood, and that on his orders, a renewed cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah would take effect. His announcement came after...
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Seizing Beaufort won’t solve the drone problem
Too many people in the Israeli media have learned nothing and forgotten nothing. On Sunday morning, all it took was the publication of a single image – Israeli and Golani Brigade flags flying over Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon – to completely...
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Hezbollah expands fire on north as IDF pushes deeper into Lebanon
Increased Hezbollah fire towards northern Israel is intended to send a clear message to both the Lebanese government and Israel, a Lebanese source affiliated with Hezbollah told Haaretz, amid nonstop sirens due to drone and rocket launches on...
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IDF declares all of south Lebanon ‘combat zone,’ orders it evacuated
The Israeli military on Wednesday declared the entirety of southern Lebanon a combat zone, telling residents it will “act with utmost force” against Hezbollah and urging locals to leave. The IDF urged the residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate...
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Israel deepens Lebanon ground offensive
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is “deepening” its operation in Lebanon as the military expanded ground activity beyond a self-declared buffer zone in southern Lebanon, with forces operating to seize controlling areas and counter...
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Hezbollah drone kills soldier in Lebanon as Israeli army prepares to intensify attacks
A Hezbollah drone killed 19-year-old Sgt. Nehoray Leizer in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said Monday, adding that another IDF soldier was severely wounded in the strike. Hezbollah launched the light drone toward Israeli forces who were...
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Residents of north decry U.S.-Iran deal
Heads of local councils along the Lebanese border have mixed feelings about the deal shaping up between the U.S. and Iran. Just like the fake cease-fire that was imposed on Israel and Hezbollah, this time too, most of them are furious and very anxious...
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Trump’s second term marks rise of the new Orthodox Jewish right
In early May, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that his administration would mark Jewish American Heritage Month in tandem with the celebration of America’s semiquincentennial. Last weekend, as part of an array of public prayer events culminating...
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Ben-Gvir draws ire of nations for taunting activists
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released videos on Wednesday in which he taunts and humiliates detained Gaza flotilla activists. The videos provoked an international diplomatic incident, with at least six world leaders summoning their...
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IDF official, teenager recruited by designated Mossad chief to testify before vetting panel, top court says Unfazed, Tehran shapes a new reality in the Persian Gulf
“The clock is ticking,” warned U.S. President Donald Trump, “they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.” It is hard to count the occasions when the American president had threatened Iran since the April 8 cease-fire,...
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Soldiers describe risky, pointless missions
Commanding officers and soldiers serving in southern Lebanon say that the commander of an armored division there needlessly endangered troops by ordering a daytime patrol in the area of the Litani River. The service members spoke out after Capt. Maoz...
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Readying for possible renewal of Iran war
Donald Trump has still not signaled clearly his intentions regarding a possible renewal of the war with Iran. It seems he returned empty-handed from his talks in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The U.S. president may have hoped for a deal in...
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In killing Hamas leader, PM hails tactical success as strategic gain
Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the last surviving senior Hamas official involved in planning the October 7, 2023 massacre, was killed in Gaza City on Friday in a targeted strike by the Israel Air Force. A human shield composed of Israeli female field observers...
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In Lebanon, soldiers know they have no chance against drones
had returned between the rounds of fighting over the past two and a half years, but he’s decided that the situation there has become too difficult. “There’s no one there – even the local newspaper no longer comes out,” he says with a half-hearted...
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Despite six-hour hearing, justices struggle over Mossad chief ruling due to lack of facts
Following a hearing lasting more than six hours on Tuesday, it wasn’t clear how a three-justice panel of the High Court of Justice would rule on petitions challenging the appointment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary, Roman...
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Netanyahu looked tired, defeated. His rivals must confront the issue
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s interview with “60 Minutes” was completely unimportant in terms of what was said in it. It was 75 minutes of familiar verbiage, replete with self-glorification, chock-full of sycophancy (toward U.S. President Donald...
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Lebanon enlists Saudis to reach a cease-fire
Even while the exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah heats up, a third round of talks is expected this Thursday between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations in Washington. No need to hold your breath over it – so far, the White House has failed...
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Police beat Arab prosecutor in his Be’er Sheva home and arrest him
An Arab Israeli prosecutor was reportedly beaten severely by police who entered his Be’er Sheva apartment on Friday in response to a noise complaint by one of the three officers. Salah Na’ameh, who works for the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office,...
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Israel strikes Beirut in first since cease-fire; U.S., Iran near deal
Israel struck Beirut Wednesday for the first time since the cease-fire was declared a month ago, as sources said that the United States and Iran are approaching agreement on a framework to end the war. Three Israeli soldiers were wounded in a strike...
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IDF is demolishing homes far from border in Lebanon and facing stubborn resistance
SOUTHERN LEBANON – Driving along the coastal road in southern Lebanon, one realizes that the ceasefire with Hezbollah has nothing to do with a cessation in fighting. Dozens of Israeli flags have been hung along the road, and near the “I Love Naqoura”...
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Israel on high alert after Iran strike on UAE; troops wounded in north
Israel’s defense bodies are on high alert after the United Arab Emirates reported on Monday that Iran launched a combined missile and drone attack on the country, while two Israeli soldiers were wounded in southern Lebanon. As of press time, wartime...
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Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill 20, wound 46 in 24 hours, says Beirut health ministry
Israel’s strikes in southern Lebanon have killed 20 people and wounded 46 others, including paramedics and a child, in the last 24 hours, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Sunday. According to ministry data, since the start of the war on March 2, the...
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Thousands at TA summit call for Israeli-Palestinian partnership
Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv on Thursday for the third annual People’s Peace Summit, an event organized by a coalition of over 80 Israeli co-existence and human rights organizations. Outside, participants chatted in Hebrew, Arabic, and English –...
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Court ruling brings clash between Haredim and state to a head over draft exemption
The pressure cooker that is the Haredi draft issue, and the relationship between Haredim and the state, reached a boiling point this week that could perhaps be defined as historic. It could force the state and the Haredi community to finally make...
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Soldiers in southern Lebanon: There’s no defense against drones
The threat of drones in southern Lebanon has in recent weeks become one of the most significant challenges the Israel Defense Forces faces. On Tuesday, the IDF announced that a Defense Ministry employee working for an engineering company on behalf of...
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The problem with Naftali Bennett
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s merger with Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, the current leader of the opposition, has solidified Bennett’s position as the leading candidate for prime minister in this year’s elections – for now. Bennett...
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Ex-PMs Bennett, Lapid announce joint run in Knesset election
Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announced that they will merge their parties and run together in the 2026 election in a bid to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The new party is to be called Beyahad, which means “together”...
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Seven teens ages 13-17 arrested for killing pizza shop employee in Petah Tikva
A 21-year-old pizza shop worker from Petah Tikva died Thursday overnight after he was stabbed on Independence Day by several teens, after asking them not to spray party foam into the restaurant. A 19-yearold was stabbed to death on Friday in Be’er...
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Today’s Israel in a single absurd ceremony
After Abraham Zarbiv’s moment, I left. I couldn’t take any more. The combination of national recognition being accorded to an inciter and perpetrator of war crimes in a fedora, hypothermia from the unbearble Jerusalem cold and an overdose of kitsch and...
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Trump: Vance headed to talks; Tehran to join
Amid vague confirmations by U.S. and Iran sources that delegations would attend another round of talks in Pakistan’s capital, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that if a deal isn’t reached by the end of the cease-fire, set to expire at 8:00 P.M. EST...
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174 soldiers, 79 civilians killed since last Memorial Day
Between last Memorial Day and this year’s, which starts Monday evening, 174 soldiers and 79 civilians have been killed, while 54 disabled veterans died, the Defense Ministry said on Sunday. Altogether, 25,648 members of the security services Jewish...
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As with Gaza, Trump’s actions bring a shaky cease-fire to Beirut
On Friday, less than 24 hours after he had imposed a cease-fire in Lebanon, U.S. President Donald Trump took one step further – an extreme and almost unprecedented step. He announced that he had forbidden Israel to continue airstrikes there. “Israel...
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Justices hear petitions to remove Ben-Gvir over politicized police
The High Court of Justice heard petitions on Wednesday seeking to compel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remove Itamar Ben-Gvir from his position as national security minister, citing alleged interference in police work and harm to democratic...
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‘Historic’ Israel-Lebanon talks start; sources: PM buying time
Israel began direct negotiations with Lebanon on Tuesday in what sources said could be an attempt to buy time for its ongoing fight with Hezbollah. Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, met with his Lebanese counterpart, Nada...
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U.S. blockades Strait of Hormuz, softens nuclear freeze demand
The United States blockaded the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, following a threat by U.S. President Donald Trump after an initial round of cease-fire talks in Islamabad, Pakistan failed to produce results. Any Iranian ship approaching the U.S. blockade...
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As talks stumble, Trump declares blockade of Strait of Hormuz
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States would immediately impose a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a day after 21 hours of talks failed to produce an agreement. Trump warned that any Iranian forces firing on U.S. or...
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U.S., Iran start direct talks amid doubts over Lebanon, sanctions
Three-way cease-fire negotiations between U.S. officials Steve Witkoff, JD Vance and Jared Kushner, Iran’s Mohammad Ghalibaf and Abbas Araghchi, and Pakistan’s army chief were “face to face,” according to a Pakistani source. According to the plan, the...
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Serbia poised to make drones with Israeli arms giant Elbit Systems
A month ago Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced the imminent opening of a new drone manufacturing plant. “For serious drones – the most serious in the world,” he said. The president added that the facility could be ready as early as April and...
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In Iran, Trump trying to put out fire with fire
The nerve-wracking tension over the ultimatum that U.S. President Donald Trump has given Iran will apparently continue until the last minute, when it is due to expire at 3 A.M. on Wednesday, Israel time. As usual, a last-minute initiative has cropped...
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At least 3 missing, 24 wounded as Iran missile hits building in Haifa
Three or four people are reportedly missing after a building in Haifa was directly struck by an Iranian missile on Sunday evening. In addition, an 82-year-old man was seriously wounded, while 24 people, including a baby, were lightly wounded. Carmel...
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IDF says it can’t disarm Hezbollah despite the government’s promises
Sometimes the truth is optional. A senior IDF officer told military reporters on Friday morning what should have been obvious (and has been stated here repeatedly in recent weeks): The fighting in Lebanon, in its current format, will not result in...
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4 soldiers killed in combat with Hezbollah
Four Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed in close combat with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Monday – Staff Sgt. Maksim Entis of Bat Yam, Staff Sgt. Ben Cohen of Lehavim, Capt. Noam Madmoni of Sderot and Staff Sgt. Gilad Harel of Modi’in....
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Israel passes into law: death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terror
Israel’s Knesset on Monday passed a bill mandating the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of deadly acts of terrorism. The bill stipulates that the death penalty will be imposed on a terrorist who killed a person “with the intent to deny the...
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Interceptor production ramped up as war takes longer than planned
The Israeli defense industry has recently tripled the pace at which it produces interceptor missiles and other aerial munitions, in an attempt to respond to the army’s needs during the war. And the pace is expected to increase further, to four times...
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Israel faces war of attrition as home front and morale hit hard
U.S. President Donald Trump postponed the deadline for his ultimatum to Iran by 10 days – until April 6. If the sides fail to reach a compromise regarding the end of the war by then, Trump threatened to bomb power stations and energy infrastructure...
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U.S. says close to core objectives; Iran demands end to ‘aggression’
Cease-fire talks are reportedly stalling between both the U.S. and Iran, and Israel and Lebanon, as the war passed its 26th day on Wednesday. Israel was preparing to strike as many targets as possible ahead of a possible end to the war. Iran rejected...
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