Israel News

Israel and Saudi Arabia might establish diplomatic ties as early as “early next year,” a senior Israeli official told Ynet Wednesday night on condition of anonymity, after “progress has been made” in talks between the Saudis and the United States.

Archaeologists in Israel have found a blood-red combat arena at Legio, a massive military base that housed Rome’s “ironclad” legion in the second century.

Following the terrorist attack in Huwara, in which Shai Silas Nigreker and his son Aviad Nir were murdered, and a second attack in Hebron Mount, in which Batsheva Nigri was killed and Aryeh Gottlieb was seriously injured, the security cabinet convened on Tuesday after pushing forward the date from the planned September 10.

Israel struck targets on the outskirts of Damascus, Syrian state news agency SANA reported Monday night.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a press conference on Monday evening at the site in the Hebron Hills where, earlier in the day, Batsheva Nigri was murdered in a terrorist shooting attack.

The historical water arch in Caesarea suffered a collapse during the early hours of Friday. This arch stands on the Aqueduct Beach, a popular bathing spot. Representatives from the Antiquities Authority were present at the site this morning, and a team from the Antiquities Authority’s Conservation Directorate is expected to evaluate the extent of the damage on Sunday. The collapsed portion of the arch, a 1,870-year-old addition built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, faced this unfortunate fate.

A major evangelical organization is concerned about its future in Israel. The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) is telling Israeli media the government has rejected its request for clergy visas on the grounds that it no longer qualifies as a “religious institution.”

The US Ministry of Defense on Thursday announced it has approved the $3.5 billion sale of Israel’s Arrow 3 missile defense system to Germany, in what is Israel’s largest security deal ever, Ynet News reports. Senior officials in the German and Israeli defense ministries will be convening to ratify the deal.

The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, is set to visit Israel next week to address concerns and assess the Israel Defense Forces’ readiness for war following months of nationwide protests against the government’s judicial reform program, i24News reports.

Archaeologists have uncovered a 5,500-year-old city gate in southern Israel, the most ancient city gate ever unearthed in the Holy Land, the Jerusalem Post reports. Discovered close to city fortifications, the gate represents the beginning of urbanization in the Land of Israel and the Levant.

Amid heightened tensions on Israel’s border with Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah announced Monday that Israel will “cease to exist” if a new conflict between the Israeli military and the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group should ignite, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin are leading a push to freeze any future legislation of the judicial overhaul for an entire year, the Israel Hayom news site reports, citing senior coalition officials.

An ancient Christian mosaic bearing an early reference to Jesus as God is at the center of a controversy that has riled archaeologists: Should the centuries-old decorated floor, which is near what’s believed to be the site of the prophesied Armageddon, be uprooted and loaned to a US museum that has been criticized for past acquisition practices?

The judicial overhaul launched by the Israeli government at the beginning of the year has plunged Israel into a major crisis, striking to the heart of what was the country’s consensus: its military.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned vacation in the Golan and called a meeting with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the heads of the IDF on Sunday.

An Iranian depot located in Damascus, and containing munitions collected over time was targeted and completely destroyed, early on Sunday, according to the UK- based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The opposition group did not say if the attack was carried out by aircraft or came overland but did say that there was no knowledge of casualties.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly sending his Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to Washington, next week, for talks with U.S. officials about a potential normalization deal with Saudi Arabia.

Over 200 Israelis and those entitled to immigration to the Jewish state were rescued from northern Ethiopia amid ongoing violence, a joint statement of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

A team of Israeli scientists announced on August 7 that they have succeeded in creating a tiny beating heart model grown from stem cells in a lab, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports. Researchers believe that the availability of human organoids such as this model heart can help scientists understand human physiology and lead to medical breakthroughs in fighting disease.

U.S. and Saudi Arabia have agreed on the broad contours of a deal for Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel in exchange for concessions to the Palestinians, U.S. security guarantees and help in advancing a civilian nuclear program. the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.