Republican senators call on US to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan
US Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas on Sunday again called on the United States to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
Israel
US pullout from Syria to be done in ‘prudent’ way, Trump says
US President Donald Trump on Monday sought to end fears of an abrupt US pullout from Syria, saying the fight against the Islamic State group was not over and that withdrawal would be done in a ‘prudent’ manner.
Erdogan says only Turkey has power to ‘shoulder the heavy burden’ of Syria
In an op-ed published by The New York Times on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria and said that Turkey ‘is the only country with the power and commitment’ to protect the interests of Washington, the international community and the Syrian people.
In ‘dramatic statement,’ PM demands he be allowed to face his accusers
In a live statement to the press on prime time Monday evening, advertised ahead of time as ‘special’ and ‘dramatic,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that police allow him to face the state’s witnesses who have testified against him in the three corruption cases in which he is a suspect.
Pompeo: 99 Percent of ISIS Caliphate Now Defeated
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be ‘singularly focused’ on rallying Middle East leaders to help the United States counter Iran’s global support for terrorism and military intervention during a weeklong jaunt across the region, the Secretary of State told the Washington Free Beacon aboard his plane en route to his first stop in Jordan.
U.S. ambassador to Israel: Trump’s peace plan to be presented in months
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said Sunday that the Trump administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan – the ‘deal of the century’ – will be presented ‘within the next several months.’
Israel calls on U.S. to recognize rule over Golan Heights
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on the U.S to recognize Israeli sovereignty of the disputed Golan Heights.
Iran deploying warships to western Atlantic amid rising tensions with US
Iran is set to deploy a fleet of warships to the western Atlantic Ocean in the coming months, a naval commander said Friday, in an apparent bid to counter the presence of a US aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.
Bolton cautions Syria against using chemical weapons amid plan to pull US troops
Following the decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, National Security Adviser John Bolton reportedly cautioned the Syrian government on Saturday that the drawdown should not be viewed as an opening to use chemical weapons.
Bolton tells Netanyahu of U.S. concern with Chinese presence at Haifa Port
National Security Adviser John Bolton raised US concerns on Sunday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over China’s creeping role in Israel’s critical infrastructure, particularly its upcoming management of Haifa Port, a frequent dock for the US Sixth Fleet.
Islamic Jihad tells Iran: We will create second front in any Israel-Lebanon war
The Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad has committed to spark an escalation on the southern front if Israel enters a military conflict with Lebanon’s Hezbollah on the north, said the Palestinian faction’s leader, Ziad Nakhala, in an interview to the state-owned Iranian TV channel Al-Alam.
Pompeo accepted almost all Netanyahu’s requests, senior Israeli official says
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had almost all of his requests accepted during his meeting in Brazil with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a senior Israeli diplomatic official said Wednesday.
Hamas, Fatah tensions rise; accuse each other of collaborating with Israel
Tensions between Hamas and Fatah have intensified in the past few days as the two Palestinian rival parties continue to exchange allegations and insults.
No deal to end shutdown; Trump says ‘could be a long time’
No one budged at President Donald Trump’s closed-door meeting with congressional leaders Wednesday, so the partial government shutdown persisted through Day 12 over his demand for billions of dollars to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. They’ll all try again Friday.
Pompeo to Netanyahu: U.S. still committed to protecting Israel
Syria and Iran were on the agenda Tuesday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in Brasilia against the backdrop of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s inauguration.
US, Israel quit UN agency UNESCO, claiming anti-Israeli bias
The United States and Israel officially quit the U.N.’s educational, scientific and cultural agency at the stroke of midnight, the culmination of a process triggered more than a year ago amid concerns that the organization fosters anti-Israel bias.
Iran denounces Brazil’s plan to move embassy to Jerusalem
Iran has denounced plans by Brazil’s newly elected president to move its embassy to Jerusalem.
Iranian cargo plane suspected of bringing arms to Hezbollah departs Tehran
A Fars Air Qeshm cargo 747 airliner left Tehran at 8 a.m. on Sunday and landed in Damascus at 10:30 a.m., returning to Tehran at 5 p.m. The 747 allegedly transported weapons to Hezbollah in September, according to a report from Fox News that was based on Western intelligence assessments. The aircraft also made suspicious flights in July and August to Damascus and Beirut.
U.S., Israel work to block unilateral Palestinian statehood drive at U.N.
The United States and Israel are working to block a renewed Palestinian Authority drive to become a member state of the United Nations.
New US law threatens Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation
The security cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel hangs in balance due to a new US legislation, which is expected to take effect next month, that threatens to bankrupt the government in Ramallah and collapse its security apparatus.