3rd rocket attack in 3 days targets US forces in Iraq
The Iraqi army said two rockets were fired Tuesday at a base hosting Americans, in the third such attack in three days and as a US government delegation is visiting the country.
Israel
Report: Civilian killed, six injured in Israeli airstrike on Syria
An Israeli airstrike set off Syrian air defenses early Wednesday, killing one and injuring six, according to Syrian state-run SANA news.
Police closes Temple Mount to Jews indefinitely
Israel Police Tuesday banned Jewish visitors from visiting the Temple Mount until further notice as tensions rise in the Old City of the Israeli capital.
Netherlands Remembers War Dead Amid Corona Controversy
The Dutch king laid a wreath Tuesday at a monument to the country’s war dead amid fresh controversy about reduced liberties in the liberal nation.
US Secretary of State meets with head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has met with Yossi Cohen, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, for talks that centered on Iran, the Associated Press reports.
Rivlin said set to ask Lapid to form coalition, won’t give mandate to Bennett
President Reuven Rivlin will likely tap Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid with forming the next government if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fails to do so by the Tuesday night deadline, but will likely not consider offering it to Yamina leader Naftali Bennett, according to Hebrew media reports.
EU, UN call on Abbas to set new date for Palestinian elections
The Palestinian Authority should set a new date for the Legislative Council elections – and Israel should allow Palestinians to cast their ballots in Jerusalem, the European Union and the United Nations said on Friday.
Gantz rules out coalition with Netanyahu, says he’s committed to replacing him
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz on Sunday ruled out joining a government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling lawmakers in his party that he is fully committed to the so-called “change bloc” that seeks to remove the Likud leader from power.
Biden said to tell Mossad chief that US not close to return to Iran nuke deal
US president Joe Biden reportedly told Mossad chief Yossi Cohen that the US is not close to returning to the nuclear deal with Iran, according to a news report Sunday.
Hamas slams Abbas’s decision to delay Palestinian vote as a ‘coup’
The Palestinian Hamas movement on Thursday slammed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s decision on Thursday night to delay a long-awaited Palestinian vote, calling his move “a coup.”
Zarif Had No Knowledge of Israeli Strikes Until Kerry Told Him, Translation Reveals
Leaked audiotape of Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif indicates he had no knowledge of covert Israeli military strikes before former secretary of state John Kerry provided him with the information, new details that contradict the State Department’s recent defense of Kerry.
Dozens Killed In Israel As Grandstand Collapses At Jewish Festival
Authorities say they fear dozens have died after a grandstand collapsed at a large gathering to celebrate the Lag B’Omer Jewish festival at Mount Meron.
EU condemns UNRWA for ‘hate speech and violence’ taught in PA schools
The European Union on Wednesday passed an unprecedented resolution to condemn the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees for printing, distributing and using textbooks inciting and endorsing violence against Israel and the Jewish people in Palestinian Authority schools.
Bennett, Sa’ar meet to talk unity gov’t, as Shaked said hoping to thwart efforts
Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett and New Hope chief Gideon Sa’ar held lengthy talks at the Knesset on Wednesday to coordinate demands that the right-wing bloc of a perspective unity government will make in negotiations with Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid.
US eyes major rollback of Iran sanctions to revive nuclear deal
The Biden administration is considering a near wholesale rollback of some of the most stringent Trump-era sanctions imposed on Iran in a bid to get the Islamic Republic to return to compliance with a landmark 2015 nuclear accord, according to current and former US officials and others familiar with the matter.
Abbas tells global allies he will postpone Palestinian elections
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has notified the European Union, Jordan and Egypt of his decision to postpone Palestinian parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for May 22, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported on Tuesday.
Gantz appointed justice minister after Netanyahu U-turn; court cancels hearing
While insisting that the disputed vote he held in the cabinet on Tuesday to appoint Likud’s Ofir Akunis as justice minister was a legitimate move, Prime Minister Benjamin backed down Wednesday from his refusal to appoint anyone else to the position, agreeing to make Blue and White’s Benny Gantz justice minister for the duration of the transitional government.
Cyber directorate warns of anticipated attacks to mark Iran’s ‘Jerusalem Day’
The National Cyber Directorate warned Wednesday that coordinated attacks against Israel are expected next month to mark Iran’s annual Quds Day, and the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Kerry Denies Telling Iranians About Covert Israeli Operations; State Dept. Says It Was Public Knowledge
Facing calls for his resignation, President Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry on Monday denied as “unequivocally false” claims that he had informed Iran’s foreign minister about covert Israeli military strikes against Iranian facilities in Syria.
Pentagon says US Navy fired warning shots at Iran boats in Gulf
A US Navy vessel fired warning shots toward three Iranian military speed boats in the Gulf this week to warn them after they sped close to the ship, the Navy said Tuesday.