Irma-battered Caribbean islands brace for Hurricane Maria’s flooding, damaging winds
Maria, a Category 1 hurricane, poses a significant threat to Irma-devastated areas in the northern Caribbean early this week.
War
Hezbollah’s New Strength Leaves Israeli Border Tense
Deep in the rugged hills close to the Israeli border, two Hezbollah fighters crouched near a small fire, which heated a teapot. Despite the late-summer sun, they were both wearing full face masks to disguise their identity, because Hezbollah forbids its members from speaking with foreign reporters.
Trump administration backs bill to halt aid to Palestinians
The Trump administration is backing legislation that would suspend US financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority until it ends what critics say is a long-standing practice of rewarding Palestinians who kill Americans and Israelis.
Israel Demanded 60km Buffer but Russia Let Iranian Forces in Syria Approach the Border
Israel asked Russia and the United States to prevent an Iranian presence, or that of any Shi’ite militia operating under Iranian influence, in southern Syria near the Israeli border in any cease-fire agreement. Israel presented its demand during the talks that preceded the cease-fire agreement in July – but the Russians refused.
Russia kicks off huge war games on Europe’s borders
Military officials in Belarus sought Thursday morning to calm Western fears about major war games taking place with Russia, hours before they got underway.
North Korea vows to accelerate weapons program following new US sanctions
North Korea displayed trademark defiance on Wednesday over new United Nations sanctions imposed after its sixth and largest-ever nuclear test, vowing to redouble efforts to fight off what it said was the threat of a US invasion.
Fearing Russia, Sweden holds biggest war games in 20 years
Neutral Sweden has launched its biggest war games in two decades with support from NATO countries, drilling 19,000 troops after years of spending cuts that have left the country fearful of Russia’s growing military strength.
Russia urges Syria not to respond to Israel’s attack
Russia has urged Syrian President Bashar Assad not to retaliate against Israel after an airstrike on the country’s Scientific Studies and Research Center, which the Syrian regime attributes to Israel, a senior Russia official dealing with Middle East affairs told Yedioth Ahronoth in an conversation in Moscow over the weekend.
Devastating UK survey finds half of Britons agree with anti-Israel statements
Nearly one in three Britons holds at least one anti-Semitic attitude and more than half endorse at least one hard-line anti-Israel statement, finds a major new study published today.
Trump sends warning to gridlocked Republicans by meeting with Democrats
President Trump’s decision to hold White House meetings with Democrats on key agenda items has sent a clear message to the GOP that it needs to get moving or he’ll make deals with the minority party.
Israel to occupy parts of south Lebanon in next conflict with Hezbollah
In the event of another war with Hezbollah, the IDF’s objective would be to occupy parts of southern Lebanon where the group has support and infrastructure and to force a UN resolution that improves the security situation on the northern border, a senior IDF officer said on Monday.
Trump and Netanyahu to meet on sidelines of UN confab, US confirms
US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet in New York next week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, a US official confirmed on Tuesday.
Tillerson State Dept. Demanding Israel Hand Back Millions in U.S. Military Aid
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been pushing the Trump White House to demand that Israel give back to the United States millions of dollars in military aid, prompting pushback in the West Wing and further fueling ongoing tensions between Foggy Bottom and the White House over a range of key diplomatic issues, according to multiple sources briefed on the situation.
Northern Command goes on offense in wide-scale exercise
The Northern Command began the next stage of its wide-scale training exercise in the Western and Lower Galilee on Monday, conducting offensive maneuvers in a simulation of an all-out war against the Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah.
Hurricane Jose threatens the US
Another hurricane is moving in the direction of the mainland U.S. as the remnants of Hurricane Irma continue to sweep through the Southeast.
Russia reassures Israel over Iranian presence in Syria — report
Russia has reportedly reassured Israel that it will not allow Iran and its Hezbollah proxy to threaten the Jewish state from Syria, where Moscow is fighting alongside Tehran and the Lebanese terror group on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Marking 9/11, Trump says ‘America cannot be intimidated’
Leading his first commemoration of the solemn 9/11 anniversary, US President Donald Trump said Monday that ‘the living, breathing soul of America wept with grief’ for each of the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost on that day 16 years ago.
Floridians return to storm-battered homes as Irma flooding spreads
Storm-shocked Floridians returned to shattered homes on Monday as the remnants of Hurricane Irma pushed inland, leaving more than half of all state residents without power and city streets underwater from Orlando and Jacksonville into coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
Hurricane Irma will hammer insurance industry — up to $65 billion in damage is projected
Hurricane Irma will create combined insured losses of $20 billion to $65 billion, according to a projection from risk modeling software company AIR Worldwide.
Hurricane Jose downgraded to Category 3, expected to weaken
Hurricane Jose pulled farther away from the Caribbean Sunday morning and is expected to weaken over the next few days as it moves across the western Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center said.