RSS
‘Strong Chance’ of Hostage Deal, Israeli, US Officials Say
Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2024. Photo: Yaacov Cohen
The United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Israel are nearing an agreement on a deal that could temporarily halt hostilities in Gaza and secure the return of the hostages, US and Israeli officials said on Sunday.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN in an interview that representatives from the four countries met in Paris and “came to an understanding about what the basic contours for a hostage deal and for a temporary ceasefire would look like.”
Israeli lawmaker on Sunday Aryeh Deri told the Kikar HaShabbat news site that there was a “strong chance” that a hostage deal would happen but that it would take time. According to Deri, Hamas had not yet responded to the terms of the deal.
Meanwhile, the state-affiliated Egyptian Al Qahera News network on Sunday reported that talks were continuing in Doha and “would be followed by meetings in Cairo.”
Sullivan expressed his hope that “in the coming days” there would be a final agreement on the table.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stopped short of confirming that a deal was on the offing and said that that for the discussions to progress, Hamas must adopt a more “reasonable” stance.
In a separate statement to CBS News, Netanyahu discussed Israel’s strategic military considerations, including plans for civilian evacuation in Gaza and military actions against Hamas forces, indicating that these plans would proceed regardless of the negotiation outcomes.
“If we have a deal, it will be delayed somewhat, but it will happen. If we don’t have a deal, we’ll do it anyway,” he told CBS “Face the Nation.”
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri responded by saying that Netanyahu’s comments proved the Israeli leader “is not concerned about reaching an agreement.”
Netanyahu wants “to pursue negotiation under bombardment and the bloodshed” of Palestinians in Gaza, Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
Separately on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces announced the death of soldier Sgt. Oz Daniel, 19, who was killed on October 7 along with the rest of his tank crew and his body taken to Gaza. His body is still being held by Hamas.
It marked the fourth IDF death announced over the weekend. Staff-Sgt. Narya Belete, 21, a soldier in the elite Givati reconnaissance unit, Staff-Sgt. Eli Zrihen, 20, from the same unit, and Major Eyal Shuminov, a 24-year-old company commander in the Shaked Battalion of the Givati Brigade, were all killed in Gaza on Saturday, the IDF said.
A statement by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum noted that Daniel was a skilled guitar player who loved the rock band Guns N’ Roses who “loved life, loved people, had a great sense of humor and a contagious smile.”
He left behind his parents and a twin brother, Hadar.
Of the 253 people abducted to Gaza, the IDF has confirmed the deaths of 31, among them Daniel.
The post ‘Strong Chance’ of Hostage Deal, Israeli, US Officials Say first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
US Moves Patriot Missile Batteries from South Korea to Middle East
A Patriot missile battery. Photo: IDF.
i24 News – American Patriot missile defense batteries will be moved from South Korea to the Middle East, according to reports in Asian media on Friday, amid speculation over a potential military action against Iran’s nuclear program and escalating bombardments of Iran-backed jihadists in Yemen.
US President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program, and the United States has moved additional warplanes into the region.
Washington and Seoul have reportedly recently agreed on the “monthslong” partial deployment of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3, in what is understood to be the first known case involving the relocation of United States Forces Korea (USFK) assets to the Middle East.
Iran in recent years has largely dropped the pretense of enriching uranium for a civilian atomic energy program, as it’s reportedly teetering on the nuclear precipice. Israel believes that a nuclear Iran represents a grave existential threat, consistent with the exterminationist antisemitism of the Islamic Republic’s anti-Israel rhetoric.
After the election of Trump, a known Iran hawk, the likelihood of an U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities has increased precipitously.
The post US Moves Patriot Missile Batteries from South Korea to Middle East first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Report: Iranian Plot to Assassinate Azerbaijani Rabbi Foiled
The Azerbaijani capital of Baku. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
i24 News – Iran enlisted the services of a Georgian drug trafficker to carry out an assassination of a prominent Azerbaijani rabbi, the Washington Post reported Saturday, citing security officials.
The plot to murder Rabbi Shneor Segal, foiled by the State Security Service of Azerbaijan in early January, also involved a plan to attack a Jewish education center, the officials said.
The plot was set in motion by an officer with Iran’s Quds Force, who met with Georgian criminal Agil Aslanov, handing him a photo of Segal and detailed instructions on how to murder him, the officials cited by WaPo said. Aslanov’s fee for the foiled hit was $200,000.
The State Security Service said the two men “worked to collect information about a member of a religious community, and sent the location of his residence and workplace to a representative of a foreign special service agency via the appropriate mobile phone application.”
Iran is known to be behind multiple plots against Israeli and Jewish targets, many of which have been foiled by Israeli and foreign security services.
However a recent plot saw three citizens of Uzbekistan murder an Israeli rabbi in the United Arab Emirates on Iranian orders. The three were sentenced to death earlier this week for the murder of Zvi Kogan in November.
The post Report: Iranian Plot to Assassinate Azerbaijani Rabbi Foiled first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Netanyahu to Depart for Washington on Sunday Directly from Hungary to Meet with Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, Feb. 16, 2025. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will depart to Washington DC on Sunday directly from Hungary—where he is presently on an official visit—to meet with US President Donald Trump, i24NEWS learned on Saturday from an Israeli source.
The visit comes following a phone conversation between the leaders on Friday, and a call with State Secretary Marco Rubio a short while ago.
As a result, the planned visit to Washington of Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz will be postponed once again.
Topics of discussion between the two leaders are expected to include the possible military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Gaza war and the future of the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave, the US bombing campaign against Iran-backed Houthi jihadists in Yemen, and the recent imposition of tariffs on Israeli products.
The post Netanyahu to Depart for Washington on Sunday Directly from Hungary to Meet with Trump first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login