RSS
Israel Pushes for Breakthrough in Ceasefire Talks Within 24 Hours
A Qatari flag is seen at a park near the Doha Corniche, in Doha, Qatar, Feb. 17, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Ibraheem al Omari.
i24 News – An Israeli delegation arrived in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Sunday evening to advance talks on a hostage deal. The delegation includes Coordinator for the Captives and the Missing Gal Hirsch, a senior Shin Bet official, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political advisor Ophir Falk, and other officials from the IDF, Mossad, and Shin Bet security agency.
Israel has made it clear that some parts of Hamas’ response “are not acceptable to Israel.” But an Israeli source tells i24NEWS that “Israel thinks that Hamas’ response does allow for a deal to be concluded, which is why they decided to send a delegation.”
A source familiar with the details of the talks tells i24NEWS that the gaps between the sides are small. “A deal can be reached even within a day,” the source said. “They are not that significant, it all depends on how stubborn the parties will be and how much pressure there will be from the American president.”
In addition to talks about the ceasefire, Netanyahu is expected to ask US President Donald Trump during a visit to Washington, DC, for a “green light” to act against any Iranian activity related to rebuilding the Iranian nuclear program. The Israeli source told i24NEWS that “the goal is to receive a mandate similar to what is happening in Lebanon. That is, if there is identification of suspicious activity at the nuclear sites, if there is suspicion of removing uranium from the stockpiles – there will already be American approval to act against this activity.”
The Israeli goal is to establish an American mechanism that will work to prevent Iran from rebuilding its nuclear program. Israel is interested in increasing pressure on Tehran, the source said: “They want the sanctions of the snapback mechanism to be imposed on Iran because it is not cooperating with the IAEA.”
The post Israel Pushes for Breakthrough in Ceasefire Talks Within 24 Hours first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Report: IDF Probes Whether Houthis Used Iranian Cluster Bomb-Bearing Missile
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
i24 News – The Israeli military said Saturday it launched a probe into the failure of its defenses to fully intercept a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi jihadists, parts of which struck not far from the Ben Gurion airport on Friday night.
According to the Ynet website, one of the hypotheses being examined is that the projectile contained cluster munitions, similar to those used by Iran to fire at Israeli cities during the 12-day war in June. Cluster munitions pose a challenge to interceptors as they disperse smaller explosives over a wide area.
In June, Iran fired several missiles carrying scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties.
The IDF said on Saturday that its initial review suggests the ballistic missile from Yemen likely fragmented in mid-air. Five interceptors from various systems engaged with the missile, including THAAD, Arrow, David Sling & Iron Dome.
Authorities said that shrapnel impacted a house in the central Israeli moshav of Ginaton, yet no one was hurt, with the fragment landing in the house’s backyard.
RSS
Iran Forces Kill Six Militants, IRNA Reports, Israel Link Seen
The Iranian flag is seen flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 3, 2023. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iranian security forces shot dead six militants in a clash in southeastern Iran on Saturday, a day after armed rebels killed five police officers in the restive region, the official news agency IRNA reported.
IRNA said evidence showed the group was linked to Israel and may have been trained by Israel‘s Mossad spy agency. There was no immediate Israeli reaction to the allegation.
Another two members of the militant group were arrested, the report said. All but one of the militants were foreign, it added, without giving their nationality.
Iranian police said this month they had arrested as many as 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war with Israel in June.
Iran’s southeast has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy.
Tehran says some of them have ties to foreign powers and are involved in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.
RSS
Benny Gantz Urges Time-Limited National Unity Government to Further Chances of Hostage Deal
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz attends his party’s meeting at the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz on Saturday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition politicians to form a temporary national unity government to further the chances of bringing home the hostages held in Gaza.
Addressing Netanyahu, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman, Gantz said that the proposed government’s two supreme priorities would be the release of Israeli hostages held by the jihadists of Hamas and instituting universal conscription in Israel by ending the exemption from military service enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox.
Upon attainment of the goals, the government would dissolve and call an election.
“The government’s term will begin with a hostage deal that brings everyone home,” Gantz said in a video address. “Within weeks, we will formulate an enlistment outline that would see our ultra-Orthodox brethren drafted to the military and ease the burden on those already serving. Finally, we will announce an agreed-upon election date in the spring of 2026 and pass a law to dissolve the Knesset [Israeli parliament] accordingly. This is what’s right for Israel.”