The United States Wednesday ordered non-emergency staff evacuated from its Baghdad embassy due to an ‘imminent’ threat from Iranian-linked Iraqi militias, but President Donald Trump predicted Iran would ‘soon’ want to start talks.
Lawmakers from both parties in Congress demanded more information on the White House’s claims of rising threats in the Middle East, warning US President Donald Trump of a dangerous escalation with Iran.
Iran’s defense minister said Wednesday his country would defeat the US-Israel alliance in the region, amid rising tensions and fears of a potential war between Iran and the US.
The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps on Wednesday warned Tehran was on the brink of full-on conflict with its enemy, a day after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said there would not be a war with the United States amid escalating tensions.
Israeli security forces and communities near the Gaza border prepared for thousands of Palestinians to take part in Nakba Day demonstrations along the security fence surrounding the coastal enclave on Wednesday, though these were expected to be tamer than last year’s Nakba Day clashes in which protesters attempted to breach the security fence, threw explosives at Israeli troops and, in one case, shot at soldiers.
The US embassy in Israel issued a security alert late Monday evening, urging all American citizens in Israel to exercise caution and avoid travelling to areas affected by rocket fire in the latest deadly flare-up between Hamas and Israel. The warning comes ahead of the anniversary of US Embassy opening in Jerusalem – which coincides with the week-long Eurovision festivities.
Four oil tankers were attacked in the Middle East Sunday, leaving no casualties but significant structural damage to the vessels, and possibly confirming reports on Israeli television Friday that had warned of Iran’s intentions to strike back at Saudi oil assets.
Britain warned Monday that conflict might break out ‘by accident’ between the United States and Iran amid rising tensions, as European Union powers gathered to thrash out ways to keep the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic afloat.
US Special Mideast Envoy Jason D. Greenblatt said Saturday the Trump administration’s long-delayed peace proposal, dubbed ‘the deal of the century’ will not be unveiled until mid-June after the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.
Israel will not let Iran attain nuclear weapons, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday just hours after Iran announced that it will continue its nuclear program.
The central gathering ushering in national Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror began at the Western Wall in Jerusalem Tuesday evening at 8:01 pm, following a minute-long siren and moment of silence. President Reuven Rivlin, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi and police Commissioner Motti Cohen were in attendance.
A leader of the Islamic Jihad said in a televised interview that he expects a war with Israel to break out by next summer.
Qatar pledged to send $480 million in aid to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, Qatar’s foreign ministry said overnight Monday.
Iran is ‘considering retaliating against U.S. interests in the Gulf’ in response to the Trump administration’s ever-tightening restrictions against the Islamic Republic, according to an anonymous senior Israeli intelligence official.
The United States received information from Israel concerning an alleged Iranian plot to attack American interests in the Gulf, Axios reported on Monday.
While Israel absorbed as many as 700 rockets fired by the terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad from the Gaza Strip over the weekend, the media turned the tables on the aggression and launched its usual assault on the Jewish state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that it was ‘clear that this is not the end of the campaign,’ hours after a ceasefire to end a surge of deadly violence in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel took hold on Monday.
U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton says a carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln recently deployed to the Persian Gulf is “in response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Iran.
Energy Minister and Security Cabinet member Yuval Steinitz told Army Radio on Monday morning that ‘to get rid of Hamas, we have to conquer Gaza.’
A White House decision to dispatch an aircraft carrier and other military resources to send a message to Iran followed “clear indications” that Iranian and Iranian proxy forces were preparing to possibly attack US forces in the region, a defense official told the Associated Press.