US hits Iran with new sanctions targeting petrochemicals
The Trump administration on Friday hit Iran with new sanctions that target its largest petrochemical company for providing support to the Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Israel
US, Russia blame each other in near-collision of warships
The US and Russia accused each other of unsafe actions on Friday after an American guided-missile cruiser and a Russian destroyer came within 165 feet (50 meters) of each other in the East China Sea.
Temple Mount Sifting Project reboots, aims to salvage ancient temple artifacts
Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Zeev Elkin played show and tell at the June 2 Cabinet meeting this week. To mark Jerusalem Day, a national holiday celebrating the 1967 reunification of Jerusalem, Elkin brought to the Prime Minister’s Office a rare 2,700-year-old First Temple clay sealing impression, fittingly inscribed with the name of a priestly family of Temple Mount political administrators.
US envoy says Israel has ‘right’ to annex West Bank land
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman has said the Jewish has the right to annex at least ‘some’ of the West Bank, in comments likely to deepen Palestinian opposition to the long-awaited American peace plan.
Over 10,000 march in Jerusalem Pride Parade under heavy security
Chanting for equality and holding aloft brightly painted signs supporting LGBT rights, some 10,000-15,000 people marched in Jerusalem’s annual pride parade Thursday evening, with over 2,000 police securing the highly charged event four years after a deadly attack on participants.
Anti-aircraft missiles fired at Israel’s Hermon, fall inside Syria
Several anti-aircraft missiles were fired toward Mount Hermon from Syria on Thursday, the second such incident in under a week.
Archaeologists identify city gate from time of King David
A city gate from the time of King David was discovered after 32 years of excavation in the ancient city of Bethsaida in the Golan Heights’ Jordan Park, opening up a world of new possibilities, opinions and theories about the ancient landscape of the Land of Israel.
Israel said trying to block bipartisan Senate two-state resolution
Israeli diplomats in Washington have been working to prevent the Senate from passing a bipartisan resolution that would endorse a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to a report published Wednesday.
UN: 2 million Somalis could die of famine this year
A United Nations emergency relief coordinator said Tuesday that more than two million men, women and children could die of starvation in Somalia by summer’s end if international aid is not sent quickly to the drought-stricken African country.
Iran Continues Quest for Nukes in Spite of International Agreements
The Iranian quest for nuclear weapons continues unabated, according to Olli Heinonen, former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that monitors nuclear developments worldwide.
Iran could make nuclear weapon in 6-8 months, says former IAEA deputy
A former deputy head of the UN’s atomic watchdog said Wednesday that Iran is capable of producing a nuclear bomb in six to eight months.
Former PM Ehud Barak poised to announce Labor leadership bid
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak is close to making a final decision on whether he will run for the head of the Labour party.
EU urges US to respect both sides in Mideast peace moves
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is urging the United States to respect the needs of both Israelis and the Palestinians in any future Mideast peace moves.
US to press Russia for help countering Iran in Syria
A senior official in the Trump administration on Tuesday said that the US was going to tell Russia that Iran should withdraw from Syria, and ask for Moscow’s suggestions on how to counter Tehran’s influence in the region.
Kushner heads to Brussels to brief EU officials on peace plan
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East peace adviser Jared Kushner will hold talks with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Tuesday, and is expected to give a briefing on details of the US peace plan.
Syria: Iran is not leaving, despite U.S. and Israeli pressure
A Syrian official told Russian media that there are no plans for Iran to reduce its troop levels in the country, even if the US and Israel seek to offer Russia a deal.
Russian fighter jet said to harass US Navy spy plane over Mediterranean
The US army has complained that a Russian fighter jet harassed a surveillance plane over the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday by intercepting it three times in three hours.
Mossad intelligence helped link Iran to UAE tanker sabotage — report
Intelligence materials collected by Israel’s Mossad agency played a role in linking Iran to the sabotaging of four oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates last month, prompting the United States to accuse Tehran of carrying out the attack, according to a report on Monday.
‘Israel will no longer tolerate Arab riots on Temple Mount’
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) condemned Arab rioters on the Temple Mount, calling on the Israeli government to put an end to Arab efforts to intimidate Jews attempting to visit the Jerusalem holy site.
Report: For 2nd straight day, Israel strikes military targets in Syria
Israel fired missiles at a Syrian military air base in the country’s center late Sunday, killing at least one soldier and wounding two others, hours after another Israeli strike in southern Syria, which came in response to a rocket attack on the Israeli Golan Heights. Sunday’s strike killed three soldiers and wounded seven, Syria’s state-run media said.