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Nine arrested in an unauthorized protest that reached Prime Minister Netanyahu's house in Jerusalem.
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On Friday, Israel conducted a precision strike against military targets in Iran. The strike was a response to an Oct. 1 attack where Iran launched about 200 ballistic missiles into Israel. While most of the missiles from that attack against Israel were destroyed before reaching their target, some did impact and cause minimal damage.
Press Secretary Sabrina Singh during a meeting today with reporters. "We don't think that Iran should or needs to respond. On Oct. 1, Iran launched the 200 ballistic missiles that were targeting civilian population centers. Israel's response was targeted at military targets. We see this as a way to off-ramp."
Since the terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel Oct. 7, 2023, and during the ongoing Israeli response to that attack, the U.S. has continued to emphasize that it remains well-postured to defend its forces, facilities and partners in the region and remains determined to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding conflict in the region.
"The secretary also discussed the opportunities that now exist to use diplomacy to dial down tensions in the region, including a hostage release and cease-fire deal in Gaza and an agreement in Lebanon that allows civilians on both sides of the blue line to return safely to their homes," Singh said.
Saudi Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Saud Al-Sati received the German Ambassador to the Kingdom Michael Kindsgrab in Riyadh on Monday.
Al-Sati also held separate meetings with the Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan and Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Madiyar Menilbekov on the same day, the Foreign Ministry announced on X.
Bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them were discussed during the meetings, alongside various other topics of common interest
www.arabnews.com
JERUSALEM - Israel's parliament is scheduled to vote Monday on a pair of bills that would effectively sever ties with the UN agency responsible for distributing aid in Gaza, strip it of legal immunities and restrict its ability to support Palestinians in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Israel accuses the UN Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, of turning a blind eye to Hamas militants it says have infiltrated its staff, including a small number of its 13,000 employees in Gaza who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023...
Hezbollah has appointed the group's deputy secretary-general Sheikh Naim Kassem as its new leader. He will succeed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Beirut in an Israeli airstrike in September. Mr Kassem has been Hezbollah's acting leader since the death of Nasrallah.
Who is Sheikh Naim Kassem? Born in 1953 in Beirut, Mr Kassem has been a senior figure in Hezbollah for more than 30 years. He was appointed deputy chief in 1991 and remained in his role when Hassan Nasrallah became leader a year later. Mr Kassem was the first member of Hezbollah's top leadership to make televised remarks after Nasrallah was killed last month.
He said Hezbollah would choose a successor to its slain leader "at the earliest opportunity" and would continue to fight Israel in solidarity with Palestinians. This month, he said the group supported the efforts of Lebanon's parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, to secure a ceasefire in the country.
Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a ship traveling through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Red Sea on Monday, though it escaped undamaged, authorities said.
The attack ended an 18-day lull in reported assaults attributed to the Houthis, who have been attacking ships traveling through the Red Sea corridor for nearly a year now over the Israel-Hamas war raging in the Gaza Strip. The violence has disrupted international shipping through the region, once valued at $1 trillion in goods annually.
The vessel passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Peninsula from East Africa, reported the attack, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
The ship's captain reported two explosions near the ship, though “the vessel and all crew are reported as safe,” the UKMTO added.
The private security firm Ambrey also described the attack as involving “two close proximity explosions.” It said the vessel wasn't transmitting its position at the time, and it had a private armed security force on board, which many ships have chosen to do amid the Houthi attacks.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack late Monday night. He identified the ship as the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Motaro and claimed without offering evidence the rebels hit the vessel. He also claimed two other unreported attacks in the Arabian Sea, but offered no evidence they took place.
The Iranian-backed Houthis routinely exaggerate their claims.
The last Houthi attack came Oct. 10, targeting the Liberian-flagged chemical tanker Olympic Spirit. It's unclear what led to the pause, which has happened multiple times in the Houthi campaign. On Oct. 17, the U.S. military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by the rebels.
The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October last year. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign which also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.
The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
