File photo: Israeli forces intervene in protest against US
A Palestinian youth died of his wounds Friday after having been shot and injured earlier by Israeli army troops while taking part in ongoing rallies along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone, according to a Palestinian medical source.
Fayez Hamdouneh Hamadeh, 20, succumbed to gunshot injuries he sustained in mid-July while taking part in demonstrations east of the Jabalia refugee camp, Ayman as-Sahbani, head of the emergency ward at Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, told Anadolu Agency.
Since the rallies began on March 30, more than 170 Palestinians have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- by Israeli army troops deployed along the other side of the buffer zone.
Protesters demand the “right of return” to their homes and villages in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.
They also demand an end to Israel’s 11-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its more than million inhabitants of many basic commodities.
Israel will not refrain from striking Lebanese infrastructure in any future conflict with Hezbollah, a senior military official said Thursday.“We will not draw a distinction between Hezbollah and Lebanon as we did in 2006,” an unnamed military official was quoted as saying by Israeli daily Haaretz.“We will not hesitate to strike Lebanon and any Lebanese infrastructure that contributes to the fighting,” he said.“The Israeli military, however, doesn’t believe Hezbollah is interested in a fresh round of conflict,” the official added.In 2006, Israel launched a devastating war against Hezbollah during which at least 1,200 people, mostly Lebanese civilians, were killed.Khamenei says US, Israel wage media war to discourage IraniansIsrael concludes wargames envisaging war with HezbollahUS envoy sees Israel keeping Golan Heights foreverIsrael to close embassy in Paraguay
Israel won’t distinguish btwn Lebanon, Hezbollah in war
The Israeli army on Thursday announced the conclusion of military exercises simulating combat scenarios with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia.According to an army statement, the drills included airborne exercises, helicopter and fighter maneuvers, and tank and artillery training.The wargames also simulated close-range urban warfare scenarios and rugged-terrain combat.The exercises marked the final stage of a 17-week battalion-level combat-training program aimed at enhancing coordination between the Israeli army and air force.The Israeli military conducts frequent maneuvers simulating potential combat scenarios with Hezbollah, with which it fought a major conflict in 2006.US envoy sees Israel keeping Golan Heights foreverIranian interior minister in Iraq for security talks
Israel concludes wargames envisaging war with Hezbollah
Israel said Wednesday it would shut down its embassy in Paraguay.Israel will close its embassy in Paraguay and recall the ambassador to discuss the issue, according to a statement by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.The move comes after the Latin American country announced it would relocate its embassy from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Luis Alberto Castiglioni said Wednesday said the embassy, which previously been moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, would be relocated to Tel Aviv."In a bid to assure a wide, fair and permanent peace in the Middle East, Paraguay wants to contribute to the regional diplomatic efforts," the top diplomat said.After the U.S. and Guatemala, Paraguay on May 21 moved the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.Israeli minister: no knowledge of Trump ordering Assad killedIsraeli court orders demolition of Bedouin hamletIsrael shuts Erez crossing with GazaIsrael's top court clears way for razing of Bedouin village in West Bank
Israel to close embassy in Paraguay
The U.S. has reportedly urged Israel not to strike any Iranian targets in Iraq, according to Israeli media.U.S. officials reportedly told Israelis “please leave Iraq to us”, Israeli Channel 1 reported late Tuesday.The claim came amid reports that Iran has deployed ballistic missiles batteries in Iraq that can reach Israel.On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman hinted that Israel could strike Iranian targets outside Syria.“We aren’t limiting ourselves to Syria. That should be clear,” Lieberman said.In recent months, Israel has admitted to striking a number of Iranian targets inside war-torn Syria, where Iranian forces are backing Syrian regime forces against opposition groups.
US urged Israel not to hit targets in Iraq: Report
Israel's intelligence minister said on Wednesday he had no knowledge of close ally U.S. President Donald Trump ever ordering the killing of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.A new book by Watergate reporter Bob Woodward, "Fear: Trump in the White House", says Trump told his defense secretary that he wanted to have Assad assassinated in response to a chemical attack on Syrian civilians in April 2017.The book said James Mattis, the defense secretary, told Trump he would "get right on it" but instead developed a plan for a limited air strike that did not threaten Assad personally.Trump tweeted that quotes attributed to Mattis were "made up frauds, a con on the public". Mattis dismissed the book as "a uniquely Washington brand of literature"."I do not know of any such instruction. He (Trump) is also denying it, by the way," Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz told Tel Aviv radio station 103 FM."In any event, what can be said is that in the framework of the coordination between the United States and Israel ... the subject of the Syrian regime is certainly part of the discussions. Israel did not take a decision to topple Assad."While formally neutral on the 7-year civil war in neighbouring Syria, Israel has carried out scores of air strikes against suspected attempts by Assad's Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah allies to set up permanent posts or advanced arms.Under decades of Assad family rule, Syria has maintained a Cold War-style hostility toward Israel. Katz said Israel did not see a better alternative to Assad among Syrian opposition groups."Of course his (Assad's) actions are terrible actions, and something that we abhor and condemn. Those opposing him, Daesh and others, are not a side that we think are better. We took care to preserve our interests," Katz said.Woodward gained national fame for his reporting on the Watergate scandal in the 1970s, and has since written a number of books that provide behind-the-scenes glimpses of presidential administrations and other Washington institutions.For this book, Woodward spoke to top aides and other insiders with the understanding that he would not reveal how he got his information, said the Washington Post, which published excerpts from the book on Tuesday.
Israeli minister: no knowledge of Trump ordering Assad killed