DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Summary Sources: Military equipment disguised as relief suppliesSyria is a conflict zone for Israel and IranIsrael mounts swift campaign against IraniansAMMAN, April 12 (Reuters) - Iran has used earthquake relief flights to bring weapons and military equipment into its strategic ally Syria, nine Syrian, Iranian, Israeli and Western sources said. The sources told Reuters that the goal was to buttress Iran's defences against Israel in Syria and to strengthen Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The supplies included advanced communications equipment and radar batteries and spare parts required for a planned upgrade of Syria's Iran-provided air defence system in its civil war, said the sources, two regional sources and a Western intelligence source said. Regional sources told Reuters that Israel quickly became aware of the flow of weapons into Syria and mounted an aggressive campaign to counter it. A radar station used for drones was also hit on April 3, the regional source added, corroborating what two Western intelligence sources had told Reuters.

☆ Romania aims to buy F-35 fighter planes to boost air defences
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUCHAREST, April 11 (Reuters) - Romania aims to buy the latest generation U.S. F-35 fighter planes to boost its air defences, the country's supreme defence council (CSAT) said in a statement on Tuesday. The European Union and NATO state has raised defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product this year from 2%, in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Last year, President Klaus Iohannis said Romania was mulling acquiring F-35 planes, which are made by U.S. weapons maker Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N). In March, the defense ministry said Romania would buy Abrams tanks made by General Dynamics (GD.N), as part of wider defence acquisitions plans. In December, Romania's defence ministry signed a deal to acquire seven Watchkeeper X unmanned aircraft systems from Israeli defence electronics firm Elbit Systems (ESLT.TA) for roughly 1.89 billion lei ($418.02 million).

☆ Israel's 'fired' defence minister may yet keep his job -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, March 30 (Reuters) - The Israeli defence minister whose dismissal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brought the country's constitutional crisis to a boil this week may still keep his job, two sources told Reuters on Thursday. But aides said Gallant never received a formal dismissal letter from Netanyahu, who has since faced rare public censure from the United States over the justice drive. Two sources familiar with the situation said lawmaker Aryeh Deri, leader of the Shas party in Netanyahu's nationalist-religious coalition government, was working to keep Gallant in office. One of the sources said Deri, a longtime Netanyahu ally, was looking to stabilise the government and calm domestic anger. On Wednesday, Netanyahu voiced confidence he would find compromise with the political opposition over the judicial overhaul after the move drew a strong reproach from U.S. President Joe Biden.

☆ Israel launches new spy satellite, overseen by Gallant
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, March 29 (Reuters) - Israel put a new version of its Ofek spy satellite into orbit on Wednesday, with the Defence Ministry saying it would enhance around-the-clock regional monitoring as the country braces for a possible showdown with Iran. The launch, planned months in advance, was overseen by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant - a signal he was staying in office despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement on Sunday that he would be fired amidst a constitutional crisis. The Ofek-13, manufactured by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Ltd [RIC:RIC:ISRAI.UL], is the latest in a series of locally produced satellites first put into orbit in 1988. The next day, Netanyahu announced Gallant's dismissal - triggering a surge of anti-government protests and stoking U.S. concern for Israel's democratic health and military readiness. Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Israeli defence minister calls for halt to judicial overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, March 25 (Reuters) - Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday called on the government to halt legislation on changes to the judiciary, saying the bitter dispute over the measures poses a danger to national security. Far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged Netanyahu to fire Gallant, who he said had caved to opposition pressure. Israeli media said around 200,000 Israelis rallied against the plan in Tel Aviv on Saturday, with tens of thousands more across the country. I will do everything in my power, to prevent my country from becoming one," said Tel Aviv protester Janna Gur, 64. Additional reporting by Rami Amichay in Tel Aviv; Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Israeli defence minister calls for halt on judicial overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, March 25 (Reuters) - Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday called on the government to halt legislation on changes to the judiciary, saying the bitter dispute over the measures poses a danger to the country. Israel has been gripped by mass protests since the government announced its judicial plans in January. The judicial overhaul has also stirred concern abroad about Israel's democratic health. Gallant said he supported reforms of the justice system but they must be done with broad agreement. Gallant's statement showed cracks in Netanyahu's coalition, with far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir calling on the premier to fire Gallant soon after his remarks.

JERUSALEM, March 24 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers flocked to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of Ramadan for noon prayers, which passed peacefully amid tight security imposed after months of escalating tension and violence. "I cannot describe to you how happy I am to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque. I'm 50 years old and they only recently removed the security ban that had prevented me from coming here," said Nasser Abu Saleh, a resident of the West Bank city of Hebron. The Muslim Waqf, custodians who manage the site which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, said around 100,000 people had visited for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan. [1/5] Palestinians make their way through an Israeli checkpoint to attend the first Friday prayers of Ramadan in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque, in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 24, 2023.

☆ Netanyahu summons Israeli defence minister as judicial overhaul strains coalition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, March 23 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned his defence chief on Thursday after local media reported the minister had called for a halt to a planned judicial overhaul that has set off unprecedented protests, including within the military. Netanyahu's office did not elaborate on the reasons for the summons of Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, a senior member of his conservative Likud party, but said the prime minister would deliver televised remarks at 8:40 p.m. (1840 GMT). Israeli media had earlier reported that Gallant, a former deputy chief of the armed forces, would convene his own news conference. Protesters heckled a Cabinet minister and unfurled a massive replica of the country's Declaration of Independence on a wall of Jerusalem's Old City. [1/7] Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant attends a news conference with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel, March 9, 2023.

☆ Pentagon chief visits Israel amid West Bank violence, anti-Netanyahu protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Hours earlier, Israeli forces killed three Islamic Jihad gunmen in the West Bank, among territories that have seen simmering violence amid the Palestinians' long-stalled goal of statehood. "We’re especially disturbed by violence by settlers against Palestinians," Austin said, adding that his discussions were frank and candid. Austin had originally been due to arrive on Wednesday and stay overnight in Tel Aviv, where Israel's Defence Ministry is based. FLASHPOINTSAmong West Bank flashpoints concerning the United States is the village of Huwara, where the Feb. 26 killing by a Palestinian gunman of two brothers from a Jewish settlement triggered revenge riots by settlers. The rampage triggered worldwide outrage and condemnation, which increased when ultra-nationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has responsibility for aspects of the West Bank administration, said Huwara should be "erased".

☆ Israel sees 'difficult days ahead' after West Bank attacks, riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HAWARA, West Bank, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Israel on Monday deployed extra troops in the occupied West Bank after a Palestinian gunman shot dead two Israelis and a Palestinian was killed when Jewish settlers rampaged through a village, setting fire to houses and cars. "We expect difficult days ahead of us," Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said as he toured the largely empty streets of the village of Hawara with a heavy security detail. In fresh violence on Monday, the Israeli military said Palestinians carried out a series of drive-by shootings on a highway outside the West Bank town of Jericho before fleeing. [1/5] Israeli settlers stand next to an Israeli member of the military, in the aftermath of an incident where a Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli settlers, near Hawara in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 27, 2023. The Israeli army said it was still hunting down the Palestinian gunman and would send two extra battalions to the area to thwart fresh attacks and prevent rioting.

☆ In West Bank, Blinken presses for two-state solution
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Summary U.S. Secretary of State in West Bank after IsraelBlinken restates U.S. support for two-state solutionViolence surges in decades-old conflictRAMALLAH, West Bank Jan 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shuttled from Israel to the Palestinians' West Bank on Tuesday, appealing for an end to resurgent violence and reaffirming Washington's backing for a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict. He took that message into a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, warning all parties against any action that could threaten a two-state solution, with an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Netanyahu has reinforced troops in the West Bank and promised measures to strengthen settlements there, but has said Israel was not looking to escalate the situation. On Tuesday, Blinken met Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and discussed cooperation to stop Iran developing a nuclear weapon as well the situation in the West Bank. Hopes of achieving a two-state solution, with a Palestinian state based largely in the West Bank, have all but disappeared since the last round of U.S.-sponsored talks stalled in 2014.

☆ Israeli military boosting forces in West Bank, spokesperson says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

JERUSALEM, Jan 28 (Reuters) - The Israeli military said on Saturday it was boosting forces in the occupied West Bank, a day after a Palestinian gunman shot seven people dead near a synagogue on the outskirts of Jerusalem. "Following an IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) situational assessment, it was decided to reinforce the Judea and Samaria (West Bank) Division with an additional battalion," the military said. Reporting by Maayan LubellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Israeli army reinforces in West Bank after synagogue shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Friday night's shooting came a day after the deadliest Israeli raid in the West Bank in years and cross-border fire between Israel and Gaza that heightened fears of a spiral in bloodshed. On Saturday, the Israeli ambulance service said two people were hurt in what appeared to be another shooting attack. "Following an IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) situational assessment, it was decided to reinforce the Judea and Samaria (West Bank) Division with an additional battalion," the military said. It came days before a planned visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel and the West Bank. Violence in the West Bank surged after a spate of lethal attacks in Israel last year.

☆ Israeli forces kill Palestinian in West Bank, Palestinian officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, Palestinian health officials said, and a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli in Jerusalem, police said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterIn a separate incident in the West Bank, Israeli defence officials said a Palestinian driver rammed his car into a manned guard booth, in what it described as a suspected attack. In Jerusalem, Israeli police said they shot and "neutralised" a Palestinian who had stabbed and badly wounded an Israeli. Violence in the West Bank has escalated in recent months, occasionally spilling over into Jerusalem, after Israeli forces began a crackdown in late March in response to a string of attacks by Palestinians in Israel. U.S.-brokered peace talks, aimed at ending the decades-old conflict and establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, collapsed in 2014 and show no sign of revival.

Search resuls for: "Israeli Defence"

14 mentions found