"There’s a growing awareness among Gulf states that Israel will be a good partner and ally for them to bolster regional security against the persistent Iranian threat," says Varsha Koduvayur, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington.
Cause of the alleged blast not immediately known. Hezbollah is reportedly realigning its forces in southern Syria to prepare for a military clash with Israel, which it intends to wage from Syrian territory if tensions between the United States and Iran in the Persian Gulf boil over.
London-based Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat quotes Western diplomats as saying Israel was behind two strikes on Iranian assets in Iraq, targeting military bases housing pro-Iranian militias and a consignment of ballistic missile launchers transferred from Iran to Iraq. The IDF has not responded to these reports.
“There are no greater hypocrites than the Israeli left,” says Likud Knesset member Avi Dichter at a special conference in Tel Aviv focusing on Israel’s legal rights.
Just days before senior White House adviser Jared Kushner is set to make a scheduled visit to Jerusalem, Netanyahu is seeking unanimous consent among government ministers to get approval for the rare and controversial project, Israeli public broadcaster Kan News reports.
