On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, world leaders and veterans gathered in Normandy, France, to pay tribute to the sacrifices made during the Allied invasion that turned the tide of World War II.

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met with World War II veterans at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-Sur-Mer. At the ceremony, Biden mentioned specific American veterans present and their stories.

King Charles III laid a wreath at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, with a note acknowledging the profound sacrifices, stating, "Our gratitude is unfailing, and our admiration eternal." French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and other world leaders followed, laying wreaths at the event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, speaking at Juno Beach where 14,000 Canadian troops landed, expressed France's eternal gratitude, saying, "France will never forget those who fell for her. Never will she forget that on this sand, the blood of Canadian youth was spilled for our freedom."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended, while Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited, despite Russia's involvement in the effort during the D-Day landings, due to the war in Ukraine.

The Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, were the largest seaborne invasion in history, with 24,000 American, British, and Canadian troops participating in the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France. This operation began the liberation of France and Western Europe, laying the foundations for the Allied victory on the Western Front.

Take a moment, and remember you don't need to face this at 6am tomorrow, but they did... on the longest day #dday80 #dday #rememberandhonor pic.twitter.com/5lZc4ufFWk

— Tom Rogers (@RogersHistory) June 5, 2024

Normandy veteran Ken Hay recited a stanza from Laurence Binyon's poem "For the Fallen," followed by a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives 80 years ago. In a symbolic gesture, men from 47 Commando Royal Marines came ashore at Asnelles on Gold Beach, retracing the footsteps of their forebears from eight decades earlier. At Arromanches-les-Bains, the last Dutch Normandy veteran, Max Wolff, received a military welcome and a standing ovation.

Special moment with the last Dutch Normandy veteran Max Wolff during the Dutch DDay commemoration at Arromanches. #DDay80 pic.twitter.com/fmMHzCOmAr

— Klaas Meijer (@klaasm67) June 6, 2024

As has become an annual tradition, French citizens rubbed sand from Omaha Beach onto the gravestones of the 9,386 American soldiers buried there, giving the letters a golden shine to honor those who gave their lives to liberate Europe.

Every year on the anniversary of #DDay, French citizens take sand from Omaha Beach and rub it onto the gravestones of fallen soldiers who gave their lives to liberate Europe.

It gives the letters a golden shine.

They do this for all 9,386 American soldiers buried there. pic.twitter.com/E2F2xgUMyU

— Goodable (@Goodable) June 4, 2024

 Welsh singer Sir Tom Jones, whose grandfather died in World War I and is buried in France, performed "I Won't Crumble With You If You Fall" during the commemoration.

The post World leaders commemorate 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Russia accused the United States on Thursday of being behind what it says was a drone attack on Moscow's Kremlin citadel intended to kill President Vladimir Putin. A day after blaming Ukraine for what it called a terrorist attack, the Kremlin administration shifted the focus onto the United States, but without providing evidence to support its accusation.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Ukraine denied involvement in the incident in the early hours of Wednesday when video footage showed two flying objects approaching the Senate Palace inside the Kremlin walls and one exploding with a bright flash. "Attempts to disown this, both in Kyiv and in Washington, are, of course, absolutely ridiculous. We know very well that decisions about such actions, about such terrorist attacks, are made not in Kyiv but in Washington," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He said the United States was "undoubtedly" behind the alleged attack and added - again without stating evidence - that Washington often selected both the targets for Ukraine to attack and the means to attack them. "This is also often dictated from across the ocean. We know this well and are aware of this... In Washington, they must clearly understand that we know this."

Russia has said with increasing frequency that it sees the United States as a direct participant in the Ukraine war, intent on inflicting a "strategic defeat" on Moscow. The United States denies that, saying it is arming Ukraine to defend itself against Russia's invasion and retake territory that Moscow has seized illegally in more than 14 months of the war.

However, Peskov's allegation that the United States was behind a plot to kill Putin went further than previous Kremlin accusations against Washington. Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time, and security analysts have poured scorn on the idea that the incident was a serious assassination attempt. But Russia has said it reserves the right to retaliate, and hardliners including former president Dmitry Medvedev have said it should now "physically eliminate" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Peskov declined to say whether Russia saw Zelenskyy as a legitimate target. He said Russia had an array of options and the response when it came, would be carefully considered and balanced. He said an urgent investigation was underway, but could not say when the results would be known.

Putin was in the Kremlin on Thursday and staff were working normally, he said.

Peskov said air defenses would be tightened, and this was happening anyway for the military parade on Red Square, the centerpiece of the holiday, just over the Kremlin wall from the site of the alleged attack.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Russia accuses US of orchestrating Kremlin drone attack appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Efforts to secure the release of a 25-year-old Israeli woman from Modiin Illit who crossed into Syria from the Quneitra Crossing were ongoing, Wednesday night.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat and special negotiator for hostages and prisoners of war Yaron Blum returned from Moscow, Wednesday night, following 48 hours of mediation and talks between Israel, Russia, and Syria that also included Israel's Ambassador to Moscow Alexander Ben Zvi.

Senior Israeli officials believe that a deal on the matter will be finalized in the coming days.

According to Syrian media reports, in return for the release of the Israeli citizen, Jerusalem will release two residents of the Golan Heights, one Druze and the other an Arab Israeli, convicted for aiding Hezbollah. The two terrorists, however, have refused to be deported to Syria as part of the deal.

Mediation efforts to secure the woman's release have been ongoing for two weeks now. According to foreign reports, the woman suffers from a mental illness and may have entered the enemy territory due to a romantic relationship with a Syrian citizen.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to comment on the reports in an interview with Army Radio, Wednesday night.

"We are acting to save lives. All I can say is that I am using my personal ties with [Russian] President [Vladmir] Putin. We are in the midst of sensitive contacts. We are acting discreetly and responsibly, and I believe we will resolve it," he said.

According to Arab media reports, the woman in question is a member of Israel's Haredi sector.

According to Syrian reports, should the deal move forward, the two Israeli residents, who see themselves as Syrian, were Nihal Al-Maqt and Dhiyab Qahmuz. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Al-Maqt is not in prison but rather under house arrest in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. She has yet to go on trial.

Lebanese media reports said the prisoner exchange deal would also see Israel agree to limit its strikes on Syria.

As part of the close cooperation between the two countries, Syrian media reported Russian soldiers have been conduction operations for several years to locate the bodies of missing Israelis in Syria.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu hastily convened a secretive cabinet meeting. Although details of the one-hour meeting were largely shrouded in secrecy, the press was informed Israel had asked Russia to use its influence with Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime to help with what was defined as a "humanitarian" matter.

 Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Delay reported in release of Israeli woman who entered Syria appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The speaker of Iran's parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Friday said his country's plans to join the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union of states. According to Ghalibaf, Tehran would take its first steps to join the organization of nations from Eastern Europe and Western and Central Asia in two weeks.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Ghalibaf made the remarks following a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin during a three-day trip to Moscow. During his trip, the parliamentary speaker also held talks with members of Russia's State Duma and discussed economic matters with senior government officials.

Formed in 2014, the EAEU enables joint policies on issues such as macroeconomics, transportation, industry, customs, and antitrust regulations and allows for the free movement of goods. Its members include Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia.

Western states have expressed concern Iran could take advantage of the coastal trade with Russia and other countries afforded by the EAEU to bypass US sanctions and advance its nuclear program. Russia has helped Tehran expand and upgrade its nuclear program in the past.

Iran, which is in the midst of a deep economic crisis due to the sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit the country particularly hard, suffers from severe inflation. The country signed an economic cooperation agreement with Beijing last year.

 Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Iran and Russia to form economic alliance appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.