KOENIG

Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. (photo: Reuters)

President Donald Trump said on Monday he had several potential candidates for US ambassador to the United Nations, including Richard Grenell, a former ambassador to Germany, and David Friedman, a former envoy to Israel.

Last week Trump withdrew the nomination of Representative Elise Stefanik for the job over concerns that her exit from the House of Representatives could threaten Republicans' narrow majority.

Asked on Monday who he was considering instead, Trump said as many as 30 people were interested in the job.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a pointed message to Yemen’s Houthi rebels and their Iranian supporters on Monday, warning that U.S. military operations would not let up until hostile actions against American naval vessels come to a halt.
“The Iran-backed Houthi Terrorists have been decimated by the relentless strikes over the past two weeks,” Trump wrote on social media. “Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us.”

He emphasized the ongoing nature of the campaign, stating, “We hit them every day and night — Harder and harder.” Trump explained that these operations are aimed at dismantling the Houthis’ ability to endanger regional maritime routes, noting their offensive capabilities “are rapidly being destroyed.”

Iranian missle launcher. (photo: Reuters)

The Iranian military is urging a preemptive strike on the joint US-British base in the Indian Ocean, where the US has deployed strategic bombers, in an attempt to prevent their use against Tehran. The Telegraph reported on Monday night that senior Iranian commanders had been told to prepare to act against the base if threats from Trump escalated. "Senior commanders were instructed to attack the base if Trump's threats became more serious," the Iranian official said. "Discussions about the island have intensified since the Americans stationed their bombers there." The article described the potential strike as "immediate."

The Iranian official also said that "some suggest missiles should be launched toward the island, not to hit anything, but to fall into the sea in order to send a clear message to the Americans that we are serious."

Germany has launched its first deployment abroad since World War II. The country's parliament said troops will be sent to eastern Lithuania, which is NATO's eastern flank. The unit is to be fully operational by 2027. It will be the first time German troops have been serving abroad permanently since the Second World War.

Iran is reportedly ramping up its preparations for a possible attack, allegedly loading up its missile launchers in multiple sites around the country.

A senior Iranian military official told the UK's Telegraph in an interview that Tehran is ready to strike the joint US-British naval base Diego Garcia if the US launches an attack. There will be no distinction, he said, between British and American forces in response to any strike by the US. "You will be in the crosshairs," he said.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that "the uprooting of the Zionist entity is a religious and moral obligation. The Zionist entity is doomed to collapse, and it is our humanitarian and moral duty as Muslim countries to act to this end. The US and Israel will receive a particularly harsh response if they do attack Iran."

“Iran possesses adequate weapons for such an attack from its mainland, such as newer versions of the Khorramshahr missile that have an intermediate range, and the Shahed-136B kamikaze drone with a range of 4,000 kilometers [2,485 miles],” Iranian state media warned, according to the report.

Indirect communications have been established between the US and Iran regarding a framework for discussions on a new nuclear agreement aimed at preventing an American attack and halting Iran's nuclear weapons program, Israel Hayom has learned from two diplomatic sources familiar with the talks.

Israel has recently observed a military buildup by Egypt in the Sinai Peninsula, according to a security source who spoke with reporters on Monday.

“Egypt has deployed forces beyond the permitted quota, expanded port facilities, and extended runways at airports,” the source said. The source added that these actions violate the peace agreement between the two nations.

Regarding the entry of Egyptian forces beyond the permitted quota, security officials emphasized that “such actions are reversible – it is not a problem to pull tanks back.”

Israel has approached Egypt and the US with a request to begin dismantling military infrastructure constructed by the Egyptian army in Sinai that violates the peace agreement between the countries. A senior security official characterized the Egyptian actions as a "major violation" of the security annex during a conversation with journalists.

Iran’s president said Sunday that Tehran had rejected direct negotiations with the United States in response to a letter from US President Donald Trump over its rapidly advancing nuclear program.

The remarks from President Masoud Pezeshkian represented the first official acknowledgment of how Iran responded to Trump’s letter. It also suggests that tensions may further rise between Tehran and Washington.

Pezeshkian said, “Although the possibility of direct negotiations between the two sides has been rejected in this response, it has been emphasized that the path for indirect negotiations remains open.”

Iran has threatened to retaliate against the joint U.S.-U.K. naval base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago if the United States attacks the Islamic Republic, Britain’s The Telegraphreported on Saturday.

“Iran possesses adequate weapons for such an attack from its mainland, such as newer versions of the Khorramshahr missile that have an intermediate range, and the Shahed-136B kamikaze drone with a range of 4,000 kilometers [2,485 miles],” Iranian state media warned, according to the report.

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, addressing an Al Quds Day event on Friday, said, “The Americans themselves are aware how vulnerable they are. If they violate Iran’s border, it will be like a spark in the powder keg that would blow up the entire region. Then, their and their allies’ bases will not be safe.”

US President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program.

In Trump’s first remarks since Iran rejected direct negotiations with Washington last week, he told NBC News that US and Iranian officials were talking, but did not elaborate.

“If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” Trump said in a telephone interview. “It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”

Israel confirmed on Saturday night that it had received a new ceasefire-hostage release proposal from mediating countries and said it had made a counteroffer.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a series of consultations Friday night to discuss the proposal.

On Saturday afternoon, Jerusalem responded with its own counterproposal, the PMO said, adding that this was done “in full coordination with the US.”

Israel's Foreign Ministry slammed Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a Saturday statement for condemning Israel's strike in Beirut on Friday.

"While violently oppressing his own citizens and carrying out mass arrests of his political opponents, Erdogan dares to preach lofty values to the international community," the statement read.

"In Erdogan's Turkey, there is no justice, no law, and no freedom. Israel has no need for Erdogan's absurd moralistic speeches. Israel is acting to defend itself and its citizens from real threats and actual attacks — and it will continue to do so," the statement concluded.

The Israeli military said it was expanding the ground operations against the Palestinian jihadists of Hamas in southern Gaza, as well as sustaining its campaign of aerial bombardment of terror targets in the enclave.

The IDF struck a building in Beirut's southern suburb of Dahiyeh, the military said on Friday afternoon, after two rockets were fired at Israeli territory from Lebanon earlier in the day.

The IDF said the building was used by Hezbollah to store drones and belonged to Hezbollah's aerial unit 127.

Shortly before the strike, IDF spokesperson in Arabic, Col. Avichay Adraee, issued an evacuation warning for a building in the Dahiyeh. 

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Suspected US airstrikes pummeled sites across Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels early Friday, including neighborhoods in the capital, Sanaa.

The extent of the damage and possible casualties wasn’t immediately clear, though the number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began on March 15.

An Associated Press review has found the new American operation under US President Donald Trump appears more extensive than those under former president Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities.

The US Air Force launched several strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, CENTCOM announced on Friday night.

Yemeni media reported 24 airstrikes on the Houthi controlled cities Sana'a, Saada, and the Al Jawf Governorate in the country's North, with Houthi-affiliated source Al-Masirah...

The US Air Force launched several strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, CENTCOM announced on Friday night.

Yemeni media reported 24 airstrikes on the Houthi controlled cities Sana'a, Saada, and the Al Jawf Governorate in the country's North, with Houthi-affiliated source Al-Masirah citing their correspondent in Saada saying that one civilian was killed and four others were wounded in the country's northwestern city. As a result, sirens sounded across central Israel at around 1:09 p.m., including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

(photos: AP)

An Egyptian proposal to end renewed fighting in Gaza would see five living hostages released on the first day of the restored ceasefire, with another five living hostages released every 7-10 days, two foreign diplomats with knowledge of the details told The Times of Israel on Wednesday.

Dual US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander would be released on the first day, said the diplomats.

The Prime Minister’s Office has denied receiving any new Egyptian proposal.

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Tuesday regarding efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and maintain regional stability.

(photo: Reuters)

US President Donald Trump's pick to be ambassador to the United Nations has been withdrawn, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch said on Thursday.

Republican Representative Elise Stefanik is a close Trump ally and was chosen by the president for the role less than a week after he was elected in November.

"It is essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress," Trump said in a social media post. "With a very tight Majority, I don't want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise's seat."

The pressure the IDF will exert will be “more and more powerful,” and will include “seizing territory” and “doing other things” in Gaza if Hamas does not return Israeli hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the Knesset plenum on Wednesday. The prime minister did not elaborate further.

Netanyahu’s comments came during a debate known as the “40 Signatures Debate,” which is the Israeli version of the British “Prime Minister’s Questions”. The debate included a series of short speeches in the prime minister’s presence, after which the prime minister and opposition leader gave concluding speeches.

Palestinian protests against Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip are proof that Israel’s approach to the terrorist organization is working, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Wednesday.

“In recent days, we have seen something we have never seen before—public protests against Hamas rule in Gaza,” the premier said during a 40-signature debate, which the opposition can call once a month and which he is obliged to attend. “This shows that our policy is working.”

Hundreds of Palestinians staged protests in northern Gaza on Tuesday, notably in Beit Lahia and Jabalia, demanding an end to the ongoing conflict with Israel and calling for Hamas to relinquish control of the territory.

Demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Hamas out” and carried banners reading “Stop the war” and “We want to live in peace.”

The protests, among the most significant against Hamas since the war began, were reportedly organized through social media platforms. Eyewitnesses noted that Hamas security forces attempted to disperse the gatherings, with reports of forceful interventions.

The Egyptian government has been warned that this is their “last chance” to accept a portion of Gaza’s displaced population and that they risk losing American support if they refuse, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Sunday.

A significant force of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers looks to be currently wending its way to the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Satellite imagery shows at least three C-17 cargo planes and 10 aerial refueling tankers forward-deployed in the last 48 hours to the highly strategic British territory, which has been used as a staging point for U.S. strikes in the Middle East on multiple occasions in the past. The build-up comes amid a new surge in U.S. strikes targeting the Houthis and growing warnings to Iran from the Trump administration over support for the Yemeni militants and Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Following a round of heated talks on Friday, there are signs that Hamas may be reconsidering its stance on the Egyptian ceasefire proposal.

The discussions were led on the Egyptian side by intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, who met in Cairo with a delegation of senior Hamas officials. During the meeting, the Hamas representatives announced that they were rejecting the proposal delivered to them the previous day, demanding amendments and guarantees for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

According to two sources familiar with the negotiations, the initial meeting was tense, and Rashad warned - or threatened - that Hamas would be hearing from him again. Subsequent conversations on Saturday and Sunday took an even more threatening tone. Senior Hamas figures, most of whom are based in Doha, received stark warnings from the Egyptians.

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will lead an Israeli delegation set to hold a series of strategic talks in Washington in the coming days, focused on confronting Iran‘s nuclear program.

Dermer will convey a message to the Trump administration urging that its “maximum pressure” policy on Iran‘s nuclear program be time-bound, Israel Hayom has learned. The Israeli position is that once the agreed period ends, alternative decisions on the matter will need to be made.

The interagency delegation will hold several days of talks with corresponding U.S. national security bodies. The forum is considered highly important and extremely confidential, with a strict media blackout on the content of discussions. However, Israel Hayom has learned that the two parties will also explore ways to translate the administration’s declared “maximum pressure” strategy into practical measures.

Araghchi reaffirmed Iran's refusal to engage in direct negotiations with the U.S., though he acknowledged the possibility of indirect talks through intermediaries. "We will not enter into any direct negotiations with the American side. However, the path for indirect negotiations is open, and there are various channels through which it can be done." Araghchi stated.