Tag: Israel

Israel is set to invite the United States (US) to relocate existing regional military bases to Israeli territory and establish new installations once the current conflict concludes.

Citing unnamed security sources, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the Israeli security establishment views the current presence of US forces as an opportunity to “reshape the map” of American military positioning in the Middle East.

“We have proved our values of late as a central ally of the US. One that provides not only stability, but also significant operational and intelligence capabilities,” an Israeli source was quoted.

The source added that “American bases in Israel would create a strategic advantage for both sides”.

This development follows an escalation in direct hostilities between Israel and Iran. In the northern city of Haifa, Israeli television networks, including Channel 12, broadcast footage of thick black smoke rising from an oil refinery. 

The impact occurred shortly after the military detected a new salvo of missiles fired from Iran. While the specific cause of the refinery strike was not initially confirmed, search and rescue teams were dispatched to the site.

The Israeli military has also provided data regarding its personnel, claiming that 261 soldiers have been wounded since the start of the war with Iran. A death toll for soldiers has not been released.

On the Iranian side, officials confirmed the death of Revolutionary Guards Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri. According to Reuters, Tangsiri died following injuries sustained in what Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described as a “precise and lethal operation” conducted on March 26. 

In response to strikes on residences within Iran, a military spokesperson for Tehran announced that Iran will begin bombing the official residences of US and Israeli military commanders.

Multiple unverified claims about the death of Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu have circulated widely on social media, suggesting that he was killed in an Iranian airstrike amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.

Similar posts have targeted his brother Iddo Netanyahu and Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, alleging that they were also injured. 

Many of the claims were shared alongside videos of airstrikes and AI-generated images, sometimes amplified by commentary from former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter.

Reports cited by Tasnim News Agency did not provide evidence of an attack on Netanyahu or confirmation of injury. The articles referenced circumstantial factors, including the absence of recent videos of the prime minister and heightened security around his residence.

Speculation appeared to gain traction because it had been nearly three days since the last video of Netanyahu was posted on his personal channel, and almost four days since recent images were shared publicly. Previously, at least one video, and sometimes up to three, were typically posted each day.

Additional reports said that the security perimeter around Netanyahu’s home had been increased, reportedly to counter potential drone threats. Observers also pointed to the cancellation of a planned visit to Israel by Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, United States special envoy to the Middle East. A separate report from the Elysée Palace did not specify the date of a phone conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and Netanyahu, releasing only a text transcript.

Israeli officials and international media have described the claims as false. Netanyahu’s office dismissed reports of his death as “fake news.”

Public updates show Netanyahu continuing his official duties. On March 10, he visited Israel’s National Health Command Centre, and on March 11, he conducted a visit to Ashdod Port to assess maritime trade operations during Operation Roaring Lion. Video footage of both visits was released publicly.

Images circulating online that claimed to show Netanyahu after an attack were flagged as AI-generated.

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the diplomatic corridors of the Islamic world, Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled a strategic blueprint for a new regional bloc termed the “Hexagon of Alliances”.

Speaking ahead of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Tel Aviv, Netanyahu described an axis centered on Israel and India, designed to reshape the Middle East by explicitly targeting what he called the “radical” components of the Muslim world.

This “Hexagon” is envisioned as a six-pointed security and economic framework involving Israel, India, Greece and Cyprus along with currently unnamed states in the Arab world, Africa and Asia. 

Netanyahu’s framing of the alliance has drawn immediate fire for its sectarian undertones as he characterised the bloc as a necessary shield against a “radical Shia axis” led by Iran and more controversially an “emerging radical Sunni axis”.

“The intention here is to create an axis of nations that see eye-to-eye on the reality, challenges and goals against radicalism,” reports quoted Netanyahu as saying during a cabinet meeting. 

While both Netanyahu and Modi, during the latter’s visit, have described their partnership as a “powerful alliance between two global leaders”, signaling a shift from transactional defence deals to a rigid ideological partnership of “great importance”, for many in the Muslim world, the “Hexagon” is viewed less as a security pact and more as a direct challenge to the Muslim Ummah.

This perception has been exacerbated by Israel’s recent diplomatic maneuvers, specifically its December 2025 decision to become the first nation to formally recognise Somaliland as an independent state. 

The move was widely condemned by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as a blatant attempt to fragment a sovereign Muslim nation and secure a strategic foothold in the Red Sea.

Analysts point out that Netanyahu’s “radical Sunni axis” label appears to be a swipe at major regional powers like Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, who have recently coordinated diplomatically to condemn Israeli military actions in Gaza and Syria. 

The practical feasibility of the Hexagon remains in doubt. Two of the named members, Greece and Cyprus, are signatories to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has an active arrest warrant for Netanyahu for war crimes.

Legally, should the Israeli PM set foot in these “allied” nations, they would be obligated to arrest him. Furthermore, India’s involvement presents a complex balancing act; while New Delhi seeks Israeli technology and AI collaboration, it remains heavily dependent on energy ties and strategic projects with Iran and the wider Arab world.

In Pakistan, the reaction has been one of total rejection. The Senate has unanimously passed a resolution this week denouncing the anti-Muslim alliance, warning that Netanyahu’s rhetoric seeks to divide the Muslim Ummah on political and ideological grounds.

The resolution has highlighted that such provocative narratives threaten global stability and ignore the growing international isolation of the Israeli government.

As the “Hexagon” takes center stage during Modi’s visit, the Middle East finds itself at a crossroads. While Netanyahu pitches a vision of “innovation and stability”, much of the world sees a desperate branding exercise a fantasy world alliance that risks further polarising a region already on the brink.

The Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the African Union (AU) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have all criticised Israel’s formal recognition of Somaliland as an independent state. 

Somaliland, a breakaway region in the Horn of Africa, declared its independence from Somalia in 1991. Despite decades of functional autonomy and relative security, no country recognised Somaliland until Friday when Israel declared it a “independent and sovereign state”.

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi praised the decision, describing it a “historic moment” and the beginning of a “strategic partnership”.

The announcement sparked immediate backlash. Somalia described Israel’s recognition as a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty, threatening regional peace. The AU cautioned that the move risked “setting a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent”. 

The AU Commission chair, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, stated that the bloc “firmly rejects any initiative or action aimed at recognising Somaliland as an independent entity, recalling that Somaliland remains an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia”.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit described Israel’s action as “a clear violation of international law and a flagrant infringement of the principle of the unity and sovereignty of states”. 

The GCC issued a statement describing the recognition as “a grave violation of the principles of international law and a blatant infringement” on Somali sovereignty. According to Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi, the decision “represents a dangerous precedent that will undermine the foundations of stability in the Horn of Africa region and open the door to further tensions and conflicts”.

The OIC, along with foreign ministers from Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey and Yemen also issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s recognition. 

They said that the action had “serious repercussions on peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and international peace and security as a whole” in addition to “Israel’s full and blatant disregard for international law”. 

The statement also disregarded “any potential link between such measure and any attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land”.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister (PM), who is also the foreign minister (FM), Ishaq Dar reaffirmed Islamabad’s support for Somalia in calls with Somali and Egyptian officials, promising to raise Somalia’s concerns at the United Nations (UN) and other multilateral forums.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry warned that Israel had previously identified Somaliland “as a destination for the forced displacement of our Palestinian people, particularly from the Gaza Strip” and urged the international community to prevent any complicity with such plans.

Somalia’s al-Qaeda-linked armed group al-Shabab also condemned the recognition, pledging to fight any attempt by Israel “to claim or use parts of Somaliland”.

While Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, framed the decision as part of the “spirit of the Abraham Accords”, the United States (US) distanced itself from the move.

Asked whether Washington planned to recognise Somaliland, President Donald Trump said, “No. Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?”

Israeli president and high-ranking military officials have condemned attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, calling for an end to a growing wave of settler violence in the occupied territory.

President Isaac Herzog described the attacks as “shocking and serious”, becoming a rare and powerful voice to what has been muted criticism by top Israeli officials of the settler violence.

Herzog’s position, while largely ceremonial, is meant to serve as a moral compass and unifying force for the country.

He said the violence committed by a “handful” of perpetrators “crosses a red line”, adding in a social media post that “all state authorities must act decisively to eradicate the phenomenon”.

His remarks, and those of two high-ranking military officials, came after dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf in the West Bank on Tuesday, setting fire to vehicles and other property before clashing with Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli army’s chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, echoed Herzog’s condemnations of the West Bank violence, saying the military “will not tolerate the phenomena of a minority of criminals who tarnish a law-abiding public”.

On Wednesday, police said three of the suspects were released and that one, a minor arrested on suspicion of arson and assault, will remain in custody for six more days, as ordered by a judge.

Police said the actions of the three who were released are still under investigation “with the goal of bringing offenders to justice, regardless of their background”.

Tuesday’s violence in the West Bank was the latest in a series of attacks by young settlers that have surged since the genocide in Gaza erupted two years ago. The attacks have intensified in recent weeks as Palestinians harvest their olive trees in an annual ritual.

Separately, Israel reopened a crossing into the northern Gaza Strip that had been closed for two months. The move was welcomed by officials at the United Nations (UN), who say Israel has been too slow in surging humanitarian aid to the territory since a ceasefire began last month.

The Israeli military also said it killed four armed fighters who posed an “immediate threat” in areas of southern Gaza under its control. In Khan Yunis, one person was killed while approaching Israeli troops across the so-called yellow line.

In Rafah, three people were killed while troops in the area were working to destroy underground tunnels.