Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

May 29, 2026 9:46 AM

Netanyahu directs Israeli forces to expand Gaza control to 70 percent

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he had directed Israel's military to take more of Gaza, initially by seizing 70% of the Palestinian territory, where the population is already penned into a tiny strip of land along the coast. Israel effectively controls an estimated 64% of the tiny coastal Strip, bombarded to ruins by Israel's two-year military assault that followed the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel. Under an October U.S.-brokered truce that has failed to halt Israeli ...

May 21, 2026 10:35 AM

Israel’s parliament has voted to dissolve itself. What’s next?

Israel's parliament approved a bill on Wednesday to dissolve itself, potentially bringing forward by a few weeks the next national election, which surveys predict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will lose. WHEN IS THE BALLOT? An election date is yet to be set. Israel is supposed to hold a national vote every four years but early elections have happened often. The last national election was in November 2022 and the next ballot is due at the latest on October 27. After voting to dissolve parl...

March 9, 2026 9:13 AM

Iran names Khamenei’s hardline son Mojtaba as new supreme leader

Iran on Monday named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel. Mojtaba, a cleric with influence inside Iran's security forces and vast business networks under his father, had been viewed as a frontrunner in the lead-up to Sunday's vote by the Assembly of Experts, a body of 88 clerics tasked with choosing Ali Khamenei's successor. "By a decis...

March 3, 2026 10:19 PM

Tehran and Beirut judder from US-Israeli attacks as oil soars, shares slide

Explosions tore through Tehran and Beirut on Tuesday and stock markets around the world tumbled while oil prices soared at the prospect of a prolonged disruption to global energy supplies from the U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran. Iranian drones struck the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia after previously hitting the mission in Kuwait. Washington responded by shutting both embassies and ordering non-emergency government personnel and their families to leave countries across the Middle East. A day...

March 3, 2026 8:07 PM

Iran war enters fourth day in ‘smoke and blood’ as markets slide

Explosions tore through Tehran and Beirut on Tuesday and financial markets around the world tumbled at the prospect of a prolonged disruption to global energy supplies from the U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran. Iranian drones slammed into the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia, causing minor damage and starting a fire, after previously hitting the mission in Kuwait. Washington responded by shutting those missions and ordering non-emergency government personnel and their families to leave countries a...

February 25, 2026 10:51 PM

“It’s a real thing”: PM Netanyahu hails ‘Modi hug’ as symbol of “wondrous” India-Israel friendship

Celebrating the exceptional personal chemistry and diplomatic synergy between the two nations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed his Indian counterpart at the Israeli Parliament Knesset, describing the relationship as a "wondrous friendship, both personally between the two of us and between our two countries and our peoples." The leader shared a heartfelt reflection on the reception earlier in the day at the airport. "Earlier today, my wife Sara and I greeted you at the airport. And j...

February 25, 2026 9:00 PM

PM Modi receives standing ovation at Knesset, ‘Modi, Modi’ chants echo in Israeli Parliament

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Knesset on Wednesday, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu attended an official reception ceremony in his honour. With chants of “Modi-Modi,” Prime Minister Modi received a standing ovation upon his arrival at the Israeli Parliament. In a post on X, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu attend official reception ceremony at the Knesset for...

February 25, 2026 7:45 PM

Netanyahu highlights ‘bond of real friendship’ with PM Modi during meeting in Israel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a private meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at Ben-Gurion International Airport, shortly after arriving in Israel for a two-day State Visit. The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties. “This is a bond of real friendship. Great friend, my great friend,” Prime Minister Netanyahu was heard saying while meeting Prime Minister Modi, in a video shared by the Is...

February 25, 2026 7:41 PM

Israeli envoy to India welcomes PM Modi on arrival in Israel

Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar on Tuesday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon his arrival in Israel for a two-day visit. Sharing a photograph with the Prime Minister at the airport, Azar wrote in a post on X, “Welcome to Israel Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India!” Highlighting the warmth between the two leaders, Israeli Embassy in India spokesperson Guy Nir also took to X, posting, “What a real friendship looks like,” in reference to Prime Minister Modi and Isr...

February 25, 2026 6:09 PM

PM Modi-Netanyahu friendship “powerfully influences” India-Israel relations: Israeli PM’s Office

The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said that the close personal relationship between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has had a powerful influence on the steady and growing ties between the two countries. This marks Prime Minister Modi’s second visit to Israel, following his landmark trip in 2017, as well as Prime Minister Netanyahu’s reciprocal visit to India. “At the invitation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, India...