JERUSALEM -- Israel will raise its defense spending by 42 billion shekels (about 12.5 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025 and 2026, the ministries of finance and defense said Thursday in a statement.
Local media reported that the budget agreement will allow the Defense Ministry to "advance urgent and essential procurement deals critical to national security." (Israel-Defense Spending-National Security)
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TEHRAN -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Europe fails to have any moral and legal ground for triggering the snapback mechanism that would automatically reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran.
In a post on social media platform X, Araghchi said he made this point during a teleconference held Thursday night with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Britain -- collectively known as the E3 -- as well as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. (Iran-Europe-Nuclear Issue)
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GAZA -- Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said on Friday that Hamas has proposed a comprehensive deal to release all Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a complete cessation of hostilities and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the coastal enclave.
In a televised address, Abu Obeida, spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades, said the movement has submitted the offer several times in recent months, but the Israeli government "rejected the proposal." (Hamas-Israel-Gaza Ceasefire)
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DAMASCUS -- The Syrian interim authorities on Friday issued a call for restraint amid escalating violence in the southern province of Sweida, pledging to deploy forces to contain the conflict.
In a statement, the authorities expressed "deep concern and sorrow" over the ongoing deadly violence, describing the situation as resulting from "armed groups operating outside the law."
The authorities said they are working to dispatch specialized forces to contain the violence and resolve the conflict. (Syria-Sweida-Clashes) ■
