Israel Financial News

Donald Trump launched a full-fledged large-scale military strikes against Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday over the group's attacks against Red Sea shipping, killing at least 24 people at the start of a campaign expected to last many days. At least 21 people were killed after Trump ordered large scale military strikes against Houthis on Saturday. The action follows the group's attacks on Red Sea shipping, which Trump vowed to stop, warning that «hell will rain down» on the Houthis if they continue.

Trump said he ordered a series of airstrikes on Yemen's capital, Sanaa, on Saturday, promising to use «overwhelming lethal force» until Iranian-backed Houthi rebels cease their attacks on shipping along a vital maritime corridor. «Our brave Warfighters are right now carrying out aerial attacks on the terrorists' bases, leaders, and missile defenses to protect American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to restore Navigational Freedom,» Trump said in a social media post. «No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World.» He also warned Iran to stop supporting the rebel group, promising to hold the country «fully accountable» for the actions of its proxy. The Houthis reported a series of explosions in their territory Saturday evening. Images circulating online show plumes of black smoke over the area of the Sanaa airport complex, which includes a sprawling military facility. The extent of the damage was not yet clear. The airstrikes come a few days after the Houthis said they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels sailing in waters off Yemen in response to Israel's blockade on Gaza. There have been no Houthi attacks reported since then.

Following the offer on Friday, Israel said the Palestinian militants had «not budged a millimetre» after a proposal from US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy. The first phase of the truce, which began in January, ended on March 1 without agreement on next steps. A Hamas official said negotiations began in Doha on Tuesday. «The ball is in Israel's court,» a Hamas spokesman said. «We want to solidify the ceasefire agreement and force (Israel) to implement its terms,» Abdul Latif al-Qanou told AFP, accusing Israel of «delaying» its enforcement.

«In the days to come, you should expect more visas will be revoked as we identify people that we should have never allowed in,» Rubio told reporters following a meeting of G7 foreign ministers. The Trump administration is moving to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent legal resident of the United States who recently graduated from Columbia University and had helped lead high-profile campus protests against Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.

Meeting at a rustic hotel in rural Quebec, G7 foreign ministers also backed Ukraine's fight for its «territorial integrity» and spoke of Russia's «aggression,» terminology earlier eschewed by Trump as he reached out to Moscow. The consensus on Ukraine came despite mounting tension within the G7 — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States as Trump slaps punishing tariffs on allies and questions the very sovereignty of host Canada. A G7 statement backed a US-led call for a 30-day truce embraced by Ukraine and «called for Russia to reciprocate by agreeing to a ceasefire on equal terms and implementing it fully.» «They discussed imposing further costs on Russia in case such a ceasefire is not agreed, including through further sanctions, caps on oil prices, as well as additional support for Ukraine, and other means,» such as using frozen Russian assets.

Hamas said on Friday it agreed to release an American-Israeli dual national, believed to be the last living American hostage held in Gaza, after receiving a proposal from mediators to continue negotiations on the second phase of a ceasefire deal. Hamas said in a statement that it responded «positively» to the proposal that was presented on Thursday to resume negotiations. It will also release the bodies of four other dual nationality hostages, it said without giving further details. There was no immediate comment from Israel. Meetings between Hamas leaders and U.S. hostage negotiator Adam Boehler in recent days sought the release of Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old man from New Jersey, who served as a soldier with the Israeli military.

Syria kept a central role for Islamic law in a constitutional declaration issued on Thursday which guarantees women's rights and freedom of expression during a five-year transitional period, according to a summary read on TV. The declaration is designed to serve as the foundation for the interim period being led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a Sunni Islamist who spearheaded a lightning offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad from power in December. Islamic jurisprudence will be «the main source» of legislation, according to the summary read out during the signing ceremony. That seemed to differ from the previous constitution which called it «a main source» of legislation. «We have kept Islamic jurisprudence as the primary source of legislation among sources of legislation,» said the summary, read out by a member of the committee which drafted the declaration. Sharaa had appointed the panel less than two weeks ago. Sharaa, who has promised to run Syria in an inclusive way, has been grappling with the biggest test of his leadership in the wake of a wave of sectarian killing in the coastal region, blamed on fighters aligned with his government.

Harvard University terminated a librarian this month who ripped down a poster of Israeli hostages at a pro-Palestine rally, while Yale University’s law school placed a pro-Palestinian research scholar on leave over allegations that she has ties to a group subject to US sanctions. At Cornell University, a group called Students for Justice in Palestine faces suspension after disrupting a “Pathways for Peace” event on campus this week, and the University of California at Los Angeles —- rocked last year by anti-Zionist rallies and accusations of mistreatment of Jewish students — created a new initiative to combat antisemitism. Columbia University, the scene of some of the most dramatic protests against Israel last year, said the school will transform its approach to managing demonstrations.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India has long been counted among the world’s top importers of arms. So, any slip in our worldwide rank grabs attention.

Anil Thomas Gabriel, who was shot dead in Jordan on February 10, has demanded justice, insisting his son was not a terrorist but an Indian citizen. Anil's father, Gabriel Thomas, spoke to ANI, stating, «Anil Thomas called me after he landed in Jordan on February 7. When he left from here, he carried all the necessary documents, including his visa. He was not alone--his brother-in-law also travelled with him. Later, we were told that someone had been shot, but they couldn't find Anil Thomas. It was only later that we learned he had been killed.» Thomas continued, «We sent an email to the Indian Embassy, and when we received a response, we found out about his death. He was shot in the forehead. We demand justice. Why was my son shot? The government must investigate. As a father, it is my duty to fight for the truth. We have already submitted a petition to the MP. This incident happened in Jordan, not Israel. The embassy may say many things, but they were not there. There are eyewitnesses who saw what really happened--Thomas was shot while walking. The bullet hit the leg of the person accompanying him, but my son was shot in the forehead, which is unacceptable. My son was not a terrorist--he was an Indian citizen. If needed, they could have shot him in the leg, but they aimed to kill. This is an injustice, and the government must take action to ensure we get justice.»

Bibhas Nayak, a 29-year-old HR manager at St Stephen’s Hospital in New Delhi, died while defending two women from sexual assault in Karnataka’s Koppal district. The incident took place on 6 March near Sanapur village, close to the popular tourist site of Hampi. Bibhas was overpowered by three attackers and thrown into a canal. His body was recovered on Saturday, and Karnataka police have since arrested the suspects. His grieving family has called for a thorough and fair investigation.

Adam Boehler, the US envoy for hostages, and a top Hamas representative, Israeli leaders quietly expressed their displeasure, saying Hamas is a terrorist organisation whose words can't be trusted or taken at face value. Boehler acknowledged in television interviews Sunday that Israel had «raised some concerns,» but said it's helpful to hear what Hamas wants and what it's offering. «We're not an agent of Israel. We have specific interests at play,» he noted on CNN. The friction over Boehler's outreach to Hamas, a group the US and others designate as terrorist, is the first sign of disagreement. While Trump has made his support for Israel clear, the president's unpredictable moves — including stunning European allies by opening direct peace talks with Russia — left officials wary.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Trump says he’s written to Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose regime insists sanctions relief precede any nuclear talks. But Iran is in no position to dictate preconditions.

The first phase of the truce ended on March 1 with no agreement on subsequent stages that could secure a permanent end to the war, but both sides have since refrained from resuming full-scale fighting. There are still significant differences over the terms of a potential second phase of the truce, which has largely halted the violence that raged since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Speaking to CNN, Adam Boehler — a Jewish American — acknowledged it had been «odd» sitting face-to-face with leaders of a group that the United States has listed as a «terrorist» organization since 1997. The talks took place in recent weeks. Boehler said he understood Israel's «consternation» that the US had held talks at all with the group, but said he had been seeking to jump-start the «fragile» negotiations.

«The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises — if implemented — swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza,» the ministers said in a joint statement. The plan, which was drawn up by Egypt and adopted by Arab leaders on Tuesday, has been rejected by Israel and by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has presented his own vision to turn the Gaza Strip into a «Middle East Riviera».

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Trump and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff have threatened a return to war in the Gaza Strip if Hamas doesn’t release its remaining hostages. Israel is already plotting out how that would happen.

Trump to empty the Gaza Strip of its Palestinian population and backed a plan for an administrative committee of Palestinians to govern the territory to allow reconstruction to go ahead. The foreign ministers gathered in the Saudi city of Jeddah for a special session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to address the situation in Gaza, at a time when the 7-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been thrown into doubt. In a statement put out Saturday, the gathering threw its support behind a plan to rebuild Gaza put forward by Egypt and backed by Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and Jordan, aimed at countering Trump's call. The OIC groups 57 nations with largely Muslim populations.

Donald Trump administration announced on Friday that it was cutting down $400 million in funding for Columbia University due to its continued inaction to squelch antisemitism on campus. Cancelling grants and contracts of the Ivy League school, the US Departments of Justice, Health, Education and General Services Administration (GSA) stated in an official release that these «represent the first round of action and additional cancellations are expected to follow.» At present, Columbia University holds over $5 billion in federal grant commitments.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Syrian government forces are responding to a series of clashes and ambushes launched by partisans of the deposed Assad regime, the biggest domestic military challenge yet to the former rebel group trying to hold the country together with stretched manpower.

Fox News separately reported the State Department revoked the visa of a student who allegedly participated in what the department termed as «Hamas-supporting disruptions.» The revocation marked the first such action, according to the report. The State Department was working with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, according to Axios.