Israel Financial News

U.S. personnel were injured in an attack against a military base in Iraq on Monday, U.S. officials told Reuters, as the Middle East braced for a possible new wave of attacks by Iran and its allies following last week's killing of senior members of militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah. Two Katyusha rockets were fired at al Asad airbase in western Iraq, two Iraqi security sources said. One Iraqi security source said the rockets fell inside the base. It was unclear whether the attack was linked to threats by Iran to retaliate over the killings. On Wednesday, Iran said the U.S. bears responsibility in the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran because of its support for Israel.

Iran that escalation in the Middle East is not in their interest, a State Department spokesperson said on Monday, at what Secretary of State Antony Blinken called a «critical moment» for the region. Blinken said Washington was «engaged in intense diplomacy, pretty much around the clock» to help calm tensions amid fears Iran is preparing a retaliatory strike against Israel. «All parties must refrain from escalation,» Blinken said during a signing ceremony with his Australian counterpart in Washington.

A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck a container ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden, the first assault by the group since Israeli airstrikes targeted them

Turkey's government will hold talks with Instagram officials on Monday after blocking access to the social media platform last week, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in a post on X. The move came after a senior Turkish official accused Instagram of blocking condolence posts following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Uraloglu said Turkey had expressed certain sensitivities regarding compliance with Turkish laws in a previous meeting with representatives of Instagram last week.

Israel is already in a «multi-front war» with Iran and its proxies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday, as the United States and allies prepared to defend Israel from an expected counterstrike and prevent an even more destructive regional conflict. Tensions have soared following nearly 10 months of war in Gaza and the killing last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas' top political leader in Iran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel and threatened retaliation. Hamas says it has begun discussions on choosing a new leader. Netanyahu said Israel was ready for any scenario. Jordan's foreign minister was making a rare trip to Iran as part of diplomatic efforts, while the Pentagon has moved significant assets to the region.

schools in Gaza City on Sunday, killing at least 30 people, while the military reported it had struck Hamas command centres. These bring to at least 11 the number of schools in Gaza to be struck since July 6, killing around 150 people, based on a tally of tolls previously given by officials in the Hamas-run territory. «The number of martyrs in the massacre of the Hassan Salameh and Al-Nasr schools' bombing has risen to 30. Dozens were also wounded,» civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Hamas's political leader in an attack blamed on Israel has prompted fears of a wider regional conflict and sidelined talks aimed at ending the nearly 10-month war in Gaza. Since Hamas's deadly October 7 attack on Israel sparked devastating retaliation in Gaza, Qatar has acted as an important interlocutor with the Palestinian militant group. The movement's slain political chief Ismail Haniyeh was based in the Gulf emirate.

Fitch Ratings noted that elevated interest rates in the US since 2023 have begun to show some effect on the labour market and demand. Adding to worries, the global rating agency said politics remains an area of high uncertainty, with geopolitical risks here to stay. The rating agency noted that signs of a slowdown in the US are evident in weak credit growth and slowing consumer spending. This trend is expected to continue in the second half of 2024, with real GDP growth decelerating, though likely remaining above recession territory.

Jordan's foreign minister is expected in Iran on Sunday, as the United States and its Arab allies try to prevent a wider war after the back-to-back killings of top Iran-allied militants sparked vows of revenge against Israel. Ayman Safadi would be the first senior Jordanian official to pay an official visit to Iran in over 20 years. Jordan is a close Western ally and helped intercept scores of missiles and drones fired by Iran toward Israel in April. Iran said it was retaliating for the killing of its generals in an Israeli strike in Syria. Many fear Iran and its regional allies could launch a similar attack following the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in an Israeli strike on Beirut last week and of Hamas' top political leader in an explosion in Tehran a day later. Both attacks were widely blamed on Israel, which has acknowledged killing the Hezbollah commander. Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas have vowed to avenge the killings.

Global equities turned lower on Thursday amid weak US manufacturing data, which raised doubts about the US economy and countered optimism about potential Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.

Israel-Palestine conflict has been marked by numerous controversial tactics, one of the most notorious being the 'Hannibal Directive,' which allows for the use of excessive force to prevent the capture of Israeli soldiers, even if it endangers hostages. Another controversial tactic was the 1978 assassination of Palestinian leader Wadie Haddad by Mossad agents using poisoned toothpaste. Wadie Haddad, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was implicated in several high-profile attacks, including the 1976 hijacking of Air France Flight 139, known as the Entebbe Hijacking. The plane, diverted from Tel Aviv to Paris, was then taken to Libya and Uganda. Israel’s response, Operation Thunderbolt, was a successful rescue mission led by Lt Col Yonatan Netanyahu, who tragically lost his life in the operation. Mossad’s Mission

France on Sunday called on its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country «as soon as possible» amid fears of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah and a broader regional conflict. «In a highly volatile security context, we once again call the attention of French nationals, particularly those passing through, to the fact that direct commercial flights and ones with stopovers to France are still available, and we invite them to make their arrangements now to leave Lebanon as soon as possible,» the foreign ministry said in its travel advice notice for Lebanon.

killed four people in a tent camp housing displaced people inside a hospital complex in central Gaza, while a stabbing attack carried out by a Palestinian killed two people in a Tel Aviv suburb. Tensions have soared following nearly 10 months of war in Gaza and the killing of two senior militants in separate strikes in Lebanon and Iran last week. Those killings brought threats of revenge from Iran and its allies and raised fears of an even more destructive regional war. A woman in her 70s and an 80-year-old man were killed in the stabbing attack, according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service and a nearby hospital, and two other men were wounded. The police said the attack was carried out by a Palestinian militant, who was «neutralized,» and that a search was underway for other suspects.

Middle East simmers with tension and stares at the possible Israel-Iran war, the United States announced plans to bolster its military presence in the region. Now the question is — Will it be 'Abraham Alliance' vs 'Axis of resistance' battle? Three US and Israeli officials told Axios that they expect Iran to launch an attack on Israel as early as Monday. This move comes in response to threats of retaliation from Iran and its regional allies following the killings of a Hamas leader in Tehran and a Hezbollah commander in Beirut, heightening fears of a broader conflict.

US Central Command's General Michael Kurilla arrived in the region on Saturday amid preparations for a possible attack by Iran on Israel in response to the recent killings of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, US-based news website Axios reported, citing two US officials. General Kurilla's visit, which was planned before the recent escalation between Israel, Iran, and Hezbollah following the killing of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, is now seen as a strategic move. He is expected to mobilise the international and regional coalition that previously defended Israel against an attack from Iran on April 13, Axios reported, citing a US official. Three US and Israeli officials said that they expect Iran to launch an attack on Israel as early as Monday. Iranian and Hezbollah leaders have pledged to retaliate for the killings of Hezbollah's top military commander, Fuad Shukr, and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Iran and its allies readied their response to the assassination of Hamas's political leader, blamed on Israel, spurring fears of a regional war. Israel ally the United States said it would move warships and fighter jets to the region, while Western governments called on their citizens to leave Lebanon — where the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah movement is based — and airlines cancelled flights. The killing this week of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, hours after the Israeli assassination of Hezbollah's military chief in Beirut, has triggered vows of vengeance from Iran and the so-called «axis of

Ur, possibly the oldest board game in the world, discovered in a 4,400-year-old royal tomb in Mesopotamia in the 1930s. Mukherjee has a replica he got from the British Museum in London. “It’s a fairly simple two-person game but the rules were discovered much later," he says.

West Bank killed nine Palestinian militants on Saturday, Israel's army said, as violence flared again in the Israeli-occupied territory with tensions high over the war in Gaza and a potential regional escalation. Cease-fire discussions on Gaza continued, with an Israel delegation led by the Mossad chief briefly visiting Cairo, an Egyptian official said. The U.S. has urged Israel to seize the chance for a cease-fire after the shock killing of Hamas' political leader in Iran, which Tehran blames on Israel. That killing and Israel's assassination of a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon have the region holding its breath for retaliation against Israel on either front, or both, after Iran and its proxies vowed to act. Hamas said its command had begun discussions on choosing a new leader.

rockets were fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel on Sunday (local time), SKY News reported, citing Israeli media reports. Videos showed Israel's Iron Dome defence system being activated over the area. Hezbollah said in a statement that it attacked a new Israeli settlement, Beit Hillel, with rockets. This is in response to Israel's attacks on Palestinian villages in Gaza, which hurt civilians. Hezbollah is supporting the Palestinian people and their resistance.

Amid escalating Middle Eastern tensions and recession fears, Bitcoin’s price prediction remains uncertain as BTC falls sharply.

West Bank Saturday killed nine Palestinian militants, according to Israel's army, as violence flares in the Israeli-occupied territory. The Israeli army said its forces first struck a vehicle in a rural area northwest of the city of Tulkarem in the northern West Bank early Saturday morning, killing the five occupants. The army said they were on their way to carry out an attack. The Palestinian health ministry said the dead men's corpses were taken to a nearby hospital in Tulkarem. All five men were later identified by Hamas as militants belonging to the group, including one who was a local commander.