In days of smart, networked technology and no shame over collateral damage, what will blow up next -- cars, mobile phones, TV sets, refrigerators? And where?, asks Shyam G Menon.
'We have also been incredibly clear to Hizbollah and any other malign actors that they should not use this opportunity to widen this conflict. And when we're talking about a humanitarian pause, what we are talking about is conditions that simultaneously ensure that Hamas is not in a position in which it can regroup, restrengthen itself'
As the Israeli military is all set to launch a ground invasion in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Tuesday identified the organisational hierarchy of Hamas and vowed to destroy and dismantle the group by targeting its top brass, who were 'responsible' for the attacks against Israeli civilians.
Israel on Monday fired a warning missile on Syria since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, breaking a long standing ceasefire and drawing itself into the ongoing bloody fight between President Bashar Assad's regime forces and the rebels in the strife-torn country. Israel defence forces said they fired the missile as a warning shot on Sunday after a stray mortar from Syria hit a military post in the Golan Heights.
A veteran journalist working for Al Jazeera was killed on Wednesday during an Israeli operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, prompting the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Qatar-based network to blame the Israeli Army for her death.
However, these are understood to be exploratory talks, with an agreement unlikely to be formalised during the current visit.
'Israel would make Iran and its proxies pay. They, along with Qatar, fund terror all over the world.'
Israel Defence Forces (IDF), under the command of the Givati (infantry) Brigade overnight carried out a targeted raid using tanks in the territory of the northern Gaza Strip.
An Indian woman and her family living in Gaza have left her home and are waiting for safe passage near the coastal strip's southern border with Egypt after Israel ordered some 1.1 million Palestinians on Friday to evacuate northern Gaza and head to the southern part of the besieged territory.
A senior member of Hamas hailed the attack it carried out in Israel on October 7 and stressed that if given a chance, the terror group will repeat similar assaults many times in the future until Israel is exterminated, reported The Times of Israel.
The Israel Defence Force (IDF) on Sunday alleged that the terror group Hamas is blocking the evacuation of civilians in the Gaza Strip ahead of the possible ground offensive by Israel after the deadly attacks on October 7.
The Israeli government on Sunday approved the appointment of Reuven Azar as the new Ambassador to India.
The female soldiers are said to have posed in front of several planes, including the legendary Black Spit flown by late Israeli President Ezer Weizmann.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Monday said that a soldier captured by the Hamas terror group has been rescued during ground operations and she is now with her family.
A day after killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike in Beirut, Israel conducted widespread strikes in Lebanon on Sunday, killing over 100 people. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) also launched airstrikes on military targets in Yemen, specifically targeting Houthi-controlled sites, including power plants and a seaport.
'We have three goals for this war: eliminate Hamas, return all our abductees and ensure that Gaza does not become a threat to the State of Israel again'
As per the Israeli Air Force, the fighter jets attacked a number of terrorist targets of the terrorist organization Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip. Among other things, the planes attacked a military compound and a weapons warehouse.
Slamming Hamas, the IDF further said the terror group "embraces the ideology of Hitler", the one responsible for the "annihilation" of the Jewish people.
Taking to X, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said, 'Israel strongly condemns the Iranian attack against an international vessel. The ship, which is owned by a British company and is operated by a Japanese firm, was hijacked with Iran's guidance by the Yemenite Houthi militia.'
In an unprecedented attack that few Israelis saw coming on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah on Saturday, Hamas fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip.
Israel claimed responsibility for the attack on an ambulance outside Gaza City's Al Shifa Hospital which killed several people and left dozens more wounded, CNN reported on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces said they have killed some 1,500 terrorists in Israeli territory after Hamas launched an attack on Israeli border communities, The Times of Israel reported.
'Israel is counting on the United States to enter the fray on their behalf and perform destructive strikes against these targets that are beyond Israel's conventional capabilities.' 'They may well get their way if they start a war, because the United States is still committed to Israel's security, and it won't matter whether it is Trump or Harris in the White House.'
As the situation pans out the Israeli response to the large-scale attacks is also being observed, they said.
Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri, told Press TV that the Nevatim air base, the Netzarim military facility and the Tel Nof intelligence unit, were hit in the Tuesday night attack dubbed 'Operation True Promise II'.
'IDF (the Israeli Defence Forces) soldiers, be it a girl or a boy, they may look very cute, but you cannot mess with them.' 'People are serving their country at 95 years of age. That's the greatest example of patriotism.'
Some experts feel that Israel got so totally engrossed in countering Iran and in efforts to foil the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme that it has neglected its own backyard.
Amid deepening ties between India and Israel, Chief of Air Staff N A K Browne has held strategic talks with his Israeli counterpart and will meet defence top brass, furthering the ongoing bilateral military cooperation.
'The background for the Saudi-Pakistan agreement is the fact that the regional security order has collapsed due to the Israeli attack on Doha.' 'The Americans have largely abandoned their security guarantee for West Asia and the region has no choice but to look at alternatives.'
During the meeting, Gantz emphasised the opportunity to invest further in defence cooperation between the two countries.
On Wednesday, October 18, United States President Joe Biden arrived in Tel Aviv to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Indian pharmaceutical firms foresee minimal disruptions in trade with Israel despite escalating regional tensions. Rising crude prices and export shipping insurance premiums have raised concerns, but the pharmaceutical sector remains optimistic. Pharmaceutical exports from India to Israel in FY 2020-21 amounted to $32.5 million, which represents only a minor segment of India's overall pharma exports.
'The defence forces have come up with certain problems they face in the drone space.' 'Recently we had a meeting at which they presented the problems to many of our start-ups and faculty.' 'Some of the start-ups have started working on the problems.'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marked 100 days of Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Saturday night by reiterating his vow to continue fighting until the Palestinian terror group is defeated.
While many of them were engaged by Israeli forces, some managed to sneak back into Gaza with more than 200 civilian hostages.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on 'CNN This Morning' that 'the President still believes that a reoccupation of Gaza by Israeli forces is not good. It's not good for Israel; it's not good for the Israeli people'.
The Iranian missile attack on Israel appears to have been defeated and ineffective, United States President Joe Biden said, hours after Tehran fired nearly 200 missiles at Israel.
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said the Indian Air Force's attacks during Operation Sindoor restored offensive air action. He highlighted the effective use of air power in shaping military outcomes and praised the performance of indigenously developed weapons.
'But that was not our aim. Our objective was already achieved.'
The development comes as relations between the two countries showed marked improvement following the four-day military conflict between Pakistan and India in May.
