With no majority in parliament and surrounded by allies outraged by his acceptance of a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to have set his sights on Israel's next elections.
A political phoenix, Netanyahu is the country's longest-serving prime minister, has been its dominant political figure for decades and heads one of the most right-wing coalitions in Israel's history.
KUALA LUMPUR Reuters) -Asia's youngest nation East Timor became the 11th member of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN at its summit on Sunday after being signed in by leaders of member states.
(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff and Danial Azhar; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by John Mair)
DOHA (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he does not plan to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin until he thinks a deal is in place to secure peace between Russia and Ukraine.
"You have to know that we're going to make a deal, I'm not going to be wasting my time," Trump told reporters in Doha.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Writing by Jason Lange; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli forces carried out a "targeted strike" on an individual in central Gaza who was planning to attack Israeli troops, Israel's military said on Saturday.
A U.S.-backed ceasefire is in force between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas more than two years after the war in the Gaza Strip began, but each side has accused the other of violations.
Israel said it had targeted a member of Islamic Jihad. The Palestinian militant group did not immediately comment on the assertion.
DOHA (Reuters) -Secretary of State Marco Rubio said U.S. officials are getting input on a possible UN resolution or international agreement to authorize a multinational force in Gaza and will discuss the issue in Qatar on Sunday.
Hundreds of Syrian refugees living in Libya poured into a travel agency in Tripoli on Saturday to take advantage of an offer of free tickets to Damascus, AFP journalists saw.
By midday, more than 700 Syrians, many of them residing in Libya for years after fleeing their country's civil war, had come to collect tickets and travel passes from the agency commissioned by the new authorities in Damascus, who ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.
In all, thousands have taken up the offer since it was first announced by the Syrian foreign ministry.
By Tarek Amara
TUNIS (Reuters) -Hundreds of Tunisians marched through the capital Tunis on Saturday to protest a severe environmental crisis caused by pollution from a state chemical plant in Gabes, as protests that began there widen outside the southern city.
The protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations that have underscored growing public frustration over the government’s handling of pollution and worsening state of public services, marking the biggest challenge to President Kais Saied since he seized all power in 2021.
Shortly after a ceasefire took effect in Gaza, clashes erupted between armed groups, some backed by Israel and others loyal to Hamas, as the Islamist movement sought to reassert control over the devastated territory.
Some of these groups are criminal gangs, others consist of members of historically influential Gaza families, and some combine both elements, experts told AFP.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday thanked Qatar's emir and prime minister for being a "big factor" in helping secure a Gaza ceasefire deal, during a refueling stop on his way to Asia.
The Qatari leaders boarded Air Force One when it landed at Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the regional headquarters for the US military and thousands of American troops.
Trump said the duo had played a crucial role in the Middle East peace process, adding that Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had been his "friend to the world."
KARACHI (Reuters) -Pakistan's defence minister said on Saturday that he believes Afghanistan wants peace, but warned that failure to reach an agreement during talks in Istanbul would mean “open war.”
(Reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
