Yair Lapid

Israel hit Gaza with air strikes on Aug. 6 and a Palestinian militant group retaliated with a barrage of rocket fire, in the territory's worst escalation of violence since a war last year.

Israel has said it was forced to launch a "pre-emptive" operation against Islamic Jihad, insisting the group was planning an imminent attack following days of tensions along the Gaza border.

The Iranian hitmen, who were preparing to implement a plan to attack and kidnap Israeli diplomats and tourists, have made target practice in hotel rooms, Istanbul police have found out.

The police teams revealed the reconnaissance footage of the Iranian assassination team, which was determined to be preparing to assassinate Israeli citizens in Istanbul.

U.S. President Joe Biden will hold bilateral talks on July 14 with Israeli officials in Jerusalem, where the two allies are expected to declare a "united stand" on common foe Iran.

Biden touched down in Tel Aviv on Wednesday for the first Middle East tour of his presidency, which will see him meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders before flying onwards to Saudi Arabia.

The Israeli military on Saturday said it shot down three unmanned aircraft launched by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah heading toward an area where an Israeli gas platform was recently installed in the Mediterranean Sea.

Israel's parliament voted Thursday to dissolve itself, triggering the country's fifth election in just over three years and thrusting veteran politician Yair Lapid into the role of interim prime minister as he tries to persuade a deeply polarized nation to embrace his centrist vision.

Members of an Iranian team, caught on June 17 in Istanbul, were going to implement a two-stage plan to attack and kidnap Israeli diplomats and tourists, the daily Milliyet has reported.

Israel's National Security Council on June 28 lowered its travel warning for Istanbul from the highest level, after the government said Iranian assassination plots targeting Israelis in the city had been thwarted.

Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and police busted the Iranian intelligence service SAVAMA in Istanbul on June 17.

They were allegedly preparing to kidnap and attack Israeli diplomats and tourist groups in Istanbul.

They have determined that the shooters who planned to take part in the attacks were in Istanbul.

Türkiye and Israel have decided to start works for upgrading the level of mutual diplomatic representation by appointing ambassadors in a most concrete step of the joint efforts to normalize the bilateral ties.

Israel's weakened coalition government announced Monday that it would dissolve parliament and call new elections, setting the stage for the possible return to power of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or another period of prolonged political gridlock.