Israel

Questions are being raised about the organization of this year's Iniochos 2023 military exercise, as Israel has not yet expressed an interest in participating with aircraft.

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias expressed his satisfaction during his visit to Jerusalem on Tuesday that the government of Israel clearly stood up for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and sovereign rights of Greece.

In the first visit of a European foreign minister to Israel after the inauguration of the new government on December 29, Nikos Dendias' trip on Tuesday will focus on energy, investment, defense and the deepening of Greek-Israeli cooperation.

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias will pay an official visit to Israel on Tuesday, the first visit of a European foreign minister to Israel since the country's new government was sworn in on December 29, 2022.

Four decades after the Reagan Doctrine and the launch of the "Star Wars program" to deploy advanced weapons including the use of high-energy laser beams to counter enemy ballistic nuclear attacks, Israel managed to implement Reagan's strategic thinking in actual defense technology by developing the "Iron Beam" air defense system.

Israeli and Palestinian envoys to the United Nations on Thursday traded heated barbs at a Security Council meeting over the controversial visit by an Israeli minister to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called the session "pathetic" and "absurd" while the Palestinian envoy accused the Jewish state of acting "with absolute contempt."

Turkey condemned on Tuesday a "provocative act" by Israel's new far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, referring to his visit to Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.

Ankara's statement came amid efforts by Turkey and Israel to normalize ties, after a four-year deterioration in relations, and mutual appointment of ambassadors.

Israel wants to tighten its relations with Türkiye and bring the two leading countries of the region back to the places they deserve, Israeli Economy Minister Orna Barbivai has told the daily Milliyet.

Israel's prime minister said Tuesday that the country has reached an "historic agreement" with neighboring Lebanon over their shared maritime border after months of U.S.-brokered negotiations.

Premier Yair Lapid called the deal an "historic achievement that will strengthen Israel's security, inject billions into Israel's economy, and ensure the stability of our northern border."

A Turkish Consulate employee outside its premises in Jerusalem, August 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/ATEF SAFADI

The two countries pledged to appoint ambassadors and consul generals, announcement that follows normalisation attempts by both sides in recent months involving high-level visits from senior officials.