Israel Archives - Page 7 of 62

US Embassy Says it Cannot Evacuate Americans in Israel

CrossFireArabia
June 16, 2025

The US Embassy in Israel says it cannot evacuate or directly assist American citizens in leaving the occupation state. The announcement comes amid a regional war sparked by US-backed Israeli attacks on Iran.

“The U.S. Embassy is not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel,” it said in a statement.

Despite US-Israeli coordination in launching the surprising attack on Iran, the Trump administration failed to issue advance warnings to American settlers in Israel reports the Quds News Network.

Citing security concerns, the US Embassy in the occupation state will remain closed on Monday. All US government employees and their families have been told to shelter in place until further notice.

The Israeli government has ordered airlines not to allow Israeli citizens inside the country to board rescue flights. These flights are only for Israelis currently abroad, reported The Marker.

Officials claim the move aims to prevent overcrowding and reduce the risk of mass casualties. But in practice, the policy means settlers and civilians still in Israel cannot leave, even as tensions with Iran escalate.

Last month, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that 700,000 American citizens live in Israeli settlements across occupied Palestine. He was referring to settlers, who hold Israeli citizenship and serve in the Israeli military.

Critics argue that these settlers are being used as human shields. Entire communities, including women and children, are placed deep inside conflict zones. Their presence serves both as a military buffer and a justification for expansion.

In contrast to its silence in Israel, the US State Department issued a clear warning to citizens in Iran, urging them to leave immediately.

“U.S. citizens should not travel to Iran for any reason and should depart Iran immediately if you are there,” said the statement.

News

Iranian Missiles Extend to ALL Israel

CrossFireArabia
June 16, 2025

On the fourth day of the war between Tehran and Tel Aviv, Iran has launched a barrage of more missile on the Zionist entity early Monday morning.

The Israeli Home Front Command reported that the Iranian ballistic missiles have extended from the touristic city of Eilat in the south to Al Naqoura in the north.

It added that air raid sirens blasted in Tel Aviv and other areas after detecting the incoming missile that are the latest to have been launched from Iran.

Israeli media reported that Iranian missiles landed in Haifa and that a large explosion was heard. They also reported hearing explosions in eastern Tel Aviv, western Jerusalem, and the Ben Gurion Airport area.

The Hebrew media also confirmed that direct hits were recorded in areas of Tel Aviv as a result of the Iranian missile attack carried out through the early hours of Monday morning.

News

Iran’s Army Calls on Israelis to Leave

CrossFireArabia
June 16, 2025

Iran’s armed forces called on Sunday Israelis to leave their country, warning it may not be “inhabitable” in the days to come, state news agency IRNA reported, as military confrontation between the two regional rivals continues.

“Warnings for you in the coming days: Leave the occupied territories, because, certainly, they won’t be inhabitable in the future!” Reza Sayyad, spokesperson for the armed forces, said after a new wave of Iranian strikes began against Israel.

He cautioned that “taking shelter underground will not bring safety to the Israelis.”

“Therefore, we would like to emphasize: do not let the criminal regime use you as human shields,” Sayyad said.

Separately, Mohsen Rezaei, a senior IRGC commander who is also a member of Iran’s Expediency Council, said: “We may reach a point where we take major actions that will destabilize the entire region.”

Rezaei said “the wise people in the US and Europe must act quickly to pull their countries out of this war, otherwise we cannot stand by and watch their involvement without responding,” according to Anadolu.

Israel launched airstrikes on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, on Friday, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes. The attacks and counterattacks have continued since.

US President Donald Trump said the two sides could achieve peace and that meetings and calls to this end were taking place.

Opinion

The Devil You Know!

Dr Khairi Janbek
May 30, 2025

By Dr Khairi Janbek

One wonders what more can be said about the tragic war in Gaza, more than the outpouring of words in the East, West and the Arab world with the habitual accusations and counter-accusations which have reduced the question of Gaza, after many other things to a mere question of semantics with the same words and same policies, while the habitual loser, the hostages and their families, and the Gazan people continue to suffer relentlessly.

Delegations keep going and coming, ceasefires agreed then broken given the impression that all what is being attempted is to keep the war going without the pangs of guilty conscience or more pragmatically, pending how public opinion shifts in western countries.

For all intents and purposes, can Israel destroy Hamas or at least break its military structure, if indeed this is the intention of Israel? If it is not, what would be the point of this war?

This is because all of what is being done is mere destruction of lives of innocent civilians who have no say when it came to “Hamas terrorism” and the subsequent Israeli retaliation. The tragi-comedy of the situation, is that Israel is fighting Hamas in order to keep a smaller version of Hamas, in the manner possibly of the devil you know is better than the one you don’t.

As for the other side of the divide, one doesn’t believe that Hamas cares about the innocent Gazans more than Israel, of course their aim is to survive, and rule for another day, because as it appears they seem to believe that Israel has no wish to occupy Gaza, and they stand a good chance to rule a diminished territory compatible with their diminished organizational size.

One wouldn’t actually be surprised knowing only too well than in the Middle East nothing is meant to be resolved; neither with peace nor with war.

Then comes the international community, President Trump’s policy towards the region fits very well with all what is going on, and it reflects this inconsistency with its own inconsistency. At one point, he wants the destruction of Hamas, then he wants a ceasefire and wants the war to stop, with the only logical demand of wanting what everyone else wants, the release of the hostages.

But even on this path one wonders for how long he will be able to keep his attention span on the question. The EU has its twists and turns, apart from’Ireland and Spain, the governments of Europe have their own contradictions with each other and subject to the fluctuations of public opinion, nevertheless, there will be plenty of rhetoric but the same policies will continue.

Ironically, the only side which is not counted on, and the only side which seems reluctant to get involved actively, save for holding hostage release negotiations, is the Arab side.

One firmly believes, against common wisdom, that only the Arabs can convince Hamas to surrender its weapons, and manage a post-Hamas Gaza, guaranteeing security for Israel and start the reconstruction efforts for Gaza. It is only after that, a permanent solution can be thought of.

Dr Janbek is a Jordanian writer based in Paris, France.

News

Israeli Media: ‘Beware of Hamas Forces’

CrossFireArabia
May 6, 2025

Israel is failing to achieve its objectives in Gaza. This is the view of many in the Israeli media. They say that despite the long-war, now in its 18-month, the Palestinian resistance are still able to carry out qualitative operations against Israeli soldiers.

Hamas reorganized, prepares the traps

According to Israel’s Channel 14 the reality in the Gaza Strip requires a profound change in the Israeli combat doctrine, adding that recruiting forces, no matter how good, is still insufficient. Hamas has “rebuilt itself, prepared explosive traps, and recruited forces,” the Channel stated.

Because of this, speakers in Channel 14 went on to state that the Israeli army must control positions inside Gaza and maintain military control over the area to prevent Hamas from achieving any success.

It noted the incident over the weekend, in which two soldiers were killed and another from the Yahalom Unit seriously wounded, is an example of what awaits the Israeli army in Gaza.

Conceal the erosion of its forces!

The Maariv Israeli daily asserted the resumption of the war on Gaza has not achieved the desired results, as military pressure has failed to secure the release of prisoners.

It acknowledged that the current Israeli political thinking and military performance have not succeeded on the ground in Gaza. It added the failure to return all prisoners is tantamount to a defeat for the Israeli army in the battle for Gaza.

Regarding Israel’s readiness to expand the war, Maariv stated that the introduction of Israeli forces into Gaza is complex because of the presence of booby-trapped tunnel openings, which could harm prisoners due to intense fire.

It added that Hamas understands the limitations of the Israeli army’s power in a large-scale maneuver.

It emphasized that the Israeli army is trying to conceal the erosion of its forces and equipment from the public, noting that the significant erosion in the Israeli army is not only in combat power but also in combat equipment according to Jo24.