Netanyahu Lands In Washington; Meets Commerce Secretary Ahead Of Key Talks With Trump
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Washington on Sunday night (6th) ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump, which is scheduled for Monday (7th), and with other senior US officials.
As Netanyahu landed, representatives of the US administration awaited him, greeting him with an honor guard and a red carpet.
Later in the evening, Netanyahu met US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to discuss the tariffs imposed on Israel.
The Prime Minister’s Office stated that “the meeting was warm and productive, and was conducted in good spirits.”
Trump said on Sunday night (6th) that he would discuss trade issues with Netanyahu during their meeting, noting that trade between the United States and Israel would be a key topic on the agenda.
Speaking before taking off from Hungary to Washington earlier on Sunday (6th), Netanyahu noted that he was leaving for the US at Trump’s invitation “to talk with him of course, about these issues: The hostages, achieving victory in Gaza and–of course–the tariff regime that has been imposed on Israel. I hope that I will be able to help on this issue, that’s the intention.”
Netanyahu emphasized that he is the first international leader who will meet with Trump on the issue of tariffs, “which is so important to the Israeli economy. There is a long line of leaders who want to do this regarding their economies. I think that it reflects the special personal link, as well as the special ties between the US and Israel which are so vital at this time.”
Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet on Monday (7th) at 1:00 p.m. local time and will hold a joint press conference after they meet.
Hamas Fires Ten Rockets At South, One Wounded In Ashkelon
Starting at 9:01 p.m. Sunday night (6th), rocket sirens sounded in the area of Ashdod and Ashkelon.
The military said some 10 rockets were fired at Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, half of which were intercepted. Several impacts had been reported in various areas, the IDF added.
MDA said its paramedics transferred to Barzilai Medical Center a man who was injured, in light condition. Paramedics also treated a number of individuals who were suffering from anxiety and who had been injured while running to their shelter.
The police said it was operating in an area of Ashkelon when an impact had been reported by the Askelon Municipality that a rocket had crashed in the city and caused property damage.
Hamas’ military wing, the IZZ al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, subsequently claimed responsibility for the rocket barrage.
“If anyone needs a reminder of why we must not stop before the destruction of Hamas, they received it this evening in the form of rocket launches from Gaza to the cities of the south,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich shared on X shortly after.
“We promised the citizens of Israel that Hamas will be destroyed and the residents of the south will be able to live in peace and security for many years,” Smotrich added, noting, “We will stand by that.”
National Unity head Benny Gantz wrote on X following the barrage, “Hamas is the enemy, which, after a year and a half of war, is still firing missiles at Israeli citizens.”
Defense Minister Katz Reveals Documents That Prove Iran’s Role In October 7 Massacre
Defense Minister Israel Katz revealed a document on Sunday (6th) recovered by the IDF in Gaza that proves Iran’s central role in supporting and funding Hamas’ invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023.
The document shows Hamas requested $500 million from Iran before October 7, “to destroy Israel.”
In response to the request, “Izadi,” the head of Palestinian Affairs for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, indicated that although Iran’s financial situation was strained, he would approve the transfer of funds to now-deceased Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif.
Izadi said that the conflict against Israel and the US was of prime importance and “should be funded despite the hardship of sanctions the Islamic Regime has been facing.”
When the IDF discovered the document, they sent it to the IDF Intelligence Catalogue Unit, where essential foreign intelligence items are analyzed and stored.
After revealing the contents of the documents, Katz emphasized that Iran is the “head of the snake” and is the nerve center of terror groups such as Hamas, the Houthis, Hezbollah, and smaller organizations in Syria and Iraq.
Israeli intelligence has indicated that even if Iran was uncertain of the precise plans or dates of the attack, Hamas could not have created so much devastation without IRGC training and Iran funding.
This is not the first document proving that Iran was funding Hamas; a letter recovered by the IDF in February 2024 showed that Hamas received $154 million from Iran.
In addition, Sinwar left behind envelopes filled with cash that were thought to have been sent by Iran.
US Congressional Republicans are pushing to solidify President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran through a 10-bill legislative package aimed at sanctioning the Iranian leadership, severing its access to funds, and crippling the regime’s regional terror proxies.
The campaign includes “The toughest Iran sanctions package ever proposed by Congress,” according to the Republican Study Committee, the House’s largest GOP caucus, which is leading the effort.
‘We’re Still Finding Bombs, Metula Unsafe For Civilians’ – Mayor
Evacuees from the northern border town Metula should not return to their homes, as doing so would endanger their lives, warned the municipality’s mayor and a senior army official.
Metula Mayor David Azoulay has been highly critical of a plan encouraging residents to return to the town, some 18 months after they were displaced due to nearly-daily Hezbollah rocket and drone fire.
Only 10% of Metula’s residents have returned home, with more than half the town’s structures believed to have been struck by Hezbollah fire.
Azoulay has repeatedly said that Metulla – the Israeli town that sustained the most damage from Hezbollah during the war – is not safe for civilians and is actively discouraging his constituents from returning.
“The fence separating us from Lebanon has not yet been repaired and completely secured,” Azoulay told Hebrew-language outlet Ynet.
“We’re still finding unexploded Hezbollah bombs in the yards of houses, and there is not a day that goes by without several security warnings about threats in the area,” he added.
Metula resident Avi Nadiv, whose house was destroyed by Hezbollah bombing, told Ynet that the security situation in the town is untenable.
“I had to spend more than $530,000 to rebuild my home, and I can still see the villages from which Hezbollah launched their attacks, and where Hezbollah terrorists have started to return,” Nadiv said.
“If the state can’t provide us security here, they should compensate Metula residents for the value of our homes, let us move elsewhere, and establish a military base here,” he added.
Khamenei Orders High Alert For Iran’s Military – Report
Following disagreements with the US over nuclear deal talks, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered the military to be on full alert, according to Saudi state-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya.
The rhetoric between Khamenei and US President Donald Trump has intensified recently with Trump threatening to bomb the Islamic Republic if a nuclear deal is not reached.
Responding to the threat, Khamenei said he didn’t think the US would strike, but that they would undoubtedly receive “a heavy blow in return” if they did.
Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official issued a warning to Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, and Bahrain that any support for a US attack or allowing the US to use their airspace would be interpreted as an act of hostility against Iran, Reuters reported on Sunday (6th).
Such an act “will have severe consequences for them,” the official said.
Iran rejected Trump’s request for direct talks and opted for indirect talks through Oman instead.
According to a report last week, Trump may accept Iran’s proposal for indirect nuclear talks but will also shore-up military forces in the region, ready to strike if the need arises.
A US official said, “After exchanging letters, we are now exploring the next steps to begin conversations and building trust with the Iranians.”
We Are Living In Strange Times When The People Working Hard For Middle East Peace Are Persecuted – Dalia Ziada
For four days now, I have been under the attack of Egyptian social media and traditional media. What is my crime? A photo that I created in two minutes using AI of four women from the Middle East (Arab, Iranian, Israeli, and Turkish) who are sitting happily together, drinking coffee, and smiling peacefully.
The campaign against me reached its peak when an official request to revoke my citizenship was submitted to the ministerial cabinet in Egypt. They want to strip me of my Egyptian citizenship and identity because I am calling for peace in the Middle East!
Sixteen months ago I had to flee Egypt, running for my life from radical Islamists who wanted to kill me for not being a good Muslim, a moral assassination by state-supervised media outlets, and several legal claims accusing me of committing high treason and spying for the Israeli Mossad. What was my crime then? Condemning Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, and supporting Israel’s right to defend its people against an act of terrorism.
We are living in strange times when people practicing anti-Semitism and radicalism are so loud and proud, while the people working hard for Middle East peace are persecuted and despised. In case the Egyptian government goes crazy and decides to revoke my citizenship, I just want them to know: Your repetitive acts of injustice against me only makes me stronger.!
The writer, an Egyptian scholar, is a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. (X)
(X.com)
Czech Republic To Become First EU State To Relocate Embassy To Jerusalem
The Czech Republic is close to announcing the relocation of its embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Ynet learned late Saturday (5th). A senior Czech official recently informed an Israeli counterpart that the Czech government has made a decision to move the embassy in the near future.
The move follows a request by US President Donald Trump, who transferred the US embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 during his first term. That same year, the Czech Republic opened offices in Jerusalem for cultural and economic affairs, later adding a consular section.
The Czech Republic is considered one of Israel’s closest allies in Europe. Since the October 7 Hamas attack, it has consistently backed Israel and has blocked anti-Israel initiatives in the European Union alongside Hungary, where foreign and security policy decisions require unanimous consent among the 27 member states.
Israel hopes that following the Czech move, Hungary will follow suit. During Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Budapest, Hungarian officials signaled they would prefer not to be the first EU country to take such a step. While Hungary has previously expressed willingness to relocate its embassy, it said it was waiting for the right moment.
The topic was discussed during Netanyahu’s meetings with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and came up again on Sunday (6th) in a meeting between Netanyahu and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. On Thursday (3rd) , Hungary gave Israel a diplomatic boost by withdrawing from the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
To date, six countries have embassies in Jerusalem: the U.S., Guatemala, Kosovo, Honduras, Papua New Guinea, and Paraguay. Argentina’s President Javier Milei is expected to announce a similar move by the end of the year, although domestic political challenges have delayed the decision.
Fiji announced in February that it would open an embassy in Israel, likely becoming the seventh country to do so in Jerusalem. Czechia is poised to be the eighth, with Hungary potentially becoming the ninth.
