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Israel Plans to Construct Railway Tunnel under Jerusalem

A picture taken with a smartphone using panoramic mode on December 1, 2017 shows a view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. (AFP)
A picture taken with a smartphone using panoramic mode on December 1, 2017 shows a view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. (AFP)
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Israel Plans to Construct Railway Tunnel under Jerusalem

A picture taken with a smartphone using panoramic mode on December 1, 2017 shows a view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. (AFP)
A picture taken with a smartphone using panoramic mode on December 1, 2017 shows a view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. (AFP)

Israel has revealed a new plan to construct an underground railway tunnel in the occupied city of Jerusalem that reaches the outskirts of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

It comes in light of the world's preoccupation with the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“Israeli authorities have prepared the plan during the emergency period they recently declared over the outbreak,” the Arab Center for Alternative Planning said in a report published Sunday.

Israel’s National Infrastructure Committee announced the plan during a March 17 meeting, the center reported.

The first phase of the project calls for the construction of an underground railway tunnel that connects west Jerusalem with the Moroccan Gate (Bab al-Magharib), reaching the outskirts of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

While the other phase will see the construction of a railway above ground that crosses several neighborhoods in Jerusalem.

The committee has published an announcement for preparing the aforementioned project and imposed restrictions according to the Articles 77 and 78 of the Organization and Building Law.

These articles allow the freezing of issuing building permits and carrying out any work within the limits of these plans.

“The tunnel that will be built will pass under the Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, specifically the Old City neighborhoods of Silwan and Abu Tor,” the report explained.

“As it seems, it will have many impacts on many aspects of life of these neighborhoods, which the center will study in turn.”

It noted that they are part of a series of other vague and dangerous projects that are being implemented secretly in this sensitive area.

These include the Temple tunnel, which runs under the neighborhoods of the old town and threatens its safety and stability, and the City of David project, whose various installations threaten Silwan and the Moroccan Gate area.

The center announced it will continue to follow up the Israeli projects and identify and analyze their consequences to determine the damage they might cause to Arab neighborhoods.

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Arab World

Netanyahu Says Extensive West Bank Military Operation ‘On the Way’ After Attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a toast-raising event hosted by his Likud party, in Tel Aviv, Israel, September 17, 2026. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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Netanyahu Says Extensive West Bank Military Operation ‘On the Way’ After Attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a toast-raising event hosted by his Likud party, in Tel Aviv, Israel, September 17, 2026. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday warned of an imminent large-scale military operation in the West Bank and vowed to displace some residents of Hebron after Palestinian gunmen killed two soldiers in an attack. The prime minister’s office also said it had instructed the army to close off the occupied West Bank, where the shooting occurred.

The attack, which happened at a checkpoint near the Palestinian city in the southern occupied West Bank, also left three soldiers wounded. It came days before Israeli elections in which Netanyahu is facing a tight race.

The two gunmen who carried out the attack were killed in a shootout with soldiers.

In a visit to Hebron after the attack, Netanyahu said Israeli forces would enter the neighborhood of the attackers and displace its residents.

"We will evacuate the residents, we will go from house to house, we will also seize the weapons there, and all the terrorist infrastructure will be dealt with and destroyed," Netanyahu said, according to his office.

"The defense minister and I are considering a very extensive (army) operation in Judea and Samaria, such as has not been carried out since the Six Day War," Netanyahu added, referring to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

"The army is ready to execute it and we will set the timing, but it is on the way."

He said the military would apply a model previously used in refugee camps in the northern West Bank. A large-scale military operation dubbed "Iron Wall" launched in January 2025 forcibly displaced tens of thousands of people across several refugee camps, according to the UN rights office.

As of July this year, 33,362 Palestinian refugees displaced from the three camps had not been permitted to return, according to the UN.

Nearly two years on, Israel's military remains present in Jenin refugee camp, which before Iron Wall was a bastion of armed Palestinian militants fighting Israeli occupation.

The army also remains in two refugee camps in the nearby city of Tulkarem.

In all three camps the army demolished dozens of houses in the dense patchwork of alleys in order to ease access for its troops and armoured vehicles, the military said, and set up operational centres for troops in the homes of residents.

"The Jenin refugee camp model is on its way to Hebron," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on X Friday.

"Every clan neighborhood in Hebron from which the terrorists emerged today will be evacuated of its residents, and the terror infrastructure in the neighborhood will be addressed and dismantled," he said, referring to the large families, or clans, that hold much influence in the city of Hebron.

 

Arab World

Houthis Deplete Motorcycle Market for Military Use

Yemenis on their motorcycles at a market in Sanaa (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Yemenis on their motorcycles at a market in Sanaa (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Houthis Deplete Motorcycle Market for Military Use

Yemenis on their motorcycles at a market in Sanaa (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Yemenis on their motorcycles at a market in Sanaa (Asharq Al-Awsat)

As living conditions deteriorate and job opportunities shrink in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the group is stepping up purchases of motorcycles from markets in Sanaa and other cities for distribution to its militants on the front lines, driving up prices and making the vehicles increasingly unaffordable for young people who depend on them for their livelihoods.

Informed sources in Sanaa told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthis had allocated funds to purchase hundreds of motorcycles over the past two weeks in Sanaa, Amran, Hodeidah, Dhamar and Ibb for use in military operations.

The sources said increased demand had pushed up prices and reduced supply, making it harder for residents, particularly workers and low-income young people, to purchase motorcycles and earn enough to support their families.

According to the sources, the move followed the group's failure to recruit a number of motorcycle owners and riders in Sanaa and other cities, prompting it to buy the vehicles directly from local markets and distribute them to its militants for use on the front lines.

The sources linked the intensified purchases to airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements and vehicles in recent weeks, as well as severe fuel shortages.

They said motorcycles allow militants to travel through ravines, dry riverbeds and rugged terrain that heavy military vehicles struggle to navigate. They are also used to transport militants and supplies to the front lines and evacuate the dead and wounded.

The use of motorcycles in combat operations is not new for the Houthis. The group has relied on them across several fronts throughout the years of war, taking advantage of their small size and maneuverability.

According to the sources, motorcycles continue to be used on the Taiz, Al-Dhalea and western coast fronts, while the Houthis seek to acquire additional vehicles to support their military movements.

New Competition for a Source of Livelihood

The Houthi purchases have created new competition for a vehicle that many residents consider an affordable means of earning a living, at a time when employment opportunities are dwindling and living costs are rising.

Residents of Sanaa told Asharq Al-Awsat that motorcycles are more than a means of transportation. They represent an investment in small businesses and a direct source of income, whether through delivery services, transporting goods or commuting to work.

They warned that rising prices threaten to deprive more young people and workers of employment opportunities that depend on motorcycle ownership.

A motorcycle showroom owner in southern Sanaa said Houthi supervisors had purchased dozens of motorcycles from his business over the past two weeks.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, the owner said motorcycle prices ranged from 280,000 to 500,000 Yemeni rials per vehicle, depending on the model and specifications. The exchange rate imposed by the Houthis stands at approximately 530 rials to the US dollar.

He added that demand had increased in recent days as the group intensified efforts to supply its front-line forces.

The showroom owner said the surge in purchases had driven up prices and further weakened the ability of residents, particularly low-income young people, to acquire motorcycles and use them to support their families.

For many, he added, securing the initial capital needed to start even a small business has become increasingly difficult.

Arab World

Arab League Strongly Denounces Houthi Attacks on Dammam Airport, Shaybah Oil Field

Arab League Strongly Denounces Houthi Attacks on Dammam Airport, Shaybah Oil Field
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Arab League Strongly Denounces Houthi Attacks on Dammam Airport, Shaybah Oil Field

Arab League Strongly Denounces Houthi Attacks on Dammam Airport, Shaybah Oil Field

The Arab League strongly rejected the attacks launched by the Houthi militia targeting King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and the Shaybah oil field in Eastern Region, which resulted in casualties, injuries, and material damage to the targeted facilities.

In a statement issued today, the Arab League affirmed its categorical rejection of continued Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, describing them as a violation of the Kingdom's sovereignty and a direct threat to its security, stability, and the safety of citizens and residents, SPA reported.

The league stressed that the repeated targeting of airports, oil facilities, and civilian infrastructure constitutes a highly dangerous escalation threatening civil aviation safety and energy security.

Reiterating its full solidarity with the Kingdom, the Arab League affirmed its support for all measures taken to safeguard Saudi security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, emphasizing that the Kingdom's security is an integral part of collective Arab security.

It called on the international community to assume its responsibilities to halt these attacks and prevent their recurrence, extending sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.