Israeli Delegation in US in Attempt to Limit Iranian Expansion

The White House. (photo credit:REUTERS)
The White House. (photo credit:REUTERS)
TT

Israeli Delegation in US in Attempt to Limit Iranian Expansion

The White House. (photo credit:REUTERS)
The White House. (photo credit:REUTERS)

A high-ranking Israeli delegation in talks with the US National Security Council (NSC) is attempting to persuade the Americans with the necessity to having a different stance from the Iranian file, to study Tehran’s plans in the Arab region and take necessary steps to stop them, sources in Tel Aviv said.

Israel believes that US President Donald Trump isn’t heeding the Iranian file, especially that Tehran is busy in the war against ISIS, the sources stated.

“There is evidence that the Iranian regime seeks to impose sectarian Shii’te dominance in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and Yemen, and also has a role in Egypt and Jordan,” the sources added, affirming that this dominance will be faced with a stern Sunni reaction.

According to the sources, the number of Sunni refugees from Syria is mounting and there is a risk of sectarian war escalation. This can destabilize the region and ruin any positive outcomes from the battle against ISIS.

Reliable sources stated that the Trump administration is currently resuming the transformation that had been started by Obama by halting support to Syrian opposition groups.

At the end of July, The Washington Post newspaper revealed that the president has decided to stop the program of providing rebels with arms, and this is a logical decision because the US intelligence wasn’t certain that the arms wouldn't reach the wrong people or lead to the killing of pro-regime civilians.



Netanyahu Takes the Stand on Day 4 of Corruption Trials

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP)
TT

Netanyahu Takes the Stand on Day 4 of Corruption Trials

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand on the fourth day of testimony in his corruption trials Wednesday, saying the accusations against him are “idiotic.”

Netanyahu, the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant, is on trial on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases.

He was supposed to testify on Tuesday, but it was canceled after he requested a postponement due to “security reasons.”

Netanyahu toured the summit of Mount Hermon, part of the Syrian buffer zone that Israeli forces seized after President Bashar Assad was ousted by the opposition last week. It appeared to be the first time an Israeli leader had set foot that far into Syria.

The testimony, set to take place six hours a day, three days a week for several weeks, will take up a significant chunk of Netanyahu’s working hours, prompting critics to ask if he can capably manage a country embroiled in a war on one front, containing the fallout from a second, and keeping tabs on other potential regional threats, including from Iran.