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Netanyahu Plans Visit to Egypt, Seeks Engaging in Regional Programs With Palestinians

Archive photo of the Sisi-Netanyahu meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations meetings in New York 2018
Archive photo of the Sisi-Netanyahu meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations meetings in New York 2018
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Netanyahu Plans Visit to Egypt, Seeks Engaging in Regional Programs With Palestinians

Archive photo of the Sisi-Netanyahu meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations meetings in New York 2018
Archive photo of the Sisi-Netanyahu meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations meetings in New York 2018

Political sources based in Tel Aviv revealed on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested making an official visit to Cairo. The visit, expected in coming weeks, is centered on strengthening overall bilateral relations and economic ties.

Netanyahu will also seek to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

The Israeli prime minister, according to sources, does not want the thawing of relations with the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan to negatively impact Israel’s ties with Egypt. Netanyahu will seek to reassure Egyptian leadership that Tel Aviv’s new ties with the Arab world will not be at the expense of relations with Egypt.

The sources added that Netanyahu wants to discuss means for deepening relations between the two countries. Also, he wants to engage in Egyptian regional efforts.

More so, Netanyahu will review Egyptian-Jordanian-Palestinian contacts to advance the peace process and common positions on US policy.

A prominent Israeli advisor who is close to Netanyahu said that the prime minister is interested in establishing new foundations for improving relations with Palestinians.

After agreeing on those foundations, Sisi will mediate with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Additionally, Netanyahu is seeking to establish a united front in the Middle East with the aim of bettering cooperation with the US, underpinning the American pioneering role in the region, and reinforcing alliances with friends in the region.

Officials from both countries are currently in talks ahead of Netanyahu’s reported visit to Cairo in the coming weeks, Maariv daily reported.

In the future, a bilateral meeting is planned between the economic delegations of Israel and Egypt, where joint economic projects and the promotion of business relations between the two countries will be discussed, Maariv added.

Netanyahu has a history of meetings with Egyptian leaders. In 2010, he met then-president Hosni Mubarak. The two discussed attempts to open direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The visit took place in a tense atmosphere, following the call of then-foreign minister Avigdor Liberman for a complete disengagement of Israel from the Gaza Strip.

Another visit to Cairo was planned by Netanyahu’s office in the winter of 2016, about two years after Sisi came to power. The visit was canceled by the Egyptians following statements by Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, according to whom Egypt flooded Hamas tunnels at Israel’s request.

In September 2017, Netanyahu and Sisi were scheduled for a brief meeting in New York.

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Arab World

Israeli Military Says It Has Control of Lebanon’s Strategic Ali Al-Taher Area

A satellite image shows damage at the Ali al-Taher ridge near Nabatiah, Lebanon, March 8, 2026. 2026 (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)
A satellite image shows damage at the Ali al-Taher ridge near Nabatiah, Lebanon, March 8, 2026. 2026 (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)
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Israeli Military Says It Has Control of Lebanon’s Strategic Ali Al-Taher Area

A satellite image shows damage at the Ali al-Taher ridge near Nabatiah, Lebanon, March 8, 2026. 2026 (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)
A satellite image shows damage at the Ali al-Taher ridge near Nabatiah, Lebanon, March 8, 2026. 2026 (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)

Israel's military said on Thursday it had taken “operational control” of the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge area in southern Lebanon, the site of sporadic clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in recent weeks. It is where Hezbollah is believed to have an extensive underground military facility.

The military said troops had cleared Hezbollah fighters from two underground routes, killing some while others fled. It said operations were ongoing.

Operations aimed at neutralizing underground infrastructure, after clearing them of Hezbollah operatives, are ongoing, with the military set to redeploy defensively following the completion of the activity, based on a situational assessment, it added.

The military accused the fighters inside the facilities of working to carry out plots against Israel and army forces. It noted that operations in the area in recent weeks have neutralized the capability to launch attacks against Israelis and army forces from it.

The Israeli army stated that inside the underground infrastructure, it discovered operations rooms, rooms designated for combat gear, and others for generators and accommodation, in addition to showering facilities and a kitchen, allowing Hezbollah fighters to manage combat and remain inside for extended periods.

It described these facilities as “strategic infrastructure” built over two decades, saying they were planned and funded by the Iranian regime.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.

The Israeli army said its forces will continue to clear the occupied so-called “security zone” in southern Lebanon of Hezbollah, saying it will not allow the party to carry out plots against it,

Any attempt by Hezbollah to launch attacks against the army “will be met with force,” warned Israel, while saying it was committed to the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.

The Ali al-Taher hill overlooks several villages as well as main roads leading to the city of Nabatieh. Losing control of it would disrupt Hezbollah’s presence and supply lines in the area.

Arab World

Libya's NOC Reports Drone Attack Attempt at Fuel Depot

No casualties ‌were reported and the incident ‌did not impact supply operations. (EPA file)
No casualties ‌were reported and the incident ‌did not impact supply operations. (EPA file)
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Libya's NOC Reports Drone Attack Attempt at Fuel Depot

No casualties ‌were reported and the incident ‌did not impact supply operations. (EPA file)
No casualties ‌were reported and the incident ‌did not impact supply operations. (EPA file)

A remote-controlled drone attack targeted a fuel depot in Libya's capital Tripoli on Thursday, causing minor damage, the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) said in a statement.

The NOC said that technical teams had begun drawing fuel from the tanks to reduce the fuel level as a ‌precaution.

There was ‌no immediate claim of ‌responsibility ⁠and authorities did not ⁠say who they believed was behind the attack.

The attack caused minor damage to some pipelines and tanks no. 213 and 220 due to falling shrapnel, said Ahmed Al-Masallati, ⁠spokesperson for Brega Petroleum ‌Marketing, which is ‌in charge of Libya's fuel supplies.

No casualties ‌were reported and the incident ‌did not impact supply operations.

Libyan oil facilities have been subject to repeated attacks and closures for various political and technical ‌reasons since the 2011 uprising that toppled Maammar al-Gaddafi and ⁠set ⁠off a prolonged period of chaos.

In August, fuel storage tanks at the nearby Zawiya oil complex, in western Tripoli, were targeted by several explosive-laden drone strikes that hit one of the tanks and completely burned it.

Attempts to target oil facilities represent "a direct threat to the supply system," the NOC said in the statement.

Arab World

Houthis Escalate Attacks Across Taiz, Yemen’s Western Coast

The navigation bridge of a sunken vessel is all that is seen at the surface of the water in the Port of Mokha the day after an attack by the Houthis on the city Mokha, held by Yemen's legitimate government on August 10, 2026. (AFP)
The navigation bridge of a sunken vessel is all that is seen at the surface of the water in the Port of Mokha the day after an attack by the Houthis on the city Mokha, held by Yemen's legitimate government on August 10, 2026. (AFP)
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Houthis Escalate Attacks Across Taiz, Yemen’s Western Coast

The navigation bridge of a sunken vessel is all that is seen at the surface of the water in the Port of Mokha the day after an attack by the Houthis on the city Mokha, held by Yemen's legitimate government on August 10, 2026. (AFP)
The navigation bridge of a sunken vessel is all that is seen at the surface of the water in the Port of Mokha the day after an attack by the Houthis on the city Mokha, held by Yemen's legitimate government on August 10, 2026. (AFP)

The Iran-backed Houthi group stepped up military operations on several fronts west of Yemen’s Taiz governorate and along the Red Sea coast on Thursday.

Houthis fired more than 12 ballistic missiles at rural areas in Taiz and Hodeidah governorates as fierce clashes erupted with government forces and the National Resistance in Maqbanah, al-Kadha, al-Tuwair and Ghabari.

Military sources said the fighting began in the early hours of Thursday when the Houthis launched a broad assault on government and National Resistance positions across several sectors. The attack developed into direct clashes and artillery exchanges that lasted for hours.

The group fired hundreds of artillery and mortar rounds during the assault and deployed drones in combat operations, the sources said. The fighting spread to hills overlooking the al-Aqma area in Mawza district, where brigades affiliated with the National Resistance are stationed.

The Houthis seized several positions during the opening hours of the attack before government forces, fighters from Taiz and the National Resistance launched a counterattack and recaptured a number of them, according to military sources.

The sources said the ballistic missiles had no effect on government forces’ battlefield operations. Most of the Houthi missile strikes targeted areas around vital facilities and civilian and military supply routes, causing panic among residents.

Government forces suffered deaths and injuries, while the Houthis also sustained casualties, the sources said, without providing figures for either side. Four Houthi fighters were reportedly captured.

Reports from the Joint Operations Room said air-defense systems and military formations on the Red Sea coast were “maintaining a high level of vigilance in confronting these repeated missile threats, which have become the group’s most prominent means of trying to offset its successive battlefield losses.”

The reports said the attacks were also intended to send a message linked to regional developments around the Red Sea shipping corridor and strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The missile attacks coincided with an attempted infiltration and ground assault by Houthi fighters against government positions in al-Kadha, west of Taiz.

Three drones downed

Government forces said they shot down three Houthi drones flying over subdistricts in Jabal Habashi district as fighting continued on fronts west of Taiz.

Military sources said the drones were intercepted as the group continued using unmanned aircraft to attack government and National Resistance positions. Clashes persisted in several sectors as forces deployed reinforcements to combat positions.

The ground escalation coincided with a new wave of Houthi missile strikes on the Red Sea coast. The group fired more than 12 ballistic missiles toward several areas east and north of the city of Mokha, as well as areas in Hodeidah’s Khokha district.

Local sources said the missiles were launched from Houthi-held positions in Ibb governorate and from al-Hawban and Sharab, east and north of Taiz. One missile caused a fire on the northern outskirts of Mokha.

The National Resistance’s military media office said the Houthis fired eight ballistic missiles toward rural areas around Mokha, while a ninth landed south of Khokha district. Local sources said three more missiles were launched shortly afterward.

Red Sea coast targeted

The missile strikes coincided with fighting on the Maqbanah and al-Kadha fronts west of Taiz, while air defenses operated by the “Taiz Military Axis” responded to drones launched by the group during the assault.

The escalation came hours after the Houthis targeted residential areas, the vicinity of camps for displaced people and front-line positions in Taiz, where fighting has intensified steadily since August.

Government forces and the National Resistance have continued to repel Houthi attacks across western Taiz and the Red Sea coast as the group persists in using ballistic missiles, drones and artillery.

The simultaneous broad ground assault and missile strikes point to an expansion of the Houthi escalation in the region, which has seen repeated attacks on military positions and areas near residential communities and civilian facilities.

Government forces in Marib and al-Dhale governorates carried out strikes on Wednesday targeting Houthi positions, gatherings and vehicles, and released footage of the operations.