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Israeli Court Slaps 7-day Gag Order on Oil Spill

Israeli soldiers wearing protective suits listen to a briefing ahead of cleanup operations to remove tar from a beach after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea At Sharon Beach Nature Reserve, near Gaash, Israel, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israeli soldiers wearing protective suits listen to a briefing ahead of cleanup operations to remove tar from a beach after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea At Sharon Beach Nature Reserve, near Gaash, Israel, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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Israeli Court Slaps 7-day Gag Order on Oil Spill

Israeli soldiers wearing protective suits listen to a briefing ahead of cleanup operations to remove tar from a beach after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea At Sharon Beach Nature Reserve, near Gaash, Israel, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israeli soldiers wearing protective suits listen to a briefing ahead of cleanup operations to remove tar from a beach after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea At Sharon Beach Nature Reserve, near Gaash, Israel, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A Haifa court slapped a seven-day gag order on the investigation into the source of a huge oil leak that has polluted Israel’s entire Mediterranean coast with tar.

The ruling by the Haifa Magistrate’s Court came at the request of the Environmental Protection Ministry, which is probing the spill.

The order prohibits publishing any details that may identify suspects, vessels, relevant ports, cargo and shipping lines, according to The Times of Israel.

The Environmental Protection Ministry secured satellite images, dated February 11, of a suspicious black patch on the sea surface some 50 kilometers (31 miles) off the coast and footage showing 10 ships that were in the area around that time.

Maya Jacobs, who heads the Zalul marine protection organization, reacted to the court order by saying, “When those active in the sea and creating the dangers of spills are wealthy oil and shipping companies with influence over regulators, Zalul demands a transparent investigation and the removal of the order.”

Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel pledged that authorities would use every means possible to locate whoever was responsible for the spill and prosecute.

She announced that she had agreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on submitting a proposal for government approval on Monday for immediate funding for beach rehabilitation and advancement of legislation on preparedness for marine spills that should have been passed years ago.

Meanwhile, nine local authorities belonging to the Sharon Carmel Towns Association stopped cleanup work at contaminated beaches under their jurisdiction Monday, after the Finance Ministry refused to approve a program and budget submitted by the Environmental Protection Ministry.

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World

Australian Mosque Protesters Heckle PM over Israel Stance

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Lakemba Mosque for Eid al-Fitr in Sydney, Australia, March 20, 2026. REUTERS/Hollie Adams
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Lakemba Mosque for Eid al-Fitr in Sydney, Australia, March 20, 2026. REUTERS/Hollie Adams
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Australian Mosque Protesters Heckle PM over Israel Stance

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Lakemba Mosque for Eid al-Fitr in Sydney, Australia, March 20, 2026. REUTERS/Hollie Adams
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Lakemba Mosque for Eid al-Fitr in Sydney, Australia, March 20, 2026. REUTERS/Hollie Adams

Protesters heckled and booed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday during a visit to Australia's largest mosque for Eid al-Fitr prayers, voicing anger over his stance on ally Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Some in Australia's Muslim and Jewish communities are angry over a fine line walked by the center-left government since the Gaza war began, expressing concern for Palestinians, repeatedly urging a ceasefire, and backing Israel's right to self-defense.

Video images showed protesters interrupting proceedings about 15 minutes after Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke joined worshippers at ⁠Lakemba Mosque in ⁠western Sydney to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Reuters reported.

Demonstrators booed, told Albanese and Burke to "Get out!" and called them "genocide supporters", referring to Israel's killing of Palestinians in Gaza, following an attack by Hamas militants in 2023.

"Dear brothers and sisters, keep calm a little bit," one ⁠of the organizers told the crowd, urging people to sit down and stop filming the exchange. "It is Eid. It is a joyful day."

A security guard was seen tackling one heckler to the ground before escorting him away.

"Shame on you!" yelled protesters who followed Albanese and Burke when they left.

The mosque event was "incredibly positive", Albanese said later, despite the incident.

"If you got a couple of people heckling in a crowd of 30,000, that should be put in that perspective," he ⁠told reporters, adding ⁠that the community had dealt with a couple of hecklers.

He added that some frustration stemmed from the government's designation this month of Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir as a prohibited hate group on the basis of laws prompted by a deadly mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach on December 14.

Protesters also turned out in February, when Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited at Albanese's invitation to express solidarity with Jewish Australians allegedly targeted by gunmen inspired by ISIS during the Bondi attack.

Thousands attended a rally in Sydney, where 27 people were arrested after clashes with police.

World

US F-35 Damaged by Suspected Iranian Fire Makes Emergency Landing

US F-35 stealth fighter (AP)
US F-35 stealth fighter (AP)
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US F-35 Damaged by Suspected Iranian Fire Makes Emergency Landing

US F-35 stealth fighter (AP)
US F-35 stealth fighter (AP)

A US F-35 stealth warplane was hit by suspected Iranian fire and made an emergency landing at an American air base in the Middle East, US media reported on Thursday.

“The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesman for US Central Command, said in a statement, without confirming the reports from outlets including ABC and CNN.

“This incident is under investigation,” Hawkins added.

The United States has lost multiple aircraft during the conflict – including three F-15s mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti forces, and a KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq – but none that are known to have been hit by Iranian fire.

The United States and Israel launched a massive air campaign against Iran following a major buildup of US military forces – including F-35s – in the region.

Thirteen US service members have been killed since the start of the operation on Feb 28: Six in the KC-135 crash and seven in Iranian attacks early in the war.

Around 200 US military personnel have also been wounded in seven countries across the Middle East since the start of the war, most of whom have already returned to duty, according to the US military.

World

Iranian Attack Hits Israeli Oil Refinery in Haifa, Some Damage Reported

Excess gas is burned at the oil refinery in Israel's northern city of Haifa late on March 19, 2026. (AFP)
Excess gas is burned at the oil refinery in Israel's northern city of Haifa late on March 19, 2026. (AFP)
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Iranian Attack Hits Israeli Oil Refinery in Haifa, Some Damage Reported

Excess gas is burned at the oil refinery in Israel's northern city of Haifa late on March 19, 2026. (AFP)
Excess gas is burned at the oil refinery in Israel's northern city of Haifa late on March 19, 2026. (AFP)

An Iranian missile attack hit Israel's Oil Refineries in the northern port city of Haifa but did not cause "significant damage", Israel's Energy Ministry said on Thursday.

Energy Minister Eli Cohen said power was briefly disrupted, with electricity restored to most of those who were affected.

"The damage to the power grid in the north is localized and not significant," Cohen said. "Also, in the barrage towards the north, ‌there was ‌no significant damage to Israeli infrastructure sites."

Iran's ‌⁠Revolutionary Guard Corps ⁠said it had targeted refineries in Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, and in Ashdod, in the country's south, "along with a range of security targets and military support centers of the Zionist regime", which it said "were hit by pinpoint missiles".

There was no immediate ⁠word on whether the Ashdod refinery was ‌hit.

Israel's Ministry of Environmental ‌Protection said debris from a missile that was intercepted fell ‌in Haifa and was being examined as a ‌hazardous materials incident.

Israel Electric Corp said a power line in the Haifa area was hit by shrapnel, causing a brief outage, but that electricity was restored to ‌all customers within about 45 minutes.

Israel's Fire and Rescue Services said debris fell in ⁠two locations ⁠at Oil Refineries and caused a fire that disconnected supply sources but there were no casualties.

"Full control has been achieved over the impact incident at the Haifa refineries," it said after examining the site for hazardous materials. "Tests carried out by monitoring teams found no abnormal air values and there is no danger to the public."

Last June, Oil Refineries in Haifa was hit by an Iranian missile, which killed three people and halted operations.