Israel Says Will 'Definitely' Stop Iran from Getting Nuclear Weapon

From left to right, Israel foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Cypriot foreign minister Nicos Chrisodoulides, Anwar Gargash of the United Arab Emirates and Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias pose for a photo before the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of Cyprus, Greece, Israel and United Arab of Emirates in city of Paphos, Cyprus, Friday, April 16, 2021. (Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via AP)
From left to right, Israel foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Cypriot foreign minister Nicos Chrisodoulides, Anwar Gargash of the United Arab Emirates and Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias pose for a photo before the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of Cyprus, Greece, Israel and United Arab of Emirates in city of Paphos, Cyprus, Friday, April 16, 2021. (Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via AP)
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Israel Says Will 'Definitely' Stop Iran from Getting Nuclear Weapon

From left to right, Israel foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Cypriot foreign minister Nicos Chrisodoulides, Anwar Gargash of the United Arab Emirates and Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias pose for a photo before the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of Cyprus, Greece, Israel and United Arab of Emirates in city of Paphos, Cyprus, Friday, April 16, 2021. (Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via AP)
From left to right, Israel foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Cypriot foreign minister Nicos Chrisodoulides, Anwar Gargash of the United Arab Emirates and Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias pose for a photo before the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of Cyprus, Greece, Israel and United Arab of Emirates in city of Paphos, Cyprus, Friday, April 16, 2021. (Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via AP)

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said Friday that his country was determined to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon, after Tehran promised to step up its uranium enrichment process.

“We will do whatever it takes to prevent the extremists (in Iran) from succeeding, and definitely will prevent this regime from having a nuclear weapon,” Ashkenazi told reporters on a visit to Cyprus.

Iran has begun 60% uranium enrichment at its Natanz plant, the country's nuclear chief said on Friday, days after an explosion at the site that Tehran blamed on Israel.

Askenazi met with the foreign ministers of Cyprus and Greece, Nikos Christodoulides and Nikos Dendias, as well as Anwar Gargash, a top presidential aide in the United Arab Emirates.

Ashkenazi said discussions centered around possibilities for building on prosperity and stability in the region.

"We also took time to discuss challenges that Iran and Hezbollah and other extremists pose to the stability of the Middle East and to the regional peace," he said. "

Israel and the UAE normalized relations in a landmark deal last year, and the four countries represented at the meeting Friday promised to boost cooperation in defense, energy, tourism, and other sectors.



Passenger Bus Skids Off Cliff in Sri Lanka, Killing and Injuring Scores

An ambulance transports victims of a helicopter crash, in Maduru Oya, east of capital Colombo on May 9, 2025.(Photo by AFP)
An ambulance transports victims of a helicopter crash, in Maduru Oya, east of capital Colombo on May 9, 2025.(Photo by AFP)
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Passenger Bus Skids Off Cliff in Sri Lanka, Killing and Injuring Scores

An ambulance transports victims of a helicopter crash, in Maduru Oya, east of capital Colombo on May 9, 2025.(Photo by AFP)
An ambulance transports victims of a helicopter crash, in Maduru Oya, east of capital Colombo on May 9, 2025.(Photo by AFP)

A passenger bus skidded off a cliff in Sri Lanka’s tea-growing hill country on Sunday, killing 21 people and injuring at least 14 others, an official said.
The accident occurred in the early hours of Sunday near the town of Kotmale, about 140 kilometers (86 miles) east of Colombo, the capital, in a mountainous area of central Sri Lanka, The Associated Press quoted police as saying.
Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena told the media that 21 people died in the accident and 14 others are being treated in hospitals.
Local television showed the bus lying overturned at the bottom of a precipice while workers and others helped remove injured people from the rubble.
The driver was injured and among those admitted to the hospital for treatment. At the time of the accident, nearly 50 people were traveling on the bus.
The bus was operated by a state-run bus company, police said.
Deadly bus accidents are common in Sri Lanka, especially in the mountainous regions, often due to reckless driving and poorly maintained and narrow roads.