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Israel’s Lapid to Visit Turkey Following Secret Visit by Ushpiz

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (AP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (AP)
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Israel’s Lapid to Visit Turkey Following Secret Visit by Ushpiz

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (AP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (AP)

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will visit Turkey in mid-March to participate in a forum and meet with several senior officials, said a source in Tel Aviv on Friday.

The source affirmed that Lapid was officially invited to participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which is scheduled to be held between March 11-13.

He will meet there with government representatives and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

According to the source, Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to arrive in Ankara a few days later.

Director-General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Alon Ushpiz secretly visited Turkey last month, the source added.

He met with Ibrahim Kalin, chief adviser and spokesperson to the Turkish president.

According to the Ynetnews website, the meeting followed a series of important talks held between Kalin and the Chargé d’Affairs of the Israeli Embassy in Ankara, Irit Lillian.

Lillian stated that Kalin played a major role in the release of the Israeli couple, Mordy and Natalie Oknin, last year.

Since then, the relationship with him has been enhanced through the embassy in Ankara.

Ushpiz's visit to Ankara is the first in six years at the political level by an Israeli official.

The Director-General of Foreign Affairs, Yuval Rotem, visited Turkey in 2016 after the suicide bombing in Istanbul that killed three Israeli tourists.

Ynet said that the Israeli Foreign Ministry refused to comment on this news. However, well-informed sources confirmed that Ushpiz's visit was in preparation for Lapid and Herzog’s upcoming visits.

A Turkish official is expected to visit Israel soon as part of the preparations for the major visit Herzog will make to Ankara, revealed Turkey’s Hurriyet daily newspaper.

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World

Russia, Ukraine Trade Accusations on Easter Truce Violations

People cry as they hold hold photos of their missed relatives as Ukrainian soldiers return from captivity during a POW exchange between Russia and Ukraine in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
People cry as they hold hold photos of their missed relatives as Ukrainian soldiers return from captivity during a POW exchange between Russia and Ukraine in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
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Russia, Ukraine Trade Accusations on Easter Truce Violations

People cry as they hold hold photos of their missed relatives as Ukrainian soldiers return from captivity during a POW exchange between Russia and Ukraine in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
People cry as they hold hold photos of their missed relatives as Ukrainian soldiers return from captivity during a POW exchange between Russia and Ukraine in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Ukrainian troops are violating the Easter ⁠truce while Russian ⁠forces are observing the ⁠declared ceasefire.

Civilians, including a child, were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Kursk region, ⁠the ⁠Ministry was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Moscow accused Ukraine of 1,971 violations, while the Ukrainian army said that Russia has violated the truce in place for Orthodox Easter nearly 2,300 times since it came into effect.

"As of 7:00 a.m. on 12 April, 2,299 ceasefire violations were recorded. Specifically: 28 enemy assault actions, 479 enemy shellings, 747 strikes by attack drones... and 1,045 strikes by FPV drones," the Ukrainian military's general staff said in a post on Facebook.

"There were no missile strikes, guided aerial bomb strikes, or Shahed-type UAV strikes," it added.

World

At Least 30 Dead in Stampede at Haiti’s Historic Laferriere Citadel

A refugee woman rests at a school in Marchand Dessalines, Haiti, 04 April 2026 (issued 11 April 2026). EPA/Lebon Elysee
A refugee woman rests at a school in Marchand Dessalines, Haiti, 04 April 2026 (issued 11 April 2026). EPA/Lebon Elysee
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At Least 30 Dead in Stampede at Haiti’s Historic Laferriere Citadel

A refugee woman rests at a school in Marchand Dessalines, Haiti, 04 April 2026 (issued 11 April 2026). EPA/Lebon Elysee
A refugee woman rests at a school in Marchand Dessalines, Haiti, 04 April 2026 (issued 11 April 2026). EPA/Lebon Elysee

At least 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede in the northern countryside of Haiti, authorities said, warning that the death toll could rise.

Jean Henri Petit, head of Civil Protection for Haiti's Nord Department, said the stampede occurred at the Laferriere Citadel, an early-19th-century fortress built shortly after Haiti's independence from France, Reuters reported.

One of Haiti's most popular tourist attractions, the fortress was packed with students and visitors ⁠on Saturday who had ⁠come to participate in the annual celebration of the UNESCO World Heritage site, Petit added.

Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé said in a statement that he "extends his sincere condolences to the bereaved families and assures them of his profound ⁠solidarity during this time of mourning and great suffering."

He added that "many young people" were in attendance at the Citadel's celebrations, although it is unknown who died and the prime minister's statement did not give an estimate of the death toll.

Petit said the stampede occurred at the entrance to the site, adding that the rain further exacerbated the disaster.

The deadly stampede comes as Haiti is grappling ⁠with widespread ⁠violence by gangs that have massacred civilians, as well as an increasingly deadly crackdown by security forces.

The island nation has also been the site of various disasters in recent years, including a 2024 fuel tank explosion that killed two dozen people, another fuel tank blast in 2021 that killed 90 people and an earthquake that left some 2,000 people dead that same year.

World

Cambodia Urges Thailand to Resume Talks on Disputed Border

This handout photo taken and released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) on April 11, 2026 shows Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet speaking in Takeo province. (Photo by Handout / Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) / AFP)
This handout photo taken and released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) on April 11, 2026 shows Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet speaking in Takeo province. (Photo by Handout / Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) / AFP)
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Cambodia Urges Thailand to Resume Talks on Disputed Border

This handout photo taken and released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) on April 11, 2026 shows Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet speaking in Takeo province. (Photo by Handout / Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) / AFP)
This handout photo taken and released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) on April 11, 2026 shows Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet speaking in Takeo province. (Photo by Handout / Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) / AFP)

Cambodia has urged Thailand to resume talks as soon as possible on their disputed border, a long-standing disagreement that led to deadly clashes last year.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Saturday that he "strongly hopes" the two neighbors will be able to work together "quickly and with sincerity".

"This will be foundation for long-lasting peace that would allow our people living along shared border to live peacefully. Cambodia is fully ready," he said in a statement posted on social media.

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said earlier Saturday that his country was not ready to resume talks, even though a new government had just been formed, AFP reported.

When asked about Cambodia's renewed call for negotiations, he said it had the "right" to do so, but that Thailand had its "own procedures" to follow.

The two Southeast Asian countries have been at odds for decades over the demarcation of their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border, a legacy of the French colonial era.

The dispute erupted into several rounds of clashes last year, killing dozens of people and displacing more than a million in July and December.

The countries signed a ceasefire agreement in late December that allows for border talks.

But tensions on the frontier remain, with both sides trading accusations of truce violations.

Cambodia claims Thai forces captured several areas in border provinces -- contrary to their agreement -- and has demanded their withdrawal.