Criminal Probe Launched into Israel PM's Wife, Says State Attorney's Office

This file photo taken on January 31, 2017 shows Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attending an event at the Knesset (Israel's parliament) in Jerusalem. (AFP)
This file photo taken on January 31, 2017 shows Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attending an event at the Knesset (Israel's parliament) in Jerusalem. (AFP)
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Criminal Probe Launched into Israel PM's Wife, Says State Attorney's Office

This file photo taken on January 31, 2017 shows Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attending an event at the Knesset (Israel's parliament) in Jerusalem. (AFP)
This file photo taken on January 31, 2017 shows Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attending an event at the Knesset (Israel's parliament) in Jerusalem. (AFP)

Israeli police are conducting a criminal investigation into Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the office of the state attorney said in a letter made public on Sunday.

"A criminal investigation was opened" into suspected criminal offences, the office said in a letter to an Israeli opposition lawmaker who had accused Sara Netanyahu of tampering in her husband's corruption trial after the broadcast in December of a television news investigation.

Naama Lazimi, Knesset member for the Democrats, shared the letter on X on Sunday confirming the criminal investigation was launched on December 26, adding that her office had contacted the state attorney following the investigation by Israeli Channel 12's Uvda news program.

The show alleged that Sara Netanyahu had tried to intimidate a key witness in her husband's ongoing corruption trial.

She also organized demonstrations to harass the Attorney General, his deputy and other individuals deemed hostile to her husband, according to the program.

The state attorney's office added the investigation was being "conducted by the Israel Police accompanied by the cyber department of the state attorney's office".

In December, Benjamin Netanyahu testified in the corruption trial in which he faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of public trust in three separate cases, calling the charges against him "ridiculous".

The trial, which had been delayed many times since it first began in May 2020, is scheduled to last for months, with an appeals process that could further prolong matters.

Netanyahu, who filed multiple requests to delay the proceedings based on the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.

In the first case, Netanyahu and his wife are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars and jewellery and from billionaires in exchange for political favors.

He is the first sitting premier to face criminal trial in the country.



Indonesia President to Join First Meeting of Trump ‘Board of Peace’

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)
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Indonesia President to Join First Meeting of Trump ‘Board of Peace’

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will attend the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" in Washington this month, Jakarta's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

"The government has accepted an invitation to the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, and President Prabowo Subianto plans to attend," ministry spokesman Vahd Nabyl Achmad Mulachela told AFP.


Brawl Erupts in Türkiye’s Parliament Over Justice Minister Appointment

Newly-appointed Turkish Minister of Justice Akin Gurlek. (Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office on X)
Newly-appointed Turkish Minister of Justice Akin Gurlek. (Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office on X)
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Brawl Erupts in Türkiye’s Parliament Over Justice Minister Appointment

Newly-appointed Turkish Minister of Justice Akin Gurlek. (Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office on X)
Newly-appointed Turkish Minister of Justice Akin Gurlek. (Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office on X)

A brawl erupted in Türkiye’s parliament on Wednesday after lawmakers from the ruling party and the opposition clashed over the appointment of a controversial figure to the Justice Ministry in a Cabinet reshuffle.

Opposition legislators tried to block Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek, who President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed to the top judicial portfolio, from taking the oath of office in parliament. As tempers flared, legislators were seen pushing each other, with some hurling punches.

As Istanbul chief prosecutor, Gurlek had presided over high‑profile trials against several members of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party or CHP — proceedings that the opposition has long denounced as politically motivated.

The former prosecutor was later seen taking the oath surrounded by ruling party legislators.

Erdogan also named Mustafa Ciftci, governor of the eastern province of Erzurum, as interior minister.

Hundreds of officials from CHP‑run municipalities have been arrested in corruption probes. Among them was Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, widely seen as Erdogan’s chief rival, who was arrested last year.

The government insists the judiciary acts independently.

No official reason was given for Wednesday's shake‑up, though the Official Gazette said the outgoing ministers had “requested to be relieved” of their duties.

The new appointments come as Türkiye is debating possible constitutional reforms and pursuing a peace initiative with the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, aimed at ending a decades‑long conflict. Parliament is expected to pass reforms to support the process.


US Suspends Flights at El Paso Airport for 'Special Security Reasons'

FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
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US Suspends Flights at El Paso Airport for 'Special Security Reasons'

FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

The top US aviation agency said Tuesday it is stopping all flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days over unspecified "security reasons."

The flight restrictions are in effect from 11:30 pm on Tuesday (0630 GMT Wednesday) until February 20 for the airspace over El Paso and an area in neighboring New Mexico's south, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

"No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas" covered by the restrictions, the FAA said in a notice, citing "special security reasons" without elaborating.

El Paso International Airport in a social media post said all flights, "including commercial, cargo and general aviation," would be impacted by the move.

The airport, which is served by major US airlines like Delta, American and United, encouraged travelers to "contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information."

In a separate statement to the New York Times, it said that the restrictions had been issued "on short notice" and that it was waiting for guidance from the FAA.