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Netanyahu Meets Trump at White House as Israel, Hamas Discuss Ceasefire

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, is greeted by President Donald Trump as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, is greeted by President Donald Trump as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
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Netanyahu Meets Trump at White House as Israel, Hamas Discuss Ceasefire

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, is greeted by President Donald Trump as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, is greeted by President Donald Trump as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for White House talks on Monday, while Israeli officials held indirect negotiations with Hamas aimed at securing a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

Netanyahu's visit follows Trump's prediction, on the eve of their meeting, that such an agreement could be reached this week. Before heading to Washington, the right-wing Israeli leader said his discussions with Trump could help advance negotiations under way in Qatar between Israel and the Palestinian group.

It was Trump's third face-to-face encounter with Netanyahu since returning to office in January, and came just over two weeks after the president ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israeli air strikes. Trump then helped arrange a ceasefire in the 12-day Israel-Iran war.

Trump and his aides appeared to be trying to seize on any momentum created by the weakening of Iran, which backs Hamas, to push both sides for a breakthrough in the 21-month Gaza war.

He said he also wants to discuss with Netanyahu the prospects for a "permanent deal" with Iran, Israel's regional arch-foe.

The two leaders were scheduled to have a private dinner instead of formal talks in the Oval Office, where the president usually greets visiting dignitaries. It was not immediately clear why Trump was taking a lower-key approach with Netanyahu this time.

After arriving overnight in Washington, Netanyahu met earlier on Monday with Trump’s Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in preparation for his talks with the president. He planned to visit the US Capitol on Tuesday to see congressional leaders.

Ahead of the visit, Netanyahu told reporters he would thank Trump for the US air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, and said Israeli negotiators were driving for a deal on Gaza in Doha, Qatar's capital.

Israeli officials also hope the outcome of the conflict with Iran will pave the way for normalization of relations with more of its neighbors such as Lebanon and Syria, another issue expected to be on the agenda with Trump.

SECOND DAY OF QATAR TALKS

Witkoff, who played a major role in crafting the 60-day ceasefire proposal at the center of the Qatar negotiations, will travel to Doha this week to join discussions there, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.

In a sign of continued gaps between the two sides, Palestinian sources said Israel's refusal to allow the free and safe entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza remains the main obstacle to progress in the indirect talks. Israel insists it is taking steps to get food into Gaza but seeks to prevent Hamas from diverting supplies.

On the second day of negotiations, mediators hosted one round and talks were expected to resume in the evening, the Palestinian sources told Reuters.

The US-backed proposal envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the war entirely.

Hamas has long demanded a final end to the war before it would free remaining hostages; Israel has insisted it would not agree to halt fighting until all hostages are released and Hamas dismantled.

Trump told reporters last week that he would be “very firm” with Netanyahu on the need for a speedy Gaza deal and that the Israeli leader also wanted to end the war.

Some of Netanyahu's hardline coalition partners oppose halting military operations but, with Israelis having become increasingly weary of the Gaza war, his government is expected to back a ceasefire if he can secure acceptable terms.

A ceasefire at the start of this year collapsed in March, and talks to revive it have so far been fruitless. Meanwhile, Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and sharply restricted food distribution.

Gazans were watching closely for any sign of a breakthrough. “I ask God almighty that the negotiating delegation or the mediators pressure with all their strength to solve this issue, because it has totally became unbearable,” said Abu Suleiman Qadoum, a displaced resident of Gaza city.

The Gaza war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.

Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry. Most of Gaza's population has been displaced by the war and nearly half a million people are facing famine within months, according to United Nations estimates.

Trump has been strongly supportive of Netanyahu, even wading into domestic Israeli politics last month by lashing out at prosecutors over a corruption trial against the Israeli leader on bribery, fraud and breach-of-trust charges that Netanyahu denies.

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Arab World

Yemeni Army Thwarts Houthi Attempts to Consolidate Gains in West

Yemeni army forces battle the Houthis in a war of attrition on the Taiz fronts (Military Media) 
Yemeni army forces battle the Houthis in a war of attrition on the Taiz fronts (Military Media) 
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Yemeni Army Thwarts Houthi Attempts to Consolidate Gains in West

Yemeni army forces battle the Houthis in a war of attrition on the Taiz fronts (Military Media) 
Yemeni army forces battle the Houthis in a war of attrition on the Taiz fronts (Military Media) 

Yemeni government forces have repelled Houthi attempts to seize strategic high ground east of Bab al-Mandab and west of Taiz, as the group seeks to consolidate its control of the strait, Mayyun Island and the western coast by securing key mountain positions and supply routes.

The Kahboub and Al-Wazi’iyah fronts saw heavy fighting over the past 24 hours, accompanied by airstrikes targeting Houthi gatherings and vehicles. Government military sources said the forces had thwarted attacks and attempted advances, inflicting casualties and equipment losses.

At Kahboub, in the highlands separating Lahj and Taiz and overlooking Bab al-Mandab, the Yemeni army announced it had repelled a Houthi attack lasting more than three hours, breaking the assault three times and forcing the attackers to retreat.

Government forces are also seeking to secure positions in the Kahboub mountain range, including Jabal San Sanfa, and open the Al-Nabiyah route linking coastal areas around Ras al-Ara with the highlands. The positions are particularly important because they overlook roads leading to the coast and areas surrounding the strait.

In Al-Wazi’iyah, west of Taiz, the Houthis sent reinforcements and attempted to advance toward new high ground, while government forces responded with ground attacks and airstrikes.

A military source in the Taiz command said the clashes killed 30 Houthis and wounded more than 60 others, while six combat vehicles and two tanks were destroyed.

Local sources reported that warplanes struck Houthi vehicles and gatherings in the Al-Dharifah area, while armed forces spokesman Col. Majed al-Nazili said government forces targeted Houthi supplies and positions in Mokha and on several Taiz fronts.

Preventing Consolidation

The operations are part of government forces’ efforts to prevent the Houthis from turning their control of Bab al-Mandab, Mayyun Island and the western coast into an entrenched military reality. After seizing those coastal positions, the group needs to secure the surrounding territory, particularly high ground controlling routes between the coast and the interior.

The Kahboub and Al-Wazi’iyah mountains form part of the highland belt separating the coast from inland areas, making control of them important to protecting or threatening coastal positions. The Houthis are therefore seeking to capture additional peaks and elevated positions, while government forces are working to keep the area contested, preventing the group from consolidating its defenses and expanding its control.

Clashes have also intermittently spread to the southern and western outskirts of Taiz, particularly around Jabal Jardad toward Al-Shamayatayn district via the Rasn axis, as well as Al-Rahidah, Al-Dimnah and Mafraq Al-Dhikrah, accompanied by airstrikes on Houthi positions.

Civilian Toll

In Al-Wazi’iyah, Houthi shelling of Al-Turairah village in the Al-Dharifah subdistrict killed three children Friday, according to official sources. They were Nour al-Din Yaqoub Abdo al-Dharafi, 4; Asawer Fahd Mohammed Ghanem al-Dharafi, 14; and Tala Mohammed Ahmed al-Dharafi, 2.

In Marib, cautious fighting continued on the western and southern fronts, with government forces using artillery, snipers, drones and warplanes to target Houthi positions and movements.

Brig. Gen. Akram al-Adimi, commander of the 13th Infantry Brigade, said his forces had neutralized dozens of Houthi fighters and seized weapons and equipment.

On the political front, Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi, during a meeting with French Ambassador to Yemen Catherine Corm-Kammoun, affirmed that government forces were capable of regaining the initiative on the western coast, pointing to continuing operations in Taiz, Marib, Lahj, Al-Jawf, Hajjah, Al-Bayda and Al-Dhalea.

Al-Alimi said the repositioning of forces and strengthening of their capabilities were aimed at preventing any temporary battlefield gain from becoming a fait accompli or a platform for threatening waterways, stressing that the state was working to secure its territory, coastline and territorial waters.

 

 

Arab World

Sudanese Army Repels Blue Nile Attack, Advances in Kordofan

Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 
Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 
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Sudanese Army Repels Blue Nile Attack, Advances in Kordofan

Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 
Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has spread from the Kordofan fronts to the Blue Nile region, where local authorities reported repelling an attack on Al-Kaili in Kurmuk locality, while the army announced it had retaken 11 areas in North Kordofan after battles with the RSF.

Authorities in Kurmuk reported that army forces prevented the RSF from entering Al-Kaili, adding that the attacking force had crossed from Ethiopian territory.

The army, for its part, said a preemptive attack south of the area killed a number of RSF fighters and destroyed nine combat vehicles.

The route taken by the attacking force and the casualties reported by the army could not be independently verified.

In North Kordofan, the army announced Thursday that it had retaken 11 areas west of El Obeid, including Kajmar, Sharshar, Al-Qulay’at and Awlad Hazmah, as well as the area surrounding Al-Mazrub.

Sudan’s official news agency SUNA reported the army’s announcement that it had “liberated several areas” in the state.

According to the military, its forces fought battles with the RSF and carried out sweeping operations in areas into which they had advanced. There was no independent confirmation, however, that the army controlled all the locations it listed.

The developments come amid escalating fighting on several fronts across Kordofan.

According to military sources, army forces and their allies had advanced around the city of Bara and moved toward Sodari in the northwestern part of North Kordofan, while other sources reported the recapture of Al-Farshaya in South Kordofan and Al-Mamsouka in West Kordofan.

Pro-army platforms reported fighting west of Bara and indicated that army forces had entered villages where RSF fighters had been stationed.

At the same time, reports emerged that eight people had been killed and others wounded in an attack in North Kordofan attributed to the RSF, although sufficient independent details about the circumstances were not available.

Sodari is militarily significant because of its location along routes linking North Kordofan with Darfur, making control of surrounding roads important for the movement of troops and supplies westward.

Fighting in recent months has altered the map of territorial control around Bara and along the Export Road linking Khartoum and El Obeid.

In South Kordofan, military operations have focused on routes linking Kadugli, Dilling and El Obeid.

Field sources indicated that the recapture of Al-Farshaya, if confirmed, could improve army movements along the Dilling axis. They also reported movements toward Al-Dibaybat, along roads leading to West Kordofan.

The army has expanded its area of control in North Kordofan in recent months following heavy fighting in which it regained control of Bara, Umm Sayala, Jabra al-Sheikh, Jireikh, Umm Qirfa and other areas, allowing it to reopen the Export Road linking Khartoum and El Obeid.

Arab World

Syria Arrests Five Former Officers over Assad-era Airstrikes

A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
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Syria Arrests Five Former Officers over Assad-era Airstrikes

A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Syrian security forces said on Friday they had arrested five former air force officers accused of involvement in airstrikes on civilians during the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Over more than 13 years of a civil war that claimed more than half a million lives, Syrian forces relentlessly shelled areas held by the opposition forces before Assad was toppled in December 2024 and the current government came to power.

The Internal Security Forces said in a statement that they carried out a series of operations that led to "the arrest of five senior Air Force officers and commanders from the former regime".

The force said investigations were ongoing ahead of the suspects' referral to the judiciary.

The detainees were involved "in planning, managing and carrying out aerial bombardment operations, and in using the air force, air bases and field command centers to conduct intensive combat airstrikes targeting populated areas", the statement said.

Since Assad was overthrown in December 2024, Syria's new authorities have arrested dozens of former security officials, while trials began in April.

Earlier this month Syrian authorities said they had arrested nine former pilots including three generals accused of taking part in lethal bombings of towns and villages under Assad's rule.

Syria sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and five other security officials to death in absentia in August for atrocities committed during the civil war.

The former president fled Syria as his government fell and is believed to be living in Russia.