Washington is attempting to pressure Tel Aviv into pulling back on its ties and trade with China, according to a report in Voice of America. After the European Union and the United States, the People’s Republic is Israel’s largest trade partner.
Israel has informed the White House that it intends to announce the planning and building of thousands of new settlement units in the occupied West Bank later this month, according to US and Israeli officials speaking to Axios.
As part of a “deepening” military partnership between Iran and Russia amid the war in Ukraine, US intelligence officials believe Tehran is assisting Moscow in building a drone manufacturing plant that may be operational next year, the White House said on Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Secretary of State Antony Blinken that no deal the US makes with Iran would prevent Israel from attacking the country over its nuclear program, according to Haaretz.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) for an “open and candid” conversation on Wednesday, according to a US official speaking to Reuters. The discussion covered a wide range of bilateral issues, including potential Saudi-Israeli normalization and the war in Yemen.
The commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, highlighted the military’s threatening posture towards China, speaking at the annual meeting of the National Committee on US-China Relations last month. The group is known for encouraging engagement between the world’s two largest economies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ramped up his threats of war against Iran and slammed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, for cooperating with Tehran on Sunday.
Israel launched major military drills preparing for war with Hezbollah, Syria and Iran on Monday. The exercises, Israel’s largest since “Chariots of Fire” in May 2022, aim to simulate a conflict which begins with fighting in the north and then spreads to other fronts, namely Iran.
