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US secretary of state arrives in Tel Aviv ahead of meetings with Netanyahu, Herzog in Jerusalem, before trip to Ramallah to see Abbas
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel.
The Times of Israel is liveblogging Monday’s events as they unfold.
Report: Unidentified aircraft strikes again near Syria-Iraq border
Unverified media reports claim unidentified aircraft struck a truck near the Syria-Iraq border a short while ago, hours after a similar strike was reported last night.
There are no further details on the apparent attack, but images circulating online show smoke rising from the area.
Last night, several Syrian and Arab outlets reported that unidentified aircraft struck several trucks belonging to Iranian militias at the al-Qaim crossing between Syria and Iraq.
مباشر من مدينة البوكمال السورية.. انفجار كدس طحين بعد الغارة الجوية على الشاحنات التي دخلت من الاراضي العراقية الى سوريا والتي تحمل مساعدات غذائية pic.twitter.com/AmjxOIbxF9
— ???????????????????????? (@hyd_64) January 30, 2023
Blinken lands in Israel ahead of meetings with Netanyahu, Abbas
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken lands in Tel Aviv from Cairo, an AFP journalist says, ahead of meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
Smotrich accuses Lapid of becoming ‘a supporter of BDS’
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accuses Opposition Leader Yair Lapid of lending a hand to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, because Lapid has slammed the government’s sweeping judicial reform plan as a threat to democracy and to the economy.
“Yesterday I saw a video that Yair Lapid published, the conclusion of which is that investments should be taken out of the State of Israel and transferred to Singapore,” Smotrich says at the outset of his Religious Zionism party’s Knesset faction meeting.
“I want to turn to you, Yair. You are a former prime minister and finance minister — what happened to you? Don’t you have a drop of responsibility? Have you become a supporter of BDS?” Smotrich adds.
IDF confirms Israeli man crossed border into Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces confirms a man crossed the border into Lebanon this morning, after Lebanese media reported the man was arrested by local security forces.
The Israeli military says it is holding talks for his release with the Lebanese side via intermediaries, as the two countries technically remain at war.
Netanyahu, Blinken to meet in Jerusalem this afternoon
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at 4 p.m. in Jerusalem, the Prime Minister’s Office announces.
The top American diplomat, in Israel for a two-day visit, will meet Foreign Minister Eli Cohen later in the day as well as President Isaac Herzog.
Macron calls Netanyahu to express condolences for Jerusalem terror attack
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone last night with Emmanuel Macron, the Prime Minister’s Office announces, thanking the French president for his condolences over the deadly terrorist attack on Friday night.
The two leaders also “strongly condemned” Iran’s active participation in attacks on innocent Ukrainians, says Israel.
Netanyahu and Macron agree to meet in the near future.
Netanyahu’s predecessor and current political rival Yair Lapid is a close friend of Macron, and made a point of strengthening bilateral ties with Paris.
The French readout says that Macron “shared France’s complete and total identification with Israel’s fight against terror,” and stresses France’s unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security.
At the same time, Macron warns that all parties “must avoid steps that could worsen the cycle of violence.”
On Iran, Macron expresses his concern over Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region and Tehran’s nuclear progress. He adds that Iran’s involvement in Ukraine “exposed it to sanctions and growing isolation.”
Report: Israeli man arrested after crossing into Lebanon
Lebanese media report that an Israeli man who crossed the border into Lebanon this morning has been arrested.
The Lebanon 24 news site says the man climbed over Israel’s border fence near the Lebanese village of Zhayra, across the border from the Bedouin village of Aramsha.
The report says the man is being questioned by the Lebanese Military Intelligence.
There is no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces on the incident.
Security guards bust attempt to smuggle drugs from West Bank to Gaza
The Defense Ministry says security guards foiled an attempt to smuggle thousands of Captagon pills from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip this morning.
The ministry says the pills were hidden in the doors of office refrigerators. The shipment — en route to the Gaza Strip — was found at the Tarqumiyah Crossing, in the southern West Bank.
The drugs have been handed over to police for further inspection.
Captagon is an amphetamine-type stimulant manufactured mostly in Lebanon and Syria. Much of it has been bound for illegal recreational use in Saudi Arabia.
Israeli officials call it the “Islamic State drug,” as it was supposedly used by jihadists to prevent fear and fatigue during fighting in Syria and Iraq.
In Cairo, Blinken urges Israel and Palestinians ‘to calm things down’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urges “calm” and “deescalation” after violence flares between Israel and the Palestinians, as he kicks off a Middle East tour in Cairo.
At a press conference in Cairo, Blinken urges “all parties to calm things down and deescalate tensions,” while also stressing the “importance of working for a two-state solution.”
Blinken is due to arrive in Israel in a few hours and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as President Isaac Herzog.
He will travel to Ramallah tomorrow to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
