Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Israel yesterday, for a whirlwind tour that lasted just 24 hours. During the trip, Putin and his 400-strong entourage were kept busy with a series of ceremonies and events. First up on the agenda, Putin met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along with Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The closed-door meeting was followed by a press conference, in which the leaders announced they had spoken in "detail" about issues like Iran, Syria and Palestine. Russia played …More

The US point person for sanctions against Iran met with Israeli officials over a 36-hour period early this week. David Cohen, known as President Barack Obama’s “sanctions czar,” met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior security staff and conducted a slew of interviews with the Israeli media. Overall, Cohen stressed the need for increased sanctions to stop a nuclearized Iran. "The sanctions are having an impact on Iran, but I also recognize that more needs to be done. …More

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz arrived in China Sunday, for defense talks with his Chinese counterpart. The meeting with Chen Bingde comes just days before a summit between world powers and Iran to discuss its nuclear program. The world leaders involved, called the P5+1, include China. The Chinese government is one of Iran’s biggest oil customers. Bingde, who visited Israel last August, personally invited Gantz to be his guest in the country. During the trip, Gantz planned to meet with …More

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned today that Iran has no plans of dismantling its nuclear program, accusing the Islamic republic of playing a “chess game.” Bibi addressed reporters in Prague after meeting with Czech President Vaclav Klaus, saying the Iranian nuclear crisis is “the paramount issue of our time.” The comments come just days ahead of the P5+1 conference next week, in which world leaders will once more try to negotiate with Iran on its uranium enrichment …More

The US is “ready” for a possible military strike on Iran, according to Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro. "It would be preferable to resolve this diplomatically and through the use of pressure than to use military force,” Shapiro said in an interview aired on Israel’s Army Radio today. "But that doesn't mean that option is not fully available - not just available, but it's ready. The necessary planning has been done to ensure that it's ready.” The US has long cautioned Israel against …More