Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran for a blast aboard an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman last week but sidestepped a question about whether Israel would retaliate.
Israeli Security Cabinet Minister Yoav Gallant, who was a commander in the Israeli Defence Forces, told Israeli news outlet Ynet that "Iranian commandos" carried out the attack using limpet mines.
That was also the assessment of Israeli inspectors who examined the ship in Dubai.
Israel's foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi held a call with Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi on Monday. Mr Askhenazi tweeted about the call writing, "during the call, views were exchanged on a number of issues of common interest, as well the importance of supporting all efforts aimed at achieving peace and stability in the region.
"We agreed to maintain our direct channel of communication and to further enhance cooperation."
Oman has yet to follow its Gulf neighbours in normalizing relations with Israel with Mr Al Busaidi saying just two weeks ago that “we are content so far with the level of our current relations and dialogue, which involves the appropriate channels of communication.”
Oman has also made clear that it wishes to broker a deal between Iran and the United States as well as a deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
On Friday, the MV Helios Ray, a vehicle-carrier ship, was hit by a blast above the water line that a US official said ripped holes in both sides of its hull.
"This was indeed an operation by Iran. That is clear," Mr Netanyahu told Kan Radio.
Asked if Israel would retaliate, he repeated previous statements about his determination to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
"We are striking at it [Iran] all over the region," he said.
Kan said the interview was recorded on Sunday night, before Syria accused Israel of carrying out missile strikes in southern Damascus.
Israel previously said it was carrying out frequent military operations actions against Iranian groups or arms handovers in Syria.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Rajasthan Royals 153-5 (17.5 ov)
Delhi Daredevils 60-4 (6 ov)
Rajasthan won by 10 runs (D/L method)
Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
