Qatar says it will temporarily close airspace amid escalating tension in region
Qatar said on Monday it will temporarily close its airspace amid escalating tension in the region.
"The competent Qatari authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country's airspace, in order to ensure the safety of citizens, residents and visitors," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
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The National
44 minutes ago
- The National
Netanyahu's party gets small popularity boost after Iran war, poll shows
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's Likud party gained a small increase in popularity after the country's 12-day war with Iran, although his far-right coalition remains a long way from being able to win a majority. Likud was forecast to get 26 seats, a small climb that would largely come at the expense of parties already in his coalition. This is a worrying prospect for the Prime Minister, whose popularity has fallen since the October 7 attacks and who has struggled to make political alliances with parties other than those on the most extreme right and religious wings of Israeli politics since his continuing corruption trial began. Sources close to Mr Netanyahu told Israeli network Channel 12, which carried out the poll after Tuesday's ceasefire, that he was disappointed with the numbers. Unlike the Gaza War, the campaign against Iran enjoyed overwhelming support among Jewish Israelis. The coalition was forecast to get 49 seats, well below the number needed to get a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Mr Netanyahu won the last election, in late 2022, with a coalition of 64 seats. According to the numbers, Mr Netanyahu is tailed closely by former prime minister Naftali Bennett, with 24 seats. Thirty-eight per cent of respondents said they would prefer Mr Netanyahu as prime minister, with Mr Bennet getting 35 per cent. Left-wing party The Democrats come in third with 12 seats. The poll put the total number of seats won by opposition parties at 61, excluding parties that represent Palestinian citizens of Israel. They do not usually join governing coalitions, although some did in the previous government. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, one of the most extreme members of the current coalition, would not win sufficient votes to enter the next parliament, although similarly extreme National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Jewish Power party would win six seats. Elections are due to be held in October 2026. Channel 12's report suggested Mr Netanyahu's disappointment at the numbers could stop him from trying to call an early election, after he appeared to hint he might do so during a press conference on Sunday. Israeli outlet Haaretz reported on Wednesday that Mr Netanyahu is not seeking an early election, at least not before an end to the Gaza War and the return of hostages held in the strip. He also wants 'the Saudi channel, with normalisation and trade agreements with it and other countries such as Indonesia', a source, described as a close adviser, told the paper. 'After this achievement, it is reasonable to assume he will choose to move up the election,' the source said. Mr Netanyahu has long touted normalisation with Saudi Arabia, as well as other Muslim states, as a key foreign policy goal.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Trump announces new talks with Iran as hopes rise for Gaza truce
The US will re-enter talks with Iran next week after a ceasefire with Israel that also raises the prospects of peace in Gaza, President Donald Trump has said. Speaking at a Nato summit, Mr Trump said Iran is "not going to be building bombs for a long time" after US attacks, as mystery surrounded the fate of Iran's nuclear materials. He compared the US strikes to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended the Second World War. A truce continued to hold after Israel and Iran halted a 12-day air war, their worst ever direct conflict. If Israel "does not take any aggressive actions, Iran will not react either,' an Iranian government official told The National. Hamas meanwhile said Gaza ceasefire talks 'intensified in recent hours' with the participation of mediators from Egypt and Qatar. Mr Trump said "great progress" was being made to end the Israel-Hamas war, and said his special envoy Steve Witkoff had told him "Gaza is very close." He linked his optimism about imminent "very good news" for Gaza to the ceasefire agreed on Tuesday between Israel and Iran. "It helped a little, and sowed a lot of power," he said. "I think this helped." Mr Trump said the "war is done" after the US dropped "bunker-buster" bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites early on Sunday. Iran responded by launching missiles at an American air base in Qatar, in an attack widely condemned in the Arab world. "We're going to talk to them next week with Iran. We may sign an agreement, I don't know," said Mr Trump. "The way I look at it, they fought, the war is done. 'I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima. I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing — that ended a war." The bombing raid ordered by Mr Trump hit the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites in Iran, which is suspected by the US and Israel of secretly developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies this, insisting it is enriching uranium for peaceful purposes. Tehran will re-enter nuclear talks only if the US offers clear aims and takes steps to rebuild trust, current and former Iranian officials said. Five rounds of meetings failed to produce a deal on curbing Iran's activities, before Israel attacked Iran almost a fortnight ago. "We need to see whether the opposing sides will enter in good faith or not,' an analyst in Tehran who is close to the Iranian government told The National. 'The opposing side must prove that it is reliable this time with confidence-building measures,' the analyst said. 'We will wait until there is good faith and a new initiative.' Iran was believed to have a stockpile of near-weapons grade uranium before the air war broke out. The whereabouts of its nuclear materials are now unclear, amid speculation it could have moved them before the US bombing. Mr Trump maintained on Wednesday that "there was obliteration" but conceded that early US intelligence findings were inconclusive. "It could've been very severe. That's what the intelligence suggests," he said. Iran said only that its nuclear sites were "badly damaged" in the bombing raids. Israeli strikes also killed nuclear scientists and several senior military commanders in Iran, as well as hitting symbols of government power in Tehran. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Iran informed him it had taken "precautionary measures" regarding its uranium stockpile. He said: 'There is rubble, there could be unexploded ordnance, there are not normal inspections.' A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office said the strike on Fordow "destroyed the site's critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable". Israel said it assessed that the strikes had set back Iran's nuclear programme 'by many years'. Mr Netanyahu is now coming under pressure from some quarters in Israeli politics to follow the Iran truce with a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Sources reported that top Hamas officials, including Khalil Al Hayah, Zaher Jabareen, and Nazar Awadallah, have been holding talks with Egyptian officials since they arrived in Cairo on Monday. A lone mid-level Israeli negotiator was also in Cairo, while a senior team from Israel's Mossad spy agency was expected later in the week, but only if the chances of making progress in the talks improve, according to the sources. They told The National that the proposals on the table to pause the war and secure the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza were not different from those discussed in previous rounds, and which mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US could not get Hamas and Israel to agree to. Life was returning to normal after the war. Israel has mostly lifted restrictions on schools and public gatherings put in place by a home front command. Iranian authorities announced the gradual easing of internet restrictions. "The communication network is gradually returning to its previous state," said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' cyber security command in a statement carried by state media. Hezbollah meanwhile lauded what it described as Iran's 'divine victory' over Israel in the 12-day war. The Lebanese armed group and political party said Iran's attacks 'shattered the aura of [Israel's] defence systems' and marked a 'new historical stage' in the region. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi spoke by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, condemning Iran's attack on Qatar and reaffirming Cairo's support for "the sovereignty of Arab and Islamic states". According to a statement from Egypt's presidency, Mr El Sisi welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel, emphasising the need to "stabilise and uphold the agreement" to prevent escalation in the region.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Iran's internet restored: Blackout was 'double-edged sword' that fuelled public frustration, says expert
Iranian authorities say restrictions on internet access are being lifted amid the ceasefire with Israel. 'The communication network is gradually returning to its previous state,' said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' cyber security command in a statement carried by state media. On June 13, telecoms officials in the country announced temporary restrictions to prevent alleged misuse by the Israeli military and stop the apparent spread of disinformation. Shortly afterwards, internet traffic in the country dropped by almost half, and was almost nonexistent in the days the followed, according to NetBlocks, which tracks cyber security and digital governance around the world. Internet disruptions imposed by the government in Iran are not unusual, but some experts say the latest blackout caused more distress than usual because of the back-and-forth strikes between Israel and Iran. 'It was a double-edged sword,' Mohammed Soliman, director of the strategic technologies and cybersecurity programme at the Washington-based Middle East Institute think tank, told The National. 'While it bought the government time during wartime, it also fuels public frustration by disrupting civilian services – banking, communication, daily routines – not to mention access to public safety information and contact with loved ones.' While Iran indicated a major motive for the blackout was to prevent nefarious actions by Israel, Mr Soliman said other factors were at play. 'Iran's internet blackout is a wartime move,' he said. 'It suppresses potential dissent, and obscures battlefield losses.' Shortly after Iran announced the blackout, however, tech tycoon Elon Musk announced that his company, Starlink, had activated services for those in the country with consoles that could access the low-earth-orbit satellite internet connection. Starlink and similar services are not officially available in the country. As a result of air strikes between Iran and Israel, technological paranoia kicked into overdrive on both sides. Attempts to jam global positioning satellite (GPS) systems have been reported, causing smartphones in various countries to show incorrect time zones and map locations. Even while Iran was under the internet blackout, US authorities expressed concern about the potential for cyber attacks originating from the country. 'Low-level cyber attacks against US networks by pro- Iranian 'hacktivists' are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks on US networks,' a US National Terrorism Advisory bulletin read. Iran is acknowledged in the cyber security community as a major state sponsor of cyber attacks, and the country featured prominently throughout Microsoft's 2024 Digital Defence Report.
