Trump says Israel and Iran 'will make a deal' amid escalating tensions
In Aksaray, two hot air balloons which took off from Ihlara Valley for touristic flights on Sunday crashed near Gözlukuyu village.
It was reported that one pilot lost his life and 19 Indonesian tourists were injured in the accident.
Aksaray Governor Mehmet Ali Kumbuzoğlu stated that the pilot fell out of the basket due to his feet getting tangled up in the rope and said, "Unfortunately, our pilot lost his life by being trapped under the basket. Our tourists are in good condition, we took them to hospital by ambulances, their examinations are continuing."
In the apparently unrelated other accident, it was reported that the hot air balloon made a hard landing near Belisırma village of Güzelyurt district. 12 tourists from India were slightly injured and were transferred to hospital.
US President Donald Trump has predicted that the warring nations "will make a deal" on his social media platform on Sunday, as "many calls and meetings [are] now taking place".
He also claimed successful mediation efforts in the past, most recently between India and Pakistan, after hostilities between the nuclear-armed rivals escalated last month.
"Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using trade with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and stop," Trump wrote.
"Another case is Egypt and Ethiopia, and their fight over a massive dam that is having an effect on the magnificent Nile River. There is peace, at least for now, because of my intervention, and it will stay that way."
"Likewise, we will have peace, soon, between Israel and Iran. Many calls and meetings now taking place."
"I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that's ok, the people understand. Make the Middle East great again," Trump concluded.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran would "pay a very heavy price" for the civilian casualties caused during last night's aerial attacks by Iran.
Iran's President Massoud Pezeshkian, for his part, announced a 'harsher and more severe' response in case Israeli attacks continued.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides had told reporters on Sunday morning he would "deliver a message" from Iran upon Tehran's request to Netanyahu when he spoke to him on the phone later.
The request was then denied by the Iranian government, to the consternation of Cypriot officials.
Narendra Modi is expected to sign multi-level cooperation agreements between India and the Republic of Cyprus during his visit to the island on the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to the country in over two decades.
The official talks between President Nicos Christodoulides and the Indian Prime Minister will take place on Monday, when Narendra Modi will be officially received at the Presidential Palace. However, already after his reception at Larnaca airport on Sunday, Modi and Christodoulides will attend a meeting of businessmen from Cyprus and India in Limassol before sitting down to an informal working dinner.
Modi's visit follows an invitation extended to him by Christodoulides and comes eight years after then President Nicos Anastasiades visited India. President Tassos Papadopoulos had also visited India in 2006, while the last time an Indian Prime Minister visited Cyprus was in 2002 with Atal Bihari Vazbayi.
Modi is coming to Cyprus before heading to Canada for the G7 summit. This is the Indian prime minister's first trip abroad since the Pakistan crisis and it is seen as particularly meaningful in view of Turkey's activities in the region, given Ankara's support for Islamabad.
Cyprus is already preparing to take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (first half of 2026) and New Delhi and Nicosia are seeking to strengthen and possibly upgrade their already close relations, as India sees Cyprus as a "bridge" to the EU - perhaps even "rewarding" its supportive stance on the Kashmir issue.
Conversely, India's developing relations with both Greece and Cyprus are not seen in a good light by Turkey, with reports in the Turkish press portraying the moves as negative for Ankara.
The discussions between the two delegations, apart from the Indo-European and Indo-Cypriot relationship, will also touch on the Indian strategic project of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
The Indian Prime Minister will be accompanied by a large delegation and he will be given a tour by President Christodoulides of the ceasefire line in Nicosia before a formal lunch at the Presidential Palace and his departure for Canada.
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