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Report: Negotiations to resume soon despite Haniyeh's assassination

Truce negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume soon despite the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday.

“Haniyeh’s assassination will contribute to pushing forward the negotiations over an agreement in Gaza,” the Israeli corporation quoted unnamed sources as saying.

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Turkey blocks access to Instagram, in response to removal of posts on Haniyeh

Turkey's communications authority blocked access to the social media platform Instagram on Friday, the latest instance of a clampdown on websites in the country.

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority, which regulates the internet, announced the decision early Friday but did not provide a reason.

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Australian inquiry blames Israel failings for fatal drone attack on Gaza aid convoy

The Israeli military's attack on an aid convoy in Gaza in April that killed seven people was the result of serious failures of defense procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making, according to an Australian investigation that was made public Friday.

Australia initiated the investigation to examine Tel Aviv's response to the widely condemned Israeli Defense Forces' drone strikes on three World Central Kitchen vehicles on April 1. Australian Zomi Frankcom, three of her aid worker colleagues and three British personal security staff died in the attack.

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Haniyeh's assassination sheds light on long history of alleged Israeli attacks in Iran

Explosions in secretive underground nuclear facilities. Cyber attacks. Top scientists poisoned. Natural gas pipelines sabotaged. All these and more have been blamed on Israel in its shadow war with Iran.

And the latest accusation, that Israel is behind the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, only expands that list.

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Yemen’s Houthis prepare response to ‘significant escalation' by Israel

The leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Thursday that efforts were underway to militarily respond to Israel following the killings of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders that have raised the prospect of war in the region.

The leader of the militant group, Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, said in a televised speech that “there must be a military response to the serious crimes and the significant escalation by the Israeli enemy.” “Efforts are underway to respond,” he added.

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Biden says US committed to defend Israel against 'all threats from Iran'

U.S. President Joe Biden has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington is committed to defending Israel's security "against all threats from Iran," the White House said, after the assassination of a top Hamas leader in Tehran.

Biden, who was joined on the call by Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, also emphasized the "ongoing efforts to de-escalate broader tensions in the region," the White House said Thursday in a statement.

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Haniyeh to be buried in Qatar as Iran readies response

Mourners arrived at a Qatari mosque on Friday to farewell Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh after his killing in Tehran, an attack blamed on Israel that deepened fears of wider war.

Haniyeh, the Palestinian armed group's political chief, played a key role in mediated talks aiming to end nearly 10 months of war between his Islamist movement and Israel in Gaza.

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Israel PM says in 'very high level of defensive and offensive' preparation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel was prepared for any "aggression" against it following threats of retaliation for the killings of top Hamas and Hezbollah figures.

"Israel is at a very high level of preparation for any scenario, both defensive and offensive. We will make any act of aggression against us pay a very high price... Those who attack us, we will attack in return," Netanyahu said in a statement.

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Iran, allies plan joint but limited retaliation against Israel

Iran and armed groups backed by it are preparing coordinated action meant to deter Israel but avert all-out war, sources and analysts said, after the killings of top Hamas and Hezbollah figures.

On Wednesday, Iranian officials met in Tehran with representatives of the so-called "axis of resistance" -- a loose alliance of Tehran-backed groups hostile to Israel -- to discuss retaliation for the deaths of Hamas's leader and Hezbollah's top military commander, said a source close to Lebanese group.

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Who's who in Iran's 'axis of resistance'

The Iran-aligned "axis of resistance" against Israel and its allies have lost two major figures in less than 24 hours in attacks either blamed on or claimed by Israel.

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed on Wednesday in Tehran in a strike the group blamed on Israel, hours after top Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur perished in an Israeli strike on southern Beirut.

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