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Netanyahu speaks with PM Modi, invites him for Israel’s Independence Day along with heroic Indian pilot

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Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and invited him to light a torch along with “heroic Indian pilot” Captain Smit Machchhar on the country’s Independence Day.

During the phone call, PM Modi and Netanyahu also reviewed the sustained momentum in bilateral ties and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the partnership between both countries.

“Received a phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We reviewed the sustained momentum in our bilateral ties and reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthening our partnership. We also exchanged views on recent developments in West Asia and underscored the urgent need to restore peace and stability in the region,” PM Modi wrote on X after the phone call.

Netanyahu said that PM Modi thanked him for the invitation and expressed India’s readiness to cooperate with Israel in fighting terrorism.

“I spoke with my friend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and invited him to light a torch together with the heroic Indian pilot on the Independence Day of the State of Israel. Modi thanked me for the invitation and said that on the ground and in the air, India and Israel fight terrorism together. He expressed his appreciation for the courageous and long-standing relationship between us,” Netanyahu posted on X.

Machchhar sustained severe injuries during an attack by the Omani co-pilot on a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight on September 30. The co-pilot allegedly attempted to take control of the aircraft, following which Machchhar fought him off and managed to unlock the cockpit door.

The move allowed crew members and passengers to enter the cockpit and restrain the attacker, averting what could have been a major disaster. The flight was carrying more than 170 people.

On October 3, Netanyahu held a telephonic conversation with Captain Smit Machchhar and hailed him as a “true hero” of the people of India, Israel and the whole world. He invited Captain Smit Machchhar and PM Modi to light a celebratory flame on Israel’s Independence Day.

“Captain, I want to invite you and my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to light a celebratory flame on our next Independence Day. You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel, and you’re a hero of the entire world,” Netanyahu told the Captain Machchhar.

“I wish you a very speedy and complete recovery,” he added.

The Israeli Prime Minister said the honour was usually reserved for his country’s own citizens. However, he added, “But I think here in this case, all the citizens of Israel will embrace you. They do now and they will then too.”

Netanyahu, who was told by the pilot how the attack unfolded in the cockpit, said he was amazed by his conduct.

“I’m amazed at your courage, at your coolness of judgment under impossible conditions,” the Israeli Prime Minister said, adding that what the Captain did was remarkable and that it bordered on the miraculous.

Netanyahu said the pilot had saved more than the lives of those on board.

“You saved so many souls. I think you saved something bigger. You saved the spirit of the world to realise that a brave pilot and brave passengers can overcome this evil, however threatening, however violent. It’s something that is being justly hailed around the world,” Netanyahu said.

“You’re a hero of Israel. You’re a hero of India. You’re a hero of the entire world,” he added.

Inviting the Captain again towards the end of the conversation, Netanyahu said: “So we hope to see you very soon in Israel. I look forward to seeing you here again. But under the circumstances, I think this will be a memorable and historic visit.”

“Thank you for everything you did,” the Israeli Prime Minister told the Indian pilot.

International News

Iran’s IRGC says two ‘violating’ oil tankers disabled by blasts in Hormuz Strait

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The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that two “violating” oil tankers were disabled by explosions while crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night.

In a statement on the IRGC’s official news outlet, Sepah News, the navy said the two supertankers transited the strait despite frequent warnings from its centre for controlling traffic in the waterway about the “unauthorised and unsafe” nature of the southern route.

It added that the tankers were carrying more than 4 million barrels of oil in total, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The navy warned that the same fate will await any vessel that turns off its navigation systems in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf and cooperates with the U.S. military in crossing the waterway’s “unauthorised” southern route.

The Navy on Wednesday said a “violating” oil tanker caught fire earlier in the day after hitting naval mines east of the Strait of Hormuz.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday as the oil tanker was transiting the “unsafe and forbidden” region east of the waterway, the navy announced in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported. It said that its naval forces are monitoring the strait’s eastern waters, stressing that safe passage through the waterway requires coordination with the Iranian armed forces and compliance with maritime regulations.

Separately, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Ali Abdollahi on Wednesday warned the United States and Israel against making any new miscalculation, saying that “any point that serves as a focal point for threats against the existence of the sacred establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran will become a direct target of asymmetric operations.”

He said in a message carried by Iranian media that the armed forces would carry out orders issued by the country’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, without hesitation.

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International News

One killed as three-storey building collapses in New York

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At least one person was killed and 10 others injured after a three-storey building collapsed in New York City’s Brooklyn neighbourhood, authorities said.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene, officials confirmed. Four people were taken to hospital in critical condition, while six others sustained minor injuries, according to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

The FDNY said it received reports of people being trapped at around 4:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday after the building collapsed on the edge of a construction site in the Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn.

Videos from the scene showed firefighters digging through the rubble and pulling at least one person out of the debris.

Firefighters continued their search for another person believed to be trapped beneath the rubble and remained in communication with them as rescue operations progressed.

Several injured construction workers were taken to Kings County Hospital for treatment, although their medical conditions were not immediately known. Search and rescue operations were still underway following the collapse.

According to reports citing FDNY radio communications, at least 10 other people were injured in the incident.

Emergency response teams rushed to the site following reports of a partial building collapse at an apartment building in Brooklyn, with people feared trapped inside, according to FDNY officials.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) urged residents and commuters to stay away from the area around Bedford Avenue and Flatbush Avenue following the incident.

In a post on X, the NYPD warned that road closures and traffic delays were expected in the area and advised motorists to use alternate routes to avoid disruption and allow emergency personnel to carry out rescue operations.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed condolences to the family of the person who lost their life in the building collapse. In a post on X, she said, “My heart breaks for the family who lost a loved one in today’s building collapse in Brooklyn. My administration has reached out and offered its full support as authorities investigate what happened.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani also commented on the incident, saying that emergency responders were working to secure the site and assist those affected by the collapse.

In his post on X, Mamdani said, “Flatbush Avenue is closed from Clarendon Road to Bedford Avenue – please avoid the area so rescue crews can work.”

He further said that the city would provide additional information once officials were in a position to confirm the details of the incident.

Further details are awaited.

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International News

Iran designates Argentine Navy, Air Force as ‘terrorist organisations’

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Iran Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that the country has designated the Argentine Navy and Air Force as terrorist organisations.

The move came in response to the Argentine government’s decision in late March to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry described Argentina’s decision as “hostile and being in contradiction with the fundamental principles of international law,” saying Iran’s move was based on the principle of reciprocity and a domestic law on reciprocal action against the US designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

The law calls for equivalent countermeasures against countries that comply with or support Washington’s actions against Tehran, the statement said, Xinhua news agency reported. The ministry held the Argentine government responsible for all consequences arising from the decision, stressing that the IRGC is an integral part of Iran’s armed forces.

The office of Argentine President Javier Milei announced on March 31 that Argentina had designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

The decision followed calls by US President Donald Trump’s administration for its allies to designate the IRGC and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations.

The Argentine government said the measure had been adopted in response to the IRGC’s support for Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed group, which Buenos Aires blames for a deadly 1994 bombing attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre in the capital city. The attack killed 85 people and injured over 300 others.

Earlier this month, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Tehran had designated Britain’s Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Secret Intelligence Service as “terrorist and hostile” entities over the British government’s anti-Iran actions.

Meanwhile, Qatar said Tuesday that progress had been made in negotiations between the United States and Iran, describing recent White House talks involving Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani as positive, while cautioning that it was too early to predict when an agreement could be reached.

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