Israel

The annual exercise is taking place at the Ovda Air Force Base in southern Israel, with the participation of air forces from the United States, Germany, Italy, Britain, France, India and Greece, Xinhua news agency quoted an Israeli military spokesperson as saying. The exercise kicked started on Sunday with an honorary flyover, led by the Commander of the Israeli Air Force Amikam Norkin in an F-15, alongside an Israeli "Adir", the Israeli version of F-35 stealth jet.

Merkel, in Israel on her last visit as a chancellor before the end of her 16-year term, met Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem, Xinhua news agency reported. "I want to use this opportunity to emphasize that the topic of Israel's security will always be of central importance and a central topic of every German government," she said in joint remarks.

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the move "a flagrant aggression against al-Aqsa Mosque", Xinhua news agency. The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a site holy to both Muslims and Jews, the latter of whom call it the Temple Mount.

During a security conference at the Reichman University on Sunday, Lapid said that since the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in 2005, Israel's policy, which included the blockade, restrictions on imports and exports of goods, and four rounds of war, has not been effective in halting repeated attacks by Hamas and other militant groups, reports Xinhua news agency.

On Saturday morning, Israeli fighter jets attacked military posts and facilities that belong to Hamas in the northern and central Gaza Strip, according to the sources, which added that no injuries or damage were reported. In two separate statements on Saturday and Sunday, an Israeli army spokesman said that fighter jets attacked posts that were used for manufacturing homemade rockets besides attacking weapons caches in the Gaza Strip.

The rocket triggered sirens in the city of Sderot and the regional council of Sha'ar HaNegev on Saturday night, reports Xinhua news agency. "One launch from the Gaza Strip has been identified and intercepted," an Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement. Overnight between Friday and Saturday, Israeli war jets and attack helicopters struck a military post, a storage site, and a military compound belonging to Gaza's ruler Hamas, according to the army.

The strikes late Monday night, which had targeted military posts belonging to Hamas' armed wing al-Qassam Brigades near the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, caused severe damage to training facilities, with no immediate report of injuries, the sources told Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, an Israeli army spokesman has said that the attack on Monday was made in response to the launch of incendiary balloons towards southern Israel, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday. According to the Palestinian security sources, the posts and facilities belong to al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas armed wing in southern, central and northern Gaza Strip. Medical sources said no injuries were reported, while the security sources said that Hamas militants evacuated all the posts and facilities in the Gaza Strip for fear of being targeted by Israeli airstrikes.

His remarks on Sunday came a day after an Israeli soldier was injured during clashes with Palestinians near the Gaza border, reports Xinhua news agency. Addressing his weekly cabinet meeting, Bennett said that Israel "will settle the score with those who harm our soldiers and civilians". Referring to a possible escalation with Gaza's Hamas rulers, Bennett said the military is "ready for any scenario". Overnight, the Israeli air force carried out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

The Syrian air defences responded to the attacks late Thursday night, intercepting most of the Israeli missiles, Xinhua news agency quoted a military source as saying to local media. The Syrian authorities were assessing the damages caused by the strikes, the source added. The sounds of explosions were clearly heard in Damascus as the Syrian air defenses were responding to the attack.