US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a plan to convene fellow ministers on Tuesday to address the rising number of attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji said cyber attacks had disrupted fuel supply at petrol stations in multiple provinces across the country, blaming Israel, the US and the ongoing war in Gaza. 

Israel must boost defence budget by billions, says Netanyahu

Israel was surrounded by extremist forces seeking to destroy the country and must increase its defence budget by a significant amount, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We must strengthen ourselves,” the Prime Minister said on Monday at a ceremony to mark the second term of Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron. The country needed “the ability to make alliances both in the region and outside the region”, he said. “This requires a very significant increase in the defence budget.”

Israel has been battling Hamas in the Gaza Strip for more than two months, a response to a deadly invasion by the group on 7 October. At the same time, the military is fighting off missile attacks from Lebanon-based Hezbollah, another Islamist organisation. Both entities are backed by Iran and are designated by the US as terrorist organisations. 

For years, Israel was able to increase the defence budget in absolute terms, while reducing it as a percentage of GDP, Netanyahu said, adding that this policy was no longer possible. 

The defence budget must grow by at least 20 billion shekels ($5.5-billion) annually, the Prime Minister said, while the increase may amount to 1% of GDP or even more.  

“This is the biggest challenge we face beyond winning the war,” Netanyahu said.  

US plans high-level talks to counter Houthi Red Sea threat

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a plan to convene fellow ministers on Tuesday to address the rising number of attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. 

Austin, speaking at a briefing in Tel Aviv on Monday with his Israeli counterpart, provided few other details about the virtual meeting. But it was expected to conclude with an announcement of a new maritime task force — in the works for weeks — to protect ships in the vital trade waterway.

Iran-backed Houthis have claimed repeated attacks in the Red Sea on commercial vessels in the last several days, incidents that the US and allies say are intended to provoke a wider Middle East war even as Israel continues its drive to destroy Hamas in the Gaza Strip.  

The attacks by the Houthis based in Yemen were “reckless, dangerous, and they violate international law”, Austin said at a news conference alongside Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. “So we’re taking action to build an international coalition to address this threat. And I would remind you that this is not just a US issue. This is an international problem and it deserves an international response.”  

Iran fuel stations hit by possible hack in sign of tensions

Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji said cyber attacks had disrupted fuel supply at petrol stations in multiple provinces across the country, blaming Israel, the US and the ongoing war in Gaza. 

More than 60% of Iran’s fuel sites were put out of commission by the apparent strike, which affected machines that read special cards used to pay for petrol and diesel, Deputy Oil Minister Jalil Salari said in a separate interview televised on Monday. 

“Israeli and American enemies wanted to challenge our people because they have suffered blows in other fronts,” the minister Owji said on state TV. Israel, which has been fighting Hamas in Gaza since early October, claims that Iran is helping to finance the group’s war effort. DM