Biden says Hamas attacked Israel in part to stop a historic agreement with Saudi Arabia
Washington (AP): US President Joe Biden said Friday he thought Hamas was motivated to attack Israel in part by a desire to stop that country from normalising relations with Saudi Arabia.
"One of the reasons ... why Hamas moved on Israel, is because they knew I was about to sit down with the Saudis," Biden said at a campaign fundraiser. The US president indicated that he thinks Hamas launched a deadly assault on Oct 7 because, "Guess what? The Saudis wanted to recognise Israel" and were near being able to formally do so.
Jerusalem and Riyadh had been steadily inching closer to normalisation, with Biden working to help bring the two countries together, announcing plans in September at the Group of 20 summit in India to partner on a shipping corridor.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September and told him, "I think that under your leadership, Mr President, we can forge a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia."
The Saudis had been insisting on protections and expanded rights for Palestinian interests as part of any broader agreement with Israel. An agreement would have been a feat of diplomacy that could have enabled broader recognition of Israel by other Arab and Muslim-majority nations that have largely opposed Israel since its creation 75 years ago in territory where Palestinians have long resided.
The normalisation push began under former President Donald Trump's administration and was branded as the Abraham Accords. It is an ambitious effort to reshape the region and boost Israel's standing in historic ways. But critics have warned that it skips past Palestinian demands for statehood.
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Four crew members aboard refueling aircraft were killed: US military
Dubai (AP): Four of the six crew members aboard a US military KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq have been found dead, the American military said.
The US military's Central Command made the announcement in a statement.
“Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue,” it said. “The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”
Four Confirmed Deceased in Loss of U.S. KC-135 Over Iraq
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 13, 2026
TAMPA, Fla. – At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq. Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue.
The…
