Two close associates of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been remanded in custody for three days, following their arrest on Monday by Israeli police in connection with an investigation into suspected unlawful ties between the senior aides and Qatar, a case that has become known as QatarGate.

An Israeli court on Tuesday extended the initial detention of Yonatan Urich, Netanyahu’s closest adviser, and former aide Eli Feldstein by three days, saying their release would disrupt an investigation into their suspected involvement in conducting public relations for Qatar. The judge denied the police’s original request for a nine-day detention to conduct their investigation.

In court, the judge stated that a review of the classified materials submitted indicated reasonable suspicion that an American company had contacted one of the suspects to spread negative messages about Egypt, and downplay its role in mediation efforts to release all the October 7 hostages and reach a permanent ceasefire.

Court documents show that Yonatan and Feldstein are suspected by prosecutors to have taken bribes and “worked to transfer messages to journalists in a manner that presented sympathetic articles about Qatar in the media, minimizing Egypt’s role as a fair mediator in the deal, while dictating the media agenda.”

The judge declared that a previous gag order on the proceedings had been rendered meaningless because it had been widely disregarded.

Netanyahu also gave testimony on the case to police on Monday, according to a video the prime minister released on his Telegram account. He has claimed the case is politically motivated.

“It’s a political investigation, a political hunt, that’s all this is, there’s nothing else,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu has also claimed the investigation is aimed at preventing him from dismissing Ronen Bar, head of the country’s internal security service Shin Bet.

The agency is reported to have recently opened an investigation into allegations that members of Netanyahu’s office inappropriately lobbied on behalf of Qatar – something his office denies.

Israeli media has recently cited Netanyahu’s attempt to disrupt an investigation into QatarGate as his reason for seeking the removal of both Bar and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Despite naming on Monday former navy commander Vice Adm. Eli Sharvit as his pick for the next Shin Bet chief, Netanyahu’s move to dismiss the current head still faces a legal challenge.

The Shin Bet, which monitors domestic threats to Israel, conducted an internal investigation into the October 7, 2023 attacks that determined the agency had “failed in its mission” to prevent Hamas’ deadly assault and kidnapping spree. But it also blamed policies enacted by Netanyahu’s government as contributing factors.

Among them, the Shin Bet said, were Qatar’s years-long payments to Hamas. Those payments were blessed by Israel, whose government believed it was beneficial to drive a political wedge between Gaza and the West Bank.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said the arrest of two of Netanyahu’s aides “is a breach of trust, a threat to national security, and a severe harm to Israel’s credibility and standing in the world,” warning that “Netanyahu cannot absolve himself of responsibility.”

“If he knew – he is complicit in a terrible failure. If he didn’t know – he is unfit to continue serving as the Prime Minister of Israel,” Lapid said in a statement Tuesday.

Another opposition figure, Benny Gantz, also criticized Netanyahu, saying: “The more the ‘QatarGate’ investigation advances, the more determined Netanyahu becomes in his battle against the institutions responsible for the investigation. The deeper the investigation – the deeper the subversion.”

NATO member Finland plans to quit a global convention banning anti-personnel landmines and boost defense spending to at least 3% of GDP by 2029 in response to the evolving military threat from Russia, the government said on Tuesday.

Poland and the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said last month they would withdraw from the 1997 Ottawa convention due to threats posed by neighboring Russia.

By leaving the treaty, Finland, which guards NATO’s longest border with Russia, could start stockpiling landmines again to have them at hand should a need arise.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told a press conference there was no immediate military threat to his Nordic nation, but that Russia poses a long-term danger to all of Europe.

“Withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention will give us the possibility to prepare for the changes in the security environment in a more versatile way,” he said.

He added that Finland would allocate an additional 3 billion euros ($3.24 billion) to defense, raising the level of military spending from 2.41% in 2024 to 3% of gross domestic product by 2029.

President Alexander Stubb said in a post on X: “This is a part of Finland’s contribution to Europe taking greater responsibility for our own defense.”

The announcements come with US President Donald Trump doubling down on ending the war in Ukraine, which has stirred growing Polish and Baltic concerns that Russia could re-arm and target them instead.

Finland joined the NATO military alliance in 2023 in a policy shift away from decades of nonalignment triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, drawing a Russian threat of “counter-measures.”

Finland began considering withdrawal from the Ottawa treaty last November when its military commander said the matter should be discussed due to Russia’s use of such weapons in Ukraine.

“Finland will use mines in a responsible way, but it’s a deterrent we need,” Agriculture and Forestry Minister Sari Essayah told reporters on Tuesday.

Anti-personnel landmines are designed to be hidden in the ground and detonate automatically when someone steps on them or passes by in their proximity.

Finland destroyed over 1 million landmines after 2012, becoming the last EU state to sign the Ottawa convention, which has been ratified or acceded to by more than 160 countries – but not by Russia.

The 1997 treaty was one of a series of international agreements concluded after the end of the Cold War to encourage global disarmament. Anti-landmine campaigners won the Nobel Peace Prize that same year.

Mines have killed or maimed tens of thousands of civilians around the world, many of them long after wars have ended.

Leaving the treaty will require approval by the Finnish parliament but is expected to pass given widespread support among government and opposition parties.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday a major expansion of the military’s operation in Gaza involving the seizure of large areas of land that would be “incorporated into Israel’s security zones.”

The operation would also involve a “large-scale evacuation of Gaza’s population from combat zones,” the statement said without specifying details.

Katz said the military operation would expand to “crush and clear the area of terrorists and terror infrastructure, while seizing large areas that will be incorporated into Israel’s security zone.”

The Israeli military’s spokesperson for Arabic media late on Tuesday ordered residents in Gaza’s southern Rafah area to leave their homes and move north.

Katz’s statement on Wednesday did not specify whether additional Israeli troops would be involved in the expanded operation.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The Chinese military practiced live-fire strikes in the East China Sea in an escalation of ongoing surprise drills near Taiwan, the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command said in a statement Wednesday.

China’s armed forces launched exercises, dubbed “Strait Thunder-2025A,” in the middle and southern areas of the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, focusing on testing the troops’ capabilities of “joint blockade and control” and “precision strikes on key targets,” the Eastern Theater Command’s spokesperson Senior Colonel Shi Yi said.

As part of the drills, which were not announced ahead of time, the ground army of the Eastern Theater Command conducted “live-fire long-range strike drills in designated areas of the East China Sea,” according to the statement.

“The drills involved precision strikes on simulated targets such as key ports and energy facilities and achieved the intended results,” Shi added.

Wednesday’s drills came after the PLA conducted joint exercises involving its army, navy, air force and rocket force around Taiwan “from multiple directions” on Tuesday, days after US defense chief Pete Hegseth vowed to counter “China’s aggression” on his first visit to Asia.

Eastern Theater Command said the drills were a “stern warning and forceful deterrence against ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist forces,” calling them “legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity.”

For Taiwan, a democracy of some 23 million people that sits just 80 miles from China at its nearest point, the drills are the latest reminder of the threat that comes from its giant Communist Party-run neighbor, which claims the island as its own and has vowed to seize it by force if necessary.

Taiwan has denounced the drills as an “irrational provocation” and accused China of being a “troublemaker.”

The United States, Taiwan’s biggest international backer, condemned what it called “China’s irresponsible threats and military pressure operations near Taiwan.”

“China’s escalating military intimidation tactics only serve to exacerbate tensions and undermine cross-Strait peace and stability,” the State Department said in a statement.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

All bakeries in Gaza have closed due to a severe lack of fuel and flour caused by Israel’s near month-long blockade of humanitarian aid, according to local authorities.

“The occupation has forced all bakeries to shut down entirely, exacerbating the famine crisis that threatens the lives of innocent civilians, particularly children, patients, and the elderly,” the Hamas-controlled Government Media Office in Gaza said Tuesday.

The closures are likely to accelerate the spread of famine in the strip, the head of the local Bakery Owners’ Association, Abdel Nasser Al-Ajrami told the Palestinian Press Agency Safa.

The United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) said all 25 of its bakeries in the enclave had shut, citing the lack of flour and fuel.

“Hot meals are continuing, but supplies will last two weeks. WFP will distribute its last food parcels in the next two days,” said Abeer Etefa, the WFP’s communications officer for Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe.

“I went to every bakery. Every time we ask, they say there’s no flour due to the closure of the crossings. The Israelis control the crossings. We don’t know where to go,” Abdul Rahman Fattayeh said.

“I have 40 family members, and I’ve been searching for bread for them since 8 a.m., going around all the bakeries in Deir al-Balah. None are operating,” al-Kurd said. “There’s no flour, no firewood, nothing. Not even water. It’s dire,” he added.

The Israeli government shut down the supply of food and other humanitarian aid into Gaza in early March, in a bid to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages and impose new conditions on the extension of the ceasefire.

No aid has entered the enclave for more than three weeks, with the head of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) saying that this is the longest Gaza has been without any supplies since the war began.

“During the ceasefire, 500–600 trucks arrived daily. Now, nothing,” Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, said last week.

Describing the latest blockade as the worst humanitarian crisis since the war began, Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network, warned the closure of bakeries would impact “hundreds of thousands of people” who rely on them for food.

“The coming days will be very critical on the lives and the health of the Palestinians in Gaza, mainly children, women, and elders,” Al-Shawa said Tuesday, urging the international community to pressure Israel into reopening the crossings.

The United States has approved the potential sale of 20 F-16 fighter jets to Manila, giving the key US ally in the Indo-Pacific a major upgrade to its air force just days after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to counter “China’s aggression.”

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the proposed sale of the F-16s and related equipment, worth an estimated $5.58 billion, in a statement on Tuesday.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner that continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in Southeast Asia,” DSCA said.

The announcement comes less than a week after Hegseth visited the Philippines, his first trip to Asia as defense chief, and said Washington will enhance its military alliance with Manila as it aims to “reestablish deterrence” to counter “China’s aggression” in the Indo-Pacific region.

On Wednesday, China cautioned Manila on the deal.

“Any defense and security cooperation that the Philippines engages in with other countries should not target or harm the interests of any third party, nor should it threaten regional peace and security or escalate tensions in the region,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.

“As for who is fueling the flames, who is provoking military confrontation, and who is turning Asia into a powder keg, we believe that regional countries can see the situation clearly.”

The Philippines has been on the front lines of China’s increasingly aggressive posture in Asia. Beijing seeks to assert its claim over the bulk of the South China Sea, despite an international ruling denying its sovereignty over the waterway.

Hegseth said Friday the US would deploy additional advanced military capabilities to the US ally for joint training, enhance interoperability for “high end operations” and prioritize defense industrial cooperation.

In its statement, DSCA said Manila had requested to buy 16 F-16Cs – single-seat, single-engine fighter jets – and four F-16Ds, dual-seat jets that are usually used for training purposes.

The F-16s are the block 70/72 newest variant of the workhorse military warplane, which entered service with the US Air Force in the late 1970s.

Manufacturer Lockheed Martin says the new F-16s are the world’s most advanced fourth-generation fighter, touting a “structural service life” of more than 12,000 hours.

The F-16s, along with advanced avionics, radar and weaponry included in the deal, are a significant upgrade to the Philippine Air Force’s fighter fleet. Currently, it has only 12 South Korean-made FA-50 jets, a lighter ground attack and fighter jet.

The F-16s have a top speed of more than 1,500 miles per hour, Lockheed Martin says, about 350 mph faster than the FA-50.

Speaking alongside Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro on Friday, Hegseth called the US-Philippine relationship an “ironclad alliance, particularly in the face of Communist China’s aggression in the region.”

The Trump administration has vowed to “truly prioritize a shift” to the Indo-Pacific, Hegseth said, with the “recognition that for the 21st century to be a free century, America needs to stand alongside our allies and partners shoulder to shoulder.”

The American military presence in Asia is seen by allies as a critical counterbalance in a fractious region where China has been rapidly expanding its military might and a belligerent North Korea has been empowered by closer ties with Russia.

Trump has repeatedly questioned the structure of US military alliances and whether the US was getting enough out of such partnerships and basing arrangements, including those in Asia where tens of thousands of troops are stationed in sprawling bases in Japan and South Korea.

The Pentagon has sent at least six B-2 bombers – 30% of the US Air Force’s stealth bomber fleet – to the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, in what analysts have called a message to Iran as tensions once again flare in the Middle East.

The deployment comes as US President Donald Trump and his defense chief Pete Hegseth warn of further action against Iran and its proxies, while US jets continue to attack the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Images taken by private satellite imaging company Planet Labs on Tuesday show the six US bombers on the tarmac on the island, as well as shelters that could possibly conceal others. Tankers and cargo aircraft are also at the island airbase, a joint US-British base which is 3,900 kilometers (2,400 miles) from Iran’s southern coast.

Planet Labs images from Sunday show four B-2s and six support aircraft on the Diego Garcia tarmac.

Without mentioning the B-2s directly, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed that the US military is sending additional aircraft and “other air assets” to the region to improve America’s defensive posture in the region.

“The United States and its partners remain committed to regional security … and are prepared to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the region,” Parnell said.

“The deployment of these B-2s is clearly designed to send a message – perhaps several messages – to Iran,” said the former US Air Force colonel.

“One of them could be a warning to cease supporting the Houthis in Yemen. Another message the Trump administration might be sending to Iran is that it wants a new nuclear deal (to replace the ‘bad’ deal Trump withdrew the US from in his first term) and if Iran doesn’t start to negotiate with the US the consequences could be the destruction of Iran’s nuclear weapons program,” Leighton said.

Trump began ramping up military action against the Houthis in mid-March, with airstrikes that killed at least 53 people and wounded almost 100 others in Yemen, according to the Houthi-run Health Ministry.

Strikes have continued since, as Houthis threaten US warships in the region, in attacks that the militants say are in solidarity with Gaza as it faces bombardment by Israel, a key US ally.

In disclosures that caused a major controversy for the Trump administration, Hegseth shared sensitive information last month on pending military strikes against Houthi militants on an unsecured group chat with top national security officials — a chain to which The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added.

Trump, in a Tuesday post on his social media platform Truth Social, on Tuesday threatened more could be coming.

“Stop shooting at U.S. ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran,” Trump posted.

Trump has also been pushing Iran to make a deal over its nuclear capabilities, saying on March 19 that he would give Tehran two months to come to an agreement or face the consequences.

There “are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal, because I’m not looking to hurt Iran,” Trump told Fox News last month.

But Iran this week rejected any direct negotiations.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “continues to make clear that, should Iran or its proxies threaten American personnel and interests in the region, the United States will take decisive action to defend our people,” Parnell said.

“Six is a serious number. For Houthi deeply buried targets, two or maybe three, but six B-2s is a major effort,” Layton said.

“Such targets would potentially include Iranian nuclear and weapons storage facilities,” the former US Air Force officer said.

Layton, the aviation analyst, noted that the six B-2s likely represent the entire deployable fleet of the aircraft.

“I assume there are one or two at home for training and another few standing nuclear alert. Rest in maintenance,” said Layton, a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot and now visiting fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute.

Parnell, the Pentagon spokesperson, said the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, which has been carrying out strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, will stay in the region through this month, though its deployment there was scheduled to have ended at the end of March.

Hegseth “also ordered the deployment of additional squadrons and other air assets that will further reinforce our defensive air-support capabilities,” Parnell said. It’s unclear what squadrons or assets will be moving to the region.

Parnell added that the Nimitz Strike Group is deploying to the Western Pacific “to preserve our warfighting advantage in the Indo-Pacific.”

Leighton said that the presence of the B-2s on Diego Garcia would be noted across Asia.

“It’s unlikely the deployment of six B-2s to Diego Garcia is meant to deter actions by other powers, such as China or Russia, but they are surely taking note of this deployment as well. Of course, we can’t forget that Iran is an ally of those two countries,” he said.

Buildings in Myanmar are continuing to collapse five days after a powerful earthquake struck the country, creating perilous conditions for rescuers as they attempt to extricate survivors from the rubble.

More than 2,700 people were killed in the 7.7-magnitude quake, with thousands more injured, according to Myanmar’s military junta. Hundreds more remain missing, meaning the death toll is almost certain to rise.

The Myanmar Fire Services Department on Wednesday shared video of a heartwarming moment in the military capital Naypyidaw, where workers pulled a man from the rubble more than 100 hours after the quake, a miraculous rescue that offered a rare moment of hope.

The man appeared tired and disheveled as he was pulled out of an air pocket between broken slabs of concrete, to a round of applause.

A day earlier, a 62-year-old woman was similarly pulled from broken slabs of concrete in Naypyidaw.

Elsewhere, a team of Chinese rescuers on Monday pulled four people – including a five-year-old child and a pregnant woman – from the rubble.

Structurally vulnerable buildings in the country are still collapsing as tremors continue, according to human rights organizations, highlighting the dangers of the rescue mission.

Two hotels collapsed near the epicenter in Mandalay Monday night, after people went back to the structures days after the quake.

“With these additional tremors, fatalities are still occurring,” said Michael Dunford, Myanmar director at the United Nations World Food Programme.

“Many people are still sleeping out in the open on the streets or in the parks because they are too scared to go back into their homes. And of course, this is hampering our efforts to reach them and to provide the type of support that they need.”

Humanitarian organizations are continuing to stress the need for urgent aid, especially to more remote areas of the country.

Even before the quake, four years of civil war had left millions without adequate shelter and battered health and communication infrastructure.

In Sagaing town, near the epicenter of the quake, residents have described scenes of heartbreak and desperation as they wait for urgent medical supplies and food.

Rights group Amnesty International spoke to three residents, who said there was a rising need for body bags, torches, and mosquito-repellant coils. They also told the group that the military, which largely controls the town, was imposing “strict surveillance” for light vehicles traveling to Sagaing from Mandalay.

“Soldiers are inspecting deliveries, and checks can take longer if they come from other areas in Sagaing that have more connections to resistance groups,” Amnesty said.

The ruling junta seized power from Myanmar’s democratically elected government in 2021, sparking a brutal civil war between ethnic rebel groups and its military.

While the junta has reaffirmed its commitment to allowing assistance, rights groups have criticized Myanmar’s leaders for restricting access to some affected areas.

“The junta needs to break from its appalling past practice and ensure that humanitarian aid quickly reaches those whose lives are at risk in earthquake-affected areas,” said deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch Bryony Lau.

Amnesty International on Tuesday urged Myanmar’s military to “refrain from deliberate air strikes and other forms of attack on civilian targets” in earthquake-affected areas.

Meanwhile, a major rebel alliance in Myanmar declared a temporary ceasefire to facilitate rescue efforts.

“We strongly desire that urgent humanitarian efforts, which are immediately needed for the earthquake-affected population, be carried out as swiftly and effectively as possible,” the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which involves the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, the Kokang’s Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and Arakan Army, said in a joint statement Tuesday.

International teams, including groups from China, Russia, and Pakistan, have been assisting with rescue efforts in Myanmar. Two Indian naval vessels carrying humanitarian aid, relief supplies and food arrived in Yangon Tuesday morning.

But humanitarian workers have warned that years of underfunding means more needs to be done.

“This is time, to be honest, for the world to step up and support the people of Myanmar,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Myanmar Marcoluigi Corsi said Tuesday.

“We keep saying that Myanmar does not rank very high among the different emergencies… The humanitarian response in Myanmar has been chronically underfunded for years. Four months into the year right now, less than 5 per cent of the required US$1.1 billion of the Humanitarian Response Plan has been received.”

Friday’s devastating quake was felt all the way in neighboring Thailand, where at least 22 people died in the capital Bangkok.

Of that number, 15 people were killed after an under-construction high-rise building collapsed, officials said.