Istanbul Police obtained information that Islamic State members had planned attacks in Turkey during Christmas and New Year celebrations, the prosecutor’s office posted on X.
A member loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) waves an ISIL flag in Raqqa June 29, 2014(photo credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)ByREUTERSTurkish authorities have detained 115 suspected Islamic State members they said were planning to carry out attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations in the country, the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Istanbul Police obtained information that Islamic State members had planned attacks in Turkey, against non-Muslims in particular, during Christmas and New Year celebrations, the prosecutor’s office posted on X.
The police raided 124 locations in Istanbul and captured 115 of the 137 suspects they were seeking, the statement said. Several pistols and ammunition were seized, it said.
Kashmiri demonstrators hold up a flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during a demonstration against Israeli military operations in Gaza, in downtown Srinagar on July 18, 2014. (credit: TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP via Getty Images)
Attacks in Istanbul and Bondi Beach
Istanbul has faced other attacks against non-Muslims recently. On Sunday, Jews were attacked on their way to light Hanukkah candles at Neve Shalom Synagogue. The synagogue has been the target of several other terrorist attacks, including a massacre in 1986 that killed 22 people and truck bombings in 2003.
According to Army Radio, the attack targeted a vehicle in the city of Jannata, located in the Tyre district, in what seems to be a targeted assassination of a Hezbollah terrorist.
Israel Air Force, April 14, 2024.(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: The IDF carried out a strike on a Hezbollah terrorist near Jannata in southern Lebanon, the military confirmed on Wednesday night.
According to Army Radio, the attack targeted a vehicle in the city of Jannata, located in the Tyre district, in what seems to be a targeted assassination of a Hezbollah terrorist.
The IDF did not comment on the target of the strike, with the official statement saying it struck “a Hezbollah terrorist near the area of Jannata.”
This is the second strike against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon of the day, with a previous operation targeting launch sites and military infrastructure in the Tebna area of southern Lebanon’s Sidon District, as well as Wadi Houmin.
Previously, on Sunday, the IDF struck Hezbollah positions, killing at least one person involved in attempts to rehabilitate the group’s military infrastructure in the area of Yater. According to the IDF, the targeted operative was linked to efforts to restore capabilities in southern Lebanon after previous Israeli strikes.
Smoke billows from Nabatieh district, following Israeli strikes, according to two Lebanese security sources, as seen from Marjayoun, in southern Lebanon, May 8, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/KARAMALLAH DAHER)
IDF confirms Lebanese soldier had Hezbollah connection
On Tuesday, the IDF had sent out a photo of Abdullah in a Lebanese Army uniform, and Hezbollah did not deny that the two other individuals he was killed with were connected to the terror organization.
Additionally on Wednesday, IDF sources said they have extensive evidence confirming that Abdullah also worked for Hezbollah, even though there is no photograph of him in a Hezbollah uniform (which would have blown his cover).
Yonah Jeremy Bob, Sam Halper, and Fraidy Moser contributed to this report.
The two countries held five rounds of nuclear talks prior to a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June, which Washington joined by striking Iranian nuclear sites.
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz speaks during a Security Council meeting to discuss ‘ongoing U.S. aggression’ against Venezuela, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, US, December 23, 2025.(photo credit: REUTERS/EDUARDO MUNOZ)ByREUTERSThe United States and Iran traded barbs at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday over conditions for reviving nuclear talks, with the US saying it remains ready for direct negotiations and Iran rejecting Washington’s terms.
The two countries held five rounds of nuclear talks prior to a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June, which Washington joined by striking Iranian nuclear sites.
The talks faced major stumbling blocks, notably over uranium enrichment on Iranian soil — a practice Western powers want eliminated to minimize the risk of weaponization, but which Tehran has firmly rejected.
“We have been clear, however, about certain expectations for any arrangement. Foremost, there can be no enrichment inside of Iran, and that remains our principle,” Ortagus said.
Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani, speaks at a stakeout after attending a U.N. Security Council during a vote on a resolution that would permanently lift U.N. sanctions on Iran, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 19, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/EDUARDO MUNOZ)
Iran says US zero enrichment demand blocks fair talks
Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told the meeting that the US was not pursuing fair negotiation by insisting on a zero enrichment policy.
“We appreciate any fair and meaningful negotiation, but insisting on zero enrichment policy, it is contrary to our rights as a member of the NPT, and it means that they are not pursuing the fair negotiation,” he said, referring to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
“They want to dictate their predetermined intention on Iran. Iran will not bow down to any pressure and intimidation.”
The United Nations reinstated an arms embargo and other sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program in late September, following a process – known as snapback – triggered by European powers. Russia and China disputed the move.
Britain, France, and Germany initiated the snapback process at the Security Council over accusations that Iran had violated a 2015 deal aimed at stopping it from developing a nuclear bomb.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and says its motives are peaceful.
The 2015 nuclear deal is enshrined in a Security Council resolution adopted the same year. The 15-member council has met twice a year since then to discuss implementation of the resolution.
Britain, France, the United States, Denmark, Greece, Slovenia, and South Korea requested Tuesday’s briefing. But Russia and China argue that all the provisions in the resolution expired on October 18 and on Tuesday objected to the meeting being held, though it proceeded as planned.
