Main events on August 17th
- The Israeli military killed dozens more Palestinians, including aid seekers, as it began forcibly displacing people from Gaza City towards the southern parts of the besieged enclave.
- Organisers said that more than a million Israelis participated in protest activities throughout the country, including nearly 500,000 people in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, to denounce the government and demand a deal to end the war and bring back all captives.
- Israeli soldiers and settlers launched attacks on Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, including an incursion by special forces who abducted two young men from Ramallah.
- The Houthis confirmed they were behind a ballistic missile attack that targeted the Ben Gurion airport. Israel intercepted the projectile and promised harsher attacks on Yemen. Israel also bombed a power plant near the capital, Sanaa, in what it said was a direct response to “repeated Houthi attacks”.
- Serbia is reportedly behind a $1.63bn arms deal with Israel’s Elbit Systems, which will include long-range precision rockets and a host of other military capabilities.
Serbia behind $1.6bn weapons deal with Israel’s Elbit: Reports
Reports in Israeli media have named Serbia as the European country that has reached a $1.63bn deal with major Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.
The Israeli company, which is feeding the country’s war effort in Gaza with drones and other weapons, last week confirmed that it was awarded the contract to deliver arms for a five-year period, but did not name the European country.
The contract will see Elbit provide Serbia with long-range precision rockets, as well as a host of other military capabilities, including communications and signals intelligence systems.
Elbit Systems was awarded a $1.635Bn contract to deliver a range of defense solutions to a European country over a five-year period.
The contract includes long-range precision strike systems, unmanned aerial platforms, ISTAR capabilities (SIGINT, COMINT, electronic warfare),… pic.twitter.com/W4J7VgczI4
— Elbit Systems (@ElbitSystemsLtd) August 13, 2025
EU should sanction Serbia as well. Not going well there:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/tensions-soar-in-serbia-as-angry-protesters-clash-with-police-set-fire-to-party-offices/
Serbia is likely buying oppression methods from Israel as part of the deal.
