International

Minister Katz attends the Israel Parade that brings together thousands of people in New York

Thousands of people participated this Sunday in the Israel Parade that is held every year on Fifth Avenue in New York, United States, and which was joined this year by the foreign minister of the Hebrew country, Israel Katz, who traveled expressly for the occasion.

The march took place peacefully for about four hours, despite the fact that the New York police considered it high risk this year in the face of the increase in tension in the city in recent months, translated into hundreds of pro-Palestinian and to a lesser extent pro-Israeli protests.

To do this, the Police cut off traffic not only from Fifth Avenue in its central section (from 40th to 74th Street), but also on the parallel Madison Avenue, with a deployment of thousands of agents – with drones and metal detectors – who fenced the entire route with a double barrier of metal fences on both sides, enabling only a few entry and exit points.

The demonstrators, among whom there were a large number of children and adolescents – dressed in their t-shirts from their schools, yeshivas or Jewish foundations – also expressed their American patriotism because they carried in many cases Israeli flags next to the American one.

They mainly shouted two slets: “Bring them home” (Bring them home, alluding to the hostages in the hands of Hamas) and “Am Israel Hai” (The people of Israel live), but they refrained from other more political smotical s.

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Despite the fears of the Mayor’s Office, there was no incident with counter-demonstrators, as feared in the light of the more than 1,000 protests recorded in New York against the pro-Palestinian-signed war in Gaza in the past eight months.

The mayor of New York, Eric Adams, who since the beginning of the war in Gaza has multiplied the messages for Israel, was present at the march and photographed himself with Minister Katz, but that was not enough and from there he wrote in his X account: “I will always defend our brothers and sisters of Israel, (I want to) show the world that hatred has no place in our city.”

They could see numerous Jews arriving from neighboring New Jersey, who joined those from New York, a city that has the reputation of being the second largest in the world in Jewish population behind Tel Aviv.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”