Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump over the phone last week to discuss the possibility of a renewed military campaign against Iran before the upcoming Israeli legislative elections in October and the U.S. midterm elections in November, according to a media report on Tuesday.
Netanyahu said during the call that he was concerned about Israeli intelligence indicating Iran was taking troubling steps to rebuild its nuclear capacity, according to a report by news website Axios, citing an Israeli official.
One U.S. official told Axios that Trump told Netanyahu to "go ahead and get ready," but noted there was no firm commitment to restarting military operations.
Sources said both the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) are on alert, and are finalizing preparations in case Trump decides to order strikes. The report, citing an Israeli official, said Netanyahu said during a meeting with security agency heads in Israel that the proposal was initially raised by Trump, rather than initiated by Israel.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed that Netanyahu had maintained regular contact with Trump but declined to comment on the content of their conversation.
The White House has also declined to comment.
Netanyahu, Trump discuss possibility of renewing strikes against Iran: media
China's foreign trade in yuan-denominated terms expanded 18.8 percent year on year in the first three quarters of this year, official data showed on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Wang Jun, deputy head of the General Administration of Customs (GAC), said China's trade in goods imports and exports totaled 39.94 trillion yuan (about 6 trillion U.S. dollars) from January to September.
"According to customs statistics, in the first three quarters of this year, China's trade in goods imports and exports totaled 39.94 trillion yuan, up 18.8 percent year on year. Among them, exports rose 16.4 percent to 23.2 trillion yuan over the period, while imports climbed 22.3 percent to 16.74 trillion yuan. On a monthly basis, growth remained in double digits for six consecutive months. In September alone, goods trade climbed 27.5 percent from a year earlier to 5.16 trillion yuan, exceeding 5 trillion yuan for the first time," said Wang.
"In the first three quarters, China's equipment manufacturing sector played a prominent leading role, contributing nearly 90 percent of the growth in exports. Intermediary goods accounted for more than half of total export value, effectively serving as an anchor for global industrial and supply chains. Exports moved toward greater intelligence and green development, with integrated circuit exports growing 99.1 percent, while green products such as electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and wind turbine generator sets and their parts grew 72.3 percent, 36.4 percent, and 22.4 percent, respectively," he said.
On the import side, growth has exceeded 20 percent for seven consecutive months since March, a run that culminated in September with monthly imports topping 2 trillion yuan for the first time. Imports grew 5.9 percentage points faster than exports in the first nine months, outpacing exports in trade with more than 110 countries and regions, promoting more balanced trade development, according to the customs data.
"In the first three quarters, the growth rate of foreign trade was the fastest for the same period in nearly five years, with both quarterly and monthly growth rates generally showing an accelerating trend. The driving forces and vitality of China's foreign trade development have continued to accumulate and strengthen, demonstrating notable resilience, and there is a solid foundation and support for continued import and export growth in the fourth quarter," Wang said.
China's foreign trade expands 18.8 pct in first three quarters
