Skip to main content

CIA chief to meet Israeli, Qatari officials for hostage deal talks

1 min Mena Today

CIA chief Bill Burns will meet Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the head of Israel's Mossad spy agency in Warsaw on Monday.

CIA Director Bill Burns,  Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz

CIA Director Bill Burns,  Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz

CIA chief Bill Burns will meet Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the head of Israel's Mossad spy agency in Warsaw on Monday to discuss a potential new deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, a U.S. official told Reuters.

Earlier, the Axios news website had reported the meeting would take place, citing two U.S. and Israeli officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to confirm on Saturday that new negotiations were under way to recover hostages held by Hamas after a source said Israel's intelligence chief met the prime minister of Qatar, a country mediating in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A source with knowledge of the matter said that Mossad head David Barnea met Al Thani in Europe late on Friday.

Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru, Alan Charlish in Warsaw; Editing by Alison Williams and Angus MacSwan

Tags

Related

Lebanon

IDF kills Iranian Al-Quds commander in heart of Hazmieh

An Israeli precision strike hit a residential apartment building in Hazmieh - a predominantly Christian neighborhood east of Beirut - Monday afternoon, killing at least one person in what the IDF described as a targeted hit on a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' elite Al-Quds Force.

Diplomacy

The diplomatic window is open

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he had given orders to postpone any military strikes against Iranian power plants for five days, hours ahead of a deadline that threatened further escalation in the conflict now in its fourth week.

Lebanon

The Litani campaign intensifies

Israeli fighter jets struck the Dalafa Bridge twice Monday afternoon, targeting one of South Lebanon's most strategically significant crossings, a span over the Litani River that connects the districts of Hasbaya and Marjeyoun in the eastern border zone to the regions of Jezzine, Western Bekaa, Chouf and Sidon.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.