Islamic Republic's supreme leader Khamenei accuses West of using the nuclear issue as pretext to impose sanctions.

EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso committed the EU’s support to achieving a negotiated settlement in the Middle East peace process Thursday.

Newly-confirmed US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel met with his outgoing Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak in Washington Tuesday.

Yesh Atid says Likud insists on 28 ministers, while Erdan says number of portfolios will be ''significantly decreased.''

UN confirms 20 peacekeepers were captured near the Golan Heights by rebel fighters from ''Martyrs of Yarmouk'' brigade, who demand Assad forces withdrew from the village of Jamla in return for the convoy's release.

At special Knesset session, lawmakers from all parties urge Obama to free ailing convicted spy for Israel.

Chavez described as someone who kept Palestine ''in his heart''; symbol for those ''scarred by imperialism'' Ahmadinejad says.

''Europe should take into very careful consideration what happened in Burgas and come up with with a series of measures that protect us from similar attacks in the future,'' said Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov, in reference to the terrorist attack against a bus in July 2012 that killed five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian bus driver in Burgas.

Israeli President Shimon Peres said the main difficulty in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is not settlements but rather terror.

Yesh Atid says Likud insists on 28 ministers, while Erdan says number of portfolios will be ''significantly decreased.''