Israeli army delays results of Gaza flotilla probe

Israeli armed forces chief Gabi Ashkenazi on Wednesday defended his troops' use of lethal fire when they stormed a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May, killing nine pro-Palestinian activists.Giving sworn testimony to a five-member Israeli commission of inquiry, Ashkenazi said the naval commandos who rappelled onto the deck of the ship only opened fire after a soldier was shot by one of the activists.

South Africa is returning its ambassador to Israel, nearly seven weeks after recalling him in the wake of the deadly raid on an aid convoy bound for the Gaza Strip, the government said Tuesday.The foreign ministry in a statement noted that an Israeli army probe had identified mistakes in the raid on May 31, but said South Africa still wanted an international inquiry into the incident."South Africa reiterates its call that any investigation should be a 'prompt, impartial, credible and transparent', in line with UN recommendations," the statement said.

Israel's cabinet on Monday backed the creation of an internal committee to probe its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, in a move swiftly dismissed by Turkey.The Israeli committee, which will include two foreign observers, was formed to conduct an investigation into the legal aspects of the operation in which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists and wounded many more.But Ankara slammed the move, saying it did not believe the Israeli commission would carry out an "impartial" probe of the pre-dawn attack.

Israel's cabinet on Monday backed the creation of an internal committee to probe its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, in a move swiftly dismissed by Turkey.The Israeli committee, which will include two foreign observers, was formed to conduct an investigation into the legal aspects of the operation in which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists and wounded many more.But Ankara slammed the move, saying it did not believe the Israeli commission would carry out an "impartial" probe of the pre-dawn attack.

Israel has set up an "independent public commission" to investigate its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in a long-awaited move that the cabinet was set to rubber stamp on Monday.The committee, which will include two foreign observers, was established to conduct an internal investigation into the legal aspects of the operation in which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists.Hours after the late-night announcement, cabinet members met in Jerusalem where they were expected to give their stamp of approval to the make-up and mandate of the inquiry commission.

Israel's government watchdog, the state comptroller, said on Tuesday it will launch its own investigation into the decision-making process that led to the navy's deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss will launch an inquiry into the decision-making process by the government and intelligence chiefs ahead of the May 31 naval raid that left nine Turks dead and scores of people injured.

Israel on Tuesday threatened to pull out of a UN probe into its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla to keep the panel from grilling its soldiers, as Defence Minister Ehud Barak faced an Israeli inquiry over the same botched operation.The bloody raid in which Israeli commandos killed nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists sparked international outrage and led to the partial easing of a four-year blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Israeli warplanes flew over southern Lebanon Friday, two days after the Jewish state launched an airstrike near Damascus, as Syria’s army chief of staff warned against testing his country’s capabilities.