Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Monday that Tehran's nuclear programme was getting closer to crossing a crucial "red line" but had yet to reach it. "It has not yet crossed the red line which I laid out in the United Nations but it is systematically approaching it and we cannot let it cross," he told senior members of his Likud-Beitenu political alliance in remarks broadcast on public radio.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could not confirm comments by the Israeli military's top intelligence analyst that Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday. "I talked to Prime Minister Netanyahu this morning. I think it is fair for me to say that he was not in a position to confirm that in the conversation that I had," Kerry told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. "I don't know yet what the facts are."

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday urged Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to reopen peace talks with the Palestinians as they met for the funeral of former British leader Margaret Thatcher. The pair also discussed ways to deepen economic relations between the two countries and the ongoing Syrian crisis. "The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of efforts to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process for the future of Israel and the Palestinians and the region," said a read-out of the meeting issued by Cameron's office.

Israel's lead peace negotiator Tzipi Livi on Sunday ruled out Turkey taking an immediate role in reviving peace talks with the Palestinians, shortly before US Secretary of State John Kerry flew in. Asked if Turkey could play an important role in the peace process -- an idea raised by Kerry at a press conference earlier the same day in Istanbul -- she told public radio: "The idea is interesting, but it could take time." jlr-hmw/hc