NEW YORK — Israel and Morocco on Wednesday agreed to elevate their diplomatic missions to full embassies and exchange ambassadors, nearly six years after Morocco joined the U.S.-brokered normalization initiative that transformed Israel’s ties with several Arab nations.

The announcement followed a trilateral meeting in New York involving U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. It came a day after officials commemorated the sixth anniversary of the Abraham Accords.

Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the original Abraham Accords on Sept. 15, 2020. Morocco later joined the normalization effort through a separate U.S.-Morocco-Israel Joint Declaration signed in Rabat on Dec. 22, 2020. That agreement restored formal contacts and set out plans for full diplomatic relations, direct air links and deeper economic cooperation.

Wednesday’s Israel-Morocco agreement moves several of those earlier commitments forward. The two countries said they will open full embassies, exchange ambassadors, restore direct flights operated by Israeli and Moroccan carriers before the end of 2026, and complete agreements covering investment protection and the avoidance of double taxation.

According to a Sept. 16 joint statement, Israel and Morocco also committed to broader cooperation in trade, finance, technology, tourism, water, agriculture, food security, energy, telecommunications and regional security.

The statement further reaffirmed U.S. and Israeli recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, as well as support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the basis for resolving the long-running territorial dispute.

The conversation, however, quickly extended beyond Morocco to the possibility that Saudi Arabia could eventually join the Abraham Accords normalization framework.

Asked by News Media whether Saudi Arabia might become the next country to enter the Abraham Accords, amid reports of increased Israeli-Saudi security coordination against the Iran-backed Houthis, Waltz instead stressed the regional danger posed by Houthi attacks on international shipping.

“The scourge of terrorism from them is unacceptable to the entire region,” Waltz said. “They continue to act as a proxy of the Iranian regime.

“You cannot attempt to punish the rest of the world to achieve a political end,” he added. “The oceans, trade and international waterways must remain open.”

The comments come as the Houthis have made major gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Reuters reported Sept. 16 that the offensive has exposed new vulnerabilities for Saudi Arabia and strengthened Iran’s regional leverage.

The 18-mile-wide Bab el-Mandeb links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and carries roughly 7% of global oil output. Houthi attacks beginning in 2023 forced major shipping companies to reroute vessels around Africa, increasing costs and transit times.

Sa’ar said the threats at Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz demonstrated why countries with shared interests should cooperate.

“What’s happening in Bab al-Mandab, like what’s happened in Strait of Hormuz, demonstrates the significance of all nations that want to respect freedom of navigation, world trade and cooperate against this kind of modern piracy,” Sa’ar said.

He declined to elaborate on any operational cooperation involving Saudi Arabia but made clear Israel wants the normalization framework expanded.

“It is clear that we would like this camp to be widened,” Sa’ar told News Media.

Bourita, meanwhile, said Morocco’s experience demonstrates that relations with Israel can also give Arab governments practical tools to help Palestinians.

“We can help the Palestinians, humanitarianly, because we have these relations with Israel,” Bourita said.

During the Gaza war, Morocco used its ties with Israel to secure a land route for 40 tons of humanitarian assistance into northern Gaza in March 2024. 

“Is it better to continue in the rhetorics, political positions, while sitting in our cities, our capitals or take initiatives?” Bourita asked.

“We don’t agree with Israel 100%. Each one may have its policy,” he said, arguing that Morocco uses the “Abraham Accords spirit” to “promote peace” and “promote stability in the region.”

Bourita also pointed to Morocco’s participation in Gaza stabilization efforts.

“I think it needs courage to contribute to peace,” he said. “And it’s easier to keep on making statements and engaging in rhetorics.”

Waltz echoed that argument, praising Morocco’s humanitarian work and its role in postwar Gaza efforts.

“It is far more than just signing agreements or coming to ceremonies,” Waltz said. “The Moroccan government, the Moroccan people are leaning in, in very meaningful ways for a more peaceful future.”

Brad Pitt and girlfriend Ines de Ramon shared a warm red-carpet moment Wednesday as they attended the world premiere of his latest film, Heart of the Beast.

The 62-year-old Oscar winner arrived hand-in-hand with de Ramon, 33, at the FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee, with the pair appearing close throughout the premiere.

Leaning into the film’s armed-forces backdrop, Pitt wore a camouflage-patterned suit for the occasion.

The affectionate appearance came days after a new development involving Pitt and former wife Angelina Jolie’s son, Maddox, 25, who has legally removed Pitt from his surname.

In Heart of the Beast, Pitt plays James Belmont, a retired Special Forces officer traveling with Odin, his former military working dog, when their plane goes down in Alaska’s isolated wilderness.

Although both survive the crash, Belmont and Odin must endure brutal conditions as they wait and fight for a chance at rescue.

Pitt’s military-inspired look featured a deliberately weathered camouflage finish, giving the suit the appearance of something assembled from authentic service uniforms.

He stayed on theme with an olive-green T-shirt, and a pendant could be seen underneath it that was reminiscent of a dog tag.

Rather than combat boots, he wore a pair of gray suede shoes that appeared to be dappled with flecks of white paint. 

To complete the look, Pitt wore a pair of lightly tinted aviator glasses, though they featured the squared-off bottoms common among military-style aviators.

His girlfriend contrasted his combat-inspired ensemble with a pale-pink tiered dress with white lace trim that looked as if it could have been a nightgown.

Ramon added white leather shoes with beaded designs over the toes, and she contrasted her light-colored dress with her long brunette tresses, which reached down to her midriff.

The multilingual jewelry executive, who was raised in Switzerland while her family hails from Spain, was first linked to Pitt in late 2022, and they signaled that they were a couple after attending the premiere of his film Babylon in December of that year, though they didn’t walk the red carpet together.

By early 2024, the two had moved in together, and they have since become inseparable at public events.

But more drama from Pitt’s children threatened to derail the otherwise upbeat premiere, as his 25-year-old son Maddox had legally removed ‘Pitt’ from his name just days earlier, following in the footsteps of his younger sibling Shiloh, 20. 

Meanwhile, Zahara, 21, and fraternal twins Vivienne and Knox, 18, have informally stopped using their dad’s surname, with plans to legalize the change.

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A Los Angeles judge granted the name change on Monday, officially making their son’s name Maddox Chivan Jolie, according to Page Six.

‘There are no objections, the petition for change of name is granted,’ the court order reviewed by the outlet states. ‘The Decree is signed and filed. The Petitioner’s name is changed from Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to Maddox Chivan Jolie.’

Maddox attended the Stanley Mosk Courthouse hearing remotely, alongside attorney Peter Levine.

Earlier this year, Maddox and Zahara published legal notices in the Los Angeles Daily Journal declaring their intent to drop their father’s last name.

Zahara has a scheduled name change hearing on September 28.

In July 2024, Shiloh’s attorney made a statement about her decision to drop her 62-year-old dad’s last name.

She filed for the change on her birthday in May, and it was publicly announced with a legal notice in the Los Angeles Times.

Regarding the publicity of the proceeding, Shiloh’s lawyer, the aforementioned Levine, shared that she ‘made an independent and significant decision following painful events.’

He added that she was ‘merely following legal process’ when publishing the information.

One month after Shiloh filed to drop her last name, a source revealed to People that Pitt’s relationship with his older kids remained strained.

‘He has virtually no contact with the adult kids. His engagement with the younger kids is more limited in recent months because of his filming schedule,’ the insider shared at the time.

Pitt was married to Jennifer Aniston from 2000 to 2005.

He famously moved on with Jolie, now 51, his Mr and Mrs Smith costar. 

They split in 2016 following a 12-year relationship and two-year marriage, with their divorce finalized eight years later in December 2024. 

The contentious exes are in an ongoing legal battle stemming from a disagreement regarding their shared French winery, Château Miraval.

Pitt claims Jolie sold her stake to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler behind his back, breaking an agreement that they would not sell without the other’s knowledge. 

The actor has been in a relationship with jewelry designer Ines de Ramon, 33, since 2022. 

President Trump is expected to meet with Gulf leaders next week on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss the ongoing war with Iran, according to a report.

The high-level session, reportedly planned for next Tuesday, will center on the conflict’s next phase and the Trump administration’s strategy for the period after the war, sources told Axios on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman are expected to send either their leaders or foreign ministers to the meeting with Trump.

One source told Axios that the gathering could grow to include additional Arab and Muslim leaders.

Gulf nations have faced sustained Iranian missile and drone strikes during the war, as have US military installations based in the region.

Beyond the security toll, the conflict has rattled Arab economies by interrupting oil and natural-gas exports.

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The administration’s proposed “day-after plan” for Iran is not expected to be finalized before the November midterm elections, Axios reported.

Trump has recently suggested that the war could end soon after the fall elections.

Vice President JD Vance offered a similar assessment in comments to The Post earlier this week, saying the nearly seven-month conflict would move into a “much different phase in a couple of months.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also seeking a meeting with Trump during the UN General Assembly, though no sit-down has been scheduled so far, according to Axios.

The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Dramatic video showed panic erupting aboard an Iranian passenger flight Tuesday as intense turbulence or a suspected mechanical malfunction sent parts of the cabin interior crashing down on travelers. Overhead-bin components and ceiling panels appeared to break loose during the ordeal.

The incident involved a Sepehran Airlines Boeing 737 traveling from Mashhad to Kermanshah, Iran, according to Jam Press.

Jam Press reported that the aircraft may have sustained engine damage as well as a tire blowout during takeoff.

Inside the aircraft, footage appeared to show the cabin coming apart as damaged overhead compartments shed panels and debris onto passengers. Travelers could be heard screaming and praying while raising their arms to shield themselves from falling pieces.

The pilot reportedly declared an emergency and requested permission to return to Mashhad Hashemi Nejad International Airport.

The Boeing 737 landed safely, Jam Press reported, citing NeedToKnow. None of the 127 passengers and crew members were reported injured.

The emergency also led to the temporary shutdown of one of the airport’s two runways.

Authorities have launched an investigation into what caused the incident, according to reports.

Passengers were reportedly placed on another flight to complete their journey.

According to Jam Press, decades of international sanctions have left Iran’s aviation industry struggling to access newer Western-built aircraft, genuine spare parts and other modern upgrades.

Local carriers have been forced to rely on aging aircraft while completing complex maintenance on their fleets.