Israel

Two Explosions Reported Off Coast of Yemen

A merchant vessel passing through the Gulf of Aden, off Yemen, reported two explosions in "close proximity", British maritime security agency UKMTO said Tuesday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said the "vessel and all crew are safe," adding that "authorities are investigating" the blasts south of Yemen's southern port city of ...

HRW Describes Israeli Attack on Habariye as Illegal

Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the Israeli attack on an emergency and rescue center in the southern Lebanese town of Habariye on March 27 as “illegal.” The organization has urged the United States to “immediately suspend its arms sales and military aid to Israel.” HRW asserts that whether the attack was carried out “intentionally ...

UN and US Defend Free Press After Israel Bans Al Jazeera

The United Nations defended freedom of the press on Monday as it commented on Israel's decision to shut down the Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera, while the United States opposed Israel's closure of the channel, saying it should be allowed to operate despite any concerns about its coverage. "We think Al Jazeera ought to be able to operate in ...

Biden Reiterates 'Clear Position' on Rafah to Netanyahu

US President Joe Biden "reiterated his clear position" to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after Israel defied US warnings and told Palestinians to evacuate part of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the White House said. Meanwhile, Netanyahu "agreed to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing is open for humanitarian assistance for those in ...

Houthis Dismantle US-Israel 'Spy' Network

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis said on Monday that they had exposed a "spy" network aiding the United States and Israel and arrested suspected members of it. The Houthi-run Saba news agency published footage of the detained men, describing them as "spies recruited to collect information and monitor sites operated by the Yemeni (Houthi) armed forces ...

Israel Simultaneously Attacks Rafah, Engages in Negotiations After Hamas' Response

Following Hamas' response to the ceasefire proposal mediated by Egypt and Qatar, Israel decided to persist in its planned military operation in Rafah while simultaneously deciding to send a delegation of negotiators to Cairo for talks. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh informed mediators Qatar and Egypt early on Monday evening that his Palestinian ...

Hamas to Continue Truce Talks Despite Rafah Evacuation

A Hamas spokesman said Monday that the Palestinian militant group would continue negotiations towards a truce in Gaza, despite Israel's order to begin evacuating people from Rafah in the south. "We will continue the negotiations positively and with an open heart", Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou told AFP. He reiterated that an agreement was ...

Israeli Raids Near Baalbeck, Cautious Calm in the South

Israeli warplanes launched an airstrike at around 1:30 a.m. on Monday on a factory in the town of Sefri, near Baalbeck, which led to the injury of three civilians. The raid also targeted an uninhabited building, the stones of which littered the neighboring Rayak-Baalbek International Road. The border area in the eastern sector of south Lebanon is ...

The Limits of Negotiations

  The ongoing negotiations shepherded by the US and Saudi Arabia offer a suitable platform to tackle the equivocations of a deliberately mounted conflict and its self defeating premises. This conflict is intractable by definition and was initially conceived to prevent the possibility of diplomatic intermediation. The offer of a 40-day truce ...

OIC Denounces Gaza ‘Genocide’, Urges Sanctions Against Israel

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday denounced a "genocide" in Gaza, urging its 57 member countries to impose sanctions on Israel in a resolution adopted at the end of its Gambia summit. The organization called on its members to impose "sanctions on Israel, the occupying power, and halt the export of weapons and ammunition used ...

Gaza Negotiations Stall Again

A Hamas official said on Sunday that the group's delegation to the Gaza truce talks in Cairo was leaving for Qatar after disagreements with Israel over demands to end the war persisted. A meeting in Cairo on a proposed truce linked to the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip ended on Sunday without any concrete progress, while Israel and Hamas ...