Russia Missile Suspected in Azerbaijani Plane Crash, Moscow Warns Against 'Hypotheses'

This is Beirut 2024-12-26 22:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Russia Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Airlines Kazakhstan

Azerbaijani and US officials believe a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the deadly crash of an Azerbaijani passenger jet, media reports and a US official said Thursday, as the Kremlin cautioned against "hypotheses" over the disaster. The Azerbaijan Airlines jet crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau, an oil and gas hub, on Wednesday after ...

Syrian Authorities Arrest Official Responsible for Saydnaya Death Penalties

This is Beirut 2024-12-26 20:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Syria Bashar al-Assad Saydnaya Prison

Syria's new authorities have arrested a military justice official who under ousted president Bashar al-Assad issued death sentences for detainees in the notorious Saydnaya prison, a war monitor said Thursday. The confirmation by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights of his detention came a day after deadly clashes erupted in the coastal ...

Israel Conducts Airstrikes on Critical Infrastructure in Yemen

This is Beirut 2024-12-26 18:27 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Yemen Houthi Movement

Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Yemen on Thursday, with seven strikes hitting Sanaa and three targeting Hodeidah. According to Al-Hadath, the strikes reportedly targeted Sanaa airport, the adjacent Al-Dailami base, Hodeidah port and key energy and oil facilities, notably the Hezyaz central power station, causing significant damage to the ...

ExplainerWhat We Know About Crash of Azerbaijan Airlines Plane

This is Beirut 2024-12-26 18:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Azerbaijan Khazakhstan Azerbaijan Airlines Russia

The official cause of the crash of a Russia-bound Azerbaijani plane in Kazakhstan on Wednesday that killed 38 of the 67 people on board is still unknown. But, pointing to apparent shrapnel damage on the wreckage, experts have said the plane could have been accidentally shot down by Russian air defense. Russian and Kazakh authorities have warned ...

Tears and Prayers as Asia Mourns Tsunami Victims, 20 Years On

This is Beirut 2024-12-26 16:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Tearful mourners prayed and lit candles Thursday at ceremonies across Asia to remember the 220,000 people killed two decades ago when a tsunami hit coastlines around the Indian Ocean in one of the world's worst disasters. A 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's western tip on December 26, 2004, generated a series of waves as high as 30 metres ...

Syria's Ahmad al-Sharaa Meets with Iraqi Intelligence Chief

This is Beirut 2024-12-26 16:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Syria Iraq Ahmad al-Sharaa

Syrian official Ahmad al-Sharaa met with Iraqi intelligence chief Hamid al-Shatri, who was sent as an envoy by the Iraqi prime minister. The meeting, as reported by the General Command, also saw the participation of Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Hassan al-Shaibani and the newly appointed head of Syrian intelligence, Anas Khattab. The discussions ...

Russia Accuses France of Excluding Kyiv in Ukraine Talks

This is Beirut 2024-12-26 15:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Russia France Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said France had tried to establish "dialogue" with Moscow on Ukraine but without Kyiv's participation -- a claim that was dismissed by Paris as "intemperate". Western countries have called for a united front in support for Ukraine and have constantly said that no decisions could be taken without ...

Gaza Hospital Reports Three Infant Deaths Due to 'Severe Temperature Drop'

This is Beirut 2024-12-26 15:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Gaza Hamas Khan Younes

The chief paediatric doctor at a southern Gaza hospital told AFP that three babies had died of "severe temperature drop" this week, as the war-ravaged Palestinian territory grapples with winter cold. In the most recent case, Dr. Ahmed al-Farra of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younes city said a three-week-old girl "was brought to the emergency room ...

'No More Fear': Stand-Up Comedy Returns to Post-Assad Syria

This is Beirut 2024-12-26 11:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

syria comedy damascus

In post-Assad Syria, stand-up comedians are re-emerging to challenge taboos, mocking the former president and his regime and even testing the waters with Damascus's new rulers. Melki Mardini, a performer in the Syrian capital's stand-up scene, is among those embracing newfound freedoms. "The regime has fallen," he declares from the stage, ...

Syria Forces Carry out Operation against Pro-Assad Fighters in Tartus

This is Beirut 2024-12-26 10:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria's security forces launched an operation on Thursday against pro-Assad fighters in the western province of Tartus, state media said, a day after deadly clashes with gunmen affiliated with the former government. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHH) monitor said three people were killed in the operation in coastal Tartus city, ...

5 Killed in an Israeli Strike on Media Broadcast Truck

This is Beirut 2024-12-26 09:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Palestine

Five members of the Palestinian TV channel "Al-Quds Today", which is affiliated with the Islamic Jihad movement, were killed Thursday in an Israeli strike on their vehicle, the outlet said in a statement. The missile hit their broadcast truck as it was parked in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, according to the statement. The channel ...

EditorialTurkey: The Arabs... Pawns Caught in Power Play

Marc Saikali 2024-12-26 08:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Hamas Hezbollah Israel Palestine Tehran Turkey

Erdogan seems to be indomitable and relentless in pursuing his ambitions. He just pulled off a remarkable masterstroke: toppling the Assad regime, with an American green light and a tacit Russian approval. Once shunned and labeled the gravedigger of Ataturk’s secular legacy – not to mention contested in the ballot box – he has now staged a ...