Lebanese FM says Israeli occupation is root cause of current crisis
NewsFeed “There will be instability and there will be war” as long as the Israeli occupation continues, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told the UN General Assembly while also saying he welcomed a US and French ceasefire proposal. Published On 27 Sep 202427 Sep 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 945
As the war enters its 945th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Friday, September 27, 2024. Fighting Ukraine’s military said Russian forces fired 78 attack drones and six missiles over various regions during an hours-long attack from Wednesday into Thursday. Air defences destroyed 66 drones and four missiles, it added. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the attack targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. One woman was killed in a missile strike on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa, while 10 people were injured in a guided-bomb attack on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, officials said. At least one person was killed and one injured after Russian forces repeatedly shelled a village west of the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, Regional Governor Vyacheslav Prokudin said. A local official in the town of Slatyne in northeastern Kharkiv said rescuers were searching for people who might have been hurt after a fire triggered by a Russian rocket attack engulfed six houses. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces captured Ukrainsk in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The town, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of the city of Donetsk, was home to more than 10,000 people before the war. Politics and diplomacy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy met United States President Joe Biden at the White House. Biden promised that the US would “stand by” Ukraine and that Kyiv would “prevail” in the war that began when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. He also announced a high-level summit of 50 allies of Ukraine would convene in Germany next month. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris also met Zelenskyy and promised her “unwavering” support for Ukraine. She also criticised her Republican rival Donald Trump for what she said was his “surrender” policy on Ukraine. Trump, who has said Ukraine should have “made a deal” with Russia, confirmed he would meet Zelenskyy in New York on Friday. The foreign ministers of China and Ukraine met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said they discussed ways to achieve “a comprehensive, fair and lasting peace for Ukraine based on the UN Charter”. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier held talks on Ukraine with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Wang said Russia-China ties would “move forward” while Russia’s Foreign Ministry described the discussions as “constructive”. US President Joe Biden and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at the Oval Office in the White House in Washington, DC [Saul Loeb/AFP] Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s move to broaden its nuclear doctrine was a “signal” to Western countries that there would be consequences for attacks on Russia. Russia’s security service said it had arrested six people, including three teenagers, for allegedly setting fire to railway and communications equipment on orders from Ukrainian intelligence. Officials in Qatar said Ukraine and Russia will exchange 13 children following mediation by the Gulf state. Nine children and teenagers as well as a 19-year-old sibling will be reunited with their families in Ukraine, while four children will go to Russia, the officials said. A Polish court jailed a 23-year-old Ukrainian national and a 30-year-old Belarusian citizen after they were found guilty of spying for Russia, state news agency PAP reported. The two men were among 16 citizens of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia arrested as part of an investigation into a spy ring whose activities included collecting information on the transportation of military equipment to Ukraine. Balazs Orban, a senior adviser to Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, told a pro-government newspaper that it was “irresponsible” for Ukraine to have responded to Russia’s invasion of its sovereign territory. Orban, who is no relation to the prime minister, said Hungary would probably not have defended itself if the same thing happened given Moscow’s brutal crackdown on the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising. Orban’s comments fuelled outrage on social media in Hungary. Weapons Biden announced nearly $8bn in new military aid for Ukraine, including Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) munitions to “enhance Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities” and to “win this war”. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told the Reuters news agency that Ukraine should be able to freely use the weapons that it has been given and that he hopes Kyiv would be able to target sites further into Russia with the latest weapons being delivered by the US. Adblock test (Why?)
Will Israel’s onslaught on Lebanon force Iran to shift its approach?
Tehran, Iran – Iran has been biding its time since the July 31 assassination of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The high-profile assassination will beget Israel vengeance, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top political and military officials have promised, as a “guest” dear to Iran and its “axis of resistance” was killed on Iranian soil. The manner of Haniyeh’s and his bodyguard’s killing also raised many eyebrows, as they are believed by Iranian armed forces to have been targeted with a projectile – likely a relatively small, anti-armour guided missile – fired from not too far outside their residence for foreign dignitaries in affluent northern Tehran. The fact that Israel is now pounding Lebanon, its civilians and infrastructure to devastating effect, supposedly only to target Hezbollah, a prominent member of the Iran-led “axis of resistance”, merely ramps up pressure on Iranian leaders to take a more direct retaliatory approach. The Israeli military has killed at least 620 people and wounded thousands more across Lebanon in the past four days, with at least 72 killed on Wednesday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health. The attacks have been the deadliest Lebanon has seen since the end of its civil war close to 35 years ago. The thousands of bombs that have been dropped over Lebanon by a fleet of Israeli aircraft have also destroyed many homes and other civilian infrastructure, displaced tens of thousands, and killed paramedics and journalists. Is Iran’s timeline changing? Iran has continued to exercise restraint as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, who are still killing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank on a daily basis, are increasingly being seen as eager to drag the region – and the United States – into an expanded conflict. But the significant increase of Israeli attacks on Lebanon “will not be without effect in accelerating Iran’s response”, according to Hadi Afghahi, a West Asia analyst and former Iranian charge d’affaires to Lebanon. He told Al Jazeera that this was especially true after the “fiery” speech delivered by the supreme leader during a meeting with military commanders on Wednesday, when he asserted that Hezbollah had not been brought to its knees despite taking considerable blows. Khamenei promised that “final victory will belong to the resistance front and the Hezbollah front”. “Iran will not wait so long as to make the enemy insolent and believe that there will be no strike back. After the supreme leader’s speech, I think a strike will take place soon,” Afghahi said. He said that the most explicit comments about the nature of the Iranian retaliation against Israel so far have been delivered by Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iranian armed forces, who stated Tehran will respond decisively and independently of the “axis of resistance”. Afghahi pointed out that Hezbollah has launched a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv for the first time, the Houthis in Yemen successfully landed a hypersonic ballistic missile in central Israel, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq is ramping up its attacks using new missiles and drones. But Iran would likely wish to further display and also evaluate the effectiveness of its weapons in independent attacks, rather than a joint attack. “And a potential war will not simply be a war of missiles and drones, it would be a hybrid war,” the former official explained. “I have heard from a military official that we might even be considering going after a number of high-ranking Israeli political or military officials amid the war and our retaliatory operation. The Zionist regime has used assassination as a method since its founding, so if there is an assassination against these war criminals, it would be considered as retaliation and self-defence.” Afghahi emphasised that the Iranian response “will be within the framework of international law”, meaning no places of worship, schools, markets or other civilian infrastructure will be attacked, making a distinction with Israel’s repeated attacks on non-military targets. ‘Maintaining the initiative’ The election of centrist President Masoud Pezeshkian could mean that Tehran will display more “flexibility and strategic patience” overall, but “there are no disagreements over the nature, legitimacy or certainty of the response” among top Iranian leadership, Afghahi explained. Pezeshkian struck a moderate tone during his first address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, including saying Iran wants to hold more talks with the West and other global powers on its nuclear programme and US sanctions. But he also railed against the “genocide” being perpetrated in Gaza and called for a ceasefire. After returning to Tehran on Thursday, he told reporters that his team spoke with 15 countries about Gaza and Lebanon, and asserted that “the Zionist regime and its supporters are the biggest terrorists” who are killing civilians while claiming to be supporters of human rights and international law. Useful talks with EU High Rep @JosepBorrellF on range of issues of mutual interest/concern—incl nuclear talks, dangerous situation in Middle East caused by Israeli aggression against Lebanon, Ukraine, and need to avoid double standard on human rights. Urged EU to stop certain… pic.twitter.com/2ivIXJH2HI — Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) September 24, 2024 Iran wishes to reserve a legitimate right to respond to a violation of its sovereignty and territory while remaining mindful of Israel’s goals, according to Sasan Karimi, a professor at the Faculty of World Studies of the University of Tehran. He told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu is trying to protect himself politically, but Israel has adopted an overall “thousand daggers” policy since it realises it cannot defeat Iran with a single big blow. “The Islamic Republic has preferred at this stage to consciously maintain the initiative and not lose it even in response to Israeli acts of terror. In this vein, the timing, nature and scale of this reaction will be set in Tehran while maintaining a sense of agency,” Karimi said, adding that Iran will not be forced into an uncalculated response that could prompt more Western
Hezbollah rockets land in sea near Israeli city
NewsFeed Explosions were seen near the city of Haifa in northern Israel as a barrage of Hezbollah rockets landed in the sea. The Israeli army reported that around 45 rockets were identified crossing from Lebanon. Published On 26 Sep 202426 Sep 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Mass funeral for Kenya school fire victims
A mass funeral has been held for the 21 children who were killed in a boarding school fire in central Kenya earlier this month. Each small coffin was topped with a photograph, with most of the boys killed aged between nine and 13. Published On 26 Sep 202426 Sep 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 944
As the war enters its 944th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Thursday, September 26, 2024. Fighting At least two people were killed and 19 injured in a Russian-guided bomb attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces had captured the Ukrainian villages of Hostre and Hryhorivka in the eastern Donetsk region, not far from the town of Vuhledar, a longtime Ukrainian stronghold that had a population of 14,000 before the war. The General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces, in a late evening report, said there had been eight armed clashes in the Vuhledar area. Filashkin, the governor for the region, said Russian reconnaissance groups were in Vuhledar, but its forces had not captured the town. The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 28 out of 32 Russian drones and four out of eight missiles during an overnight attack. Four of the missiles targeted the southern region of Odesa, its regional governor, Oleh Kiper, said. One hit an open area causing a fire, while two trucks were also damaged. No casualties were reported. Politics and diplomacy Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged world leaders at the UN General Assembly to stand with his country and back a “real, just peace” more than two and a half years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy singled out China and Brazil for promoting what he called “half-hearted settlement plans”, accusing them of playing to their own interests “at Ukraine’s expense”. Zelenskyy’s plans for peace require Russia to withdraw from the Ukrainian territory it has occupied and justice for war crimes. US President Joe Biden said the United States would announce initiatives to accelerate support for Ukraine and help the country rebuild from the damage of Russia’s invasion. Biden and Zelenskyy are due to meet at the White House later on Thursday. Making his first speech at the UNGA, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said 600,000 Russian soldiers had been “killed or wounded” in its invasion of Ukraine, and questioned how Russia could “show its face” at the UN after treating its own citizens “as bits of meat to fling into the grinder”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that “forcing” Russia into peace would be a “fatal mistake”. He was responding to Zelenskyy’s comments on Tuesday that Russia needed to be forced into a peace settlement. Peskov reiterated that Russia would only talk peace on the condition that its “stability is ensured and the objectives of the special military operation are fulfilled”, referring to the war using Moscow’s official language. Former US President Donald Trump, who is campaigning for another term in November, said Ukraine should have made concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin instead of going to war when it was invaded by its neighbour. The Republican presidential candidate claimed at a rally in North Carolina that even “the worst deal would’ve been better than what we have now”. Weapons Putin lowered the threshold for a Russian nuclear response saying Moscow would consider any attack by a non-nuclear country supported by a nuclear power as a joint attack by both. Putin did not directly refer to Ukraine, which is urging its Western allies to allow it to use their conventional long-range weapons to attack military targets deep inside Russia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $375m in new military aid for Ukraine including HIMARS rocket launchers, Javelin missiles and light tactical vehicles. Blinken said the weapons would be deployed as quickly as possible. The Biden administration is also expected to notify Congress on Thursday of its intent to spend $5.5bn in additional military assistance to Ukraine in the coming months. IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned arms company Almaz-Antey, has established a weapons programme in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in the war against Ukraine, according to the Reuters news agency, which cited two sources from a European intelligence agency and project documents. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Reuters it was not aware of such a project, adding that Beijing had strict control measures on the export of drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Kupol, Almaz-Antey and the Russian Defence Ministry did not respond to the news agency’s requests for comment. Adblock test (Why?)
New York Mayor Eric Adams indicted amid corruption probe
BREAKINGBREAKING, Retired police captain becomes first sitting mayor of New York to face federal charges. New York Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted following a federal corruption investigation, the New York Times has reported. The indictment against Adams, one of the most powerful city leaders on the planet, is sealed and it is unclear what charges he will face, the Times reported on Wednesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The investigation has focused in part on whether Adams, a retired police captain, and his campaign conspired with Turkey to receive illegal foreign donations, the Times said. In a statement, Adams denied wrongdoing. “I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target – and a target I became. If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel, Iran give different accounts of Lebanon conflict
NewsFeed Israel and Iran gave different accounts of the same conflict in Lebanon, using a UN Security Council meeting to shift blame. Published On 26 Sep 202426 Sep 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
French immigration rules to be reviewed as far right weaponises murder
‘If we have to change the rules, let’s change them,’ says conservative Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. France’s interior minister has signalled he will push for tighter immigration policies as the far right seeks to use a gruesome murder to put pressure on the government. Addressing the arrest of a Moroccan man for the murder of a 19-year-old female student, Bruno Retailleau said on Wednesday that the “abominable crime” required not just rhetoric, but action, as far-right parties demanded when commenting on the case. “It is up to us, as public leaders, to refuse to accept the inevitable and to develop our legal arsenal, to protect the French,” Retailleau said. “If we have to change the rules, let’s change them.” The hardline rhetoric on migration is not new from Retailleau, a member of the conservative Republicans party who has previously advocated for stricter immigration rules and quicker deportations. Outgoing French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin is applauded by newly-appointed Bruno Retailleau during a handover ceremony in Paris, September 23 [Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters] The suggestion is in line with the demands of the far-right National Rally (RN) party, which has threatened it could topple France’s fragile governing coalition if its immigration concerns are not addressed. “It’s time for this government to act: our compatriots are angry and will not be content with just words,” RN chief Jordan Bardella said of the murder of the student, identified only by her first name Philippine. Greens lawmaker Sandrine Rousseau pushed back against the anti-migrant rhetoric, warning that the far right was using the murder case to “spread its racist hatred”. Bungled deportation The unnamed suspect in the killing has been identified as a 22-year-old male Moroccan national. He was arrested on Tuesday in the Swiss canton of Geneva, according to the AFP news agency. According to the prosecutors, the suspect was convicted in 2021 of a rape committed in 2019, when he was a minor. The suspect had been due to be deported from France after serving time in jail for the crime, Le Monde newspaper reported. He was sent on June 20 to a detention centre for undocumented migrants pending his removal. However, a judge set him free on September 3, noting that the deportation process faced administrative delays, under the condition that he check in regularly with police. Three days later, the paperwork to deport him was completed, but the man had disappeared, they said. France routinely issues deportation orders, but only about 7 percent of them are enforced, compared with 30 percent across the European Union. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel has been bombing Gaza and Lebanon at the same time
NewsFeed Hundreds of Israeli air strikes hit areas across Lebanon this week but Israel’s attacks on Gaza haven’t stopped either. Published On 25 Sep 202425 Sep 2024 Adblock test (Why?)