Israel sounds sirens in Eilat, intercepts aerial target

Israel sounds sirens in Eilat, intercepts aerial target
An Israeli navy missile boat patrols in the Red Sea off the coast of Israel's southern port city of Eliat on December 26, 2023.(AFP)
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Updated 22 February 2024
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Israel sounds sirens in Eilat, intercepts aerial target

Israel sounds sirens in Eilat, intercepts aerial target
  • Eilat, on the Red Sea, has in the past been the target of long-distance launches by Yemeni Houthis

JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said it intercepted a target in the area of the Red Sea on Thursday after sirens warning of incoming rockets and missiles sounded in the southern city of Eilat.
“The target did not cross into Israeli territory and did not pose a threat to civilians. The sirens were sounded according to policy,” the military said.
Eilat, on the Red Sea, has in the past been the target of long-distance launches by Yemeni Houthis, in solidarity with Palestinians since the outbreak in October of the Gaza war.


Syrians stroll through Assad’s palaces, take furniture and ornaments

Syrians stroll through Assad’s palaces, take furniture and ornaments
Updated 14 sec ago
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Syrians stroll through Assad’s palaces, take furniture and ornaments

Syrians stroll through Assad’s palaces, take furniture and ornaments
DAMASCUS: Syrians strolled through the palaces of President Bashar Assad on Sunday following his sudden ouster, wandering from room to room, posing for photographs, and with some taking away items of furniture or ornaments.
Video obtained by Reuters showed people entering the Al-Rawda Presidential Palace, as children ran through the grand, formal rooms and men slid a large trunk across the ornate patterned floor.
Several men marched out of the building carrying chairs over their shoulders. In a storeroom, cupboards had been ransacked and objects strewn across the floor.
Video of another palace, the older-style MuHajjreen Palace, verified by Reuters, showed groups of men and women walking across a white marble floor and through sets of tall wooden doors. A man carried a vase in his hand, and a large cabinet stood empty with its doors ajar. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling.
The scenes were reminiscent of the fall of Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime in Iraq two decades ago. Then, Iraqis saw the extravagant luxury of his palaces where the bathrooms were famously fitted with gold taps.
Syrian militants seized control of Damascus on Sunday, forcing Assad to flee and ending his family’s decades of rule after more than 13 years of civil war in a seismic moment for the Middle East.
Another video verified by Reuters showed rebels firing celebratory shots at the entrance gate to the New Shaab Palace (Peoples’ Palace), a vast complex on the western edge of Damascus that sits atop Mount Mazzeh.
“The army of Islam (the militants) is in the presidential palace. God is great, we have seized control of it,” said one of the militants. The group then filmed their walk through the deserted grounds and the stark, monumentalist architecture of the palace.
Assad, who had not spoken in public since the sudden militant advance a week ago, flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination earlier on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as militants said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments.
Russia, one of Assad’s closest allies, confirmed that Assad had left Syria but did not say where he was, including whether Moscow had given him refuge.

GCC secretary-general says Arab Gulf is ‘bridge for peace’ amid US-China competition 

GCC secretary-general says Arab Gulf is ‘bridge for peace’ amid US-China competition 
Updated 46 min 23 sec ago
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GCC secretary-general says Arab Gulf is ‘bridge for peace’ amid US-China competition 

GCC secretary-general says Arab Gulf is ‘bridge for peace’ amid US-China competition 
  • Al-Budaiwi says Gulf countries believe in multilateralism and partnerships with the US and China 
  • ‘GCC remains a bridge for peace and cooperation in the region,’ he adds

Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said that Arab Gulf countries are committed to the promotion of dialogue and diplomacy in the region despite fierce competition between China and the US. 

Al-Budaiwi emphasized that the GCC remains a bridge for peace and cooperation in the region. 

His remarks came during the 22nd edition of the Doha Forum in Qatar on Sunday in a session about increased China-US rivalry and the future of security cooperation in the Middle East, the Saudi Press Agency reported. 

Al-Budaiwi confirmed that GCC countries, including Saudi Arabia, believe in multilateralism, cooperation, and balanced partnerships with the US, China and other global powers “to ensure a secure and prosperous future for the region and beyond.” 

He said the GCC countries enjoy close relations with the US but also signed partnerships with China in various fields, including free trade agreements.  

The GCC’s vision and role in achieving regional security will benefit from cooperation with China and the US, according to Al-Budaiwi, to tackle pressing issues such as climate change, technological innovation, and economic diversification in the Gulf region.


Armed group in Syria steals cars from Italy ambassador’s residence: foreign minister

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. (File/AFP)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. (File/AFP)
Updated 08 December 2024
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Armed group in Syria steals cars from Italy ambassador’s residence: foreign minister

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. (File/AFP)
  • “Neither the ambassador or the (Italian) police who were at the residence were touched,” said Tajani

ROME: Italy’s foreign minister said Sunday an “armed group” had entered the garden of the Italian ambassador in Damascus and stolen three cars, after militants said they had seized the city.
“This morning an armed group entered the garden of the residence of Italy’s ambassador... they took away three automobiles,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told journalists following a foreign ministry crisis meeting on the Syria situation.
“They were in the garden for a little while, obviously they wanted to check if there were soldiers of Assad there... but neither the ambassador or the (Italian) police who were at the residence were touched,” said Tajani.
He said the ambassador was “safe” and working remotely in a different location.
“The situation is completely under control in a complicated situation of great jubilation, but jubilation in Syria is manifested by shooting in the air, so still complicated,” said Tajani.
Early Sunday, militants announced they had entered Damascus after a lightning offensive against the forces of President Bashar Assad.


Kingdom in contact with all Syria stakeholders, says Saudi official 

Kingdom in contact with all Syria stakeholders, says Saudi official 
Updated 08 December 2024
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Kingdom in contact with all Syria stakeholders, says Saudi official 

Kingdom in contact with all Syria stakeholders, says Saudi official 
  • 'Current situation direct consequence of Syrian govt’s lack of engagement in the political process'

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has been communicating with all regional actors on Syria and is determined to do what is possible to avoid chaos following the ouster of President Bashar Assad, a Saudi official said on Sunday.

“We are in constant communication with Turkiye and every stakeholder involved,” the official told Reuters, adding that the Kingdom was not aware of Assad’s whereabouts.

His failure to re-engage several regional actors and the opposition was to blame for his downfall, the official said.

“The Turkish government attempted to engage and coordinate with the Syrian government, but these overtures were met with refusal,” he said.

“The current situation is a direct consequence of the Syrian government’s lack of engagement in the political process. This outcome reflects the inevitable result of such intransigence.”

Assad went to Saudi Arabia in 2023 to attend an Arab League summit, after a 12-year suspension.

“The hope was that this move would influence the Syrian government to engage more constructively with the opposition and the various stakeholders within Syria and in the region, rather than allowing the existing stalemate and fragile peace to be taken for granted,” the official said.

“We emphasized that the situation should not be underestimated, as it remained precarious. Unfortunately, this message did not result in any meaningful action from the Syrian side.”

The official said events in Syria showed some positive aspects that he hoped would continue.

“Notably, the transition has occurred without bloodshed, which is encouraging. Additionally, we appreciate the statements from various stakeholders emphasizing the importance of protecting state institutions, the sovereignty of Syria, and the rights of minority groups,” he said.

“We hope to see these positive trends continue and are committed to doing everything we can to maintain this momentum.”


Egypt calls for consensus, reconstruction in Syria after Assad’s fall

People gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian government, in Manbij, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP)
People gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian government, in Manbij, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP)
Updated 08 December 2024
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Egypt calls for consensus, reconstruction in Syria after Assad’s fall

People gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian government, in Manbij, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP)
  • Egypt urged all Syrian parties “to unify objectives and priorities and initiate a comprehensive and inclusive political process”

CAIRO: Egypt on Sunday urged for national consensus and reconstruction in Syria, hours after the ousting of President Bashar Assad by militants who seized control of the capital Damascus.
In a statement by the foreign ministry, Egypt urged all Syrian parties “to unify objectives and priorities and initiate a comprehensive and inclusive political process that lays the groundwork for a new phase of consensus and internal peace.”
It said Egypt is committed to working with regional and international partners to help the Syrian people, facilitate reconstruction efforts and support the safe return of refugees to their homeland.
Militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham and allied factions began a lightning offensive on November 27, seizing swathes of the country from government hands and entering Damascus early Sunday.
The Egyptian foreign ministry, in the statement, said that it affirms “its stand alongside the Syrian state and people and supports them in preserving Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.”
On Thursday, when militant forces were still advancing toward the capital Damascus, Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty expressed concern over the developments in Syria in a phone call with Syrian foreign minister Bassem Sabbagh.
He affirmed “Egypt’s position in support of the Syrian state and its national institutions.”