Jordanian, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Gaza and West Bank crises

Jordan’s foreign minister and his Iranian counterpart on Friday discussed increased Israeli aggression in the occupied West Bank as well as measures to end hostilities in Gaza. (Petra)
Jordan’s foreign minister and his Iranian counterpart on Friday discussed increased Israeli aggression in the occupied West Bank as well as measures to end hostilities in Gaza. (Petra)
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Updated 30 August 2024
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Jordanian, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Gaza and West Bank crises

Jordanian, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Gaza and West Bank crises
  • Safadi emphasized that halting Israeli aggression in Gaza was the first step in preventing a regional war

LONDON: Jordan’s foreign minister and his Iranian counterpart on Friday discussed increased Israeli aggression in the occupied West Bank as well as measures to end hostilities in Gaza.

Ayman Safadi and Abbas Araghchi spoke over the phone, Jordan News Agency reported.

During their conversation, Safadi emphasized that halting Israeli aggression in Gaza was the first step in preventing a regional war.

Safadi also congratulated Araghchi on his appointment and wished him well in his new position.

The two ministers followed up on the talks held by Safadi with the Araghchi’s acting predecessor Ali Bagheri Kani in Tehran on Aug. 4.

They also spoke on a variety of other topics, while emphasizing the “need to maintain open communication between the two countries in order to address any unresolved matters and build partnerships based on respect and cooperation,” Jordan News Agency added.

The two ministers agreed to meet next month at the UN General Assembly sessions in New York City.


Hezbollah tells fighters not to attack Israeli troops near peacekeepers

Hezbollah tells fighters not to attack Israeli troops near peacekeepers
Updated 25 sec ago
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Hezbollah tells fighters not to attack Israeli troops near peacekeepers

Hezbollah tells fighters not to attack Israeli troops near peacekeepers
  • UNIFIL warned that Israel’s operations near their position at Maroun Al-Ras was ‘extremely dangerous’ and compromised their safety
  • Hezbollah has accused Israel of ‘trying to use UNIFIL forces as human shields’

BEIRUT, Lebanon: The Iran-backed Hezbollah group said on Monday it ordered its fighters not to attack Israeli troops who recently moved behind a UN peacekeeping position near a Lebanese border village.
The statement came a day after UNIFIL had warned Israel’s operations near their position at Maroun Al-Ras was “extremely dangerous” and compromised their safety, adding it had repeatedly informed Israel of their concerns.
Hezbollah said it reported “unusual movement of Israeli enemy forces behind a UNIFIL position, on the outskirts of the border village of Maroun Al-Ras.”
It ordered fighters “not to take action... to preserve the lives of the peacekeepers,” quoting a field commander in its statement.
The group accused Israel of “trying to use UNIFIL forces as human shields.”
Contacted by AFP, UNIFIL did not immediately respond.
On Saturday, UNIFIL said it remained in all positions near the border despite what it said was an Israeli request to “relocate.”
Last week, Israel said it would start carrying out limited ground incursions into south Lebanon.
Hezbollah said it has clashed with Israeli troops in the Maroun Al-Ras area and confronted attempted infiltrations there several times this week.
Israel has intensified its campaign against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah since September 23, killing more than 1,110 people and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes in a country already mired in economic crisis.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, stipulated that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should be deployed in south Lebanon.


Iran says it will hit back against any Israeli strike

Billboard shows slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and the IRGC’s Abbas Nilforushan.
Billboard shows slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and the IRGC’s Abbas Nilforushan.
Updated 07 October 2024
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Iran says it will hit back against any Israeli strike

Billboard shows slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and the IRGC’s Abbas Nilforushan.
  • After US said it was discussing a joint response with Israel, Iran’s chief of staff warned that Tehran would hit Israeli infrastructure if its territory is attacked

TEHRAN: Iran said on Monday it would respond firmly to any Israeli attack on its soil, stressing that it did not want a wider war in the region.
On Tuesday Iran launched around 200 missiles in its second direct attack on Israel, in what it said was retaliation for the killing of Tehran-aligned militant leaders in the region and a general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Israel has vowed to respond to the attack.
Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, said the Islamic republic was “not afraid of war and will give a firm and appropriate response to any new action by the Zionist regime.”
The foreign minister made the remarks in a telephone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty.
Israel’s army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Iran had fired about 200 missiles at Israel last week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had made a “big mistake” with its missile barrage, which follows Israel killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on September 27.
After the United States said it was discussing a joint response with Israel, Iran’s chief of staff warned that Tehran would hit Israeli infrastructure if its territory is attacked.


Yemeni official among 13 abducted by Houthis in Ibb over revolution celebrations

Yemeni official among 13 abducted by Houthis in Ibb over revolution celebrations
Updated 07 October 2024
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Yemeni official among 13 abducted by Houthis in Ibb over revolution celebrations

Yemeni official among 13 abducted by Houthis in Ibb over revolution celebrations
  • The militia has targeted hundreds of people who celebrate the anniversary of the Sept. 26, 1962, revolution or encourage others to do so
  • Meanwhile, relatives of detained Yemeni humanitarian workers renew appeal to the Houthis to release them or at least allow visitors

AL-MUKALLA: A local government official was among 13 Yemenis abducted by the Houthis in Ibb province over the past two days, local media reported on Monday, as the militia continues to crack down on people who commemorate the 62nd anniversary of the 1962 revolution in the country.

Al-Masdar Online said Khaled Al-Kerizi, the deputy head of the provincial office of the Ministry of Culture, was taken from his home in Al-Mashannah District.

The Houthis also reportedly snatched eight people in Yarim District and four in Al-Udayn District and the countryside, increasing the number of people abducted in province in the past week to 48.

The Houthi crackdown in areas of northern Yemen under their control has targeted hundreds of people who celebrated the anniversary of the revolution or encouraged others to do so. The revolution, which began on Sept. 26, 1962, toppled the Zaidi imamates that had controlled northern Yemen for centuries and limited the right to rule to Hashemites. Much of their ideology is shared by the Houthis.

In an attempt to suppress pro-revolution celebrations in Sanaa, the Houthis have deployed military forces and vehicles, as well as undercover operatives in civilian clothing armed with batons, who have abducted people from the streets and their homes.

Some of those taken were pictured in videos dancing to a nationalist song commemorating the revolution. Others posted messages on social media platforms praising the revolution or encouraging others to celebrate it.

HuMENA, a human rights organization based in Brussels, strongly condemned the arbitrary Houthi raids on homes and abductions. It said members of the militia have detained about 500 people since Sept. 20, including about 40 journalists and writers, as well as teachers, university professors and students, lawyers, and members of the former ruling party, the General People’s Congress.

“We call on the international community and humanitarian organizations to take a firm stance against these violations, pressuring the Houthi group to end this repressive campaign and immediately release all detainees, ensuring the protection of citizens’ rights and freedom of expression,” HuMENA said.

Meanwhile, relatives of abducted Yemeni employees of international aid and human rights organizations, and diplomatic missions, renewed their appeals to the Houthis to release the detainees or at least allow visitors.

“Today marks four months since my father Ahmed’s detention in Yemen, without hearing from him or checking on his condition; months of anxiety, fear and sadness that consumes our hearts at all times,” Khaled Al-Yemeni, the son of an aid worker abducted by the Houthis on June 6, wrote in a message posted on Facebook on Sunday.

“We appeal to Ansar Allah’s leadership and all concerned parties to take action on my father’s case and release him as soon as possible. Our family is in constant pain, and we hope for relief soon.”

Ansar Allah is the official name of the Houthis. Since May, militia members have abducted dozens of Yemenis working for UN agencies, international aid and human rights organizations, and diplomatic missions in Sanaa and other parts of Yemen under their control, accusing them of using humanitarian work as a cover to spy for the US and Israel.

The UN and other organizations have strongly condemned the Houthis for their actions. They deny the allegations against their employees and demand the militia release the detainees and stop harassing humanitarian workers.

The Houthis said they buried 126 “unidentified” bodies in Hodeidah and Saada provinces in the past few days. The Houthi Yemeni Security Media reported on Sunday that in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the militia buried 66 bodies that had been stored at Al-Thawra Hospital in Hodeidah province.

On Thursday, the same media office said the Houthi Public Prosecution buried 60 unidentified bodies, some of which were those of African migrants, that had been stored at Al-Jamhuri Hospital in Saada province.


Israeli military says it intercepts missile fired from Yemen

Israeli military says it intercepts missile fired from Yemen
Updated 07 October 2024
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Israeli military says it intercepts missile fired from Yemen

Israeli military says it intercepts missile fired from Yemen
  • The missile set off air raid sirens across large swaths of central Israel, sending residents running for shelter

JERUSALEM: A surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen at central Israel on Monday was intercepted, the Israeli military said.
The missile set off air raid sirens across large swaths of central Israel, sending residents running for shelter.
“Following the sirens that sounded in a number of areas in central Israel, the surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen was successfully intercepted” by the Israeli Air Force, the military said in a statement.
The statement did not say who fired the missile. The Iran-backed Houthi movement which controls northern Yemen has frequently attacked Israel over the past year in what it says is solidarity with the Palestinians. 


Force alone will not lead to Israel’s security, France says

An Israeli tank operates at a location given as Southern Lebanon in this image released on October 6, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli tank operates at a location given as Southern Lebanon in this image released on October 6, 2024. (Reuters)
Updated 07 October 2024
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Force alone will not lead to Israel’s security, France says

An Israeli tank operates at a location given as Southern Lebanon in this image released on October 6, 2024. (Reuters)
  • “Force alone cannot guarantee the security of Israel, your security. Military success cannot be a substitute for a political perspective,” Barrot said

JERUSALEM: Israel’s security cannot be guaranteed with military force alone and will require a diplomatic solution, France’s foreign minister said on Monday, and Paris would continue efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Speaking at the end of a four-day tour of the Middle East, Jean-Noel Barrot was in Israel on Monday to mark a year since Hamas militants crossed into Israel killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage back to Gaza.
The assault triggered an Israeli military campaign in Gaza that has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave’s health ministry. The war has spread conflict across the region with Israel stepping up military operations over its northern border in Lebanon against Hezbollah, a Hamas ally.
“Force alone cannot guarantee the security of Israel, your security. Military success cannot be a substitute for a political perspective,” Barrot told a news conference in Jerusalem.
“To bring the hostages home to their loved ones, to allow the displaced to return home in the north (of Israel), after a year of war, the time for diplomacy has come.”
Barrot’s arrival in Israel, where about 180,000 French citizens live, came at a tricky time in Franco-Israeli relations after President Emmanuel Macron was firmly rebuffed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekend.
Macron had called for a de facto arms embargo on Israel and, in a veiled attack on the US, said countries that both supplied weapons and called for a ceasefire where they were being used in conflict were being incoherent. French arms supplies to Israel are minimal.
Barrot reiterated that it was odd to call for a ceasefire while giving offensive weapons. He said that France, as a staunch defender of Israel’s security, felt it was vital to be frank about the ongoing suffering of civilians in Gaza, but also the military operation now in southern Lebanon.
France worked with the United States in trying to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon at the end of September. Diplomatic sources had at the time believed this had secured a temporary truce, a day before Israel heavily bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing longtime Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
“We have a responsibility to act today to avoid Lebanon finding itself in a short horizon in a dramatic situation like Syria found itself a few years ago,” Barrot said.
Ceasefire proposals put forward together with Washington remain on the table, he said.