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Iran in diplomatic push to seek halt in violence

raqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi (C) in Baghdad on October 13, 2024. (AFP)
raqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi (C) in Baghdad on October 13, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 13 October 2024
AFP
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Iran in diplomatic push to seek halt in violence

raqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi (C) in Baghdad on October 13, 2024.
  • At a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Araghchi said in Iraq that his country was “fully prepared for a war situation ... but we do not want war, we want peace”
Updated 13 October 2024
AFP
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TEHRAN: Iran held a series of diplomatic talks on Sunday, with President Masoud Pezeshkian seeking support from France’s Emmanuel Macron for a ceasefire in Lebanon, and the foreign minister visiting Iraq while on a regional tour.
According to a statement on Iran’s presidential website, Pezeshkian and Macron discussed ways to secure a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel as the Iranian leader condemned Israel’s “crimes” in Gaza and Lebanon.
Macron’s office said he called on Pezeshkian to support “a general de-escalation and to use its influence in this direction with the destabilising actors that enjoy its support.”
Iran backs Hamas, which is battling Israel in Gaza, and Hezbollah, which is fighting Israel in Lebanon.
Israel has vowed to retaliate against an Iranian missile strike on October 1, raising fears of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon morphing into an all-out regional conflict.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was meanwhile in Iraq on Sunday, a neighbor and ally of his government, as part of a series of visits in the region for talks on the wars in Lebanon and Gaza.
Araghchi said there would be “no red lines” in defending the country’s people and interests, adding that efforts would continue to “contain an all-out war in our region.”
Iran has said its launch of 200 missiles on Israel earlier this month was retaliation for the killing of Tehran-backed militant leaders in the region and a general in its Revolutionary Guards.
At a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Araghchi said in Iraq that his country was “fully prepared for a war situation ... but we do not want war, we want peace.”
He also said Iran would continue consultations “to prevent the escalation of tension in the region and to work for peace” and a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.
After his visit to Iraq, Araghchi headed to Oman, IRNA state news agency reported.
On Thursday, he had been in Qatar, where he met Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose government has been mediating talks aimed at securing a Gaza ceasefire and has also called for a truce in Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Araghchi met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, during his trip to the Kingdom.

 

 

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon War on Gaza Palestine Gaza US Iran Iraq Saudi Arabia

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Syria army says lost control of key central city of Hama

Syria army says lost control of key central city of Hama
Updated 5 sec ago
AFP
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Syria army says lost control of key central city of Hama

Syria army says lost control of key central city of Hama
Updated 5 sec ago
AFP
BEIRUT: Syria’s army acknowledged Thursday it had lost control of the strategic central city of Hama for the first time since war broke out in 2011, amid a lighting militant offensive.
“Over the past few hours, with the intensification of confrontations between our soldiers and terrorist groups... these groups were able to breach a number of axes in the city and entered it,” a statement from the army said, adding that “military units stationed there have redeployed” outside the city.

Iraq PM denies wiretapping allegations as ‘lie of the century’

Iraq PM denies wiretapping allegations as ‘lie of the century’
Updated 15 min 12 sec ago
AFP
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Iraq PM denies wiretapping allegations as ‘lie of the century’

Iraq PM denies wiretapping allegations as ‘lie of the century’
  • Corruption scandals frequently grip Iraq, with smear and disinformation campaigns often used to settle political scores
Updated 15 min 12 sec ago
AFP

BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani on Thursday denied allegations that members of his office were responsible for wiretapping the phones of MPs and other politicians — accusations that have sparked months of uproar.
Corruption scandals frequently grip Iraq, with smear and disinformation campaigns often used to settle political scores.
Sudani said the accusations were levelled at the government “in an immoral manner,” adding the allegations “are baseless and I can say with absolute certainty that it is the lie of the century.”
He was publicly addressing the allegations for the first time, in remarks reported by the state news agency INA.
The accusations first emerged in August, and subsequent reports by Iraqi and Arab media outlets suggested that among the victims of the alleged wiretapping were powerful members of the political class.
In particular, they pointed to members of the Coordination Framework, a pro-Iran Shiite parliamentary bloc that brought Sudani to power.
Iraq’s judiciary has opened an investigation into the accusations, but has not publicly commented on them or revealed who is implicated.
The only individual named in the case is Mohamed Al-Jouhi, a former official in Sudani’s office.
The first official to publicly comment on the accusations was MP Mustafa Sanad, who alleged in August that he himself had been a victim of the wiretapping and said a network had been arrested, including officers and officials, notably Jouhi.
And in September, former speaker of parliament Mohammed Al-Halbussi also claimed in a televised interview that his movements have been subject to “surveillance.”
In September, the Supreme Council of the Judiciary denounced “the inaccuracy of information” circulating in the media over an investigation into the “Mohamed Al-Jouhi network.”
It described as “false” reports “circulating in the media and on social media regarding attempts to eavesdrop on the president” of the council, Faiq Zidan.

Topics: Iraq

Syria families reunite after years as militants take Aleppo

Syria families reunite after years as militants take Aleppo
Updated 05 December 2024
AFP
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Syria families reunite after years as militants take Aleppo

Syria families reunite after years as militants take Aleppo
  • The fall of Syria’s second city, Aleppo, to Islamist-led militants has brought flight and displacement for some, but for others like Bahria Bakkur, it has led to long-awaited reunions
Updated 05 December 2024
AFP

ALEPPO:The fall of Syria’s second city, Aleppo, to Islamist-led militants has brought flight and displacement for some, but for others like Bahria Bakkur, it has led to long-awaited reunions.
After almost a decade apart, 43-year-old Bakkur was finally able to embrace her son, separated when government forces reclaimed control of their city.
The Islamist-led militants’ lightning assault on Aleppo has revived a war that had been mostly dormant for years.
The fighting in northern Syria since last week has killed hundreds and heightened concerns for civilians, but for Bakkur, it meant being with her son again.
“I wasn’t expecting this to happen. I thought I would die before getting to see him,” said Bakkur, tears in her eyes.
She last saw her son Mohammed Jomaa, now 25 years old and a father of four, in 2016, when Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces retook Aleppo’s eastern districts after a brutal siege.
Jomaa was one of tens of thousands who had fled the city earlier in the war, only to return in recent days.
“It’s an indescribable joy,” he said. “I still can’t believe I’m back in Aleppo.”


Since leaving Aleppo, Jomaa spent several years in rebel-held Afrin, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from his family home.
“We knew that we couldn’t stay in Aleppo because we were labelled ‘terrorists’. We were trapped and had to leave Aleppo,” said Jomaa, donning a military vest and a traditional red-and-white keffiyeh scarf.
His mother said she was “counting the minutes and the hours until I see him.”
“Praise God, I’ve seen him. It’s like the entire world is smiling at me.”
In some parts of the city, the streets are quiet and residents are anxious, fearing the situation could deteriorate.
The United Nations said on Wednesday that 115,000 people had been “newly displaced across Idlib and northern Aleppo” by the fighting.
UN envoy Geir Pedersen said that the latest “developments have provoked different reactions among the Syrian people — a grave threat for some, a signal of hope for others,” urging the protection of civilians.
For Jomaa, the joy of reuniting with his family was incomplete.
He said his father was detained by regime forces after they had regained control of Aleppo in 2016, and since then, “we don’t know anything about him.”
“I only wish my dad would come back.”
Just outside the house, relatives and neighbors came to greet Jomaa upon his return, though the conversation quickly turned to the latest news from the battlefield.


Ahmed Orabi, 35, has also returned home to Aleppo, reunited with his young daughter.
Seven years ago, they fled to Idlib province, where many people were displaced to from elsewhere in Syria.
But escalating air raids had again forced Orabi’s wife to seek safety, returning to her family in Aleppo along with their daughter, Acil.
Orabi, an opposition media activist, did not want to stay far from his family and hometown for so long, but could not return so long as Aleppo was under Assad’s control.
“Coming back was like a dream,” he said.
“When the battles started, I didn’t wait. I wanted to see my daughter... I decided to go to her.”
Though “the road wasn’t completely clear,” Orabi said he made it to the neighborhood where his daughter lived.
“I called out her name” and “once I saw her, it was such a beautiful moment,” he said.
He regrets the years spent apart, but is now trying to make up for lost time.
“I didn’t know how being a father felt like — I couldn’t hug her in my arms and kiss her.”
With the family back together in Aleppo, Orabi took his daughter to a public park where they can play and create memories together.
“As a father, these are the happiest moments,” he said.

Topics: Syria

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Amnesty says Israel carrying out ‘genocide’ in Gaza

Amnesty says Israel carrying out ‘genocide’ in Gaza
Updated 05 December 2024
AFP
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Amnesty says Israel carrying out ‘genocide’ in Gaza

Amnesty says Israel carrying out ‘genocide’ in Gaza
  • Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as subhuman group unworthy of human rights, says Amnesty 
  • Rights group releases 300-page report featuring satellite images showing devastation in Gaza, ground reports
Updated 05 December 2024
AFP

THE HAGUE: Amnesty International on Thursday accused Israel of “committing genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza since the start of the war last year, saying a new report was a “wake-up call” for the international community.
The London-based rights organization said its findings were based on “dehumanizing and genocidal statements by Israeli government and military officials,” satellite images documenting devastation, fieldwork and ground reports from Gazans.
“Month after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically destroy them,” Amnesty chief Agnes Callamard said in a statement.
“Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide. It must stop now,” she added.
The Palestinian group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack inside southern Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a deadly Israeli military offensive as Israeli officials vowed to crush the militants.
Israel has repeatedly and forcefully denied allegations of genocide, accusing Hamas of using the Palestinian people as human shields.
“There is absolutely no doubt that Israel has military objectives. But the existence of military objectives does not negate the possibility of a genocidal intent,” Callamard told AFP at a press conference in The Hague.
The 300-page report points to incidents where there “was no Hamas presence or any other military objectives.”
It cites 15 air strikes in Gaza between October 7, 2023 and April 20, which killed 334 civilians including 141 children, for which the group found “no evidence that any of these strikes were directed at a military objective.”
In addition to tens of thousands of deaths and physical and psychological trauma, the report also points to the conditions on the ground, where it said Palestinians are subjected to “malnutrition, hunger and diseases” and exposed to a “slow, calculated death.”
“States that transfer arms to Israel violate their obligations to prevent genocide under the convention and are at risk of becoming complicit,” Callamard added during the press conference.
Since the start of the war, at least 44,532 people have been killed in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN.
Amnesty International has also announced that it will publish a report on the crimes committed by Hamas during the October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages killed in captivity.
Hamas also seized 251 hostages during the attack, some of whom were already dead. Of those, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli army says are dead.

Amnesty says Israel carrying out ‘genocide’ in Gaza

Amnesty says Israel carrying out ‘genocide’ in Gaza
Updated 05 December 2024
AFP
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Amnesty says Israel carrying out ‘genocide’ in Gaza

Amnesty says Israel carrying out ‘genocide’ in Gaza
Updated 05 December 2024
AFP

THE HAGUE: Amnesty International on Thursday accused Israel of “committing genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza since the start of the war last year, saying a new report was a “wake-up call” for the international community.
The London-based rights organization said its findings were based on “dehumanizing and genocidal statements by Israeli government and military officials,” satellite images documenting devastation, fieldwork and ground reports from Gazans.
“Month after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically destroy them,” Amnesty chief Agnes Callamard said in a statement.
“Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide. It must stop now,” she added.
The Palestinian group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack inside southern Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a deadly Israeli military offensive as Israeli officials vowed to crush the militants.
Israel has repeatedly and forcefully denied allegations of genocide, accusing Hamas of using the Palestinian people as human shields.
“There is absolutely no doubt that Israel has military objectives. But the existence of military objectives does not negate the possibility of a genocidal intent,” Callamard told AFP at a press conference in The Hague.
The 300-page report points to incidents where there “was no Hamas presence or any other military objectives.”
It cites 15 air strikes in Gaza between October 7, 2023 and April 20, which killed 334 civilians including 141 children, for which the group found “no evidence that any of these strikes were directed at a military objective.”
In addition to tens of thousands of deaths and physical and psychological trauma, the report also points to the conditions on the ground, where it said Palestinians are subjected to “malnutrition, hunger and diseases” and exposed to a “slow, calculated death.”
“States that transfer arms to Israel violate their obligations to prevent genocide under the convention and are at risk of becoming complicit,” Callamard added during the press conference.
Since the start of the war, at least 44,532 people have been killed in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN.
Amnesty International has also announced that it will publish a report on the crimes committed by Hamas during the October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages killed in captivity.
Hamas also seized 251 hostages during the attack, some of whom were already dead. Of those, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli army says are dead.

Topics: War on Gaza

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