Egypt warns of dangers of new war in Lebanon

Israeli security hold back demonstrators during a visit by the Israeli prime minister two days after a rocket crashed, killing 12 youngsters in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli annexed Golan Heights. (AFP)
Israeli security hold back demonstrators during a visit by the Israeli prime minister two days after a rocket crashed, killing 12 youngsters in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli annexed Golan Heights. (AFP)
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Updated 29 July 2024
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Egypt warns of dangers of new war in Lebanon

Israeli security hold back demonstrators during a visit by the Israeli prime minister.
  • Cairo warned of the dangers of expanding the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, in light of the recent events in Majdal Shams village, occupied Golan Heights

CAIRO: Egypt has warned of the dangers of opening a new war front in Lebanon.

In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates, Cairo warned of the dangers of expanding the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, in light of the recent events in Majdal Shams village in the occupied Golan Heights.

Egypt emphasized the importance of supporting Lebanon, its people, and its institutions, and sparing it from the ravages of war.

It also called on international actors to intervene immediately to prevent the people of the region from facing the catastrophic consequences of expanding the conflict, which could pose a threat to international peace and security.

Furthermore, Egypt reiterated its warning about the dangers of Israel continuing its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, calling for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire to end the humanitarian suffering in the enclave as soon as possible.

This would also enable the international community to contain the negative repercussions of the crisis on the Palestinian people and on security and stability in the region.


UN peacekeepers say Israel’s destruction of their property breaches international law

UN peacekeepers say Israel’s destruction of their property breaches international law
Updated 12 sec ago
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UN peacekeepers say Israel’s destruction of their property breaches international law

UN peacekeepers say Israel’s destruction of their property breaches international law
BEIRUT: The United Nations’ peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said on Friday that the Israeli military’s “deliberate and direct destruction” of its property was a “flagrant violation” of international law.
The 10,000-strong UN mission, known as UNIFIL, is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the ‘blue line’ separating Lebanon from Israel.
Since Israel launched a ground campaign across the border against Hezbollah fighters at the end of September, UNIFIL has accused the Israeli military (IDF) on several occasions of
deliberately attacking
its bases, including by shooting at peacekeepers and destroying watchtowers.
In its latest accusation, it said the IDF used excavators and a bulldozer to destroy part of a fence and concrete structure at a UN peacekeeping position in southern Lebanon on Thursday. Peacekeepers had also observed Israeli troops this week removing a barrel that marks blue line, it said.
“The IDF’s deliberate and direct destruction of clearly identifiable UNIFIL property is a flagrant violation of international law and resolution 1701,” UNIFIL said, referring to a UN resolution that mandates a cessation of hostilities in southern Lebanon after a previous war.
“Yesterday’s incident, like seven other similar incidents, is not a matter of peacekeepers getting caught in the crossfire, but of deliberate and direct actions by the IDF,” UNIFIL said.
It said the UN force would remain in Lebanon “despite the unacceptable pressures being exerted on the mission.”
The statement came a day after six Malaysian peacekeepers on a UN bus crossing through a checkpoint were wounded by an Israeli drone strike that killed three Lebanese people in a nearby car.
Israel says UN troops provide a human shield for Hezbollah fighters and has told UNIFIL to evacuate from southern Lebanon for their own safety — a request that the force has rejected.

Netanyahu appoints Yechiel Leiter as new ambassador to US

Netanyahu appoints Yechiel Leiter as new ambassador to US
Updated 7 min 4 sec ago
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Netanyahu appoints Yechiel Leiter as new ambassador to US

Netanyahu appoints Yechiel Leiter as new ambassador to US
  • His son was killed last year in Gaza war against Hamas
  • Leiter’s appointment came three days after Trump’s election to second term as US president

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed US-born Yechiel Leiter, an official who previously served as chief of staff in the finance ministry, as the next Israeli ambassador to the United States.
“Yechiel Leiter is a highly capable diplomat, an eloquent speaker, and possesses a deep understanding of American culture and politics,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
His appointment was also welcomed by Yisrael Ganz, the head of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization representing councils of Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a territory Palestinians want as part of a future state.
Ganz said Leiter, who lives in the Gush Etzion settlement area, as “a key partner in English-language advocacy for Judea and Samaria,” a name used by many Israelis for the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
Leiter’s appointment came three days after Donald Trump’s election to a second term as US president, celebrated by many Israelis because of his strong support for Israel.
As well as serving in the finance ministry, Leiter also held positions as deputy director general in the Education Ministry and acting chairman of the Israel Ports Company.
His son was killed last year in the Gaza war against Palestinian militant group Hamas while serving with the Israeli military.


Jordan’s King Abdullah returns home after meetings with King Charles, Keir Starmer during UK visit

Jordan’s King Abdullah returns home after meetings with King Charles, Keir Starmer during UK visit
Updated 26 min 26 sec ago
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Jordan’s King Abdullah returns home after meetings with King Charles, Keir Starmer during UK visit

Jordan’s King Abdullah returns home after meetings with King Charles, Keir Starmer during UK visit
  • King Abdullah met Starmer at Downing Street on Wednesday to discuss Middle East crises
  • Meeting with Charles III marked the Jordanian monarch’s silver jubilee — 25 years since ascending to the throne

LONDON: King Abdullah II of Jordan returned home on Friday following a working visit to the UK.

The visit this week featured key engagements with King Charles III and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Earlier in the visit, King Abdullah met Starmer at Downing Street on Wednesday, where discussions reinforced the close ties between the two kingdoms, Jordan News Agency reported.

They also called for an immediate ceasefire and stronger efforts for de-escalation and humanitarian aid in Gaza.

They warned that Israel’s ban on UNRWA activities could worsen the humanitarian crisis and highlighted the need to address violence in the West Bank.

The King emphasized the UK’s crucial role in seeking resolutions to regional conflicts and achieving a just, comprehensive peace based on a two-state solution, JNA added.

King Abdullah then met Charles at Windsor Castle on Thursday.

The occasion marked the Jordanian monarch’s silver jubilee — 25 years since ascending to the throne — and King Charles commemorated the milestone by presenting King Abdullah with a specially engraved silver beaker, featuring the ciphers of the king and queen.

The formal welcome at Windsor began with the Jordanian monarch receiving a royal salute, accompanied by the Jordanian national anthem.

Major Edward Emlyn-Williams, the captain of the guard, invited King Abdullah, in Arabic, to inspect the guard, followed by a military march-past.

The two kings exchanged conversation as they interacted with the guards before proceeding into the castle for tea.

The long-standing relationship between the two monarchs was highlighted by King Charles’s five visits to Jordan as Prince of Wales, most recently in 2021. King Abdullah’s last visit to Charles took place at Buckingham Palace in November 2022.

King Abdullah’s visit comes months after his son and heir, Crown Prince Hussein, and Crown Princess Rajwa welcomed their daughter, Princess Iman, in August.

Britain’s Prince and Princess of Wales attended the wedding of Hussein and Rajwa in June last year.


Israel says it will re-open crossing into Gaza as pressure builds to get more aid in

Israel says it will re-open crossing into Gaza as pressure builds to get more aid in
Updated 08 November 2024
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Israel says it will re-open crossing into Gaza as pressure builds to get more aid in

Israel says it will re-open crossing into Gaza as pressure builds to get more aid in
  • Aid agencies have warned of a gathering humanitarian crisis in the north of the enclave

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said on Friday it was planning to reopen the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza to increase the flow of aid into the southern end of the Gaza Strip.
The move comes amid growing international pressure on Israel to get more aid into Gaza, where aid agencies have warned of a gathering humanitarian crisis in the north of the enclave, where Israeli troops have been conducting a major operation for more than a month.
The new crossing would be opened following engineering work over recent weeks by army engineers to build inspection points and paved roads, the army said.
Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote to Israeli officials demanding concrete measures to address the worsening situation in the Palestinian enclave.
The letter, which was posted to the Internet by a reporter from Axios, gave the Israeli government 30 days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Among the demands included in the letter was for the opening of a fifth crossing into Gaza.


Sudan army govt accuses paramilitaries of causing 120 civilian deaths in 2 days

Sudan army govt accuses paramilitaries of causing 120 civilian deaths in 2 days
Updated 08 November 2024
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Sudan army govt accuses paramilitaries of causing 120 civilian deaths in 2 days

Sudan army govt accuses paramilitaries of causing 120 civilian deaths in 2 days
  • The Janjaweed militia (paramilitaries) committed a new massacre in the town of Hilaliya

PORT SUDAN: The Sudanese foreign ministry accused paramilitaries late Thursday of causing at least 120 civilian deaths over two days in Al-Jazira state, reportedly in attacks involving gunfire, food poisoning and lack of medical care.
“The Janjaweed militia (paramilitaries) committed a new massacre in the town of Hilaliya in Al-Jazira state over the past two days, resulting in 120 martyrs so far, killed either by gunfire or due to food poisoning and lack of medical care affecting hundreds of civilians,” the ministry of the army-backed government said in a statement obtained by AFP.