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☆ Washington wrestles with ‘new equation’ of direct attacks between Iran and Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Alex Marquardt | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Throughout the week, US officials had urged Israel not to retaliate for Iran’s unprecedented attack five days prior, when hundreds of missiles and drones were fired from inside Iran at Israel. US intelligence has long assessed that neither Iran nor Israel has any appetite for an outright war. Iranian officials have stated publicly that Iran’s policy toward Israel has changed. Then, on April 1, an Israeli strike on what Iran claims was an embassy in Syria killed seven officials, including two senior Iranian commanders. “Israel and Iran are going to be starting higher on the escalatory ladder for every future moment of conflict and that is incredibly dangerous,” said Panikoff.

Persons: Biden, ”, Hossein, Israel’s, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Israel, Bill Burns, George W, “, Frank McKenzie, ” McKenzie, Maher Al Mounes, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Jonathan Panikoff, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Karim Sadjadpour, Qassem Soleimani, Iran —, Iran messaged, Donald Trump, stridently, —, McKenzie Organizations: CNN, Israel, Iran, US, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, CIA, Bush Presidential Center, Iranian, US Central Command, Getty, Lebanese Hezbollah, Iran’s, Carnegie Endowmernt Locations: Washington, Israel, Iran, Tehran, ” Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Dallas, Syria, Syria's, Damascus, AFP, Lebanese, Iran’s, Iraq

☆ Iran and Israel dragged their shadow war out of the dark, and it's much more dangerous now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Iran and Israel have fought a deadly shadow war for decades. The two enemies have relied on proxy forces, assassinations, and strikes abroad to hit each other. AdvertisementA decades-long shadow war between Iran and Israel has been thrust into broad daylight. Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel last weekend has notably changed the dynamics of this conflict, and it's now more dangerous. Any Israeli military response to the attack risks an all-out confrontation with Iran and could plunge the region into even more violence.

Persons: —, Alma al, KAWNAT HAJU, Jonathan Lord, Israel, MAHER, MOUNES, Israel —, Joseph Votel, Votel, Christophe Van Der Perre Israel, Josep Borrell, Maj, Hossein, Lord Organizations: Service, Hezbollah, Getty Images Israel, Pentagon, Business, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Getty, US Central Command, REUTERS Locations: Iran, Israel, Tehran, Lebanon, Hamas, Gaza, Lebanese, Alma, AFP, Iraq, Syria, Israel's, Hormuz, Iranian, Damascus, Syria's, Arad, Spanish

Should the Israeli regime commit any military aggression again, Iran's response will assuredly and decisively be stronger and more resolute,” Ambassador Iravani added. Citing self-defense against repeated Israeli military aggressions, Iravani said the strikes were specifically in retaliation to an Israeli attack on April 1 against what Iran says were diplomatic facilities in Damascus. Iran claims the attack violated international law and led to the death of seven Iranian military advisors, including key commanders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The statement also criticizes the United Nations Security Council for “failing to uphold international peace,” allowing Israel to “breach” established international norms and “escalate” regional tensions. However an Israel Defense Forces spokesman told CNN that their intelligence showed the building was not a consulate and was instead “a military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building.”

Persons: Amir Cohen, Israel, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iravani, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, ” Organizations: Reuters, Islamic, Representative, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, United Nations Security Council, Revolutionary Guards, Israel Defense Forces, CNN Locations: Ashkelon, Israel, Reuters Iran, Tehran, Syria's, Damascus, “, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Iranian, Quds

☆ Iran seizes cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz, Israel goes on high alert
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Blaming Israel — which has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility — Iran vowed retaliation. Jordan on Saturday declared its airspace closed, in a possible precautionary move given the likelihood of its territory being overflown by any missiles exchanged by Iran and Israel. On Friday, Biden warned Iran against attacking Israel but said such a scenario could be imminent. On Tuesday, the Revolutionary Guards' naval head, Alireza Tangsiri, said the force could close the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, if necessary. The United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.

Persons: Israel —, Zodiac, Eyal Ofer, Israel Katz, Joe Biden, Biden, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Alireza Tangsiri, Abraham, Hasan Alhasan Organizations: Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hamas, Jordan, Saturday, Guards, Aries, MSC, Gortal Shipping, Zodiac Maritime, House, Iran, U.S . Defense, Pentagon, State, Revolutionary Guards, United Arab, Israel, International Institute for Strategic Studies, MSC Aries, Maritime Information Center Locations: Iranian, Syria's, Damascus, Strait, Hormuz, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Tehran, Iran, Iran's, State, United States, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Britain

☆ Vessel seized in Strait of Hormuz amid Iran tensions, shipping firms say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A vessel has been seized by "regional authorities" between the United Arab Emirates and Iran, maritime security agencies said on Saturday, days after Iran warned it could close the area to sea traffic. UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the vessel had been seized 50 nautical miles (92 km) northeast of the Fujairah, an area close to the Strait of Hormuz that forms the entrance to the Gulf. Marine tracking sites said the vessel was the MSC Aries of Zodiac Maritime, an international shipping company partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer. Reuters could not immediately confirm that and UKMTO said it could not provide more information when asked if the regional authorities were Iran and if the seized vessel was MSC Aries. The United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.

Persons: Eyal Ofer, UKMTO, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Alireza Tangsiri, Abraham, Joe Biden Organizations: United Arab, Maritime Trade Operations, ., MSC Aries, Zodiac Maritime, Zodiac, MSC, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Israel, Abraham Accords, Revolutionary Guards Locations: United Arab Emirates, Iran, Hormuz, U.S, UAE, United States, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Syria's, Damascus, Tehran, Yemen's Iran, Britain

☆ Iran says Israel bombs its embassy in Syria, kills commanders
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Emergency and security personnel gather at the site of strikes which hit a building next to the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital Damascus, on April 1, 2024. Suspected Israeli warplanes bombed Iran's embassy in Syria on Monday in a strike that Iran said killed seven of its military advisers, including three senior commanders, and that marked a major escalation in Israel's war with its regional adversaries. Reuters reporters at the site in the Mezzeh district of Damascus saw emergency workers clambering atop rubble of a destroyed building inside the diplomatic compound, adjacent to the main Iranian embassy building. Iran's ambassador to Syria said the strike hit a consular building in the embassy compound and that his residence was on the top two floors. Israel has long targeted Iran's military installations in Syria and those of its proxies, but Monday's attack was the first time Israel hit the vast embassy compound itself.

Persons: Faisal Mekdad, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Israel Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, Syrian, Force, Hamas Locations: Syria's, Damascus, Iranian, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Mezzeh, Israel

☆ Drones have ushered in a brutal new phase of Syria's civil war
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewDrones are increasingly shaping warfare in the Syrian civil war that entered its 14th year in March. Kasim Rammah/Getty ImagesHowever, unlike drones, Syrian Air Force aircraft require significant support from Russia. Advertisement"The Russians might not want to spend any more jet fuel and Soviet-designed bombs on Assad just to help him blow up hospitals and marketplaces in Idlib," Lund said. Advertisement"It seems well within the means of Tahrir al-Sham, the dominant jihadi militia in Idlib, to manufacture and use kamikaze drones," Lund said. Even though many of these opposition drones are often described as crude, low-tech, and DIY, Lund also does not rule out the possibility that Syrian opposition groups have received state backing for some attacks.

Persons: —, Bashar al, Assad, Freddy Khoueiry, RANE, Khoueiry, Aron Lund, Lund, Kasim Rammah, Moscow's, they're, RANE's Organizations: Service, Business, Century International, Syrian Air Force, embroilment, Scientific Studies, Research Center, Ministry of Defense, Hezbollah, Russia Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Damascus, Hayat Tahrir, Idlib, Homs, East, North Africa, Syria, Aleppo, Soviet, Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Hmeimim, Latakia, Tahrir, Turkey

CNN —A woman who left the United Kingdom to join ISIS at the age of 15 has lost her Court of Appeal challenge over the decision to remove her British citizenship. Shamima Begum flew to Syria in 2015 with two school friends to join the terror group. She told UK media she had two other children prior to that baby, who also died in Syria during infancy. He pointed to Begum being left stateless as grounds for this, something her lawyers have argued the British government has not fully considered the consequences of. Her lawyers have argued she was a victim of child trafficking, and that the decision was unlawful as it rendered her stateless.

Persons: Shamima Begum, Begum, ”, Sajid Javid, Sam Tarling, Baroness Carr, Begum’s, ” Friday’s, Alexander dos Santos, ” Begum Organizations: CNN, ISIS, PA Media, Sky News, BBC Locations: United Kingdom, Syria, Raqqa, Syrian

☆ Iran flaunts a new ship-fired missile, but analysts say it's no game-changer
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It's the first time Iran has launched a ballistic missile from a ship. The launch from the Shahid Mahdavi was, however, the first time Iran launched a ballistic missile from a ship. "The other benefit to Iran of this kind of weapon is it could attack Israel from axes that are less well-protected by Israeli missile defenses." AdvertisementDeploying SRBMs instead of cruise missiles on the Shahid Mahdavi and similar vessels could also have advantages. For one, the ballistic missiles Iran test-fired on Feb. 12 appear relatively small, around the same size as a cruise missile.

Persons: —, Fateh, Shahid Mahdavi, Bryan Clark, Hossein, Shahid, Ryan Bohl, RANE, Clark, Bohl Organizations: Service, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hudson Institute, GCC, Gulf Cooperation, Iran, East Locations: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, North Africa, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Tehran, Idlib, Russia

☆ Oil prices fall on sticky inflation, bigger-than-expected US crude stock build
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 22 cents, or 0.3%, to $77.65 a barrel. U.S. crude oil inventories rose 8.52 million barrels in the week ended Feb. 9, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures released late on Tuesday. "The builds in crude oil were fairly bearish. The API data showed gasoline inventories fell 7.23 million barrels and distillate stocks fell by 4.02 million barrels, both much larger declines than analysts expected. Also weighing on the market, data on Tuesday showed U.S. consumer inflation stayed elevated last month.

Persons: derrick, Brent Organizations: U.S . Federal, . West Texas, American Petroleum Institute, Reuters, ING, U.S . Energy, Administration Locations: al, Syria's, Hasakah, Turkey, U.S

☆ Returning Syrian Refugees Face Abduction, Sexual Abuse: UN
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - Syrian refugees who fled the war are facing gross human rights violations such as torture and abduction on their return home while women are subject to sexual harassment and violence, the U.N. human rights office said in a report on Tuesday. "There are reasonable grounds to believe that the overall conditions in Syria do not permit safe, dignified and sustainable returns of Syrian refugees to their home country," she added. A Syrian government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "Women are nowadays forced to do all sorts of things in order to go on with their lives. "In some cases, they are even divorced by their husbands and disowned by their own families," the report said.

Persons: Elizabeth Throssell, Emma Farge, Ros Russell Locations: GENEVA, Syria, Geneva, Israel, Gaza, Ghouta

☆ Exclusive-US-Backed Force in Syria: More Air Defence Needed After Deadly Drone Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Maya Gebeily(Reuters) - A force that has been the backbone of the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State said additional air defences should be deployed in northeast Syria after six of its fighters were killed in a drone attack it blamed on pro-Iran factions. Mazloum Abdi, commander of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, said his force considered it "a dangerous development when our camps are targeted in drone attacks by factions backed by Iran." On Feb. 4, the SDF said an explosive drone attack by Iran-backed armed groups in eastern Syria killed six of their fighters. Asked whether he had requested additional military backing to fend off such attacks, Abdi said his Kurdish-led force would "require technical capabilities and an increase in the aerial defensive systems" deployed in northeast Syria. It holds a quarter of Syria, including oil fields and areas where some 900 U.S. troops are deployed.

Persons: Maya Gebeily, Mazloum Abdi, Jan, Abdi, That's, Bashar al, Assad, Phil Stewart, William Maclean Organizations: Islamic State, Syrian Democratic Forces, U.S, Hamas, SDF, Reuters, Pentagon, State Department, White, Islamic Locations: U.S, Syria, Iran, State, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Jordan, Kurdish, Washington, Islamic State, Turkey

☆ Six US-Backed Kurdish Fighters Killed in Drone Attack on US Base in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

AMMAN (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces said on Monday that six of their fighters had been killed in an explosive drone attack by Iran-backed armed groups that came from areas of Syria's Deir al Zor under the control of the Syrian government. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq - an umbrella group of several Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups - on Monday claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Al-Omar field, saying it launched the attack on Feb. 4. Washington blames the group for a drone attack on a U.S. outpost in Jordan earlier this month that killed three U.S. forces. The U.S. launched dozens of strikes over the weekend against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, killing about 40 people, the vast majority reported to be militants. Iran-backed groups declaring support for the Palestinians have entered the fray across the region as the war between Israel and the militant Hamas group has intensified.

Persons: Syria's Deir al, Farhad Shami, Omar, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Timour, Gareth Jones, William Maclean Organizations: Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, Commando, Washington, Hamas, Lebanese Locations: AMMAN, Kurdish, Iran, Syria's Deir, Syria's Deir al Zor, U.S, Al, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Israel, Gaza, Red

☆ UAE Sends First Ambassador to Syria Since Conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Incoming Emirati envoy Hassan al-Shehi presented his credentials to Syria's foreign affair minister Faysal al-Meqdad at the foreign ministry on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and, to a lesser extent, the UAE then backed rebels against Assad - but Abu Dhabi has rebuilt ties with Damascus in recent years. Assad visited the UAE in 2022 - his first trip to an Arab state since the civil war erupted - and again in 2023 after a devastating earthquake killed thousands in Syria. The tragedy cleared the way for a thaw in Arab ties with Assad and months later the Arab League reversed its more than decade-long suspension of Syria's membership. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the Syria conflict, which spiralled out of an uprising against Assad, drew in numerous foreign powers and splintered the country.

Persons: Hassan al, Shehi, Faysal, Bashar al, Assad, Abu Dhabi, Firas Makdesi, Maya Gebeily, Ed Osmond Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Incoming, Arab League, Regional Locations: DAMASCUS, Damascus, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Iran, Al, Riyadh

☆ Israeli Strike on Damascus Kills Four Iranian Revolutionary Guards -Source
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Laila Bassam and Kinda MakiehBEIRUT/DAMASCUS (Reuters) -An Israeli missile strike on Syria's capital Damascus on Saturday killed four members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, including the head of the force's information unit in Syria, a security source in the regional pro-Syria alliance told Reuters. Syrian state media said a building in the Mazzeh neighbourhood of Damascus was targeted in a likely Israeli attack, without giving further details. Iran's state-run Press TV said two Iranian Guards military advisers were killed in the Israeli strike on Damascus. Essam Al-Amin, head of the Al-Mowasat Hospital in Damascus, told Reuters that his hospital had received one corpse and three wounded people, including a woman, following Saturday's attack. In December, an Israeli strike killed two Guards members in Damascus, and another on Dec. 25 killed a senior adviser to the Guards who was overseeing military coordination between Syria and Iran.

Persons: Laila Bassam, Bashar al, Essam Al, Amin, Makdesi, Nayera Abdallah, Maya Gebeily, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Saturday, Iran's, Guards, Reuters, Hamas, Iranian Guards, Mowasat, Jihad Locations: BEIRUT, DAMASCUS, Israeli, Damascus, Syria, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Syrian, Mazzeh, Iran's, Beirut, Dubai

☆ Israel’s Netanyahu rejects any Palestinian sovereignty in post-war Gaza, rebuffing Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

US President Joe Biden (L) meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. The families want the government to take bold steps to free the hostages, fearing that Israel's military activity in Gaza further endangers their lives. Health authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza say Israel's offensive has killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. As part of its search for the hostages, Israel's military dropped leaflets on Gaza's southernmost town of Rafah. Israel's military didn't immediately comment.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden's, Netanyahu, Biden, Gaza hasn't, Israel, Antonio Guterres, Gadi Eisenkot, We've, Yuval Bar, Keith Siegel, Eli Shtivi, Majd, Khan Younis, Halima Abdel, Rahman, Tawfiq, Hafez Ajaq Organizations: Israel's, Palestinian, Hamas, U.S, Israel, Health, United Nations, Police, Iranian, Revolutionary Guard, National News Agency, Associated Press, West Bank, . Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, United States, Uganda, Israeli, Caesarea, pita, Haifa, Rafah, Iranian, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, Lebanese, Tyre, Jabaliya, Bani Suheila, Khan, Ramallah

☆ Iran vows revenge on Israel for strike that kills 5 guards in Damascus
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Tehran vowed to carry out revenge attacks against Israel on Saturday after a missile strike flattened a building used as a base of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards in Damascus, killing five Guards and an unspecified number of Syrian troops. Ambulances and fire trucks gathered around the site of the strike, which had been cordoned off, a Reuters journalist at the scene said. In December, an Israeli air strike killed two Guards members, and another near Damascus on Dec. 25 killed a senior adviser to the Guards who was overseeing military coordination between Syria and Iran. The conflict has reverberated across the Middle East with violence surging in Syria, Lebanon, northern Iraq and in the Red Sea. On Saturday, an Israeli strike in south Lebanon killed two members of Hamas as they were traveling in their car, three security sources told Reuters.

Persons: Bashar al, Nasser Kanaani, Essam Al, Amin Organizations: Israel, Revolutionary Guards, Guards, Reuters, Iranian Guards, Hamas, Foreign Ministry, Mowasat, Palestinian Locations: Tehran, Damascus, Iran, Israeli, Israel, Syria, Gaza, Mazzeh, Iranian, Lebanon, Iraq, Red

☆ An Israeli airstrike on the Syrian capital killed at least 4 Iranian advisers, state media say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

An Israeli strike on the Syrian capital on Saturday destroyed a building used by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, killing at least four Iranians, Syrian and Iranian state media reported. Iranian state television said four advisers from the Revolutionary Guard had been killed in the strike in Damascus, without identifying them, adding that Israel was behind the strike. Last month, an Israeli airstrike on a suburb of Damascus killed Iranian general Seyed Razi Mousavi, a longtime adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria. Iranian and Syrian officials have long acknowledged Iran has advisers and military experts in Syria, but denied there were any ground troops. Earlier this month, a strike said to be carried out by Israel killed top Hamas commander Saleh Arouri in Beirut.

Persons: Israel, Nour, Sadegh Omidzadeh, Hajj Gholam, Rami Abdurrahman, Khaled Mawed, Seyed Razi Mousavi, Bashar Assad, Bashar Assad's, Saleh Arouri Organizations: Iranian, Revolutionary Guard, Quds Force, Hajj, Syrian, Human Rights, Security, Windows, Associated Press Locations: Wafideen, Damascus, Syria, Israeli, Syrian, Iran, Mazzeh, Venezuela, South Africa, Israel, Gaza, Beirut, Golan, Lebanon, Red

☆ Turkey Launches Airstrikes Against Militants in Iraq, Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's military carried out airstrikes against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq and Syria on Monday night, destroying 23 targets, the defence ministry said, sustaining an escalation of conflict south of the country's border. The upswing in violence began on Friday when nine Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes with Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq, prompting Ankara to conduct airstrikes and operations both there and in northern Syria. The latest airstrikes were carried out late on Monday in the Metina, Gara, Hakurk and Qandil regions of northern Iraq as well as in northern Syria to ensure border security and prevent attacks, the ministry said. Turkish forces regularly strike PKK militants based in the mountains of northern Iraq. Turkey has carried out a series of military incursions and bombing campaigns in Syria against the Kurdish YPG militia, which it regards as a wing of the PKK.

Persons: Daren Butler, Michael Perry Organizations: Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Kurdish YPG Locations: ISTANBUL, Iraq, Syria, Ankara, Gara, Hakurk, Turkey, United States, Turkish, Kurdish

☆ Turkish Strikes Hit Water, Power Infrastructure in Syria’s Kurdish-Held Northeast
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey has carried out a wave of air strikes on electricity and oil infrastructure in Syria's Kurdish-held northeast that has put several power stations out of service, local sources and Syrian state media said on Monday. Hogir Najar, a media official at the Kurdish-run autonomous administration, told Reuters that at least 40 sites had been hit in Turkish shelling in the last two days, including power stations, water pumping stations and oil infrastructure. Syrian state television also reported the strikes on Monday, saying a Turkish drone had hit the Dirbasiyah power station and that Turkish air bombardment hit a power transfer station in the main town of Qamishli. Two water stations were also put out of service as Turkish strikes on Monday had cut off their electricity supply, Syria's state news agency SANA said. The air strikes destroyed targets consisting of caves, shelters and depots as well as a natural gas production facility, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Persons: Hogir, Najar, SANA, Hussein Seifo, We're, Maya Gebeily, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Turkey's National Intelligence Agency, MIT, Anadolu Agency Locations: BEIRUT, Turkey, Kurdish, Turkish, Qamishli, Syria, United States, Iraq, Anadolu

☆ U.S. to impose visa bans soon on Israeli extremist settlers for West Bank violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has informed Israel that Washington will impose visa bans in the next few weeks on Israeli extremist settlers engaged in violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, a senior State Department official said. The West Bank, among the territories where Palestinians seek statehood, has experienced a surge of violence in recent months amid expanding Jewish settlements and a nearly decade-old impasse in U.S.-sponsored peacemaking. The United States has repeatedly expressed its concern over the rising violence in the West Bank, saying it must stop. "I have been emphatic with Israel’s leaders that extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and that those committing the violence must be held accountable. The United States is prepared to take our own steps, including issuing visa bans against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank," Biden wrote.

Persons: Joe Biden, Eisenhower, Evelyn Hockstein, Biden, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel hurtled, Eylon Levy, Israel, Washington, Humeyra Pamuk, Howard Goller Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, West Bank, State Department, Israeli, The West Bank, United, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Israel, Washington, United States, Gaza, U.S, Israel's

"While it's Syrians that are calling for it, for the use of chemical weapons in Syria, if states so wish, it could be far beyond Syria," Olabi told Reuters. The Exceptional Chemical Weapons Tribunal proposal was launched on Nov. 30, the day victims of chemical attacks are remembered worldwide. 'SOME KIND OF JUSTICE'The use of chemical weapons is banned under the Geneva Conventions that codified the laws of war. That ban was strengthened by the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, a non-proliferation treaty joined by 193 states which is overseen by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The OPCW has the power to investigate claims of chemical weapons use and in some cases identify alleged perpetrators, but it has no prosecutorial powers.

Persons: Safaa Kamel, We'll, Ibrahim Olabi, Olabi, Bashar al, Akande, Mohamad Salim Namour, IIIM, Catherine Marchi, Uhel, Maya Gebeily, Stephanie van den Berg, Anthony Deutsch, Mahmoud Hasano, Angus MacSwan, Bernadette Baum Organizations: HAGUE, Reuters, Diplomats, Convention, Organisation, Chemical Weapons, United Nations, United Nations International Law Commission, ICC, UN, Islamic, TEN, International, Thomson Locations: Eastern Ghouta, Syria, Syrian, Afrin, BEIRUT, The Hague, Jobar, Syria's, Damascus, Ghouta, British, Geneva, France, Balkans, Rwanda, Lebanon, Douma, Russia, Beirut

☆ US top diplomat Blinken visits Israel to discuss Gaza truce, aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] US Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks from his airplane upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 30, 2023. Washington's top diplomat is also expected to discuss Israel's looming offensive into southern Gaza. Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas, which rules Gaza. On Wednesday, 16 more hostages were released by Hamas on the final day of a two-day truce extension. Following Israel, Blinken will visit the United Arab Emirates to attend a regional meeting and attend the U.N. COP28 climate summit.

Persons: Antony Blinken disembarks, SAUL LOEB, Antony Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, Washington's, Israel, we’ll, Blinken, Humeyra Pamuk, Ali Sawafta, Rami Ayyub, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Ben Gurion, REUTERS Acquire, West Bank, U.S, Israel, Health, United, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, TEL AVIV, Gaza, The U.S, Brussels, U.S, United Arab Emirates, Ramallah

☆ Blinken says truce between Israel, Hamas is producing results
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] US Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks from his airplane upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 30, 2023. SAUL LOEB/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsTEL AVIV, Nov 30 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas had produced results and the United States hoped it would continue. The truce has brought the first respite to Gaza in seven weeks during which Israel bombed the territory heavily in response to the Oct. 7 rampage. "I look forward to detailed conversations with the government of Israel about the way ahead in Gaza," Blinken said. Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas, which rules Gaza.

Persons: Antony Blinken disembarks, SAUL LOEB, Antony Blinken, Isaac Herzog, Blinken, Washington, Israel, Herzog, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yair Lapid, Yoav Gallant, Benny Gantz, Mahmoud Abbas, Washington's, Humeyra Pamuk, Ali Sawafta, Howard Goller Organizations: Ben Gurion, REUTERS Acquire, Hamas, U.S, Israel, West Bank, Health, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, TEL AVIV, Palestinian, United States, Gaza, Jerusalem, The U.S, Ramallah

☆ Blinken to visit Israel, West Bank, UAE this week to continue Gaza diplomacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Blinken will travel to Belgium, North Macedonia, Israel, the West Bank, and the UAE from Monday to Saturday, the department said in a statement. Blinken will discuss what Washington wants to see in Gaza if Israel is able to eliminate Hamas, a State Department official said earlier. Blinken will also discuss the need for an independent Palestinian state as well as attend the UN COP28 climate summit in Dubai, according to the State Department. Some hostages have been freed in recent days in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel in a deal mediated by Qatar and Egypt and agreed by Israel, Hamas and the United States. The top U.S. diplomat "will also discuss the principles he outlined in Tokyo on November 8, (and) tangible steps to further the creation of a future Palestinian state," the State Department said.

Persons: Antony Blinken disembarks, SAUL LOEB, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis, Kanishka Singh, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Brussels, NATO, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, West Bank, United, U.S . State Department, UAE, State Department, Hamas, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Rights BRUSSELS, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Washington, Gaza, North Macedonia, Dubai, Qatar, Egypt, United States, Japan, Tokyo, Europe, Skopje

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