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In addition, thousands of troops have been deployed in southern Israel next to Gaza, which Israeli forces withdrew from in 2005. Trying to rescue all those Hamas said were now held in different locations could jeopardise their lives. Yet, protracted negotiations with Hamas over a prisoner swap would be a huge win for an arch foe of Israel. Within 24 hours, 11 Israelis, five Palestinians and a German policeman were dead after a rescue effort erupted into gunfire. Netanyahu could follow a more familiar strategy of assassinating Hamas leaders with air strikes and bombs.

Persons: Noa Argamani, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, Israel, David Saranga, Gilad Shalit, Aaron David Miller, Col Yonatan, Yoni, Mahmoud Abbas, Ariel Sharon, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Saleh al, Arouri, Al, Mohanad Hage Ali, Maayan Lubell, Nidal, Michael Georgy, Tom Perry, Edmund Blair Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Hamas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israeli, Carnegie Endowment, International, Israeli Foreign Ministry, Air, Israeli Olympic, Palestinian, West Bank, Israel, Palestinian Prisoners Association, Carnegie Middle East Center, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, JERUSALEM, DUBAI, Entebbe, Uganda, Air France, Palestinian, Munich, Europe, Al Jazeera, Jerusalem, Dubai

☆ Iranian girl in critical condition after alleged encounter over hijab, activists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The second activist said security forces had forbidden Geravand's parents from posting her picture on social media or from talking to human rights groups. The head of the Tehran Metro Operating Company, Masoud Dorosti, told IRNA the CCTV footage showed no sign of verbal or physical conflict between passengers or company employees. An Iranian journalist was briefly arrested on Monday when she went to the hospital to inquire about Geravand's situation, Iranian media reported. "Iranian security institutions have said her condition was caused by low pressure - an oft-repeated scenario from such institutions," Iran-based rights group Dadban said on social media. Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on social media platform X said: "Once again a young woman in #Iran is fighting for her life.

Persons: Armita, Mahsa, Geravand, Hengaw, Masoud Dorosti, Dadban, IRNA, Annalena Baerbock, Michael Georgy, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Care Unit, Tehran Metro Operating Company, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iranian, Tehran, Iran

☆ U.S.-Iran relations from 1953 coup to 2023 detainee swap deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

1980 - The U.S. cuts diplomatic ties with Iran, seizes Iranian assets and bans most trade with Tehran. U.S. officials accuse Tehran of operating secret nuclear weapons program. 2013 - Hassan Rouhani is elected Iran’s president on a platform of improving Iran’s relations with the world and its economy. In September, Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil company is attacked by drones and missiles believed to be from Iran; Tehran denies involvement. 2023 - In August, Iran and the United States agree a swap of detainees and the unfreezing of $6 billion of Iranian assets in South Korea.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Mohammed Mossadegh, Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Ruhollah Khomeini, Jimmy Carter, Carter, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Hassan Rouhani, Donald Trump, Qassem Soleimani, Ebrahim Raisi, Arshad Mohammed, Michael Georgy, Parisa, Samia Nakhoul, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Central Intelligence, CIA, U.S, Embassy, Hostage, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Thomson Locations: Rights DUBAI, United States, Iran, South Korea, Qatar, U.S, Tehran, Iraq, North Korea, Britain, France, United, Fordow, Saudi Arabia’s, Baghdad, Vienna, Washington

☆ Israel’s spy veterans take on their government over judiciary overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But he's a very unusual protester - a former Mossad spy who never before questioned the state for which he once risked his life on foreign missions. Amir, who declined to be fully named due to his sensitive previous secret roles, is among former veterans of Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, who are taking to the streets in protest at their government's judiciary overhaul. Reuters spoke with two other former Mossad officials who are also involved in the protests and more fearful of the impact the legislation will have on Israel's security system. Yossi Cohen, another former Mossad chief, spoke of his concerns for "Israel's immediate national security". "At a time when the Iranian threat looms over us from multiple fronts, we must ensure Israel's security remains unharmed," Cohen wrote in a July 23 commentary in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Netanyahu, Amir, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Efraim Halevy, Iran, Haim Tomer, Tomer, Adolf Eichmann, Gil, Yossi Cohen, Cohen, Michael Georgy, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, HERZLIYA, Reuters, Minister's, Mossad, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Herzliya, Europe

☆ Netanyahu defends judicial reforms, air force chief warns of security threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Henriette Chacar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, July 28 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said parliament's decision to trim Supreme Court powers to overrule government actions as part of his planned judicial overhaul would not hurt Israel's democracy. Now in its seventh month, the crisis escalated on Monday after parliament passed the first of the changes, trimming Supreme Court powers to overrule government actions and raising fears for the court's independence. While Netanyahu downplayed the consequences of his plans, air force chief, Tomer Bar, warned the crisis could be exploited by Israel's enemies. Political watchdog groups have appealed to the Supreme Court to strike the new law, paving the way to a showdown among branches of government when it hears the arguments in September. The prime minister says the changes will balance government branches.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, It's, Tomer, Michael Georgy, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: ABC News, CNN, Thomson

☆ Israel's Netanyahu takes heat in polls as judicial crisis deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, July 26 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suffered a hit in the polls over a judicial law his hard-right coalition has championed as he attempts to navigate his gravest domestic crisis. Seats held by Netanyahu's Likud party would fall from 32 to 28, according to N12 News, and to as low as 25 seats in a survey by broadcaster Reshet 13. Israel's close ally the United States called the Knesset vote "unfortunate" and urged work toward a broad consensus. "There has been an increase in requests to halt reserve duty," Brigadier General Daniel Hagari told Israeli reporters in remarks confirmed by a military spokesman. Protest leaders said growing numbers of military reservists would no longer report for duty if the government pressed ahead with its plans.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's, Joe Biden’s, Daniel Hagari, Hagari, Maayan Lubell, Michael Georgy, Robert Birsel Organizations: Netanyahu's, Netanyahu's Likud, N12, Reshet, Reuters, Thomson Locations: United States, Histadrut

The protester didn't follow through with his plan to burn the Koran in Stockholm, but he still kicked and partially destroyed one. Iraq told the Swedish ambassador to leave and recalled its own envoy to Stockholm. This led Sadr to declare last August that he was withdrawing from politics, leaving the Iran-backed Shi'ite groups in the driving seat of government. Sadr has mostly laid low since announcing his departure from politics, engaging supporters in religious events rather than calling them to the streets for protests. That has changed after the burning of a Koran in Sweden last month, when Sadr called on supporters to engage in mass demonstrations at the Swedish embassy and other parts of Iraq.

Persons: Sadr, Muqtada al, Mohammed Shia Al, Ahmed Younis, Mohammed Sadeq al, Saddam Hussein, Mohammed Baqir, Saddam, Sudani, Renad Mansour, Tom Perry, Michael Georgy, William Maclean Organizations: U.S, Iraq, Thomson Locations: U.S, Iraq BAGHDAD, Baghdad, Sweden, Stockholm, Iraq, Swedish, Iran, Europe, Sadr, Tehran, Washington

☆ Risking revival of unrest, Iran rulers tighten curbs on dissent
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Police on Sunday announced that the morality police force has intensified its crackdown on women flouting the compulsory dress code. Security forces crushed months of unrest during which protesters from all walks of life called for the downfall of the Islamic Republic and women took off and burned the compulsory headscarves in fury. "The Islamic Republic feels threatened. By redeploying the morality police, the regime is fuelling the people's revolution," said Atena Daemi, a prominent human rights activist in Iran. "People are very angry due to repression, rights violations and worsening economic problems.

Persons: Mahsa, Amini, Atena Daemi, Mohammad Khatami, Parisa, Michael Georgy, Angus MacSwan Organizations: West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Islamic, Police, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, WANA, DUBAI, Islamic Republic, Republic

☆ Exclusive: Islamists wield hidden hand in Sudan conflict, military sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Yet the three military sources and an intelligence source said thousands of Islamists were battling alongside the army. Reuters spoke to 10 sources for this article, including military and intelligence sources and several Islamists. The army accused the RSF of promoting Islamists and former regime loyalists in their top ranks, a charge the RSF denied. Nowadays, former NISS officers also help the military by collecting intelligence on its enemies in the latest conflict. The NISS was replaced by the General Intelligence Service (GIS) after Bashir was toppled, and stripped of its armed "operations" unit, according to a constitutional agreement.

Persons: General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Umit, Bashir, Omar al, Osama bin Laden, Mohammed al, Fadl, Ali Karti, Abdel Fattah Burhan, Burhan, Reuters Graphics BASHIR, Hemedti, Bashir loyalists, Michael Georgy, Aidan Lewis, William Maclean Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, REUTERS, Army, DUBAI, West, Reuters, Sudanese, National Intelligence and Security Service, National, Party, United Arab Emirates, General Intelligence Service, Reuters Graphics, Central Reserve Police, Publicly, Thomson Locations: Aprag, Khartoum, Sudan, Darfur, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahri

☆ Sudanese army suspends ceasefire talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The RSF said in a statement late on Tuesday it was committed to the ceasefire "despite repeated violations" by the army. CHALLENGING NEGOTIATIONSCommenting on the Sudanese army's withdrawal from the Jeddah talks, Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt, African Union spokesperson on the crisis in Sudan, said: "It is not surprising. We hope the mediator will succeed to bring both parties for working on an expected ceasefire." Before the ceasefire deal was renewed, an army source said the army had demanded the RSF withdraw from civilian homes and hospitals as a condition for an extension. After the five-day extension was agreed, talks continued on the truce terms.

Persons: Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah, Hemedti's, Dagalo, Mohamed El Hacen, Hemedti, Omar al, Bashir, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir, Dawit, Michael Georgy, Edmund Blair, Mark Heinrich, Grant McCool Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, Nations, REUTERS, Union, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Khartoum, KHARTOUM, Saudi, Jeddah, Khartoum's Mogran, Omdurman, Bahri, Sudan, au, Saudi Arabia, United States, Darfur, Sudan's, Port Sudan, Dubai, Nafisa, Cairo, Addis Ababa

☆ Sudanese army suspends ceasefire talks, diplomatic source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, May 31 (Reuters) - Sudan's army suspended talks with a rival paramilitary force on Wednesday over a ceasefire and about enabling humanitarian access, a Sudanese diplomatic source said, raising fears of fresh bloodshed in the more than six-week-old conflict. Residents reported heavy clashes in southern Khartoum and in Omdurman across the River Nile until late on Tuesday. The RSF said in a statement late on Tuesday it was committed to the ceasefire "despite repeated violations" by the army. Before the ceasefire deal was renewed, an army source said the army had demanded the RSF withdraw from civilian homes and hospitals as a condition for an extension. After Bashir was toppled in an popular uprising, the army and RSF leaders staged a coup in 2021 before they due to hand leadership to civilians.

Persons: Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, RSF, Omar al, Bashir, Michael Georgy, Andrew Heavens, Edmund Blair Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, Residents, United Nations, Thomson Locations: JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Khartoum, Omdurman, United States, Darfur, Sudan's, Port Sudan

☆ Factbox: Then and now: How Arab states changed course on Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

May 19 (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad's attendance at an Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday is the result of big policy shifts by Arab states that once backed his opponents in Syria's civil war. The support was a point of rivalry with another Gulf Arab state, Qatar, which backed Islamist groups espousing ideologies viewed with suspicion by Riyadh. It also worked with the United States in a programme to support rebels deemed moderate by Washington. As some Arab states changed course on Assad, notably the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia showed no sign of bringing him in from the cold. Like other Arab states, Saudi Arabia is also expecting Assad to curb the trade in narcotics smuggled out of Syria.

☆ Syria's Assad to attend Arab summit, bringing regional isolation to an end
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Syria's President Bashar al-Assad arrives to attend the Arab League Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 18, 2023. Assad is expected to address the summit later on Friday, along with other Arab leaders. At an Arab summit hosted by Qatar a decade ago, the Syrian opposition sat in Syria's seat. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill last week intended to bar U.S. recognition of Assad as Syria's president and enhance Washington's ability to impose sanctions. Government forces have used chemical weapons more than two dozen times during Syria's civil war, U.N. war crimes investigators said.

☆ Syria's Assad to attend Arab summit, bringing isolation to an end
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ostracised by most Arab states following the crackdown on protests against his rule in 2011 and the ensuing civil war that killed 350,000 people, his government's readmission to the bloc is a signal that Assad's isolation is ending. Assad is expected to address the summit later on Friday, along with other Arab leaders. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill last week intended to bar U.S. recognition of Assad as Syria's president and enhance Washington's ability to impose sanctions. Government forces have used chemical weapons more than two dozen times during Syria’s civil war, U.N. war crimes investigators said. While Arab countries appear to have brought Assad in from the cold, they are still demanding that he curbs Syria's flourishing drugs trade and that war refugees be allowed to return.

☆ Analysis: Qatar takes diplomatic back seat as Saudi flexes political muscle
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Qatar has been steadily mending ties with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Qatar cast the Syrian National Coalition as a government-in-exile, handing them Syria's Arab League seat and opening the Doha mission in a villa nearby other embassies. Several Gulf states including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates began backing rebel groups fighting to oust Assad from power. As Syria's anti-Assad movement lost ground, "Saudi Arabia and the UAE shifted their policy most dramatically but Qatar has not," Kamrava said. Qatar initially opposed efforts this spring by Saudi Arabia to galvanise support to readmit Syria to the Arab League following its 2011 suspension.

☆ Syria's Assad to steal spotlight at Arab summit after years in the cold
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others for years supported anti-Assad rebels. While Arab countries appear to have brought Assad in from the cold, they are still demanding that he curbs Syria's flourishing drugs trade and that war refugees can return. His return to the Arab League is likely to revive questions over his human rights record. Government forces have used chemical weapons more than two dozen times during Syria’s civil war, U.N. war crimes investigators said. The Syrian crisis and other regional conflicts including Yemen and Libya, pose further challenges for the Arab League, which is often undermined by internal divisions.

☆ How Sudan's paramilitary forces took parts of Khartoum, stormed army chief's quarters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Satellite image shows burned and damaged General Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces headquarters building in Khartoum, Sudan April 16, 2023, in this handout image. More than 30 of his guards died in the ensuing battle, before the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters retreated from the residence in the capital, said the bodyguard, who asked not to be named. "Why did the army let Hemedti become a parallel army and threatening the normal people. RSF fighters open mobile phones to look for army contacts, residents say. Reuters could not establish where Hemedti is currently operating from, or whether Burhan was still using army headquarters as his base of operations.

☆ Sudanese pin their hopes on talks in Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia urged the warring parties to use the talks to move toward scheduling expanded negotiations on a permanent end to hostilities, the ministry statement added. Sudan's Forces of Freedom and Change, a political grouping leading the plan to transfer to civilian rule, welcomed the Jeddah talks on Saturday. Conflicts are not new to Sudan, a country that sits at a strategic crossroads between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and the volatile Sahel region. Since the fighting erupted, the U.N. refugee agency has registered more than 30,000 people crossing into South Sudan, more than 90% of them South Sudanese. Aid agencies fear the influx will worsen an already dire humanitarian crisis in South Sudan.

☆ Fighting in Khartoum as mediators seek end to Sudan conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Zohra BensemraKHARTOUM, May 7 (Reuters) - Fighting could be heard in south Khartoum on Sunday as envoys from Sudan's warring parties were in Saudi Arabia for talks that international mediators hope will bring an end to a three-week old conflict. While mediators are seeking a path to peace, both sides have made it clear they would only discuss a humanitarian truce, not negotiate an end to the war. The conflict started on April 15 following the collapse of an internationally backed plan for a transition to democracy. Prior to the fighting, Hemedti had been taking steps like moving closer to a civilian coalition that indicated he had political plans. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan was travelling to Saudi Arabia at the weekend for talks with Saudi leaders.

[1/3] Smoke rises above buildings after an aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. "It's been four days without electricity and our situation is difficult," said 48-year-old Othman Hassan from the southern outskirts of the city. Despite multiple ceasefire declarations, the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) appeared to be fighting for territory ahead of proposed talks. The army and RSF, which had shared power after a coup in 2021, have accused each other of breaching a string of truces. The U.N. has pressed the warring sides to guarantee safe passage of aid after six of its trucks were looted.

☆ Heavy fighting in Khartoum as power struggle rages
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KHARTOUM, May 4 (Reuters) - Fierce fighting could be heard in central Khartoum on Thursday as the army tried to push back the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from areas around the presidential palace and army headquarters, with a lasting ceasefire appearing elusive. Heavy bombardments also rang out in the adjoining cities of Omdurman and Bahri. "Since yesterday evening, and this morning, there are air strikes and the sounds of clashes," said Al-Sadiq Ahmed, a 49-year-old engineer speaking from Khartoum. The United Nations has warned that fighting between the army and RSF, which erupted on April 15, risks causing a humanitarian catastrophe that could spill into other countries. The RSF accused the army of breaching a ceasefire and attacking forces since dawn.

☆ UN says aid trucks looted in 'volatile' Sudan, urges safe passage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Mohamed Nureldin Nafisa Eltahir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary Aid trucks looted, says United Nations aid chiefViolence undermining chance of lasting truceGuterres says situation 'unacceptable'UN aid chief Griffiths arrives in Port SudanImproving humanitarian access is a priority -UNKHARTOUM, May 3 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday it was seeking assurances from Sudan's warring factions on the safe delivery of aid after six trucks of humanitarian supplies were looted and air strikes in Khartoum undermined a new ceasefire. The conflict has created a humanitarian crisis, with about 100,000 people forced to flee with little food or water to neighbouring countries, the United Nations said. Aid deliveries have been held up in a nation of 46 million people where about one-third had already relied on humanitarian assistance. A broader disaster could be in the making as Sudan's impoverished neighbours grapple with the influx of refugees. Caught between army air strikes overhead and RSF soldiers on the ground, many citizens feel forced to take sides.

☆ Factbox: Sudan's history of coups, wars and instability
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The commanders of the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who shared power as part of an internationally backed transition to democratic rule, have shown no sign of compromise. Here are some major episodes of political turmoil and conflict in Africa's third largest country:* 1985. President Jaafar Nimeiri, who seized power in a coup in 1969, is ousted after a popular uprising. A conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region flares, pitting rebels against government forces backed by a militia known as "Janjaweed", which roughly means "devils on horseback". This is followed by a period of rising tension between the army and civilian politicians over the transition to democratic rule.

[1/2] A view shows a damaged car at Martyr Muhammad Hashem Matar Street in Bahri, Khartoum North, Sudan, April 30, 2023, in this still image taken from video obtained by Reuters. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded since a long-simmering power struggle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into conflict on April 15. Violence has rocked the capital Khartoum and risks reawakening war in the vast Western region of Darfur scarred by a two-decade old conflict, despite numerous ceasefire pledges. We are extremely concerned by the immediate as well as long-term impact on all people in Sudan and the broader region," he said. In Khartoum, the army has been battling RSF forces entrenched in residential areas.

At about 8.30 a.m. shooting started at the Soba military camp in the south of Khartoum, according to three eyewitnesses and an advisor within Dagalo's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Burhan's air force was studying where the RSF was gathered, using coordinates provided by the army, two military sources told Reuters, describing plans that have not previously been reported. The RSF, meanwhile, had been locating more and more gunmen at Soba and other camps across Khartoum, the same military sources said. The army also established a small committee of senior generals to prepare for a possible conflict with the RSF, the same sources said. Both the army and the RSF were quick to blame the other publicly for sparking the violence and attempting a power grab.

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