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☆ Opinion: What Iran wants — and fears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Opinion Hussein Ibish | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Iran has backed Hezbollah’s efforts to avoid an all-out war with Israel despite consistent Israeli escalation and threats. Hezbollah doesn’t want a war with Israel and Iran agrees. The potential for such US or Israeli airstrikes is among the most significant reasons Iran wants to avoid a broader conflict. Tehran has already restrained its Iraqi proxies, is working to help Hezbollah climb down and avoid a devastating Israeli attack. And Iran is probably urging the Houthis to take great care not to kill Americans or otherwise go too far.

Persons: Hussein Ibish, Read, Hussein Ibish It’s, Biden, Israel, Kataib, Saleh Al, Wissam, Amos Hochstein, Ebrahim Raisi, Shannon Stapleton, It’s Organizations: Gulf States Institute, Israel, CNN, Washington, Radwan Force, Iranian Locations: Washington, Iranian, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Saudi, That’s, Israel, Jordan, Hezbollah’s, Beirut, Tehran, Yemeni, Suez, Strait, Hormuz, Bab, Mandab

☆ Unimaginable devastation seen inside Khan Younis, the southern Gaza city once a safe haven for the displaced
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Khan Younis CNN —Scattered around a huge crater are the remnants of a life that is gone. Destroyed buildings and roads seen after the Israel Defense Forces withdrew from the areas in Khan Younis on February 02, 2024. PlanetLabs An aerial view of Khan Younis, Gaza, on January 19, 2024. PlanetLabs Aerial views of Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 30, 2023, and January 19, 2024. “I’ve (been) asked many questions about the price that Gaza, Khan Younis pays, the houses… yes, definitely, there is a price that has been paid,” Goldfuss said.

Persons: Khan Younis, Yahya Sinwar, It’s, Abdulqader, Ivana Kottasová, Dan Goldfuss, Goldfuss, “, ” Goldfuss, ”, Israel doesn’t Organizations: Khan Younis CNN, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Getty, CNN, IDF, Local, United Nations, Nasser, Al Amal Hospital, Palestine Red Crescent Society, UN, Islamic Jihad, Sunday Locations: Khan, Gaza, Israel, Anadolu, United, Palestine, United States, Brig

☆ Undercover Israeli Killings in West Bank Hospital May Be War Crimes: UN Experts
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - The killing of three Palestinian men in a hospital in the occupied West Bank last month by Israeli commandos disguised as medical workers and Muslim women may amount to war crimes, a group of U.N. experts said on Friday. The experts concerned are special rapporteurs engaged by the United Nations to examine a specific human rights issue. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesIsrael’s military was not immediately available for comment on their statement. The West Bank has seen an explosion of violence since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the subsequent invasion of Gaza by Israel. (Reporting by Emma Farge in Geneva; Additional reporting by Emily Rose in Jerusalem; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Persons: Ibn Sina, prima facie, Emma Farge, Emily Rose, Gareth Jones Organizations: West Bank, Shin, Basel Al, United, Hamas, Jenin Brigade, Islamic, The West Bank Locations: GENEVA, Jenin, Basel, Israel, United Nations, Gaza, headscarves, Palestinian, Geneva, Jerusalem

Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 more, mostly civilians, in the attack. Photos You Should See View All 45 Images“Nothing in my article was written to instigate any sort of hate,” Stalinsky said. “This is a moment for counterterrorism officials to be concerned.”The Wall Street Journal did not immediately respond Sunday to requests for comment left by The Associated Press via email and voicemail. An email sent to a Dearborn spokeswoman also was not immediately returned Sunday. “That’s exactly what can lead to Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate, and it shouldn’t happen to the residents of Dearborn – or any American town.”

Persons: —, Abdullah Hammoud, ” Hammoud, “, ” Steven Stalinsky, ” Stalinsky, Joe Biden, ” Organizations: ” Dearborn, Middle East Media Research Institute, Street, Associated Press, Hamas, Health Ministry, The Associated Press Locations: Mich, — Dearborn , Michigan, ”, Dearborn, Jihad, Michigan, Israel, Gaza

☆ Police in Michigan City Put on Alert After WSJ Opinion Piece
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The WSJ published the piece on Friday headlined as "Welcome to Dearborn, America's Jihad Capital." Islamophobic," Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said about the WSJ piece written by Steven Stalinsky, executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute. This is a direct result of the inflammatory @WSJ opinion piece that has led to an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online targeting the city of Dearborn," the mayor added. Rights advocates have noted a rise in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian bias and antisemitism in the U.S. since the eruption of war in the Middle East in October. The latest eruption of war in the Middle East began on Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200.

Persons: Kanishka Singh, Abdullah Hammoud, Steven Stalinsky, Dan Burns, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Street Journal, Council, Islamic Relations, Dearborn, Middle East Media Research Institute, Street, East, Hamas Locations: Dearborn , Michigan, Dearborn, Jihad, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Vermont, Illinois, Washington

☆ UN Chief Says UNRWA Is 'Backbone' of Gaza Aid Response
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Michelle NicholsUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday described the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) as "the backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza" and appealed to all countries to "guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's lifesaving work." "I was personally horrified by these accusations," Guterres told the U.N. Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The accusations became public on Friday when UNRWA announced it had fired some staff after Israel provided the agency with information. UNRWA employs 13,000 people in Gaza, running schools, its primary healthcare clinics and other social services, and distributing humanitarian aid. "The humanitarian system in Gaza is collapsing," Guterres said.

Persons: Michelle Nichols UNITED, Antonio Guterres, Israel, Guterres, Michelle Nichols, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Hamas, Palestinian, Islamic Jihad, UNRWA, Gaza's Locations: Palestinian, Gaza, United States, Israeli

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis Militia Blamed for Attack on U.S. Forces Says It Will Halt Military Activity
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

His comment raised fears in Iraq about a possibly retaliatory U.S. attack on its territory. The militia, Kata’ib Hezbollah, or Brigades of the Party of God, is the largest and most established of the Iran-linked groups operating in Iraq. (Kata’ib Hezbollah is separate from the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.) The other two Iraqi groups that are believed to have been involved in strikes U.S. targets — Harakat al Nujaba and Sayyid Shuhada — have not announced they will halt attacks. Kata’ib Hezbollah and other groups had ignored the Iraqi government’s request to stand down, but once the attack in Jordan on Sunday took American lives, Mr. Sudani demanded a complete halt from Kata’ib Hezbollah.

Persons: Biden, Israel, —, Nujaba, Sayyid Shuhada —, Kata’ib, Abu Hussein al, “, Pat Ryder, ”, Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Hisham al, Sudani’s, Nuri al, Qais, Hadi, Esmail Qaani, Falih Hassan, Farnaz, Eric Schmitt Organizations: Pentagon, Hezbollah, Party of, Iraqi Army, Kurdish Syrian Defense, Islamic, Kata’ib Hezbollah, Defense Department, U.S, Sunday, Revolutionary Guards, Maliki, Quds Force Locations: Iran, Iraq, U.S, Jordan, Syria, Gaza, The U.S, Islamic State, Lebanon, Yemen, Islamic Republic of Iran, United States, Iraqi, Baghdad, New York, Washington ,

☆ Opinion | Abolish the U.N.’s Palestinian Refugee Agency
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

United Nations agencies and officials are no strangers to scandal and infamy. In the 1980s, Kurt Waldheim, a former U.N. secretary general, was unmasked as a former Nazi. He was the same secretary general who denounced Israel’s 1976 rescue of Jewish hostages in Entebbe as “a serious violation” of Uganda’s national sovereignty. Now comes the latest scandal of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, better known as UNRWA. Last Friday, Israeli officials presented the U.S. government with an intelligence dossier detailing the involvement of 12 UNRWA employees, seven of them schoolteachers, in the massacre of Oct. 7.

Persons: Saddam Hussein, Kurt Waldheim, Ronen Bergman, Patrick Kingsley Organizations: Nations, Democratic, Iraq, Nazi, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, “ Intelligence, Street Locations: Haiti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Entebbe, Gaza

☆ Gaza Ceasefire Plan for Hostage Release Awaits Hamas Response
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

"We don't know and we cannot predict what Hamas' response will be," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister, said on Monday. Hamas told Reuters in a statement on Tuesday the proposal would involve three stages, including the release of hostages held by the group and Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. "After that, the Hamas leadership will meet to discuss the paper and express its final opinion on it," the statement said. More than 100 Israeli hostages are still held, following the release of a similar number in an earlier truce in November that involved the release of scores of Palestinian prisoners. The Hamas statement said the second phase would also involve the release of male military recruits.

Persons: Jonathan Landay, Maya Gebeily, Andrew Mills, Nidal, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, David Barnea, Sheikh Mohammed, Jordan, Ismail Haniyeh, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Islamic Jihad, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Dan Williams, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Michael Georgy, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Palestinian, U.S, Paris, Islamic, Hamas, Washington's Atlantic Council, Israeli Defense Forces Locations: Mughrabi WASHINGTON, BEIRUT, DOHA, Gaza, Israel, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Paris, Qatar, Egypt, U.S, France, Cairo

☆ Israeli Forces Kill 3 Gunmen in West Bank Hospital, Army Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed three Palestinian gunmen in a hospital in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the army said, adding that one had been suspected of planning an imminent attack like Hamas' Oct. 7 cross-border rampages from the Gaza Strip. There was no immediate Palestinian confirmation of their identities. Voice of Palestine radio reported the killing of three Palestinians at the hospital. The West Bank, among areas where Palestinians seek statehood, has seen a surge of violence since the Oct. 7 attack triggered the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas. (Reporting by Ali Sawafta; Writing by Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Tom Hogue)

Persons: Ibn Sina, Ali Sawafta, Nadine Awadalla, Tom Hogue Organizations: West Bank, Reuters, Islamic, Palestine, Hamas Locations: RAMALLAH, West, Gaza, Jenin, Islamic Jihad, Israel

☆ West Bank hospital raid: Undercover Israeli troops kill three militants, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Abeer Salman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Jerusalem CNN —Israeli special forces, dressed as civilians and medical staff, infiltrated the Ibn Sina hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday and killed three Palestinian men, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials. Hamas said the men were Jenin Brigades fighters, an umbrella group of armed Palestinian factions in the West Bank city. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they were terrorists linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and an Israeli government minister praised the operation. The disguised special forces “infiltrated the hospital individually, headed to the third floor, and assassinated the young men,” Palestinian state news agency WAFA reported, citing sources from inside the hospital. International law provides general and special protection for civilian sites, including hospitals,” the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Persons: Ibn Sina, “, WAFA, Mohammed Jalamneh, “ Mohammed Al, Mohammed’s, Raneen Sawafta, Reuters Israel’s, Itamar Ben Gvir, ” Ben Gvir, Ibn, Mohammed, Basil Ayman Al, ”, Basil Al, Ghazawi Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, West, Jenin Brigades, West Bank, Israel Defense Forces, Islamic, Sina, Basel Al, Reuters, National, IDF, Al, Brigades, Ibn Sina, Palestinian Ministry, Health, UN, Assembly Locations: Jerusalem, West Bank, Jenin, ”, hijabs

☆ Israeli Forces Kill a Hamas Commander Inside a West Bank Hospital, Military Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli forces stormed a Palestinian hospital in the occupied West Bank early Tuesday morning, killing three militants, including a commander in Hamas, according to the Israeli military and Palestinian officials. They then went to the room where the Hamas commander, Mohammad Jalamneh, 27, was staying with two friends, and shot all three dead, Mr. Sbeihat said. The Israeli military said all three had been involved in militant activity, including attacks against Israelis. One of the men accompanying him, Basil Ghazawi, was being treated in the hospital’s rehabilitation ward, Mr. Sbeihat said. More than 2,960 Palestinians have been arrested since the beginning of the war in near-daily raids, according to the Israeli military.

Persons: Wisam Sbeihat, Mohammad Jalamneh, Sbeihat, “, Jalamneh, Jihad, — Mohammad, Basil Ghazawi —, Basil Ghazawi, Mohammed Ghazawi, Israel Organizations: West Bank, Ibn Sina, Hospital, Palestinian Authority Health Ministry, Al, Brigades, Palestinian, United Nations Locations: Jenin, Wisam, West Bank, Palestinian, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Israel

CNN —In a surprise move, the most powerful Iran-backed militia in Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah, announced on Tuesday the suspension of its military operations against US forces in the region two days after a drone attack killed three US service members and wounded dozens of others. “We are announcing the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces (US troops) – in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government,” Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement. The US holds Iran broadly responsible for arming and supporting these groups and has specifically singled out Kataib Hezbollah as likely to have carried out the deadly attack on Sunday. Asked about the statement, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a briefing Tuesday, “We’ve seen those reports. The motive behind the group’s decision is unclear, but an adviser to the Iraqi prime minister said the prime minister’s efforts have paid off.

Persons: ” Kataib, Pat Ryder, “ We’ve, ” Ryder, Ryder, Kataib, ”, Islamic Republic –, Mohammed Shia, Hisham Al Organizations: CNN, US, Free Hezbollah Brigades, Iraqi Locations: Iran, Iraq, Gaza, Syria, Jordan, Islamic Republic, Iraqi

☆ Israeli dossier details UNRWA workers’ alleged involvement in October 7 attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Alex Marquardt | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Of the 13 UNRWA employees alleged to have been associated with the attack, the Israeli document alleges 10 were Hamas operatives, two were Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives and one is unidentified. It also alleges that at least one UNRWA employee supplied logistic support to the attack. In a statement Sunday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said nine UNRWA staff members at the center of the allegations had been fired. At least 152 UNRWA staffers have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began, according to the agency. Israel has strongly opposed calls for a ceasefire, maintaining that it needs to press on with its aim of eliminating Hamas.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Israel, Jack Lew, David Satterfield, Stephane Dujarric, UNWRA, Philippe Lazzarini, António Guterres, ” Guterres, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Organizations: CNN, United Nations, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Islamic Jihad, Middle East, UN, UNRWA, Assembly, UN’s, Hamas, of Health Locations: Gaza, Israel, East, Germany, Norway, Ireland, Turkey, Saudi Arabia

☆ Hamas Studies Ceasefire Proposal After Deadly Israeli Hospital Raid in West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

By Raneen SawaftaWEST BANK/GAZA/DOHA (Reuters) -Hamas said on Tuesday it would study a new ceasefire proposal in the war with Israel in Gaza, hours after Israeli commandos killed three Palestinian militants in a raid on a hospital in the occupied West Bank. The raid underscored the risk of the Gaza war spreading to other fronts, while Israeli forces fought new battles with Hamas fighters in the Palestinian enclave. The Israeli undercover squad broke into the hospital, headed to the third floor and killed them using silenced pistols, hospital sources said. Since then, 26,751 Palestinians have been killed and 65,636 wounded by Israeli actions in Gaza, the Gaza health ministry said. TANKS IN ACTIONIsrael mounted a new push in northern Gaza after earlier reporting successes against Palestinian militants there.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, William Burns, Qatar's, Islamic Jihad, Ibn Sina, Mohammad, Najy Nazzal, Mai Alkaila, Mohammed Jalamneh, Israel, Christian Lindmeier, Alkaila, Al Shifa, Khan Younis, Crescent, Ari Rabinovitch, Daniel Williams, Nidal Al Mughrabi, Ali Sawafta, Emma Farge, Angus MacSwan, Timothy Heritage, Gareth Jones Organizations: BANK, Reuters, West Bank, CIA, Islamic, Hamas, Basel Al, Palestinian Health, United Nations, World Health Organization, WHO, Nasser, Health, Palestinian, Residents, Deir Al, Al, Amal Locations: GAZA, DOHA, Israel, Gaza, Paris, Cairo, Ibn Sina, Jenin, Basel, Geneva, Beach, Al, Israeli, Kuwaiti, Gaza City, Deir, Jerusalem, Doha, Ramallah, Clauda, Dubai

☆ More Palestinians Displaced as Israel Battles Hamas in South Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Residents said Israeli planes and tanks also pounded areas in Gaza City to the north, where Israel has slowly been pulling out troops. The fighting could be heard in the nearby towns of Beit Lahiya and Jabalia, near to Gaza City. Israel's military said it was engaged in "intensive battles" in Khan Younis, where it said troops "eliminated terrorists and located large quantities of weapons". One strike on a house in a suburb of Gaza City killed eight people, health officials said. More families were displaced from Khan Younis on Sunday.

Persons: Nidal, Abu Mustafa, Khan Younis, Ashraf Al, Qidra, Israel, Amal, Deir, Balah, Abu Raouf, Abu Tair, Nidal al, Ibraheem Abu, Ari Rabinovitch, Frances Kerry Organizations: Gaza Health Ministry, Hamas, Gaza Health, Gaza City, Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Al, Amal Locations: Abu Mustafa DOHA, GAZA, Gaza, Gaza City, Israel, Beit Lahiya, Jihad, Hamas, Khan, Nasser, Rafah, Egypt, Mughrabi, Doha, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Jerusalem

☆ South Gaza battles rage as heavy rain hits displaced people further north
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Displaced Palestinian children walk on a hill facing their makeshift camp in Rafah, on the southern Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt on January 19, 2024, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. Residents reported heavy aerial and tank fire across Khan Younis, an area of southern Gaza that has become the focus of Israel's ground offensive against Hamas, and around two main hospitals there. The Gaza Health Ministry said Israeli strikes hit the vicinities of Al-Amal Hospital and the largest functioning medical facility in the south, Nasser Hospital. Israel launched its air, sea and land offensive after militants from the Hamas group that rules Gaza stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting 253. It says it has killed at least 9,000 Gaza militants so far, a figure that Hamas has dismissed.

Persons: Israel, Gaza's Khan Younis, Khan Younis, Al, Ashraf Al, Benjamin Netanyahu, Zainab Khalil Organizations: Hamas, Islamic, Gaza Health Ministry, Amal, Nasser Hospital, Court, International, West Bank Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Egypt, Israel, Khan, Nasser, Israeli, Jenin

☆ Honed at Home in Yemen, Houthi Propaganda Is Going Global
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Vivian Nereim | More About Vivian Nereim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Soon after Yemen’s Houthi militia hijacked a commercial ship in the Red Sea, taking it and its 25-member crew hostage, the armed group used the vessel to record a music video. In the slick production, called “Axis of Jihad,” a drone camera pans over the hulking ship. Then a famous Houthi poet appears on the deck — accompanied by what appears to be a cardboard cutout of Qassim Suleimani, the Iranian commander assassinated in 2020 — and begins to sing. “Death to America and hostile Zion,” the poet, Issa al-Laith, calls out, backed by a relentless beat. “By God, we shall not be defeated!”The Houthis — an Iran-backed militia that controls northwestern Yemen — have long been skilled producers of propaganda, crafting poetry, television shows and catchy music videos to spread their messages.

Persons: Yemen’s, of, Qassim Suleimani, —, Issa al Locations: Red, America, Zion, Iran, Yemen, Gaza

☆ Iran-backed groups in the Middle East and major US military deployments
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Abbas Allawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The US has attacked Iranian-backed groups in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, while Iran-linked groups have targeted American personnel in Iraq and Syria. The US, having been trying to pivot away from the Middle East for years, finds itself drawn back into the region. And in some places, including Iraq and Syria, the US military presence overlaps that of Iran and its allies. The US has around 13,500 US forces in Kuwait, the largest American military presence in the region. The US this month quietly reached an agreement that extends its military presence for another 10 years at the base.

Persons: Yemen’s, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Harakat, Sayyid, Al, Haq, Asad, Bashar al, Assad, Israel, Ali, Dalton Williams Organizations: UAE CNN, Hamas, Islamic, Navy, Marine Expeditionary Unit, Institute for National Security, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, National Intelligence, Badr Organization, Asad Air Base, Erbil AB, Al, Force, Fatemiyoun, ISIS, Syria Security, Syrian Democratic Forces, Syrian Free Army, CNN, Gaza, US Air Force, Battalion, 163rd Cavalry Regiment, Ali Al Salem Air Base, U.S . Air Force, Washington, United Arab, US, Udeid, Base, Forward Headquarters, Combined Air Operations Centre, Prince Sultan Air Base, UAE, Al Dhafra, Al Dhafra Air Base, Gulf Air Warfare Center, US Naval Forces Central Command Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Israel, Iran, US, Iranian, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, Pakistan, Islamic Republic, Washington, Lebanon Lebanon, East, Lebanon, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Iraq Tehran, Baghdad, Al, Erbil, Syria Iran, Syrian, Pakistani, ”, Red, Saudi, Yemen’s, Kuwait, U.S, Palestinian, Arab, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Doha, Al Dhafra Air, Bahrain, Jordan, Incirlik

☆ U.S. targets Iraqi airline Fly Baghdad, its CEO and Hamas cryptocurrency financiers for sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. on Monday hit Iraqi airline Fly Baghdad and its CEO with sanctions, alleging assistance to Iran's military wing, and imposed a fifth round of sanctions on the militant group Hamas for abuse of cryptocurrency since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. In the new sanctions, the Treasury Department said Fly Baghdad and CEO Basheer Abdulkadhim Alwan al-Shabbani have provided assistance to Iran's military wing and its proxy groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. "The United States will continue to disrupt Iran's illicit activities aimed at undermining the stability of the region." The sanctions block access to U.S. property and bank accounts and prevent the targeted people and companies from doing business with Americans. Hamas has said it planned for a potentially long fight and was "ready to do whatever is necessary for the dignity and freedom of our people."

Persons: Basheer Abdulkadhim Alwan, Brian E, Nelson, Fly, Asad Organizations: Ministry, Treasury Department, Foreign, Control, Hezbollah, Popular Mobilization Forces, State, U.S Locations: Baghdad, Israel, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, United States, U.S, Fly Baghdad, cryptocurrency, Jihad, Australia

WASHINGTON (AP) —The U.S. on Monday hit Iraqi airline Fly Baghdad and its CEO with sanctions, alleging assistance to Iran's military wing — and in addition, imposed a fifth round of sanctions on the militant group Hamas for abuse of cryptocurrency since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. In the new sanctions announced Monday, Treasury said Fly Baghdad and its CEO Basheer Abdulkadhim Alwan al-Shabbani have provided assistance to Iran's military wing and its proxy groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. In addition on Monday, the U.S. sanctioned a network of Hamas-affiliated financial exchanges in Gaza— including financial facilitators that transferred funds through cryptocurrency from Iran to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza. “Hamas has sought to leverage a variety of financial transfer mechanisms, including the exploitation of cryptocurrency, to channel funds to support the group’s terrorist activities,” Nelson said. “Treasury, in close coordination with our allies and partners, will continue to leverage our authorities to target Hamas, its financiers, and its international financial infrastructure.”___Associated Press reporter Sewell is located in Beirut, Lebanon.

Persons: Basheer Abdulkadhim Alwan, ”, Brian E, Nelson, Asad, ” Nelson, Sewell Organizations: WASHINGTON, Ministry, Treasury, Treasury's, Foreign, Control, Hezbollah, Popular Mobilization Forces, State, U.S, Hamas, “ Treasury, Associated Press Locations: Baghdad, Israel, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, United States, U.S, cryptocurrency, Jihad, Australia, Beirut

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ EU Targets Six People Under New Hamas Sanctions Scheme
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union on Friday imposed asset freezes and travel bans on six people it said were linked to Hamas, under a new sanctions regime targeting the Palestinian militant group. The EU already listed Hamas as a terrorist organisation but moved to create a legal framework focused on the group after its deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. The Council listed those sanctioned as Sudan-based financier Abdelbasit Hamza Elhassan Mohamed Khair, Nabil Chouman, the former's son Khaled Chouman, senior Hamas financier Rida Ali Khamis, senior Hamas operative Musa Dudin and Algeria-based financier Aiman Ahmad Al Duwaik. "The new sanctions framework shall apply until 19 January 2025. A senior EU official earlier on Friday said the first batch of sanctioned individuals was linked to providing funds to the group.

Persons: Abdelbasit Hamza Elhassan Mohamed Khair, Nabil Chouman, Khaled Chouman, Rida Ali Khamis, Musa Dudin, Aiman Ahmad Al Duwaik, Josep Borrell, Benjamin Netanyahu, Tassilo Hummel, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Andrew Gray Organizations: European Union, EU, of, Hamas, U.S . Treasury Locations: BRUSSELS, Israel, Gaza, Sudan, Algeria, United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia

☆ Israeli Tanks Renew Push Towards Biggest Hospital Still Working in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

GAZA/DOHA/TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli tanks on Friday mounted a new push into southern Gaza's main city, which is sheltering hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven there by Israeli bombardment, once more approaching the enclave's biggest functioning hospital. Twelve people were killed in Israeli strikes on a residential building near the largely non-functioning Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City in the north of the enclave, Palestinian health officials said. Israeli forces have made limited withdrawals from northern Gaza this month, saying operations there were largely complete. But Palestinians in the southern Gaza City suburb of Tel Al-Hawa said Israeli tanks pushed back into the neighbourhood, forcing people taking shelter in some schools there to evacuate and head south. The Islamic Jihad militant group said it had fought with Israeli forces in the Al-Bureij and Al-Maghazi refugee camps in central Gaza and in Khan Younis, while Hamas's armed wing said its fighters had clashed with Israeli forces in several areas across Gaza overnight and on Friday morning.

Persons: Khan Younis, Hawa, Benjamin Netanyahu, NETANYAHU, Netanyahu, Matthew Miller, A'Hed's, Hani Bseiso, Bseiso, Nidal al, Ibraheem Abu, Henriette Chacar, Kevin Liffey, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Reuters, Hospital, Nasser Hospital, Shifa, Islamic Jihad, . State Department, UNICEF Locations: GAZA, DOHA, TEL AVIV, Gaza's, Gaza, Gaza City, Tel Al, United States, Israel, Jordan, That's, Tel Aviv, Palestinian, Gaza . Washington, Al, Mughrabi, Doha, Ibraheem, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

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