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Biden Says Israel Has Agreed to Allow Humanitarian Assistance to Move into Gaza from Egypt

An injured person is assisted at Shifa Hospital after hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast at Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023. (Reuters)
An injured person is assisted at Shifa Hospital after hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast at Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023. (Reuters)
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Biden Says Israel Has Agreed to Allow Humanitarian Assistance to Move into Gaza from Egypt

An injured person is assisted at Shifa Hospital after hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast at Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023. (Reuters)
An injured person is assisted at Shifa Hospital after hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast at Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023. (Reuters)

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Israel had agreed to allow humanitarian assistance to begin flowing into Gaza from Egypt, with the understanding it would be subject to inspections and that it should go to civilians and not Hamas militants.

In remarks from Tel Aviv where the president had gone to show support for Israel following a brutal and deadly Oct. 7 attack that killed roughly 1,400 people, Biden cautioned the nation against all-consuming rage.

"I understand. Many Americans understand," Biden said, likening the attack to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US that killed nearly 3,000 people. "You can't look at what has happened here ... and not scream out for justice. While you feel that rage, don't be consumed by it."

Israel had cut off the flow of food, fuel and water to the Gaza Strip after the attack. Mediators have been struggling to break a deadlock over providing supplies to desperate civilians, aid groups and hospitals. An explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital compounded the suffering.

Shortly after Biden's remarks, Israel confirmed food, water and medicine would begin to flow, though the timing wasn't immediately clear.

There were conflicting claims of who was responsible for the hospital blast. Officials in Gaza quickly blamed an Israeli airstrike. Israel denied it was involved and released a flurry of video, audio and other information that it said showed the blast was instead due to a missile misfire by Islamic Jihad, another militant group operating in Gaza. The Islamic Jihad dismissed that claim. The Associated Press has not independently verified any of the claims or evidence released by the parties.

Biden on Wednesday said data from his Defense Department showed it was not likely a strike by the Israeli military.

"Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you," Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting. But he said there were "a lot of people out there" who weren’t sure what caused the blast, which sparked protests throughout the Middle East.

Biden said he had spoken with the Israeli cabinet "to agree to the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance of civilians in Gaza."

"Let me be clear," Biden said. If Hamas diverts or steals the assistance, they will have demonstrated once again that they have no concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people."

Biden also said an additional $100 million in humanitarian assistance for Gaza and the West Bank.

Biden had also been scheduled to visit Jordan to meet with Arab leaders Wednesday, but the summit was called off after the hospital explosion. His remarks in Tel Aviv spoke both to the horrors that the Israelis had endured, but also the growing humanitarian crisis for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

He told Netanyahu he was "deeply saddened and outraged" by the hospital explosion. But he also stressed that "Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people, and it has brought them only suffering." And he spoke of the need to find ways of "encouraging life-saving capacity to help the Palestinians who are innocent, caught in the middle of this."

Biden reiterated the US was firmly behind Israel.

"I want you to know you're not alone. We will continue to have Israel's back as you work to defend your people," Biden said. "We'll continue to work with you and partners across the region to prevent more tragedy to innocent civilians."

Netanyahu called the president's visit "deeply, deeply moving," adding, "I know I speak for all the people of Israel when I say thank you Mr. President, thank you for standing with Israel today, tomorrow and always."

Netanyahu said Biden had rightly drawn a clear line between the "forces of civilization and the forces of barbarism," saying Israel was united in its resolve to defeat Hamas.

"The civilized world must unite to defeat Hamas," he said. US officials on Wednesday also announced sanctions against a group of 10 Hamas members and the Palestinian militant organization’s financial network across Gaza, Sudan, Türkiye, Algeria and Qatar.

Biden also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog as well as with Israeli first responders and the families of victims and those being held hostage by Hamas. He held their hands, embraced them and listened quietly as their voices cracked as they spoke of the horrors they'd seen.

Eli Beer, the founder of a volunteer emergency medical service, told Biden that through his visit "you uplifted the whole spirit in this country, and all the Jewish people in the world."

The grim tone of Wednesday's meetings between Biden and Netanyahu stood in stark contrast to their optimistic meeting just a month ago on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where Netanyahu marveled that a "historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia" seemed within reach.

The possibility of improved relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors has dimmed considerably with the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Israel has been preparing for a potential ground invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas' attacks.

Roughly 2,800 Palestinians have been reported killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza. Another 1,200 people are believed to be buried under the rubble, alive or dead, health authorities said. Those numbers predate the explosion at the Al-Ahli hospital on Tuesday.

Protests swept through the region after the blast at the hospital, which had been treating wounded Palestinians and sheltering many more who were seeking a refuge from the fighting.

Hundreds of Palestinians flooded the streets of major West Bank cities including Ramallah. More people joined protests that erupted in Beirut, Lebanon and Amman, Jordan, where an angry crowd gathered outside the Israeli Embassy.

Outrage scuttled Biden's plans to visit Jordan, where King Abdullah II was to host meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. But Abbas withdrew in protest, and the summit was subsequently canceled outright.

Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, told a state-run television network that the war is "pushing the region to the brink."

Jordan declared three days of mourning after the hospital explosion and Safadi said the summit was canceled after speaking with all leaders. He said they had wanted the meeting to produce an end to the war, which seems unlikely now, and to give Palestinians the respect they deserve.

Kirby said Biden understood the move was part of a "mutual" decision to call off the Jordan portion of his trip. He said Biden would speak to Abbas and Sisi by phone Wednesday as he returned to Washington.

There are also fears that a new front could erupt along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah operates. The Iran-backed organization has been skirmishing with Israeli forces.

Always a believer in the power of personal diplomacy, Biden's trip is testing the limits of US influence in the Middle East at a volatile time. It's his second trip to a conflict zone this year, after visiting Ukraine in February to show solidarity with the country as it battles a Russian invasion.

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Arab World

Druze Source Denies Reports of Plans for Israeli Base in Rural Sweida

Tal Qulaib in Syria's Sweida province (File photo: SANA)
Tal Qulaib in Syria's Sweida province (File photo: SANA)
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Druze Source Denies Reports of Plans for Israeli Base in Rural Sweida

Tal Qulaib in Syria's Sweida province (File photo: SANA)
Tal Qulaib in Syria's Sweida province (File photo: SANA)

A Druze source in Syria's southern Sweida province who opposes the policies of Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri has dismissed reports of plans to establish an Israeli military base in the province's southeastern countryside.

The source also denied reports that the so-called National Guard was preparing to launch a major offensive against areas under Syrian government control and neighboring Daraa province, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that the claims were “media rumors with no basis on the ground.”

“The reality is different,” the source said.

“While platforms and media outlets affiliated with al-Hijri and his fighters were aggressively spreading these rumors, there were limited preparations to attack internal security positions, but the attack never materialized.”

The source said the reported plans were unlikely to move “beyond the media.”

Since early last week, media outlets affiliated with al-Hijri and the National Guard have reported preparations for a major offensive against government-held areas in rural Sweida, with some threatening to extend the assault into neighboring Daraa province.

The claims have been accompanied by reports of intensive, sustained Israeli helicopter activity over southern Syria, including Sweida, Daraa and Quneitra. Some accounts alleged that helicopters carrying military equipment for Sweida's armed groups had landed in the province's countryside.

Other reports went further, alleging that Sweida’s de facto authorities were in talks with the Israeli government to establish a military base on Tal Qulaib, a hill in the province’s southeast, and install surveillance equipment at its summit.

Amid the reports, one platforms said the National Guard leadership had issued a military circular ordering all sector commanders and field units to bar civilians from approaching or filming at designated strategic hills and locations, warning of legal and judicial action against violators.

The circular called for “strict surveillance and immediate enforcement” at Tal Maaz, Tal al-Fara, Tal Alia, Jabal al-Fina, Tal Qulaib, Tal Shaaf, Tal al-Majda, Tal Sahn and Tal Zawagh in eastern Sweida.

But the Druze military source challenged the claims, saying he was in daily contact with residents of al-Kafr, a town on the slopes of Tal Qulaib.

“Residents confirm that life in the town is entirely normal. There are no signs of a base being established,” he said.

Journalist Omar al-Hariri, a native of southern Syria, also denounced the wave of reports circulated by outlets affiliated with al-Hijri as “fake,” warning against sharing them in a post on X.

He said there was “no truth whatsoever” to claims that Israel was building a military base in Sweida.

He argued that Israel had no need for an air base in Sweida, which lies less than 100 kilometers from Israeli bases in Quneitra and the Golan Heights, putting al-Hijri’s fighters within minutes of Israeli air support.

As for reports of sustained Israeli helicopter flights over southern Syria, al-Hariri said such flights were nothing new. Helicopters had previously delivered weapons, communications equipment, logistical supplies and aid, as well as transported sick and wounded people, he said.

National Guard Turns Accusations on Damascus

National Guard spokesperson Major Talal Amer, however, accused Damascus of plotting an offensive of its own, saying the government sought to distract the public from administrative failures by drawing it into an external conflict.

“We are seeing reinforcements arriving and fortifications being built around the clock in occupied areas,” Amer told Asharq Al-Awsat in a written message.

“Meanwhile, the Damascus government is spreading rumors to divert attention and convince public opinion that it is repelling an attack,” he said.

“If the National Guard intended to launch an offensive to liberate its occupied villages, it would not announce it or leak the plans on social media.”

Amer also rejected calls by Sweida Governor Mustafa al-Bakour for dialogue with residents to resolve the crisis.

Former chief Syrian opposition negotiator and lawyer Mohammed Sabra cast further doubt on the National Guard's ability to mount an offensive, citing the militias' limited manpower, inadequate weapons and internal divisions.

“The militias in Sweida simply do not have the capacity to launch a military attack,” Sabra said.

He said they faced severe shortages of fighters and possessed little beyond small arms, rifles and some anti-armor munitions.

Internal rifts had compounded their weakness, he added, with some groups turning into gangs involved in robbery, looting, kidnapping and the intimidation of civilians.

Their grip on Sweida, Sabra argued, rested not on military strength but on regional power dynamics and ties to Israel.

He warned that Israel could seize on any military operation aimed at ending what he called an "abnormal situation" as a pretext for deeper intervention inside Syria.

Israeli Arms Buildup and Election Uncertainty

Sabra acknowledged that Israeli military and logistical support for Sweida's militias had increased, but questioned whether the buildup signaled an impending offensive against government-controlled areas in western Sweida.

The explanation, he suggested, may lie instead in Israel's own political uncertainty ahead of pivotal parliamentary elections.

If Benjamin Netanyahu lost and another politician was tasked with forming a government, Sabra said, Netanyahu's administration would enter a caretaker period, limiting its ability to create new military or security realities that could obstruct the incoming government's agenda.

The next government's security policy toward Syria remained unknown, he added.

An inconclusive election could prove equally restrictive.

If neither Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition secured enough support to form a stable government, Israel could face a political crisis and another election, a process Sabra said could take three to four months.

The government's powers would also face certain restrictions during that period.

Against that backdrop, Sabra suggested that increased Israeli weapons shipments to Sweida's militias could be designed to prepare them for either outcome, ensuring they had enough arms and ammunition to last through months of political uncertainty.

He said Israeli weapons deliveries to the militias had risen markedly over the past week.

Arab World

Lebanon's Justice Minister: Hezbollah Explosives Shipment a Violation of National Security

Lebanese Minister of Justice Adel Nassar (National News Agency)
Lebanese Minister of Justice Adel Nassar (National News Agency)
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Lebanon's Justice Minister: Hezbollah Explosives Shipment a Violation of National Security

Lebanese Minister of Justice Adel Nassar (National News Agency)
Lebanese Minister of Justice Adel Nassar (National News Agency)

Lebanon's Justice Minister Adel Nassar vowed to pursue an investigation into a shipment of Hezbollah explosives to the end, saying the probe was expanding as he pressed for the case to be referred to the Judicial Council on national security grounds.

"There are no limits to the investigation," Nassar told Asharq Al-Awsat, insisting that political pressure would not interfere with the judiciary's work.

Nassar said the scale of the case and the dangers posed by the explosives justified referring it to the Judicial Council, which handles cases involving state security.

He stressed that the proposed referral would proceed separately from the ongoing investigation, expressing full confidence in the Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation Judge Ahmad Rami al-Hajj and Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receives Justice Minister Adel Nassar at the Presidential Palace last week (Lebanese Presidency)

"The investigation is continuing and expanding," he said, citing commitments by President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the Justice Ministry to ensure it proceeds without limits or political interference.

"This is fundamental to us," Nassar said. "We consider it a violation of national security, which falls within the Judicial Council's jurisdiction."

He insisted the proposed referral rested on legal, not political, grounds.

Nassar said he raised the issue at the previous cabinet meeting at the Grand Serail, winning support from ministers affiliated with the Lebanese Forces.

He subsequently filed a request with the cabinet's General Secretariat to place the referral on the agenda of Thursday's meeting at the presidential palace, chaired by Aoun.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairing a cabinet meeting (Lebanese Premiership)

The move would establish two parallel tracks: the ongoing judicial investigation and a separate judicial-administrative process requiring cabinet approval to transfer the case to the Judicial Council.

If approved, the military judiciary would relinquish jurisdiction and the case would automatically pass to the Judicial Council.

Nassar said the constitution governed cabinet deliberations and that the referral would not obstruct the investigation.

"We are open to discussion in the cabinet, in accordance with constitutional rules, until the government reaches its decision," he said.

Nassar warned that the shipment posed serious risks, both because of the dangers of transporting and storing large quantities of explosives and the uncertainty surrounding their intended use.

Moving such quantities threatened the areas they passed through and their destinations, he said, while storing them in a populated area endangered residents.

He also raised concerns that the explosives could be linked to a broader operation.

"There are suspicions about their intended use, whether for assassinations or bombings inside the country," he said, stressing that investigators had yet to establish their intended purpose.

A third possibility was their use in military operations, he added, citing Hezbollah's statements that the explosives were intended for fighting Israel.

Nassar said either domestic attacks or military operations could threaten national security.

"The cabinet has been clear in its decisions prohibiting military and armed activities outside the framework of the state," he said.

"Whether intended for use inside Lebanon or in military operations that could provide pretexts for Israeli wars against Lebanon, both constitute a threat to national and state security and a violation of applicable laws."

Hezbollah supporters on a motorcycle procession in the Bechara El Khoury area of Beirut on Friday evening, protesting the arrest of those involved in transporting explosives (Al-Markazia)

Figures close to Hezbollah have attacked the proposed referral, but Nassar rejected political confrontation, insisting the case must be handled on its legal merits.

Technically, he said, the investigation concerns the seizure, transportation and storage of explosives and determining their intended use — matters that provide legal grounds for referral to the Judicial Council.

He dismissed concerns that transferring the case could water down the investigation.

"The judiciary will pursue the investigation to the end in accordance with established procedures. We have complete confidence in the judges and the investigations," he said.

Political disputes, however intense, would not prevent investigators from expanding the probe or taking the steps necessary to address the dangers the explosives posed to society and security, he added.

Nassar also pledged to protect judges from political interference or pressure, regardless of its source or whether it was intended to influence their work positively or negatively.

"There is absolutely no political direction being given to the judiciary in this case or any other," he said.

Nassar defended the investigation and proposed referral despite Hezbollah's objections, including criticism voiced by its lawmakers last week after the explosives were seized.

He pointed to the government's policy statement, which identifies exclusive state control over weapons and the authority to decide on war and peace as conditions for building state institutions.

"The state is building itself," he said.

"What we are doing is a judicial process conducted in accordance with applicable laws. I do not interfere in the substance of investigations. My duty is to create the appropriate conditions for judges to pursue any case to the end."

Arab World

Kyiv Denies Deploying Thousands of Drones in Iraq

Police officers in Iraq's Anbar inspect projectiles and drones seized in the governorate. (Security media)
Police officers in Iraq's Anbar inspect projectiles and drones seized in the governorate. (Security media)
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Kyiv Denies Deploying Thousands of Drones in Iraq

Police officers in Iraq's Anbar inspect projectiles and drones seized in the governorate. (Security media)
Police officers in Iraq's Anbar inspect projectiles and drones seized in the governorate. (Security media)

The Ukrainian Embassy in Iraq denied what it described as Iranian “allegations” that Kyiv had deployed thousands of drones in Iraq.

The tension between Tehran and Kyiv is primarily linked to the military support, specifically drones, that Iran has provided to Russia in its war against Ukraine, alongside Kyiv's alliance with the United States and Western nations.

The tension has manifested in accusations by Tehran and its allies in Iraq against Ukraine.

Kyiv's stance came via a statement from its embassy in Baghdad responding to reports published by the Iranian Tasnim news agency, which alleged that Ukraine had deployed drone units and thousands of drones in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The embassy stressed that these allegations are completely baseless and are deliberate disinformation, noting that Kyiv has not deployed any drones, drone units, or associated personnel in either the Kurdistan Region or anywhere else in Iraq.

The statement noted that Ukraine fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, and deeply values the friendly relations that bind it to the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Region Government.

On Tuesday, the Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, cited a security source claiming that Ukraine had deployed specialized drone forces in areas surrounding Iran, and that “this move is part of the hostile actions by Europe and the NATO alliance against Tehran.”

Tasnim cited a security source alleging that Ukraine “has deployed specialized drone forces in areas surrounding Iran, particularly the Kurdistan Region, and that information regarding the countries hosting the Ukrainian forces and drones is confidential and will be revealed later.”

Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji had announced last July the arrest of a number of cells and operatives who confessed to working for Ukraine and to their involvement in carrying out attacks against government installations and facilities inside Iraqi territory.

The issue caused major uproar at the time, and many said it was aimed at diverting attention from the attacks carried out by pro-Iranian armed factions inside and outside Iraq.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time issued a strongly worded response to Araji's statements, deeming them "irresponsible and baseless."

Tehran is carrying out intense security efforts in Iraq possibly tied to preparations to the renewal of the war with the US.

Several security delegations have arrived in Baghdad in recent days to discuss numerous security issues, including securing the borders between the two countries.