Israel to Gazans: Move South or Risk Being Seen as 'Terrorist' Partnerhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/4620621-israel-gazans-move-south-or-risk-being-seen-terrorist-partner
Israel to Gazans: Move South or Risk Being Seen as 'Terrorist' Partner
Palestinians dig through the rubble of a building after Israeli strikes on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on October 22, 2023. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP)
Israel to Gazans: Move South or Risk Being Seen as 'Terrorist' Partner
Palestinians dig through the rubble of a building after Israeli strikes on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on October 22, 2023. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP)
Palestinians said they had received renewed warnings from Israel's military to move from north Gaza to the south of the strip, with the added warning that they could be identified as sympathizers with a "terrorist organization" if they stayed put.
The message was delivered in leaflets marked with the Israel Defense Forces name and logo from Saturday and sent to people via mobile phone audio messages across the Gaza Strip, a narrow territory that is just 45 km (28 miles) long.
"Urgent warning, to residents of Gaza. Your presence north of Wadi Gaza puts your life in danger. Whoever chooses not to leave north Gaza to the south of Wadi Gaza might be identified as an accomplice in a terrorist organization," the leaflet said.
Israel has pounded Gaza with airstrikes since the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israeli soil on Oct. 7.
Israel has previously warned Palestinians to move south, although Palestinians said they had not previously been told they could be considered "terrorist" sympathizers if they did not. They also say making the journey south remains highly risky amid airstrikes and say areas of the south have also been hit.
Israel has amassed tanks and troops near the fenced border around Gaza for a planned ground invasion aiming to annihilate Hamas, after several inconclusive wars dating to its seizure of power there in 2007.
"We are going to go into the Gaza Strip... to destroy Hamas operatives and Hamas infrastructure," Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi told troops in a video distributed by the Israeli military on Saturday. "We will have in our mind the memories of the images and those who fell on Saturday two weeks ago."
Iraq PM Vows Monopoly on Arms as Parliament Approves Governmenthttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5273410-iraq-pm-vows-monopoly-arms-parliament-approves-government
Iraqi lawmakers attend the session to approve the new government in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Iraqi Presidency Office via AP)
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Iraq PM Vows Monopoly on Arms as Parliament Approves Government
Iraqi lawmakers attend the session to approve the new government in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Iraqi Presidency Office via AP)
Iraqi lawmakers approved a new government on Thursday led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who vowed to ensure a state monopoly on weapons amid growing US pressure to dismantle Tehran-backed groups.
Iraq has long walked a tightrope between the competing influences of its allies, neighboring Iran and the United States.
Iraq's parliament voted in favor of Zaidi's government and program, just a few weeks after he was designated following months of political deadlock.
Zaidi's program includes "reforming the security apparatus by restricting weapons to state control and strengthening the capabilities of the security forces", state news agency INA quoted the parliament media office as saying.
In Iraq, a government wins a confidence vote when parliament approves half plus one of its ministries.
Only 14 ministerial nominations out of 23 posts were approved on Thursday, as key political parties continue to negotiate several portfolios.
Zaidi, Iraq's youngest prime minister at the age of 40, was chosen to form the new government late last month.
His nomination followed months of political wrangling after the United States vetoed the previous frontrunner, former premier Nouri al-Maliki.
He is backed by the Coordination Framework, a ruling alliance of Shiite groups with varying ties to Iran.
Iraq's Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, front left, arrives at the Iraqi parliament to attend the voting of his government in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP)
- Divisions? -
Senior US diplomat Tom Barrack meanwhile said his government was ready to work with Zaidi "to advance our shared goals of prosperity for the Iraqi people and the elimination of terrorism, which is always an impediment to the people's progress".
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi congratulated Iraq's new government following the approval from parliament.
"Strengthening the friendly and brotherly relations between Tehran and Baghdad has always been at the top of the priorities of our foreign policy," he wrote on X.
The US has recently piled pressure on Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed groups, which it designates as terrorist organizations.
After the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, those groups intervened in support of Tehran and hit US facilities in Iraq more than 600 times before a ceasefire was announced, according to a US official.
Washington also struck their positions and bases, killing dozens of fighters.
Iraqi lawmakers attend the session to approve the new government in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Iraqi Presidency Office via AP)
- Challenges -
Recently, several powerful Iraqi politicians have also called for a state monopoly on weapons, revealing divisions over the sensitive issue.
While some armed groups showed readiness to cooperate, others remain adamant that the issue should not be discussed under US pressure.
Hussein Mounes, the head of a parliamentary bloc close to the Kataib Hezbollah group, criticized the "clear and direct American interference in shaping the political scene".
He told journalists that the question of the state's monopoly on arms cannot be achieved through "pressure".
The new premier faces other daunting tasks.
His government will also need to repair Iraq's relations with Gulf countries, which have protested attacks by Tehran-backed groups on their territory during the war.
His program has also set economic reforms as a main priority, with an emphasis on diversification and investment, in a country where almost the entire economy relies on oil.
Iraq has lost significant income due to the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, given that oil exports make up about 90 percent of the country's budget revenues.
Israel Refuses to Withdraw from Lebanon before ‘Disabling’ Hezbollahhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5273407-israel-refuses-withdraw-lebanon-%E2%80%98disabling%E2%80%99-hezbollah
Israel Refuses to Withdraw from Lebanon before ‘Disabling’ Hezbollah
Lebanese army soldiers man a checkpoint in Beirut, Lebanon, 14 May 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Israel refused to withdraw from Lebanese territories it occupied during its recent war with Hezbollah before eliminating the military capabilities of the Iran-backed group and securing its northern borders.
Israel’s position came during the third round of direct negotiations with Lebanon held in Washington, D.C. on Thursday and hosted by the US State Department represented by senior adviser Mike Needham and the US ambassadors to Lebanon, Michel Issa, and to Israel, Mike Huckabee.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not participate because he was accompanying President Donald Trump in China.
The Lebanese delegation is led by Presidential Special Envoy Simon Karam accompanied by Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Moawad, deputy ambassador Wissam Boutros, and military attaché in Washington, Brig. Gen. Oliver Hakmeh.
The participants from Israel included Deputy National Security Adviser Yossi Draznin, National Security Council Deputy Director for Foreign Policy Uri Resnick, and ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter.
Ceasefire extension
Negotiators in Washington discussed extending the current Israel-Lebanon ceasefire beyond next Sunday’s deadline.
Lebanese officials emphasized the need for full compliance by both Israel and Hezbollah, while Israel argued its military actions are necessary to counter threats from the Iran-backed group.
US mediators continue to support Israel’s right to self-defense under the November 2024 ceasefire agreement and are expected to decide soon on extending the truce.
The Israeli ambassador
Leiter said in remarks to the press from the Israeli embassy in Washington that Israel’s presence in Lebanon is tied to the continued existence of Hezbollah. He said the party is heavily armed with intent on attacking Israeli communities with rockets. He stressed that Israel would no longer allow such threats.
He explained that the current focus is on reaching a peace treaty as if “there were no Hezbollah” and fighting the group as if there were no peace treaty. “I believe we will achieve both”, he stated
Lebanese silence
Leiter said ahead of the latest negotiations that no diplomatic progress or peace agreement with Lebanon would be possible unless Hezbollah is dismantled militarily. He added that a shared interest in freeing Lebanon from Hezbollah would ultimately prevail.
The Israeli ambassador said that Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon, but it also has no immediate plan to withdraw from its territories. He expressed cautious optimism about peace prospects, claiming shifting Lebanese public opinion ,including among Shiites, against Hezbollah.
However, he acknowledged that achieving progress would be difficult due to decades of entrenched dynamics and Lebanese hesitation despite alleged shared interest in reducing Hezbollah’s influence.
Yemen Govt Agrees Largest Prisoner Exchange with Houthishttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5273404-yemen-govt-agrees-largest-prisoner-exchange-houthis
Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, poses for a photo as members of the Supervisory Committee on the Detainees Release Agreement attend the closing ceremony of a meeting between the legitimate Yemeni government and the Houthis, in Amman, Jordan, May 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Yemen Govt Agrees Largest Prisoner Exchange with Houthis
Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, poses for a photo as members of the Supervisory Committee on the Detainees Release Agreement attend the closing ceremony of a meeting between the legitimate Yemeni government and the Houthis, in Amman, Jordan, May 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Yemen's legitimate government and the Iran-backed Houthi militants agreed Thursday to free more than 1,600 detainees in the largest swap during Yemen's 11-year war.
The deal was signed in Amman, Jordan, after 14 weeks of negotiations observed by UN officials and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The swap built on previous understandings that started from Muscat in late 2025 and included indirect negotiations rounds in Riyadh, before culminating in an agreement in Jordan.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the deal and called on the parties to move swiftly toward implementing it so families could soon be reunited, a UN spokesperson said.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said the deal covered the largest release of “conflict-related detainees.” An ICRC in a statement said both sides agreed on the identities of the detainees to be released, and added that the Geneva-based organization is ready to facilitate their repatriation.
The head of the government delegation, Yahya Kazman, said in a post on X that a “number of politicians and media professionals" held by the Houthis will also be released. He did not give details.
It was not immediately clear when the release would start.
Guterres also called on the government and the Houthis to build on the positive momentum generated by the deal and to engage constructively toward an inclusive political process for a just and lasting peace in Yemen, Guterres’ deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said.
“The Secretary-General further urges the Houthis to immediately and unconditionally release all arbitrarily detained personnel from the United Nations, NGOs, civil society and diplomatic missions,” Haq said.
Sustained diplomacy
“These negotiations have been extraordinarily complex,” Grundberg told reporters. “They required persistence, flexibility, and willingness by all sides.”
He said the agreement demonstrated that sustained diplomacy could still produce results despite years of conflict and mistrust.
“This outcome is a clear demonstration of what sustained and determined negotiations can produce,” he added. “It proves that when the parties choose to engage in dialogue, they can deliver on the priorities that weigh most heavily on Yemeni families and build confidence for the wider peace process.”
Grundberg also renewed calls for the release of UN personnel and others arbitrarily detained in Yemen.
“I hope that today’s momentum can help advance the release of UN and other colleagues who remain in arbitrary detention,” he said.
Some 1,100 of the almost 1,700 detainees are Houthi-affiliated, while seven Saudis and 20 Sudanese are among the 580 detainees that will be released by the other side.
'Major breakthrough'
The government delegation said the deal calls for the release of 1,750 detainees, including 27 members of the Arab Coalition forces. It said the development was a “real changing point in this complex humanitarian file.”
A government statement said the negotiations faced major hurdles and complications but a “national and humanitarian approach” ensured their success.
It hailed the role played by Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the ICRC in the file.
The swap agreement includes mutual prisoner and detention center visits after the exchange is complete in what was seen as an efforts to build trust between the two the government and Houthis.
In Houthi-held Sanaa, head of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat welcomed the agreement, saying the militants have offered “all facilitations” to ensure its success, reported Houthi media.
He claimed that the prisoner file had always been a top priority for the Houthis, vowing to pursue the release of remaining detainees by all possible means.
Observers said the swap was a new test for the Yemeni parties to translate humanitarian understandings into tangible steps on the ground, given the failure of previous swaps due to various differences.
International mediators are hoping the implementation of the latest swap will generate a positive conditions that would push forward the stalled political process.
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