Hamas, Islamic Jihad Claim Responsibility for Bomb Blast in Tel Aviv 

Israeli security and emergency responders work at the site of a bomb blast in Tel Aviv, Israel August 18, 2024. (Reuters)
Israeli security and emergency responders work at the site of a bomb blast in Tel Aviv, Israel August 18, 2024. (Reuters)
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Hamas, Islamic Jihad Claim Responsibility for Bomb Blast in Tel Aviv 

Israeli security and emergency responders work at the site of a bomb blast in Tel Aviv, Israel August 18, 2024. (Reuters)
Israeli security and emergency responders work at the site of a bomb blast in Tel Aviv, Israel August 18, 2024. (Reuters)

The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility on Monday for a bomb blast near a synagogue in Tel Aviv that Israeli police and the Shin Bet intelligence agency described as a terrorist attack.

A man who was carrying the bomb was killed and a passerby was injured in the incident late on Sunday, according to police at the scene.

In their statement the Brigades added that their "martyrdom operations" inside Israel would return to the forefront as long as the "occupation's massacres and assassination policy continue" - an allusion to Israel's offensive in Gaza and the July 31 killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Israel has neither claimed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh's death in the Iranian capital.

The war in Gaza began on Oct. 7 last year when Hamas gunmen stormed across the border into Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's military campaign has since levelled wide swathes of the Gaza Strip and killed at least 40,000 people, according to the enclave's health authorities.

Sunday's explosion in Tel Aviv came about an hour after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv to push for a ceasefire in Gaza to end the 10-month-old war between Israel and Hamas.

There has been increased urgency to reach a ceasefire deal amid fears of an escalation across the wider region. Iran has threatened to retaliate against Israel after the assassination of Haniyeh.



Dbeibah Slammed for Signing Agreement that Grants Türkiye Wide Privileges in Libya

Turkish forces carry out naval maneuvers off the Libyan coast. (Turkish Defense Ministry file photo)
Turkish forces carry out naval maneuvers off the Libyan coast. (Turkish Defense Ministry file photo)
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Dbeibah Slammed for Signing Agreement that Grants Türkiye Wide Privileges in Libya

Turkish forces carry out naval maneuvers off the Libyan coast. (Turkish Defense Ministry file photo)
Turkish forces carry out naval maneuvers off the Libyan coast. (Turkish Defense Ministry file photo)

Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah was slammed for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Türkiye that grants its forces wide privileges in the North African country.

The agreement was signed in March and came to light recently when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented it to parliament on August 12.

The 24-article MoU grants Turkish forces deployed in western Libya “wide privileges and legal immunity”.

“Any crimes committed by the forces while performing their official duties will be subject to Turkish law” and “if they commit crimes outside their official duties, they will be subject to Libyan laws or punished in line with laws in both countries.”

The agreement obligates the Tripoli-based GNU to cover the fuel and logistics needs of all vehicles used by the Turkish troops.

Dbeibah was slammed for signing the “shameful” agreement, while Libyan political analyst Larbi al-Werfalli said the MoU was enough to spark an uprising in Libya against the Turkish “colonization.”

Political analyst Ahmed Abou Arqoub said the MoU effectively turns Libya into a Turkish military based, allowing Ankara to access Libya’s air and naval space without restriction, which could raise regional tensions.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he warned: “Libya will officially become occupied by Türkiye when the agreement takes effect. It is even expected to cover the costs of the occupation.”

The GNU has not commented on the criticism.

Several observers slammed the agreement as infringing on Libya’s sovereignty and national security.

Head of the National Human Rights Commission in Libya Ahmed Abdulhakim Hamza criticized the “shameful” MoU, adding: “A country occupying another by force is much more dignified and merciful than this insulting” agreement.

Türkiye and western Libyan authorities enjoy vast coordination ties that go back to 2019 when Ankara supported Tripoli against the Libyan National Army in its war on the capital.

Libyan academic Aguilah Dalhoum stressed that the “shameful” MoU is not the product of the moment, but a result of a “series of catastrophic errors committed by several actors on the Libyan political scene.”

“Libya is teetering between political idiocy and fear that have pushed it to sign a security agreement with Türkiye, which will transform Tripoli into an Ottoman province,” he noted.