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Israel Cuts off Gaza’s Southern City of Rafah, Vows to ‘Vigorously’ Expand in the Territory

Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)
Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Cuts off Gaza’s Southern City of Rafah, Vows to ‘Vigorously’ Expand in the Territory

Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)
Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)

Israel announced Saturday it has completed construction of a new security corridor that cuts off the southern city of Rafah from the rest of Gaza, as the military said it would soon expand "vigorously" in most of the small coastal territory. Palestinians were further squeezed into shrinking areas of land.

"Soon, (military) activity will expand rapidly to additional locations throughout most of Gaza and you will have to evacuate the fighting zones," Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, without saying where Palestinians were meant to go.

The statement urged Palestinians to stand up and remove Hamas and release the remaining hostages, saying: "This is the only way to stop the war." There was no immediate Hamas response.

Israeli troops were deployed last week to the new security corridor referred to as Morag, the name of a Jewish settlement that once stood between Rafah and Khan Younis, after the army ordered sweeping evacuations covering most of Rafah, indicating it could soon launch another major ground operation.

Israel has vowed to seize large parts of Gaza to pressure Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages, 24 of them believed to be alive, and accept proposed new ceasefire terms.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has also imposed a monthlong blockade on food, fuel and humanitarian aid that has left the territory’s roughly 2 million Palestinians facing acute shortages as supplies dwindle — a tactic that rights groups say is a war crime.

Israel has claimed that enough supplies entered Gaza during the two-month ceasefire that it shattered last month. Aid groups have disputed that.

Netanyahu has said Morag would be "a second Philadelphi corridor," referring to the Gaza side of the border with Egypt farther south, which has been under Israeli control since May 2024. Israel has also reasserted control of the Netzarim corridor, which cuts off Gaza's northern third from the rest of the territory.

The corridors, coupled with a buffer zone that Israel has razed and expanded, give it more than 50% control of the territory.

Katz said Palestinians interested in "voluntarily" relocating to other countries would be able to as part of a proposal by US President Donald Trump. Palestinians have rejected the proposal and expressed their determination to remain in their homeland.

Trump and Israeli officials have not said how they would respond if Palestinians refuse to leave Gaza. But Human Rights Watch and other groups say the plan would amount to "ethnic cleansing" — the forcible relocation of the civilian population of an ethnic group from a geographic area.

Many Palestinians have been crowding into squalid tent camps or the rubble of their previous homes, often displacing multiple times in response to Israel's evacuation orders since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killed some 1,200 people, many of them civilians, and sparked the war.

Israel on Saturday ordered the evacuation of areas east of Khan Younis ahead of an attack. Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee added that fighters had fired rockets into Israel from these areas.

Israeli strikes across Gaza continued, killing at least 21 people in the last 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants but says most of the over 50,000 Palestinians killed in the war have been women and children.

The ministry said at least 1,500 people have been killed since Israel's surprise bombardment resumed the war last month.

Israel says it has killed around 20,000 fighters in the war, without providing evidence.

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Arab World

Syria: Ceasefire Holds as Kurds Withdraw to Kobani

Syrian government forces inspect al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa after the SDF withdrew from the facility on Friday, Jan. 23 (AP). 
Syrian government forces inspect al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa after the SDF withdrew from the facility on Friday, Jan. 23 (AP). 
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Syria: Ceasefire Holds as Kurds Withdraw to Kobani

Syrian government forces inspect al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa after the SDF withdrew from the facility on Friday, Jan. 23 (AP). 
Syrian government forces inspect al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa after the SDF withdrew from the facility on Friday, Jan. 23 (AP). 

Hundreds of fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrived on Friday in the city of Kobani (Ain al-Arab) in eastern Aleppo province, after the Syrian army facilitated their withdrawal from Raqqa to the Kurdish city on the Turkish border.

The development comes amid continued adherence to a ceasefire between the two sides, following the Syrian government’s takeover of large areas previously controlled by the SDF’s autonomous administration in Aleppo, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir Ezzor provinces in northern and eastern Syria.

Syria’s Interior Ministry announced on Friday that it had taken control of al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa after SDF forces withdrew from the facility.

The state news agency SANA quoted the ministry as saying that specialized units from the counterterrorism department and other relevant authorities had been deployed to secure the prison and maintain order inside it.

The Syrian army’s operations command said its units had begun transferring SDF elements from al-Aqtan prison and its surroundings to Kobani, escorting the withdrawing fighters to the city’s outskirts.

Kurdish news outlets later published images showing hundreds of SDF fighters and their vehicles arriving in snow-covered Kobani, where they were welcomed by large crowds of residents.

Al-Aqtan prison holds detainees linked to the ISIS group and had witnessed clashes in its vicinity between government forces and the SDF days earlier. The number of remaining detainees in the facility remains unclear.

Meanwhile, US Central Command announced on Wednesday the launch of a new mission to transfer up to 7,000 ISIS detainees to Iraq to ensure their continued detention in secure facilities.

It said 150 detainees had already been transferred from a prison in Hasakah to Iraq. Iraqi security officials told AFP that the first group included senior ISIS leaders of various nationalities, including Europeans, Asians and Arabs.

Under a comprehensive integration agreement reached on Sunday between Damascus and the SDF, responsibility for prisons holding ISIS detainees is expected to be transferred to the Syrian government.

Separately, the UN refugee agency said the volatile security situation at al-Hol camp, home to families of ISIS fighters, has hindered access to the site. The camp hosts about 24,000 people, including thousands of Syrians and foreign women and children from dozens of countries.

 

 

Arab World

Southern Yemeni Forces Rally in Riyadh Ahead of Key Saudi-Sponsored Dialogue

Southern leaders received in Riyadh by Abdullah Bawazeer, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (X).
Southern leaders received in Riyadh by Abdullah Bawazeer, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (X).
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Southern Yemeni Forces Rally in Riyadh Ahead of Key Saudi-Sponsored Dialogue

Southern leaders received in Riyadh by Abdullah Bawazeer, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (X).
Southern leaders received in Riyadh by Abdullah Bawazeer, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (X).

Riyadh has witnessed, since the beginning of January, an unprecedented wave of political activity involving southern Yemeni leaders and factions.

These consultations and discussions among key actors and influential figures are aimed at preparing for the convening of the Southern Dialogue Conference, sponsored by Saudi Arabia at the request of Rashad al-Alimi, Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council.

Al-Alimi had formally requested Saudi sponsorship of the conference against the backdrop of military and political developments that followed unilateral military actions by Aidarous al-Zubaidi, head of what was formerly known as the Southern Transitional Council (STC), and the subsequent intervention of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen to protect civilians in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra.

As coalition-backed government forces regained control of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra and deployed across other southern governorates, the Presidential Leadership Council decided to remove Aidarous al-Zubaidi and Faraj al-Bahsani from its membership.

Al-Zubaidi fled Aden by sea to Somalia and then by air to Abu Dhabi, which Yemeni authorities accuse of committing widespread violations in Hadhramaut before ending its military presence there in recent weeks.

Broad Political Mobilization

Amid this momentum, southern figures held a consultative meeting days ago, during which they agreed to abide by the outcomes of the upcoming dialogue, according to a statement read by Abdulrahman al-Muharrami, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council.

In the statement, participants called on the international community to support the dialogue and respect the aspirations of the southern people, stressing that Saudi Arabia guarantees the inclusion of all southern parties and encourages partnership and responsible representation.

Meanwhile, political and social figures in Hadhramaut are mobilizing to unify their vision at the dialogue conference, under the leadership of Salem al-Khanbashi, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council and Governor of Hadhramaut.

Parallel efforts are being led by Abdullah al-Alimi, another member of the Presidential Leadership Council, who has been holding meetings with various southern groups and figures, including those from Shabwa Governorate, alongside representatives from other governorates such as Al-Mahra, Abyan, and Socotra.

This intensive political activity is taking place under direct Saudi sponsorship, in preparation for the launch of the Comprehensive Southern Dialogue Conference, which is expected to constitute a cornerstone in shaping Yemen’s final transitional phase.

Saudi Arabia’s role is no longer confined to traditional mediation but has evolved into what participants describe as “engineering consensus.” Current meetings aim to bridge differences among the various southern components, particularly leaders of what was formerly known as the Southern Transitional Council prior to its dissolution, in addition to other influential southern figures.

Analysts believe that the upcoming conference will not be a mere symbolic event, but rather a defining moment in the history of the “Southern Cause” and Yemen more broadly.

Emphasis on Partnership

Against this political backdrop, converging positions have emerged from Presidential Leadership Council members Abdullah al-Alimi Bawazeer and Abdulrahman al-Muharrami, who stressed the need to entrench the principle of partnership, reject exclusion, and unify the southern front through an inclusive dialogue under Saudi sponsorship.

These positions were articulated during southern meetings held in Riyadh, with the participation of prominent political and military leaders, as part of ongoing preparations for the upcoming dialogue conference.

Arab World

Lebanon PM Says IMF Wants Rescue Plan Changes as Crisis Deepens

A photograph released by the Lebanese Government Press Office on December 26, 2025, show Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaking during a press conference following a cabinet session in Beirut on December 26, 2025. (Photo by Handout / Lebanese Government Press Office / AFP)
A photograph released by the Lebanese Government Press Office on December 26, 2025, show Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaking during a press conference following a cabinet session in Beirut on December 26, 2025. (Photo by Handout / Lebanese Government Press Office / AFP)
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Lebanon PM Says IMF Wants Rescue Plan Changes as Crisis Deepens

A photograph released by the Lebanese Government Press Office on December 26, 2025, show Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaking during a press conference following a cabinet session in Beirut on December 26, 2025. (Photo by Handout / Lebanese Government Press Office / AFP)
A photograph released by the Lebanese Government Press Office on December 26, 2025, show Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaking during a press conference following a cabinet session in Beirut on December 26, 2025. (Photo by Handout / Lebanese Government Press Office / AFP)

The International Monetary Fund has demanded amendments to a draft rescue law aimed at hauling Lebanon out of its worst financial crisis on record and giving depositors access to savings frozen for six years, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said.

The "financial gap" law is part of a series of reform measures required by the IMF in order to access its funding and aims to allocate the losses from Lebanon's 2019 crash between the state, the central bank, commercial banks and depositors.

Salam told Reuters the IMF wants clearer provisions in the hierarchy of claims, which is a core element of the draft legislation designed to determine how losses are allocated.

"We want to engage with the IMF. We want to improve. This is a draft law," ‌Salam said in ‌an interview at the World Economic Forum annual meeting ‌in ⁠the Swiss mountain ‌resort of Davos.

"They wanted the hierarchy of claims to be clearer. The talks are all positive," Salam added.

In 2022, the government put losses from the financial crisis at about $70 billion, a figure that analysts and economists forecast is now likely to be higher.

Salam stressed that Lebanon is still pushing for a long-delayed IMF program, but warned the clock is ticking as the country has already been placed on a financial 'grey list' and risks falling onto the 'black ⁠list' if reforms stall further.

"We want an IMF program and we want to continue our discussions until we get ‌there," he said, adding: "International pressure is real ... The longer we ‍delay, the more people's money will evaporate".

The ‍draft law, which was passed by Salam's government in December, is under parliamentary ‍review. It aims to give depositors a guaranteed path to recovering their funds, restart bank lending, and end a financial crisis that has left nearly a million accounts frozen and confidence in the system shattered.

The roadmap would repay depositors up to $100,000 over four years, starting with smaller accounts, while launching forensic audits to determine losses and responsibility.

Lebanon's Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, who is driving the reform push with Salam, told Reuters it was ⁠essential to salvage a hollowed-out banking system, and to stop the country from sliding deeper into its cash-only, paralyzed economy.

The aim, Jaber said, is to give depositors clarity after years of uncertainty and to end a system that has crippled Lebanon's international standing.

He framed the law as part of a broader reckoning: the first time a Lebanese government has confronted a combined collapse of the banking sector, the central bank and the state treasury.

Financial reforms have been repeatedly derailed by political and private vested interests over the last six years and Jaber said the responsibility now lies with lawmakers.

Failure to act, he said, would leave Lebanon trapped in "a deep, dark tunnel" with no way back to a functioning system.

"Lebanon ‌has become a cash economy, and the real question is whether we want to stay on the grey list, or sleepwalk into a black list," Jaber added.