عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

UN Security Council Condemns Strikes on Qatar, Does Not Mention Israel

Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani addresses delegates during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani addresses delegates during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
TT
TT

UN Security Council Condemns Strikes on Qatar, Does Not Mention Israel

Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani addresses delegates during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani addresses delegates during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned recent strikes on Qatar's capital Doha, but did not mention Israel in the statement agreed to by all 15 members, including the United States.

Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with the attack on Tuesday.

US backing for the Security Council statement, which could only be approved by consensus, reflects President Donald Trump's unhappiness with the attack ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Council members underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar. They underlined their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar," read the statement, drafted by Britain and France.

The widely condemned Doha operation was especially sensitive because Qatar has been hosting and mediating negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

"Council members underscored that releasing the (Israeli) hostages, including those killed by Hamas, and ending the war and suffering in Gaza must remain our top priority," the Security Council statement read.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani accused Israel of trying to derail efforts to end the war in Gaza by attacking Hamas leaders in Doha, but pledged to continue its mediation efforts.

"Attacking our territories while we were busy with negotiations has uncovered the intention of Israel. It is trying to undermine any prospect of peace. It is trying to perpetuate the suffering of the Palestinian people," he told the council. "It also shows that extremists that rule Israel today do not care about the hostages. This is not a priority."

Algeria voiced its disappointment that the Security Council statement was not stronger.

“Violence breeds violence. Impunity breeds war. Silence in the international community, and of this very Security Council, fuels chaos,” Algeria’s UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama told the council.

“This very council remains constrained, unable even to name the aggressor, to qualify aggression as a violation of international law,” he said.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Syria Condemns Colombia's Recognition of Israeli Sovereignty over Golan Heights

Israeli soldiers operate in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights near the border with Syria, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, December 28, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli soldiers operate in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights near the border with Syria, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, December 28, 2023. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Syria Condemns Colombia's Recognition of Israeli Sovereignty over Golan Heights

Israeli soldiers operate in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights near the border with Syria, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, December 28, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli soldiers operate in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights near the border with Syria, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, December 28, 2023. (Reuters)

Syria strongly condemned on Tuesday the Colombian government's statement recognizing what it described as "Israeli sovereignty" over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, saying the position, which was reportedly based on security considerations, contradicts international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates categorically rejected Colombia's position, reaffirming that the Golan Heights are an integral part of Syrian territory, said Syria’s state news agency SANA.

The ministry said the Colombian statement is a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and contradicts the position of the UN Secretary-General affirming that the Golan Heights are Syrian territory, as well as the established principle prohibiting the acquisition of territory by force and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

The ministry welcomed growing international support for Syria's legitimate rights over the Golan Heights, saying this reflects continued international rejection of attempts to legitimize the occupation or recognize its consequences.

It stressed that the Golan Heights remain subject to the principles of international law and the relevant UN resolutions.

The Syrian foreign ministry also condemned the continued Israeli attacks and incursions into Syrian territory, calling on states and international organizations to uphold their responsibilities under international law and respect UN resolutions.

Syria will continue to employ diplomatic and legal means to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and established rights, and to work toward the restoration of its occupied territories, it vowed.

Arab World

Yemen Govt Says Four Killed in Houthi Strike on Ship in Red Sea

The navigation bridge of a sunken vessel is all that is seen at the surface of the water in the Port of Mokha the day after an attack by the Houthis on the city Mokha, held by Yemen's legitimate government on August 10, 2026. (AFP)
The navigation bridge of a sunken vessel is all that is seen at the surface of the water in the Port of Mokha the day after an attack by the Houthis on the city Mokha, held by Yemen's legitimate government on August 10, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Yemen Govt Says Four Killed in Houthi Strike on Ship in Red Sea

The navigation bridge of a sunken vessel is all that is seen at the surface of the water in the Port of Mokha the day after an attack by the Houthis on the city Mokha, held by Yemen's legitimate government on August 10, 2026. (AFP)
The navigation bridge of a sunken vessel is all that is seen at the surface of the water in the Port of Mokha the day after an attack by the Houthis on the city Mokha, held by Yemen's legitimate government on August 10, 2026. (AFP)

A strike by Iran-backed Houthi militias on a cargo vessel killed at least four people near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait off the coast of southern Yemen, the country's legitimate government said Tuesday. 

The Yemeni government's transport ministry accused the Houthis of launching the salvo that hit a cargo vessel named the "Tihamah" with "three successive ballistic-missile strikes while it was sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait". 

"The Houthi attack on the vessel which was carrying food supplies sparked a fire on board, killed four crew members -- three Pakistanis and one Indonesian -- and injured four others, as well as a member of the rescue team," said the ministry. 

A source from the Yemeni government forces based in the port city of Mokha said five people had been killed in the incident. 

Earlier, British maritime security company Vanguard reported that at least two people were killed in the incident on the Tihamah, but did not provide any information about a possible culprit. 

"Two crew members, one Pakistani and one Indonesian national, were killed, while four others, comprising three Pakistani and one Indonesian national, were injured," the agency added. 

"The Yemeni Navy subsequently deployed to assist the vessel and came under fire, resulting in one additional casualty." 

Attacks on ships in the Bab ⁠el-Mandeb ⁠Strait have increased uncertainty for shipping companies already hobbled by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

An average of 32 ships per day passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait last week, Kpler data showed. Prior to the blockade an average of 50 ships per day transited the strait.

The Houthis also attacked the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea coast and other areas of the country, deepening fears over threats to strategic shipping routes and a potential return to civil war.

Yemen's military said the militants targeted both Mokha and the central province of Marib with missiles and drones.

The Houthis struck Marib and the eastern province of Hadramawt last week, killing dozens of government troops and civilians. They hit Mokha with missiles and drones over the weekend and killed at least seven people, including three troops, according to the Yemeni military.

Arab World

Lebanon Abolishes Death Penalty in Landmark Parliament Vote

Lebanese lawmakers attend a parliamentary session to discuss a proposed general amnesty law, the abolition of the death penalty and the salaries of retired members of Lebanon’s security forces in Beirut, Lebanon, 11 August 2026. (EPA)
Lebanese lawmakers attend a parliamentary session to discuss a proposed general amnesty law, the abolition of the death penalty and the salaries of retired members of Lebanon’s security forces in Beirut, Lebanon, 11 August 2026. (EPA)
TT
TT

Lebanon Abolishes Death Penalty in Landmark Parliament Vote

Lebanese lawmakers attend a parliamentary session to discuss a proposed general amnesty law, the abolition of the death penalty and the salaries of retired members of Lebanon’s security forces in Beirut, Lebanon, 11 August 2026. (EPA)
Lebanese lawmakers attend a parliamentary session to discuss a proposed general amnesty law, the abolition of the death penalty and the salaries of retired members of Lebanon’s security forces in Beirut, Lebanon, 11 August 2026. (EPA)

Lebanon's parliament Tuesday abolished the death penalty, making it the first country in the Arab world to replace the sentencing with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labor.

The country has committed to an unofficial moratorium on executions since January 2004. However, dozens of death sentences since then have been issued, but later suspended or commuted.

A majority of Lebanon's 128-member parliament voted in favor of ending the death penalty, with the exception of the parliamentary bloc of Hezbollah.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who was in Parliament, called it a “historic step” for the country.

Rights groups that have called for formalizing the moratorium or ending the death penalty altogether have also celebrated the vote.

Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon Researcher at Human Rights Watch, says Lebanon is “marking a final break from a cruel sentence that should never be imposed.”

“Capital punishment is unique in its cruelty and finality and is plagued with arbitrariness, prejudice, and error,” he said.

It's unclear how aggravated hard labor would be enforced, as some legislators said the terms of the new punishment are not yet clear. Lebanon does have the punishment of hard labor written into law and court decisions, but even those have been rarely enforced in recent years due to cash-strapped Lebanon's lack of resources and capacity within its overcrowded prisons.

Lebanon's abolition of the death penalty comes as parliament is debating a controversial general amnesty law, the largest since the end of its 15-year civil war in 1990, that could reduce sentences or even release convicted militants and drug dealers, with some exceptions.

Family members of Lebanese soldiers and servicemen killed or attacked by extremist militant groups have repeatedly protested against the law, some saying they had hoped to see the perpetrators who killed their family members executed rather than be issued reduced prison sentences.

Hezbollah did not immediately issue a comment about the landmark vote. Neither did Lebanon's diverse religious institutions, where the death penalty is considered legal in some their respective court systems.