‘Hamas’ Delegation Visits Russia to Discuss Upcoming Elections

Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov arrives for a meeting on Syria at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva June 5, 2013. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov arrives for a meeting on Syria at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva June 5, 2013. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
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‘Hamas’ Delegation Visits Russia to Discuss Upcoming Elections

Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov arrives for a meeting on Syria at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva June 5, 2013. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov arrives for a meeting on Syria at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva June 5, 2013. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov met with Hamas political bureau member Mousa Abu Marzouq in Moscow to discuss upcoming elections in Palestine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The Hamas delegation briefed its Russian counterpart on the latest political developments concerning the Palestinian issue, especially the Palestinian legislative, presidential, and National Council elections.

Bogdanov welcomed the visit of the Hamas officials and confirmed the Russian unwavering position towards the Palestinian cause.

He also stressed that Moscow is keen on achieving the Palestinian national unity and highlighted the Russian government’s preparedness to exert all efforts possible to unite the Palestinians.

In the past years, Russia has been hosting Palestinian factions’ delegations including the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine and Fatah – chaired by the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas.

Palestinian officials stated that Moscow acts as a mediator between the factions to put an end to the rift and disputes regarding the elections.



Hezbollah Says Fired Missiles at Base Near South Israel's Ashdod

Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system operates to intercept incoming projectiles, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Nahariya, Israel, November 21, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system operates to intercept incoming projectiles, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Nahariya, Israel, November 21, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
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Hezbollah Says Fired Missiles at Base Near South Israel's Ashdod

Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system operates to intercept incoming projectiles, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Nahariya, Israel, November 21, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system operates to intercept incoming projectiles, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Nahariya, Israel, November 21, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Hezbollah said its fighters on Thursday fired missiles at a military base near south Israel’s Ashdod, the first time it has targeted so deep inside Israel in more than a year of hostilities.

Hezbollah fighters "targeted... for the first time, the Hatzor air base" east of the southern city, around 150 kilometers from Lebanon’s southern border with Israel, "with a missile salvo," the Iran-backed group said in a statement.

A rocket fired from Lebanon killed a man and wounded two others in northern Israel on Thursday, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service.
The service said paramedics found the body of the man in his 30s near a playground in the town of Nahariya, near the border with Lebanon, after a rocket attack on Thursday.
Israel meanwhile struck targets in southern Lebanon and several buildings south of Beirut, the Lebanese capital.

Israel has launched airstrikes against Lebanon after Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day after Hamas' attack on Israel last October. A full-blown war erupted in September after nearly a year of lower-level conflict.
More than 3,500 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the country’s Health Ministry, and over 1 million people have been displaced. It is not known how many of those killed were Hezbollah fighters and how many were civilians.
On the Israeli side, Hezbollah’s aerial attacks have killed more than 70 people and driven some 60,000 from their homes.