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Arab World

Kurds Criticize Damascus’ ‘Silence’ over Turkish Attacks

Installations at the Al-Suwaidiya oil field show severe damage following an alleged Turkish airstrike with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that - according to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - targeted the plant in the city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria, 06 October 2023. (EPA)
Installations at the Al-Suwaidiya oil field show severe damage following an alleged Turkish airstrike with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that - according to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - targeted the plant in the city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria, 06 October 2023. (EPA)
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Kurds Criticize Damascus’ ‘Silence’ over Turkish Attacks

Installations at the Al-Suwaidiya oil field show severe damage following an alleged Turkish airstrike with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that - according to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - targeted the plant in the city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria, 06 October 2023. (EPA)
Installations at the Al-Suwaidiya oil field show severe damage following an alleged Turkish airstrike with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that - according to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - targeted the plant in the city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria, 06 October 2023. (EPA)

Kurdish parties and political organizations in Syria called on the Arab League to intervene and deter Turkish attacks against Syrian territories.

The Syrian Democratic Council, the political wing of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), strongly condemned the “Turkish aggression” on regions in northeastern Syria.

In a statement on Friday, it said Turkish fighter jets and drones carried out a series of attacks “with unprecedented hostility” on energy and vital installations.

Türkiye has said it was carrying out strike on northern and northeastern Syrian in retaliation to an attack in its capital Ankara on Sunday that was claimed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Prominent Kurdish official in northeastern Syria Fawza Youssef described the Turkish attacks as a war crime and flagrant violation of United Nations treaties.

It held the Syrian government responsible for protecting state borders and its airspace from Turkish attacks.

The foreign relations department at the Kurdish autonomous administration that runs northeastern Syria called on the international community, United States and Russia to take “clear and honest” stances, otherwise Türkiye's actions will create “chaos and catastrophic crises.”

In the past 48 hours, Turkish drones struck 52 military and civilian locations in northeastern Syria, including 19 infrastructure structures, 22 residential buildings, and eleven military positions.

They also targeted five locations that are held by Syrian troops.

Seven members of the military and four civilians have been killed.

Turkish drones also struck 19 positions in Qamishli city in Hasakeh, 12 locations in Hasakeh, three in Ain Arab city in the Aleppo countryside and 14 in the al-Shahbaa regions in the northern Aleppo countryside.

Youssef told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Turkish attacks are a “continuation of the genocide against the Kurds and peoples of the region.”

She added that the attacks are aimed a displacing the people and emptying them of their original residents “in order to achieve Türkiye’s expansionist ambitions.”

Ankara has stressed that its attacks are strictly targeting terrorist Kurdish organizations that are active in the region.

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Arab World

Lebanon’s Security Authorities Adopt Strict Measures to Curb Violations Committed by Syrians

Notices to close stores in Nabatieh after a raid by the General Security (National News Agency)
Notices to close stores in Nabatieh after a raid by the General Security (National News Agency)
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Lebanon’s Security Authorities Adopt Strict Measures to Curb Violations Committed by Syrians

Notices to close stores in Nabatieh after a raid by the General Security (National News Agency)
Notices to close stores in Nabatieh after a raid by the General Security (National News Agency)

Members of the Lebanese General Security started implementing strict measures and procedures in various regions and villages, in implementation of instructions issued by the Acting Director General of the General Security, Major General Elias Al-Bisari, to address violations related to the Syrian presence in Lebanon.
Security personnel carried out massive campaigns in Beirut, and in various Lebanese regions, during which Syrians were arrested for violating the residency and work system and entering the country illegally, while a large number of illegal shops run by Syrian workers were closed.
The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, praised the General Security measures, saying in a post on X social media platform that more efforts should be done in this regard.
Al-Nashra website reported that patrols conducted by the General Security Information Division in the South and the Investigation Division of the Qana General Security Center in the Tyre District carried out a campaign in the region’s villages and towns to “address violations and monitor Syrian workers.”
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army announced on Friday that during an attempt by its unit, supported by a patrol from the Intelligence Directorate, to arrest a number of smugglers in the Deir Al-Ashayer area in the Bekaa (east of the country), a Syrian national tried to stab one of the unit’s members. The army opened fire at the man, who later succumbed to his injuries after being rushed to a nearby hospital.
The National News Agency (NNA) reported that night guards in the municipality of Jbeil arrested a Syrian gang at dawn on Saturday for smuggling Syrians into Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, stressed the role of municipalities in addressing the displacement crisis.
Speaking during a conference of municipalities in the Batroun region (northern Lebanon), Bassil pointed to a lack of political decision to deal with the presence of Syrians, due to an “external desire to keep the displaced on our land.”

Arab World

Lebanon Judiciary Issues New Indictments in TikTok Gang Case

TikTok app. (AP)
TikTok app. (AP)
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Lebanon Judiciary Issues New Indictments in TikTok Gang Case

TikTok app. (AP)
TikTok app. (AP)

The first investigating judge in Mount Lebanon, Judge Nicolas Mansour, begins interrogating 10 detainees from the TikTok gang involved in sexual assaults on children.
The judicial circles are also eagerly awaiting the warrants that the investigating judge will issue against the involved suspects residing outside Lebanon to convert them into international arrest warrants.
On Thursday, Attorney General at the Mount Lebanon Court of Appeal Tanios Saghbini, indicted 12 individuals involved in the case.
On Friday, he indicted another five detainees, including Ghadir Saleh Ghanawi, aka as Gigi, a female suspect believed to have played a significant role in luring children through the TikTok application and then handing them over to the gang.
“The new defendants have been charged with criminal offenses carrying penalties ranging from 3 years to 20 years of hard labor”, a judicial source familiar with the details of the case confirmed.
Human Trafficking, Money Laundering, and Rape
The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the “judiciary has charged these individuals with offenses including establishing a criminal network for human trafficking and money laundering, utilizing electronic applications, especially TikTok, using fake identities, luring children, committing violence against them, threatening them with murder and rape, and engaging in indecent acts”.
The judicial source said that the Cybercrime Combating Bureau also has its investigations focused on pursuing all the names that have appeared in the investigation, as well as tracking down all sides involved.
Dangerous Tasks for “Gigi”
Just a few days after a search and arrest warrant was issued against Ghadir Saleh Ghanawi, aka Gigi Ghanawi, the Cybercrime Bureau detained her bringing the total number of detainees in this case to 11 individuals.
A source following up closely on the investigations said that Ghanawi had a dangerous task in luring the children via TikTok under the pretext of securing employment for them in a reputable company.
“She set appointments for them with the alleged company manager, and upon their arrival at the predetermined address, she would receive them at the door of the apartment. Inside the apartment, they would be offered a drink containing a narcotic substance, then they would be raped”, said the source.
The source added that her most dangerous task was in filming the children being raped, she then sends the photos to the heads of the network outside Lebanon who were identified as Paul Meouch, known as (Jay), residing in Sweden, and Pierre Naffaa, located in Dubai, in addition to others.
A new list of names of ten suspects is expected to be issued next week including a lawyer registered with the North Bar Association in Tripoli called Khaled Merheb; and Hassan Sinjer, who according to information is residing in Switzerland.
Interpol Warrants
The warrants in absentia will be referred to the public prosecution office which will immediately refer them to the Interpol, according to the source.
“The Lebanese judiciary received positive signals from countries where some members of the gang reside. This indicates that the warrants will be promptly reviewed and executed if they do not conflict with the laws of those countries”, concluded the source.

Arab World

Border War Depletes Hezbollah, Worries Israel

A picture taken from a position by the northern Israeli border with Lebanon shows smoke billowing during Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanese territory on May 10, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions. (AFP)
A picture taken from a position by the northern Israeli border with Lebanon shows smoke billowing during Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanese territory on May 10, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions. (AFP)
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Border War Depletes Hezbollah, Worries Israel

A picture taken from a position by the northern Israeli border with Lebanon shows smoke billowing during Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanese territory on May 10, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions. (AFP)
A picture taken from a position by the northern Israeli border with Lebanon shows smoke billowing during Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanese territory on May 10, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions. (AFP)

Hezbollah deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem acknowledged that the party had to make changes to its military approach in its war with Israel in southern Lebanon.

The conflict between the two parties erupted on October 8, a day after Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel, sparking the war on Gaza.

Initially, Hezbollah launched attacks against Israel from southern Lebanon in “support of the resistance in Gaza.” The war has now turned into one of attrition, running along the southern border.

Israel’s attacks on the South have devastated villages and left hundreds of people dead.

Qassem said on Friday Hezbollah “has learned lessons” from the fighting, “assessed the positives and negatives” and made “necessary amendments so that it can achieve a major accomplishment.”

Figures close to Hezbollah revealed that the party has lost some 300 fighters in the war. The Health Ministry has tallied 351 deaths and 1,413 injuries.

Researcher at Information International Mohammed Chamseddeine said Hezbollah lost 350 fighters during the July 2006 war against Israel, while it has now lost some 290 members in eight months.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he added that 57 civilians have been killed in the latest war compared to 1,267 in 2006.

Several observers believe it is unfair to compare the current war to the one 2006. They say the current conflict is limited to the South and Hezbollah has said it is aimed at supporting Gaza. The 2006 conflict was an “all-out war” with Israel launching strikes across Lebanon.

In March, Hezbollah announced that it had carried out 1,194 operations against Israel since October 8 revealing that it killed and injured 2,000 Israelis.

Director of the Middle East Center for Studies and Political Research Dr. Hisham Jaber said that back in 2006, Israel realized that it could not continue with the war because it was unable to achieve its goal of “breaking Hezbollah.” So, it ended it after 33 days.

At the time, Hezbollah boasted some 6,000 professional fighters and 10,000 members. Now, the figures are much greater, and the party’s fighters have gained experience during their involvement in the war in Syria, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Israel has also raised its military capabilities and built on its past experiences.

Jaber described the conflict in the South as a war of attrition. “Hezbollah started the war and is now involved. It can no longer comply with Israeli demands and conditions because that will harm is image before its supporters and Lebanese people. So, it has no other interest than forging ahead with the war and persevering,” he explained.

“We must note, however, that the party has only revealed very little of its arsenal. The Radwan forces have not even taken action,” he went on to say.

For its part, Israel has no interest in launching a ground invasion of Lebanon, especially with the experience Hezbollah has gained in Syria, putting it at an advantage over the Israelis.

Arab World

Asaib Ahl al-Haq Backs Sudani’s Stance on Withdrawal of US Forces from Iraq

Head of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq faction Qais al-Khazali. (AFP)
Head of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq faction Qais al-Khazali. (AFP)
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Asaib Ahl al-Haq Backs Sudani’s Stance on Withdrawal of US Forces from Iraq

Head of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq faction Qais al-Khazali. (AFP)
Head of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq faction Qais al-Khazali. (AFP)

Head of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq faction Qais al-Khazali expressed his support for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani’s stance on the withdrawal of American forces from the country.

The pullout of American troops is no easy feat, he said on Friday.

During a trip to the United States in April, Sudani announced that Baghdad would gradually shift its relations from one with the US-led international coalition to one limited to their two countries. The shift would lead to the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.

Various Iraq forces welcomed the declaration at the time.

Prior to that, pro-Iran armed factions had committed to a truce that called for refraining from attacking American targets in Iraq. The Kataib Hezbollah and Nujaba movement opposed this position.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani. (X platform)

Khazali said on Friday the withdrawal of the “occupier demanded a popular and political stance.”

He described Iraq’s position as “strong” and “national” and capable of “imposing its will and lead to the withdrawal of the foreign forces.”

“The government’s position is not subject to debate,” he stressed, reiterating its stance that the forces will be withdrawn through a “technical” process.

Moreover, he predicted that the pullout will take place in a matter of months.

“The resistance factions and their operations have sent clear messages regarding the withdrawal,” he added.

The Asaib Ahl al-Haq always take stances that oppose the American troop deployment in Iraq, but often opts for official channels in dealing with the Americans. The faction boasts a parliamentary bloc and cabinet minister, so it takes political considerations into account when it makes various stances.

Khazali made his position in wake of Kataib Hezbollah and Nujaba taking a more hardline approach towards the US forces.

Kataib Hezbollah spokesman Abou Ali al-Askari recently said the faction “has not sensed seriousness” in the regards to the American pullout.

Arab World

Fighting Rages across Gaza as UN Chief Urges 'Immediate Ceasefire'

Internally displaced Palestinians arrive to Khan Younis after leaving Rafah following an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, southern Gaza Strip, 11 May 2024. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
Internally displaced Palestinians arrive to Khan Younis after leaving Rafah following an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, southern Gaza Strip, 11 May 2024. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
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Fighting Rages across Gaza as UN Chief Urges 'Immediate Ceasefire'

Internally displaced Palestinians arrive to Khan Younis after leaving Rafah following an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, southern Gaza Strip, 11 May 2024. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
Internally displaced Palestinians arrive to Khan Younis after leaving Rafah following an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, southern Gaza Strip, 11 May 2024. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

Israel struck Gaza on Sunday and troops were battling Hamas in several areas of the Palestinian territory after an Israeli evacuation order sent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing from Rafah.
More than seven months into the Israel-Hamas war, UN chief Antonio Guterres urged "an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and an immediate surge in humanitarian aid" into the besieged Gaza Strip.
"But a ceasefire will only be the start," Guterres told a donor conference in Kuwait. "It will be a long road back from the devastation and trauma of this war."
As Egyptian, Qatari and US mediation efforts towards a truce appeared to stall, US President Joe Biden said on Saturday a ceasefire could be achieved "tomorrow" if Hamas released the hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attack that sparked the war.
AFP correspondents, witnesses and medics said Israeli air strikes pounded parts of northern, central and southern Gaza during the night and into Sunday morning.
In Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city which sits on the Egyptian border, the Kuwaiti hospital said on Sunday it had received the bodies of "18 martyrs" killed in Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours.
Gaza's civil defense agency reported at least two fatalities, a father and son, both doctors, in a strike on Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
Months after Israel said it had dismantled Hamas's command structure in northern Gaza, which was devastated by intense violence in the early stages of the war, fighting has resumed in recent days in Jabalia refugee camp and Gaza City's Zeitun neighborhood.
AFP correspondents reported intense clashes and heavy gunfire from Israeli helicopters in the Zeitun area early on Sunday, with medics and witnesses saying troops were engaged in combat in Zeitun as well as Jabalia.
'Inhumane displacement'
The war began with Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
During their attack, militants also seized hostages, of whom scores were freed during a one-week truce in November. Israel estimates 128 captives remain in Gaza including 36 who the military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 34,971 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
Israel defied international opposition this week and sent tanks and troops into eastern Rafah, effectively shutting a key aid crossing.
The military on Saturday expanded an evacuation order for eastern Rafah and said 300,000 Palestinians had left the area.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, gave a similar estimate of "around 300,000 people" who have fled Rafah over the past week, decrying in a post on X the "forced and inhumane displacement of Palestinians" who have "nowhere safe to go" in Gaza.
Palestinians in Rafah, many of them displaced by the fighting elsewhere in the territory, piled water tanks, mattresses and other belongings onto vehicles and prepared to flee again.
"The artillery shelling didn't stop at all" for several days, said Mohammed Hamad, 24, who has left eastern Rafah for the city's west.
"We will not move until we feel that the danger is advancing to the west," he told AFP.
"There is no safe place in Gaza where we can take refuge."
Residents were told to go to the "humanitarian zone" of Al-Mawasi, on the coast northwest of Rafah, though aid groups have warned it was not ready for an influx of people.
EU chief Charles Michel said on social media that Rafah civilians were being ordered to "unsafe zones", denouncing it as "unacceptable".
Hisham Adwan, spokesman for the Gaza crossings authority, told AFP on Sunday that the Rafah crossing has remained closed since Israeli troops seized its Palestinian side on Tuesday, "preventing the entry of humanitarian aid" and the departure of patients in need of medical care.
He said Israeli forces "have advanced from the eastern border" about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) into Rafah.
Protests
Egypt's state-linked Al-Qahera News on Saturday said Cairo had refused to coordinate with Israel on aid deliveries via the Rafah crossing.
Al-Qahera cited a high-ranking source as saying Egypt had "warned Israel of the repercussions of its continued control over the Rafah crossing, and held it fully responsible for the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip".
International outrage mounted at the long-threatened operation in Rafah, with Israel's close ally the United States having paused the delivery of 3,500 bombs as it appeared ready to invade the city.
Guterres on Friday said Gaza risked an "epic humanitarian disaster" if Israel launched a full-scale ground operation in Rafah, where the UN says 1.4 million have been sheltering.
Hagari on Saturday said troops "eliminated numerous terrorists in close-quarters combat" and in air strikes on the city.
Protests against the war spread to the Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden, where thousands rallied outside the Malmo Arena condemning Israel's participation.
Israeli protesters on Saturday again took to Tel Aviv's streets to pressure their government to do more to reach a truce and hostage release deal.
The rally came hours after Hamas's armed wing said one of the hostages, Israeli-British man Nadav Popplewell, had died in captivity. The Israeli military did not offer any comment on the Hamas video statement.

Arab World

Yemen’s Bin Aziz: Dozens of Prisoners Died under Torture in Houthi Prisons

Yemen’s Chief of Staff Saghir bin Aziz meets with Daphnee Maret, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Yemen, in Marib. (Saba)
Yemen’s Chief of Staff Saghir bin Aziz meets with Daphnee Maret, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Yemen, in Marib. (Saba)
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Yemen’s Bin Aziz: Dozens of Prisoners Died under Torture in Houthi Prisons

Yemen’s Chief of Staff Saghir bin Aziz meets with Daphnee Maret, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Yemen, in Marib. (Saba)
Yemen’s Chief of Staff Saghir bin Aziz meets with Daphnee Maret, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Yemen, in Marib. (Saba)

Yemen’s Chief of Staff Saghir bin Aziz accused the Iran-backed Houthi militias of killing dozens of detainees under torture in their prisons.

He called for international pressure to be exerted on the militias to make them cease their violations, especially regarding the torture of prisoners and recruitment of children.

He made his remarks in wake of government and rights reports that said the Houthis have intensified their campaign of arrests against politicians, even among leading members of the General People's Congress in Sanaa.

The militias have also accused prisoners of collaborating with the United States and Israel, with rights groups expressing their concern that they may be executed.

Bin Saghir held talks in Marib with Daphnee Maret, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Yemen, on the situation of the prisoners held in Houthi jails and efforts carried out by rights groups in addressing the militias’ crimes and violations, reported the Saba state news agency.

Bin Saghir stressed that Yemen’s legitimate authorities are offering all forms of support to the ICRC so that it can perform its duties. He added that the Houthis continue to violate international laws and commit crimes against wrongfully detained prisoners.

Meanwhile, Information Minister in the legitimate government Moammar Al-Eryani strongly condemned the Houthi campaign of arrests, which he said targeted Sanaa and other regions under their control.

He said the militias are closely watching the remaining members of the General People's Congress who are still living in regions under their control.

Dozens of their members have been recently detained by the militias.

The Houthis are also keeping lawmakers, politcal and tribal figures, and former state officials under close watch. Many have been barred from travel.

Such practices demonstrate that the Houthis are terrorists, who reject partnership and coexistence with others. They adopt force, violence and terror to consolidate their power in complete disregard of human rights, he went on to say.

Eryani called on the international community and United Nations to end their “terrible shameful silence” over the Houthi violations and work seriously toward putting an end to their “systematic crimes.”

He also urged them to designate the militias as terrorist, stop their sources of funding and support the legitimate government in imposing its control over all Yemeni territories.

The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms condemned the Houthis for their attempt to execute some 11 citizens in the Tihamah region on charges of collaborating with the US and Israel.

In a statement to the media, it said the Houthis “continue to use the judiciary to oppress their opponents and people who reject their criminal practices against civilians in areas under their control.”

“They are trying through all criminal and terrorist means to silence free civil voices,” it added.

It stressed that the Houthis have used the judiciary in recent years as a means to settle scores with political rivals, issuing death penalties against hundreds of journalists, activists and women.

The Houthis have issued over 400 death sentences against opponents.

It said their “ugliest crime was the execution in cold blood of nine Tihamah residents in Sanaa’s central square in September 2021.”

Arab World

CENTCOM: Uncrewed Aerial System Launched from Yemen's Houthi Area, No Injuries Reported

FILED - 19 November 2023: A handout photo, made available on 21 November 2023, by the Houthi Military Media Center, depicts Houthi helicopter flying over the cargo ship 'Galaxy Leader' as they seize it in the Red Sea off the coast of Hodeidah. Photo: dpa
FILED - 19 November 2023: A handout photo, made available on 21 November 2023, by the Houthi Military Media Center, depicts Houthi helicopter flying over the cargo ship 'Galaxy Leader' as they seize it in the Red Sea off the coast of Hodeidah. Photo: dpa
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CENTCOM: Uncrewed Aerial System Launched from Yemen's Houthi Area, No Injuries Reported

FILED - 19 November 2023: A handout photo, made available on 21 November 2023, by the Houthi Military Media Center, depicts Houthi helicopter flying over the cargo ship 'Galaxy Leader' as they seize it in the Red Sea off the coast of Hodeidah. Photo: dpa
FILED - 19 November 2023: A handout photo, made available on 21 November 2023, by the Houthi Military Media Center, depicts Houthi helicopter flying over the cargo ship 'Galaxy Leader' as they seize it in the Red Sea off the coast of Hodeidah. Photo: dpa

An uncrewed aerial system was launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden on Friday, with no injuries or damage reported by US coalition, or commercial ships, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday.
CENTCOM later said it had destroyed three aerial systems launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen into the Red Sea.

Arab World

UN Voices Concern over Fighting in Sudan's Darfur Involving 'Heavy Weaponry'

El-Fasher has been rocked by fighting involving "heavy weaponry" - AFP
El-Fasher has been rocked by fighting involving "heavy weaponry" - AFP
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UN Voices Concern over Fighting in Sudan's Darfur Involving 'Heavy Weaponry'

El-Fasher has been rocked by fighting involving "heavy weaponry" - AFP
El-Fasher has been rocked by fighting involving "heavy weaponry" - AFP

A major city in Sudan's western region of Darfur has been rocked by fighting involving "heavy weaponry", a senior UN official said Saturday.

Violence erupted in populated areas of El-Fasher, putting about 800,000 people at risk, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, said in a statement.

Wounded civilians were being rushed to hospital and civilians were trying to flee the fighting, she added, AFP reported.

"I am gravely concerned by the eruption of clashes in (El-Fasher) despite repeated calls to parties to the conflict to refrain from attacking the city," said Nkweta-Salami.

"I am equally disturbed by reports of the use of heavy weaponry and attacks in highly populated areas in the city center and the outskirts of (El-Fasher), resulting in multiple casualties," she added.

For more than a year, Sudan has suffered a war between the army, headed by the country's de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than 8.5 million to flee their homes in what the United Nations has called the "largest displacement crisis in the world".

The RSF has seized four out of five state capitals in Darfur, a region about the size of France and home to around one quarter of Sudan's 48 million people.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said Saturday he was "very concerned about the ongoing war in Sudan".

"We need an urgent ceasefire and a coordinated international effort to deliver a political process that can get the country back on track," he said in a post on social media site X.

Arab World

Biden Says Gaza Ceasefire Possible 'Tomorrow' If Hamas Frees Hostages

Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Thursday, May 9, 2024. © Abdel Kareem Hana, AP
Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Thursday, May 9, 2024. © Abdel Kareem Hana, AP
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Biden Says Gaza Ceasefire Possible 'Tomorrow' If Hamas Frees Hostages

Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Thursday, May 9, 2024. © Abdel Kareem Hana, AP
Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Thursday, May 9, 2024. © Abdel Kareem Hana, AP

US President Joe Biden said Saturday that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was possible as soon as "tomorrow" if the militant group released its hostages.

"There would be a ceasefire tomorrow if Hamas would release the hostages," Biden said at a fundraiser outside Seattle, at the home of a former Microsoft executive, after avoiding the topic at three similar events on Friday.

"Israel said it's up to Hamas, if they wanted to do it, we could end it tomorrow. And the ceasefire would begin tomorrow," Biden told the crowd of about 100 people, AFP reported.

The president raised the issue after warning Israel on Wednesday that he would stop supplying artillery shells and other weapons if its forces attack the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, as he deplored the fact that civilians had been killed by the dropping of US bombs.

"If they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used... to deal with the cities," Biden said in a televised interview with CNN.

"We're not gonna supply the weapons and the artillery shells that have been used."

Hamas and Israel have so far failed to reach a ceasefire deal despite repeated rounds of indirect negotiations.

Some 250 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel.

Israeli officials say 128 of them are still held captive in the Palestinian territory, including at least 36 who are dead.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Arab World

Saudi Arabia's KSrelief, IRVD Sign Deal to Operate Artificial Limbs, Rehabilitation Center in Yemen

The agreement was signed by the Center’s Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs, Engineer Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz, at the KSrelief's headquarters in Riyadh, SPA.
The agreement was signed by the Center’s Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs, Engineer Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz, at the KSrelief's headquarters in Riyadh, SPA.
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Saudi Arabia's KSrelief, IRVD Sign Deal to Operate Artificial Limbs, Rehabilitation Center in Yemen

The agreement was signed by the Center’s Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs, Engineer Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz, at the KSrelief's headquarters in Riyadh, SPA.
The agreement was signed by the Center’s Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs, Engineer Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz, at the KSrelief's headquarters in Riyadh, SPA.

TheKing Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed a joint cooperation agreement this week with the international Wars and Disaster’s victims’ protection Association (IRVD) to implement the Artificial Limbs and Rehabilitation Center in Seiyun in Yemen's Hadhramout.
The agreement was signed by the Center’s Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs, Engineer Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz, at the KSrelief's headquarters in Riyadh, SPA reported.
The Director of the Health and Environmental Aid Department at KSrelief, Dr. Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Muallem, said in a statement that the agreement intends to provide physical rehabilitation services to people with special needs and following up on them to enable them to serve their community, through diagnosis and determining the treatment plan for each patient individually, the installation of artificial limbs and functional rehabilitation services for prosthetic limbs.
The agreement will deal with raising the capabilities of the medical and technical staff professionally and scientifically and qualifying them to deal with specific cases, in addition to minimizing the migration of specialized medical and technical staff. The agreement aims to benefit 1,625 individuals.
The agreement comes within the framework of a series of humanitarian and relief projects implemented by the Kingdom through its humanitarian arm, the KSrelief to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people as a result of the humanitarian crisis they are currently experiencing.