Netanyahu Says Israeli Planes Intercepted Iranian Ones Sent to Rescue Embattled Syrian Leader Assad
FILED - 03 March 2020, Israel, Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, delivers an address. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
Israeli warplanes last year intercepted Iranian aircraft headed toward Syria, preventing them from delivering troops meant to assist the country’s embattled president at the time, Bashar Assad, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
The remarks in a speech gave a new glimpse into Israel's thinking in the final days in power for Assad, a longtime enemy who was overthrown by opposition factions last December.
Speaking to a conference hosted by the Jewish News Syndicate, a pro-Israel news agency, Netanyahu claimed that arch-rival Iran wanted to save Assad after watching the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in neighboring Lebanon suffer heavy losses in fighting with Israel.
“They had to rescue Assad,” Netanyahu said, claiming that Iran wanted to send “one or two airborne divisions” to help the Syrian leader.
“We stopped that. We sent some F-16s to some Iranian planes that were making some routes to Damascus,” he said. “They turned back.”
He gave no further details.
In fighting last fall, Israel detonated hundreds of booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, days before assassinating the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, The Associated Press said.
Netanyahu told the crowd that he pushed forward the pager attacks after Israel learned that Hezbollah had grown suspicious and sent some of the devices to Iran for testing.
“I said, 'We’ll have to do it right away,” he said.
Israel and a weakened Hezbollah reached a ceasefire in November, ending more than a year of fighting. Israeli forces remain in parts of southern Lebanon.
Hamas Revives Momentum for Political Bureau Chief Electionhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5267919-hamas-revives-momentum-political-bureau-chief-election
Hamas leaders, from right: Rawhi Mushtaha, Saleh al-Arouri and Ismail Haniyeh, all of whom were assassinated, and Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya (file photo, Hamas media)
Hamas Revives Momentum for Political Bureau Chief Election
Hamas leaders, from right: Rawhi Mushtaha, Saleh al-Arouri and Ismail Haniyeh, all of whom were assassinated, and Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya (file photo, Hamas media)
Two sources in the Palestinian group Hamas said on Wednesday that the movement has resumed the process of electing a new head of its political bureau, pending the full selection of its members.
The move restores momentum to the leadership race after it stalled at least twice in January and February.
A source inside Gaza told Asharq Al-Awsat that “conditions that had been hindering the elections have been resolved,” opening the way for the process to restart.
He said some of those conditions were linked to internal organizational disputes in the enclave, adding that once settled, the decision was made to resume the process, alongside external political and security factors and ongoing negotiations.
Hamas faces its most severe crisis since its founding in 1987, after Israeli strikes launched in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack hit multiple wings and levels of the group, triggering organizational and financial strains.
Estimates suggest Khaled Meshaal, head of the political bureau abroad, and Khalil al-Hayya, head of the political bureau in Gaza, are the leading contenders.
Observers and figures inside and outside Hamas say al-Hayya is backed by members in Gaza and the Qassam Brigades, while Meshaal has stronger support in the West Bank and abroad.
A source outside Gaza said the vote will take place across all accessible arenas, inside Gaza, the West Bank and abroad, depending on conditions, with a decision expected soon.
For about a year and a half, a leadership council has been managing Hamas affairs.
At the start of this year, a new push began to elect a leader for the remainder of the current political bureau’s term, originally due to end in 2025 and extended by one year, pending broader elections expected at the end of this year or early next year.
An attempt to hold the vote in mid-February was disrupted by the US-Israeli war on Iran, sources said at the time.
The vote will be limited to selecting a new political bureau chief to lead Hamas inside and outside the territories. Full elections for the bureau are not expected before the end of this year or early 2027.
The current leadership council, which includes Hamas leaders in Gaza, the West Bank and abroad, along with the movement’s secretary-general, and is headed by Shura Council chief Mohammed Darwish, will become an advisory body overseeing the group’s internal and external affairs.
Hamas Angered by Continued Violations, Prepares Amendments to New Mediator Planhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5267841-hamas-angered-continued-violations-prepares-amendments-new-mediator-plan
Hamas Angered by Continued Violations, Prepares Amendments to New Mediator Plan
Mourners weep beside the body of a child at a hospital in Gaza City (AFP)
Three Hamas sources said the movement has expressed anger to mediators over the continued Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip, most recently the assassination of Iyad al-Shanbari, a senior commander in the Qassam Brigades, the movement’s armed wing.
The three sources, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, said Hamas considers these violations, particularly the assassination of security leaders, a blow to mediation efforts aimed at establishing a clear agreement that obliges Israel to carry out its commitments.
It called on mediators to intervene in a “serious and firm” manner to halt these operations, which have led to the killing of about 1,000 Palestinians since the ceasefire entered into force on October 10, 2025. The sources said mediators confirmed they are continuing their efforts to put an end to the Israeli violations.
A Palestinian source in contact with the Gaza Administration Committee told Asharq Al-Awsat that Nickolay Mladenov, the highest representative for Gaza in the Peace Council, “requested on Monday that Israel halt airstrikes in the Gaza Strip for 48 hours to give the Cairo negotiations a chance to succeed, but received no response.” Hamas sources said they had no knowledge of this request.
A day after a new proposal was presented by mediators and the Peace Council regarding Gaza and advancing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas sources said the movement is preparing a response containing remarks and requested amendments to be submitted by its negotiating delegation to Mladenov and the mediators.
Members of the Palestinian Civil Defense and local residents inspect a damaged vehicle following an Israeli airstrike in the west of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 28 April 2026. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
Asharq Al-Awsat had obtained details of the proposal drafted by representatives of the Peace Council and mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, along with the United States, concerning the Gaza Strip, particularly its disarmament.
The document, titled “Roadmap” to complete implementation of US President Donald Trump’s comprehensive Gaza peace plan, outlines 15 provisions addressing the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The response will focus, according to the sources, on demands for a clear timetable for Israeli withdrawal, the establishment of clear international mechanisms and guarantees to oblige Israel, rejecting any linkage between reconstruction and the confinement and disarmament issue, and affirming the right of factions to fully exercise their political role without restrictions.
The new paper indicates the formation of a body named the “Implementation Verification Committee,” to be established by the highest representative for Gaza, comprising guarantor states, an international stabilization force and the Peace Council, to ensure that the parties fulfill their obligations, supported by an enhanced monitoring mechanism.
In its first provisions, the document stresses the importance of full commitment by all parties to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and Trump’s comprehensive plan, as an agreed international framework that will guide the implementation of this process, in a way that ensures achieving the primary objective of restoring civilian life, enabling Palestinian governance, reconstruction, security and economic recovery, and creating the conditions for a credible path toward self-determination and a Palestinian state in line with the Security Council resolution.
Lebanon President Says Israel Must 'Fully Implement Ceasefire' before Talkshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5267832-lebanon-president-says-israel-must-fully-implement-ceasefire-talks
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in a southern Lebanese village, as seen from the Upper Galilee 29 April 2026, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Lebanon President Says Israel Must 'Fully Implement Ceasefire' before Talks
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in a southern Lebanese village, as seen from the Upper Galilee 29 April 2026, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that Israel must "fully implement" the ceasefire between the two countries before beginning direct negotiations, adding that Beirut was waiting for Washington to set a date for the talks, AFP reported.
Israel "must first fully implement the ceasefire in order to move on to negotiations... Israeli attacks cannot continue as they are," Aoun said in a statement shared by the presidency.
"We are now waiting for the United States to set a date to begin direct negotiations" with Israel.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have both engaged in fighting, trading blame over violations of the fragile truce.
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