UN Rights Chief Calls on Israel to Abolish Oct 7 Military Tribunal

FILED - 07 October 2023, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinians take control of an Israeli tank after crossing the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
FILED - 07 October 2023, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinians take control of an Israeli tank after crossing the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
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UN Rights Chief Calls on Israel to Abolish Oct 7 Military Tribunal

FILED - 07 October 2023, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinians take control of an Israeli tank after crossing the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
FILED - 07 October 2023, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinians take control of an Israeli tank after crossing the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa

The United Nations rights chief on Wednesday called on Israel to repeal a newly established special military tribunal to try Palestinian militants accused of taking part in Hamas's October 7 attacks.

Israel's parliament passed a law establishing the tribunal, with the authority to hand down the death penalty, late on Monday.

The special court is set to try attackers captured during or after the Hamas-led onslaught. It will also try those suspected of holding or abusing hostages in Gaza.

According to Israeli media, around 400 suspects are expected to stand trial before the court.

"There must be full accountability for these horrific attacks, but this cannot be achieved through trials that fall short of international standards," Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement, AFP reported.

"This law must be overturned," he said.

"This law will inevitably institutionalize one-sided justice and discrimination against Palestinians, which cannot be in anyone's interest and runs counter to international human rights law," he said.

Hamas's attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people on the Israeli side, the majority of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data, making it the deadliest day in Israel's history.

Militants also took 251 people hostage, including 44 who were already dead.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has devastated the Gaza Strip and killed more than 72,000 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.



US Says New Round of Lebanon-Israel Talks in Rome in September

A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Chaqra shows destruction in the border village of Houla, and behind it is what is known as the “Abbad Israeli outpost” on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Chaqra shows destruction in the border village of Houla, and behind it is what is known as the “Abbad Israeli outpost” on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
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US Says New Round of Lebanon-Israel Talks in Rome in September

A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Chaqra shows destruction in the border village of Houla, and behind it is what is known as the “Abbad Israeli outpost” on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Chaqra shows destruction in the border village of Houla, and behind it is what is known as the “Abbad Israeli outpost” on August 11, 2026. (AFP)

The United States will sponsor a new round of talks between Lebanon and Israel in early September in Rome, a State Department official announced Tuesday.

"The political track will reconvene in Rome in early September, and conversations will continue in Beirut, Jerusalem, and Washington in the interim," the official said on condition of anonymity. "We feel good about the trajectory."

The United States has been sponsoring talks between Lebanon and Israel aimed at putting an end to hostilities between them, with Beirut seeking Israel's phased withdrawal from the south.

In June, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a framework deal that involves the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon's south and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in test areas known as "pilot zones."

Talks last week in Rome were the seventh round since Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran.

Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanon says have killed more than 4,300 people.

The US official speaking Tuesday gave an update on the last round of talks in Rome.

"The framework is being implemented, the first zones are live, and the working groups have aligned their language, maps, and procedures," the official said.

Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected the direct talks between Lebanon and Israel and refuses to surrender its weapons.

Violence in Lebanon has decreased since the Lebanon-Israel deal and the signing in June of a preliminary US-Iran agreement on the Middle East war.

But Lebanon has continued to report intermittent Israeli strikes and shelling, as well as detonations and demolitions in southern villages.

At the next round of technical talks, the US official said: "Lebanon will present detailed roadmaps for securing new areas as implementation proceeds in the current zones."


Pakistan Condemns Houthi Strike That Killed 3 of Its Citizens

Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar speaks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during their meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 18, 2025. (Shamil Zhumatov/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar speaks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during their meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 18, 2025. (Shamil Zhumatov/Pool Photo via AP, File)
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Pakistan Condemns Houthi Strike That Killed 3 of Its Citizens

Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar speaks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during their meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 18, 2025. (Shamil Zhumatov/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar speaks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during their meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 18, 2025. (Shamil Zhumatov/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Pakistan denounced on Wednesday an attack by Houthi militants in Yemen on a vessel in the Red Sea in which three of its citizens were killed.

Yemen's coastguard said Tuesday a strike by the Iran-backed militants on a vessel left six dead, including Pakistanis and an Indonesian citizen.

There has been no official comment from the Houthis about the incident.

"I have learnt with deep concern about the unfortunate incident," Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar posted on X, confirming three Pakistanis had been killed and one wounded in the attack.

"Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel," Dar added.

"We are in contact with the relevant Saudi authorities, as well as the internationally recognized Government of Yemen, to ascertain further details of the incident and the circumstances surrounding it," Dar said.

Pakistan's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, is currently in Iran to discuss regional security, Pakistan's foreign office said on Wednesday.


Iraqi, Jordanian, Syrian Military Officials Meet in Amman to Bolster Readiness

Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Yahya Rasool. (Government media)
Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Yahya Rasool. (Government media)
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Iraqi, Jordanian, Syrian Military Officials Meet in Amman to Bolster Readiness

Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Yahya Rasool. (Government media)
Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Yahya Rasool. (Government media)

Senior Iraqi, Jordanian and Syrian military officials agreed Tuesday to step up coordination, information-sharing and joint military readiness to address current and future security challenges in the region, said Iraq’s Defense Ministry.

Yahya Rasool, the ministry’s spokesman, said Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Gen. Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah attended a high-level meeting in Amman with Jordan’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Syria’s chief of the General Staff. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Peshmerga affairs minister and Peshmerga chief of staff also took part.

The talks focused on strengthening military ties and cooperation amid rapidly evolving regional developments and security challenges.

Participants discussed regional security, border protection and cross-border threats, stressed closer coordination and greater exchanges of information and expertise. They agreed on the need to strengthen joint capabilities and operational readiness.

The military leaders said that rapidly changing conditions in the region required coordinated efforts and continued communication among military and security institutions to protect borders, safeguard national sovereignty and confront threats effectively.

They underscored the importance of expanding existing military cooperation and sharing expertise to bolster defense capabilities, operational readiness and regional stability.

Rasool said the meeting reflected Iraq’s commitment to strengthening military ties with countries in the region and expanding coordination to address security challenges and protect borders.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Yarallah met the commander of US Central Command to discuss military cooperation and coordination, the latest regional security developments and ways to strengthen joint efforts in support of security and stability.