American Citizen Glezmann Freed by Taliban

A handout picture released by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows US citizen George Glezmann (C) posing for a picture with US official Adam Boehler (C-L), former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (C-R) and Qatari diplomats in Kabul on March 20, 2025, ahead of their departure to Doha. (Photo by QATARI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS / AFP)

Asharq Al Awsat

17:54-20 March 2025 AD ـ 21 Ramadan 1446 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

17:54-20 March 2025 AD ـ 21 Ramadan 1446 AH

American Citizen Glezmann Freed by Taliban

The Taliban on Thursday freed an American citizen detained in Afghanistan for over two years following direct talks between US hostage envoy Adam Boehler and Taliban officials in Kabul, a source briefed on the release told Reuters.
George Glezmann, who was detained in 2022 while visiting Kabul as a tourist, left Afghanistan aboard a Qatari aircraft on Thursday evening bound for Qatar, the source said. Glezmann and Boehler are expected to later travel onward to the United States.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement on Thursday confirming Glezmann's release, Reuters reported.
Thursday's meeting in Kabul marked the highest-level direct talks between the United States and the Taliban since President Donald Trump came to power in January.
Boehler met with the Taliban administration's foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, according to a statement by the Afghan foreign ministry.
"During this meeting, discussions were held on Afghanistan-US bilateral relations, the release of prisoners, and the provision of consular services to Afghans in the United States," the statement said.
It added that the meeting was also attended by former US special representative to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.
Qatar said in a statement posted on X that it had facilitated Glezmann's release.
In a statement, the Taliban called Glezmann's release a "goodwill gesture" reflecting its willingness to engage with the United States "on the basis of mutual respect and interests."

European Air Traffic Targeted by New Threats in at Least 3 Incidents

Police officers work at Copenhagen Airport on November 6, 2026, in connection with new threats directed at air traffic. (AFP)

11:32-6 November 2026 AD ـ 26 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

European Air Traffic Targeted by New Threats in at Least 3 Incidents

Police officers work at Copenhagen Airport on November 6, 2026, in connection with new threats directed at air traffic. (AFP)

Police in Denmark and the Czech Republic investigated threats to air traffic on Friday, while a Romanian plane received a bomb threat following a string of hoaxes that have targeted flights and disrupted travel across Europe this week.

A flight from Prague to Bucharest operated by Romanian carrier Tarom received a bomb threat. The plane landed at its intended destination, and airport administration officials said the bomb threat proved to be false.

In the Danish capital, Copenhagen, police said Friday they were present at the airport for a second consecutive day “in connection with threats directed at air traffic.”

They said their immediate assessment was that there had been no danger to passengers or to others at the airport. It added that air traffic was proceeding safely and without disruption.

Czech police also said they were again dealing with threats against planes on Friday. They said necessary security measures have been taken in cooperation with Prague’s Vaclav Havel Airport that have “a minimal impact on the normal operations at the airport.”

Meanwhile in Ireland, the Dublin headquarters of national broadcaster RTE was evacuated Friday after a bomb threat, and live broadcasts were replaced with pre-recorded programs.

Ireland’s police force, An Garda Síochána, said it was “aware of a threat made against media organizations here and in Europe.” It said that it has been liaising with Irish media organizations and the threat will be investigated.

More than two dozen flights were affected by threats earlier in the week, with some diverted as authorities scrambled to rule out any danger.

Europe has experienced a slew of other disruptions recently, such as attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems, drone incursions and mysterious triggers to alert apps.

Fake bomb threats are relatively common, but it is unusual to see so many in such a short period. They come at a time of increased geopolitical tensions and warnings from authorities that Russia may be ramping up so-called hybrid threats in Europe.

World

Satellite Images Reveal New Construction Near Iran Missile Sites

A satellite photo shows suspected tunnel expansion (in the upper-right quadrant of the picture) at Shahid Modarres Garrison, near Tehran, Iran, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on July 5, 2024. (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)

11:13-6 November 2026 AD ـ 26 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Satellite Images Reveal New Construction Near Iran Missile Sites

Iran appears to be undertaking significant new construction near at least two of its major missile sites and repairing bases damaged by months of US and Israeli air strikes, analysis of satellite images suggests, reported the BBC on Friday.

Evidence of digging and new buildings are visible in satellite imagery taken in November at the Garmdareh military base in Karaj near the capital Tehran and the Shahroud base in the north, analysts at British intelligence company MAIAR, who reviewed the photos, told BBC Verify.

At least 12 other military sites, including missile complexes and air bases, appear to show signs of repairs. New roofs have been built on destroyed buildings at the Kermanshah missile base in western Iran, near the border with Iraq, while damaged buildings and debris have been cleared at the Parchin military complex east of the capital.

"The excavations near Shahroud could potentially be related to the production of missiles," said Jim Lamson, a former CIA analyst who focused on Iran.

"Because the nearby air base at Shahroud has been targeted multiple times in recent years, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is probably trying to find ways to move its production facilities underground," he explained.

At Karaj and Shahroud, satellite images appear to show significant excavation. At Karaj, multiple vehicles were visible in satellite images, while improvements appear to have been carried out to the nearby airbase.

The images from Karaj appear to show "a new portal for an underground facility", said Sam Lair, research analyst at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), which has looked extensively into recent developments at Iranian sites, reported the BBC.

A MAIAR analyst also identified new construction and excavations outside tunnel entrances near the city of Qom, close to the Fordo underground uranium enrichment complex, which has been bombed by both the US and Israel multiple times.

Washington has repeatedly asserted that the strikes have severely degraded Iran's military capabilities. Tehran maintains that it holds substantial missile reserves, with state television broadcasting footage purporting to show dozens of missiles at the entrance of an underground facility.

Activity related to military assets would show that Tehran is bracing itself for further attacks by the US and Israel, said Mark Cancian, a military analyst with International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

"The purpose is to better defend itself against future attacks," he said, according to the BBC. "It also indicates a priority on rebuilding military capability rather than rehabilitating the economy."

World

Israel Opposition Figure Makes U-Turn on Ultra-Orthodox Draft to Oust Netanyahu

Avigdor Liberman, then Israel's finance minister, speaks to members of the media in Jerusalem on September 11, 2022. (AFP)

10:31-6 November 2026 AD ـ 26 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Israel Opposition Figure Makes U-Turn on Ultra-Orthodox Draft to Oust Netanyahu

Avigdor Liberman, then Israel's finance minister, speaks to members of the media in Jerusalem on September 11, 2022. (AFP)

A hardline figure in the Israeli opposition said Friday he would moderate longtime demands that ultra-Orthodox Jews serve in the military, seeking a coalition that can oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Neither Netanyahu nor opposition chief Gadi Eisenkot reached a majority in the October 27 election, with Israeli society highly polarized over Netanyahu and worn down by three years of war.

Eisenkot could form a coalition if he works with Israeli-Arabs, whose seat count soared on anger over Netanyahu's far-right government, but that prospect faces strong disagreement from opposition partner Avigdor Liberman, a onetime aide to Netanyahu who now sharply criticizes the prime minister but shares his hawkish views on the Palestinians.

Liberman said Friday he would not back down on rejecting an alliance with Israeli-Arabs but said the opposition should negotiate with ultra-Orthodox Jews, despite his years of heated denunciations of the community for avoiding military service.

Saying the most important goals were removing Netanyahu and avoiding new elections, Liberman said it was time to compromise and "understand that trying to have everything risks getting nothing".

"This also includes the issue of the conscription law," he said in a social media statement.

"This pains me, and I know it pains many others as well. But given the full range of challenges we face today, the national interest of the State of Israel and the Jewish people must take precedence over all other considerations."

Liberman, whose Yisrael Beiteinu party won seven seats, has long demanded an end to an exemption that allows religious students to avoid the military service required of nearly all other Israelis.

Liberman even put up campaign posters vowing to crack down on the "draft-dodgers". During an appearance earlier this year, he described ultra-Orthodox Jews as "anti-Jewish" for their demands.

Netanyahu, while himself personally secular, has long relied on the two main ultra-Orthodox parties, although they left his government -- without seeking to remove him -- after he stopped short of enshrining the draft exemption into law.

One of the parties, United Torah Judaism, declined Thursday to back Netanyahu in forming the next government during consultations with President Isaac Herzog, although it also did not back Eisenkot.

The two ultra-Orthodox parties together have 13 votes, which would give Eisenkot a narrow majority in parliament.

Herzog will announce Sunday who will have the first chance at forming a government -- presumably Eisenkot as he received more recommendations from parties.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews' exemption from military service has fueled widespread resentment among other Israelis, with reservists serving multiple tours in the wars Israel has been fighting since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

American Citizen Glezmann Freed by Taliban

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