Author: Steven Sahiounie

Netanyahu and his government are solely responsible for the recent escalation of tensions in the Middle East, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says. “Israel is trying to provoke a regional conflict, and its attack on Iran’s embassy in Damascus was the last drop,” he said at a news conference in Ankara after a cabinet meeting. Erdogan added that new regional conflicts are possible as long as the “cruelty and genocide” in Gaza continues, and he called on all parties to act with common sense. He also slammed the West for condemning Iran’s attack but not Israel’s strike on Iran’s embassy.…

The UN human rights office has called on Israeli security forces to immediately end their active participation in and support for attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The statement follows a wave of settler attacks on Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank, triggered by the weekend killing of a 14-year-old Israeli boy in what authorities said was an anti-Israel attack. The Palestinian Health Ministry said seven Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since the attacks began on Friday and 75 have been wounded. Israeli authorities have urged people not to…

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Iran’s “tactful and wise” response to Israeli aggression on its consulate in Syria was the best way to punish the aggressor. Putin made the remarks in a phone conversation with President Ebrahim Raeisi on Tuesday. “What the Islamic Republic of Iran did in response to what happened criminally and in the light of the inaction of the [UN] Security Council, was the best way to punish the aggressor and represented the tactfulness and rationality of Iran’s politicians,” Putin said. The Russian president said the Israeli regime’s “terrorist act” against the Iranian consulate in Damascus was against all…

Türkiye maintains its role as a leading provider of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the country’s president said Tuesday, pointing to the dispatch of its ninth vessel carrying 3,774 tons of relief materials to the Palestinian enclave. Speaking after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized that Türkiye had been allowing no exports to Israel that could be used for military purposes long before the current military offensive on Gaza began in October last year. Erdogan highlighted Türkiye’s role as a stable actor amidst global turmoil, attributing this to its balanced foreign policy and achievements in the…

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi says the Zionists controlling the regime of Israel will only come to know the true scale and intensity of Iran’s military response if they decide for a new attack on Iran. Raeisi made the remarks in a Tuesday meeting in Tehran with Vice-President of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council of Lebanon Sheikh Ali al-Khatib. The remarks came amid reports suggesting that the Israeli regime may decide to retaliate a wave of Iranian drone and missile attacks that were carried out over the weekend in response to an Israeli airstrike on April 1 on the Iranian consulate in…

The Arab League on Tuesday strongly denounced relentless attacks carried out by Israeli settlers on Palestinian cities and towns across the West Bank. “These attacks, often perpetrated under the tacit approval and protection of Israeli authorities, are exacerbating a pervasive state of impunity and continued oppression of Palestinian lives and properties,” the league said in a statement. Gamal Roshdy, the secretary-general’s spokesperson, said that while daily atrocities committed by Israeli forces in Gaza demand attention, they must not overshadow the escalating violence in the West Bank. He added: “Incidents of violent crimes, arson and property destruction perpetrated by armed settlers…

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the Israeli regime is the main source of tension in the region. He says Iran’s retaliatory operation of April 13 against Israel was within the framework of the legitimate right to self-defense and international law. Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi on Tuesday. The duo discussed the latest developments in the region as well as relations between Tehran and Jakarta. The top Iranian diplomat said Tehran has never been for escalation in the region, and the Islamic Republic will always remain the pillar of regional stability.…

The US will not shoot down Russian drones and missiles fired at Ukraine, in contrast to how American forces protected Israel from an Iranian attack last weekend, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told journalists on Monday. The US, the UK and France helped Israel repel a massive barrage launched by Iran in retaliation for what Tehran said was an Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus earlier this month. Kirby was asked during a daily briefing whether the same tactics could be used in the Ukraine conflict. “I knew this question was coming,” he responded. “Look: different conflicts, different airspace,…

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and the UN’s coordinator for the Gaza Strip Sigrid Kaag on Tuesday discussed the various facets of the humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory, the volume and quality of aid entering it and the priorities regarding the type of aid. The meeting took place at the Foreign Ministry’s headquarters in Cairo where the two sides reviewed the ongoing endeavors with various parties to expedite the launch of the UN mechanism as soon as possible. They affirmed the inevitability of intensifying the volume of aid to meet the needs of the Palestinian people as well as…

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi says the international community should stop Netanyahu from “stealing” attention away from Gaza by escalating his confrontation with Iran. In remarks during a news conference with his German counterpart in Berlin, Safadi said Iran had responded to the attack against its consulate and had announced that it “did not want to escalate further”. “We are against escalating. Netanyahu wants to draw attention away from Gaza and focus on his confrontation with Iran,” Safadi added. Source: AlJazeera