Author: Steven Sahiounie

The war in Gaza has been spreading- with US forces hitting Houthi targets who have launched attacks on ships in the Red Sea

One missile missed its target and a US Navy destroyer shot down the other two, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said

GAZA/JERUSALEM: A UN training center sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people was hit on Wednesday, causing “mass casualties” as buildings blazed, a senior UN relief official said as Israeli forces advanced through southern Gaza’s main city.

Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji participated in the UN Security Council’s open debate, “The Situation in the Middle East,” in New York, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday. In his speech, Elkhereiji said that the situation in Gaza is worsening due to indiscriminate bombing by the Israeli army, leading to an increasing number of casualties. He called for immediate, concrete action to halt the killing of unarmed civilians in Gaza, emphasizing the international community’s shared responsibility in taking measures to bring the conflict to an end. He also highlighted that Saudi Arabia had warned about the danger of the…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Ankara and Tehran should strengthen their cooperation in order to promote development and stability in the region. “We have not terminated and will not terminate our economic and trade relations with our neighbor Iran due to sanctions,” Erdogan said at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi shortly after their meeting and the signing of 10 agreements. Erdogan stressed that improving bilateral relations would not only benefit the two countries, but the entire region. Türkiye is “determined to reach the $30 billion trade target with Iran,” he asserted.…

Ali Asghar Khaji, a senior adviser to the Iranian foreign minister, and Alexander Lavrentiev, Russia’s special envoy for Syria, held a meeting in Kazakhstan to weigh plans for Syria peace . The representatives of Iran and Russia, two of the three guarantor states of the Astana Process for Syria peace , held a meeting on the sidelines of the 21st meeting of the Astana Format in Kazakhstan on Wednesday morning. Khaji and Lavrentiev discussed the ways for cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in the settlement of crisis in Syria and establishment of Syria peace and security in the Arab country.…

Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji on Wednesday met UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in New York on the sidelines of the UN Security Council meeting. The pair discussed the work of the Kingdom and the UN in helping to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis. In separate meetings Elkhereiji met his Kuwaiti counterpart Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Spain’s State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs Diego Martinez. Saudi Deputy minister and Syrian UN envoy discussed ways to improve relations to serve their shared interests. Source: Arab News

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi accused Israel on Wednesday of holding up aid deliveries for Gaza at the Rafah border crossing.“This is a form of pressure on the Gaza Strip and its people over the conflict and the release of hostages. They are using this as a pressure tool on the people of the Strip,” El-Sisi told a gathering of military officers and state officials.“We used to send Gaza 600 trucks a day. But for the past two to three days, we are not deliveries more than 200 to 220 trucks (of aid) per day. How are these people (in…

The International Court of Justice will deliver on Friday its decision on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case concerning the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africav. Israel), announced the court in a press release. A public sitting will take place at 1 p.m. at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which the President of the Court will read the Court’s Order. On 29 December 2023, South Africa filed a case against Israel, accusing it of “genocidal…

During a meeting in Ramallah today, President Mahmoud Abbas briefed the British Foreign Minister, David Cameron, on the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territory, especially in the Gaza Strip. The President stressed the urgency of immediately stopping the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem. He also affirmed the necessity of accelerating the introduction of humanitarian aid into Gaza and enabling shelter centers and hospitals to do their duty of alleviating the suffering of civilians. The president further stressed the need to put an end to the occupation forces and terrorist colonists’ attacks…