Author: Steven Sahiounie

Austin says he plans to convene a meeting of ministers from the Middle East and beyond on Tuesday to address attacks by the Yemeni group. “We’ll have more details on this soon, but we’re going to make sure that we’re doing everything that we can to ensure freedom of navigation in the area. The straits are pretty important, as you know – a large amount of commerce flows through there … on a daily basis.” Austin said The Houthis have attacked numerous vessels in recent weeks, saying they are targeting ships in the Red Sea with links to Israel in…

Mohammad Shtayyeh, the prime minister for the Palestinian Authority, says the Palestinian leadership’s legitimacy comes from its people and is not tailored to fit the interests of third-party actors. According to various reports in Western and Israeli media, the US’s confidence in the PA security forces – and their effectiveness in preventing attacks from the occupied West Bank on Israel – has prompted a discussion of reactivating those forces to play a role in Gaza after the war. “The government that Israel and its allies want [in Gaza] is not our government,” Shtayyeh said in a statement. “Israel wants an…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted all the necessary paperwork to the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) to run for head of state in 2024, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS. “Yes, he did,” the spokesman said when asked by TASS whether the head of state indeed submitted paperwork to the CEC today. Putin is running as an independent candidate. According to presidential election law in Russia, he had to gather 500 registered voters who support his campaign. The group met on December 16, and the participants unanimously supported Putin. The set of documents submitted to the CEC includes an…

Martin Griffiths, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, stated that a special tribunal for Gaza could be necessary as the Israeli genocide unfolds further with complete impunity and no accountability. He also lamented the loss of humanitarian aid workers, saying it “has never been greater.” “The impunity that goes along with the choosing of war as your first option has never been greater. And the impunity for killing humanitarian aid workers has never been greater… Impunity we have seen rampant in this war… Maybe there is a need for a special tribunal [for Gaza],” Griffiths said as quoted…

The Major General says Yemen is ready to confront any “state or entity that stands between [Yemen] and Palestine.” The commander of the Fifth Military Region in the Sanaa government, Major General Yusuf al-Madani, affirmed Yemen’s unwavering commitment to support Gaza, regardless of any external pressure. In a statement on Monday, the Major General declared that “any escalation in Gaza is an escalation in the Red Sea.” On reports of a potential maritime military coalition being discussed between the United States, the Israeli occupation entity, and a number of countries, including Arab states, al-Madani emphasized that the Yemeni Armed Forces will confront “any…

People in Gaza have shown little enthusiasm over the visit of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to Israel, saying multiple past visits by US officials have not made their lives any better. “This visit will not change anything in the Gaza Strip,” Huda Hijaz told Al Jazeera, adding that the amount of humanitarian aid that has entered Gaza was not up to par with expectations. “People will continue dying.” Another resident, Ashraf Shannon, said Austin’s visit brought him “more fear” that Israel would further escalate the crisis. “The US has been the strongest supporter of Israel since its establishment…

The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson called for an international investigation into the heinous destruction of hospitals in Gaza and the burial alive of people at the hands of the Zionist regime. “The true face and anti-human nature of the Israeli regime has never been more exposed than in the war against Gaza,” Nasser Kanaani said in a post on his X account on Monday. “After the killing of hundreds of Palestinians and the Zionists’ preventing the bodies from being taken out, the ​​Al-Shafa Hospital has turned into a mass grave. Also, the footage published following the retreat of the Israeli…

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has won a new six-year term with 89.6 percent of the vote, the election authority announced Monday.Turnout reached an “unprecedented” 66.8 percent of voters, said authority head Hazem Badawy.Over 39 million had cast their ballots for El-Sisi, a former army chief who has ruled the most populous Arab country for a decade.The president was up against three relative unknowns in the vote held between December 10 and 12.Runner-up Hazem Omar, who leads the Republican People’s Party, received 4.5 percent of the vote.Next came Farid Zahran, leader of the left-leaning Egyptian Social Democratic Party, and Abdel-Sanad…

Lloyd Austin expected to press Israeli leaders to ‘transition to new phase of Gaza war’ after weeks of heavy strikes, ground offensive, The Times of Israel reports US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel on Monday for talks on the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. Austin, who is accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown, is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israel’s war Cabinet during his visit. The top defense official will press Israeli leaders to “transition to a new phase of the war” in Gaza after…

Yemen’s Houthi rebel group has claimed responsibility for the attack on two ships – the Swan Atlantic and MSC Clara – in the Red Sea. The group’s military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement published on X that the attacks were carried out by naval drones. He added that they were “in solidarity with the Palestinian people in light of the aggression against Gaza”. Source: AlJazeera