Author: Steven Sahiounie

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has affirmed Washington’s continued support for Israel’s brutal war on the Gaza Strip after he was told by Tel Aviv that the regime’s onslaught on the besieged Palestinian territory “will last more than several months.” Sullivan arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday, where he met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant. Sullivan said he discussed the timeline of Israel’s war on Gaza — which in its third month now—with Netanyahu and other top officials. “I’m here today on President [Joe] Biden’s behalf to emphasize our continued commitment to…

Lebanon has not officially entered into war with Israel’s , but the Israeli army is constantly shelling the country’s southern regions where Hezbollah fighters are entrenched. Today, this Shia movement is the most powerful political and military force in Lebanon, which its enemies – both within the country and outside – have to reckon with.  The party’s armed group has about 100,000 fighters, a giant missile arsenal, and a large variety of weapons and military equipment. Over the years, this influential organization has become an integral part of Lebanese politics and economy. It is also Iran’s main ally which spreads…

The Israeli army has achieved nothing in its assault on Gaza and has instead drawn the ire of the international community, spokesman for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Haji Mohammad Afif, has claimed in an exclusive interview with RT. His comments come as Israel continues its relentless assault on the Palestinian enclave in an effort to destroy the Hamas militant group, which launched a surprise attack on Israeli territories near Gaza on October 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing some 240 hostages. So far, according to Gaza health officials, the Israeli attacks on the enclave have resulted in the deaths…

The Israel Occupation Forces (IOF) has said it accidentally killed three Israeli nationals taken hostage by Hamas, explaining that the “tragic” error occurred in a Gaza neighborhood where troops had come under heavy fire. IOF spokesman Daniel Hagari described the incident during a press briefing on Friday, noting that the three Israeli captives were mistaken for hostile fighters in the Shejaiya region of northern Gaza. “As a result, the troops fired toward them and they were killed,” Hagari said, adding that “Their bodies were transferred to Israeli territory for examination, after which it was confirmed that they were three Israeli hostages.” Asked whether the…

Filippo Grandi, head of the UN’s refugee agency, made these comments in reference to the possibility that the thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza could flee to Egypt as Israel’s military operations move further south. “I want to be clear: what is already a massive displacement crisis within Gaza must not turn into yet another refugee crisis,” he said at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva. “Many more [people] have been displaced into an already impoverished corner of an already tiny sliver of land. That violence must stop.” Source: AlJazeera

“Al Jazeera Media Network condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli drone attack on a Gaza school that resulted in the killing of cameraman Samer Abudaqa. “The Network holds Israel accountable for systematically targeting and killing Al Jazeera journalists and their families. In today’s bombing in Khan Younis, Israeli drones fired missiles at a school where civilians sought refuge, resulting in indiscriminate casualties. Following Samer’s injury, he was left to bleed to death for over 5 hours, as Israeli forces prevented ambulances and rescue workers from reaching him, denying the much-needed emergency treatment. “Al Jazeera Media Network extends its sincere…

During Thursday phone call, President Erdogan and US counterpart Joe Biden discussed developments in Gaza in depth, with Erdogan saying now is time for the US to step in Israel is now heading towards international isolation, a trend which will only grow in the coming days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday. Speaking to reporters after performing prayers in Istanbul, Erdogan said that during a phone call Thursday with his US counterpart Biden, they extensively discussed developments in Gaza, with Erdogan telling Biden that now is the time for the US to step in. During the phone call,…

During his meeting with US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan, Mahmoud Abbas has reiterated the necessity of opening all crossings into Gaza to allow the urgent delivery of food, aid and water supplies. He also urged the US to intervene and pressure Israel into ceasing its violence in the occupied West Bank. Abbas also emphasised that Gaza is an “integral part” of the state of Palestine and any attempt to isolate it is “unacceptable”, reiterating the call for a two-state solution that comprises the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem and Gaza. The meeting comes after Sullivan’s visit to Israel…

Tim Dawson, deputy general secretary at the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), says journalists in Gaza are in “the most extraordinary situation”. “They have suffered the most extraordinary losses and they’re showing the most extraordinary bravery in continuing to do their work,” he told Al Jazeera, describing the conflict as “unlike any other” in recent history in terms of media workers’ deaths. Dawson added that institutions like the International Criminal Court must prepare themselves for the “many” cases that will arise out of this conflict. “It’s important for everybody in Palestine … to see international law applies to and protects…

Speaking to reporters from a foreign ministers’ meeting in Norway, Riyad al-Maliki says Israel’s war on Gaza is aimed at “eliminating the presence of Palestinians” in the enclave and “wiping out the Palestinian people”. The war also aims to “make Gaza uninhabitable”, the Palestinian foreign minister said. He called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. “What we are looking for is to try and rebuild the health system that has collapsed completely,” he added. source: AlJazeera