CAIRO: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call on Sunday that preventing regional escalation is tied to stopping Israeli “aggression” in the Gaza Strip, Iraqi state media said.
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Militants in the territory still hold 58 hostages seized in Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel. The army says 34 of them are dead. Hamas is also holding the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in a previous war in Gaza in 2014.
Herkin also appeared in a previous video released by Hamas in early April, wearing a small bandage on his right wrist and a bandage on his cheek and ear. In that video, he appeared alongside a second hostage Israeli media identified as soldier Bar Kuperstein.
Palestinian militants had abducted the two men from the Nova music festival during the Hamas attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
A truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas came into force on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of fighting. During the six-week ceasefire militants handed over 33 hostages, eight of them dead.
Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on March 18 amid deadlock over next steps in the ceasefire.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Saturday that at least 2,396 people have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,495.
The Israeli government says its renewed offensive aims to force Hamas to free the remaining captives, although critics charge that it puts them in mortal danger.
Since the end of the truce, Hamas has released several videos of hostages. The latest images come as efforts by mediators to broker a new truce have stalled.
Herkin, had emigrated to Israel from Ukraine with his mother.
Before being taken from the Nova festival, Herkin, father of a young girl, had written to his mother: “All is well. I’m coming home.”
“I strongly condemn Israel’s continued and escalating violations of Syria’s sovereignty, including multiple airstrikes in Damascus and other cities,” Pedersen wrote Saturday, calling for an immediate cease of attacks and for Israel to stop “endangering Syrian civilians and to respect international law and Syria’s sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and independence.”
Four days of clashes between pro-government gunmen and Druze fighters have left nearly 100 people dead and raised fears of deadly sectarian violence.
The clashes are the worst between forces loyal to the government and Druze fighters since the early December fall of President Bashar Assad, whose family ruled Syria with an iron grip for more than five decades.
Israel has its own Druze community and officials have said they would protect the Druze of Syria and warned Islamic militant groups from entering predominantly Druze areas. Israeli forces have carried out hundreds of airstrikes since Assad’s fall and captured a buffer zone along the Golan Heights.
The Druze religious sect is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria.
Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. In Syria, they largely live in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus, mainly in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south.
Iraqi PM links regional tensions to Gaza in call with Blinken
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Iraqi PM links regional tensions to Gaza in call with Blinken
Syria briefly detains head of Palestinian group: faction officials
An official from the Damascus-based PFLP-GC told AFP that “secretary-general Talal Naji was arrested” in the city
A third faction source said “Naji was asked... to report to one of the security branches and has not returned“
DAMASCUS: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command officials said Syrian Arab Republic authorities on Saturday briefly detained the head of the faction, which was close to ousted ruler Bashar Assad’s government.
Talal Naji’s detention came just weeks after Palestinian group Islamic Jihad’s armed wing said the new authorities had held two of its officials on unspecified charges.
The United States, which considers Palestinian factions including the PFLP-GC to be “terrorist” organizations, has said Washington will not ease Assad-era sanctions on Syria until it has verified progress on priorities including acting against “terrorism.”
An official from the Damascus-based PFLP-GC, requesting anonymity as the matter is sensitive, told AFP that “secretary-general Talal Naji was arrested” in the city.
Another official confirmed the arrest, while a third faction source said “Naji was asked... to report to one of the security branches and has not returned. Most likely he was arrested.”
Two PFLP-GC officials later confirmed Naji had been released, with one saying he was held for 10 hours and freed after “local and international mediation.”
The official said it remained unclear why he had been arrested.
The second source confirmed Naji’s release, saying: “He’s at home and in good health.”
Last month, a statement from the Al-Quds Brigades said Islamic Jihad’s Syria official Khaled Khaled and organizing committee member Yasser Al-Zafri had been detained for days “without explanation.”
The Iran-backed group expressed hope “that our brothers in the Syrian government” will free the pair, noting their detention comes as the group is “fighting the Zionist enemy” in the Gaza Strip.
In late March, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Syria’s new authorities should “fully renounce and suppress terrorism, exclude foreign terrorist fighters from any official roles (and) prevent Iran and its proxies from exploiting Syrian territory.”
The PFLP-GC was founded in 1968 after breaking away from the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
When conflict erupted in Syria in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful pro-democracy protests, the PFLP-GC stood firmly by Assad’s government.
After jihadists and rebels overran parts of the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus in 2012, the PFLP-GC’s armed wing fought alongside Syrian government forces to take it back.
The group is designated as a “terrorist organization” by the United States and European Union and is accused of masterminding the deadly bombing of Swissair Flight SR330 in February 1970, as well as several attacks on Israeli civilians.
A third faction source said “Naji was asked... to report to one of the security branches and has not returned“
DAMASCUS: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command officials said Syrian Arab Republic authorities on Saturday briefly detained the head of the faction, which was close to ousted ruler Bashar Assad’s government.
Talal Naji’s detention came just weeks after Palestinian group Islamic Jihad’s armed wing said the new authorities had held two of its officials on unspecified charges.
The United States, which considers Palestinian factions including the PFLP-GC to be “terrorist” organizations, has said Washington will not ease Assad-era sanctions on Syria until it has verified progress on priorities including acting against “terrorism.”
An official from the Damascus-based PFLP-GC, requesting anonymity as the matter is sensitive, told AFP that “secretary-general Talal Naji was arrested” in the city.
Another official confirmed the arrest, while a third faction source said “Naji was asked... to report to one of the security branches and has not returned. Most likely he was arrested.”
Two PFLP-GC officials later confirmed Naji had been released, with one saying he was held for 10 hours and freed after “local and international mediation.”
The official said it remained unclear why he had been arrested.
The second source confirmed Naji’s release, saying: “He’s at home and in good health.”
Last month, a statement from the Al-Quds Brigades said Islamic Jihad’s Syria official Khaled Khaled and organizing committee member Yasser Al-Zafri had been detained for days “without explanation.”
The Iran-backed group expressed hope “that our brothers in the Syrian government” will free the pair, noting their detention comes as the group is “fighting the Zionist enemy” in the Gaza Strip.
In late March, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Syria’s new authorities should “fully renounce and suppress terrorism, exclude foreign terrorist fighters from any official roles (and) prevent Iran and its proxies from exploiting Syrian territory.”
The PFLP-GC was founded in 1968 after breaking away from the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
When conflict erupted in Syria in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful pro-democracy protests, the PFLP-GC stood firmly by Assad’s government.
After jihadists and rebels overran parts of the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus in 2012, the PFLP-GC’s armed wing fought alongside Syrian government forces to take it back.
The group is designated as a “terrorist organization” by the United States and European Union and is accused of masterminding the deadly bombing of Swissair Flight SR330 in February 1970, as well as several attacks on Israeli civilians.
Israel intercepts missile, Houthis claim attack
- The latest missile fire comes a day after Israel said it had intercepted two missiles in 12 hours — both claimed by the Houthis
The Israeli military said on Saturday it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen, the third such attack claimed by the Houthis in two days.
The Houthis, who control swaths of Yemen, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, saying they act in solidarity with Palestinians.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, in a video statement on Saturday, said the group had targeted a military installation in central Israel “using a Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile.”
An Israeli military statement earlier said that “a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted” after air raid sirens sounded in several areas of the country.
A journalist in Jerusalem said sirens were heard in the city.
The latest missile fire comes a day after Israel said it had intercepted two missiles in 12 hours — both claimed by the Houthis.
The Houthis had paused their attacks during a recent two-month ceasefire in the Gaza war.
But in March, they threatened to resume attacks on international shipping over Israel’s aid blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The move triggered a response from the US military, which began hammering the militia with near-daily airstrikes starting March 15 in a bid to keep them from threatening shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
US strikes on the Houthis began under former President Joe Biden, but intensified under his successor, Donald Trump.
Since March, the US says it has struck more than 1,000 targets in Yemen.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency said that US strikes hit the capital Sanaa and the neighboring districts of Bani Hashish and Khab Al-Shaaf.
Jordan, UK explore deepening trade ties under partnership agreement
- Talks in Amman discuss progress made under 2021 deal and explore further avenues of collaboration
- Trade envoy Iain McNicol outlines Britain’s 'keenness' to strengthen trade ties
AMMAN: Jordan and the UK have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening economic and trade cooperation under the framework of their 2021 bilateral partnership agreement, the Jordan News Agency reported.
During talks in Amman on Saturday, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply Yarub Qudah met with British Trade Envoy to Jordan, Kuwait, and Palestine, Iain McNicol, to discuss progress made under the deal and explore further avenues of collaboration.
Philip Hall, the British ambassador to Jordan, also attended the meeting.
According to a statement from the Jordanian Ministry of Industry, the discussions touched on efforts to streamline rules of origin and the development of mechanisms to monitor the agreement’s implementation; chief among them the launch of a Partnership Council and technical committees.
Qudah highlighted several ongoing challenges, including the complexity of the rules of origin, and the comparatively high costs of compliance and export for Jordanian producers.
He stressed the need to review the terms of the current agreement to ensure Jordanian products are granted preferential access to UK markets— particularly in light of the United Kingdom’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme, which offers more favorable terms to other nations.
McNicol affirmed Britain’s “keenness” to deepen trade ties with Jordan and expressed support for improving the Kingdom’s investment environment.
He also emphasized the UK’s commitment to sustainable trade initiatives, including support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and stimulating British investment in Jordan’s “vital” productive sectors.
Looking ahead, both sides agreed to accelerate preparations for the upcoming Jordanian-British Business Forum, which they said would provide a key platform to strengthen private-sector ties and explore new areas of economic cooperation.
Hamas armed wing releases video of apparently injured Israeli hostage
- Media identified the hostage as Russian-Israeli Maxim Herkin, who turns 37 at the end of May
- He referred to himself only as “Prisoner 24” in the footage and was not identified by Hamas
JERUSALEM: The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video Saturday showing an Israeli-Russian hostage who appeared to have been injured in a strike on the Palestinian territory.
In the undated four-minute video, the hostage, wearing bandages on his head and left arm spoke in Hebrew, implying he had been wounded in a recent Israeli bombardment.
AFP and Israeli media identified the hostage as Russian-Israeli Maxim Herkin, who turns 37 at the end of May. His family urged media not to disseminate the video.
He referred to himself only as “Prisoner 24” in the footage and was not identified by Hamas.
He was shown lying on the ground and referred to Israel’s Independence Day celebrations on Thursday as upcoming, suggesting the video was filmed shortly beforehand.
AFP was unable to determine the health of Herkin, who gave a similar message to other hostages shown in videos released by Hamas, urging pressure on the Israeli government to free the remaining captives.
Militants in the territory still hold 58 hostages seized in Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel. The army says 34 of them are dead. Hamas is also holding the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in a previous war in Gaza in 2014.
Herkin also appeared in a previous video released by Hamas in early April, wearing a small bandage on his right wrist and a bandage on his cheek and ear. In that video, he appeared alongside a second hostage Israeli media identified as soldier Bar Kuperstein.
Palestinian militants had abducted the two men from the Nova music festival during the Hamas attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
A truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas came into force on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of fighting. During the six-week ceasefire militants handed over 33 hostages, eight of them dead.
Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on March 18 amid deadlock over next steps in the ceasefire.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Saturday that at least 2,396 people have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,495.
The Israeli government says its renewed offensive aims to force Hamas to free the remaining captives, although critics charge that it puts them in mortal danger.
Since the end of the truce, Hamas has released several videos of hostages. The latest images come as efforts by mediators to broker a new truce have stalled.
Herkin, had emigrated to Israel from Ukraine with his mother.
Before being taken from the Nova festival, Herkin, father of a young girl, had written to his mother: “All is well. I’m coming home.”
UN envoy condemns intense wave of Israeli airstrikes on Syria
- UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, denounced the strikes
- “I strongly condemn Israel’s continued and escalating violations of Syria’s sovereignty, including multiple airstrikes in Damascus and other cities,” Pedersen wrote
HARASTA, Syria: The United Nations special envoy for the Syrian Arab Republic condemned Saturday an intense wave of Israeli airstrikes as Israel said its forces were on the ground in Syria to protect the Druze minority sect following days of clashes with Syrian pro-government gunmen.
The late Friday airstrikes were reported in different parts of the capital, Damascus, and its suburbs, as well as southern and central Syria, local Syrian media reported. They came hours after Israel’s air force struck near Syria’s presidential palace after warning Syrian authorities not to march toward villages inhabited by Syrian Druze.
Israel’s military spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X the strikes targeted a military post and anti-aircraft units. He also said the Israeli troops in Southern Syria were “to prevent any hostile force from entering the area or Druze villages” and that five Syrian Druze wounded in the fighting were transported for treatment in Israel.
Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported Saturday that four were wounded in central Syria, and that the airstrikes hit the eastern Damascus suburb of Harasta as well as the southern province of Daraa and the central province of Hama.
UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, denounced the strikes on X.
“I strongly condemn Israel’s continued and escalating violations of Syria’s sovereignty, including multiple airstrikes in Damascus and other cities,” Pedersen wrote Saturday, calling for an immediate cease of attacks and for Israel to stop “endangering Syrian civilians and to respect international law and Syria’s sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and independence.”
Four days of clashes between pro-government gunmen and Druze fighters have left nearly 100 people dead and raised fears of deadly sectarian violence.
The clashes are the worst between forces loyal to the government and Druze fighters since the early December fall of President Bashar Assad, whose family ruled Syria with an iron grip for more than five decades.
Israel has its own Druze community and officials have said they would protect the Druze of Syria and warned Islamic militant groups from entering predominantly Druze areas. Israeli forces have carried out hundreds of airstrikes since Assad’s fall and captured a buffer zone along the Golan Heights.
The Druze religious sect is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria.
Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. In Syria, they largely live in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus, mainly in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south.
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