Jordan launches air corridor for life-saving medicines into Gaza

Jordan launches air corridor for life-saving medicines into Gaza
A Jordanian army helicopter transporting humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip sits on the tarmac of an airport in Amman, Jan. 28 (AFP)
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Updated 28 January 2025
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Jordan launches air corridor for life-saving medicines into Gaza

Jordan launches air corridor for life-saving medicines into Gaza
  • Jordan’s air force launches 16 helicopter flights daily for medical aid
  • King Abdullah blames Israel for aid delays, Israel denies impeding flows

GAZA STRIP: Jordan’s air force launched on Tuesday the biggest air bridge so far to bring urgent medical supplies to Gaza under a US-sponsored deal to step up deliveries following a ceasefire, officials said.

The operation involves 16 helicopter flights a day that will at first deliver at least 160 tons of life-saving medical supplies over a week to hospitals and medical centers, army officials said.

Under an agreement sponsored by the US, Israel had allowed Jordan to deliver aid to a designated location near Israel’s Kissufim border crossing with the devastated Gaza Strip.

A helicopter pad in a spot that lies in a central area connecting the northern and southern parts of the enclave would help facilitate speedier deliveries, according to aid officials.

UN agencies led by the World Food Programme would then deliver them directly to medical centers and hospitals.

“More aid is needed for the Palestinian people in Gaza. There is a terrifying state of destruction. There is a terrifying state of suffering that the Palestinian people are living,” Jordan’s Minister of State for Communications Mohamed Momani told reporters at an air base where Black Hawk helicopters were taking off. Throughout the 15-month war, the UN has described its humanitarian operation as opportunistic — facing problems with Israel’s military operations, access restrictions by Israel, and more recently looting by Gazan armed gangs.

Since an agreement on a ceasefire, Jordan has sent seven overland convoys with at least 540 trucks through a corridor across the Israeli-occupied West Bank to Gaza, officials said.

“In this air corridor we deliver that urgent aid that could be damaged by their transport on trucks,” Brig. Gen. Mustafa Al-Hayari said.

The staunch US ally has arranged at least 147 convoys comprising 5,569 trucks since the conflict and also spearheaded 391 air drops by its air force alongside a coalition of Western and Arab countries.

King Abdullah has been lobbying Washington to push Israel to expand the aid corridor from Jordan to allow large volumes of aid to quickly cross.

The monarch has said Israel is to blame for delaying aid by hurdles and delaying tactics that have worsened the humanitarian plight of over 2 million people who live in the enclave. Israel denies it impedes aid flows.


Lebanese President asks UK to support UNIFIL mandate renewal by UN Security Council

Lebanese President asks UK to support UNIFIL mandate renewal by UN Security Council
Updated 13 sec ago
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Lebanese President asks UK to support UNIFIL mandate renewal by UN Security Council

Lebanese President asks UK to support UNIFIL mandate renewal by UN Security Council
  • Arab League representative confirms organization’s support for Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm militias and restrict possession of weapons to the state
  • Authorities release Palestinian Israeli citizen with mental health issues held for more than a year after wandering into Lebanon

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday urged the UK to back Lebanon’s request to the UN Security Council for the renewal of the mandate for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, the international peacekeeping force in the south of the country.

He stressed the important role it plays in upholding the ceasefire agreement with Israel and efforts to guarantee regional stability.

He reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to the continued presence of UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon and told the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamish Cowell, that he “attaches great importance to the UK’s support for his position calling on the Security Council to extend UNIFIL’s mandate, both to ensure the full implementation of Resolution 1701, and to enable the complete deployment of the Lebanese Army along Lebanon’s internationally recognized borders.”

Resolution 1701 was adopted by the Security Council in 2006 with the aim of resolving the conflict that year between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other forces from southern Lebanon, and the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed groups.

The Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss the annual extension of UNIFIL’s mandate to assist in the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the south, and work to ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The extension talks this time differ from previous years as a result of major shifts on the ground, including the occupation by Israeli forces of five strategic hills in southern Lebanon during their recent ground offensive against Hezbollah.

The ceasefire agreement that halted this conflict, which called for the full withdrawal of Hezbollah from areas south of the Litani River and the deployment of the Lebanese Army there, also contributed to a decline in US support for UN efforts in Lebanon, particularly UNIFIL.

Cowell reaffirmed the UK’s support for Lebanon during this critical period, including efforts to enhance stability and strengthen the capabilities of the Lebanese Army.

The Security Council initially granted UNIFIL its mandate more than 47 years ago, and it has been monitoring the situation along Lebanon’s volatile border with Israel since the 1970s. The size of the force increased after the 2006 war to about 10,000 peacekeepers from more than 47 countries.

The assistant secretary-general of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki met President Aoun and other Lebanese officials during a visit to Beirut on Thursday.

Zaki said he conveyed the League’s support for recent moves by Lebanese authorities to exert their authority over all Lebanese territory, and to restrict possession of weapons to the state, noting that “such principles are stipulated in Arab League resolutions, particularly the most recent resolution issued at the Baghdad Summit a few months ago.”

He called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to withdraw from all Lebanese territory it occupies and refrain from any actions that violate Lebanese sovereignty.

“All relevant parties, particularly the US, have been informed, through Ambassador Thomas Barrack, that what is now required is Israel’s commitment to withdraw from the areas it occupies in southern Lebanon, return prisoners, and fully implement Resolution 1701,” Zaki said.

“Only then can the necessary conditions be created for the Lebanese state to extend its sovereignty, through its own armed forces, to all territories up to the internationally recognized borders.”

He also welcomed Lebanon’s commitment to the enforcement of exclusive state control over weaponry in a manner that protects the interests of all Lebanese citizens.

Zaki addressed what he described as the ongoing “media squabbling” in Lebanon over the efforts to ensure non-state groups surrender their weapons, Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm and the group’s resultant threats of unrest and civil war. He said the issue must be handled with caution, as “no one wants to see the country slide into a situation with undesirable consequences.”

He also emphasized the need to restore stability and civil peace in Lebanon, and to pursue policies that ensure the state sovereignty over all of its territory.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is facing a campaign by Hezbollah supporters who have accused him of treason over the call for Hezbollah and other militias to disarm.

A banner with words “A collaborator has no sect and no religion” was raised alongside a road in the Hermel area accusing him of working with Israel. It was signed by “the clans and families of Hermel.”

However, the “clans of Baalbek-Hermel” subsequently issued a statement in which they said “banners that incite strife do not represent our clans or our values.”

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi has also been accused of treason after he said that “the resistance’s slogan has collapsed and the words of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem are political rhetoric.”

MP Samy Gemayel, the leader of the Kataeb Party, speaking after a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, said: “We condemn the accusations of treason against our patriarch, which are unacceptable as they aim to undermine all efforts for consensus and solutions, including those proposed by Berri through his attempts to find common ground.”

He also rejected “any marginalization of the Shiite community, which must be a partner in building the new Lebanon.”

In other developments, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that Lebanon had returned an Israeli citizen, Saleh Abu-Hussein, who had been detained in Lebanon for more than a year, to Israel through the Ras Al-Naqoura border crossing.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “The return was carried out following negotiations with the help of the Red Cross.”

Security sources said Abu-Hussein is a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship from the Rumana area of Galilee Region, who suffers from mental health issues.

“His family does not know how he arrived in Lebanon,” the sources said. “He was detained in Lebanon in July last year after he entered Lebanese territory and requested water, and was subsequently handed over to the Lebanese General Security.”


Lebanese President asks UK to support UNIFIL mandate renewal by UN Security Council

Lebanese President asks UK to support UNIFIL mandate renewal by UN Security Council
Updated 32 sec ago
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Lebanese President asks UK to support UNIFIL mandate renewal by UN Security Council

Lebanese President asks UK to support UNIFIL mandate renewal by UN Security Council
  • Arab League representative confirms organization’s support for Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm militias and restrict possession of weapons to the state
  • Authorities release Palestinian Israeli citizen with mental health issues held for more than a year after wandering into Lebanon

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday urged the UK to back Lebanon’s request to the UN Security Council for the renewal of the mandate for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, the international peacekeeping force in the south of the country.

He stressed the important role it plays in upholding the ceasefire agreement with Israel and efforts to guarantee regional stability.

He reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to the continued presence of UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon and told the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamish Cowell, that he “attaches great importance to the UK’s support for his position calling on the Security Council to extend UNIFIL’s mandate, both to ensure the full implementation of Resolution 1701, and to enable the complete deployment of the Lebanese Army along Lebanon’s internationally recognized borders.”

Resolution 1701 was adopted by the Security Council in 2006 with the aim of resolving the conflict that year between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other forces from southern Lebanon, and the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed groups.

The Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss the annual extension of UNIFIL’s mandate to assist in the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the south, and work to ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The extension talks this time differ from previous years as a result of major shifts on the ground, including the occupation by Israeli forces of five strategic hills in southern Lebanon during their recent ground offensive against Hezbollah.

The ceasefire agreement that halted this conflict, which called for the full withdrawal of Hezbollah from areas south of the Litani River and the deployment of the Lebanese Army there, also contributed to a decline in US support for UN efforts in Lebanon, particularly UNIFIL.

Cowell reaffirmed the UK’s support for Lebanon during this critical period, including efforts to enhance stability and strengthen the capabilities of the Lebanese Army.

The Security Council initially granted UNIFIL its mandate more than 47 years ago, and it has been monitoring the situation along Lebanon’s volatile border with Israel since the 1970s. The size of the force increased after the 2006 war to about 10,000 peacekeepers from more than 47 countries.

The assistant secretary-general of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki met President Aoun and other Lebanese officials during a visit to Beirut on Thursday.

Zaki said he conveyed the League’s support for recent moves by Lebanese authorities to exert their authority over all Lebanese territory, and to restrict possession of weapons to the state, noting that “such principles are stipulated in Arab League resolutions, particularly the most recent resolution issued at the Baghdad Summit a few months ago.”

He called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to withdraw from all Lebanese territory it occupies and refrain from any actions that violate Lebanese sovereignty.

“All relevant parties, particularly the US, have been informed, through Ambassador Thomas Barrack, that what is now required is Israel’s commitment to withdraw from the areas it occupies in southern Lebanon, return prisoners, and fully implement Resolution 1701,” Zaki said.

“Only then can the necessary conditions be created for the Lebanese state to extend its sovereignty, through its own armed forces, to all territories up to the internationally recognized borders.”

He also welcomed Lebanon’s commitment to the enforcement of exclusive state control over weaponry in a manner that protects the interests of all Lebanese citizens.

Zaki addressed what he described as the ongoing “media squabbling” in Lebanon over the efforts to ensure non-state groups surrender their weapons, Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm and the group’s resultant threats of unrest and civil war. He said the issue must be handled with caution, as “no one wants to see the country slide into a situation with undesirable consequences.”

He also emphasized the need to restore stability and civil peace in Lebanon, and to pursue policies that ensure the state sovereignty over all of its territory.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is facing a campaign by Hezbollah supporters who have accused him of treason over the call for Hezbollah and other militias to disarm.

A banner with words “A collaborator has no sect and no religion” was raised alongside a road in the Hermel area accusing him of working with Israel. It was signed by “the clans and families of Hermel.”

However, the “clans of Baalbek-Hermel” subsequently issued a statement in which they said “banners that incite strife do not represent our clans or our values.”

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi has also been accused of treason after he said that “the resistance’s slogan has collapsed and the words of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem are political rhetoric.”

MP Samy Gemayel, the leader of the Kataeb Party, speaking after a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, said: “We condemn the accusations of treason against our patriarch, which are unacceptable as they aim to undermine all efforts for consensus and solutions, including those proposed by Berri through his attempts to find common ground.”

He also rejected “any marginalization of the Shiite community, which must be a partner in building the new Lebanon.”

In other developments, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that Lebanon had returned an Israeli citizen, Saleh Abu-Hussein, who had been detained in Lebanon for more than a year, to Israel through the Ras Al-Naqoura border crossing.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “The return was carried out following negotiations with the help of the Red Cross.”

Security sources said Abu-Hussein is a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship from the Rumana area of Galilee Region, who suffers from mental health issues.

“His family does not know how he arrived in Lebanon,” the sources said. “He was detained in Lebanon in July last year after he entered Lebanese territory and requested water, and was subsequently handed over to the Lebanese General Security.”


21 countries condemn Israel’s West Bank settlement project

21 countries condemn Israel’s West Bank settlement project
Updated 45 min 39 sec ago
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21 countries condemn Israel’s West Bank settlement project

21 countries condemn Israel’s West Bank settlement project
  • Britain, France, Japan among those to condemn E1 development as 'unacceptable and a violation of international law'
  • Foreign ministers say the plan, backed by extremist cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich, bring 'no benefits to the Israeli people'

LONDON: Britain and France were among 21 countries to sign a joint statement Thursday calling Israel’s approval of a major settlement project in the West Bank “unacceptable and a violation of international law.”

Israel approved the plans for the roughly 12-square-kilometer (five-square-mile) parcel of land known as E1 just east of Jerusalem on Wednesday.

“We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms,” said the statement of foreign ministers, whose signatories also included Australia, Canada and Italy.

Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden also signed the statement, as did the European Commission’s foreign affairs chief.

The statement noted that Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the plan “will make a two-state solution impossible by dividing any Palestinian state and restricting Palestinian access to Jerusalem.”

“This brings no benefits to the Israeli people,” the foreign ministers said.

“Instead, it risks undermining security and fuels further violence and instability, taking us further away from peace.

“The government of Israel still has an opportunity to stop the E1 plan going any further. We encourage them to urgently retract this plan,” they added.

The plan seeks to build around 3,400 homes on the ultra-sensitive tract of land, which lies between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.

All of Israel’s settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, are considered illegal under international law, regardless of whether they have Israeli planning permission.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) has slammed the latest move, which has also been criticized by UN chief Antonio Guterres.

Britain on Thursday summoned Israeli ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely to the foreign ministry to protest the decision.

“If implemented, these settlement plans would be a flagrant breach of international law and would divide a future Palestinian state in two, critically undermining a two-state solution,” the foreign office said in a statement.


27 nations call for 'immediate' access to Gaza for foreign media

27 nations call for 'immediate' access to Gaza for foreign media
Updated 57 min 59 sec ago
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27 nations call for 'immediate' access to Gaza for foreign media

27 nations call for 'immediate' access to Gaza for foreign media
  • Members of the Media Freedom Coalition say journalists 'play an essential role' in covering the war

LONDON: Twenty-seven countries, including Britain, France and Germany called on Israel Thursday to allow "immediate independent foreign media access" into the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza.

"Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war," the members of the Media Freedom Coalition said in a joint statement.


Egypt reveals 2,000-year-old ruins discovered in Alexandria waters

A diver celebrates after one of the ancient relics was lifted out of the water in the Abu Qir Bay in Alexandria.
A diver celebrates after one of the ancient relics was lifted out of the water in the Abu Qir Bay in Alexandria.
Updated 21 August 2025
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Egypt reveals 2,000-year-old ruins discovered in Alexandria waters

A diver celebrates after one of the ancient relics was lifted out of the water in the Abu Qir Bay in Alexandria.
  • On Thursday, cranes slowly hoisted statues from the depths, while divers in wetsuits, who had helped retrieve them, cheered from the shore

ALEXANDRIA: Egypt on Thursday unveiled parts of a sunken city submerged beneath waters off the coast of Alexandria, revealing buildings, artefacts and an ancient dock, all dating back over 2,000 years.

Egyptian authorities said the site, located in the waters of Abu Qir Bay, may be an extension of the ancient city of Canopus, a prominent center during the Ptolemaic dynasty, which ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years, and the Roman Empire, which governed for around 600 years.

Over time, a series of earthquakes and rising sea levels submerged the city and the nearby port of Heracleion, leaving behind a treasure trove of historical remains.

On Thursday, cranes slowly hoisted statues from the depths, while divers in wetsuits, who had helped retrieve them, cheered from the shore.

“There’s a lot underwater, but what we’re able to bring up is limited, it’s only specific material according to strict criteria,” Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi said.

“The rest will remain part of our sunken heritage,” he added.

The underwater ruins revealed by the ministry on Thursday include limestone buildings that may have served as places of worship, residential spaces and commercial or industrial structures.

Reservoirs and rock-carved ponds for domestic water storage and fish cultivation were also uncovered.

Other notable finds were statues of royal figures and sphinxes from the pre-Roman era, including a partially preserved sphinx with the cartouche of Ramses II, one of the country’s most famous and longest-ruling ancient pharaohs.

Many of the statues are missing body parts, including a beheaded Ptolemaic figure made of granite, and the lower half of a Roman nobleman’s likeness carved from marble.

A merchant ship, stone anchors and a harbor crane dating back to the Ptolemaic and Roman eras were found at the site of a 125-meter dock, which the ministry said was used as a harbor for small boats until the Byzantine period.

Alexandria is home to countless ancient ruins and historic treasures, but Egypt’s second city is at risk of succumbing to the same waters that claimed Canopus and Heracleion.

The coastal city is especially vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels, sinking by more than three millimeters every year.

Even in the United Nations’ best-case scenario, a third of Alexandria will be underwater or uninhabitable by 2050.