United Nations, United States: A Russian bid to get the United Nations to reduce cross-border humanitarian aid to war-torn Syria was voted down by the Security Council Wednesday, an official said.
Authorization for the aid, which comes through two crossing points on the Turkish border — at Bab Al-Salam, which leads to the Aleppo region, and Bab Al-Hawa, which serves the Idlib region — expires Friday.
Under its resolution, Moscow had wanted to abolish the first crossing point and put a time limit of six months on the second.
Russia needed nine votes and no veto from a permanent member of the Council to get its resolution passed — but received only four votes, announced the President of the Security Council, German Ambassador Christoph Heusgen.
Seven countries voted against it and four abstained. “The draft resolution has not been adopted, having failed to obtain the required number of votes,” Heusgen said.
Diplomats said that Russia, along with China, Vietnam and South Africa, had voted for the resolution.
Against were the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Estonia and the Dominican Republic.
Tunisia, Niger, Indonesia and Saint Vincent abstained, the diplomats said.
The vote came after Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a draft resolution by Germany and Belgium providing for a one-year extension of the cross-border authorization and the maintenance of both crossing points.
In an interview with AFP on Wednesday, Washington’s ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft, said the US opposed any reduction.
“We know the right thing to do is to have both border crossings in the northwest remain open to reach the maximum amount of Syrians that are in need of humanitarian aid,” Craft told AFP.
When asked if the issue was a “red line,” she replied, “Yes, absolutely.”
Russia’s move “is just another attempt for them to politicize humanitarian assistance,” she said.
According to Craft, keeping only one border crossing open would cut off 1.3 million people living north of Aleppo from humanitarian aid.
The choice to be made between the Western position and that of Russia and China is “between good and evil, right and wrong,” said Craft, noting that Germany and Belgium “already have a new draft in mind and we are very supportive.”
The two European countries submitted their new draft Wednesday evening. In their latest draft text, obtained by AFP, Germany and Belgium asked for just a six-month extension of cross-border aid authorization, instead of one year.
But they have kept both border crossings open, and there is no indication that Moscow — in a position of strength on the subject, as it was six months ago — will be satisfied with the changes.
The result of a forthcoming vote on the new draft, which Russia could again block, is not expected until Friday, when the UN cross-border authorization expires.
Craft in 2019 visited one of the crossing points from the Turkish side near Bab Al-Hawa, an experience that made a lasting impression and made working with displaced Syrians “a personal issue,” she said.
Authorization for cross-border humanitarian aid has existed since 2014, with periodic extensions.
Tuesday’s vote was the 15th time that Russia has used its veto since the start of the Syrian war in 2011, and the ninth for China.
They argue that the UN authorization violates Syria’s sovereignty, and that aid can increasingly be channeled through Syrian authorities.
Moscow push to reduce UN cross-border aid to Syria fails
https://arab.news/y6y8h
Moscow push to reduce UN cross-border aid to Syria fails
- Moscow wanted to abolish the first crossing point and put a time limit of six months on the second
- The resolution received only four votes
Israel restarts limited gas exports amid ongoing conflict, Egypt still waiting
An energy ministry source said most of the limited exported gas is currently flowing to Jordan
CAIRO: Israel has resumed limited natural gas exports from surplus supplies, the country’s Energy Ministry said on Thursday, nearly a week after shutting down two key offshore fields as Israel and Iran waged an air battle.
A ministry spokesperson told Reuters that exports are now resuming “from surpluses, after domestic needs are met.”
An energy ministry source said most of the limited exported gas is currently flowing to Jordan, and only “tiny volumes” reached Egypt this week.
Egyptian fertilizer producers, who were forced to halt operations due to the supply disruption, told Reuters they have yet to receive any gas but expect flows to resume next week.
The Egyptian Petroleum Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Following military escalation in the region, Israel halted exports on June 13 after closing the Leviathan field, operated by Chevron and the Karish field operated by Energean. Only the Tamar field has remained operational, supplying mainly domestic demand.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said on Wednesday that exports would only resume once military authorities deemed it safe.
“I don’t want to use our strategic storage, so therefore, I needed to cut exports,” he told Reuters.
Egypt, which has increasingly relied on Israeli gas since a domestic production decline in 2022, is scrambling to compensate for the supply gap.
The country has ramped up fuel oil use in power plants and has signed deals to import over $8 billion worth of liquefied natural gas, while preparing additional floating regasification units.
Israeli gas typically accounts for up to 60 percent of Egypt’s total gas imports and around a fifth of its total consumption, according to data from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI).
Aoun to US envoy: We look forward to American support in strengthening security in southern Lebanon
- Lebanese leader announces dramatic increase in troop deployment south of the Litani River
- Hezbollah condemns assassination threats against Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as ‘reckless’ and warns of ‘grave consequences’
BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun assured US Ambassador to Turkiye and Special Envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, that Lebanon “looks forward to US support in its efforts to restore security and stability in the south,” adding that this includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the five occupied hills, an end to hostilities, and the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate.
He said that UNIFIL, in coordination with the Lebanese Army, is working to implement Resolution 1701, ultimately enabling the army’s deployment along the internationally recognized borders.
Aoun also said that Lebanon will increase the number of army personnel deployed south of the Litani River to 10,000 soldiers. Their responsibilities include eliminating unauthorized armed presence, seizing illegal weapons and ammunition, and ensuring that only official security forces operate in the area.
However, he added that their ability to fully carry out this mandate remains hindered by the Israeli occupation of the five hills and the surrounding areas.
The Lebanese president reaffirmed the country’s commitment to advancing the principle of exclusive state control over weapons. He informed Barrack that “consultations are ongoing at both the Lebanese and Palestinian levels regarding the issue of arms in the Palestinian refugee camps, with the hope that these efforts will intensify once the region stabilizes, following the recent escalation in the Israeli-Iranian conflict.”
A source at the presidency told Arab News: “Barrack was informed that Lebanon is moving toward the withdrawal of weapons from north of the Litani River, but this process will take time. Hezbollah is a Lebanese party, and its members will remain in the country. There is historical precedent — after the civil war, militias gradually handed over their weapons to the state, a process that took considerable time to complete.”
The source said that Barrack, who is overseeing the Lebanese file until a successor to former US envoy Morgan Ortagus is appointed, “demonstrated an understanding of Lebanon’s position during his meetings with political officials on the disarmament issue, and his response was generally seen as positive.”
While no official response was issued regarding Barrack’s warning about potential Hezbollah involvement alongside Iran, the party released a statement on Thursday condemning US threats against Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Hezbollah warned that “threatening his assassination is not only a political miscalculation, but a reckless act with dangerous consequences.”
Hezbollah affirmed that it is “more firmly committed than ever to the path of Imam Khamenei and his firm stance, and more united around his leadership in confronting US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic. Through its blind support for Israel, the US is steering itself toward an abyss from which it will not emerge.”
On Thursday, the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon received a large delegation of Lebanese parties, political forces, and figures aligned with Hezbollah, along with representatives from Palestinian factions closely affiliated with the party.
The visit was held to “affirm their solidarity with Iran in the face of Israeli aggression.”
Iranian Chargé d’Affaires Tawfiq Samadi said that “any military response by Iran will be measured, precise, gradual, and proportionate to the level of threat.”
He placed responsibility on the US for its unwavering support of Israel, saying that it bears accountability for “the crimes committed against Iran.”
While acknowledging that the US is not currently a direct party to the aggression, he cautioned that “continued American support for Israeli actions would carry strategic and legal consequences.”
Iran arrests dissident rapper formerly on death row: supporters
- The reported arrest of Salehi comes amid the nearly week-old war triggered by Israeli
- Salehi, 34, has bitterly criticized Israel’s strikes on his country as well as the failure of Iranian authorities to protect citizens
PARIS: Iranian authorities have arrested Toomaj Salehi, a prominent rapper who is sharply critical of the Islamic republic’s leadership, the artist’s supporters said on his social media accounts on Thursday.
The reported arrest of Salehi, who is known to fans as Toomaj and had previously been sentenced to death in the wake of nationwide protests, comes amid the nearly week-old war triggered by Israeli attacks on Iran and as rights groups have warned of a crackdown on dissent by Tehran.
Salehi, 34, has bitterly criticized Israel’s strikes on his country as well as the failure of Iranian authorities to protect citizens in the face of the bombardment which began on Friday.
According to a statement published by supporters of Salehi on his official Instagram and X accounts, he had been arrested in the Gulf island of Kish, on Iran’s southern coast.
“We have no information about the detaining agency, his place of detention, or his health. The government is directly responsible for anything that happens to his health and life,” it said.
“Toomaj must be released immediately.”
Rights groups have sounded the alarm on a crackdown in Iran against the background of the Israeli attacks which analysts believe could be aimed at ousting the country’s clerical leadership.
Amnesty International said on Wednesday that “Iranian authorities have responded to Israel’s latest military attacks by imposing Internet restrictions, arresting journalists and dissidents within the country.”
Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said on Thursday that at least 223 people have been arrested nationwide on charges related to collaboration with Israel.
The group said its tally is based on official media reports, but the real figures are likely higher.
Internet monitor Netblocks said that Iran was under its most severe “blackout incident” since a 2019 wave of protests.
Salehi was previously arrested in October 2022 after publicly backing demonstrations that erupted a month earlier, triggered by the death in custody of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.
He was initially sentenced to death in a verdict that caused international uproar but it was later reduced to prison time and he was released in December 2024.
Activists have accused Iran of torturing him during his 2022 arrest, after state media published a video purporting to show the rapper blindfolded, with bruising on his face, apologizing for his support of the protests.
Turkiye should investigate ‘police violence’ against protesters: Amnesty
- Authorities said they arrested nearly 1,900 people during the protests
- Amnesty said it had “verified dozens of videos documenting how protesters were beaten, kicked and dragged”
ISTANBUL: Amnesty International called on Turkish authorities Thursday to launch an investigation into alleged “police violence” during a wave of protests this year, saying some instances “could amount to acts of torture.”
The arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19, the leading opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sparked Türkiye’s worst street protests in over a decade.
“Our findings reveal damning evidence of unlawful force frequently used by law enforcement officers,” said Esther Major, a deputy director at the global human rights group.
“The authorities used tear gas, pepper spray, kinetic impact projectiles and water cannons against people who were simply exercising their rights,” she said in a statement.
“The violations documented constitute cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and, in some cases, may amount to torture,” Major said, calling for the launch of an investigation.
Imamoglu was widely seen as the biggest political rival to Erdogan and his jailing is likely to prevent him from running in the 2028 presidential election.
Authorities said they arrested nearly 1,900 people during the protests, most of whom were accused of participating in illegal gatherings.
The vast majority have since been released.
Amnesty said it had “verified dozens of videos documenting how protesters were beaten, kicked and dragged on the ground by law enforcement officials even when they were dispersing, not resisting or were already restrained.”
The NGO said some “protesters were subjected to water cannon, tear gas, kinetic impact projectiles by police, often at very close range directly targeting the head and upper body, in violation of international human rights law.”
One of them required retinal surgery and may lose sight in one eye, Amnesty said.
France preparing to help its citizens in Israel, Iran leave, Barrot says
- Barrot told reporters that a convoy will be arranged by the end of the week
- French citizens in Israel will be able to board buses starting Friday morning
PARIS: France is preparing to help its citizens in Israel and Iran to leave those countries amid a week of strikes exchanged between the two rivals, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday.
Barrot told reporters that a convoy will be arranged by the end of the week to get French nationals without their own means of doing so to the Turkish or Armenian borders from Iran to access airports in those countries.
French citizens in Israel will be able to board buses starting Friday morning from the Jordanian border for airports in Jordan, with a flight chartered from Amman by the end of the week to aid the passage of French citizens who are vulnerable or in emergency situations, Barrot said.
Separately, Barrot reiterated that France was committed to holding a conference on a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, after France postponed one scheduled for this week.
