Russia skipped U.N. Security Council negotiations on Tuesday on whether to extend approval for cross-border aid access into Syria, diplomats said, as China pushed for “solutions” to its concerns about unilateral sanctions and aid transparency. The council mandate for the long-running U.N. operation delivering aid into northern Syria from Turkey …
Read More »Qatar to provide food aid for Lebanese soldiers amid economic crisis
Qatar will provide the Lebanese armed forces with 70 tonnes of food a month, the Qatari state news agency QNA reported, as Lebanon seeks assistance amid its worst economic and political crisis since a 1975-1990 civil war. Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun had appealed to world powers at meeting in …
Read More »US Treasury Department removes Iranians from designated individuals list
A Treasury official told Reuters the move was unrelated to the talks on Iran’s nuclear program. The Biden administration also removed some Iranian citizens from the list in June. A few Iranians were removed from a US government blacklist Friday. The Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List …
Read More »Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal urges Riyadh to restore ties, release Palestinian prisoners
Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal on Monday called on Saudi Arabia to release its Palestinian prisoners, as he stressed his group’s readiness to “build the best ties” with Riyadh. Speaking to Saudi-based Al Arabiya TV, Meshaal said Hamas refused to intervene in the affairs of any country and welcomed …
Read More »Pro-Iran militias increase attacks, rhetoric against foreign troops
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has called on the United States and Iran “to avoid settling scores in Iraq.” On July 5, three Katyusha rockets targeted Ain al-Asad air base in the western province of Anbar. No casualties have been reported yet. On the same day, a drone tried to …
Read More »Islamic State suspected of sabotaging Iraqi electrical towers
Power transmission towers have recently been targeted in Iraq, which already is suffering from major electricity shortages. The Joint Operations Command in Iraq called on citizens July 1 to “be brave” and report individuals who are damaging electric power transmission towers.The command also offered a financial reward for those who …
Read More »US Embassy, Ain al-Asad base targeted in Iraq as militias up tension
Following the US strike on militias’ bases last week, the US Embassy and Ain al-Asad base were targeted by a drone and rockets. The US Embassy in Baghdad, in the heart of the Iraqi capital’s Green Zone, was the intended target of an armed drone the night of July 6. …
Read More »Gov’t forces reclaim swaths of territory in central Yemen
Heavy fighting raged between forces of Yemen’s internationally recognized government and Houthi rebels in central Bayda province, officials said Monday. Government forces and allied tribesmen, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, reclaimed large swaths of territory in the province, according Information Minister Moammar al-Iryani. Houthi officials said the rebels suffered heavy …
Read More »Das soll die Türkei 2021 sein?
Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan gehe es mit dem Austritt der Türkei aus der Istanbul-Konvention um Machterhalt, kommentiert Karin Senz. Frauen und die LGBTI+-Szene müssten als neues Feindbild herhalten. Damit bediene der türkische Präsident seine nationalistische und konservative Wählerschaft. Ankara hat Angst vor dem Regenbogen und vor modernen Frauen. Wenn es …
Read More »Palestinian president Abbas urges Canada to help ‘stop Israeli aggression’
Palestinian leader welcomes Canada’s foreign minister in Ramallah amid a West Bank crackdown by PA security forces on political activists, social media users and journalists. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday called on Canada and the international community to “stop Israeli aggressions that violate international law.” He made the …
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