WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday he was willing to go to Iran for talks amid tensions between Tehran and Washington, but also called on Japan, Britain and other nations to join a maritime force to guard oil tankers sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Asked if he would be willing to go to Tehran, Pompeo said in an interview with Bloomberg TV: “Sure. If that’s the call, I’d happily go there... I would welcome the chance to speak directly to the Iranian people.”
Tensions between Iran and the United States have ratcheted up since last year, when President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Iranian nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, saying it was not strong enough. Washington also reimposed sanctions on Tehran.
Trump and Iranian leaders have both publicly said talks were possible, but the prospect for dialogue appeared to recede on Wednesday when the top military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran would not negotiate with Washington under any circumstances.
The relationship between the two countries has come under increased strained over the past three months following attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran.
In a separate interview broadcast by Fox News, Pompeo said that Washington had already asked Japan, France, Germany, South Korea, Australia and other nations to join a planned maritime security initiative in the Middle East.
“Every country that has an interest in ensuring that those waterways are open and crude oil and other products can flow through the Strait of Hormuz needs to participate,” Pompeo said.
A senior diplomat in Japan, Washington’s key Asian ally, told Reuters that Pompeo had talked with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by telephone on Friday, but that Japan was not in a position to decide if or how it could join any maritime force until the United Sates provided a blueprint of how such an operation would work.
“We don’t know where they want to lead,” he said, asking not to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Pompeo’s comments came after Iran on Wednesday tested what appeared to be a medium-range ballistic missile that traveled about 1,000 km (620 miles), said a US defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The test did not pose a threat to shipping or any US personnel in the region, the official said.
Pompeo says he’d go to Iran if needed as he asks US allies to join maritime force
Pompeo says he’d go to Iran if needed as he asks US allies to join maritime force
- Tensions between Iran and the United States have ratcheted up since last year, when President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Iranian nuclear deal
- The relationship between the two countries has come under increased strained over the past three months following attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz
Yemeni migrant found dead on French channel beach: official
Bodies have been found washed up repeatedly on the beaches around Calais in recent months
SANGATTE, France: French officials said Wednesday the body of a young man from Yemen had been found on a beach in northern France from where many migrants seek to cross the channel in small boats to England.
The body was not far from the water on the sandy beach in Sangatte outside the northern port of Calais, surrounded by about 10 police officers, an AFP photographer saw.
“It is a young man aged around 20 of Yemeni nationality,” the regional prefecture told AFP.
Bodies have been found washed up repeatedly on the beaches around Calais in recent months. The small boats used by migrants to cross the Channel often capsize or suffer from chaotic embarkations during which some passengers are left in the water.
After a record year for deaths in the Channel, clandestine crossings have continued in the middle of winter, despite sometimes freezing temperatures.
Fifty-nine migrants aboard a boat in difficulty were rescued Tuesday at sea in French waters, local officials said.
At least 77 migrants died in 2024 while trying to reach England on board small boats, a record since the start of this type of crossing in 2018.
On January 11, a 19-year-old Syrian died during an attempted crossing, “probably crushed” by other migrants during departure, according to the authorities.
Both London and Paris have vowed to crack down on the people smugglers who are paid sometimes thousands of euros by migrants to organize the crossing to England.
But the issue has also repeatedly caused tensions between the French and British governments. Paris has claimed that London’s lax enforcement of employment rules attracts migrants.
There have been high-profile arrests of people smugglers, but activists say the traffickers are now trying to pack more people into the small boats, making the crossings even more dangerous.
Israeli army builds wall on Blue Line, reinstalls border cameras
- Israeli army is using the remaining time in the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah to establish control over the Lebanese border area
- European Council approves $62m aid package for Lebanese Army ‘to carry out its sensitive mission’
BEIRUT: An Israeli force on Wednesday advanced into the Lebanese town of Taybeh, conducted extensive searches in the area up to Adchit Al-Qusayr and set fire to several homes.
Separately, an Israeli drone struck an area between Wadi Khansa and Al-Majidiya in the Hasbaya district.
The Israeli army is using the remaining time in the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah to establish control over the Lebanese border area.
A security source reported that the Israeli army reinstalled surveillance cameras and listening devices along the border.
The official National News Agency reported that the Israeli army “completed the construction of the concrete separation wall along the Blue Line from Yarin to Dahira.”
As the Lebanese army continues to establish positions in areas vacated by the Israeli army and prepares to enter the town of Hanine in the Bint Jbeil district, a number of residents from the towns of Al-Bayyadah, Shamaa, Alma Al-Shaab and Naqoura in the western sector were permitted to visit their hometowns.
Activists on social media circulated statements urging local populations to “prepare for Sunday, the date by which, according to the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli withdrawal from the border area should have occurred, allowing people to return to their towns.”
However, the Israeli army has continued to prohibit locals from entering the towns, using gunfire as a warning.
A statement issued to residents of Khiam urged caution and advised against hasty returns, “pending an official announcement from the relevant authorities to assess the security situation, as well as from the Lebanese Army, which is expected to clarify the situation on Saturday evening and determine whether a safe return is feasible.”
The statement said: “We are dealing with a treacherous enemy. Do not grant them the opportunity for betrayal, aggression, murder, bombardment and destruction once again.”
In support of the Lebanese Army, the European Council approved on Wednesday a third aid measure under the European Peace Facility, amounting to €60 million ($62 million) for the army.
The measure, according to a statement, “contributes to enhancing the capabilities of the Lebanese army to enable it — in line with Resolution 1701 — to redeploy and secure and maintain stability in the South Litani sector.
“This contributes to protecting the civilian population in the area, and works to enhance the operational capabilities and effectiveness of the Lebanese army, to contribute to national and regional security, thus allowing displaced civilians on both sides to return to their homes.”
Kaja Kallas, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said: “This new assistance represents a significant increase in the EU’s support to the Lebanese Armed Forces within the framework of the European Peace Facility, at a crucial stage in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
“The Lebanese Armed Forces are essential for regional and local stability, and deserve our full support in carrying out their sensitive mission. The EU and its member states remain strongly committed to supporting Lebanese state institutions and renewing the EU-Lebanon partnership.”
The resolution affirmed “the EU’s commitment to supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces’ capacity to redeploy in the South Litani sector, particularly following the 60-day ceasefire agreement.
“The Lebanese Armed Forces’ plan to redeploy in the South Litani sector is essential to accompany international efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire and implement resolution 1701,” it said.
“The Lebanese Armed Forces is the main guarantor, alongside UNIFIL, to create the necessary security conditions to restore stability and security for the population on both sides of the border.”
Meanwhile, Sheikh Mohammed Khalil Hamadeh, a Hezbollah official in Western Bekaa, was shot in front of his home by unknown assailants on Tuesday evening. He was hit by six bullets and died in hospital.
It was the first assassination in Lebanese territory since a ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel went into effect 57 days ago.
An investigation has been launched to identify the perpetrators and the motives of the assassination, especially as Sheikh Hamadeh was a well-known figure in the region.
In a statement, Hezbollah mourned Hamadeh, describing him as “a leader and a warrior, who was martyred.”
Security information said that the gunmen who assassinated him were “driving a civilian car with tinted windows.”
Bekaa MP Ghassan Skaf did not rule out the potential involvement of Israeli spy agency Mossad, “which operates without being bound by any truce.”
He said: “The last war proved that the number of agents inside Lebanon, especially within the supportive environment of Hezbollah, was greater than even the party itself expected. Therefore, even if Israel were to withdraw completely from Lebanon, it would not halt its policy of assassinations.”
In another development, Layal Alekhtiar, Al Arabiya channel’s anchor, landed in Beirut on Wednesday and was accompanied by security forces from the airport to the Justice Palace in Beirut.
A search and arrest warrant was issued against her in November 2023 by the Lebanese Military Public Prosecution.
The warrant followed an inquiry initiated at the behest of individuals close to Hezbollah, following Alekhtiar’s live interview with Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee on Al Arabiya.
Lebanese law forbids interactions with Israelis.
A Lebanese security source said: “Alekhtiar was immediately referred to the first investigative judge in Beirut Fadi Sawan at the Justice Palace. Following the interrogation, Alekhtiar was released on bail for 50 million Lebanese pounds ($558).”
Two months after Hezbollah opened a front to support Hamas, Alekhtiar sparked outrage among Hezbollah supporters when she interviewed Adraee on Al Arabiya and addressed him as “ustaz” (mister) and thanked him as “the Israeli army spokesman.”
Alekhtiar had described the complaint against her on social media as “a blatant political persecution in the form of judicial repression,” adding that “this has nothing to do with truth and justice.”
She addressed those who filed the complaint, saying: “They are the ones who plundered the state, bankrupted the people, and gave up the nation’s sovereignty and wealth. They are now covering up their crimes with fabrications to suppress freedoms.”
She added: “You will never affect my freedom, my dignity and my convictions no matter what you do.”
Greek authorities say more than 170 migrants picked up as arrivals from Libya increase
- The migrants said they had set sail from Tobruk in Libya and had been heading to Greece
- Greece has been on one of the preferred routes into the European Union for people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East
ATHENS: Greek authorities say more than 170 migrants have been picked up from rickety boats in the past three days with most found off the southern tip of the country in a route that appears to be increasingly used by traffickers.
Greece’s coast guard said Wednesday that a passing Philippines-flagged tanker had rescued 29 people found on a boat 65 nautical miles (120 kilometers, 75 miles) south of the southern island of Crete.
Another 45 people were rescued overnight by a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship 42 nautical miles (78 kilometers, 49 miles) south of the tiny island of Gavdos.
A patrol boat on Tuesday came across a speedboat carrying migrants near the eastern island of Tilos, with a chase resulting in the speedboat driver running the vessel aground on a beach, the coast guard said. A foot patrol later located a total of 31 people, including seven children and four women, while authorities arrested a 37-year-old Moldovan national as the alleged driver.
Another 68 people were located in two separate cases in Crete and Gavdos Monday: 19 men and one boy found just having disembarked from on a wooden boat on the southern coast of Crete, and another 48 people, all men, found on Gavdos. In both cases, the migrants said they had set sail from Tobruk in Libya and had been heading to Greece.
For decades Greece has been on one of the preferred routes into the European Union for people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and has seen a spike in arrivals from neighboring Turkiye and the Libyan coast over the past year. In 2024, the country recorded more than 60,000 arrivals — the vast majority by sea — compared to just over 48,000 the previous year.
While most people head to eastern Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast, many are now opting for the perilous 300-kilometer (200-mile) journey from the Libyan coast to the islands of Crete and Gavdos, officials have said.
Shooting, explosions in Jenin as Israel presses raid
- Operation takes place days after ceasefire between Israel, Hamas took effect in Gaza
- UN Secretary-General Guterres calls for “maximum restraint” from Israeli security forces
JENIN: A Palestinian official reported shooting and explosions in the flashpoint West Bank town of Jenin on Wednesday as Israeli forces pressed a raid that the military described as a “counterterrorism” operation.
“The situation is very difficult,” Kamal Abu Al-Rub, the governor of Jenin, told AFP.
“The occupation army has bulldozed all the roads leading to the Jenin camp, and leading to the Jenin Governmental Hospital... There is shooting and explosions,” he added.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces launched an operation in Jenin which Palestinian officials said killed 10 people, just days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in the Gaza Strip.
According to Abu Al-Rub, Israeli forces detained around 20 people from villages near Jenin, a bastion of Palestinian militancy.
The Israeli military said it had launched a “counterterrorism operation” in the area, and had “hit over 10 terrorists.”
“Additionally, aerial strikes on terror infrastructure sites were conducted and numerous explosives planted on the routes by the terrorists were dismantled,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The Israeli forces are continuing the operation.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to continue the assault.
“It is a decisive operation aimed at eliminating terrorists in the camp,” Katz said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the military would not allow a “terror front” to be established there.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency announced that, in coordination with the Border Police, they had launched an operation named “Iron Wall” in the area.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the raid aimed to “eradicate terrorism” in Jenin.
He linked the operation to a broader strategy of countering Iran “wherever it sends its arms — in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen,” and the West Bank.
The Israeli government has accused Iran, which supports armed groups across the Middle East, including Hamas in Gaza, of attempting to funnel weapons and funds to militants in the West Bank.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “maximum restraint” from Israeli security forces and expressed deep concern, according to his deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq.
Jenin and its refugee camp are known strongholds of Palestinian militant groups, and Israeli forces frequently carry out raids targeting armed factions in the area.
Violence has surged throughout the occupied West Bank since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 848 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza conflict began.
Meanwhile, at least 29 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the territory during the same period, according to official Israeli figures.
Italy government under fire for releasing Libyan warlord accused of war crimes
- Justice Minister Carlo Nordio was grilled about the release Tuesday of Ossama Anjiem, also known as Ossama Al-Masri, during a previously scheduled appearance before the Senate
- Nordio didn’t respond to several requests for details about the release or demands that he reaffirm Italy’s commitment to upholding international justice
ROME: Italian opposition lawmakers and human rights groups voiced outrage Wednesday after Italy released a Libyan warlord on a technicality, after he was arrested on a warrant from the International Criminal Court accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio was grilled about the release Tuesday of Ossama Anjiem, also known as Ossama Al-Masri, during a previously scheduled appearance before the Senate. Nordio didn’t respond to several requests for details about the release or demands that he reaffirm Italy’s commitment to upholding international justice.
Al-Masri heads the Tripoli branch of the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution, a notorious network of detention centers run by the government-backed Special Defense Force. The ICC warrant, dated Jan. 18 and referenced in Italian court papers, accuses him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Mitiga prison in Libya starting in 2011, punishable with life in prison.
Al-Masri was arrested Sunday in Turin, where he reportedly had attended the Juventus-Milan soccer match the night before.
Rome’s court of appeals ordered him freed Tuesday, and he was sent back to Libya aboard an aircraft of the Italian secret services, because of what the appeals court said was a procedural error in his arrest. The ruling said Nordio should have been informed ahead of time of the arrest, since the justice ministry handles all relations with The Hague-based court.
Al-Masri returned to Tripoli late Tuesday. He was received at the Mitiga airport by supporters who celebrated his release, according to local media. Footage circulated online showed dozens of young men chanting and carrying what appeared to be Al-Masri on their shoulders at the airport.
Opposition lawmakers from several parties voiced outrage and demanded clarity, with former Premier Matteo Renzi accusing the right-wing government of hypocrisy given its stated crackdown on human traffickers.
“But when a trafficker whom the International Criminal Court tells us is a dangerous criminal lands on your table, it’s not like you chase him down, you brought him home to Libya with a plane of the Italian secret services,” said Renzi of the Italia Viva party. “Either you’re sick or this is the image of a hypocritical, indecent government.”
The Democratic Party demanded Premier Giorgia Meloni respond specifically to parliament about the case, saying it raised “grave questions” given the known abuses in Libyan prisons for which Al-Masri is accused.
Italy has close ties to the internationally recognized government in Tripoli and any trial in The Hague of Al-Masri could bring unwanted attention to Italy’s migration policies and its support of the Libyan coast guard, which it has financed to prevent migrants from leaving.
Human rights groups have documented gross abuses in the Libyan detention facilities where migrants are kept, and have accused Italy of being complicit in their mistreatment.
“It’s critical to understand why Al-Masri was in Italy and why he was freed with such urgency despite the international arrest warrant,” said the Democratic lawmaker Paolo Ciani. He said the choice “appeared to be political.”
Another senator noted that the plane sent to retrieve Al-Masri was sent to Turin before the Rome appeals court had even ruled, suggesting the decision to send him home had been already made by Meloni’s office, which is responsible for the Italian secret services.
Two humanitarian groups, Mediterranea Saving Humans and Refugees in Libya, which have documented abuses committed against migrants in Libyan detention facilities, said they were incredulous that Italy let Al-Masri go.
“Those of us who managed to survive had believed that it was really possible not only to get justice, but more importantly to prevent this criminal from still acting undisturbed,” they said in a joint statement. “Instead, in recent days we have witnessed something shameful, unbelievable in how brazenly it has been conducted.”
But Tarik Lamloum, a Libyan activist working with the Belaady Organization for Human Rights which focuses on migrants in Libya, said Italy’s release of Al-Masri was expected. He said his release shows the power of militias who control the flow of migrants to Europe through Libya’s shores.
“Tripoli militias are able to pressure (Italy) because they control the migrants file,” he told The Associated Press.
Militias in western Libya are part of the official state forces tasked with intercepting migrants at sea, including in the EU-trained coast guard. They also run state detention centers, where abuses of migrants are common.
As a result, militias — some of them led by warlords the UN has sanctioned for abuses — benefit from millions in funds the European Union gives to Libya to stop the migrant flow to Europe.
The ICC prosecutor’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment. The European Commission spokesman reaffirmed all EU members had pledged to cooperate with the court.
“We respect the court’s impartiality and we are fully attached to international criminal justice to combat impunity,” said EU commission spokesman Anouar El Anouni. In a 2023 summit, the EU leaders committed “to cooperate fully with the court, including rapid execution of any pending arrests,” he added.
