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Biden says US helped Israel down nearly all Iran attacks

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An anti-missile system operates after Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on April 14, 2024. (Reuters)
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Objects are seen in the sky above Jerusalem after Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel, in Jerusalem April 14, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israel said on Saturday that a salvo of Iranian pilotless aircraft had been launched at it and that defense systems were poised to shoot them down. ((Reuters file photo)
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Updated 14 April 2024
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Biden says US helped Israel down nearly all Iran attacks

  • Israeli military: 99 percent of 300 missiles and drones fired by Iran were shot down
  • Biden tells Netanyahu that he would oppose an Israeli counterattack against Tehran
Updated 14 April 2024
AFP Reuters

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden said US forces helped Israel shoot down nearly all the drones and missiles fired by Iran Saturday, but appeared to guide the key US ally away from retaliating against Tehran by saying Israel had now shown its strength.

Biden added that he was convening fellow G7 leaders on Sunday to coordinate a diplomatic response against Tehran, in another sign that he is trying to avoid any further military escalation that could ignite a wider Middle East conflict.

The US president said he had called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reaffirm Washington’s “ironclad” support for Israel, after recent tense relations over Israel’s war in Gaza.

“I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks — sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel,” he said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday that British military jets shot down drones launched by Iran in its attack on Israel.

“I can confirm that our planes did shoot down a number of Iranian attack drones,” Sunak told broadcasters.

Israel’s chief military spokesperson said on Sunday that France was among the countries involved in defending against Iran’s overnight attack on Israel.

“France has very good technology, jets, radar – and I know they were contributing in patrolling airspace,” he said, adding that he did not have exact details on whether French jets had shot down any of the missiles launched by Iran.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that 99 percent of Iran’s barrage of drones and missiles were shot down, adding that the armed forces remained fully functional and were discussing follow-up options.

In a televised briefing, chief miliary spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari deemed Iran’s actions “very grave” and said they “push the region toward escalation.”

Israel reopened its airspace as of 7:30 a.m. (0430 GMT) on Sunday, the country’s airports authority said after an overnight attack by hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones.

It said flight schedules from Tel Aviv were expected to be affected and travellers should check flight times.

He said he had ordered US military aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the Middle East in recent days, as the likely threat following a presumed Israeli strike on Iranians in Damascus became clear.

“Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles,” Biden said.

Biden said he would on Sunday “convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.”

His comments hinted at the US balancing act between supporting its ally and wanting to deescalate tensions, amid fears of Washington being dragged into another Middle East war.

Those fears have mounted ever since a presumed Israeli strike on April 1 leveled an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus, killing seven members of the elite Revolutionary Guards including two generals.

After launching the drone strikes, Tehran warned the United States Sunday to “stay away” from its conflict with Israel.

But US media reported that Biden was looking to de-escalate.

News outlet Axios said Biden had told Netanyahu that he would oppose an Israeli counterattack against Iran and that he should “take the win.” NBC said he had privately expressed concerns to others that Netanyahu was trying to drag the United States more deeply into a broader conflict.

Earlier Saturday, Biden had cut short a weekend trip to the Delaware coast and flew back to Washington for an emergency meeting at the White House with his top national security officials.

He posted a picture of the meeting in the wood-paneled White House Situation Room with officials including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and CIA Director Bill Burns.

Biden’s handling of the Middle East conflict will also be under scrutiny in a US presidential election year.

Former US president Donald Trump, Biden’s rival in November’s election, said the Democratic incumbent was showing “weakness.”

“God bless the people of Israel. They are under attack right now. That’s because we show great weakness,” Republican Trump said at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Tensions had ratcheted up earlier in the day when Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized a container ship near the Strait of Hormuz that was “related to the Zionist regime,” the term it uses for Israel, state media reported.

The White House condemned the seizure of the British-owned vessel as an “act of piracy.”

The Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf with the Indian Ocean and, according to the US Energy Information Administration, more than a fifth of global oil consumption passes through it each year.

Topics: War on Gaza Israel Palestine Gaza Iran US Joe Biden

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‘New Syria’ offers historic moment of hope but also threats and uncertainty, says UN chief

Updated 19 December 2024
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‘New Syria’ offers historic moment of hope but also threats and uncertainty, says UN chief

  • Secretary-General Antonia Guterres warned of Daesh threats in parts of the country and called for Israeli airstrikes to stop
  • Progress could unravel ‘if the ongoing situation is not managed carefully by Syrians themselves’ with international support, he adds
Updated 19 December 2024
Ephrem Kossaify

NEW YORK CITY: While recent developments in Syria offer a long-awaited opportunity for Syrians to realize their aspirations for freedom “there is a real risk that progress could unravel” if the situation is not managed carefully, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday.

Long-time dictator Bashar Assad fled the country on Dec. 8 following a swift offensive by a group of rebels. Their operation, which lasted less than two weeks, met little resistance.

Guterres noted that the end of more than five decades of “brutal, dictatorial rule” by the Assad family offers a long-sought opportunity for all Syrians to fulfill the aspirations that sparked their peaceful movement for change in 2011. The slogan that echoed across the country, “The Syrian people are one,” has never been more relevant, he added.

“It holds great promise for a country so rich in diversity, history and culture, along with its deep-rooted traditions of generosity, which I witnessed first-hand as high commissioner for refugees when the Syrian people welcomed millions of displaced Iraqis,” Guterres said.

However, he stressed that “nothing is guaranteed” and warned: “If the ongoing situation is not managed carefully by Syrians themselves, with the support of the international community, there is a real risk that progress could unravel.”

Guterres emphasized that “all communities must be fully integrated into the new Syria,” and “the rights of women and girls must be fully respected.” He also reiterated the importance of ensuring the process is guided by the principles outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

Adopted in 2015, the resolution calls for a ceasefire agreement and political settlement in Syria, and sets out a road map for the country’s transition, including “free and fair” elections.

Although some parts of Syria are relatively stable following the fall of Assad, Guterres warned that the conflict is far from over and civilians continue to be killed, injured and displaced. Daesh remains a threat in some areas, while Israel continues to target the country with extensive airstrikes.

“These are violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Guterres said. “They must stop.”

In the Golan Heights, he said, the UN’s Disengagement Observer Force has reported an ongoing Israeli military presence in several locations within the Area of Separation, despite long-standing agreements prohibiting such deployments.

The peacekeeping mission has also observed Israeli personnel and equipment in at least one place inside the Area of Limitation. The 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria stipulates that this area must remain free of military forces.

Guterres called on Israel and Syria to fully comply with the terms of the agreement, which “remains in full force.”

He added: “Let me be clear: There should be no military forces in the Area of Separation other than UN peacekeepers, period. Syria’s sovereignty, territorial unity and integrity must be fully restored, and all acts of aggression must come to an immediate end.”

Neighboring country Turkiye has “a very important role” to play in convincing parties in Syria of the need for inclusive dialogue, Guterres said. However, he also stressed the need to establish a permanent ceasefire in northeastern Syria, and to stem the activities of Daesh in the area.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in the country remains one of the worst in the world, with the recent escalation further exacerbating the needs of people nationwide. Guterres stressed the urgent need to ensure humanitarian and recovery efforts receive adequate funding. The UN’s humanitarian chief has already warned that the appeal for aid to Syria, one of the largest in the world, remains severely underfunded.

Describing the current moment in Syria as one of “hope and history” but also “great uncertainty,” Guterres said: “Some will try to exploit the situation for their own narrow interests. But it is the obligation of the international community to stand with the people of Syria, who have suffered so much.

“Syria’s future must be shaped by its people, for its people, with the support of all of us.”

Topics: Fall of Assad United Nations (UN) Antonio Guterres

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Putin says fall of Assad not a ‘defeat’ for Russia

Updated 19 December 2024
AFP
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Putin says fall of Assad not a ‘defeat’ for Russia

  • Assad’s departure came over 13 years after crackdown on democracy protests precipitated civil war
  • Russia was Assad’s key backer and swept to his aid in 2015, turning the tide of the conflict in his favor
Updated 19 December 2024
AFP

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the fall of ex-Syrian leader Bashar Assad was not a “defeat” for Russia, claiming Moscow had achieved its goals in the country.
Assad fled to Moscow earlier this month after a shock militant advance ended half a century of rule by the Assad family, marked by repression and allegations of vast human rights abuses and civil war.
His departure came more than 13 years after his crackdown on democracy protests precipitated a civil war.
Russia was Assad’s key backer and had swept to his aid in 2015, turning the tide of the conflict.
“You want to present what is happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia,” Putin said at his annual end-of-year press conference.
“I assure you it is not,” he said, responding to a question from an American journalist.
“We came to Syria 10 years ago so that a terrorist enclave would not be created there like in Afghanistan. On the whole, we have achieved our goal,” Putin said.
The Kremlin leader said he had yet to meet with Assad in Moscow, but planned to do so soon.
“I haven’t yet seen president Assad since his arrival in Moscow but I plan to, I will definitely speak with him,” he said.
Putin was addressing the situation in Syria publicly for the first time since Assad’s fall.
Moscow is keen to secure the fate of two military bases in the country.
The Tartus naval base and Hmeimim air base are Russia’s only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union and have been key to the Kremlin’s activities in Africa and the Middle East.
Putin said there was support for Russia keeping hold of the bases.
“We maintain contacts with all those who control the situation there, with all the countries of the region. An overwhelming majority of them say they are interested in our military bases staying there,” Putin said.
He also said Russia had evacuated 4,000 Iranian soldiers from the country at the request from Tehran.

Syrian girls’ right to schooling unrestricted, new education minister says

Updated 19 December 2024
AFP
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Syrian girls’ right to schooling unrestricted, new education minister says

  • New rulers promise equal treatment for all minority groups
  • Education minister assures girls’ right to education remains unchanged
  • Half of Syria’s schools destroyed or damaged, Qadri says
Updated 19 December 2024
AFP

DAMASCUS: Syria will remove all references to the former ruling Baath party from its educational system as of next week but will not otherwise change school curricula or restrict the rights of girls to learn, the country’s new education minister said.
“Education is a red line for the Syrian people, more important than food and water,” Nazir Mohammad Al-Qadri said in an interview from his office in Damascus.
“The right to education is not limited to one specific gender. ... There may be more girls in our schools than boys,” he said.
The secular, pan-Arab nationalist Baath Party governed Syria since a 1963 coup d’etat, seeing education as an important tool for instilling life-long loyalty among the young to the country’s authoritarian ruling system.
President Bashar Assad was toppled on Dec. 8 by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist rebel group that some Syrians fear may seek to implement a conservative form of Islamist governance.
But Qadri’s plans reflect their wider management approach and moderate messaging so far.
Syria has long been seen to have one of the Arab world’s strongest education systems, a reputation that has largely survived 13 years of civil war.
Qadri said religion — both Muslim and Christian — will continue to be taught as a subject in school.
Primary schools will remain mixed between boys and girls, while secondary education will stay largely segregated, he said.
“After primary school, there were always schools for females and schools for males. We won’t change that,” said Qadri, who had taken to his ornately-furnished office so recently that he had not yet procured Syria’s new green, white and black flag.
Syria’s new rulers, who have long-since disavowed their former Al-Qaeda links, have said that all of Syria’s minority groups including Kurds, Christians, Druze and Alawites will be treated equal as the new government focuses on rebuilding.
They face a formidable challenge.
Syria remains under tight Western sanctions.
Entire cities were levelled in 13 years of war that Qadri said had also left about half the country’s 18,000 schools damaged or destroyed.
But the rebels have moved into government fast, extending a hand to former state employees who have shown up to work in droves.
Most of the new ministers are young — in their 30s or 40s — making 54-year-old Qadri among the oldest in government.
Born and raised in Damascus, he was imprisoned by the Assad regime in 2008 on what he said were spurious charges of inciting sectarian strife, preventing him from finishing his bachelor’s degree.
He was released a decade later and fled to northern Idlib, then under the control of HTS, becoming education minister in its Salvation Government in 2022.
He is currently finishing his masters thesis in Arabic language.
With the political and social contours of the new Syrian state still being drawn, Qadri said students would not be tested on their mandatory “nationalist studies” — previously a vehicle for teaching Baathism and Assad family history — this year.

Topics: Fall of Assad Syria Education

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Palestinian health ministry says 4 killed in Israeli West Bank strike

Updated 19 December 2024
AFP
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Palestinian health ministry says 4 killed in Israeli West Bank strike

Updated 19 December 2024
AFP

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian health ministry said Thursday that an Israeli air strike on a car killed four Palestinians and wounded three near the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem.
The ministry announced that the Palestinians were killed “as a result of the (Israeli) bombing of a vehicle in Tulkarem camp,” which the Israeli army did not immediately confirm to AFP.

Topics: west bank palestine War on Gaza

Turkiye, Iran leaders call for Syria unity at Muslim summit in Cairo

Updated 48 min 29 sec ago
AFP
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Turkiye, Iran leaders call for Syria unity at Muslim summit in Cairo

  • Relations between Egypt and Iran have been strained for decades, but diplomatic contacts have intensified since Cairo became a mediator in the war in Gaza
Updated 48 min 29 sec ago
AFP

CAIRO: The leaders of Turkiye and Iran called on Thursday for unity in Syria at a summit of eight Muslim-majority countries after the ouster of Syria’s president Bashar Assad.
Turkiye historically backed Assad’s opponents, while Iran supported his rule.
The gathering of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as the Developing-8, was being held against a backdrop of regional turmoil including the conflict in Gaza, a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon and unrest in Syria.
In a speech at the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called for reconciliation in Syria and the restoration of the country’s “territorial integrity and unity.”
He also voiced hope for “the establishment of a Syria free of terrorism,” where “all religious sects and ethnic groups live side by side in peace.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also called for “the participation of all (Syrian) groups in the future government... as well as respect for different beliefs and religions.”
He added that “for more than 14 months, the Middle East region, in particular Gaza and southern Lebanon, and now... Syria, has been the target of massive attacks” by Israel.
“It is our religious, legal and human duty to prevent further harm” to those suffering in the conflict zones, he said.
Pezeshkian is the first Iranian president to visit Egypt since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2013.
Relations between Egypt and Iran have been strained for decades, but diplomatic contacts have intensified since Cairo became a mediator in the war in Gaza.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Egypt in October, while his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty traveled to Tehran in July to attend Pezeshkian’s inauguration.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, speaking at a special session on Gaza and Lebanon, said the international community should adopt “a single standard of justice” and ensure Israel “is held accountable and punished for violations of international law” in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
Abbas called for the adoption of a political plan he presented at a November summit in Riyadh, which includes a ceasefire, Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza and full UN membership for Palestine.
Iran’s president expressed support for any agreement backed by all Palestinian factions.
“The right to self-determination of the Palestinian people must be respected,” said Pezeshkian.
He called on the international community to pressure Israel to implement a ceasefire in Gaza, end attacks on Lebanon and Syria and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
The Cairo summit also hosted a meeting between Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation but split in a brutal 1971 war, with Bangladesh then drawing closer to Pakistan’s arch-rival India.
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus said he had “agreed to strengthen relations” with Pakistan, a move likely to further test his country’s frosty relations with India.
Established in 1997, the D-8 aims to foster cooperation among member states, spanning regions from Southeast Asia to Africa.
The organization includes Egypt, Turkiye, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia as member states.

Topics: Iran Turkiye Egypt

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