BAGHDAD: Iraq’s top Shiite Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani warned Saturday of the risk of a regional escalation with potentially “catastrophic consequences” following the killing of two Iran-backed militant leaders.
Sistani also urged an end to the “genocidal war” in Gaza, where the civil defense agency said an Israeli air strike Saturday on a school housing displaced Palestinians killed more than 90 people.
“Once again, the Israeli occupation army has committed a huge massacre... adding to its series of ongoing crimes” in Gaza, Sistani said in a rare statement since the start of the 10-month-old war.
The recent high-profile killings of two leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah increased the danger of “major clashes” that could have “catastrophic consequences” for the region, he warned.
“We once again call on the world to stand against this terrible brutality,” Sistani said, urging Muslims “to unite in order to press for an end to the genocidal war” in Gaza.
On July 31, Palestinian militant group Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an attack, blamed on Israel, in the Iranian capital.
It came hours after Israel killed Hezbollah senior military commander Fuad Shukr in a strike on the Lebanese group’s stronghold in south Beirut.
The assassinations, which prompted vows of retaliation by Iran and Hezbollah, are among the most serious in a series of tit-for-tat attacks that has heightened fears of a regional conflagration stemming from the Gaza war.
Most of Gaza’s 2.4 million people have been uprooted by the war triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel.
Gaza’s civil defense agency said Saturday’s strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians killed 93 people. Israel’s military accused militants of using the building as a command center.
AFP could not independently verify the toll which, if confirmed, would appear to be one of the largest from a single strike during the Gaza war.
Top Iraqi Shiite cleric warns of Middle East escalation
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Top Iraqi Shiite cleric warns of Middle East escalation
- Sistani also urged an end to the “genocidal war” in Gaza
- “Once again, the Israeli occupation army has committed a huge massacre... adding to its series of ongoing crimes” in Gaza, Sistani said in a rare statement
Emirati FM receives Indian counterpart in Abu Dhabi
- Ministers discuss strategic partnership between their countries
- Subrahmanyam Jaishankar took part in Raisina Middle East international forum
LONDON: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE minister of foreign affairs, met with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Sheikh Abdullah congratulated Jaishankar on Republic Day, Jan. 26, when India adopted its constitution and established a sovereign democratic republic.
The two ministers spoke about the friendship and strategic partnership between their countries, examining ways to enhance collaboration in economic, commercial, investment and cultural areas, the Emirates News Agency reported.
Subrahmanyam took part in Raisina Middle East, a two-day international forum in Abu Dhabi hosted by the foreign ministries of India and the UAE, as well as the Observer Research Foundation and ORF Middle East.
India’s chief diplomat posted on X that he spoke on Tuesday about the “significant expansion of India-Middle East engagement in the past decade, driven by strong trade, connectivity and people to people linkages.”
Raisina Middle East, which hosts representatives from government, academia, media and business to discuss the latest trade, technology and geopolitical developments, ends on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Israel defies UN and vows to cut ties with UNRWA, with US blessing
- “The United States supports the implementation of this decision,” said Dorothy Shea, a United States representative to the UN
UNITED NATIONS: Israel will cease all contact with the UN’s Palestinian relief agency UNRWA and any other body acting on its behalf, its UN envoy said Tuesday, after repeatedly accusing the organization of undermining its security.
UNRWA’s offices and staff in Israel play a major role in the provision of health care and education to Palestinians, but Israeli officials have long clashed with the agency.
UNRWA claims to have brought in 60 percent of the food to have reached Gaza since the start of the war that followed the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
“The legislation forbids UNRWA from operating within the sovereign territory of the State of Israel, and forbids any contact between Israeli officials and UNWRA,” said the envoy, Danny Danon.
He was speaking ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Israel’s passage of legislation ending the organization’s legal footing in Israel within 48 hours.
“Israel will terminate all collaboration, communication and contact with UNRWA or anyone acting on its behalf,” he said.
Israel claims that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the deadly October 7, 2023 assault, and insists that other organizations can pick up the slack to provide essential services, aid and reconstruction — something the UN disputes.
A series of probes, including one led by France’s former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some “neutrality related issues” at UNRWA — but stressed Israel had not provided evidence for its chief allegations.
The agency’s chief Philippe Lazzarini said UNRWA’s “capacity to directly provide primary health care for millions of Palestinians, and to resume education for hundreds of thousands of children, far exceeds that of any other entity.”
He called Israel’s actions against UNRWA a “relentless assault” that is “harming the lives and future of Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian territory.”
“It is eroding their trust in the international community, jeopardizing any prospect for peace and security,” he said.
But the United States threw its weight behind the move of its closest Middle East ally, accusing Lazzarini of overstating the impact of the decision.
“The United States supports the implementation of this decision,” said Dorothy Shea, a United States representative to the UN.
“UNRWA exaggerating the effects of the laws and suggesting that they will force (out) the entire humanitarian response is irresponsible and dangerous,” she said.
“What is needed is a nuanced discussion about how we can ensure that there’s no interruption in the delivery of humanitarian aid and essential services. UNRWA is not and never has been the only option.”
Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
During the attack, militants took into Gaza 251 hostages. Eighty-seven remain in the territory, including dozens Israel says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 47,317 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.
A ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas is now in place, intended to bring an end to the more than 15 months of war.
The fighting provoked a deep humanitarian crisis, destroying hospitals and sparking outbreaks of infectious diseases while hundreds of thousands of Gazans faced starvation conditions and have depended on food aid.
“We are determined, however, to stay and deliver until it is no longer possible to do so,” said Lazzarini.
Lebanese army fully redeployed in eastern sector villages
- Israeli forces are still stationed at Labbouneh Heights and Jabal Blat
- Lebanon and the US have approved extending the deadline for the Israeli forces’ withdrawal from southern Lebanon to Feb. 18
BEIRUT: The Lebanese army continued on Tuesday to be deployed in the eastern sector’s villages, from the coastal city of Naqoura to Marwahin.
Israeli forces are still stationed at Labbouneh Heights and Jabal Blat.
Lebanon and the US have approved extending the deadline for the Israeli forces’ withdrawal from southern Lebanon to Feb. 18.
The deadline falls within the framework of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah that went into force on Nov. 27.
The Lebanese army continued to be deployed in the central sector’s villages, following the Israeli withdrawal. On Tuesday, it entered Yaroun’s old town on the border. The army’s bulldozers also reopened all the village’s roads.
The Lebanese Red Cross retrieved the bodies of Hezbollah fighters, which had been trapped under rubble since the confrontations began between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israeli forces invaded Lebanese territory as part of Israel’s expanded war against Hezbollah last October.
Meanwhile, Israeli hostilities continue to hinder residents’ attempts to return to their villages.
An Israeli drone dropped stun grenades near several civilians while they were trying to enter Yaroun following the Lebanese army’s entry into the village.
Kfarkila’s residents blocked the Khardali highway to protest the delayed entry of the Lebanese army to their village.
In a statement, they said that “their village is disaster-stricken, and that the bodies of the victims who defended their town are still under rubble.”
They called on the Lebanese state to “assume its full responsibility toward its people and land and pressure the international community into forcing the occupation to abide by international laws.”
The residents re-opened the road after receiving official promises reassuring them that the matter would be addressed.
The mayor of Aitaroun informed its residents that Israeli forces had not cleared the area yet, which prevented them from returning. Aitaroun residents have been waiting at the village entrance for days.
In a post on social media, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee reminded border area residents of the deadline extension for the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
He said: “The redeployment in certain sectors where Israeli forces are stationed may be delayed as additional time is required to ensure that Hezbollah is not able to reestablish its military strength.”
Adraee added that in the near future, Israel would inform them about the locations residents can return to. “Until that time, we ask you to wait and not allow Hezbollah to return and exploit you in an attempt to cover up the devastating consequences of its irresponsible decisions at the expense of the security of the State of Lebanon.”
Israeli forces have opened fire on unarmed civilians attempting to return to their villages along the border since Sunday, resulting in a total of 26 fatalities, including women, and injuring 160 civilians, including children.
The UN said: “Israel’s use of lethal force against civilians returning to their homes in southern Lebanon constitutes a violation of international law.”
It called for “the transformation of the ceasefire into a lasting and sustainable peace in the region.”
The Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a post via its official social media account: “We are concerned by reports that at least 24 people were killed and more than 100 others injured in recent days as civilians attempted to return to their homes in southern Lebanon.”
The commission stressed that “civilians must be allowed to return to their villages under voluntary, dignified and safe conditions.”
Lebanon has recorded no fewer than 670 violations of the ceasefire agreement by Israel since its implementation, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries.
Israeli forces freed six Lebanese civilians on Monday evening as a result of diplomatic efforts led by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
They were apprehended while making their way back to their hometowns of Houla and Markaba on Sunday and Monday, with two women among those released.
The footage captured by residents returning to their villages revealed the extent of the destruction caused by Israel, particularly during the ceasefire period, during which entire villages were obliterated.
The Israeli military conducted a demolition operation near a mosque in the town of Al-Wazzani.
Several residences and structures in the Al-Mufilha region, west of Mays Al-Jabal, were bulldozed.
France says forced displacement of Gazans would be ‘unacceptable’
- “Any forced displacement of the population in Gaza would be unacceptable,” a French foreign ministry spokesman said
- “It would not only be a serious violation of international law, but also a major hindrance to the two-state solution”
PARIS: France on Tuesday said any forced displacement of Gazans would be “unacceptable” after US President Donald Trump proposed moving Gaza Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan.
“Any forced displacement of the population in Gaza would be unacceptable,” a French foreign ministry spokesman said when asked about Trump’s comments.
“It would not only be a serious violation of international law, but also a major hindrance to the two-state solution,” the spokesman said, referring to calls for Israeli and Palestinian states living side-by-side.
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It would also be a “destabilization factor (for) our close allies Egypt and Jordan.”
Almost all of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million inhabitants have been displaced by the war that began with Palestinian militant group Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
But a fragile ceasefire that came into force this month could boost permanent peace efforts.
Trump on Monday expressed his desire to move Palestinians from Gaza to “safer” locations such as Egypt or Jordan.
Trump had on Saturday floated the idea to “clean out” Gaza after the conflict, which he said had reduced the Palestinian territory to a “demolition site.”
After jointly mediating the ceasefire with the United States and Egypt, Qatar on Tuesday said the two-state solution was “the only path forward.”
Egypt and Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas have also strongly opposed Trump’s proposal.
Crew abandon HK-flagged container ship in Red Sea after fire, sources say
- The crew were rescued by another vessel and are safe, the sources said
- The incident took place in the open sea off Yemen
LONDON/ATHENS: The crew of the Hong Kong-flagged ASL Bauhinia have abandoned the container ship in the Red Sea after it caught fire on Tuesday, two maritime sources said, adding the cause of the incident was not immediately clear.
The crew were rescued by another vessel and are safe, the sources said, adding that the incident took place in the open sea off Yemen.
The Shanghai-based manager of ASL Bauhinia, Asean Seas Line, was not immediately available for comment.
Earlier this month, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia said the group would limit their attacks on commercial vessels sailing through the Red Sea to Israel-linked ships provided the Gaza ceasefire is fully implemented.
Commercial ship owners, insurers and retailer remain cautious over the Houthis’ announcement with current traffic through the Red Sea and Suez Canal dominated by Chinese and Russian linked vessels, which have been seen as lower risk.
Since the Houthis began attacks on shipping in sympathy with the Palestinians in Gaza, most vessels have diverted to the longer east-west route via the southern tip of Africa.
