TUBAS, Palestinian Territories:: Israeli strikes Wednesday killed eight Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry and Red Crescent said separately, with the Israeli military confirming air raids in two locations.
The military said in a statement that its forces were engaged in a “counter-terrorism operation” in the northern West Bank’s Tubas area and later carried out a separate strike on Tulkarem, both targeted in major Israeli raids last month.
In Tubas, a witness told AFP that Israeli forces were “storming the city” and the nearby town of Tamun early on Wednesday.
The army reported exchanges of fire and an air strike that hit five militants who “posed a threat” to troops.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said five people were killed “as a result of Israeli air strikes” in Tubas, with spokesman Ahmed Jibril telling AFP the drone fire hit near a mosque around dawn.
The military said an Israeli aircraft “struck and eliminated a terrorist cell consisting of five terrorists armed with explosives who posed a threat to the forces.”
It added that during the raid, several suspects were apprehended and a vehicle rigged with explosives was dismantled.
At the end of August, Israel launched a large-scale “counter-terrorism” offensive that left widespread destruction across the northern West Bank, including in the Tubas area.
An Israeli air strike last week in Tubas also killed five people, Palestinian medics said at the time, with the military announcing it had targeted “armed terrorists” including a local militant leader.
Later on Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry reported three killed near Tulkarem city “as a result of an Israeli air strike on a vehicle,” saying the bodies had been taken to a local hospital. The Red Crescent gave the same toll.
The Israeli military said its air force had “conducted an aerial strike during the counter-terrorism operation” in Tulkarem, without elaborating on its target or reporting casualties.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and has ramped up deadly raids in the territory since Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel sparked the war in Gaza.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 665 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by the Israeli military or settlers since October 7.
At least 24 Israelis, including security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the territory during the same period, according to Israeli officials.
Eight Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on West Bank
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Eight Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on West Bank
- The drone fire occurred near a mosque in the Tubas region around dawn
Palestinian health ministry says 4 killed in Israeli West Bank strike
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.
Turkiye, Iran leaders 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
CAIRO: The leaders of Turkiye and Iran were in Egypt on Thursday for a summit of eight Muslim-majority countries, meeting for the first time since the ouster of Syria’s president Bashar Assad.
Turkiye historically backed the opposition to Assad, 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 to the summit, Turkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for unity and reconciliation in Syria, urging “the restoration of Syria’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 urged action to address the crises in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, saying that it is a “religious, legal and human duty to prevent further harm” to those suffering in these conflict zones.
Pezeshkian, who arrived in Cairo on Wednesday, is the first Iranian president to visit Egypt since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who visited 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.
Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi visited Egypt in October, while his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty traveled to Tehran in July to attend Pezeshkian’s inauguration.
Ahead of the summit, the Iranian top diplomat said he hoped it would “send a strong message to the world that the Israeli aggressions and violations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria” would end “immediately.”
Erdogan was in Egypt earlier this year, and discussed with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi economic cooperation as well as regional conflicts.
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.
Iraq begins repatriating Syrian soldiers amid border security assurances
DUBAI: Iraq has begun the process of returning Syrian soldiers to their home country, according to state media reports on Wednesday.
Lt. Gen. Qais Al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of joint operations, emphasized the robust security measures in place along Iraq’s borders with Syria.
“Our borders are fortified and completely secure,” he said, declaring that no unauthorized crossings would be permitted.
Muhammadawi said that all border crossings with Syria are under tight control, stating: “We will not allow a terrorist to enter our territory.”
Turkiye won’t halt Syria military activity until Kurd fighters ‘disarm’
ISTANBUL: Turkiye will push ahead with its military preparations until Kurdish fighters “disarm,” a defense ministry source said Thursday as the nation faces an ongoing threat along its border with northern Syria.
“Until the PKK/YPG terrorist organization disarms and its foreign fighters leave Syria, our preparations and measures will continue within the scope of the fight against terrorism,” the source said.
Hamas says Israeli strikes in Yemen ‘dangerous development’
GAZA: Palestinian militant group Hamas said Thursday that Israel’s strikes in Yemen after the Houthi rebels fired a missile at the country were a “dangerous development.”
“We regard this escalation as a dangerous development and an extension of the aggression against our Palestinian people, Syria and the Arab region,” Hamas said in a statement as Israel struck ports and energy infrastructure in Yemen after intercepting a missile attack by the Houthis.
