BEIRUT: The US military said Saturday it had killed a senior member of Al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch Hurras Al-Din, which announced its dissolution last month, in an air strike in the country’s northwest.
It is the latest US strike this year against the group in Syria. Along with its Western and Arab allies, the United States has emphasized that Syria must not serve as a base for “terrorist” groups after the toppling of president Bashar Assad in December.
On Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces “conducted a precision air strike in northwest Syria, killing Wasim Tahsin Bayraqdar, a senior leadership facilitator of the terrorist organization Hurras Al-Din,” the military said in a statement.
The northwest was the stronghold of interim president Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham group before it led the rebel offensive that toppled Assad in December.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said a drone strike on a car killed Bayraqdar.
Last Sunday, CENTCOM said it killed “a senior finance and logistics official” in Hurras Al-Din.
That came after CENTCOM last month reported killing another senior Hurras Al-Din operative, Muhammad Salah Al-Zabir, in an air strike also in the northwest.
The US-based SITE Intelligence Group said Hurras Al-Din was founded in February 2018.
The group did not publicly confirm its allegiance to Al-Qaeda until its dissolution announcement in January.
Hurras Al-Din dissolved in line with orders from Sharaa, who has called on all armed group to disband.
The United States designated Hurras Al-Din as a “terrorist” organization in 2019.
US says killed a senior member of Syria Al-Qaeda affiliate
https://arab.news/jwb6h
US says killed a senior member of Syria Al-Qaeda affiliate
Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israel has struck the largest hospital in the territory’s south
- Like other medical facilities around Gaza, Nasser Hospital has been damaged by Israeli raids and strikes throughout the war
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israel’s military struck the largest hospital in southern Gaza on Sunday night, killing one person, wounding others and causing a large fire, the territory’s Health Ministry said.
The strike hit the surgical building of Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis, the ministry said, days after the facility was overwhelmed with dead and wounded when Israel resumed the war in Gaza last week with a surprise wave of airstrikes.
Israel’s military confirmed the strike on the hospital, saying it hit a Hamas militant operating there. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in densely populated areas.
Like other medical facilities around Gaza, Nasser Hospital has been damaged by Israeli raids and strikes throughout the war.
More than 50,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the war, the Health Ministry said earlier Sunday.
The military claimed to have “eliminated” dozens of militants since Israel ended a ceasefire Tuesday with strikes that killed hundreds of people on one of the deadliest days in the 17-month war.
Israel’s unrest over Gaza and political issues grew Sunday, with anger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as his government voted to express no confidence in the attorney general, seen by many as a check on the power of his coalition.
“I’m worried for the future of this country. And I think it has to stop. We have to change direction,” said Avital Halperin, one of hundreds of protesters outside Netanyahu’s office. Police said three were arrested.
‘Displacement under fire’
Israel’s military ordered thousands of Palestinians to leave the heavily destroyed Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood in the southern city of Rafah. They walked to Muwasi, a sprawling area of squalid tent camps. The war has forced most of Gaza’s population of over 2 million to flee within the territory, often multiple times.
“It’s displacement under fire,” said Mustafa Gaber, a journalist who left with his family. He said tank and drone fire echoed nearby.
“The shells are falling among us and the bullets are (flying) above us,” said Amal Nassar, also displaced. “The elderly have been thrown into the streets. An old woman was telling her son, ‘Go and leave me to die.’ Where will we go?”
“Enough is enough. We are exhausted,” said a fleeing Ayda Abu Shaer, as smoke rose in the distance.
The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said it lost contact with a 10-member team responding to the strikes in Rafah. Spokesperson Nebal Farsakh said some were wounded.
Israel’s military said it had fired on advancing “suspicious vehicles” and later discovered some were ambulances and fire trucks.
In Gaza City, an explosion hit next to a tent camp where people had been told to evacuate. “My husband is blind and started running barefoot, and my children were running,” said witness Nidaa Hassuna.
Strikes kill Hamas leader
Hamas said Salah Bardawil, a well-known member of its political bureau, was killed in a strike in Muwasi that also killed his wife. Israel’s military confirmed it.
Hospitals in southern Gaza said they received a further 24 bodies from strikes overnight, including several women and children.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said 50,021 Palestinians have been killed in the war, including 673 people since Israel’s bombardment on Tuesday shattered the ceasefire.
Dr. Munir Al-Boursh, the ministry’s general director, said the dead include 15,613 children, with 872 of them under 1 year old.
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count but says women and children make up over half the dead. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 fighters, without providing evidence.
Ceasefire in tatters
The ceasefire that took hold in January paused more than a year of fighting ignited by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel, in which militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostage. Most captives have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
In the latest ceasefire’s first phase, 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others were released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces allowed hundreds of thousands of people to return home. There was a surge in humanitarian aid until Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza earlier this month to pressure Hamas to change the ceasefire agreement.
The sides were supposed to begin negotiations in early February on the ceasefire’s next phase, in which Hamas was to release the remaining 59 hostages — 35 of them believed to be dead — in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Those talks never began.
New settlements in the West Bank
Israel’s Cabinet passed a measure creating 13 new settlements in the occupied West Bank by rezoning existing ones, according to Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right finance minister, who is in charge of settlement construction.
This brings the number of settlements, considered illegal by the majority of the international community, to 140, said anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now. They will receive independent budgets from Israel and can elect their own local governments, the group said.
Hamas source says Israeli strike kills Hamas official Ismail Barhoum in Gaza hospital
- Ismail Barhoum was undergoing medical treatment in Gaza hospital
- Earlier Sunday, Hamas said an Israeli air strike the previous day near Khan Yunis killed Salah Al-Bardawil, another senior member of its political bureau
GAZA CITY: An Israeli air strike on Sunday killed a member of Hamas’s political bureau as he underwent treatment in hospital, a source in the Islamist movement said, after Israel confirmed it targeted “a key terrorist.”
“The Israeli army assassinated Hamas political bureau member Ismail Barhoum,” the Hamas source said, requesting anonymity to speak more freely.
“Warplanes bombed the operating room at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, where Barhoum was receiving treatment after sustaining critical injuries in an air strike targeting his home in Khan Yunis at dawn last Tuesday.”
AFP photos showed the building of about four-storys largely undamaged except for fire blazing in one section off a stairwell.
Barhoum is the fourth member of Hamas’s political bureau killed since last Tuesday when Israel resumed air strikes in the territory after an impasse over continuing a ceasefire.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed in a statement that Barhoum had been targeted in the strike.
The Israeli military said it hit the hospital with “precise munitions” following extensive intelligence-gathering.
It said the target was a key member of “the Hamas terrorist organization who was operating inside the Nasser Hospital compound.”
The Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza said Israeli forces “have just targeted the surgery building inside the Nasser Medical Complex, which houses many patients and wounded individuals, and a large fire has erupted at the site.”
The ministry later confirmed that one person had been killed and said many others were injured, including some medical staff. The entire department was evacuated, the ministry said in a statement.
Gaza’s civil defense rescue agency said the hospital’s emergency department had been targeted.
Earlier Sunday, Hamas said an Israeli air strike the previous day near Khan Yunis killed Salah Al-Bardawil, a senior member of its political bureau.
Bardawil, 65, was killed along with his wife in a camp in Al-Mawasi, the group said.
The Israeli military confirmed that it had targeted Bardawil, saying that “as part of his role, (he) directed the strategic and military planning” of Hamas in Gaza.
His “elimination further degrades Hamas’ military and government capabilities,” it added.
Emir of Kuwait urges nation to adhere to national unity, democratic approach
- Sheikh Meshal said 'national identity is at the top of our priorities'
- He commended the citizens of Kuwait for their loyal response to recent government reform decisions
LONDON: Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, addressed the nation in a televised speech, urging Kuwaiti citizens to embrace the democratic approach and adhere to constitutional references, the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.
His speech to the Kuwaitis was on Sunday evening during the last 10 days of Ramadan.
He emphasized that "national identity is at the top of our priorities. It belongs to every genuine Kuwaiti keen on his country's progress and the elevation of its status."
He commended the citizens of Kuwait for their loyal response to recent government reform decisions, which included the suspension of some constitutional articles.
Sheikh Meshal said that Kuwait was managing national unity and citizenship issues in accordance with the law while avoiding political bidding and external pressures.
"I affirm commitment to reforming, strengthening stability, and upholding the country's supreme interests, continuing to combat corruption and confronting anyone who attempts to tamper with the nation's security and stability," he said.
He warned that "advocates of division and the instigators of sedition are trying to confuse matters, spread rumors, and distort statements, to divide the ranks and cause discontent."
He called Kuwaitis to adhere to national unity and "work with a spirit of responsibility to preserve the security and stability of the homeland," KUNA reported.
He said he was closely monitoring the work of state agencies, ensuring accountability and urging the government to speed up development projects in health, education, and housing.
"I am certain, with a reassured soul, an optimistic spirit and great confidence in the authentic Kuwaiti people's ability to overcome challenges," he said.
On an international level, Sheikh Meshal emphasized that Kuwait will maintain its diplomatic approach with friendly nations in favor of justice.
He said that the Palestinian cause will remain a top priority in Kuwait's foreign policy, as the country supports the Palestinian people in achieving all their legitimate rights.
Macron ‘only point of reference’ for mending ties with Algeria
- The Algerian leader said he had “complete confidence” in his Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, whose ministry has described Algiers as a victim of a “vengeful and hateful French far right”
ALGIERS: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has said that French counterpart Emmanuel Macron is the “only point of reference” for mending frayed ties with its former colonial ruler.
Relations between Paris and Algiers have been strained over immigration and since Macron recognized Moroccan sovereignty of the disputed territory of Western Sahara in July last year.
“We will keep President Macron as our sole point of reference,” Tebboune said in an interview broadcast on Algerian television.
“He remains the French president, and all problems must be resolved with him or with the person he delegates.”
The Algerian leader said he had “complete confidence” in his Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, whose ministry has described Algiers as a victim of a “vengeful and hateful French far right.”
Tensions worsened after Algiers refused to accept the return of undocumented Algerian migrants from France.
One of them, a 37-year-old man went on a stabbing rampage in the eastern city of Mulhouse in February, killing one person and wounding several others.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau threatened a response if Algeria continues to refuse to admit its expelled nationals.
He has led the verbal attacks on Algeria in the media, fueling tensions between the countries.
Relations were also damaged after the arrest of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in November.
Macron voiced fears about the health of the author held in Algeria on national security charges.
Macron said Sansal — known for his strong support of free speech — was being held in “arbitrary detention” and that resolving the matter would help restore confidence in diplomatic ties.
Hostage families, anti-government protesters rally in Tel Aviv
- At the same time, families and supporters of the 59 hostages still held in Gaza have vented their anger at what many have seen as the government’s abandonment of their loved ones
TEL AVIV: Israeli protesters took to the streets for a sixth day on Sunday amid reports Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet passed a vote of no confidence in the attorney general, in its latest move against officials deemed hostile to the government.
However, any dismissal could be months away.
Tens of thousands of Israelis have joined demonstrations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv over the past week, as fears for Israeli hostages after a resumption of the bombing campaign in Gaza and anger at moves to sack the head of the domestic intelligence agency have brought different protest groups together.
The removal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, approved by Cabinet last week, was set to be followed by a no-confidence motion against attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara, who has frequently clashed with the current government.
Israeli media reported last week that the Cabinet would hold a no-confidence motion against Baharav-Miara, a former district attorney appointed under previous Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
The moves against the two officials have drawn accusations from protesters and the opposition that Netanyahu’s right-wing government is undermining key state institutions.
At the same time, families and supporters of the 59 hostages still held in Gaza have vented their anger at what many have seen as the government’s abandonment of their loved ones.
“We are here to make it clear that Israel is a democracy and will remain a democracy,” said 46-year-old Uri Ash, who was taking part in a protest in Tel Aviv.
“We will overtake this government because it is ruining Israel,” he said.
Although the protest groups have different priorities, they have built on mass demonstrations before the Gaza war that were unleashed by the right-wing government’s moves to curb the power of the Supreme Court.
Netanyahu said that, at the time, the overhaul was needed to rein in judicial overreach that was intruding on the authority of parliament, but protesters said it was an attempt to weaken one of the pillars of Israeli democracy.
Earlier this month, Justice Minister Yariv Levin initiated moves to dismiss Baharav-Miara, accusing her of politicizing her office and obstructing the government.
In practice, any step to remove the attorney general will likely face administrative hurdles and an appeals process that could delay it for months.
But the reports, which the prime minister’s office declined to confirm, have added fuel to the protests, echoing the same accusations made over Bar’s dismissal.
Cabinet approved Bar’s dismissal despite objections from Baharav-Miara, but a temporary injunction from the Supreme Court has held up the move.
Late on Saturday, Netanyahu issued a video statement defending the dismissal of Bar and rejecting accusations that the sacking was aimed at thwarting a Shin Bet investigation into allegations of financial ties between Qatar and aides in the prime minister’s office.
Instead, he said, the Shin Bet probe into the affair was launched as a means of delaying Bar’s expected resignation over intelligence failures that allowed the devastating attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, to take place.
