The Syrian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement extending “its condolences to the families of the Syrian and American security personnel who were killed in the terrorist attacks that took place in Palmyra and northern Syria.” The statement reiterated Syria’s “firm commitment to fighting the Islamic State.” A US official told CNN that since the December 13 attack, US forces and partner forces have carried out 10 operations that resulted in the killing or arrest of approximately 23 individuals. On December 14, Syria’s Ministry of Interior said that its units carried out an operation in Palmyra to arrest five suspects accused of involvement in the killing of US service members in “coordination with the General Intelligence Directorate and the International Coalition forces.”
Archiv: surprise surprise.. oh... really..? never thought of that! / Überraschung.. ach wirklich? sagen Sie bloß.. wären wir NIE drauf gekommen!
US launches retaliatory strikes in Syria on dozens of ISIS targets
Hegseth said „Operation Hawkeye Strike“ was carried out in Syria „to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on Dec. 13 in Palmyra, Syria.
U.S. Central Command also confirmed in a statement that Jordanian fighter aircraft also participated in Friday’s strikes.
„This is not the beginning of a war — It is a declaration of vengeance,“ said Hegseth.
Netanyahu formally asks for pardon from Israeli president
„Faced with the security challenges and political opportunities currently facing the State of Israel, I am committed to doing everything in my power to heal the rifts, achieve unity among the people, and restore trust in the state‘s systems, and I expect all heads of state agencies to do the same.“
Netanyahu faces charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust, to which he has entered a plea of „not guilty“
Venezuelan boat strikes lack legal justification, Democrats say
There is no U.S. law that explicitly authorizes the U.S. Navy to attack or sink ships at sea outside of a congressionally authorized war or valid self-defense situation, legal experts and Democratic lawmakers say.
The strikes began in September, but Trump administration discussions about them began soon after Trump moved back into the White House in January
Mysterious link between Earth’s magnetism and oxygen levels baffles scientists
(June 13, 2025)
The strength of Earth’s magnetic field seems to rise and fall in line with the abundance of oxygen in the planet’s atmosphere, a study of geological records spanning the past half a billion years has found.
Strong link between Earth’s oxygen level and geomagnetic dipole revealed since the last 540 million years
(June 13, 2025)
We search for possible observational evidence for such a relationship by examining evolutions of the virtual geomagnetic axial dipole moment and the atmospheric oxygen level over the past 540 million years. We find that both exhibit strong linearly increasing trends, coupled with a large surge in magnitude between 330 and 220 million years ago.
Trump urges Israel to pardon Netanyahu, sparking concerns over US influence
Trump also called for a pardon for Netanyahu during a speech to Israel’s parliament last month, when he made a brief visit to promote his ceasefire plan for the war in Gaza.
In Wednesday’s letter to President Isaac Herzog, Trump called the corruption case “political, unjustified prosecution”.
Israel‘s Knesset to vote today on bill to annex the occupied West Bank
TEL AVIV, October 22, 2025 (WAFA) – The Israeli Knesset (parliament) will vote on Wednesday on a bill to annex the occupied West Bank to Israel by imposing „Israeli sovereignty“ over areas there.
According to the Israeli public radio, „Kan,“ the head of the far-right „Noam“ party, Avi Maoz, will be the one who will submit the bill for a vote.
Vance says Gaza needs peacekeepers, security setup before Hamas disarms
The US vice president, JD Vance, on Monday said that security infrastructure needs to be in place and international peacekeepers need to deploy to Gaza before Hamas disarms.
“Before we actually can ensure that Hamas is properly disarmed, that’s going to require… some of these Gulf Arab states to get forces in there to actually apply some law and order and some security-keeping on the ground,” Vance told reporters.
“We don’t even have the security infrastructure in place, meaning the Gulf Arab states, our allies, don’t have the security infrastructure in place yet to confirm that Hamas is disarmed,” he added.
Must watch: Netanyahu reveals to Hebrew audiences after the press event where Trump revealed the 20-point plan to end the war on Gaza, that he has no intention of withdrawing Israeli troops from Gaza – “No way, that’s not happening.”
(September 30, 2025)
He said:
“This is a historic visit. Instead of Hamas isolating us, we turned the tables and isolated Hamas. Now the entire world, including the Arab and Muslim world, is pressuring Hamas to accept the terms we set together with President Trump: to release all our hostages, both living and deceased, while the IDF remains in most of the Strip. Who would have believed this? After all, people constantly say, the IDF should withdraw… No way, that’s not happening.”
Translations by @ireallyhateyou
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Video shared by PM of Israel’s official Hebrew account on X.
Netanyahu says Israeli forces will not be leaving Gaza amid domestic backlash
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised Israeli forces will not be leaving Gaza, despite references to their withdrawal in the Donald Trump-approved „peace plan“.
LIVE: Trump and Netanyahu hold a press conference
Streamed live 7 hours ago #netanyahu #trump #live
Netanyahu accepts Trump proposal to end war in Gaza
An „International Stabilization Force“ (ISF) would be set up in tandem with „Arab and international partners“ that is in charge of establishing control and stability in the enclave, similar to earlier plans discussed of an Arab or regional „peacekeeping“ force.
The plan categorically states that „Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza“, but it leaves the window open for a lot of interpretation and puts the ball in Israel‘s court to withdraw from the strip. It says that Israel will withdraw troops based on „standards, milestones and timeframes linked to demilitarisation“ that Israeli forces, the ISF, guarantors and the US agree to.
It adds that Israeli forces would „progressively hand over the territory it occupies“ to the ISF according to an agreement with the transitional government, „save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat“.
Saudi Arabia: His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud Minister for Foreign Affairs
Statement summary
Not yet available.
Saudi Arabia warns Israeli aggression could escalate ‘acts of genocide’
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has urged the global community to act decisively to stop “Israeli aggression”, which could have “grave consequences”.
“The failure of international community to take firm actions to end the Israeli aggression and violation will only cause further instability and insecurity regionally and globally,” he told the UN General Assembly.
“Such an action will have grave consequences and will escalate war crimes and acts of genocide.”
Gaza: Top independent rights probe alleges Israel committed genocide
In a new report published against the backdrop of intensifying Israeli military operations in Gaza City, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, urged Israel and all countries to fulfil their obligations under international law “to end the genocide” and punish those responsible.
“The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza,” insisted Navi Pillay, Chair of the Commission. “It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”
At a press conference in Geneva, the panel’s members – who are not UN staff but instead appointed by the Human Rights Council’s 47 Member States – explained that their investigations into the war in Gaza beginning with Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023 had led to the conclusion that Israeli authorities and security forces “committed four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide”.
Palestinian Authority must disappear from the map: Smotrich
(September 8, 2025)
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for the PA to be wiped from the map, and the villages of those behind the attack in occupied East Jerusalem to be reduced to ruins in retribution, Al Jazeera reports.
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation does not specify action following Israeli hospital bombing
At an extraordinary meeting to discuss Israel‘s Gaza genocide in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday, the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) outlined no specific diplomatic, economic, or military action beyond issuing a statement condemning Israel for its actions over the past 22 months.
Israel may no longer accept ceasefire proposal after push for release of all captives
(4 hours ago)
Commenting on the ceasefire proposal agreed to by Hamas, the former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Hussein Haridy said Israel may not back a deal – even though the current proposal agreed to by the Palestinian group is “almost identical” to one Israel agreed to a few weeks ago.
Israeli far-right demands Netanyahu reject Gaza ceasefire offer approved by Hamas
Far-right Israeli ministers have called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ignore a proposal for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza accepted by Hamas on Monday.
Histadrut labor union won’t join Aug. 17 general strike; tech firms, Bar Association will
The Histadrut, the country’s main labor federation, said Monday that it would not join a general strike called for August 17 to protest the continuation of the war and the government’s approval of a plan for a military takeover of Gaza City. However, the labor union said it would support workers planning to participate in a protest rally that day.
Meanwhile, much of Israel’s private tech sector declared that it would back the general strike action next week, as did the Israel Bar Association.
Netanyahu says backs ‚Greater Israel‘, which includes parts of Jordan and Egypt
Similar views have been echoed by ministers within Netanyahu‘s government.
Last year, in a documentary, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was filmed advocating for the expansion of Israeli borders to include Damascus.
He suggested that Israel would gradually grow to encompass not only all Palestinian territories but also parts of Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu says he’s on a ‘historic and spiritual mission,’ also feels a connection to vision of Greater Israel
(August 12, 2025)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells i24 he feels he is on a “historic and spiritual mission,” and that he is “very” attached to the vision of a Greater Israel, which includes areas slated for a future Palestinian state and possibly also areas that are part of present-day Jordan and Egypt.
The interviewer Sharon Gal, who was briefly a right-wing member of Knesset, gifts to Netanyahu what he says is an amulet of “a map of the Promised Land.”
Gaza: Alarm over Israeli move to deregister NGOs
“Unless urgent action is taken…most international NGO partners could be de-registered by 9 September or sooner – forcing them to withdraw all international staff and preventing them from providing critical, lifesaving humanitarian assistance to Palestinians,” said UN and partner aid organizations that are known collectively as the Humanitarian Country Team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
The UN understands that organizations must now submit, amongst others, details of representatives and all employees in-country, including Palestinian and foreign workers, with full identification and contact details.
Zohran Mamdani leads general election poll for NYC mayor
Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani holds a 10 point lead over Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s general election for mayor, while incumbent Mayor Eric Adams trails in fourth place behind Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, according to a new poll.
Netanyahu, Trump discuss forced transfer of Palestinians out of Gaza
“If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. It shouldn’t be a prison. It should be an open place and give people a free choice,” Netanyahu said.
“We’re working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realise what they always say, that they wanted to give the Palestinians a better future. I think we’re getting close to finding several countries.”
Exclusive: US-backed aid group proposed ‚Humanitarian Transit Areas‘ for Palestinians in Gaza
A controversial U.S.-backed aid group proposed building camps called “Humanitarian Transit Areas” inside – and possibly outside – Gaza to house the Palestinian population, according to a proposal reviewed by Reuters, outlining its vision of „replacing Hamas‘ control over the population in Gaza.“
The $2 billion plan, created sometime after February 11 for the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, was submitted to the Trump administration and recently discussed in the White House, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Auf Krieg folgt Repression im Innern
Die Vorwürfe ähneln sich: Spionage für Israel, Kollaboration mit dem Mossad oder auch „Verbreitung von Angst und die Störung des mentalen Friedens der Öffentlichkeit“.
Offenbar werden bekannte Regimekritiker genauso ins Visier genommen wie Menschen, die in den sozialen Medien Bilder und Videos von israelischen Luftangriffen posten.
Trump calls for Netanyahu‘s trial to be canceled
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Israel to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or cancel his corruption trial, saying the U.S. would save him like it did his country.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all of which Netanyahu denies. The trial began in 2020 and involves three criminal cases. He has pleaded not guilty.
Trump and Netanyahu‘s 2-state vision: Gaza war‘s end, Abraham Accords expansion
They reached consensus on these fundamental principles in general terms. They plan rapid implementation, beginning with Gaza warfare termination.
1. Gaza hostilities will conclude within two weeks, ending conditions will encompass four Arab nations (including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates) to administer the Gaza Strip, replacing the murderous Hamas terrorist organization. The remaining Hamas leadership will face exile to other countries, while the hostages gain freedom……
Netanyahu, Trump discussed ending war on Gaza with major stipulations: Report
Per Israel Hayom, the five points discussed were as follows:
1. Wrapping up the war on Gaza within two weeks and allowing for Egypt and the UAE to administer Gaza, replacing Hamas. Israel‘s remaining captives in the strip would also be released during this time.
2. Multiple countries taking in Gaza residents for resettlement.
3. The Abraham Accords expanding to include Saudi Arabia and Syria, and potentially other neighbours.
4. Israel declaring its „willingness for future Palestinian conflict resolution“ under the „two-state solution“ concept, contingent upon reforms of the Palestinian Authority.
5. Washington acknowledged Israel‘s „limited“ sovereignty over the occupied West Bank.
Gaza: UN warns of ‘weaponised hunger’ and growing death toll amid food chaos
Speaking to journalists in Deir al Balah on Saturday, Jonathan Whittall, who heads the UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA) in Gaza and the West Bank, said: “The attempt to survive is being met with a death sentence.”
Since Israel eased its total blockade last month, more than 400 people are reported to have died trying to reach food distribution points.
Mr. Whittall said humanitarian agencies are capable of reaching every family in the shattered enclave but are being systematically blocked. “We have a plan…but we are prevented from doing so at every turn.”
He described the situation as “weaponised hunger”, “forced displacement”, and “a death sentence for people just trying to survive”.
“This is carnage,” Mr. Whittall said. “It appears to be the erasure of Palestinian life from Gaza.”
He urged the international community to act: “We need a lasting ceasefire, accountability, and real pressure to stop this. This is the bare minimum.”
UN-Büro wirft Israel „Auslöschung“ von Palästinensern vor
Der Leiter des UN-Koordinierungsbüros für humanitäre Hilfe in den besetzten Gebieten, Jonathan Whittall, bezichtigte Israel, die Nutzung bewährter UN-Systeme mit Absicht zu unterbinden. „Wir könnten jede Familie in Gaza erreichen – so wie wir es in der Vergangenheit getan haben -, aber wir werden auf Schritt und Tritt daran gehindert, dies zu tun“, sagte er laut einer Pressemitteilung in Deir el-Balah im Gazastreifen.
Die katastrophalen Zustände wären „gänzlich vermeidbar“, so Whittall. „Es sind Bedingungen, die geschaffen wurden, um zu töten.“ Die Besatzungsmacht Israel betreibe anscheinend eine „Auslöschung palästinensischen Lebens“.