(December 9, 2023)
Archiv: Westasien („Naher / Mittlerer Osten“) / West Asia („Near / Middle East“)
LIVE: Israeli forces attack Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Gaza in one day
Israel has attacked Yemen, Lebanon and Syria, as well as Gaza, where air raids killed at least 54 people on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Gaza’s more than 2 million people “will be moved” in a new ground offensive as Israel’s total blockade on the enclave reaches 65 days.
Smotrich: Fighting won’t end until hundreds of thousands of Gazans leave, Syria partitioned
(April 29, 2025)
“With God’s help and the valor of your comrades-in-arms who continue to fight even now, we will end this campaign when Syria is dismantled, Hezbollah is severely beaten, Iran is stripped of its nuclear threat, Gaza is cleansed of Hamas and hundreds of thousands of Gazans are on their way out of it to other countries, our hostages are returned, some to their homes and some to the graves of Israel, and the State of Israel is stronger and more prosperous,” the far-right minister tells a gathering at the Eli Yeshiva.
Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago
(November 30, 2023)
The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.
(…)
Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.
“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.
Military confrontation seems inevitable if no new Iran nuclear deal, France says
(April 2, 2025)
Speaking after President Emmanuel Macron convened a rare and undisclosed meeting of key ministers and experts on Wednesday to discuss the Iran dossier, Jean-Noel Barrot appeared to ramp up the pressure on Tehran.
US sends 2nd aircraft carrier to Middle East as Trump threatens to bomb Iran
(April 2, 2025)
The Pentagon extended the deployment of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier strike group and ordered a second flotilla to the Middle East, Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed Tuesday. It also sent additional warplanes to the region, including F-35 fighters and B-2 stealth bombers, according to a U.S. official.
The posture shift came as Trump threatened to bomb Iran if the country does not strike a deal over its nuclear weapons capabilities.
Fatal clashes on Lebanon-Syria border: Lebanese army responds to rising violence – what are the details?
The experiences of residents in the border villages highlight a delicate and dangerous reality, particularly after the discovery of the bodies of Ahmed and Mohammad Medlej in Fadeliyeh, inside Syrian territory.
The Medlej brothers, who were married to Syrian women, were part of the minority groups that remained in the area after receiving assurances. Their deaths remain a mystery.
Clashes renewed on Lebanese-Syrian border in northern Hermel
National News Agency correspondent in Hermel reported that clashes have renewed on the Lebanese-Syrian border north of Hermel, after the town of Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali was subjected to shelling from the Syrian side.
Lebanon says it was hit by cross-border attack from Syria as tensions escalate
In response, Lebanon’s presidency said Monday that tensions on the country’s frontier with Syria “cannot go on.”
“What is happening on the eastern and northeastern borders cannot go on, and we will not accept its continuation,” the presidency said on X, adding that President Joseph Aoun has instructed the military to respond “to the source of fire.”
Is this the dawn of a new era in the Middle East?
The Gaza war and its aftermath in Lebanon and Syria seem to have strengthened the hands of Israel and Turkey, while weakening those of Iran and its allies. At the same time, the return of Trump appears to have brought the US even closer to Israel, and upped its opposition to Iran.
But how much this is truly a departure from the past should not be overstated. Most powers, such as in the Gulf and Egypt, have had to adapt to the new circumstances, but their policy positions have not drastically altered.
‘The streets are empty, no one dares go outside’: Syria’s Alawites terrorised by revenge killings
Hayan was lucky – they chose merely to scare not kill him – but by the time the rampage finally ended, 25 residents of the Alawite town of Salhab, northwest Syria, were dead. They included a 90-year-old local religious figure whom militants killed after forcing him to watch them murder his son.
Such massacres had become a feature of Syria’s 14-year civil war, but Salhab’s violence last week took place during some of the country’s deadliest days since the beginning of the war itself. Besides the high death toll, what marked these killings as different — and a dark omen for the country’s future — is that many were carried out by militants nominally a part of the new Syrian army created by the country’s new president.
Full speech: Sen. Schumer calls for new elections in Israel
(14.03.2024)
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., delivered an address on the Senate floor to call for a two-state solution amid the conflict in Gaza and new elections in Israel.
Syria’s government signs a breakthrough deal with Kurdish-led authorities in the northeast
The deal is a major breakthrough that would bring most of Syria under the control of the government, which is led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that led the ouster of President Bashar Assad in December.
The deal was signed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
Kurdish Rights Group Demands Probe into Syria Mass Killings
(March 11, 2025)
The Kurdish Human Rights Network and its allied organizations have issued an urgent appeal for immediate action to prevent further atrocities. The coalition has demanded the following:
1- Immediate cessation of military operations in Syria’s coastal region, Kobani, and the Tishreen Dam area.
2- An end to all forms of ethnic cleansing and racial persecution against Syria’s diverse communities.
3- Withdrawal of military forces and armed factions from towns, villages, and residential areas, returning them to their bases.
4- The establishment of independent civilian bodies to maintain security, free from military coercion.
5- Revelation of the fate of missing persons and an end to the alarming increase in enforced disappearances.
6- Formation of an independent international investigation committee, with the participation of Syrian human rights organizations and direct oversight from the United Nations, to uncover the truth behind the violence.
7- Accountability for all parties involved in war crimes and sectarian-based violence.
8- Prosecution of individuals and entities spreading hate speech, while advocating for a comprehensive national dialogue that includes all Syrian factions, aiming to build a future based on justice and peace.
Syria’s HTS Say Security Operation Against Alawites Over, More Than 1,300 Killed
The fighting against militias is only a fraction of the story though, as Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry forces carried out mass executions of Alawite civilians in the area. There are also reports they killed some members of the Christian minority, and Greek MEP Nikolas Faratouris, who was visiting Damascus this weekend claimed to have seen “reliable data” that over 7,000 Christians and Alawites were killed, though this is far higher than any other reports yet available.
The executions are broadly confirmed to have happened, though the exact toll is yet to be determined. More than 10,000 Syrian Alawites have fled into northern Lebanon in the past two days trying to escape the violence.
Over 1,000 Reported Killed, Mostly Civilians, as HTS Syrian Forces Attack Alawites
Some of the militias may indeed hold loyalty to former Assad-era Maj. Gen. Suhayl al-Hassan, but the claim of the hundreds of civilians being loyalists stretches credibility. Indications are that the executions aren’t being done on the basis of any loyalty test, but rather that any Alawites in the Alawite-heavy region are the target.
(…)
International reaction has been mixed. The UN has urged calm and the Red Cross have emphasized the need to ensure access to health facilities in the effected areas, while Kuwait and Bahrain have both offered statements of support for the HTS, condemning the Alawite militias as “outlaws” and accusing them of threatening the stability of the Syrian state.
Beobachtungsstelle meldet mehr als 1.000 Tote in Syrien
Die neuen Machthaber erklärten, sie hätten auf Angriffe von Überresten der Assad-Truppen reagiert und machten „individuelle Aktionen“ für die ausufernde Gewalt verantwortlich.
Laut anderen Berichten sind bewaffnete Unterstützer der Übergangsregierung dafür verantwortlich. Sie sollen sich Befehlen aus Damaskus widersetzt haben. Das syrische Staatsfernsehen berichtete dagegen, Unbekannte hätten sich mit Uniformen der Regierungstruppen verkleidet und die Taten begangen, um einen Bürgerkrieg anzustiften.
2 days of clashes and revenge killings in Syria leave more than 1,000 people dead
“It was very very bad. Bodies were on the streets,” as he was fleeing, Sheha said, speaking by phone from nearly 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the city. He said the gunmen were gathering less than 100 meters from his apartment building, firing randomly at homes and residents and in at least one incident he knows of, asked residents for their IDs to check their religion and their sect before killing them. He said the gunmen also burned some homes and stole cars and robbed homes.
Hundreds of Alawite civilians killed in ‘executions’ by Syria’s security forces, war monitor says
At least 745 civilians belonging to Syria’s Alawite minority have been killed execution-style by the country’s security forces and their allies in the past two days, a war monitor said Saturday. Witnesses recount horrifying scenes, saying bodies lay strewn on the streets in some areas.
Gaza truce hangs by a thread as Israel sets new conditions. Here’s what to know
Fifty-nine hostages remain in Gaza after the return of four bodies last week. Of the 59, 24 are thought to be alive, according to Israeli authorities.
Meanwhile, aid groups and the United Nations have slammed the Israeli announcement to halt aid, with Egypt, a mediator in the ceasefire deal, saying it “unequivocally rejects the politicization of humanitarian aid and its exploitation as a tool of blackmail.”
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff plans to return to the Middle East “in the coming days to work out either a way to extend Phase I or advance to Phase II” of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, a US State Department spokesperson said on Monday.
Trump Approves $3 Billion Weapons Transfer to Israel
On Friday, the Pentagon announced three arms packages for Israel totaling over $3 billion. The first sale is 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs, both munitions with 2,000-pound warheads. Additionally, the US will send 4,000 Predator bombs, 2,000-pound bunker busting munitions. The nearly 40,000 bombs will cost over $2 billion.
Tel Aviv has previously used bunker busting bombs as chemical weapons. The IDF found that if it used multiple warheads, a chemical reaction is created that can cause a suffocating gas in the tunnels below the surface.
The second arms package includes 5,000 1,000-pound bombs and 1,500 JDAM kits to turn the munitions into guided bombs. The 1,000-pound bombs and guidance kits are expected to cost $675 million. A third sale is for Caterpillar D9 Bulldozers with a price tag near $300 million.
IDF’s Oct. 7 probes show it misread Hamas for years, left southern Israel utterly vulnerable
The investigation into the decision-making process made by top officials on the eve of the attack found that the IDF identified five signs of unusual Hamas activity the night before the terror group’s October 7 onslaught, but believed they did not indicate an imminent attack.
Advertisement
This investigation also found that the IDF’s conduct, decision-making, and intelligence assessments on the night between October 6 and 7 were based on the result of years of false assessments about Hamas.
As a result, intelligence officials on all levels failed to provide a warning for what would come.
Leaked IDF probe: Only one soldier was guarding Nahal Oz outpost on Oct. 7, Hamas had studied base layout for years
Hamas had studied Nahal Oz from afar for years prior to launching the deadly assault and was intimately familiar with the layout of the base, including “where every room was,” the report says. It adds that the terror group knew that the base would be operating at a reduced capacity due to the Jewish holiday of Simhat Torah, which fell on a Saturday that year.
(…)
The probe also reportedly addresses the impact that the incessant rocket fire had on the devastation inside the military outpost, as terrorists were able to easily kill large groups of soldiers who had gathered in bomb shelters.
Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago
(November 30, 2023)
The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.
(…)
Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.
“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.
State Department announces $7 billion arms sale to Israel, circumventing review process
The State Department on Friday announced a $7 billion arms sale to Israel, circumventing the congressional review process, according to Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The announcement, which includes thousands of Hellfire missiles and bombs, comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met President Donald Trump and other top administration officials in Washington, DC.
Trump says Israel would hand over Gaza after fighting, no US troops needed
„The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting,“ he said. Palestinians „would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region.“ He added: „No soldiers by the U.S. would be needed!“
Report: Jared Kushner Behind Trump’s Call for the US To ‘Take Over’ Gaza
Citing Puck, The Times of Israel reported that Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, helped prepare the shock remarks the president made on Tuesday night during his press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Kushner, who has a long history of friendship with Netanyahu, served as an advisor to President Trump during his first term in office and was involved in negotiating the Abraham Accords, the deals that sought Israel’s regional integration without settling the issue of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.
Trump’s Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza Is a Brutal Form of Colonial Capitalism
The colonial creation of private property from stolen land is the American way, from the theft of Indigenous people’s lands to the urban renewal clearance projects that built the modern New York City in which Donald Trump was able to thrive and build wealth. There can be no shock that the developer president’s first public words on Gaza would celebrate the old method of generating “demolition sites” (terra nullius, or empty land). In a way, Trump actually is daring those of us who support Palestinian sovereignty to understand the interdependence of capitalism and genocidal colonialism. There must be a people, and there must be a land. One without the other presents a windfall to the developers.
Trump Wants US to Take Over & Ethnically Cleanse Gaza
Asked by an Israeli reporter if he supported “Israeli sovereignty” over “Samaria, which many believe is the Biblical homeland of the Jewish,” otherwise known as the West Bank, Trump said, “Well, we are discussing that with many of your representatives … who do like that idea, but we haven’t take a position on it yet. We will be making an announcement on that specific topic over the next four weeks.”
Trump’s Gaza ‘Riviera’ plan is the most outlandish idea in the history of US Middle East peacemaking
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu couldn’t keep the smirk off his face.
And no wonder.
Trump proposes permanent displacement of Gazans as he welcomes Netanyahu to White House
President Donald Trump on Tuesday proposed moving Gazans to a “good, fresh, beautiful piece of land” in another country, offering a vision of mass displacement that would likely inflame sentiments in the Arab world as he prepared to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House.
President Barzani, anti-ISIS coalition commander discuss ISIS ‘dangers’
When ISIS seized swathes of Iraqi land in 2014, Peshmerga played a key role in driving the extremist group out of the areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, especially Kirkuk. The US-led global coalition provided Peshmerga and Iraqi forces with military assistance to defeat ISIS territorially, which was completed in 2017.
Barzani and Leahy also discussed the latest developments in Syria and their impact on neighboring countries.
Regime change in Syria has Iraqi factions backtracking on push for US withdrawal
(January 31, 2025)
The U.S. and Iraq announced an agreement last year to wind down the military mission in Iraq of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group by September 2025, with U.S. forces departing some bases where they have stationed troops during a two-decade-long military presence in the country. (…)
But the fall of Assad in a lightning offensive led by Sunni Islamist rebels in December led some to reassess that stance, including members of the Coordination Framework, a coalition of mainly Shiite, Iran-allied political parties that brought current Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani to power in late 2022.
Arab nations reject Trump’s call to relocate Gazans to neighboring countries
The foreign ministers of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt issued a wide-ranging statement Saturday, saying they hoped to work with Trump on a two-state solution in the Middle East.
But they pushed back on Trump’s suggestion to relocate Palestinians from Gaza. Without specifically referencing the president’s proposal, the ministers reiterated a commitment to rebuilding the enclave while ensuring “the continued presence of Palestinians in their homeland.”
Netanyahu Arrives in Washington at Critical Juncture for Mideast
Mr. Netanyahu is expected to be the first foreign leader to meet with Mr. Trump since his inauguration last month. The Israeli leader is expected to hold formative discussions with the Trump administration about several crucial regional issues.
Exclusive: Palestinian Authority tells US it is ready to ‚clash‘ with Hamas for control of Gaza
Ziad Abu Amr, one of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s longtime advisors, would become the de facto ruler of the Gaza Strip, heading the committee. He would be appointed deputy to Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa but endowed with massive new powers.
Abu Amr was born in the Gaza Strip in 1950. He could be palatable to the Trump administration because he is also a US citizen. He obtained his PhD from Georgetown University and served as deputy Palestinian prime minister from 2013 to 2024.
Jordan faces the plan to displace Palestinians: Challenges and diplomatic moves
The challenges facing Jordan in this context are multiple, most notably the political pressures that may be exerted by the United States and some Western powers to show some flexibility towards this file. In addition, any new wave of displacement may lead to internal tensions, given the sensitivity of the demographic balance in the Kingdom.
The economic impacts cannot be ignored, as Jordan suffers from increasing financial challenges, and any increase in the number of refugees will exacerbate the pressure on resources and infrastructure. In addition, the security aspect constitutes a major concern, as the influx of large numbers of displaced persons could lead to complex security repercussions, especially in light of the tense conditions in the region.
Historic! ‚No to Displacing Palestinian People!‘ Massive Egyptian protest at Rafah on border with Gaza to reject any displacement of Palestinians – VIDEO/Live
Thousands of Egyptians, led by public figures and political delegations, are protesting in the Egyptian Rafah on the border with the Gaza Strip to reject all proposals to displace the Palestinian people from their land and any attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause.
Egyptians gather at Rafah border crossing to protest against US plans of displacing Palestinians to Egypt, Jordan
The delegations, representing various Egyptian political forces, parties, unions, and civil society groups, are united in their opposition to statements made by US President Donald Trump, which suggest forcibly relocating Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan.