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Israel’s Netanyahu warns wildfires could reach Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Wednesday that rapidly spreading wildfires near Jerusalem could reach the city, as he declared the situation a “national emergency”.Thick smoke billowed above highways near Jerusalem as firefighters rushed to control wildfires that have injured several people and prompted the military to deploy troops to help.Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue agency reported that hundreds of civilians were at risk from the worst brushfires in years.MDA said it had provided treatment to around 23 people, 13 of whom were taken to hospital, the majority suffering from smoke inhalation and burns.Among them were two pregnant women and two infants under a year old, it added.It said the alert level had been raised to the highest tier.Speaking from near the city of Modiin as fires burnt on a nearby hillside, resident Yuval Aharoni, 40, said: “It’s just very sad because we knew the weather, we kind of knew that would happen and still we feel like they weren’t ready enough with the big planes that can drop large amounts of water.”Netanyahu warned that “the western wind can push the fire easily towards the outskirts of (Jerusalem) — and even into the city itself”.”We need to bring as many fire engines as possible and create firebreaks well beyond the current fire lines… We are now in a national emergency, not just a local one,” he added in a video statement.”The priority right now is defending Jerusalem,” he said.- Thousands evacuated -Police closed the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and evacuated residents along the route as brushfires broke out again in an area ravaged by blazes a week ago. Communities housing thousands of people have been cleared out.”A lot of police arrived, a lot of firefighters, but it didn’t really help. The fire had already completely taken over the whole area here,” student Yosef Aaron told AFP, speaking on the side of a highway with flames visible in the distance.Fire chief Eyal Caspi warned at a televised press conference that “our aircraft can’t do anything right now due to the weather conditions… Our goal is to save lives”.”We are apparently facing the largest fire in Israel in a decade.”The police said on X that they had deployed in force around the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and the Jerusalem Hills, asking the public to “avoid travelling to the area”. An AFP journalist at the scene earlier Wednesday said the blaze was sweeping through wooded areas near the main road between Latrun and Bet Shemesh, and that helicopters were working to extinguish the flames.Soldiers arrived on the scene mid-afternoon, with many drivers abandoning their vehicles to flee the fire.Communities located about 30 kilometres (19 miles) west of Jerusalem were evacuated, Israeli media reported, airing images of firefighting teams battling fierce flames.- ‘Worsening weather’ -National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir hinted that arson could be behind the fires. Police said they had arrested a resident of east Jerusalem who was caught “attempting to set fire to a field in the southern part of the city”.There was no official declaration directly linking the two.Ben Gvir said police would arrest anyone “involved in arson terror”, while also monitoring for unrest.MDA said ambulance teams had been positioned near communities close to the fires and were ready to provide medical treatment and assist residents.High temperatures and strong winds have allowed the fires in wooded areas to spread quickly, prompting evacuations from at least five communities, the police said in a statement.Ben Gvir, who oversees Israel’s fire department, visited the affected area, which is prone to wildfires at this time of year.In a video statement, he said work was being done to bring more assistance to the affected areas and evacuate stranded civilians.The foreign ministry has contacted nearby countries including Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy and Bulgaria for assistance.French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with Israel and offered “material support” in a post on X.Netanyahu’s office said three aircraft would arrive soon from Italy and Croatia to help fight the fires.With personnel stretched thin, Ben Gvir said he had instructed organisers to cancel any evening events tied to Thursday’s Independence Day celebrations that would have required the presence of firefighters.”The decision is aimed at reallocating forces to deal with the fire… and preparing for the worsening weather conditions according to forecasts,” a statement said.

Syria reports Israeli strikes as clashes with Druze spread

Syria said Israel launched new strikes near Damascus on Wednesday, after sectarian clashes left nearly 40 dead in two days and Israel warned against attacks targeting the Druze minority.The sectarian violence and Israel’s intervention present huge challenges to the Islamist authorities who overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, and follow massacres last month in Syria’s Alawite heartland on the Mediterranean coast.United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen condemned the violence as “unacceptable” and expressed alarm at “the potential for further escalation of an extremely fragile situation”.State news agency SANA reported “Israeli occupation strikes on the vicinity” of Sahnaya, southwest of the capital.Deadly sectarian clashes erupted overnight in Sahnaya, which is home to many Druze and Christians.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six Druze fighters were killed in the clashes while the interior ministry reported 16 General Security personnel killed after “outlaw groups” attacked government positions and checkpoints.The governor of the Damascus countryside, Amer al-Sheikh, later said one member of the security forces and a resident of Sahnaya were killed in the Israeli strike.He added that most members of the “outlawed groups” were arrested and that security had been restored in Sahnaya.The previous night, eight Druze fighters and nine gunmen linked to the authorities were killed in Jaramana, a mainly Druze and Christian suburb southeast of the capital, the Observatory said.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had carried out a “warning action”, striking “an extremist group preparing to attack the Druze population” in Sahnaya.”A stern message was conveyed to the Syrian regime — Israel expects them to act to prevent harm to the Druze community,” said a statement from Netanyahu’s office.Israel had previously warned Syria’s Islamist rulers against harming the Druze, who are also present in Lebanon and Israel.The Israeli military said Wednesday it had ordered troops to “prepare to strike” Syrian government targets “should the violence against Druze communities continue”.In a later statement, the Israeli military said that three Syrian Druze were “evacuated from Syria to receive medical treatment in Israel”.Syria’s foreign ministry meanwhile vowed to “protect all components” of society, including the Druze, and expressed its rejection of “foreign interference”.- ‘Iron fist’ -SANA reported Wednesday evening that a “security operation” in the Sahnaya area had ended and General Security personnel deployed there to “restore security and stability”.Jaramana and Sahnaya are surrounded by Sunni-majority areas.The violence was sparked by the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen and deemed blasphemous.AFP was unable to confirm the recording’s authenticity.The interior ministry had said authorities would “strike with an iron fist all those who seek to destabilise Syria’s security”, SANA reported.Sahnaya activist Samer Rafaa said “we didn’t sleep… mortar rounds are falling on our homes”.Syria’s new Islamist authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network, have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country, but must also contend with pressures from radical Islamists within their ranks.Israel, which sees Syria’s new forces as jihadists, has continued to launch hundreds of strikes on military sites in Syria since Assad’s overthrow.It has also sent troops into the demilitarised buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights and voiced support for Syria’s Druze.Key Syria backer Turkey has accused Israel of stirring up divisions and turning minorities against Damascus.Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt urged Syria’s Druze to “reject Israeli interference”.Syria’s top Muslim cleric Osama al-Rifai warned that “if strife ignites in our country… all of us will lose”.Analyst Michael Horowitz told AFP that “by positioning itself as a protector of the Druze community, Israel hopes both to find local allies” and “to carry weight at a time when Syria’s future remains uncertain”.”Local allies can also be seen as an element that enables the reduction of the authority of a central government that Israel, right or wrong, sees as a Turkish vassal and a potential enemy,” he added.- Jaramana -Druze fighter Karam, 27, declining to provide his full name, told AFP that “restoring calm will require great effort”.In Jaramana, calm returned on Tuesday as Syria’s government promised Druze leaders to pursue those responsible for the violence, which it blamed on “gunmen”.An AFP photographer said mourners raised Druze flags at the funeral Wednesday for seven fighters from Jaramana.Druze representatives have declared their loyalty to a united Syria after previous Israeli warnings.Last month’s massacres on the coast, where the Observatory said security forces and allied groups killed more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, were the worst bloodshed since the December ouster of Assad, who is from the minority community.The government accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence by attacking security forces, and has launched an inquiry.

Palestinian student detained at US citizenship interview released on bail

Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, who was arrested by US immigration authorities earlier this month at his citizenship interview, expressed defiance Wednesday after a federal judge ordered his release on bail.Speaking outside a courthouse in Vermont, Mahdawi addressed US President Donald Trump and his government, which has moved to revoke foreign students’ visas over their involvement in pro-Palestinian protests.”I am not afraid of you,” Mahdawi said, and then joined the assembled crowd in chanting “no fear.””If there is no fear. What is it replaced with? Love, love is our way.”Mahdawi, 34, was arrested on April 14 as he was attending an interview to become a US citizen, according to court filings.A Palestinian born in the occupied West Bank, Mahdawi has been a legal US permanent resident since 2015, was set to graduate next month and planned to attend a Columbia master’s program this fall, court filings said.He is the co-founder of a Palestinian student group at Columbia alongside Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of the movement who Trump has also been trying to expel since his March arrest.”What did they do to me? They arrested me. What’s the reason? Because I raised my voice and I said no to war, yes to peace,” Mahdawi said Wednesday.A judge had previously ordered Mahdawi not to be removed from Vermont, after immigration authorities quickly transferred other students detained under the Trump administration’s crackdown to other jurisdictions.Federal agents had attempted to fly Mahdawi to Louisiana on the day he was arrested, but they were late for the flight, according to court documents.- ‘McCarthyism’ -Khalil on the other hand was transferred to Louisiana shortly after his March 8 arrest, and an immigration judge there ruled earlier this month that he could be deported. His legal challenge remains ongoing.Mahdawi, in challenging his removal, has accused the Trump administration of violating his constitutional rights to free speech and due process, arguments Judge Geoffrey Crawford in Vermont found convincing.”Mahdawi has presented sufficient evidence that his speech was protected under the First Amendment,” Crawford said in his ruling.Crawford ordered Mahdawi’s release on bail while his broader challenge proceeds, requiring that he remain in Vermont and only travel to New York for “educational purposes or to meet with his lawyers or as otherwise ordered by the court.”Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have accused participants in campus protests across the country last year of supporting the Palestinian armed group Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza.Israel launched a punishing offensive in response, reducing most of the enclave to rubble and killing more than 52,000 people there, most of them civilians, according to data the UN considers reliable.Rubio has argued that a rarely used federal law grants him the authority to summarily revoke visas and deport migrants who pose threats to US “foreign policy.”Judge Crawford expressed skepticism that Rubio’s application of the law to campus protesters would not violate free speech protections.”Immigration detention cannot be motivated by a punitive purpose. Nor can it be motivated by the desire to deter others from speaking,” he said.Crawford likened the political climate induced by Trump’s crackdown to the anti-communist furor in the early 20th century and 1950s period of McCarthyism.Trump has launched an assault on US universities over the nationwide protests last year against Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war.The administration also claims that universities have failed to address anti-Semitism on campus, and has moved to freeze or revoke billions of dollars in federal funding from institutions including Columbia and Harvard.Legal challenges to the Trump administration’s actions, including Mahdawi’s case, may ultimately end up at the Supreme Court.

Raging wildfires near Jerusalem trigger army deployment

Thick plumes of smoke billowed above highways near Jerusalem on Wednesday as firefighters rushed to control wildfires that have injured several people and prompted Defence Minister Israel Katz to declare the situation a “national emergency”. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue agency reported that hundreds of civilians were at risk from the worst brushfires in years, with Katz ordering troops to deploy to support firefighters.MDA said it had provided treatment to around 23 people, 13 of whom were taken to hospital, the majority suffering from smoke inhalation and burns. Among them were two pregnant women and two children less than a year old, it added.It said the alert level had been raised to the highest tier.”We are facing a national emergency, and all available forces must be mobilised to save lives and bring the fires under control,” Katz said in a statement from his ministry.Police closed the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and evacuated residents along the route as brushfires broke out again in an area ravaged by blazes a week ago. Communities home to thousands of people have been cleared out.”Our aircraft can’t do anything right now due to the weather conditions… Our goal is to save lives,” fire chief Eyal Caspi said at a televised press conference.”We are apparently facing the largest fire in Israel in a decade.”The police said on X that they had deployed in force around Route 1 and the Jerusalem Hills, asking the public to “avoid travelling to the area”. An AFP journalist at the scene earlier on Wednesday said the blaze was sweeping through wooded areas near the main road between Latrun and Bet Shemesh, and that helicopters were working to extinguish the flames.Bet Shemesh resident Shimon Bitton, 42, said his daughters had been evacuated from school. “Even though we were scared, everything seems to be fine.” Soldiers arrived on the scene mid-afternoon, with many drivers abandoning their vehicles and fleeing as huge clouds of dark smoke billowed from the fire.Communities located about 30 kilometres (19 miles) west of Jerusalem were evacuated, Israeli media reported, airing images of firefighting teams battling fierce flames.- ‘Worsening weather conditions’ -National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir hinted that arson could be behind the fires, as police said they had arrested a resident of east Jerusalem who was caught “attempting to set fire to a field in the southern part of the city”.But there was no official declaration directly linking the two.Ben Gvir said police would arrest anyone “involved in arson terror”, while also monitoring for unrest.MDA said ambulance teams had been positioned near communities close to the fires and were ready to provide medical treatment and assist residents.A motorcycle unit was ready to offer medical assistance to citizens stuck in heavy traffic, the agency added.High temperatures and strong winds have allowed the fires in wooded areas to spread quickly, prompting evacuations from at least five communities, the police said in a statement.Ben Gvir, who oversees Israel’s fire department, visited the affected area, which is prone to wildfires at this time of year.In a video statement, he said work was being done to bring more assistance to the affected areas and evacuate stranded civilians.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted nearby countries including Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy and Bulgaria for assistance, according to a statement.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said three aircraft would arrive soon from Italy and Croatia to help fight the fires.With personnel stretched thin, Ben Gvir said he had instructed organisers to cancel any evening events tied to Thursday’s Independence Day celebrations that would have required the presence of firefighters.”The decision is aimed at reallocating forces to deal with the fire, strengthening firefighting units in the Jerusalem district, and preparing for the worsening weather conditions according to forecasts,” a statement said.

Syria reports Israeli strikes after warning over Druze as sectarian clashes spread

Syria said Israel launched new strikes near Damascus on Wednesday, after sectarian clashes left nearly 40 dead in two days and Israel warned against attacks targeting the Druze minority.The sectarian violence and Israel’s intervention present huge challenges to the Islamist authorities who overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, and follow massacres last month in Syria’s Alawite coastal heartland.United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen condemned the violence as “unacceptable” and expressed alarm at “the potential for further escalation of an extremely fragile situation”.State news agency SANA reported “Israeli occupation strikes on the vicinity” of Sahnaya, southwest of the capital.Deadly sectarian clashes erupted overnight in Sahnaya, home to Druze and Christian residents.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said six local Druze fighters were killed in the clashes while the interior ministry reported 16 General Security forces dead after “outlaw groups” attacked government positions and checkpoints.The previous night, eight Druze fighters and nine gunmen linked to the authorities were killed in Jaramana, a mainly Druze and Christian suburb southeast of the capital, the Observatory said.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country had carried out “warning action”, striking “an extremist group preparing to attack the Druze population” in Sahnaya.”A stern message was conveyed to the Syrian regime — Israel expects them to act to prevent harm to the Druze community,” said a statement from Netanyahu’s office.Israel had previously warned Syria’s Islamist rulers against harming the Druze, who are also present in Lebanon and Israel.The Israeli army on Wednesday said troops were instructed to “prepare to strike” Syrian government targets “should the violence against Druze communities continue”.- ‘Iron fist’ -SANA later said a “security operation” in the Sahnaya area had ended and General Security personnel deployed there to “restore security and stability”.Jaramana and Sahnaya are surrounded by Sunni-majority areas.The violence was sparked by the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen and deemed blasphemous.AFP was unable to confirm the recording’s authenticity.The interior ministry had said authorities would “strike with an iron fist all those who seek to destabilise Syria’s security”, SANA reported.Sahnaya activist Samer Rafaa said “we didn’t sleep… mortar shells are falling on our homes”.Syria’s new Islamist authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network, have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country, but must also contend with pressures from radical Islamists within their ranks.Israel, which sees Syria’s new forces as jihadists, has continued to launch hundreds of strikes on military sites in Syria since Assad’s downfall.It has also sent troops into the demilitarised buffer zone of the Israeli-annexed Syrian Golan Heights and voiced support for Syria’s Druze.Key Syria backer Turkey has accused Israel of stirring up divisions and turning minorities against Damascus.Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt on Wednesday urged Syria’s Druze to “reject Israeli interference”.Syria’s top Muslim cleric Osama al-Rifai warned that “if strife ignites in our country… all of us will lose”.Analyst Michael Horowitz told AFP that “by positioning itself as a protector of the Druze community, Israel hopes both to find local allies” and “to carry weight at a time when Syria’s future remains uncertain”.”Local allies can also be seen as an element that enables the reduction of the authority of a central government that Israel, right or wrong, sees as a Turkish vassal and a potential enemy,” he added.- Jaramana -Druze fighter Karam, 27, declining to provide his full name, had told AFP that “restoring calm will require great effort”.Armed factions were dissolved and have been integrating into the defence ministry since Assad’s ouster.General Security, formerly the chief security agency in rebel-held northwest Syria, is now the most influential such body. In Jaramana, calm returned on Tuesday as Syria’s government promised Druze leaders to try those responsible for the violence, which it blamed on “gunmen”.An AFP photographer said mourners raised Druze flags at the funeral Wednesday for seven fighters from Jaramana.Druze representatives have declared their loyalty to a united Syria after previous Israeli warnings.Last month’s massacres on the coast, where the Observatory said security forces and allied groups killed more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, were the worst bloodshed since the December ouster of Assad, who is from the minority community.The government accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence by attacking security forces, and has launched an inquiry.

US judge orders Palestinian student detained at citizenship interview released

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered US immigration authorities to release a Palestinian student detained at a citizenship interview earlier this month over his role in Columbia University’s Gaza war protests.Mohsen Mahdawi, who was slated for deportation, struck a defiant tone outside a courthouse in the northeastern state of Vermont.”I am not afraid of you,” he said, addressing US President Donald Trump, whose government has led a crackdown on immigration, including targeting pro-Palestinian protesters in the country on visas.”If there is no fear. What is it replaced with? Love, love is our way.”Mahdawi was arrested on April 14 as he was attending an interview to become a US citizen, his lawyers said in a court filing.A Palestinian born in the occupied West Bank, Mahdawi has been a legal US permanent resident since 2015, was set to graduate next month and planned to attend a Columbia master’s program this fall, the court filing said.He is the co-founder of a Palestinian student group at Columbia alongside Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of the movement who Trump has also been trying to expel since his March arrest.”What did they do to me? They arrested me. What’s the reason? Because I raised my voice and I said no to war, yes to peace,” Mahdawi said Wednesday.A judge had previously ordered Mahdawi not to be removed from Vermont, after immigration authorities quickly transferred other students detained under the Trump administration’s crackdown to other jurisdictions.In addition to challenging his removal, Mahdawi has accused the Trump administration of violating the US Constitution with its targeting of student activists.Trump has launched an assault on US universities over the nationwide protests last year against Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war, which has seen most of the enclave reduced to rubble and more than 52,000 Palestinians killed.Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have accused the protesters of supporting the Palestinian armed group Hamas, whose October 7, 2023, attack on Israel sparked the war.The administration also claims that universities have failed to address anti-Semitism on campus.