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Israel launches new Syria strikes amidst Druze tensions

Syria’s Islamist rulers on Friday denounced an air strike near the presidential palace as a “dangerous escalation”, as Israel reportedly launched its heaviest barrage this year on the country.Israel said the Damascus strike was a “clear message” to the government not to harm the Druze minority, following recent sectarian clashes.Hours later, Israel staged more than 20 strikes on military targets across Syria, according to the war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.The strikes came after Druze clerics and armed factions reaffirmed their loyalty to Damascus. They urged the new authorities to appoint local officials to government posts in Sweida province, heartland of the Druze religious group.Their statement followed fighting between Druze fighters and Syrian forces, including government-affiliated groups that killed more than 100 people in Jaramana and Sahnaya near Damascus and in Sweida, the Observatory said.An apparent drone strike killed four Druze fighters at a farm in Sweida, the Observatory said. It was unclear who staged the strike, but Syria’s official SANA news agency said it was an Israeli attack.SANA later reported Israel airstrikes near Damascus and in the west, at Latakia and Hama — where four people were injured — and in Deraa in the south.The observatory reported more than 20 night time Israeli strikes overall on the regions, calling them the heaviest since the start of the year.- Israel sends ‘message’ -The early morning blast in the presidential palace area of Damascus was heard across the city.Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said “warplanes attacked… the area near Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa’s palace in Damascus”, referring to the interim president.In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz called it a “clear message” to Syria’s new rulers.”We will not allow forces to be sent south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” they said.Syria’s presidency called the strike “a dangerous escalation against state institutions”, and accused Israel of destabilising the country.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the Israeli strike as a violation of Syria’s sovereignty, his spokesman said.The UN-mandated Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria expressed concern at the “deadly clashes with sectarian dimensions”, and said Israeli air strikes increased the risk to civilians.After this week’s clashes a deal to de-escalate was agreed between Druze representatives and the government, prompting troop deployments in Sahnaya and tighter security around Jaramana.Syrian officials said the agreement also included the immediate surrender of heavy weapons.An AFP photographer saw troops taking over checkpoints from Druze gunmen in Jaramana, although no handover of weapons was witnessed.- ‘Outlaw groups’ -Qatar, a backer of Syria’s new rulers, and Saudi Arabia condemned Israel’s “aggression”. A German foreign ministry statement said: “Syria must not become the venue for regional tensions to be played out.”Israel has attacked hundreds of military sites since Islamist-led forces deposed longtime president Bashar al-Assad in December.It has also sent troops into the demilitarised buffer zone that used to separate Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights.Israel launched strikes near Damascus on Wednesday and threatened more if violence against the Druze continued.The unrest was sparked by the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen and deemed blasphemous. AFP was unable to confirm its authenticity.Syria’s government said “outlaw groups” were behind the violence, but the Observatory and Druze residents said forces affiliated with the new authorities attacked Jaramana and Sahnaya and clashed with Druze gunmen.- ‘Genocidal campaign’ -Mohamad Halawa, a security official in Damascus province, said there was a security cordon around Jaramana where residents would be “under the umbrella of the state and the judiciary”.In Sweida, religious authorities and military factions said after a meeting that they are “an inseparable part of the united Syrian homeland”, and rejected “division, separation or secession”.SANA said security forces were being sent to Sweida to “maintain security”.That move came after Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a Druze spiritual leader, on Thursday condemned what he called a “genocidal campaign” against his people.Syria’s new authorities have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network. They have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country, but must also contend with internal pressures from radical Islamists.On Friday, Sharaa met Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who has urged the minority community in Syria to reject “Israeli interference”.The latest violence follows massacres of Alawites in March, when the Observatory said the security forces and their allies killed more than 1,700 civilians.It was the worst bloodshed since the overthrow of Assad, who is from that minority community.The government accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence, and launched an inquiry.

Syria slams Israeli Damascus strike as ‘dangerous escalation’

Syria’s Islamist rulers on Friday denounced an air strike near the presidential palace as a “dangerous escalation”, as Israel called it a “clear message” not to harm the Druze minority.The dawn strike came hours after senior Druze clerics and armed factions reaffirmed their loyalty to Damascus and rejected any call for secession.They also urged the authorities to appoint local officials to government posts in the Druze heartland in Sweida province.Their statement followed sectarian clashes between Druze fighters and Syrian forces, including government-affiliated groups.The clashes killed more than 100 people in Jaramana and Sahnaya near Damascus and in Sweida, war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.Also Friday, an apparent drone strike killed four Druze fighters at a farm in Sweida, the Observatory said.It was unclear who was behind the strike, but Syria’s official SANA news agency insisted it was an Israeli attack.Friday’s early morning blast in the presidential palace area of Damascus was heard across the city, an AFP correspondent reported.Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said “warplanes attacked… the area near Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa’s palace in Damascus”, referring to the interim president.In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz called it a “clear message” to Syria’s new rulers.”We will not allow forces to be sent south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” they said.Syria’s presidency called the strike “a dangerous escalation against state institutions”, and accused Israel of destabilising the country.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the Israeli strike as a violation of Syria’s sovereignty, his spokesman said.The UN-mandated Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria expressed concern at the “deadly clashes with sectarian dimensions”, and said Israeli air strikes increased the risk to civilians.After this week’s clashes a deal to de-escalate was agreed between Druze representatives and the government, prompting troop deployments in Sahnaya and tighter security around Jaramana.Syrian officials said the agreement also included the immediate surrender of heavy weapons.An AFP photographer saw troops taking over checkpoints from Druze gunmen in Jaramana, although no handover of weapons was witnessed.- ‘Outlaw groups’ -Qatar, a main backer of Syria’s new rulers, and Saudi Arabia condemned Israel’s “aggression”, and a German foreign ministry statement said “Syria must not become the venue for regional tensions to be played out”.Israel has attacked hundreds of military sites since Islamist-led forces deposed longtime president Bashar al-Assad in December.It has also sent troops into the demilitarised buffer zone that used to separate Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights.On Wednesday, Israel launched strikes near Damascus and threatened more if violence against the Druze continued.The unrest inside Syria was sparked by the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen and deemed blasphemous. AFP was unable to confirm its authenticity.Syria’s government said “outlaw groups” were behind the violence, but the Observatory and Druze residents said forces affiliated with the new authorities attacked Jaramana and Sahnaya and clashed with Druze gunmen.”The situation is calm, but we are scared. Everyone is terrified,” 35-year-old housewife Arij told AFP, adding that many Christians and Druze “have fled to Damascus”.- ‘Genocidal campaign’ -Mohamad Halawa, a security official in Damascus province, said there was now a security cordon around Jaramana where residents would be “under the umbrella of the state and the judiciary”.In Sweida, religious authorities and military factions said after a meeting that they are “an inseparable part of the united Syrian homeland”, and rejected “division, separation or secession”.SANA said security forces were being sent to Sweida to “maintain security”.The move came after Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a Druze spiritual leader, on Thursday condemned what he called a “genocidal campaign” against his people.Syria’s new Islamist authorities have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network. They have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country, but must also contend with internal pressures from radical Islamists.On Friday, Sharaa met Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who on Wednesday urged the minority community in Syria to reject “Israeli interference”.The latest violence follows massacres of Alawites in March, when the Observatory said the security forces and their allies killed more than 1,700 civilians.It was the worst bloodshed since the overthrow of Assad, who is from the minority community.The government accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence, and launched an inquiry.

Gaza rescuers say 42 killed in Israeli strikes

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 42 people Friday in the Palestinian territory, devastated by war and under a total Israeli aid blockade for two months.Israel resumed its military campaign in the Gaza Strip on March 18 after the collapse of a ceasefire that had largely halted the fighting.Nine people were killed when an Israeli air strike hit a home in Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, civil defence official Mohammed al-Mughayyir told AFP.AFP footage in the aftermath of a strike on Bureij camp showed Palestinians searching for casualties in the rubble of a flattened building.”They gave us no warning, no phone call -— we woke up at midnight to smoke, rubble, stones, and shrapnel raining down on us”, said Mohammed al-Sheikh, standing amongst collapsed concrete slabs.”We pulled out martyrs — bodies and limbs from under the rubble.”Another six people were killed in a strike targeting the Al-Masri family home in the northern city of Beit Lahia, civil defence official Mughayyir added.In Gaza City, a strike on a community kitchen claimed the lives of six more, the civil defence agency reported.Across the Gaza Strip, at least 21 other deaths were reported in similar attacks, the agency said.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Thursday that at least 2,326 people have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,418.The war erupted after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.Militants also abducted 251 people, 58 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.The Israeli government says its renewed campaign aims to force Hamas to free the remaining captives, although critics charge it puts them in mortal danger.Israel halted aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, days before the collapse of the ceasefire which had come into effect on January 19. The United Nations has repeatedly warned of the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming.On Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said the humanitarian response in Gaza was on the “verge of total collapse”.”This situation must not — and cannot — be allowed to escalate further,” its deputy director of operations, Pascal Hundt, said in a statement.

‘Deadly blockade’ leaves Gaza aid work on verge of collapse

Humanitarians on Friday described horrific scenes of starving, bloodied children and fights over water in Gaza, two months into Israel’s full blockade on aid, with dire warnings that aid operations are on the brink of total collapse.The Norwegian Refugee Council’s humanitarian access manager in Gaza, Gavin Kelleher, said “thousands of people will die” if nothing is done, as other aid agencies called for urgent international action.”The humanitarian response in Gaza is on the verge of total collapse,” the International Committee of the Red Cross warned.”Without immediate action, Gaza will descend further into chaos that humanitarian efforts will not be able to mitigate.”Israel strictly controls all inflows of international aid vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.It halted aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, days before the collapse of a ceasefire that had significantly reduced hostilities after 15 months of war.Since the start of the blockade, the United Nations has repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming.The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said last week that it had sent out its “last remaining food stocks” to kitchens, and the 25 bakeries it supports in Gaza have closed due to a lack of flour and fuel.- ‘Deadly’ blockade -“Food stocks have now mainly run out,” Olga Cherevko, a spokeswoman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, told reporters in Geneva Friday via video link from Gaza City.”Community kitchens have begun to shut down (and) more people are going hungry,” she said, pointing to reports of children and other very vulnerable people who have died from malnutrition and … from the lack of food”.”The blockade is deadly.”Water access was also “becoming impossible”, Cherevko warned. “There’s a water truck that has just arrived, and people are killing each other over water,” she said, describing a scene below her window.One friend described that the situation had deteriorated so much that there was no water to save “people burning … because of the explosions” while hospitals were running out of blood, even as mass casualties arrived.”Gaza lies in ruins, Rubble fills the streets… Many nights, blood-curdling screams of the injured pierce the skies following the deafening sound of another explosion,” she added. The NRC’s Kelleher meanwhile described an increase in “needs-based looting across Gaza” and condemned what he said was a “manufactured breakdown of civil order”.”Israel is not only preventing food from entering Gaza but it has also engineered a situation in which Palestinians cannot grow their own food, they cannot fish for their own food and they continue to attack or deny access to the little left food stocks in Gaza,” he added.- ‘Abomination’ -Humanitarians also decried the mass displacement, with nearly the entire Gaza population being forced to shift multiple times before the brief ceasefire.Since the resumption of hostilities, Cherevko said more than 420,000 people have been forced to flee again, many “with only the clothes on their backs” and were shot at as they tried to reach overcrowded shelters.Pascal Hundt, the ICRC’s deputy head of operations, said civilians were facing “an overwhelming daily struggle to survive” the hostilities, as well as repeated displacement and lack of humanitarian aid.The World Health Organization’s emergencies director Mike Ryan called the situation an “abomination”.”We are breaking the bodies and the minds of the children of Gaza. We are starving the children of Gaza,” he told reporters on Thursday.Cherevko slammed decision-makers who “have watched in silence the endless scenes of bloodied children, of severed limbs, of grieving parents move swiftly across their screens, month after month after month”. “How much more blood must be spilled before enough become enough?”

UAE had hottest April on record: met office

The United Arab Emirates endured its hottest April on record with an average daily high of 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.7 Fahrenheit), the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) said.That topped the average daily high of 42.2 Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) recorded in April 2017, said the centre, which has been keeping comprehensive figures since 2003.The oil-rich Gulf state has been gripped by a heatwave for several days that has prompted authorities to warn residents to drink plenty of fluids and avoid work outdoors during the hottest part of the day.NCM meteorologist Ahmed Habib said the culprit was a mass of very hot air that had blown in from the desert.On April 27, temperatures in the emirate of Fujairah peaked at 46.6 Celsius (115.9 Fahrenheit), the second highest ever recorded in April in the UAE.This year’s heatwave stands in stark contrast to April 2024, when the UAE was swept by its heaviest rains in 75 years. Four people died and the commercial hub of Dubai was paralysed for several days.Scientists of the World Weather Attribution network said last year’s rains were “very likely” exacerbated by global warming.The UAE is one of the world’s top oil exporters, but has also invested heavily in renewable energy. 

Iran says US sanctions ‘will not change’ policy after Trump warnings

Iran said Friday that continued US sanctions on its trade partners will not alter its policy, after President Donald Trump threatened to penalise countries or individuals dealing in Iranian oil.”The continuation of these illegal behaviours will not change Iran’s logical, legitimate and international law-based positions,” a foreign ministry statement said, condemning what it called “pressure on Iran’s trade and economic partners”.It added that such sanctions have created “deep suspicion and mistrust about the seriousness of America on the path of diplomacy”.On Thursday, Trump vowed to enforce sanctions and called for a global boycott of “any amount” of Iranian oil or petrochemicals.”All purchases of Iranian Oil, or Petrochemical products, must stop, NOW!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.”Any Country or person who buys ANY AMOUNT of OIL or PETROCHEMICALS from Iran will be subject to, immediately, Secondary Sanctions,” he added.His remarks came after Iran confirmed the postponement of the next round of nuclear talks with the United States, which had been expected to be held on Saturday, with mediator Oman citing “logistical reasons”.Oman said the date for a new round “will be announced when mutually agreed”.- ‘Just and balanced deal’ -Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who headed the Iranian delegation in the three rounds of talks held so far, said Iran was ready for a “just and balanced deal”.”There is no change in our determination to secure a negotiated solution,” Araghchi said on X, adding that any deal should guarantee “an end to sanctions.”The talks mark the highest-level contact on Iran’s nuclear programme since Trump abandoned a landmark accord between Tehran and major powers in 2018.The US president had written to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in March urging negotiations but warning of potential military action if they failed.Since returning to office in January, Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions against Iran, with the latest announced on Wednesday and targeting seven companies accused of transporting Iranian-origin petroleum products.Tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme soared after Washington withdrew from the 2015 deal with major powers which offered Tehran sanctions relief in return for restrictions on its nuclear activities.Iran adhered to the agreement for another year before beginning to roll back its compliance.Western governments have since accused Tehran of seeking a nuclear weapons capability, an ambition it has consistently denied, insisting that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.On Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Iran was “on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons”.He also warned that UN sanctions against Tehran — lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal — could be reimposed if Iran’s nuclear activities were seen to threaten European security.Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the French foreign minister’s remarks were “simply absurd”.”This false statement, coupled with the minister’s open threats to reimpose sanctions, reinforces the suspicion that France’s nagging posture risks evolving into a spoiling role.”