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Tag: Israel Hamas war

  • Iran Dismisses Claims Linking Tehran To Hamas’ October 7 Assault On Israel | world news

    Tehran: Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York rejected claims linking Tehran to Hamas’ October 7 surprise attack on Israel, the state media reported.

    In a statement, the Iranian mission responded to questions from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal regarding Israel’s claim of having access to minutes from Hamas’ secret meetings, which allegedly indicated Tehran was informed of the group’s plan for the October 7 attack, the IRNA reported.

    “While Hamas officials based in (the Qatari capital) Doha have announced that they had no information about the operation and solely Hamas’ military wing based in Gaza had been responsible for the planning, deciding about and directing the operation, any claim aiming to partially or entirely link the operation to Iran or Hezbollah is invalid and comes from fabricated documents,” said the mission, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting IRNA.

    The New York Times reported on Saturday that minutes of Hamas’ secret meetings, seized by the Israeli military and obtained by the American newspaper, provided a detailed record of the planning for the October 7 attack, as well as the determination of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas ‘ incumbent political bureau chief, to persuade the Palestinian group’s allies, Iran and Hezbollah, to join the operation or at least commit to a broader fight with Israel if Hamas staged a surprise cross-border raid.

    On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages. In response, the Israeli military has been conducting a large-scale offensive on Gaza.

    Iranian officials have consistently stated that while Iran supports Palestinian resistance groups, including Hamas, it had no prior knowledge of the attack on Israel and was not involved in its execution.

  • Israel-Hamas War: Death Toll Raised To 558 In Israeli Strikes In Lebanon Over Two Days | world news

    Lebanese health authorities on Tuesday raised the death toll from two days of Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah militants to 558. Palestinian officials in Gaza, meanwhile, said new Israeli strike killed at least seven people in the southern city of Khan Younis.

    Israel’s military says it will do “whatever is necessary” to push Hezbollah away from Lebanon’s border with Israel. Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire since the Israel-Hamas war began. On Monday, Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, killing nearly 500 people and wounding more than 1,600 others.

    Thousands of people fled southern Lebanon, jamming the main highway to Beirut in the biggest exodus since the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah war.

    It’s a staggering toll for a country still reeling from a deadly attack on communication devices the week before. Lebanon blamed the attacks on Israel, but Israel did not confirm or deny its responsibility.

    Hezbollah again launched some 100 projectiles toward Israel on Tuesday, the Israeli military said.

  • S. Jaishankar Calls For Immediate Israel-Palestine Ceasefire, Calls It India’s ‘Foremost Concern’ world news

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar while addressing the inaugural India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue in Riyadh on Monday said that the ongoing conflict in Gaza is India’s “foremost concern”. He advocated for an immediate ceasefire in the region, where hostilities between Israel and Hamas have persisted for nearly a year.

    Jaishankar reiterated India’s consistent stance against terrorism and the taking of hostages, expressing sorrow over the loss of civilian lives. “The current situation in Gaza is now understandably our foremost concern. India’s position in this regard has been principled and consistent. While we condemn acts of terrorism and hostage taking, we are deeply pained by the continuing death of innocent civilians,” he said.

    Jaishankar said that any response must take into account the principles of humanitarian law. “We support a ceasefire as soon as possible,” he added.

    The minister highlighted the October 7 assault by Hamas, ruling Gaza, which resulted in significant Israeli casualties and abductions. In retaliation, Israel’s counteroffensive has led to considerable destruction and a high death toll in Gaza. Despite these events, efforts to broker a ceasefire have been unsuccessful.

    Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s support for a two-state resolution to the Palestinian issue and mentioned India’s contributions towards Palestinian institutional and capacity building. He also noted India’s increased support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) amid the humanitarian crisis.

    The GCC, consisting of the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait, holds significant influence, with India’s trade volume with these nations reaching USD 184.46 billion in the 2022-23 financial year. Jaishankar expressed his pleasure in participating in the strategic dialogue, emphasizing the meeting’s importance beyond reflection, aiming for a future-oriented partnership between India and the GCC.

  • Turkish President Erdogan Calls For Alliance Of Islamic Nations Against Israel | world news

    ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for an alliance of Islamic nations to stop “Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry, and Israeli state terrorism,” Israel-based i24 News reported. Erdogan made the remarks after Palestinian and Turkish officials said that a Turkish-American woman taking part in a protest on Friday against settlement expansion in the West Bank was killed by Israeli troops.

    Speaking at an Islamic schools’ association event near Istanbul, Erdogan said, “The only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry, and Israeli state terrorism is the alliance of Islamic countries,” i24 News reported. He stated Turkiye’s recent steps to improve relations with Egypt and Syria have been taken at “forming a line of solidarity against the growing threat of expansionism,” which he stressed also threatened Lebanon and Syria, according to i24 News report.

    In response to Erdogan’s calls for an alliance of Islamic nations to stop Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that the Turkish President continues to throw the people of his country into fire of hatred and violence for the “sake of his Hamas friends.” Katz called Erdogan’s claims that Israel wants to conquer countries in the region a “dangerous lie and incitement.” He stated that Israel is defending its borders and citizens from Hamas and the “Shiite axis of evil led by Iran.”

    In a post on Israel wants to conquer countries in the region, including Turkey. This is a dangerous lie and incitement.”

    “Israel is defending its borders and citizens from the murderers and rapists of Hamas, and from the Shiite axis of evil led by Iran. Erdogan and the Muslim Brotherhood alliance have been working for years alongside Iran to undermine moderate Arab regimes in the Middle East. Erdogan should be silent and ashamed,” he added.

    Earlier in August, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the killing of Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in an attack in Tehran and offered condolences to the Palestinian people. In a statement released on

    “We express our condolences to the Palestinian people, hundreds of thousands of whom, like Haniyeh, have been martyred in order to live peacefully in their homeland under the roof of their own state,” it added. It accused the Israeli government of lacking intention to achieve peace. It said that the attack was aimed at spreading war in Gaza to a regional level. It further said that Turkey will continue to support the “just cause” of the Palestinian people.

    In a statement, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The Netanyahu government’s lack of intention to achieve peace has been demonstrated once again. This attack is also aimed at spreading the war in Gaza to a regional level. If the international community does not act to stop Israel, our region will face an even greater conflict.”

    The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ statement came after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that Ismail Haniyeh had been killed in an attack in Iran’s capital, Tehran, according to Press TV report. The IRGC said that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed when their house was hit in Tehran.

  • ‘West Bank Mosque Used As Militant Base’, Israel Claims; Releases Drone Footage | world news

    The Israeli military released a video on Thursday showing what it claims to be the interior of a mosque used as a terrorist base in Far’a, a town in the Jordan Valley in the West Bank. The video, captured by a drone, allegedly depicts tools for the manufacture of weapons and explosives. Zee News has yet to independently confirm the date or location of the footage.

    Israel Defense Forces, while sharing the video on the social media platform mosque that was used as an operations center and an explosives lab. Our troops will continue operating to protect civilians from terrorism on all fronts.”

    This release comes as Israel continues one of its largest military operations in the West Bank in recent months. The operation, which began in the early hours of Wednesday, involved hundreds of Israeli troops supported by helicopters, drones, and armored personnel carriers. They targeted the cities of Tulkarm, Jenin, and areas in the Jordan Valley.


    This drone footage shows a place of worship that has become a hub for terrorism.

    During our precise, counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria this week, our troops uncovered a mosque that was used as an operations center and an explosives lab.

    Our troops will continue… pic.twitter.com/1DagAuqKV9

    — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 29, 2024

    On Thursday, The Washington Post reported that Israeli forces killed five ‘militants,’ including a top commander of the Islamic Jihad, during ongoing raids. This marks the second day of what appears to be one of the largest operations in the region in recent years.

    The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that Mohamed Jaber, also known as Abu Shuja’a, was among those killed inside a mosque in Tulkarm after “exchanges of fire.” Jaber, the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad-led Tulkarm battalion, was a key target for Israel due to his involvement in planning and executing attacks, including a shooting in June that killed an Israeli civilian, Amnon Muchtar, in Qalqilya.

    Jaber, 26, had previously evaded capture; Israeli media had reported his death during a raid earlier this year, only for him to later appear alive at his own funeral. The Tulkarm branch of Palestinian Islamic Jihad confirmed Jaber’s death, labeling it the “assassination of our leader.” In response, they claimed their fighters detonated an explosive device and shot at an Israeli infantry unit behind a mosque, causing “direct hits,” according to The Washington Post.

    As the operation continues, Palestinians have raised concerns that the sweeping incursion could escalate violence and disrupt access to essential services. The military actions around Jenin and Tulkarm are ongoing, with both sides engaged in intense exchanges of fire.

  • To Avenge Top Commander’s Death, Hezbollah Fires Dozens Of Rockets Into Israel | world news

    As tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that dozens of rockets were launched from Lebanon into Israeli territory in late hours of Thursday, as per CNN.

    The IDF stated that only five of the rockets from the barrage reached Israeli territory, with no account of damage or injuries.

    Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the rocket attack on Western Galilee, marking its first strike in more than 48 hours following the death of the group’s military chief in Beirut, according to the Times of Israel cited by news agency ANI.

    In a statement, Hezbollah claims it fired dozens of rockets at Metzuba, a northern border community, in retaliation for an Israeli attack on the Lebanese village of Chamaa earlier in the day.

    The strike in Chamaa reportedly killed four Syrians and injured several Lebanese civilians.

    In retaliation, Israeli forces targeted a Hezbollah rocket launcher in Yater, southern Lebanon, which had been used to fire rockets at Western Galilee this evening, according to the Times of Israel.

    According to ANI, the IDF revealed that several rockets launched in the attack this evening were intercepted by air defenses, while others impacted open areas.

    Tensions have risen in the region following Israel’s killing of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, which Israel claimed was in retaliation for an attack in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children.

    On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the country had dealt “crushing blows” to its enemies in recent days. His comments came shortly after the deaths of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.

  • Iran’s Supreme Leader Orders Attack On Israel After Ismail Haniyeh Killing: Report | world news

    New Delhi: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has directed Iran to launch a direct attack on Israel in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, reported ANI citing the New York Times report containing statements from three Iranian officials, including two Revolutionary Guards members.

    Khamenei issued the directive during an emergency session of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday morning, soon after Iran reported the death of Haniyeh.

    Haniyeh was assassinated around 2 am local time, following a ceremony and a meeting with Khamenei. The killing has stunned Iranian officials, who have labeled it as a serious breach of red lines.

    Both Iran and Hamas have pointed fingers at Israel for the assassination. However, Israel that is currently at war with Hamas in the Gaza strip has neither acknowledged nor denied any killing. Haniyeh was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president.

    The NYT further noted that Israel has a history of targeting enemies abroad, including Iranian nuclear scientists and military commanders. Over nearly 10 months of conflict in Gaza, Iran has sought to balance its approach by intensifying attacks through its allies and proxy forces in the region, while trying to prevent a full-scale war with Israel.

    In its most direct assault on Israel, Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones in April in response to an Israeli attack on its embassy compound in Damascus, which resulted in the deaths of several Iranian military commanders.

    “Now it is unclear how forcefully Iran will respond, and whether it will once again calibrate its attack to steer clear of escalation. Iranian military commanders are considering another combination attack of drones and missiles on military targets in the vicinity of Tel Aviv and Haifa but would make a point of avoiding strikes on civilian targets,” the Iranian officials said, reported ANI.

    Khamenei, who has the last word on all state matters and is also the commander in chief of the armed forces, instructed military commanders from the Revolutionary Guards and the army to prepare plans for both an attack and a defense in case the war expands and Israel or the US strike Iran, the officials said.

  • Israel’s FM Calls UN Decision To ‘Blacklist’ Israel’s Military ‘Shameful’ |

    TEL AVIV: Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz slammed the UN Secretary General’s decision to include the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) in a blacklist of countries and entities that harm children during conflict, saying Israel rejects this move “with disgust” and calling it “shameful .” Katz pointed out that the decision to include the IDF on the list is entirely up to the UN Secretary General and is “further evidence of his hostility towards Israel and his deliberate disregard, and not for the first time, of the Hamas attack on October 7 and Israel’s right to self-defence. This is the same UN Secretary General who chose to ignore Hamas’ sex crimes, despite the report written on the subject by UN Special Representative Patten.”

    “The Secretary-General’s report regarding Israel and the Palestinians is based on unverified and distorted data, part of an industry of distorted and biased reports by organizations such as OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), which just recently reduced the number of children and women killed in the war in Gaza by half in one day without any explanation and relies on data from the Ministry of Health of Hamas. Israel will expose these distortions of these reports to the world,” said Katz.

    “The IDF is the most moral army in the world – and no fictitious report will change that,” he declared, adding that the move will have “consequences” for Israel’s relations with the UN.

  • Police Forces In Riot Gear Deployed In US Campus Amid Protest Over Gaza War; 300 arrested

    Police Commissioner Edward Caban said that around 300 arrests were made in Columbia and New York.

  • Netanyahu Vows To Invade Rafah ‘With Or Without A Deal’ As Cease-Fire Talks With Hamas Continue

    Netanyahu has vowed to achieve “total victory” in the war and has faced pressure from his nationalist governing partners to launch an offensive in Rafah, which Israel says is Hamas’ last major stronghold.