| British News |
| UK in ‘diplomatic contact’ with rebel group; Turkey offers Syria military support |
 |
|
The UK has been in “diplomatic contact” with the rebel group in Syria that ousted Bashar al Assad, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said. He made the comment as he announced that the UK will provide £50m in international aid to help Syrians in their “hour of need”. Asked if the government had been in contact with the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Mr Lammy said: “HTS remains a proscribed organisation, but we can have diplomatic contact and so we do have diplomatic contact, as you would expect.” He added that the UK wants to see a “representative government, an inclusive government” running the country. “We want to see chemical weapons stockpiles secured and not used. And we want to ensure that there is not continuing violence,” he said. “And so for all of those reasons, using all the channels that we have available and those of diplomatic and, of course, intelligence led channels, we seek to deal with HTS where we have to.” HTS is a former affiliate of al Qaeda, known then as the Nusra Front. Its founder, Ahmad al Sharaa, previously known as Abu Mohammed al Jolani, broke away from al Qaeda in 2016 to appear more moderate. The UK, US, Russia, and Turkey all classify it as a terrorist group. |
|
|
|
Advert |
||
|
||
|
|
| World News |
| Khaled Mashaal’s Brother From US Prison Sparks Hope for Hostage Deal |
 |
|
The sudden release of Mofid Abdel Kader Mashaal, the brother of former Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal, from a U.S. prison has raised hopes that it could signal progress toward a potential hostage deal. Mashaal, who was serving a 20-year sentence for financing Hamas through the Holy Land Foundation, was reportedly released after serving 16 years. According to Israeli media, he will spend the next year in a rehabilitation facility. The U.S. has not confirmed his release, but the news has been widely reported in Arab media. The release comes amid ongoing talks surrounding a possible hostage agreement, fueling speculation that the two developments could be connected. Arab media also reported the sentences of four other American-Palestinians associated with the Holy Land Foundation have been significantly shortened. On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced a historic clemency act, commuting sentences for 1,500 people and pardoning 39. It is unclear whether Mashaal’s release is related. |
|
|
| Israel News |
| PM discusses hostages with Trump as Israeli officials say deal could be clinched in days |
 |
|
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he discussed with US President-elect Donald Trump ongoing efforts to bring back the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, as Israeli officials indicated that a deal could be reached in less than two weeks despite sticking points in negotiations. The prime minister said he and Trump spoke “at length about the efforts we are making to free our hostages,” but declined to go into specifics. “We are working all the time, without rest, to bring our hostages home, the living and the fallen together,” he said, but added, “the less we talk about it, the better — that way, with God’s help, we will succeed.” An unnamed Israeli official told the Israel Hayom daily on Sunday that a ceasefire-hostage deal will likely be completed by Hanukkah, which begins this year on the evening of December 25. For now, however, talks are hung up over the number of hostages to be released in a partial deal, according to Channel 13. Hamas insists on releasing far fewer than Israel demands, and Israel is not willing to budge, the report said. |
|
|
|
| Israel to close its embassy in Dublin due to Ireland’s ‘extreme anti-Israel policy’ |
|
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Sunday that Israel will be shutting its embassy in Ireland, citing the “extreme anti-Israel policy of the Irish government.” “The antisemitic actions and rhetoric that Ireland is taking against Israel are based on delegitimization and demonization of the Jewish state and on double standards,” said Sa’ar in a statement. “Ireland has crossed all red lines in its relationship with Israel.” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris called the decision “deeply regrettable.” “I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel,” Harris wrote on X following Sa’ar’s announcement. “Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-international law.” “Ireland wants a two-state solution and for Israel and Palestine to live in peace and security. Ireland will always speak up for human rights and international law,” he added. Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said the two countries would maintain diplomatic relations and that there were no plans to close Ireland’s embassy in Israel. Ireland has been one of Israel’s most outspoken critics throughout the war in Gaza, which broke out on October 7, 2023, with Hamas’s unprecedented attack in which 3,000 terrorists murdered some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, mostly civilians. |
|
|
| Security forces set up checkpoints on Route 1 highway amid suspected security incident |
 |
|
Due to a suspected security incident in the Jerusalem area, police and Shin Bet forces have set up checkpoints on the Route 1 highway, according to Hebrew media. A police helicopter is also reportedly scanning the area. There is no immediate comment from police on the incident. Video appears to show that the highway is closed near Ben Gurion Airport in the direction of Tel Aviv. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
To advertise click here or [email protected]:
|
|
The email was sent to [email protected] |
