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Israel says in talks ‘right now’ on south Syria demilitarization

Israeli troops patrol the border fence with Syria near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights. (File/AFP)
Israeli troops patrol the border fence with Syria near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights. (File/AFP)
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Israel says in talks ‘right now’ on south Syria demilitarization

Israeli troops patrol the border fence with Syria near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights.
  • Last week, Syrian news agency SANA reported that FM Asaad Al-Shaibani had met an Israeli delegation led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Paris on Aug. 19

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel was engaged in talks aimed at the demilitarization of southern Syria, implicitly acknowledging for the first time contacts with the new Syrian regime.
Following deadly sectarian violence in Syria last month, Netanyahu met with a Druze leader in Israel, reassuring him that his government was negotiating to safeguard the religious community in Syria.
“We are focusing on three things: Protecting the Druze community in the Sweida governorate, but not only there; creating a demilitarised zone stretching from the Golan Heights (passing) south of Damascus down to and including Sweida; and establishing a humanitarian corridor to allow the delivery of aid,” the premier said.
“These discussions are taking place right now, at this very moment,” he added, according to a video shared by his office.
Last week, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported that Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani had met an Israeli delegation led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Paris on August 19.
Talks focused on de-escalation between the two countries and the situation in Druze-majority Sweida province after deadly sectarian clashes there last month, the news channel said
The French Foreign Ministry confirmed the meeting to AFP, saying it had been conducted “under US mediation” and that delegations from the two Middle Eastern neighbors had previously met on July 24 in the French capital.
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the overthrow of President Bashar Assad in December, and occupied much of a UN-patrolled demilitarised zone on the Syrian-held side of the armistice line between the two countries.
Damascus has confirmed holding indirect contacts with Israel with the intention of returning to the 1974 disengagement agreement that created the buffer zone.
In July, Israel bombed Syrian government forces in the capital and in Sweida province to force their withdrawal from the southern region amid a wave of sectarian violence.
On Wednesday night, Israeli forces conducted an airborne raid on a site near the Syrian capital after bombing it several times, SANA reported Thursday.
Israel did not confirm the raid, but Defense Minister Israel Katz said its forces operate “in all combat zones” to ensure the country’s security.


Largest flotilla for Gaza hopes to pressure Israel to end blockade

Largest flotilla for Gaza hopes to pressure Israel to end blockade
Updated 59 min 12 sec ago

Largest flotilla for Gaza hopes to pressure Israel to end blockade

Largest flotilla for Gaza hopes to pressure Israel to end blockade
  • Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Portuguese left-wing politician Mariana Mortagu among those due to depart from several ports to Gaza
  • In June, Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a British-flagged yacht carrying Thunberg, among others

BARCELONA: Pro-Palestinian activists preparing to set sail from Spain on Sunday for Gaza in dozens of boats carrying aid have called on governments to pressure Israel to allow their flotilla — the largest to date — through the naval blockade.
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Portuguese left-wing politician Mariana Mortagua were among hundreds of people from 44 countries due to depart from several ports to Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla. Sumud means “perseverance” in Arabic.
Israel has scuppered numerous attempts over the 15 years of the blockade, including a 2010 boarding by its special forces in which at least nine Turkish activists were killed. The ball was in politicians’ court to put pressure on Israel to let the flotilla through, said Saif Abukeshek, one of the organizers.
“They need to act to defend human rights and to guarantee a safe passage for this flotilla,” the Palestinian, who is resident in Spain, told Reuters on Thursday in Barcelona.
In June, Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a British-flagged yacht carrying Thunberg, among others. Israel dismissed the aid ship as a propaganda stunt in support of Hamas.
It has imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, saying it aims to stop weapons from reaching the militant group.
The blockade has remained in place through conflicts including the current war, which began when Hamas-led militants rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has since killed almost 63,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza, while a global hunger monitor says part of it is suffering from famine.
In early March, Israel also sealed off Gaza by land, letting in no supplies for three months, arguing that Hamas was diverting aid.


Macron backs Lebanese sovereignty after Israeli drone strike kills 2 soldiers in south

Macron backs Lebanese sovereignty after Israeli drone strike kills 2 soldiers in south
Updated 29 August 2025

Macron backs Lebanese sovereignty after Israeli drone strike kills 2 soldiers in south

Macron backs Lebanese sovereignty after Israeli drone strike kills 2 soldiers in south
  • The plan Macron referred to is understood to involve efforts to disarm non-state actors operating along the southern border, particularly Hezbollah

DUBAI: French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed France’s support for Lebanese sovereignty and security on Friday, following a deadly Israeli drone strike that killed two Lebanese soldiers in the southern town of Naqoura earlier on Thursday.

In a statement posted on X, Macron said he had spoken with Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to discuss the country’s security situation and the path forward.

The French president praised Lebanon’s efforts to reassert state authority on arms and announced new diplomatic initiatives to support stability and reconstruction.

“I commended the courageous decisions taken by the Lebanese executive to restore the state’s monopoly on the use of force,” Macron said, urging the Lebanese government to adopt a national plan expected to be presented to the Cabinet in the coming days.

He reiterated that any successful stabilization plan must include the “complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and an end to all violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

“France has consistently stated its readiness to play a role in the handover of the remaining positions still occupied by Israel,” he said.

The plan Macron referred to is understood to involve efforts to disarm non-state actors operating along the southern border, particularly Hezbollah, and strengthen the presence of the Lebanese Armed Forces in coordination with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.

UNIFIL’s mandate was renewed unanimously by the UN Security Council this week, a move Macron called an “important signal.”

France, a key contributor to the peacekeeping mission, has played a central role in mediating between Beirut and Tel Aviv.

The Lebanese Armed Forces also began receiving weapons handed over by Palestinian militant groups based in the country’s refugee camps, where an estimated 200,000 Palestinians live stateless.

Macron also announced that his personal envoy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, will return to Lebanon to assist in implementing the plan once it is approved.

The French president said he was committed to convening two high-level international conferences by the end of the year— one to support the Lebanese army and another focused on Lebanon’s broader recovery and reconstruction.

“Lebanon’s security and sovereignty must rest solely in the hands of the Lebanese authorities,” Macron said, calling for a vision of the country where “security is restored, sovereignty affirmed, and prosperity rebuilt.”

France has historically maintained close ties with Lebanon and has taken a leading role in recent years to address the country’s political paralysis, economic collapse, and worsening security environment.


Israel says bodies of 2 hostages returned as military begins Gaza City offensive

Israel says bodies of 2 hostages returned as military begins Gaza City offensive
Updated 33 min 16 sec ago

Israel says bodies of 2 hostages returned as military begins Gaza City offensive

Israel says bodies of 2 hostages returned as military begins Gaza City offensive
  • The city was among the places that Israel paused fighting last month to allow food and aid supplies to enter
  • Israel’s military did not say whether they had notified residents or aid groups about the plans to resume daytime hostilities

GAZA CITY: Israel on Friday said its military had recovered the bodies of two hostages, including an Israeli man who was killed in the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the bodies of Ilan Weiss of Kibbutz Be’eri and another unnamed hostage were returned to Israel.

Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants almost 22 months ago, roughly 50 remain in Gaza including 20 that Israel believes to be alive.

Israel’s military has suspended mid-day pauses to fighting, which had allowed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza City, saying on Friday that the city was now “a dangerous combat zone.”

“Starting today (Friday), at 10:00 (0700GMT), the local tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza City, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone,” the military said in a statement, referring to daily pauses in certain areas aimed at facilitating aid distribution.

The military did not call for the population to evacuate immediately, but the army’s Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said on Wednesday that the city’s evacuation was “inevitable.”

The city was among the places that Israel paused fighting last month to allow food and aid supplies to enter from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The “tactical pauses” applied to Gaza City, Deir Al-Balah and Muwasi, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering. The suspension came as Israel prepared to widen its offensive in the city, days after it reported strikes in key neighborhoods and called up tens of thousands of reservists.

Israel’s military did not say whether they had notified residents or aid groups of the impending declaration ahead of the 11:30 a.m. announcement.

Israel has in the past called Gaza City a Hamas stronghold, with a network of tunnels that remain in use by militants after several previous large-scale raids.

The city also is home to some of the territory’s critical infrastructure and health facilities. The United Nations said Thursday the besieged strip could lose half of its hospital bed capacity if Israel invades as planned.

The suspension of the pause also comes one week after the world’s leading food security authority declared Gaza City was being gripped by famine after months of warnings.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said hunger has been driven by fighting and Israel’s blockade on the majority of aid and magnified by widespread displacement and the collapse of food production.

Norwegian Refugee Council, which coordinates a coalition of aid groups active in Gaza, said Israel’s preparation for its large-scale ground offensive has made deliveries challenging.

“We have faced unprecedented access and movement restrictions,” spokesperson Shaina Low said Friday. “Intensified military operations are going to further hinder our ability respond.”

UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said the looming offensive could further displace 1 million people, including many who were previously displaced.

“Any further escalation would deepen suffering and push more people toward catastrophe,” the agency said in a post on X.


EU’s Kallas says ‘we have 30 days’ to find Iran nuclear solution

EU’s Kallas says ‘we have 30 days’ to find Iran nuclear solution
Updated 29 August 2025

EU’s Kallas says ‘we have 30 days’ to find Iran nuclear solution

EU’s Kallas says ‘we have 30 days’ to find Iran nuclear solution
  • France, Britain and Germany on Thursday set off a mechanism that could reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran in 30 days for failing to comply with commitments over its nuclear program

COPENHAGEN: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Friday the coming weeks offered an “opportunity” to hammer out a diplomatic solution on Iran’s nuclear program, after European powers triggered a 30-day deadline for sanctions to come back into force.

“We are entering a new phase with this 30 days that is now giving us also the opportunity to really find diplomatic ways to find a solution,” Kallas told journalists.

“We have this 30 days to sort things out,” she added.

France, Britain and Germany on Thursday set off a mechanism that could reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran in 30 days for failing to comply with commitments over its nuclear program it agreed to a decade ago.

Russia condemned the move to launch a process that could reimpose UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, saying it was absurd to solely blame Tehran for the collapse of the 2015 nuclear accord.

That came after weeks of warnings over Iran’s alleged breaches of the 2015 agreement with world powers to curb its nuclear program. The sanctions were suspended under the deal.

Iran warned that it would “respond appropriately” to the step, which risks ending the most sustained diplomatic push in years for a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis.

But the United Nations has also said the next 30 days represents a “window of opportunity” to strike a new deal.

France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that “Iran’s nuclear escalation must not go any further” but emphasized the move “does not signal the end of diplomacy.”


UAE joins global anti-drug campaign, $2.9bn worth of illegal drugs seized

UAE joins global anti-drug campaign, $2.9bn worth of illegal drugs seized
Updated 29 August 2025

UAE joins global anti-drug campaign, $2.9bn worth of illegal drugs seized

UAE joins global anti-drug campaign, $2.9bn worth of illegal drugs seized
  • The operation saw 12,564 suspects arrested around the world

DUBAI: The UAE joined a multi-nation, two-month anti-drug campaign that seized 822 tons of illegal drugs worth $2.9 billion, state news agency WAM reported.

Running from June 10 to Aug. 7, the operation saw 12,564 suspects arrested around the world, WAM reported.

It was the second time members of the International Security Alliance have carried out such an operation targeting international criminal groups.

Other member states of the International Security Alliance taking part in the operation included Bahrain, Morocco, Spain and France.

There were also members of the American Police Organization and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, as well as personnel from Jordan, involved in the operation.

The cross-border cooperation enabled the gathering of information on new criminal networks, exchange of expertise on drug smuggling methods and the unifying of efforts in combating narcotics, which enhanced joint preparedness and developed proactive mechanisms to counter and control the movement of illegal drugs, WAM reported.

The ISA framework was established in 2017 by the UAE and France to enhance cooperation and build partnerships to address issues of global significance, particularly combating transnational organized crime.