Israeli forces bomb Syrian military after sectarian fighting
Israel's military has carried out air attacks against Syrian forces sent to a southern region where sectarian fighting has left dozens of people dead. Israel says it was acting to protect the Druze community after gun battles in Suwayda. On Tuesday, the Syrian defence minister announced a ceasefire.
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Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
US asks Israel to probe ‘terrorist' killing of American citizen by settlers
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has called on Israel to probe the killing of 20-year-old American citizen Sayfollah Musallet, who was beaten to death by settlers in the occupied West Bank, calling the incident a 'terrorist act'. Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, said on Tuesday that he asked Israel to 'aggressively investigate' the killing of the Florida-born Musallet, who was visiting family when he was attacked in the Palestinian town of Sinjil. 'There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act,' Huckabee wrote in a social media post. 'Saif was just 20 yrs old.' The US envoy's statement stops short of backing the Musallet family's demand for Washington to launch its own probe into the killing. Critics say Israel rarely holds its settlers or soldiers accountable for abuses against Palestinians. Musllet was the ninth US citizen to be killed by Israel since 2022. None of the previous cases has led to criminal charges. Yet, the strongly worded post marks a rare critical stance towards Israel by Huckabee, a staunch Israel supporter, who has previously said, 'There's really no such thing as a Palestinian.' Another Palestinian, identified by health officials as Mohammed Shalabi, was shot dead by settlers during the same attack that killed Musallet on Friday. Israeli settlers have been intensifying their assaults on Palestinian communities in the West Bank since the outbreak of the war on Gaza in 2023. Often protected by the Israeli military, settlers regularly descend from their illegal settlements onto Palestinian towns, where they ransack homes, cars and farms and attack anyone who may stand in their way. Several Western countries, including top allies of Israel, have imposed sanctions on far-right Israeli officials and groups over settler violence. Trump lifted sanctions related to settler attacks, put in place by his predecessor, Joe Biden, after returning to the White House earlier this year. The US provides Israel with billions of dollars in military aid annually. Over the past few days, several Congress members have called for accountability for Musallet. Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, called the killing of Musallet 'shocking and appalling'. 'The Israeli government must thoroughly investigate this killing and hold any and all settlers responsible for the brutal death of Mr Musallet accountable to the fullest extent of the law,' he said in a statement. Congressman Maxwell Frost, who represents a district in Florida, also decried the 'cold-blooded murder'. 'As our country's self-proclaimed peacemaker, Donald Trump has a moral and constitutional obligation to direct the State Department to conduct a thorough investigation and, more importantly, to demand full justice and accountability for those responsible for this heinous act,' Frost said in a statement. 'Our country must ensure the protection and safety of Americans abroad.' On Friday, Israel said it was 'investigating' what happened in Sinjil, claiming that the violence started when Palestinians threw rocks at an Israeli vehicle. 'Shortly thereafter, violent clashes developed in the area between Palestinians and Israeli civilians, which included the destruction of Palestinian property, arson, physical confrontations, and stone-throwing,' the Israeli military said in a statement. But Musallet's family has disputed any account of 'clashes', saying that a 'mob' of settlers surrounded the young Palestinian American for three hours during the attack and prevented medics from reaching him. Florida's Republican politicians have been largely silent about the killing of Musallet. The offices of the state's two senators, Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment. Since Musallet was killed on Friday, Scott has shared several social media posts in support of Israel.
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
EU demands more action from Israel on aid deal as strikes in Gaza continue
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the 27-member bloc was leaving the door open to action against Israel over its assault on the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip if the humanitarian situation does not improve. Kallas put forward 10 potential options on Tuesday after Israel was found to have breached a cooperation deal between the two sides on human rights grounds. The measures range from suspending the entire accord or curbing trade ties to sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo and halting visa-free travel. Despite growing anger over the devastation in Gaza, EU states remain divided over how to tackle Israel, and there was no agreement on taking any of the moves at a Tuesday meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. 'We will keep these options on the table and stand ready to act if Israel does not live up to its pledges,' Kallas told journalists. 'The aim is not to punish Israel. The aim is to really improve the situation in Gaza.' The meeting in Brussels came in the wake of the deal largely forged by Kallas and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Saar met with EU leaders on Monday after agreeing last week to allow desperately needed food and fuel into the coastal enclave of 2.3 million people who have endured more than 21 months of Israel's deadly assault amid a crippling blockade. 'The border crossings have been opened, we see more trucks going in, we see also operations of the electricity network, but it's clearly not enough because the situation is still untenable,' Kallas said. Details of the deal remain unclear, but EU officials have rejected any cooperation with the Israeli-backed GHF over ethical and safety concerns. Calls to end ties with Israel European nations like Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain have increasingly called for the EU's ties with Israel to be reassessed in the wake of the war, which has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians – mostly women and children. A report by the European Commission found 'indications' that Israel's actions in Gaza are violating human rights obligations in the agreement governing its ties with the EU, but the bloc is divided over how to respond. Public pressure over Israel's conduct in Gaza made the new humanitarian deal possible, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said, adding, 'That force of the 27 EU member states is what I want to maintain now.' Kallas will update EU member nations every two weeks on how much aid is actually getting through to Gaza, Irish Foreign Minister Thomas Byrne said. 'So far we haven't really seen the implementation of it, maybe some very small actions, but there's still slaughter going on, there's still a denial of access to food and water as well,' he said. 'We need to see action.' Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno said details of the deal were still being discussed and the EU would monitor results to see if Israel is complying. 'It's very clear that this agreement is not the end – we have to stop the war,' he said. There have been regular protests across the continent, including a small one on Tuesday outside the European Council, where the ministers were discussing the aid plan. Dozens of protesters in Brussels called for more aggressive actions to stop Israel's offensive in the largely destroyed Gaza Strip, where famine looms and the healthcare system is on the brink of collapse. 'It was able to do this for Russia,' said Alexis Deswaef, vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights. 'It must now agree on a package of sanctions for Israel to end the genocide and for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.' Human rights groups largely called the EU's actions insufficient. 'This is more than political cowardice,' said Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International. 'Every time the EU fails to act, the risk of complicity in Israel's actions grows. This sends an extremely dangerous message to perpetrators of atrocity crimes that they will not only go unpunished but be rewarded.' 'Moving towards the unknown' Israel and Hamas have been engaged in indirect talks for two weeks over a new ceasefire deal, but talks appear to be deadlocked. Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said negotiations have not stopped but are still in the early stages, adding that Israeli and Hamas delegations are both in Doha. Meanwhile, Israeli attacks across Gaza resumed on Tuesday, killing at least 30 people, including two women who were shot near an aid distribution point run by the controversial Israel- and US-backed GHF. Gaza's civil defence said on Tuesday that its 'crews have transported at least 18 martyrs and dozens of wounded since dawn', most of them following Israeli air strikes on the northern Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces have stepped up attacks in recent weeks. On Tuesday, the army issued another forced evacuation threat for Palestinians living in 16 areas in northern Gaza. Among them is Jabalia, a ravaged town where residents have been fleeing in fear and panic. 'People are using their cars and donkeys to evacuate the area, and all are moving towards the unknown; they don't know where to go,' Al Jazeera's Moath al-Kahlout said. 'They are also struggling with transportation as there is no fuel to move from here and other areas. So, the situation is very chaotic. Everyone living here is in a state of panic.' One Israeli strike also hit a tent in Gaza City housing displaced Palestinians, killing six people, according to the civil defence agency. In the southern area of Rafah, two women were killed by Israeli fire near an aid distribution point, the agency said, adding that 13 people were wounded in the incident. The United Nations said that at least 875 have died trying to access aid in Gaza since late May, when the GHF began operating. Meanwhile, health teams in Gaza for the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) have warned that malnutrition rates are increasing, especially since the Israeli siege was tightened more than four months ago. According to UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini, one in 10 children screened is malnourished. In a statement, the group called malnutrition in the Strip 'engineered and man-made'.
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
How will Syria's government deal with the ‘Druze dilemma'?
Bedouin groups and fighters from Syria's Druze minority have been involved in sectarian violence. Syria's new government is facing a serious challenge. This time, it is not from foreign powers or from remnants of the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad, but instead, from within the country's own borders. Tensions have flared in the south, where fighting between members of the Druze minority and Bedouin groups has reignited fears of wider sectarian unrest. The violence comes as Druze spiritual leaders refuse to recognise the authority of President Ahmed Sharaa – the man now leading the post-Assad transition government. And in a move that could further inflame tensions, Israel has warned Damascus not to harm the Druze. Are the concerns of the community justified? And what does all this mean for the unity of Syria? Presenter: James Bays Guests: Louay Safi – Syrian political scientist and former professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University Shadi Abou Karam – Political activist and researcher originally from Suwayda Province in Syria Sami Akil – Political analyst and acadamic specialising in Syrian affairs
