Latest news with #Observatory
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Israel says detained Iran-linked ‘terrorist cell' in Syria
Israel's military said on Wednesday (July 2, 2025) it had apprehended members of an Iranian-backed 'terrorist cell' in southern Syria, where state TV reported three arrested by Israeli troops. Since the December overthrow of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes primarily on military sites and sent troops to carry out raids. An Israeli military statement on Wednesday (July 2, 2025) said that in a 'targeted night-time' raid, troops 'apprehended several terrorists' and seized weapons. It said the operation targeted 'a terrorist cell operated by Iran', Israel's arch-foe against which it had fought an unprecedented 12-day war last month. Syrian state TV said an Israeli patrol 'consisting of eight vehicles and around 40 soldiers arrested three individuals from the village of Al-Bassali' in the Quneitra area of southwest Syria bordering the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported an operation which 'resulted in the arrest of three citizens of Palestinian origin'. It said the people were inside a farm 'at the time of the raid, without any clashes or intervention by (Syrian) military or security forces in the area'. According to the Observatory, the overnight operation came two months after a relative of the three was arrested and transferred to an Israeli prison. Since Assad's fall, Israel has carried out strikes in Syria aimed at denying military assets to the Islamist-led interim administration. It has also deployed troops across the demilitarised zone on the Syrian side of the armistice line that used to separate the opposing forces on the Golan, with Israeli troops regularly carrying out raids in southern Syria. On June 12, Syria said the Israeli military killed one civilian and detained seven people during an overnight incursion, with the Israeli army saying it seized members of Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel said Monday (June 30, 2025) it was 'interested' in striking normalisation agreements with Syria and neighbouring Lebanon, but insisted the strategic Golan Heights — which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognised by the United Nations — would 'remain part of' Israel under any peace accord.
Saba Yemen
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Euro-Mediterranean HR monitor: 85% of Gaza Strip under Israeli control
Geneva – Saba: The Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor accused Israeli entity on Wednesday of continuing to commit the crime of forced displacement against the population of the Gaza Strip, as part of a declared and systematic policy aimed at emptying the Strip of its indigenous population. The monitor said in a statement that Israeli entity is using multiple tools to achieve this goal, including widespread bombing, bulldozing, starvation, destruction of infrastructure, forced expulsion by military force, and forced eviction orders. It stated that Israeli entity has transformed most of the Gaza Strip into devastated and uninhabitable lands, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to forcibly regroup in a small area of no more than 15% of the Strip's area, in preparation for mass displacement outside Gaza. This is a direct extension of the genocide committed against Palestinians for nearly 21 months, according to Quds Press Agency. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor revealed that between June 28 and 30, Israeli forces issued three new military evacuation orders covering large areas east and south of Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip, displacing tens of thousands of civilians without any safe haven or possibility of return. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor noted that these orders bring the number of evacuation orders issued by Israel since March 18, the date on which it reneged on the temporary ceasefire agreement, to 51. Some are new orders, others are renewals of previous orders, amid ongoing military escalation. It explained that more than 85% of the Gaza Strip is now under direct military control or subject to forced displacement orders, effectively systematically erasing the Palestinian presence on the ground and a blatant attempt to effect permanent demographic change. The Observatory reported that displacement orders since last March have displaced at least one million Palestinians, many of whom were forced to flee to destroyed or open areas or to the streets, amid a lack of food, water, and services, and amidst the spread of disease, under extremely harsh humanitarian conditions. The Observatory noted that Israeli enemy forces are not content with expelling residents, but are systematically destroying the neighborhoods they are displacing through aerial bombardment, explosive robot bombing, and demolition and bulldozing, in one of the largest campaigns of urban and residential destruction in modern times. It confirmed that Israeli bombardment even targets areas to which civilians have been forced to flee, including tents, schools, and shelters. On Tuesday, July 1, five civilians, including a woman and two children, were killed when their tents were targeted in al-Mawasi area west of Khan Yunis, despite it being one of the areas to which the enemy had previously directed displaced persons. With American and European support, the Israeli enemy army has continued to commit genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in the martyrdom of 57,012 Palestinian citizens, the majority of whom were children and women, and the injury of 134,592 others. To date, this is a preliminary toll, with thousands of victims still buried under the rubble and on the streets, unable to be reached by ambulances and rescue teams. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
The Sun
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Israel says detained Iran-linked ‘terrorist cell' in Syria
JERUSALEM: Israel's military said on Wednesday its had apprehended members of an Iranian-backed 'terrorist cell' in southern Syria, where state TV reported three arrested by Israeli troops. Since the December overthrow of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes primarily on military sites and sent troops to carry out raids. An Israeli military statement on Wednesday said that in a 'targeted night-time' raid, troops 'apprehended several terrorists' and seized weapons. It said the operation targeted 'a terrorist cell operated by Iran', Israel's arch-foe against which it had fought an unprecedented 12-day war last month. Syrian state TV said an Israeli patrol 'consisting of eight vehicles and around 40 soldiers arrested three individuals from the village of Al-Bassali' in the Quneitra area of southwest Syria bordering the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported an operation which 'resulted in the arrest of three citizens of Palestinian origin'. It said the people were inside a farm 'at the time of the raid, without any clashes or intervention by (Syrian) military or security forces in the area'. According to the Observatory, the overnight operation came two months after a relative of the three was arrested and transferred to an Israeli prison. Since Assad's fall, Israel has carried out strikes in Syria aimed at denying military assets to the Islamist-led interim administration. It has also deployed troops across the demilitarised zone on the Syrian side of the armistice line that used to separate the opposing forces on the Golan, with Israeli troops regularly carrying out raids in southern Syria. On June 12, Syria said the Israeli military killed one civilian and detained seven people during an overnight incursion, with the Israeli army saying it seized members of Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel said Monday it was 'interested' in striking normalisation agreements with Syria and neighbouring Lebanon, but insisted the strategic Golan Heights -- which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognised by the United Nations -- would 'remain part of' Israel under any peace accord.
Shafaq News
15 hours ago
- Climate
- Shafaq News
Iraq's water crisis: World's highest per capita use
Shafaq News - Baghdad Iraq records the world's highest per capita water usage at 400 liters daily, the Green Iraq Observatory reported on Wednesday. This excessive demand is due to "unchecked practices" such as hosing down streets, overwatering gardens, and widespread use at car washes, generator stations, and swamp coolers, all occurring without regulatory intervention, the Observatory said in a statement. "Iraqis surpass global consumption norms, including those in water-rich nations, yet fail to treat water as a critical strategic resource," the group added. It warned that government inaction has contributed to drought conditions that have displaced families across central, southern, and northern regions, and urged immediate regulatory enforcement to reduce consumption and preserve water supplies. With the crisis deepening, Turkiye agreed to immediately release 420 cubic meters of water per second to Iraq, according to Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani. Iraq faces compounding challenges from both climate change and upstream water restrictions by Turkiye and Iran, which have reduced the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. With limited rainfall and increasing temperatures, the country's water reserves have sharply declined in recent years.
MTV Lebanon
6 days ago
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
27 Jun 2025 13:42 PM Israeli forces enter Quneitra in new Incursion
Israeli forces continue to expand their incursion into Syria's Quneitra province, sparking concern and anticipation among residents of areas bordering the occupied Golan. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that an Israeli force, consisting of two armored personnel carriers and a number of soldiers, advanced on the outskirts of the village of Beerajam in the central countryside of Quneitra, specifically near the forest observation tower. Two excavation vehicles were also brought in. According to the Observatory, this latest incursion is part of a series of Israeli military movements on Syrian territory, with 32 such incursions documented since the beginning of this month, representing an ongoing violation of Syrian sovereignty.
