Latest news with #UnitedStates-brokered
Rudaw Net
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Sistani rep warns Iraqis to remain vigilant despite Iran-Israel truce
Also in Iraq KRG delegation arrives in Baghdad amid efforts to resolve financial disputes Iraq's Victory Coalition to skip election Iraq's marshlands are drying up Two Iraqi delegations to arrive in Erbil to resolve financial disputes with KRG A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The representative of Iraq's highest Shiite religious authority on Thursday urged Iraqis to be cautious because the country is not immune to the consequences of regional tensions as a United States-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to be holding. 'The current circumstances that the region is going through are extremely dangerous, and the Iraqi people are not immune to the repercussions of the conflict, sooner or later,' said Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai, official spokesperson for Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraqi state media reported. 'Iraqis must arm themselves with awareness and insight in dealing with the serious challenges in the region and passing through the current phase,' he said. 'They must strive to build their country on sound foundations.' Regional tensions remain high as a truce appears to be holding between Israel and Iran, ending 12 days of conflict. Iraq, which is close to Iran and hosts US forces, has expressed concern that further escalation could undermine its fragile post-war recovery. Sistani's office condemned the initial Israeli airstrikes that triggered the conflict, calling them a 'criminal act,' and urged the international community to prevent further bloodshed. The airstrikes killed more than 600 Iranians, including several military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians, including women and children. Sistani's office said the attacks demonstrated the 'dangerous and aggressive nature' of Israel's conduct. Twenty-eight people were killed by Iran's strikes on Israel. During the conflict last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out the assassination of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claiming that his death could end the conflict. US President Donald Trump also made inflammatory remarks against Iran and Khamenei, calling the leader an 'easy target,' though he clarified that there are no current plans to assassinate him. Sistani at the time warned against any attempt to target Iran's 'supreme religious and political leadership,' saying it would have grave consequences for the entire region. Regarding the possibility that the conflict between Israel and Iran could be reignited, Trump told reporters in The Hague on Wednesday after attending a NATO summit that "It can start again. I guess someday it can. It could maybe start soon.'
New Indian Express
12-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
‘Ceasefire brokered by US an attack on India's sovereignty'
NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has slammed the United States-brokered ceasefire between India and Pakistan, calling it a 'blow to India's sovereignty' and 'a serious compromise of national integrity'. The AAP leaders on Sunday lashed out at the Narendra Modi-led government for 'allowing' American intervention, stating that the ceasefire deal announced by US President Donald Trump came at a time when India had a historic opportunity to reclaim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and support Balochistan's struggle for freedom. Delhi BJP, however, has welcomed the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. 'For 78 years, India has firmly rejected third-party mediation in matters concerning Pakistan—then what business did America have here today?' AAP RAjya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh asked. Demanding accountability, he urged the Prime Minister to convene an all-party meeting and a special session of Parliament to explain the real reason behind what he described as a surrender of national honour. 'In Pahalgam, 25 innocent and unarmed Indian citizens and one citizen from Nepal were shot dead by terrorists. These terrorists snatched the sindoor from the foreheads of our sisters. Terrorists, backed and funded by Pakistan, infiltrated 200 kilometre into Indian territory, killed our innocent people, and left unchallenged. The entire country is outraged and furious over this incident. Even today, people have not been able to forget this tragedy,' he said.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
One killed, eight wounded as Israel hits Lebanon in major post-truce attack
Israel has launched one of its most intense aerial assaults on southern Lebanon since a truce halted last year's war with Hezbollah, according to Lebanese officials and the Israeli military. Air strikes on Thursday targeted several locations across the Nabatieh region, around 12km (7 miles) from the Israeli border. At least one person was killed and eight others injured, Lebanon's Health Ministry said. Thick plumes of smoke rose from the bombed hilltops as residents fled the affected areas. The Israeli army said its warplanes struck a 'Hezbollah infrastructure site', but gave no further details. The claim could not be independently verified. There was no immediate response from Hezbollah, which had previously said it withdrew its fighters from the border following the United States-brokered ceasefire. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said in a short post on X that he was closely monitoring the situation in southern Lebanon after Israeli strikes hit the region. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attacks. In a statement on X, he said: 'All Israeli violations of UN Resolution 1701 and ceasefire agreements must come to an end. The Lebanese government has not – and will not – stop pushing for Israel's full withdrawal from our territory.' Although the truce officially ended hostilities, sporadic cross-border attacks have continued. Israel has regularly broken the truce and carried out air raids across southern Lebanon, also hitting Hezbollah-controlled neighbourhoods in Beirut's southern suburbs. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hezbollah and other armed groups are not permitted to operate or store weapons south of the Litani River, while Israel is required to withdraw from southern Lebanon and allow the Lebanese army to deploy in the region. However, both sides have accused each other of violating the agreement. Israel still occupies five strategic hilltops along the border. While rockets have been fired into Israel from Lebanese territory on two separate occasions, Hezbollah has denied involvement. The recent escalation marks a sharp intensification of the conflict, rooted in Hezbollah's support for Hamas during Israel's ongoing war on Gaza. Hezbollah's deputy leader, Naim Qassem, has maintained that the group no longer keeps weapons in the border zone, in accordance with the truce.
Al Jazeera
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Hezbollah leader says Lebanese gov't must do more to end Israeli attacks
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has called on Lebanon's government to work harder to end Israel's daily attacks in the country, a day after an Israeli air strike targeted the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut for the third time since a ceasefire was agreed late last November. Qassem said in a televised speech on Monday that Hezbollah implemented the ceasefire deal that ended the 14-month war, but Israel has continued to launch relentless air strikes. Qassem's comments came as the Israeli military said it carried out more than 50 strikes in Lebanon this month in response, it says, to threats against Israel and Hezbollah allegedly violating the United States-brokered ceasefire. Rights groups have denounced Israeli attacks on Lebanon, saying they are violating the truce deal. On Sunday, Israeli warplanes struck Beirut's southern suburbs after issuing a warning about an hour earlier, marking the third Israeli strike on the area since the November ceasefire. The Israeli military said it struck a precision-guided missiles facility. Following the strike, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Israel of undermining stability in Lebanon and escalating tensions. He said Israeli attacks pose 'real dangers to the security' of the region. 'Yesterday, an aggression targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut. This attack lacks any justification … It is a political attack aimed at changing the rules by force,' Qassem said of Sunday's attack. 'The resistance complied 100 percent with the [ceasefire] deal and I tell state officials that it's your duty to guarantee protection,' Qassem said, adding that Lebanese officials should contact sponsors of the ceasefire so that they put pressure on Israel to cease its attacks. 'Put pressure on America and make it understand that Lebanon cannot rise if the aggression doesn't stop,' Qassem said, pointing to Lebanese officials. He added that the US has interests in Lebanon and 'stability achieves these interests'. Qassem said the priority should be for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, an end to Israeli strikes in the country, and the release of Lebanese people held in Israel since the war officially ended on November 27. Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day after its ally Hamas led the October 7, 2023 attack and Israel responded with mass bombardment of Gaza. About 1,200 people in Israel were killed and another 251 others were abducted during the attack in southern Israel. The war ignited further last September when Israel carried out waves of air strikes across Lebanon and assassinated most of the group's senior leaders, including Hassan Nasrallah. The fighting killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, most of them civilians. The Lebanese government said earlier this month that 190 people have been killed and 485 injured in Lebanon by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire took effect.
Korea Herald
13-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Russia, Ukraine accuse each other of failing to pause strikes
Russia and Ukraine's top diplomats on Saturday used a high-level conference in Turkey to once again trade accusations of violating a tentative United States-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, underscoring the challenges of negotiating an end to the 3-year-old war. The two foreign ministers spoke at separate events at the annual Antalya Diplomacy Forum, a day after US envoy Steve Witkoff met with with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss peace prospects. Ukraine's European allies on Friday promised billions of dollars to help Kyiv keep fighting Russia's invasion. While Moscow and Kyiv both agreed in principle last month to implement a limited, 30-day ceasefire, they issued conflicting statements soon after their separate talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia. They differed on the start time of halting strikes, and alleged near-immediate breaches by the other side. 'The Ukrainians have been attacking us from the very beginning, every passing day, maybe with two or three exceptions,' Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, adding that Moscow would provide the US, Turkey and international bodies with a list of Kyiv's attacks. A representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry separately told state media Saturday that Moscow has been sharing intelligence with the US regarding more than 60 supposed breaches of the deal by Kyiv. Lavrov on Saturday insisted Russia had stuck to the terms of the deal. His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, fiercely contested that claim, saying Russia had launched 'almost 70 missiles, over 2,200 (exploding) drones, and over 6,000 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine, mostly at civilians,' since agreeing to the limited pause on strikes. 'This clearly shows to the world who wants peace and who wants war,' he said. Russian forces hold the advantage in Ukraine, and Kyiv has warned Moscow is planning a fresh spring offensive to ramp up pressure on its foe and improve its negotiating position. Ukraine has endorsed a broader US ceasefire proposal, but Russia has effectively blocked it by imposing far-reaching conditions. European governments have accused Putin of dragging his feet. 'Russia has to get moving' on the road to ending the war, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media Friday. He said the war is 'terrible and senseless.' Lavrov on Saturday reiterated that a prospective US-backed agreement, also discussed in Saudi Arabia, to ensure safe navigation for commercial vessels in the Black Sea could not be implemented until restrictions are lifted on Russian access to shipping insurance, docking ports and international payment systems. Details of the prospective deal were not released, but it appeared to mark another attempt to ensure safe Black Sea shipping after a 2022 agreement that was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey but halted by Russia the following year. Ukraine's Air Force said a second F-16 fighter jet supplied by Western allies has been lost and its pilot, 26-year-old Pavlo Ivanov, killed. Ukraine's General Staff said the F-16 crashed while repelling a Russian missile strike. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday offered condolences to Ivanov's family, saying, 'We are proud of our soldiers. We will give a strong and apt response.' Ukraine said the first F-16 was shot down last August, after it intercepted three Russian missiles and a drone. Since last July, Ukraine has received multiple batches of the fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands, with US approval. Their total number has not been disclosed.
