WASHINGTON: The United States called Tuesday for a focus on diplomacy to resolve tensions over Lebanon, after Israel warned it would pursue Hezbollah even if it achieves a ceasefire in Gaza.
“We do not want to see either side escalate the conflict in the north,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
“The government of Israel has said publicly, and they have assured us privately, that they want to achieve a diplomatic path,” he said.
“That’s what we’re going to continue to pursue and, ultimately, that would make military action unnecessary.”
Miller added that Israel faced a “real security threat” with thousands of people who have fled their homes near Lebanon, calling it a “legitimate issue that needs to be addressed.”
Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite movement which is backed by Iran, have been exchanging fire since October 7, when Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a major attack inside Israel.
In retaliation, Israel launched a relentless military operation in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Raising fears of all-out war, Israel this week struck Hezbollah positions deep into Lebanese territory.
On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said there would be no let-up in Israeli action against Hezbollah even if ongoing diplomacy succeeds in reaching a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages seized on October 7.
France, with US support, has been pushing a plan in which Hezbollah and allied fighters would withdraw to around 12 kilometers (eight miles) from the border and Israel would halt attacks.
US calls for ‘diplomatic path’ on Lebanon after Israel warning
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US calls for ‘diplomatic path’ on Lebanon after Israel warning
- “We do not want to see either side escalate the conflict in the north,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters
- “The government of Israel has said publicly, and they have assured us privately, that they want to achieve a diplomatic path”
Late Daesh chief Al-Baghdadi radicalized by US torture: Wife
- He ‘became short-tempered’ after release, developed ‘psychological problems’ due to ‘sexual torture’
- He was detained for a year in Camp Bucca after forming militia to fight American, allied forces in Iraq
LONDON: The late Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi may have been subjected to “sexual torture” while in US custody in 2004, his widow has said.
Umm Hudaifa, who is in an Iraqi jail being investigated for her ties to Daesh, told the BBC that her husband had been “religious but not extremist,” and “conservative but open minded.”
Under Al-Baghdadi, Daesh committed genocide against the Yazidi people, in addition to hostage-taking, enslavement, and massacres of Muslim civilians in areas under its control.
Umm Hudaifa said his personality shifted after a year-long detention in Camp Bucca after he formed a militia to fight US and allied occupation forces in Iraq, during which time he told her that he was subjected to something “you cannot understand.”
She said he “became short-tempered and given to outbursts of anger” upon his release, and he developed “psychological problems,” which she believes were the consequences of “sexual torture.”
Al-Baghdadi, believed to have been born in the Iraqi city of Samarra in 1971, declared a global caliphate in 2014 from a mosque in Mosul after Daesh captured the city.
His claim was almost universally rejected by Muslims worldwide, and he was killed by US forces in Syria in October 2019.
Umm Hudaifa is being investigated for her role in the sexual enslavement of predominantly Yazidi women kidnapped by Daesh fighters, which she denies.
She has described the actions of Daesh as “inhumane,” and said she confronted Al-Baghdadi about the deaths of “innocent people” on his watch.
Hamid Yazidi and his niece Soad are bringing a civil case against Umm Hudaifa. Yazidi’s two wives and 26 children were allegedly taken by Daesh from their home in Sinjar, along with his two brothers and their extended families, including Soad, who was trafficked seven times by the group. Six of Yazidi’s children have never been recovered.
“She was responsible for everything,” Soad told the BBC. “She made the selections — this one to serve her, that one to serve her husband ... and my sister was one of those girls.”
Blinken urges Middle East leaders to press Hamas for Gaza ceasefire
- Israel and Hamas both doubled down on hard-line positions that have scuppered all previous attempts to end the fighting
- Washington is now seeking a vote backing the ceasefire proposal at the UN Security Council
CAIRO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Middle East on Monday hoping to deliver the ceasefire that President Joe Biden proposed last month, in an all-out push by Washington to secure an end to the Gaza war.
The top US diplomat met Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo and was due to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense chief in Israel later in the day.
Ahead of his trip, Israel and Hamas both doubled down on hard-line positions that have scuppered all previous attempts to end the fighting, while Israel has pressed on with assaults in central and southern Gaza, among the bloodiest of the war.
“We are committed to total victory,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office, quoting remarks he made on Sunday to relatives of Israelis killed in Gaza.
“What is the main dispute? It is over Hamas’ demand ... that we commit to stopping the war without achieving our goals of eliminating Hamas.... I am not prepared to do so.”
Hamas, for its part, said Washington must push its ally Israel to halt the fighting.
“We call upon the US administration to put pressure on the occupation to stop the war on Gaza, and the Hamas movement is ready to deal positively with any initiative that secures an end to the war,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters ahead of Blinken’s arrival.
The war has now entered its ninth month, since Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people and took some 250 others hostage in a rampage through southern Israel. In response, Israel launched an assault on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians and reduced most of the enclave to wasteland.
Palestinian officials said 40 more bodies arrived in hospitals over the past 24 hours. Thousands more dead are believed buried under rubble.
ASSAULTS IN RAFAH, NUSEIRAT
In Rafah, the city on the southern edge of Gaza where Israel launched an offensive last month in defiance of White House pleas, residents said on Monday tanks had been trying to thrust deeper toward the north in the early hours of the morning. They were on the edge of Shaboura, one of the most densely populated neighborhoods at the heart of the city.
Around half of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people had been sheltering in Rafah before last month’s assault, and a million have had to flee again.
Since last week, Israel has also launched a large-scale assault in the central Gaza Strip, around the small city of Deir Al-Balah, the last population center yet to be stormed. On Monday, residents said the Israelis had pulled back from some areas there but were keeping up air strikes and shelling. Residents in Nuseirat north of Deir Al-Balah were still clearing debris after Israel freed four hostages in a massive raid there on Saturday. Palestinian officials say 274 people were killed, making it of the deadliest assaults of the war. Israeli forces said they were aware of under 100 Palestinians killed there in intense gunbattles, and did not know how many were combatants.
“We are exhausted and helpless, enough is enough,” said Jehad, who fled under fire from Saturday’s assault in Nuseirat with his family and was now in Deir Al-Balah, speaking by text message. The family had already been displaced from Gaza City to Nuseirat, to Khan Younis, to Rafah and back to Nuseirat before their latest flight.
In video obtained by Reuters from Nuseirat, resident Anas Alyan, standing outside the ruins of his home, described how Israel commandos wearing shorts had appeared in the streets, firing wildly while F-16s and quadcopters fired from the air.
“Anyone moving in the street was killed — anyone moving, or walking, was killed immediately,” he said. “There are still children under this building. We don’t know how to pull them out,” he said, pointing to one ruin. “Today we found children martyred in that building,” he said, pointing to another. After months of failed peace efforts, Biden chose a new tack with his public announcement of his proposal for a ceasefire on May 31, describing it as an offer already accepted by Israel. US officials say Biden deliberately unveiled it without asking the Israelis first, to increase pressure for a deal.
Washington is now seeking a vote backing the ceasefire proposal at the UN Security Council.
Full details of the proposal have not been publicly disclosed, but the offer as described by US officials is similar to texts floated since January in previous failed peace efforts: a long truce, over several stages, with gradual release of Israeli hostages ultimately leading to an end to the war.
What is different this time is that Israeli forces have now stormed most territory inside the Gaza Strip at least once, and Netanyahu is under greater domestic political pressure to reach a deal. Fighting has also escalated sharply in northern Israel along the Lebanese border, raising the threat of an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah armed group.
Benny Gantz, a popular centrist former military chief, quit Israel’s war cabinet on Sunday over what he described as the failure to outline a plan for the war’s end. That leaves Netanyahu more reliant on far right allies who say they will bring down his government if he agrees any deal that leaves Hamas in power. As in all previous peace attempts, Washington secured Israeli agreement to the text first, before seeking approval from Hamas through Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Israeli officials acknowledge approving the offer, despite one Netanyahu aide describing it as “not a good deal.”
Hamas says it already agreed to the last Israeli peace offer earlier in May, only for Israel to renege. Israel says the militants have previously attached unacceptable conditions.
Turkish foreign minister meets Hamas leader in Qatar
- They on the margins of the ministerial meeting of Türkiye-Gulf Cooperation Council
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Sunday in Qatar with Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas“ Political Bureau, according to the ministry.
“Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan met with Ismail Haniyeh, Head of Hamas Political Bureau, on the margins of the Sixth Ministerial Meeting of Türkiye-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) High-Level Strategic Dialogue in Doha,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry posted on X after the meeting.
The 160th Ministerial Council meeting of the GCC convened in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Sunday in the presence of the foreign ministers of the Gulf countries.
Two joint ministerial meetings were also be held on the sidelines, the first between the GCC and Turkiye with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and the second with Yemen, represented by Foreign Minister Shaya Mohsin Zindani.
UAE to impose fines up to $40,000 for unauthorized telemarketing calls
- The new guidelines apply to all licensed companies in the Emirates, including those in free zones, which promote products by calling landlines and mobile phones
DUBAI: The UAE has announced plans to clamp down on persistent cold callers, with companies who violate the new rules facing fines of up to Dh150,000 ($40,838) and possible termination of their operating licenses.
The regulations are being introduced by the Ministry of Economy and the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority to protect the public from rogue telemarketers, according to local reports.
The new guidelines apply to all licensed companies in the Emirates, including those in free zones, which promote products by calling landlines and mobile phones.
From August this year, telemarketing calls will be restricted to between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Call-backs are prohibited if a consumer rejects a service or product, and no same-day follow-up calls are permitted.
Companies must obtain prior approval from the authorities. Marketing calls must originate from numbers registered to licensed companies, not individuals.
Customers can file a complaint for any violations. Penalties include warnings being issued, fines of up to Dh150,000, partial or total suspension of activities, license cancellation, and disconnection of telecommunication services for up to one year.
“The resolutions aim to regulate telemarketing to maintain economic and social stability, ensure companies adhere to designated channels and times for marketing, and reduce unwanted marketing calls to respect consumers’ privacy,” said a statement from the government’s media office.
Companies must exercise due care in their marketing activities to avoid disturbing consumers and adhere to the highest standards of transparency, credibility, and integrity, it added.
The new regulations are part of the government’s ongoing efforts to safeguard consumer rights and ensure companies comply with established rules. In January 2022, the TRA launched the Kashif service, which shows the origin of calls, to reduce the number of anonymous calls received by residents. By the end of that year, all private companies had to register their phone numbers with the Kashif service.
The Do Not Call Registry, in place since September 2022, helps stop unwanted calls. Telemarketers must now receive individuals’ consent before making promotional calls and are advised not to call numbers listed in the DNCR without it.
Companies that fail to obtain prior approval can be fined Dh75,000 for the first offense, Dh100,000 for the second, and Dh150,000 for the third. Fines of up to Dh150,000 can be imposed for calling individuals registered the DNCR. Additionally, financial penalties ranging from Dh25,000 to Dh75,000 can be levied for misleading or deceiving customers during sales calls.
Authorities stated that companies could face telemarketing activity suspension for seven to 90 days, license cancellation, removal from the commercial register, and disconnection of telecommunication services for rule violations.
Hamas official urges US to pressure Israel to end Gaza war
- ‘Hamas movement is ready to deal positively with any initiative that secures an end to the war’
CAIRO: A senior Hamas official urged the United States on Monday to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza, ahead of the planned visit on Monday by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region to push forward ceasefire efforts.
Blinken is set to visit Egypt and Israel on Monday. He also aims to ensure the war does not expand into Lebanon.
“We call upon the US administration to put pressure on the occupation to stop the war on Gaza and the Hamas movement is ready to deal positively with any initiative that secures an end to the war,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said.
In his eighth visit to the region since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, triggering the bloodiest episode in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Blinken is also set to travel to Jordan and Qatar this week.
He is set to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo before traveling to Israel later on Monday, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to a State Department schedule.
On Monday, Palestinian residents said tanks had been trying to thrust deeper toward the north in the early hours of Monday, edging Shaboura, one of the most densely populated and militant stronghold neighborhoods at the heart of the city.
Israeli tank forces have since seized Gaza’s entire border strip with Egypt running through Rafah to the Mediterranean coast and invaded many districts of the city of 280,000 residents, prompting around one million displaced people who had been sheltering in Rafah to flee elsewhere.
Blinken’s visit comes after US President Joe Biden on May 31 outlined a three-phase ceasefire proposal from Israel that envisions a permanent end to hostilities, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the reconstruction of Gaza.
The Hamas attack killed 1,200 people and took some 250 others hostage, according to Israeli tallies. In response, Israel launched an assault on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said in its Sunday update.
