BAGHDAD: Iraq’s powerful pro-Iranian armed group Kataeb Hezbollah has denounced as “ridiculous” sanctions unveiled this week by the United States over recent attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria.
American forces deployed in those two countries have been attacked more than 55 times since mid-October, according to the Pentagon, coinciding with US ally Israel’s war on Hamas militants in Gaza.
In a statement released late Saturday on Telegram, Kataeb Hezbollah spokesman Abu Ali Al-Askari said attacks by “the Islamic resistance in Iraq” were part of a “strategy of attrition,” dismissing sanctions as ineffectual.
“The inclusion of certain brothers in the so-called ‘American sanctions list’ is ridiculous,” Askari argued, saying “such actions will not dissuade our courageous fighters.”
The US Treasury said on Friday it had sanctioned six individuals affiliated with Kataeb Hezbollah as well as the leader of another pro-Iranian group in Iraq which Washington said was also involved in attacks against US troops.
In its statement, the Treasury said Kataeb Hezbollah was trained, funded and supported by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and “is behind a spate of recent attacks against the United States and partners in Iraq and Syria following the horrific attacks by Hamas against Israel.”
Attacks on southern Israel launched on October 7 by the Iran-backed Palestinian group killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
A relentless air, land and naval assault Israel launched in response has killed upwards of 12,000 people in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas government.
Attacks on US forces in the region since the start of the Israel-Hamas war have caused minor injuries to dozens of troops, according to the Pentagon.
Most were rocket or drone attacks claimed by a group called “the Islamic resistance in Iraq.”
“The calculated strikes of the Islamic resistance in Iraq... are part of a strategy of attrition of the enemy, deciding the level of escalation of operations, trajectory and timing,” said the Kataeb Hezbollah spokesman.
The group was designated a “terrorist organization” by the US State Department in 2009.
The United States has about 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and another 900 in Syria, deployed as part of efforts to prevent a resurgence of the Daesh group.
Pro-Iranian Iraq militia labels US sanctions ‘ridiculous’
https://arab.news/8pfht
Pro-Iranian Iraq militia labels US sanctions ‘ridiculous’
- Kataeb Hezbollah spokesman Abu Ali Al-Askari said attacks by “the Islamic resistance in Iraq” were part of a “strategy of attrition,” dismissing sanctions as ineffectual
Israel considers flooding Gaza tunnels with seawater- WSJ
- When asked about the story, a U.S. official said it made sense for Israel to render the tunnels inoperable and that the country was exploring a range of ways to do that
WASHINGTON: Israel has assembled a large system of pumps that may be used to flood tunnels used by militant group Hamas under the Gaza strip in a bid to drive out fighters, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing U.S. officials.
Around the middle of November, Israel's army completed the set-up of at least five pumps about a mile north of the Al-Shati refugee camp that could move thousands of cubic meters of water per hour, flooding the tunnels within weeks, the report said.
It was not clear whether Israel would consider using the pumps before all hostages were released, according to the story. Hamas has previously said it has hidden captives in "safe places and tunnels."
Reuters could not verify the details of Monday's report.
When asked about the story, a U.S. official said it made sense for Israel to render the tunnels inoperable and that the country was exploring a range of ways to do that.
Israel's defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Wall Street Journal said an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official declined to comment on the flooding plan but was quoted as saying: "The IDF is operating to dismantle Hamas’s terror capabilities in various ways, using different military and technological tools."
Israel first informed the United States of the option last month, the Wall Street Journal said, reporting that officials did not know how close Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was to carrying out the plan.
Israel has not made a final decision to go ahead or rule it out, the officials were cited as saying.
Russian aircraft brings 120 Russians home from Gaza
- The Emergencies Ministry has so far flown more than 880 Russian nationals home aboard nine flights
MOSCOW: A chartered aircraft flew 120 Russian nationals evacuated from the Gaza Strip home to Moscow on Monday, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said.
A ministry statement on the Telegram messaging app said 30 children were among those on board the Ilyushin-76 aircraft that landed in Moscow.
The Emergencies Ministry has so far flown more than 880 Russian nationals home aboard nine flights.
Red Cross chief arrives in Gaza, says suffering ‘intolerable’
GENEVA: The Red Cross president arrived in war-torn Gaza on Monday, calling for the protection of civilians in the Palestinian territory, where she warned that human suffering was “intolerable.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric’s travel to the region would happen in several stages with “a visit to Israel expected over the coming weeks.”
“I have arrived in Gaza, where people’s suffering is intolerable,” Spoljaric said on X, formerly Twitter.
“It is unacceptable that civilians have no safe place to go in Gaza, and with a military siege in place there is also no adequate humanitarian response currently possible,” she added in an ICRC statement.
Spoljaric, whose organization has faced criticism from both sides in the conflict for not providing adequate help to Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, insisted that “all those deprived of liberty must be treated humanely.”
“The hostages must be released, and the ICRC must be allowed to safely visit them,” she said.
Her visit comes after full-scale fighting resumed Friday following the collapse of a week-long truce brokered by Qatar, the United States and Egypt, during which Israel and Hamas exchanged scores of hostages and prisoners.
“The last week provided a small degree of humanitarian respite, a positive glimpse of humanity that raised hopes around the world that a path to reduced suffering could now be found,” Spoljaric said in the statement.
“As a neutral actor, the ICRC stands ready to support further humanitarian agreements that reduce suffering and heartbreak.”
Netanyahu graft trial resumes in Israel in midst of Gaza war
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial resumed on Monday, despite the country’s continuing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The trial was suspended after the Palestinian militant group’s Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 240 more kidnapped according to Israeli officials.
Netanyahu, leader of Israel’s right-wing Likud party, is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, allegations he denies.
Minister David Amsalem of Likud called the resumption of proceedings during the war “a disgrace.”
“War? Captives? ... No, no. The most important thing now is to renew Netanyahu’s trial,” said Amsalem on Sunday on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Netanyahu and his allies have argued the accusations against him are politically motivated and had proposed a judicial overhaul that would have curbed some powers held by the courts.
The high-profile trial is expected to last several more months. An appeal process, if necessary, could take years.
In one of three cases the trial encompasses, prosecutors allege a plot between Netanyahu and the controlling shareholder of Israel’s Bezeq telecom giant to exchange regulatory favors for positive coverage on a news site owned by the firm. A second case relates to Netanyahu’s relationship with Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and other wealthy personalities.
According to prosecutors, between 2007 and 2016 Netanyahu allegedly received gifts valued at 700,000 shekels ($195,000), including boxes of cigars, bottles of champagne and jewelry, in exchange for financial or personal favors.
Netanyahu, who is Israel’s first sitting prime minister to stand trial, denies any wrongdoing, saying gifts were only accepted from friends and without him having asked for them.
In October 2019, his lawyers said they had received an expert legal opinion that concluded he had a right to accept gifts from close friends.
Egyptian Space Agency announces successful launch of MisrSat 2 satellite from China
- The Egyptian Space Agency was established in 2018 and aims to build and launch satellites from Egyptian territory
CAIRO: The Egyptian Space Agency has reported that the launch of the MisrSat 2 satellite from China was successful.
The agency said: “This (the launch) is in light of the strategic partnership between the governments of Egypt and China and the fruitful and constructive cooperation between the two friendly countries.”
A team of Egyptian engineers collaborated with Chinese experts in the satellite’s design and manufacture.
It was assembled and tested at the EGSA’s Satellite Assembly, Integration, and Testing Center.
The site, the largest of its kind in Africa and the Middle East, was established within the framework of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
The satellite forms part of Egypt’s sustainable development goals by utilizing space technology to enhance vital areas, including agriculture, the exploration of mineral resources, identification of surface water sources, and the study of the impact of climate change on the environment.
The agency said the work contributed to supporting the Egyptian economy as well as enhancing the country’s pioneering role by providing training programs aimed at qualifying specialized personnel on the African continent and the Middle East, while supplying spatial data.
It added that the launch of the MisrSat 2 was a milestone in Egyptian-Chinese cooperation, especially in the field of space technology.
The Egyptian Space Agency was established in 2018 and aims to build and launch satellites from Egyptian territory.
