Security Council discusses US strikes in Syria; UN calls on all sides to step back from brink

Russia called on the UN Security Council to convene to discuss US air strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria. (AP Photo)
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Updated 06 February 2024
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Security Council discusses US strikes in Syria; UN calls on all sides to step back from brink

  • Russian envoy accuses Washington of deliberately stoking the fires of regional conflict in an attempt to expand it
  • US envoy urges all countries with ties to Iran to press leaders of the regime in Tehran to rein in their militias

NEW YORK CITY: The UN on Monday repeated its call for all those involved in conflicts in the region to “step back from the brink and to consider the unbearable human and economic cost of a potential regional conflict.”

It warned that the Middle East remains “highly volatile,” and called for the development and implementation of a clear political road map designed to resolve the conflicts that rage there.

During a meeting of the Security Council to discuss the latest escalations in the region, including the US strikes on targets in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, the under-secretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, Rosemarie DiCarlo, once again called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and for the unconditional release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

The UN has repeatedly warned of the danger that the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel and the war that has followed in Gaza could spark an escalation into a wider regional conflict.

Since the Hamas attacks there have been near-daily incidents in several countries, including about 165 attacks on US targets in Syria and Iraq, prompting Washington to launch retaliatory strikes in both countries.

On Jan. 28, a drone attack killed three American personnel and injured 40 at a US military outpost in northeastern Jordan. These were the first combat fatalities among US forces related to the current regional crisis.

Washington attributed that attack to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, and President Joe Biden vowed the US would “hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing.”

A few days later, US Central Command carried out 85 retaliatory airstrikes in western Iraq and eastern Syria, targeting sites used by Iran’s Quds Force, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Washington said the attacks targeted command-and-control operations, intelligence centers and weapons facilities, and stressed it was not seeking a wider conflict in the Middle East or elsewhere.

Iran, Iraq and Syria condemned the attacks, which they said caused the deaths of 16 people in Iraq, including civilians, and 23 people affiliated with militias in Syria. Iraqi authorities summoned the US charge d’affaires in Baghdad and disputed a US claim that Washington had provided them with advance warning of the strikes.

Though the Iraqi government has reiterated that it remains committed to protecting US and other coalition forces in Iraq, DiCarlo said some armed factions linked to the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq have pledged to continue their attacks against US and coalition forces in the region.”

She told the Security Council that the wave of violence since early October has encompassed a large swath of the Middle East. She highlighted in particular the daily exchanges of fire across the blue line that separates Israel and Lebanon between the Israeli army and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.

She also expressed concern about ongoing drone and missile attacks by the Houthis in Yemen and the threat they pose to international shipping in the Red Sea. She said they risk “exacerbating the conflict and further impacting international trade, as companies divert ships away from critical maritime routes.”

The US and UK have been launching strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen since Jan. 11. In the past three days alone, they hit more than 36 targets at 13 locations, including what were described as command-and-control sites.

Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, accused Washington of deliberately stoking the conflict in an attempt to expand it to some of the biggest countries in the region, as he called on the international community to condemn the “senseless acts of Washington and its allies in the Middle East.”

He said the escalation of violence has already gone “far beyond the Occupied Palestinian Territories, crossing not only the border between Israel and Lebanon, but also to the Red Sea and Yemen.”

He added: “Unilateral acts of violence by Washington and their allies only worsen the chaos in the region, nullifying international efforts to reestablish peace in the Middle East and to find a just solution to the Palestinian question.

“It is clear that the presence (in Syria) of the international (anti-Daesh) coalition led by the US has been a threat to security and stability in the country and also an attempt to involve it in regional and international conflicts. Washington, enjoying impunity, continues to sow chaos and destruction in the middle east.”

He said there was no justification for the US airstrikes on Syria and that such US attempts “to flex muscles (are) mainly to try to implement the domestic political situation in America to salvage the image of the current American administration in the international arena in the light of the upcoming presidential elections.”

Robert Wood, the alternate US representative to the UN for special political affairs, called on council members, especially “those with direct channels to Iran,” to press the leaders of the regime in Tehran to rein in their militias.

He added that “they should also press the Syrian regime to stop giving a platform to destabilize the region,” and vowed that the US would continue “to defend our personnel and hold responsible all those who harm Americans. That certainly goes for Iran and its proxies.”

He added: “We will continue to exercise our right to self-defense at a time and a place of our choosing. And we will continue to hold Iran and its affiliates accountable for their destabilizing actions.”


Iraqi PM urges Trump to ‘work toward ending’ Mideast wars

Updated 7 sec ago
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Iraqi PM urges Trump to ‘work toward ending’ Mideast wars

  • About 2,500 American troops are deployed in Iraq as part of a US-led coalition that was formed to help battle the Daesh group.
Baghdad: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani expressed hopes during a phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump that he would keep his “promises to work toward ending wars” in the Middle East.
Amid Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon, Sudani — who was named premier by a majority bloc of Iran-backed political factions — has been in a delicate balancing act to ensure his country is not drawn into the fighting.
In the phone call, the Iraqi premier pointed to Trump’s “campaign statements and promises to work toward ending wars in the region,” a statement from Sudani’s office said late Friday.
“The two sides agreed to coordinate efforts in achieving this goal,” it added.
About 2,500 American troops are deployed in Iraq as part of a US-led coalition that was formed to help battle the Daesh group.
Bases hosting the American troops have been the target of dozens of rocket and drone attacks launched by Iran-backed groups in Iraq, which have also claimed attacks against Israel.
Baghdad has for years called on Washington to provide a clear timeline for the withdrawal of their remaining coalition troops.
The US and Iraq announced in late September that the international coalition would end its decade-long military mission in federal Iraq within a year, and by September 2026 in the autonomous Kurdistan region.
But the joint statement and US officials did not say whether any American troops would remain in Iraq.
Under Trump’s first term in office, relations deteriorated between the two countries after a US drone strike in January 2020 killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani — the chief of the Quds Force and the architect of the Islamic republic’s military operations abroad.
Also killed in that strike was Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq’s former paramilitary Hashed Al-Shaabi that have been integrated into the armed forces.
As part of their investigations into Muhandis’s assassination, the Iraqi judiciary issued a warrant for Trump’s arrest in January 2021.

Israel must comply with ICJ measures to prevent genocide — UN human rights chief

Updated 15 sec ago
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Israel must comply with ICJ measures to prevent genocide — UN human rights chief

  • Volker Turk’s office publishes report covering violations between November 2023, April 2024
  • UN Human Rights Office: Almost 70% of fatalities in Gaza are children, women

NEW YORK: The UN high commissioner for human rights on Friday called on Israel to “fully and immediately” comply with the provisional measures issued in January by the International Court of Justice demanding action to prevent a genocide from being perpetrated against the Palestinians.

Volker Turk also called on states to honor their obligations under international law and “assess arms sales or transfers and provision of military, logistical or financial support to a party to the conflict, with a view to ending such support if this risks serious violations of international law.”

His warning comes as a new report by his office, published on Friday, warned that “if committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, (Israel’s violations) may constitute genocide.”

In January, after considering an original case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide, the ICJ issued a ruling that included provisional measures ordering Israel to take action to prevent and punish the commission of, or the incitement to commit, genocide; to halt the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians; and to immediately facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

Turk said Israel’s compliance with the ICJ ruling is now “even more critical and urgent” in light of the new report, which details “the horrific reality that has unfolded for the people of Israel and Gaza since 7 October 2023,” and concludes by demanding justice with respect to the grave violations of international law that have been committed.

The ICJ measures are also more pertinent than ever given the most recent events, Turk said, including Israel’s operations in northern Gaza and its adoption of legislation banning the main UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees from operating in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem.

“It is essential that there is due reckoning with respect to the allegations of serious violations of international law through credible and impartial judicial bodies and that, in the meantime, all relevant information and evidence are collected and preserved,” said Turk.

The new report covers violations that occurred from November 2023 to April 2024, including the killing of civilians and breaches of international law that it said could amount to war crimes.

“If committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population, further to a State or organizational policy, these violations may constitute crimes against humanity,” the report says.

Turk urged support for the work of accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, in relation to the conflict in Gaza, for the exercise of universal jurisdiction to investigate and try crimes under international law in national courts, and for compliance with extradition requests of suspects of such crimes to countries where they would receive a fair trial.

The report highlights repeated statements from Israeli officials calling for Gaza’s entire destruction and the exodus of its people.

It documents Israel’s efforts to “rationalize discrimination, hostility and violence towards, and even the elimination of, Palestinians.”

The report underscores how civilians have borne the brunt of the attacks, including through the initial “complete siege” of Gaza, as well as Israel’s continuing “unlawful failures” to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and mass displacement of Palestinians.

“This conduct by Israeli Forces has caused unprecedented levels of killings, death, injury, starvation, illness and disease,” the reports says, adding that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have also committed serious violations of international law on a wide scale

“The rules of war, in force now for 160 years, were designed to limit and prevent human suffering in times of armed conflict,” Turk said.

“Their wanton disregard has led to the current extremes of human suffering which we continue to see today.

“It seems inconceivable that the parties to the conflict refuse to apply universally accepted and binding norms developed to preserve the very bare minimum of humanity.”  

The UN Human Rights Office says close to 70 percent of fatalities in Gaza are children and women, indicating “a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, including distinction and proportionality.”

The continuation of these attacks “demonstrates an apparent indifference to the death of civilians and the impact of the means and methods of warfare selected,” the report states. 

It also raises concerns over the forcible transfer of Palestinians, attacks on hospitals in “apparent systematic fashion” as well as journalists, and the reported use of white phosphorus munitions.

“Our monitoring indicates that this unprecedented level of killing, and injury of civilians is a direct consequence of the failure to comply with fundamental principles of international humanitarian law — namely the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack,” Turk said. 

“Tragically, these documented patterns of violations continue unabated, over one year after the start of the war.

“The trends and patterns of violations, and of applicable international law as clarified by the International Court of Justice, must inform the steps to be taken to end the current crisis,” he added.

“The violence must stop immediately, the hostages and those arbitrarily detained must be released, and we must focus on flooding Gaza with humanitarian aid.” 


Jordan’s tourism industry struggling as Gaza war deters visitors

Updated 24 min 56 sec ago
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Jordan’s tourism industry struggling as Gaza war deters visitors

  • Sites such as Petra, Wadi Rum and crusader castles have been drawing visitors for decades
  • Flight ticket bookings to Jordan are down 35 percent year-on-year between Sept. 16 and Oct. 4

PETRA, Jordan/LONDON: Enas Al-Hinti has cut staff pay in half and asked workers to take unpaid leave in an effort to keep her hotel in ancient Petra open as Western holidaymakers fearful of conflict shun destinations in the Middle East.
A crisis across the region’s tourism industry since the start of the Israel-Hamas war 13 months ago is being felt acutely in Jordan, whose border with Israel along the Red Sea and Dead Sea is studded with beach resorts.
Sites such as Petra, Wadi Rum and crusader castles have been drawing visitors for decades — more than one million a year before the war, mainly Americans and Europeans.
But Reuters reporters on a recent trip to the city carved from rose-colored rock — Jordan’s most-visited tourist attraction — found businesses boarded up by their owners.
“There are no revenues, it’s all losses,” Al-Hinti, who runs the Nomads hotel, said.
Data and interviews with seven hotel and business owners and tour operators underline the damage to the tourist industry, which last year made up 12.5 percent of the economy.
Flight ticket bookings to Jordan, which is not involved in the conflict, were down 35 percent year-on-year between Sept. 16 and Oct. 4, data from travel intelligence firm ForwardKeys shows.
The situation has worsened since Iran’s drone strike attack on Israel in April and following tit-for-tat military strikes between Israel and Iran, said Seif Saudi, the managing director of Amman-based in Jordan Direct Tours.
“Things were starting to look up for October, but the second attack erased all those gains.”
LONG-TERM DAMAGE
The tourist industry across the Middle East is struggling. Flight bookings to the region are down six percent year-on-year since the war erupted after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, ForwardKeys data shows.
Bookings to Israel and Lebanon fell even more sharply than those to Jordan between Sept. 16 and Oct. 4, while Oman, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have seen smaller declines.
The recent regional escalation of the conflict, including intensified Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s Hezbollah armed group, has dashed hopes for a recovery in the cooler autumn months, a key season for Middle East tourism.
International tour groups like Intrepid and Riviera Travel said they canceled tours to Jordan and Egypt after Iran showered Israel with ballistic missiles on Oct. 1.
Hotel occupancy rates in Petra have fallen on average to as low as 10 percent, estimates Abdullah Hasanat, president of the Petra Hotels Association.
“We are searching for a savior. All the investments in Petra are in intensive care. When tourism stopped, bookings stopped,” Hasanat, who owns a hotel himself, said. Most international carriers have halted flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv, but some, such as Ryanair, have also paused flights to Jordan, in part due to its proximity to Israeli and Lebanese airspace.
Hotel owners said Ryanair’s decision in particular meant far fewer Western tourists came to the country. Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said in October it was a “sensible” move given the closure of airspace at the time.
Before the war, Christian tourists making pilgrimages to Israel often also tagged on a trip to Jordan.
WHAT’S NEXT
Business owners say the damage will be long-term.
Future bookings have evaporated, forcing hotel managers like Al-Hinti to dip into their financial reserves to continue paying salaries. She is keeping her hotel open, but with fewer floors available.
“We are facing next year with a drop of not less than 90-95 percent (in bookings),” said Nabih Riyal, CEO of Plaza Tours, which runs holidays with European and American operators.
Jordan’s tourism sector has survived previous crises related to the prolonged conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, Tourism Minister Lina Annab said.
“This calls for us to really focus on our most resilient markets, which are not as affected by the situation,” Annab said, adding that visitors are still coming from neighboring countries.
Some Western tourists are undeterred too.
“We knew that the trip would be canceled if it was really risky,” said Dorothy Lawson, a tourist from California, walking around Petra in late October. “They said we could come. So we came and we’re really glad we did.”
But businesses that rely on big crowds are struggling to survive.
“We used to have 4,000 visitors every day,” said Marcus Massoud, a salesman in one of Petra’s many souvenir shops.
“Now we have 300 to 400. It’s not like before.”


UN sanctions two generals from Sudan’s paramilitary force

Updated 09 November 2024
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UN sanctions two generals from Sudan’s paramilitary force

  • Sudan plunged into conflict in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital
  • The UN sanctions order all countries to freeze the asses and impose a travel ban on the generals

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions Friday on two generals in Sudan’s paramilitary force for their key roles in the war against the country’s military that has seen ethnically motivated attacks and atrocities.
Sudan plunged into conflict in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital, Khartoum, and spread to other regions, including Darfur. The UN says over 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 injured, and recently warned that the country has been pushed to the brink of famine.
The council’s sanctions committee added Maj. Gen. Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed, head of the Rapid Support Forces’ operations department, and Maj. Gen. Abdel Rahman Juma Barkalla, the RSF commander in West Darfur, to the sanctions blacklist.
Britain’s UN Mission tweeted on X that the two generals were added for threatening the peace, security and stability of Sudan, “including acts of violence and human rights abuses.”
The UN sanctions order all countries to freeze the asses and impose a travel ban on the generals. The United States Treasury imposed sanctions on both generals earlier in the year, freezing any assets in the US and banning all financial transactions with them.
Two decades ago, Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes, particularly by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias, against populations that identify as Central or East African. Up to 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were driven from their homes. That legacy appears to have returned, with the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, saying in January there were grounds to believe both sides may be committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide in Darfur. The RSF was born out of the Janjaweed.
Human Rights Watch said in a report in May that attacks by the paramilitary force and its allied militias, which killed thousands in Darfur in 2023, constituted a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the area’s non-Arab population.
The rights group said the RSF and its militias targeted the ethnic Masalit and other non-Arab groups in El Geneina, the capital city of West Darfur state. Masalit who were captured were tortured, women and girls were raped and entire neighborhoods were looted and destroyed, Human Rights Watch said.
Its report is entitled “The Massalit Will Not Come Home: Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes Against Humanity in El Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan.”
The RSF controls the capitals of four of the five states in Darfur and has intensified its military campaign for control of the lone holdout, North Darfur capital El Fasher.


Syrian state news agency reports Israeli strike in Aleppo region

Updated 09 November 2024
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Syrian state news agency reports Israeli strike in Aleppo region

  • The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that the strikes had targeted military installations

 

DAMASCUS: Syrian state media reported an Israeli strike Saturday on the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib that injured soldiers and caused damage.
“At around 00:45 after midnight, the Israeli army launched an air aggression from the direction of southeast Aleppo, targeting a number of sites in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib,” the official SANA news agency said.
The report added that the attack had “resulted in the injury of a number of soldiers and some material losses,” without providing further details.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported the strikes had targeted military installations.
The war monitor also said members of the Iranian revolutionary guards and pro-Tehran factions were based in the area.
Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria, mainly targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters including from Hezbollah.
The Israeli military has intensified its strikes on Syria since it launched its war on Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon.
Israeli authorities rarely comment on the strikes but have repeatedly said they will not allow arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence in Syria.