Netanyahu says Israel probably killed Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar
JERUSALEM, May 21 (Reuters) - Israel has probably killed Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
An Israeli air strike on a hospital in southern Gaza targeted Sinwar earlier this month but his death had not so far been confirmed either by Israel or Hamas.
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Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
US Senate rejects bids to block arms sales to Qatar, UAE
WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday blocked resolutions that would have halted more than $3 billion in military sales to the governments of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The Senate voted 56-39 against considering legislation that would have blocked the $1.9 billion sale of armed drones and associated equipment to Qatar. The vote was largely along party lines, with Trump's fellow Republicans opposing the effort to stop the sale and most Democrats backing it. The 100-member chamber later voted by the same 56 to 39 margin against an effort to block a $1.6 billion sale to the UAE of helicopters and other equipment. Backers of the resolutions of disapproval said they opposed the sales for reasons including Qatar's offer of a luxury jet as a gift to Trump and an agreement for a firm backed by the Emiratis to use a stablecoin launched by Trump's World Liberty Financial crypto venture. Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, a lead sponsor of the resolutions, called the agreements a corruption of U.S. foreign policy. The embassies of Qatar and the UAE did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Senator Jim Risch, the Idaho Republican who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described both countries as reliable partners to the U.S. and dismissed the resolutions as partisan politics.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
US orders non-essential embassy staff out of Iraq amid growing Middle East tensions
The United States has ordered the departure of 'non-essential' diplomatic staff and their families from embassies in the Middle East amid growing diplomatic tensions in the region. The US diplomatic draw-down came as Iran threatened to target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out, while Donald Trump said he was 'less confident' about reaching a nuclear deal. The state department said on Wednesday it had ordered the departure of all non-essential personnel from the US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, based on its commitment 'to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad'. The embassy already had been on limited staffing, and the order will not affect a large number of personnel. The US is also authorizing the departure of non-essential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait. Defense secretary Pete Hegseth 'has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations' across the region, US Central Command said in a statement. The command 'is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East'. The partial evacuations come at a moment of heightened tensions in a region already aflame after 18 months of war in Gaza that has raised fears of a wider conflagration pitting the US and Israel against Iran and its allies. Tensions in the region have risen further in recent days as nuclear talks between the US and Iran appear to have hit an impasse. On Wednesday, Iran's defence minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, responded to US threats of military action if the talks fail, saying: 'All its bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries. 'God willing, things won't reach that point, and the talks will succeed,' Nasirzadeh said, adding that the US side 'will suffer more losses' if it came to conflict. Iran and the US have been locked in a diplomatic standoff over Iran's uranium enrichment, with Tehran defending it as a 'non-negotiable' right and Washington calling it as a 'red line'. Trump had previously expressed optimism about the talks, saying during a Gulf tour last month that Washington was 'getting close' to securing a deal. But in an interview published on Wednesday, Trump said he was 'less confident' the US and Iran could reach a deal, in response to a question about whether he believed he could stop Tehran enriching uranium. Speaking to the New York Post's podcast Pod Force One, which was recorded on Monday, Trump said he was losing hope a deal could be reached. 'I don't know. I did think so, and I'm getting more and more – less confident about it. They seem to be delaying and I think that's a shame. I am less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago,' he said. 'Something happened to them but I am much less confident of a deal being made … Maybe they don't wanna make a deal, what can I say? And maybe they do. There is nothing final.' Trump maintained that Washington would not allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons, saying 'it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying'. The top US military officer for the Middle East, Gen Erik Kurilla, had been scheduled to testify before the Senate armed services committee on Thursday, but that testimony has now been postponed, according to the committee's website. The Pentagon did not have an immediate comment on why Kurilla's testimony was postponed.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Syria orders women to wear burkinis on public beaches
Women in Syria must wear burkinis or swimwear that covers their body at public beaches and swimming pools, its tourism ministry has declared. It is the first time Damascus' Islamist authorities have issued guidelines for women to observe conservative dress codes since Bashar al-Assad's autocratic regime was toppled in December, amid concerns the country's new rulers could implement a more religiously conservative agenda. The new restrictions were part of a wider decree that detailed public safety guidelines for beaches and swimming pools, such as not spending too long in the sun. Syrians should wear 'appropriate swimwear that respects public decency and the feelings of different segments of society', it said, which required 'more modest swimsuits'. The order specified that women should wear 'the burkini or swimming clothes that cover the body more'. Men are required to wear shirts under the guidance, which said that 'topless clothing is not permitted in public areas outside of swimming areas, hotel lobbies, and food service areas'. 'In public areas outside of beaches and pools, it is preferable to wear loose clothing, covering shoulders and knees, and avoid transparent or overly tight clothing,' it added. Although 'normal Western swimwear' is still permitted at private clubs and luxury hotels, it said the new rules should be followed 'with adherence to public morals and within the limits of public taste'. The ministry said 'lifeguards and beach supervisors' would monitor compliance to the guidelines. Repercussions for rule breakers are unclear. The crackdown reflects the influence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) the de-facto Islamist coalition, designated a terrorist organisation by the UN the US, EU and UK, who led the lighting offensive that ousted Assad's regime and are now running Syria. Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria's new president, has been working to assure global leaders that he won't restrict women's rights in the new Syria. Sunni Islamist group HTS – which has its roots in al-Qaeda – claims it has a more nuanced approach to implementing Sharia law than other hardline regimes in the Middle East. For example, Iran's morality police have brutally cracked down on women and girls perceived as failing to comply with the mandatory hijab laws and regulations, using public flogging and beatings as punishment. But al-Sharaa is treading a fine line, with observers abroad keeping a keen eye on signs that Syria could implement stricter Islamic laws. In December, he provoked a social media furore when he requested that a young woman who approached him for a photo covered her hair before taking a picture. Syria is working to rebuild after it was ravaged by 14 years of civil war. Last month, US president Donald Trump promised to lift economic sanctions on Syria, representing a major US policy shift toward the country. 'I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,' said Mr Trump. 'It's their time to shine. We're taking them all off,' he added. 'Good luck Syria, show us something very special.'
