Mediators present Israel and Hamas updated truce deal a day after strike on Gaza church
Trump called Netanyahu after Israeli strike on Gaza church
Israel acknowledges 'stray ammunition' hit Gaza church
US does not support Israel's strikes in Syria
At least 58,667 Palestinians killed and 139,974 wounded since Gaza war began
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Middle East Eye
7 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Trump envoy says US can't 'compel' Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon
US special envoy Tom Barrack said the White House "can't compel Israel to do anything" in Lebanon after he was asked whether Washington would guarantee the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the country's embattled south. "America is not here to compel Israel to do anything," Barrack told reporters on Monday. "We are here to use our influence to bring calm minds together… America can only influence… we are not going to have more boots on the ground." The 78-year-old billionaire, who officially serves as US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, has been shuttling across the Middle East as Israel continues to launch wars on several fronts. Despite the Lebanese movement Hezbollah agreeing to a ceasefire with Israel in November, Israel has continued to strike the group and occupy five strategic border "points" in the country's south. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters For months, Lebanon has been asking the US to help secure a full Israeli withdrawal and an end to air strikes, in return for Hezbollah handing over its weapons. But on Monday, Barrack told reporters that the US was not going to force Hezbollah to disarm, or sanction the country if progress is not achieved. "There's no consequence, there's no threat, there's no whip," he said. The former real estate mogul and close Trump advisor, who lived in Beirut during the 1970s and enjoys close ties to Gulf rulers, has said the US president's promise of economic gain for the region is enough motivation. 'The world will pass us by' "I honestly think that they are going to say 'the world will pass us by.' Why? You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn't move, it's going to be Bilad al-Sham again," Barrack said earlier this month, using the name for the historic region of Syria that once comprised Lebanon. Since taking office, Lebanon's President Michel Aoun has said Beirut is moving to disarm the powerful movement in exchange for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon and an end to Israeli air strikes. With Damascus strikes, Israel seeks to tear up Trump's vision for Syria Read More » His government has reduced its sway in parts of the south as well as its hold over Beirut's port and airport, but US officials have been asking for swifter and broader action. The Lebanese Armed Forces, the country's non-sectarian military, has moved into positions Israel has evacuated in southern Lebanon and where Hezbollah has withdrawn from - mainly south of the Litani River. For its part, Hezbollah insists its arms are necessary because Israel continues to occupy Lebanese territory. In an interview with reporters in New York earlier this month, Barrack said the US was not concerned with Hezbollah's small arms, but larger systems like missiles and rockets. "Everybody in Lebanon is packing a 357 Magnum. I mean, it's like having a belt. So we're not talking about small arms. We're talking about the weapons that could affect Israel," he said. And on 11 July, Barrack told reporters that the US only had "issues with" Hezbollah's armed wing, not its political party, Amal, which represents most of Lebanon's Shia Muslims in parliament. At the beginning of the year, the US dangled reconstruction funds from Saudi Arabia to Lebanese lawmakers to lobby for them to vote in favour of former Lebanese army chief Aoun as president. Those funds have not materialised, with US officials insisting on a full dismantlement of Hezbollah's heavy arms arsenal. Barrack said Gulf states 'are ready to provide [funding]' once Hezbollah is disarmed. "Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and now the UAE are coming in and saying, 'If we can get to where everybody can just calm down, we will help redevelop that portion of Lebanon,' which is huge."
The National
33 minutes ago
- The National
US President Donald Trump 'caught off guard' by Israeli strikes on Syria and Gaza church
US President Donald Trump was "caught off guard" by Israeli bombing of Syria and a Catholic church in Gaza last week, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Monday, adding that he had discussed the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Three people were killed and 14 injured in an Israeli strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza city last week. Parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli was among those wounded. The attack sparked international condemnation, including from Mr Trump who called Mr Netanyahu to voice his displeasure. Mr Trump also appears to have been surprised by Israeli strikes on government buildings in the Syrian capital last week, at a time when his administration is working to improve ties with the new authorities there. The US President "was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza," Ms Leavitt told journalists. "In both accounts, the President quickly called the Prime Minister to rectify those situations," she said. The US is Israel's main ally and Mr Netanyahu has visited the White House three times since Mr Trump returned to power in January. "The President enjoys a good working relationship with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, and stays in, you know, frequent communication with him," Ms Leavitt said. Mr Netanyahu called Pope Leo to express regret over the strike on the Catholic church in Gaza, blaming a "stray missile". US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack announced a ceasefire between Israel and Syria on Saturday after days of conflict sparked by sectarian clashes in Sweida. Israel launched a series of attacks against Syria, including striking the Ministry of Defence and the presidential palace, in what it claimed was an effort to protect the Druze community. But diplomats and analysts said its goal is to weaken the new Syrian authorities. Israel remains sceptical of the new Hayat Tahrir Al Sham leadership in Damascus. But Mr Trump has met Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara, announced the lifting of sanctions on Syria and revoked the US's foreign terrorist organisation designation of HTS, a former Al Qaeda affiliate. While Israel and the US are strong allies, the personal relationship between the two leaders has been rocky throughout the years. But Mr Trump appeared to be closer than ever to Mr Netanyahu when he decided to join Israel's bombing campaign of Iran. During his last visit to the White House earlier this month, Mr Netanyahu also presented Mr Trump with a copy of a letter he wrote to the Nobel committee, nominating the US President for the Peace Prize. But Mr Netanyahu departed without a ceasefire deal in Gaza being announced, as Mr Trump had hoped and hinted at before the visit. 'The President's message on this conflict we've seen in the Middle East taking place for far too long, that has become quite brutal, especially in recent days, you've seen reports of more people dying. I think the president never likes to see that. He wants the killing to end,' Ms Leavitt said. She highlighted the administration's efforts to enable more aid deliveries to Gaza, despite foreign ministers of 25 western nations on Monday condemning Israel for "drip feeding" aid into the war-ravaged enclave where cases of starvation are on the rise. 'The President is the reason that aid is even being distributed in Gaza at all,' Ms Leavitt said. 'He wants to see this done in a peaceful manner, where more lives are not being lost.'
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
Turkey submits draft proposal to Iraq to renew, expand energy agreement
ANKARA: Turkey has submitted a draft proposal to Iraq to renew and expand an energy agreement between the two countries to include cooperation in oil, gas, petrochemicals and electricity, an Iraqi oil ministry official told the state news agency late on Monday. The statement came after Ankara announced the end of a decades-old agreement covering the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline. "The Ministry of Oil is in the process of reviewing the draft agreement sent by the Turkish side and negotiating with them regarding it to reach a formula that serves the interests of Iraq and Turkey", the Iraqi oil ministry official added. The 1.6 million barrel-per-day Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline has been offline since 2023 after an arbitration court ruled Ankara should pay $1.5 billion in damages for unauthorised Iraqi exports between 2014 and 2018. Turkey is appealing the ruling. Turkey still wants to revive the oil pipeline with Iraq, a senior Turkish official told Reuters earlier on Monday. In a decision published in its Official Gazette on Monday, Turkey said the existing deal dating back to the 1970s - the Turkey-Iraq Crude Oil Pipeline Agreement - and all subsequent protocols or memorandums would be halted from July 27, 2026. Iraq and Turkey have been working to resume oil flows from the pipeline. Ankara said in late 2023 that the pipeline was ready to receive Iraq's oil but talks between Baghdad, Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government and independent oil producers were not able to reach an agreement on terms. The Turkish official said the pipeline had the potential to become a "highly active and strategic pipeline for the region". The person added that Turkey had invested heavily in its maintenance, and noted its importance for regional projects like the Development Road - a planned trade route involving Turkey and Iraq. "A new and vibrant phase for the Iraq-Turkey pipeline will benefit both countries and the region as a whole," the Turkish official said, without giving details of what Ankara wanted the new agreement to include. Turkey sees the Development Road initiative - a high-speed road and rail link, running from Iraq's port city of Basrah on the Gulf to the Turkish border and later to Europe - as an opportunity to extend the pipeline further south. Baghdad allocated initial funding for the project in 2023. (Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever and Mehmet Dinar, Ahmed Rasheed and Menna Alaa El Din, Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Yomna Ehab Editing by Daren Butler, Mark Potter and Nia Williams)
