Saudi Arabia says Israeli strikes on Iran a ‘violation of international laws'
RIYADH : Riyadh, long a Tehran rival before reconciling in 2023, strongly condemned a wave of strikes that Israel launched against military and nuclear sites in Iran on Friday.
The strikes, which left key military commanders and nuclear scientists dead, stoked fears of a full-blown war in the region and jeopardised US-Iran nuclear talks set for Sunday in Oman.
'The kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran, which undermine its sovereignty and security and constitute a clear violation of international laws and norms,' the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Describing the strikes as 'heinous attacks', it added that 'the international community and the (UN) Security Council bear a great responsibility to immediately halt this aggression', which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would last days.
The attacks sent shockwaves across the oil-rich Gulf with fears of a broader conflagration as oil prices soared more than 12%.
In 2023, China brokered a landmark reconciliation deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had long backed opposing sides in conflicts around the Middle East.
Riyadh had severed ties in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following the execution of leading Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
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New Straits Times
17 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Israel maintains military pressure on Gaza City ahead of planned offensive
s Reuters CAIRO: The Israeli military maintained its pressure on Gaza City with heavy bombardments overnight, residents said, ahead of a meeting today between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers on plans to seize the enclave's largest city. The military a day earlier called up 60,000 reservists in a sign that the government was pressing ahead with the plan, despite international condemnation. Although one military official said that most reservists would not serve in combat and that the strategy to take Gaza City had not yet been finalised. Calling up tens of thousands of reservists is also likely to take weeks, giving time for mediators to attempt to bridge gaps over a new temporary ceasefire proposal that Hamas has accepted, but the Israeli government is yet to officially respond to. The proposal calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas and of 18 bodies. In turn, Israel would release about 200 long-serving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The Israeli government has restated that all of the remaining 50 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza must be released at once. Israeli officials believe that around 20 of them are still alive. Gaza City seizure Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with some cabinet ministers on Thursday to discuss his plan to seize Gaza City, according to Haaretz and other Israeli media, without giving more details. The plan was approved this month by the security cabinet, which he chairs, even though many of Israel's closest allies have urged the government to reconsider. Netanyahu is under pressure from some far-right members of his coalition to reject a temporary ceasefire and instead to continue the war and pursue the annexation of the territory. In Gaza City, thousands of Palestinians have left their homes as Israeli forces have escalated shelling on the Sabra and Tuffah neighbourhoods. Some families have left for shelters along the coast, while others have moved to central and southern parts of the enclave, according to residents there. "We are facing a bitter-bitter situation, to die at home or leave and die somewhere else, as long as this war continues, survival is uncertain," said Rabah Abu Elias, 67, a father of seven. "In the news, they speak about a possible truce, on the ground, we only hear explosions and see deaths. To leave Gaza City or not isn't an easy decision to make," he told Reuters by phone. Israeli tanks have been edging closer to densely populated Gaza City over the past ten days. Israeli officials have said evacuation notices would be issued to Palestinians there before the military moves in. Two more people have died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the territory's health ministry said on Thursday. The new deaths raised the number of Palestinians who have died from such causes to 271, including 112 children, since the war began.
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Israel approves Gaza City conquest plan amid ceasefire talks
JERUSALEM: Israel's defence minister on Wednesday approved a military plan for the conquest of Gaza City, authorising the call-up of about 60,000 reservists, piling pressure on Hamas as mediators push for a ceasefire. The Palestinian militant group said in response that it showed Israel's 'blatant disregard' for efforts to broker a halt in fighting and a hostage-release deal in the nearly two-year conflict. It also criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's lack of response to the proposal, accusing him of being 'the real obstacle to any agreement' and of not caring about the lives of Israeli hostages. Defence Minister Israel Katz's order to send more troops into Gaza City, confirmed to AFP by a spokesman, came as an Israeli official said the government stood firm on its call for the release of all hostages in any agreement. The framework that Hamas had approved proposes an initial 60-day truce, a staggered hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid into Gaza. On the ground in Gaza City on Wednesday, Mustafa Qazzaat, head of the emergency committee in the Gaza municipality, described the situation as 'catastrophic', with 'large numbers' fleeing eastern neighbourhoods. One resident, Anis Daloul, 64, said the Israeli military had 'destroyed most of the buildings in Zeitoun and displaced thousands of people'. Israel's security cabinet chaired by Netanyahu approved the plan to conquer Gaza City in early August, sparking fears it would worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu has not yet called a security cabinet meeting to discuss any response to the latest truce proposal. His office said in a statement Wednesday that the prime minister had 'directed that the timetables for seizing control of the last terrorist strongholds and the defeat of Hamas be shortened', without indicating a specific timeframe. 'Permanent war' Netanyahu has come under growing pressure at home and abroad to end the war, with the German government saying on Wednesday that it 'rejects the escalation' of Israel's campaign. French President Emmanuel Macron said the offensive 'can only lead to a complete disaster for both peoples', warning it would 'drag the region into a permanent war'. Katz's approval of plans to conquer Gaza City came days after Hamas said it had accepted the latest proposal from mediators for a ceasefire to halt almost two years of devastating war. Sources from Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad told AFP on Wednesday that the proposal envisages the release of 10 hostages and 18 bodies from Gaza. The remaining captives would be released in a second exchange within the 60-day period, during which negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place, the sources said. Israel and Hamas have held on-off indirect negotiations throughout the war, resulting in two short truces during which Israeli hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Qatar, one of the mediators in the talks, said the latest proposal was 'almost identical' to an earlier version agreed by Israel. Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the truce plan but said last week that his country would accept 'an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war'. 'Gradual operation' An Israeli military official told journalists on Wednesday that the new phase of combat would involve 'a gradual precise and targeted operation in and around Gaza City', including some areas where forces had not previously operated. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes and fire killed at least 25 people across the territory on Wednesday. When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military asked for coordinates and specific timeframes to comment on the reports but said it would look into reports of eight people killed by Israeli fire near an aid site in the centre of Gaza. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military. The Israeli military said it killed 10 Hamas militants in southern Gaza on Wednesday while repelling an attack by the armed wing of the Islamist group, which claimed it killed several Israeli soldiers. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable. In the West Bank, Israel on Wednesday approved a major settlement project in an area that the international community has warned threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority swiftly condemned the approval 'in the strongest terms', saying it entrenched division in the territory. - AFP
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
60,000 troops on standby as Israel sets takeover of Gaza City
JERUSALEM: Israel's defence minister on Wednesday approved a military plan for the conquest of Gaza City, authorising the call-up of about 60,000 reservists, piling pressure on Hamas as mediators push for a ceasefire. The Palestinian group said in response that it showed Israel's "blatant disregard" for efforts to broker a halt in fighting and a hostage-release deal in the nearly two-year conflict. It also criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's lack of response to the proposal, accusing him of being "the real obstacle to any agreement" and of not caring about the lives of Israeli hostages. Defence Minister Israel Katz's order to send more troops into Gaza City, confirmed to AFP by a spokesman, came as an Israeli official said the government stood firm on its call for the release of all hostages in any agreement. The framework that Hamas had approved proposes an initial 60-day truce, a staggered hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid into Gaza. On the ground in Gaza City on Wednesday, Mustafa Qazzaat, head of the emergency committee in the Gaza municipality, described the situation as "catastrophic", with "large numbers" fleeing eastern neighbourhoods. One resident, Anis Daloul, 64, said the Israeli military had "destroyed most of the buildings in Zeitoun and displaced thousands of people." Israel's security cabinet chaired by Netanyahu approved the plan to conquer Gaza City in early August, sparking fears it would worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu has not yet called a security cabinet meeting to discuss any response to the latest truce proposal. His office said in a statement Wednesday that the prime minister had "directed that the timetables for seizing control of the last fighters' strongholds and the defeat of Hamas be shortened", without indicating a specific timeframe. Netanyahu has come under growing pressure at home and abroad to end the war, with the German government saying on Wednesday that it "rejects the escalation" of Israel's campaign. French President Emmanuel Macron said the offensive "can only lead to a complete disaster for both peoples", warning it would "drag the region into a permanent war." Katz's approval of plans to conquer Gaza City came days after Hamas said it had accepted the latest proposal from mediators for a ceasefire to halt almost two years of devastating war. Sources from Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad told AFP on Wednesday that the proposal envisages the release of 10 hostages and 18 bodies from Gaza. The remaining captives would be released in a second exchange within the 60-day period, during which negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place, the sources said. Israel and Hamas have held on-off indirect negotiations throughout the war, resulting in two short truces during which Israeli hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Qatar, one of the mediators in the talks, said the latest proposal was "almost identical" to an earlier version agreed by Israel. Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the truce plan but said last week that his country would accept "an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war." An Israeli military official told journalists on Wednesday that the new phase of combat would involve "a gradual precise and targeted operation in and around Gaza City", including some areas where forces had not previously operated. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes and fire killed at least 25 people across the territory on Wednesday. When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military asked for coordinates and specific timeframes to comment on the reports but said it would look into reports of eight people killed by Israeli fire near an aid site in the centre of Gaza. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military. The Israeli military said it killed 10 Hamas fighters in southern Gaza on Wednesday while repelling an attack by the armed wing of the group, which claimed it killed several Israeli soldiers. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable. In the West Bank, Israel on Wednesday approved a major settlement project in an area that the international community has warned threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state.
