Benjamin Netanyahu the ‘biggest liar' in Israel: former hostage negotiator
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CTV News
36 minutes ago
- CTV News
Turkiye says Israel and Kurdish fighters should stop destabilizing Syria
Burned vehicles sit on a street Monday, July 21, 2025, after clashes between Bedouin clans and Druze militias in Sweida, Syria. (AP Photo/Fahd Kiwan) ANKARA — Israel and Kurdish fighters should stop threatening the security and stability of Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Wednesday. Speaking at a news conference in Ankara with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, Fidan accused Israel and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, of undermining the country's efforts to reestablish itself after more than a decade of civil war. He said Israel had 'fuelled certain difficulties' in Syria and warned that Israeli security 'cannot be achieved through undermining the security of your neighbours.' 'To the contrary, you should make sure your neighbouring countries are prosperous and secure. If you try to destabilize these countries, if you take steps to that end, this could trigger other crises in the region.' Since Islamist-led insurgents ousted former President Bashar Assad in a rebel offensive in December, the new interim government in Damascus has struggled to maintain stability and heal the wounds of the nearly 14-year civil war. Most recently, hundreds were killed in clashes in the southern province of Sweida between government forces and local Bedouin tribesmen on one side and fighters from the country's Druze minority on the other. Meanwhile, tensions have also risen between the central government and the U.S.-allied SDF that controls northeastern Syria. Implementation of an agreement reached in March to merge the SDF with the new Syrian army has stalled and there have been scattered outbreaks of violence between the two sides. Fidan accused the SDF of trying to turn instability in Syria into an 'opportunity for themselves.' Ankara views the SDF with hostility as the group is spearheaded by the People's Protection Units, or YPG, affiliated with the Kurdish group that recently entered a peace process with Turkiye after more than 40 years of fighting. The SDF has said it is not party to the deal between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. 'The upper echelons of the YPG need to stop stalling because the chaos they're waiting for (in Syria) will not take place, and even if it does, it will not be to their advantage,' Fidan said. He added: 'They shouldn't take us for fools. We have good intentions, but that doesn't mean we will turn a blind eye to your mischievous or devious ways.' Turkiye has been supportive of Syria's new administration, which is formed largely by rebels that Ankara backed during the civil war. 'Every actor in the region is not as constructive as us,' Fidan said. 'There are certain people who have been meddling in the affairs of Syria, chief among whom is the Israeli administration.' Al-Shibani, meanwhile, said Israel's actions 'undermine the security of our citizens,' adding that 'certain countries want Syria to disintegrate based on ideologies, based on ethnicity, and obviously we are against all these efforts.' Suzan Fraser, The Associated Press
Canada News.Net
7 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Netanyahu's new Gaza campaign draws backlash at home and abroad
JERUSALEM, Israel: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week forcefully defended a newly expanded military campaign in Gaza, describing it as essential to "finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas" despite mounting criticism both domestically and internationally. The plan, he revealed, goes beyond earlier announcements and targets not only Hamas strongholds in Gaza City but also the "central camps" and the coastal area of Muwasi. A source familiar with the operation, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to brief the media, confirmed that both areas are included in the military's objectives. The "central camps" house more than half a million displaced Palestinians, according to United Nations estimates, and had not been previously identified as targets. The reasons for the omission remain unclear, though over the weekend, Netanyahu faced pressure from members of his governing coalition, who argued that focusing solely on Gaza City was insufficient. Netanyahu has promised the creation of "safe zones" for civilians, but human rights groups note that such areas have been hit in previous strikes. He also spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend, thanking him for what his office called "steadfast support" for Israel's actions. Speaking to foreign journalists just before an emergency United Nations Security Council session — a forum that has so far generated more outrage than action — Netanyahu rejected allegations of starvation in Gaza and condemned what he called a "global campaign of lies." He insisted Israel's aim is not to occupy the enclave but to "free Gaza" by dismantling Hamas's military capacity, maintaining Israeli "overriding security control," and installing a non-Israeli civilian administration. Netanyahu said Israel would expand the number of aid distribution points in Gaza, but in a separate briefing to local reporters, he denied there was any famine. "There is no hunger. There was no hunger. There was a shortage, and there was certainly no policy of starvation," he claimed. He also ordered the military to allow "more foreign journalists" into Gaza — a significant change, as the territory has mainly remained closed to international media except during tightly controlled military embeds. Netanyahu again accused Hamas of bearing responsibility for Gaza's civilian casualties, destruction, and aid shortages, claiming the group still has "thousands of armed terrorists" and that many Palestinians are "begging" for liberation from its rule. Hamas dismissed Netanyahu's statements as "blatant lies" in a lengthy rebuttal. The United States, meanwhile, defended Israel's right to determine its security measures and rejected accusations that Israeli actions amount to genocide. With its veto power at the Security Council, Washington can block any resolutions aimed at curtailing Israel's military operations. Other council members and U.N. officials expressed alarm. China called the "collective punishment" of people in Gaza unacceptable. Russia warned against a "reckless intensification of hostilities."
Globe and Mail
10 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Netanyahu hints that ceasefire efforts now focus on deal to release all remaining hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday hinted that ceasefire efforts in Gaza are now focused on a comprehensive deal that would release the remaining hostages all at once, rather than in phases. Arab officials told the Associated Press last week that mediators Egypt and Qatar were preparing a new framework for a deal that would include the release of all remaining hostages in one go in return for a lasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The long-running indirect talks appeared to break down last month. But a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo for ceasefire talks on Tuesday, Egypt's state-run Qahera news channel reported, a sign that efforts have not been abandoned after 22 months of war. Israel has threatened to widen its military offensive against Hamas to the areas of Gaza that it does not yet control, and where most of the territory's two million residents have sought refuge. Those plans have sparked international condemnation and criticism within Israel, and could be intended to raise pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire. The militants still hold 50 hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. Israel believes around 20 of them are alive. In an interview with Israel's i24 News network broadcast Tuesday, Netanyahu was asked if the window had closed on a partial ceasefire deal. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters that Cairo is still trying to advance an earlier proposal for an initial 60-day ceasefire, the release of some hostages and an influx of humanitarian aid before further talks on a lasting truce. 'I think it's behind us,' Netanyahu replied. 'We tried, we made all kinds of attempts, we went through a lot, but it turned out that they were just misleading us.' 'I want all of them,' he said of the hostages. 'The release of all the hostages, both alive and dead – that's the stage we're at.' He added, however, that Israel's demands haven't changed, and that the war will end only when all hostages are returned and Hamas has surrendered. He has said that even then, Israel will maintain open-ended security control over the territory. Hamas has long called for a comprehensive deal but says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The militant group has refused to lay down its arms, as Israel has demanded. Foreign Minister Anand says suffering in Gaza is 'unimaginable' in joint global statement urging unrestricted aid The United Nations on Tuesday warned that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric reported the warning from the World Food Program and said Gaza's Health Ministry told UN staff in Gaza that five people died over the last 24 hours from malnutrition and starvation. The ministry says 121 adults and 101 children have died of malnutrition-related causes during the war. 'Against this backdrop, humanitarian supplies entering Gaza remain far below the minimum required to meet people's immense needs,' Dujarric said. The UN and its humanitarian partners are doing everything possible to bring aid into Gaza, he said, but still face significant delays and impediments from Israeli authorities that prevent the delivery of food and other essentials at the scale needed. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in that 2023 attack. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's air and ground offensive has since displaced most of Gaza's population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. It has killed more than 61,400 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. In a separate development, the Israeli military said it recently struck a group of militants in Gaza who were disguised as aid workers and using a car with the logo of international charity World Central Kitchen. The army said it carried out an air strike on the men after confirming with the charity that they were not affiliated with it and that the car did not belong to it. World Central Kitchen confirmed that the men and the vehicle were not affiliated with it. 'We strongly condemn anyone posing as World Central Kitchen or other humanitarians, as this endangers civilians and aid workers,' it said in a statement. The military shared video footage showing several men in yellow vests standing around a vehicle with the charity's logo on its roof. The military said five of the men were armed. The charity, founded in 2010, dispatches teams that can quickly provide meals on a mass scale in conflict zones and after natural disasters. In April, an Israeli strike killed seven World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza. Israel quickly admitted it had mistakenly killed the aid workers and launched an investigation. In November, an Israeli strike killed five people, including a World Central Kitchen worker who Israel said was part of the Hamas attack that sparked the war. The charity said at the time that it was unaware the employee had any connection to the attack.
