logo
Netanyahu lays down red lines for Syria

Netanyahu lays down red lines for Syria

NHK18-07-2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Syrian leaders they have crossed his red lines. He said he will not let Syrian troops move south of Damascus and his military will do what it takes to protect the Druze people.
He released a statement on Thursday saying Israel has set a clear policy: "Demilitarization of the region to south of Damascus, from the Golan Heights and to the Druze Mountain area, that's rule number one. Rule number two is protecting the brothers of our brothers, the Druze at the Druze Mountain."
He noted that, "Both those rules were broken by the regime in Damascus."
His statement came a day after heavy Israeli airstrikes hit military headquarters and other targets in the Syrian capital.
Sectarian violence broke out in the southern city of Sweida over the weekend between local Bedouin tribes and members of the Druze religious minority.
The interim Syrian government sent troops to intervene, but they later were targeted by the Israeli airstrikes. The IDF said the attacks were aimed at protecting the Druze.
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed on Thursday to protect the Druze community, and condemned Israel for trying to fracture Syria.
Suzuki Hiroyuki, a Middle East expert and project associate professor at the University of Tokyo, said Israel is using its pledge to protect the Druze as a pretext to launch attacks.
He said the interim government has not been able to seize control of the whole nation yet and he believes that "Israel is trying to prevent armed militias and Syrian troops from coming in by unilaterally setting up demilitarized buffer zones in southern Syria near the Golan Heights."
The situation remains volatile. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israeli forces have moved across the buffer zone, and advanced into a Druze town inside Syria. It calls the incursion a "rare field development" within the border.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Netanyahu says Israel is considering 'alternative' means to achieve Gaza goals, in apparent end to ceasefire talks
Netanyahu says Israel is considering 'alternative' means to achieve Gaza goals, in apparent end to ceasefire talks

Japan Today

timea day ago

  • Japan Today

Netanyahu says Israel is considering 'alternative' means to achieve Gaza goals, in apparent end to ceasefire talks

FILE PHOTO: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Capitol Hill, on the day he meets with Senate Republican Leader John Thune (R-SD) and other senators, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 9, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo By Maayan Lubell Israel and its U.S. allies are now considering "alternative" options to bring their hostages home from Gaza and end the rule of Hamas in the territory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, apparently calling an end to ceasefire talks. The remarks echoed statements made overnight by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff after Israel and the United States pulled their delegations out of the talks in Doha, mediated by Egypt and Qatar. Witkoff said Hamas was to blame for an impasse. Netanyahu said Witkoff had got it right, and that Hamas was the obstacle to a deal. Hamas, which had given its response to a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal on Thursday, has disputed Witkoff's characterisation of the talks and said the negotiators were making progress. The proposed ceasefire would have lasted 60 days during which additional aid would be allowed into Gaza, and some of the remaining 50 hostages held by militants there would be freed in return for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. © (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025.

Israel recalls negotiating team from talks in Qatar following Hamas response
Israel recalls negotiating team from talks in Qatar following Hamas response

NHK

time2 days ago

  • NHK

Israel recalls negotiating team from talks in Qatar following Hamas response

Israel says it has decided to recall its negotiating team from indirect talks with the Islamic group Hamas that have taken place in Qatar based on a US-proposed 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the decision came in light of Hamas' response to the proposal earlier in the day. Arab media say Hamas requested changes to where Israeli troops would be deployed during the planned ceasefire. The media say the group also called for aid to be transported and distributed in Gaza under UN-led efforts. An Israeli media outlet quoted an Israeli official as saying the government intends to continue the talks. US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff also released a statement on Thursday. It said the latest response from Hamas "clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza." The statement added that the US "will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza."

US does not support forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza: UN envoy
US does not support forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza: UN envoy

NHK

time3 days ago

  • NHK

US does not support forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza: UN envoy

The acting US representative to the United Nations has indicated that relocation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip must be voluntary, rather than forced. US President Donald Trump revealed a plan to move Palestinian residents out of Gaza, after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February. Netanyahu told Trump in April that he wants to go ahead with the plan. At the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Ambassador Dorothy Shea described the plan as Israel's. She said, "The United States does not support the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza." The United Nations had criticized the forced relocation as violating international law. The plan had also drawn protests and concern from Middle East countries and elsewhere. In Gaza, civilian casualties from Israeli fire and other forms of violence are increasing around food distribution sites run by a US-led aid foundation. Shea defended the Israeli side, saying the US recognizes the Israeli military's "ongoing efforts to prevent civilian harm in Gaza." She added, "It is unfortunate that the UN continues to turn down the offers of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to collaborate and coordinate aid efforts."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store