Latest news with #Iran-backed
Mint
an hour ago
- Politics
- Mint
Nimisha Priya case: Yemeni family vows no mercy for Kerala nurse, ‘Blood can't be bought… truth is not forgotten'
As Nimisha Priya's execution has been deferred, the brother of the victim said that his family does not wish anything less than the execution of the convict The execution, originally scheduled for July 16, has been postponed, sources in New Delhi said on Tuesday. Priya, who hails from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, was found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen - Talal Abdo Mahdi - in July 2017. The sources added that the government of India has made concerted efforts in recent days to seek more time for Priya's family to reach a "mutually agreeable" solution with the other party. In the Facebook post, written in Arabic, Abdelfattah Mahdi, brother Talal Abdo Mahdi, said that despite the pressures being imposed on the family to reconcile from all quarters, their demand remains the same — retribution, or execution of Priya. 'What is achieved and heard today from mediation and attempts for peace is nothing new or surprising. Throughout our years, there have been hidden pursuits and efforts to mediate. This is normal and the pressure has not changed anything in us. Our demand is retribution, nothing else,' Mahdi said, as verified by HT Media. He stated that although the execution's postponement was "unexpected," it is important for those who tried to intervene to understand that Mahdi's family remains firmly opposed to any attempts at reconciliation. 'Delay won't flex, pressure won't move us and blood cannot be bought. And the truth is not forgotten. Retribution will come no matter how long the road takes. It is just a matter of time and with God's help (it will happen),' he added. In 2020, a Yemeni court handed Priya the death sentence and the country's Supreme Judicial Council dismissed her appeal in November 2023. The 38-year-old nurse is presently lodged in a jail in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital city that is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis. In Delhi, sources said the government of India has been rendering all possible assistance in the case since beginning. Priya's mother Premakumari travelled to Yemen last year as part of efforts to secure her release. The Indian side had even explored the option of securing Priya's release through "diyat" or paying "blood money". But that also ran into some problems, it is learnt.
Japan Today
5 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Today
Drone attacks on oil fields in Iraq's Kurdish region shut down facilities
This is a locator map for Iraq with its capital, Baghdad. (AP Photo) By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Drones targeted oil fields in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region Wednesday, the latest in a series of attacks in recent days that have put several oil facilities out of commission. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which have exacerbated tensions between the central government in Baghdad and Kurdish authorities. The Kurdish region's anti-terrorism department said two drones attacked an oil field in the district of Zakho, causing damage but no injuries. DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas company operating the field, said its operations were temporarily suspended following three explosions involving a small storage tank at Tawke and surface processing equipment at Peshkabir. It said there were no injuries, and a damage assessment was underway. Hours later, the anti-terrorism department said the Baadre oil field, located in the Sheikhan district of Dohuk province, was targeted by a drone strike. There were no injuries. Videos showed a plume of smoke rising over barren hills. The attacks came a day after another oil field in Dohuk province operated by a U.S. company was set ablaze, also after being struck by a drone. The Kurdish region's Ministry of Natural Resources said the attacks were meant "to disrupt the economy of the Kurdistan region and threaten the safety of civilian employees of the energy sector,' and called for federal authorities to intervene to stop them. Iraqi oil industry expert Hamza al-Jawahiri said the targeting of oil fields in the Kurdish region would not affect global oil prices and that oil production in southern Iraq is sufficient to compensate for any resulting shortage. The fields in northern Iraq produce around 500,000 barrels per day. Al-Jawahiri said the primary losers would be the companies operating the fields, which are working under partnership contracts. Earlier this month, the Kurdish regional government accused the Popular Mobilization Forces — a coalition of Iran-allied militias that are officially under the control of the Iraqi military — of carrying out drone attacks. The Iraqi army said the accusation was 'issued in the absence of evidence' and said it could 'provide hostile parties with justifications to undermine Iraq's stability.' Iran-backed armed groups have periodically attacked U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria. During last month's Israel-Iran war, some of them threatened to target U.S. interests and bases in the region if Washington got involved. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yemen Online
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yemen Online
US Analysts Urge Washington to Engage South Yemen to Counter Houthi Threat
Aden — A growing chorus of American defense analysts and foreign policy experts is calling on the Biden administration to recalibrate its strategy in Yemen by engaging directly with southern Yemeni factions, particularly the Southern Transitional Council (STC), to help resolve the enduring Houthi insurgency. According to a recent report published by Stars and Stripes, the failure of past military campaigns to decisively weaken the Iran-backed Houthi movement has prompted calls for a regional realignment. Advocates argue that southern forces possess territorial control, military discipline, and popular legitimacy that could be leveraged to contain Houthi expansion and restore stability. The STC, controls key areas including Aden, Mukalla, and strategic ports along the Gulf of Aden. Experts suggest that bolstering these forces could create a counterbalance to Houthi dominance in the north, especially as the Houthis continue to launch drone and missile attacks on Red Sea shipping and Israeli targets. The proposal remains controversial, given the STC's separatist ambitions and the complex web of alliances in Yemen. However, proponents argue that realpolitik demands a shift from idealistic unity frameworks to pragmatic partnerships that reflect realities on the ground.
Los Angeles Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Israel bombs Damascus military HQ as sectarian strife rages in Syria
BEIRUT — Israeli warplanes pounded Syrian government buildings in the capital of Damascus on Wednesday, escalating its monthslong campaign against Syria's new authorities amid heavy clashes between government forces and the country's Druze minority. The roar of jet engines reverberated around Damascus' downtown districts as Israeli drones and warplanes peppered the Syrian military's General Staff headquarters in the capital with missiles, engulfing sections of the compound in multiple fireballs. Bombs also were dropped near the presidential palace. The bombing of Damascus comes as Israel continues to wage a multi-front war against most of its neighbors just weeks after it launched a campaign against Iran in hopes of destroying its nuclear capabilities. On Wednesday, even as it continued fighting in Syria, it launched attacks in Lebanon on what it said were assets for the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, even while pressing its campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel has hewed to a zero-threat-tolerance policy with the government of Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda-affiliated rebel leader — he split from the group years ago — who was designated a terrorist by the U.S. until earlier this year. In the hours after Assad fell, Israeli troops occupied a swath of territory along the border with Syria stretching toward neighboring Daraa province, adding to land Israel already annexed in the Golan Heights in 1981. (The occupation is considered illegal by international law.) At the same time, the Israeli military launched an all-out air campaign to destroy Assad-era materiel it feared could be used against it in a future conflict. Since then, Israel has barreled its way into Syria's complicated sectarian dynamics, vowing to defend the country's Druze minority from the Islamist-dominated government: Over the last few months, it repeatedly hit Syrian security forces moving to subdue Druze-dominated areas; critics say it has used recent sectarian unrest as a justification to destabilize a once-troublesome neighbor. The Druze, members of a religious sect that is an offshoot of Ismailism, number around 1 million people across the world, half of them in Syria. Most of the others are spread between Lebanon and Israel. During Syria's 14-year civil war, the Druze, wary of jihadi groups dominating the anti-Assad opposition, formed militias that fought the rebels but maintained a wary distance from Assad's government as well. Though many Druze were pleased to see Assad toppled, they — like other minorities in the country— remain fearful of the government's jihadist origins. Recent sectarian unrest — such as in March, when government-linked factions massacred some 1,500 people, mostly from the Alawite sect — have only increased their suspicion. Then in May, other clashes in Druze-majority areas near Damascus left 39 people dead Druze community leaders have resisted calls to have their militias stand down, insisting they will not surrender arms until government-affiliated factions disband. Fighting began on Sunday, when an intensifying wave of tit-for-tat kidnappings and robberies between Bedouin tribes and Druze militias near Sweida devolved into open conflict. As casualties mounted, the government announced a ceasefire agreement brokered with Sweida's Druze leaders and dispatched its forces to secure the city. But fighting soon restarted, with a Druze leader accusing security forces of indiscriminate shelling, while the government on Wednesday said that 'outlaw groups' fired on Druze personnel and that the militia reserved its right to respond. Later on Wednesday, a Druze religious leader, Sheikh Yusef Al-Jarboo, announced another ceasefire agreement with the government that would end all fighting in Sweida. But it was rejected by another Druze notable, who urged his co-religionists to continue fighting. 'There is no agreement, negotiation or mandate with the armed gangs that falsely call themselves the government,' said Sheikh Hikmat Hajari, a figure long opposed to the new authorities. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor with a network of activists in Syria, said 248 people have been killed in the violence since Sunday, including 21 people — three of them women — killed in field executions by government forces. Activists spoke of additional infractions, publishing videos depicting government-affiliated gunmen forcibly shaving the mustaches of captured Druze fighters and harassing Druze civilians. Another clip depicts sword-toting government fighters entering Sweida and vowing to slaughter Druze. Druze fighters also uploaded videos to social media showing them beating up security personnel or posing with their corpses. Al-Sharaa, whose government has yet to release a report investigating responsibility for the Alawite massacres in March, issued a statement Wednesday vowing that government forces 'will be held accountable legally.' 'We will never allow this to happen without punishment,' he said. In a statement posted to X, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military 'will continue to operate forcefully' in Sweida against government forces 'until their complete withdrawal,' and vowed a series of 'painful blows' would follow — a threat soon made good when live broadcasts showed plumes of smoke shooting out of the military headquarters' compound in Damascus. Meanwhile, Israel's military brought additional units to the border with Syria and inside the Israeli-occupied Syrian buffer zone. In a statement, it said it has struck more than 160 targets in Syria, mostly in the Sweida area since Monday. As strikes began in Damascus and areas of southern Syria, more than 1,000 Israeli Druze assembled near the Israeli-Syrian border to protest violence against their co-religionists; they broke through the barrier and entered Syria, according to the Israeli military, which was returning them to Israeli territory. The military said it also had prevented Syrians from entering Israel. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is 'very concerned' by the sectarian fighting in Syria. 'We want the fighting to stop,' Rubio said. He added the United States was coordinating with relevant parties to end the conflict. 'Hopefully we'll have some updates later today.'
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Trump vs Putin: When a reality star meet a real dictator
Aditi Prasad is the Editor (Videos) at The Times of India and a certified geopolitics junkie. This blog is her escape hatch from studio chaos and the tyranny of breaking news. Flashback 2024 – Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that he alone could end the devastating Ukraine War, and that too in just 24 hours. Now six months later, Trump is facing an embarrassing reality, that Vladimir Putin is simply not willing to play ball. Trump's bluster has met its match in Putin's iron fist – and guess who's winning? TRUMP-PUTIN GEOPOLITICAL CIRCUS With Donald Trump around, geo-politics is no longer a matter of gravitas; it has become a circus where no one seems to know who the ringmaster is or for that matter, even who the clown is. The only predictable trait that Trump displays is unpredictability and a penchant to announce he is going to punish a nation… or its leader. And his latest target is Vladimir Putin who has been helming Russia for about 25 years. When campaigning in 2024, Trump would insist Putin is a 'great guy' and that he will bring an end to the wars around the world. Trump publicly even humiliated the Ukraine president Vladimir Zelenskyy at the White House and bullied him into re-starting peace talks with Putin's Russia. Back then, there were conspiracy theorists in Washington who pronounced that Trump is somehow beholden to Putin. Some wondered if he is genuinely obsessed with getting the Nobel Peace prize. But there are only a limited number of stunts that you can perform in a circus. Trump eventually realised that he and his team have spectacularly failed to stop the two conflicts that really matter: the war between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas and the big one between Russia and Ukraine that is on since February 2022. HOW PUTIN TURNED THE TABLES A few months ago, Trump blamed Zelenskyy for the prolonged war and virtually hailed Putin as a leader who seeks peace. Predictably, it took a few weeks for the tables to turn. Now, Putin is the arch villain and Trump has thunderingly vowed all sorts of punishments against Putin and Russia. The latest bouquet of threat from Washington is two fold: the United States will impose even more punitive sanctions against Russia. And it will also impose a further 100% tariff on Russian goods. Suddenly, the neocons in Washington who were in hibernation since November 2024 when Trump won the elections are back in action, guns blazing and regime change delusions unfolding. The primary target is Putin and Russia. But this avatar of Trump is also going after China, India and Brazil. Why? Because, Trump aides say that the three countries are strengthening Putin by maintaining trade and other ties with Russia. In their fantasy world, these neocons think such backyard bullying will bring Putin down to his knees. And then who knows? Putin could sue for peace and then Zelenskyy would nominate Trump for yet another Nobel Peace prize. The problem is: it is fantasy and Trump is engaging in childish games. For one, the United States has already imposed every possible sanction against Russia since February 2022 when it invaded Ukraine. Virtually all economic and financial assets of Russia and Russian entities have been frozen and or seized. The country has been locked out of the dollar designated global financial system. Trade is more or less frozen. According to the US chamber of commerce, trade between US and Russia amounted to a paltry $3.5 billion in 2024. What difference will it make to Putin if Trump imposes another 100% tariffs? Perhaps the Trump Team is aware of this. So why not go after China, India and Brazil to checkmate Putin? TRUMP'S MODI, XI LULA 'FANTASY' But again, it is a fantasy that will remain one. Take the case of India. Since February 2022, it has ignored sustained pressure from G-7 countries and 'increased' oil purchases at bargain prices from Russia. Does anyone think India will cave in now? For that matter, does anyone seriously think that Brazil will cave in? The very thought of Xi Jinping caving in is laughable. Together, the three countries have a GDP that almost equals that of the US. Not to mention Europe that is still very dependent on gas imports from Russia. Geo-politically speaking, the post Cold War era of a unipolar world is long gone. It is a multipolar world. Trump can bluff and bluster and perform for the gallery. He can threaten Putin with all manner of punishments. But the man in Kremlin will keep doing what he does. Rule Russia with an iron fist and engage with the rest of the world as he pleases. Meanwhile, the circus in Washington could move elsewhere. And don't be surprised in a few weeks time if Trump shifts focus and announces he is resuming efforts to take over Greenland. Or making Canada the 51st state of the US. Mere mortals like us can only watch and applaud the performance. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
