Latest news with #IsraeliArmedForces
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Israel says UN chief warned it could be listed in upcoming sexual violence report
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned Israel about potentially listing the country's armed forces in an upcoming UN report on sexual violence, according to the spokesperson for Israel's mission to the UN. 'I am putting Israeli armed and security forces on notice for potential listing in the next reporting cycle, due to significant concerns of patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the United Nations,' Guterres wrote in the letter sent to Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the UN, on Monday. The UN's Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict publishes an annual report titled Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, in which it documents sexual violence committed in armed conflict. Guterres' letter to Danon, which was shared by Israel's mission to the UN, said the UN is concerned about 'credible information of violations by Israeli armed and security forces, perpetrated against Palestinians in several prisons, a detention center and military base.' 'Due to consistent denial of access to United Nations monitors,' the letter said, 'it has been challenging to make a definitive determination regarding patterns, trends and systematicity of sexual violence in these situations.' Guterres urged Israel to take 'necessary measures to ensure immediate cessation of all acts of sexual violence.' A 2024 report by leading Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said that sexual violence was repeatedly carried out by soldiers or prison guards against Palestinian detainees. The IDF repeatedly rejected allegations of systematic abuse. Israel runs several prison facilities that hold Palestinians, including Sde Teiman and Ketziot Prison in the country's Negev desert, Megiddo and Gilboa near the West Bank, Etzion in Jerusalem, and more. Last summer, Israel transferred hundreds of Palestinian detainees out of Sde Teiman following a petition from human rights groups – which drew heavily on CNN reporting about the makeshift prison – for it to be shut down. In September, the High Court of Justice warned the prison must abide by the law, but did not order the government to shut it down. Responding to the letter on Tuesday, Danon said the 'Secretary-General chooses once again to adopt as their word baseless accusations, which are steeped in biased publications,' urging the UN to focus on sexual violence committed by Hamas. In March, a UN commission found that Israel had 'increasingly employed sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence' against Palestinians 'as part of a broader effort to undermine their right to self-determination.' It also accused Israel of carrying out 'genocidal acts through the systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities.' Israel's mission to the UN in Geneva strongly rejected the statement at the time, calling it a 'shameless attempt to incriminate' the Israeli military. Last year, a UN team also found 'clear and convincing' information that hostages in Gaza were sexually abused and there are 'reasonable grounds' to believe the sexual violence was ongoing there. Pramila Patten, the UN special envoy on sexual violence in conflict, said the team had found 'reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence, including rape and gang rape occurred' during Hamas' October 7 terror attack in Israel. It amounted to the UN's most definitive finding on allegations of sexual assault in the aftermath of the attack. CNN's Catherine Nicholls contributed reporting.
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Israel says UN chief warned it could be listed in upcoming sexual violence report
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned Israel about potentially listing the country's armed forces in an upcoming UN report on sexual violence, according to the spokesperson for Israel's mission to the UN. 'I am putting Israeli armed and security forces on notice for potential listing in the next reporting cycle, due to significant concerns of patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the United Nations,' Guterres wrote in the letter sent to Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the UN, on Monday. The UN's Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict publishes an annual report titled Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, in which it documents sexual violence committed in armed conflict. Guterres' letter to Danon, which was shared by Israel's mission to the UN, said the UN is concerned about 'credible information of violations by Israeli armed and security forces, perpetrated against Palestinians in several prisons, a detention center and military base.' 'Due to consistent denial of access to United Nations monitors,' the letter said, 'it has been challenging to make a definitive determination regarding patterns, trends and systematicity of sexual violence in these situations.' Guterres urged Israel to take 'necessary measures to ensure immediate cessation of all acts of sexual violence.' A 2024 report by leading Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said that sexual violence was repeatedly carried out by soldiers or prison guards against Palestinian detainees. The IDF repeatedly rejected allegations of systematic abuse. Israel runs several prison facilities that hold Palestinians, including Sde Teiman and Ketziot Prison in the country's Negev desert, Megiddo and Gilboa near the West Bank, Etzion in Jerusalem, and more. Last summer, Israel transferred hundreds of Palestinian detainees out of Sde Teiman following a petition from human rights groups – which drew heavily on CNN reporting about the makeshift prison – for it to be shut down. In September, the High Court of Justice warned the prison must abide by the law, but did not order the government to shut it down. Responding to the letter on Tuesday, Danon said the 'Secretary-General chooses once again to adopt as their word baseless accusations, which are steeped in biased publications,' urging the UN to focus on sexual violence committed by Hamas. In March, a UN commission found that Israel had 'increasingly employed sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence' against Palestinians 'as part of a broader effort to undermine their right to self-determination.' It also accused Israel of carrying out 'genocidal acts through the systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities.' Israel's mission to the UN in Geneva strongly rejected the statement at the time, calling it a 'shameless attempt to incriminate' the Israeli military. Last year, a UN team also found 'clear and convincing' information that hostages in Gaza were sexually abused and there are 'reasonable grounds' to believe the sexual violence was ongoing there. Pramila Patten, the UN special envoy on sexual violence in conflict, said the team had found 'reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence, including rape and gang rape occurred' during Hamas' October 7 terror attack in Israel. It amounted to the UN's most definitive finding on allegations of sexual assault in the aftermath of the attack. CNN's Catherine Nicholls contributed reporting.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran launches missile strike on Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv
Iranian ballistic missiles have hit the Kirya military headquarters of the Israeli Armed Forces, considered the Israeli equivalent of the Pentagon. Source: Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, live from Tel Aviv Details: Yingst said Iran had launched around 150 ballistic missiles on Israel during the evening. Some of them penetrated the air defence system and hit key targets, including the Kirya complex, which is a strategic military centre in central Tel Aviv, where the headquarters of the Israeli Defence Forces is located. "This is Israel's version of the Pentagon, the Kiryat. And the building on this compound was just hit," Yingst reported. "An entire block nearly completely destroyed, wiped off the map. Rescue crews were digging through the rubble… trying to pick up heat signatures of possible bodies," he said. Despite the active response of Israeli and US defence systems, such as Iron Dome, David's Sling, Arrow, Patriot and THAAD, some of the missiles managed to penetrate the defences. "It is not enough to stop this incoming fire," Yingst noted. "We saw missiles slamming into the ground, causing significant damage and killing at least one person," he added. "And this is just the beginning of what is a quickly developing war between Israel and Iran," Yingst reported. Background: On the night of 13-14 June, Iran launched another missile attack on Israel: explosions were heard in several cities, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Early reports indicated that one of the missiles had hit a high-rise building in the centre of Tel Aviv. On the evening of 13 June, Iran launched missile strikes on Israel. The Israel Defence Forces reported that Iran fired around 150 ballistic missiles. On the night of 12-13 June, Israel attacked Tehran and its outskirts and other cities across the country. Israel described its attack as preemptive and aimed at undermining Iran's nuclear programme and military sites. The strikes reportedly killed Major General Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Gholamali Rashid, Head of the IRGC's Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces and six nuclear scientists. Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesperson for Iran's Armed Forces, warned that Tehran would respond to Israel's strikes, noting that the United States would "pay dearly" despite Washington's assurances of its non-involvement. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
