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Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Ukraine says it hit Russian oil refinery in drone exchanges; key talks loom
Ukraine's military has said it struck an oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region in an overnight drone attack, causing explosions and destruction, according to an army statement, as daily aerial exchanges intensify with diplomatic momentum to end the war in play. Saratov's governor said on Sunday that one person was killed and several residential apartments and an industrial facility were damaged, but did not mention the oil refinery being struck. '[Ukrainian] drones are targeting … deeper into Russian territory [than] in the past, where previous attacks have been focused on the line of contact in the south and the western parts of Russia,' said Al Jazeera's Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Moscow. It is still unclear whether Ukraine's claims that it hit a refinery are true, he added. Ukraine's military also said on Sunday that it had taken back a village in the Sumy region from the Russian army, which has made significant recent gains there. Ukrainian troops have 'liberated and completely cleared' Russian forces from Bezsalivka, the military general staff said in a Telegram post. It said 18 Russian troops had been 'eliminated' in the fighting. Russia's war in Ukraine is now into its fourth year, as European leaders have welcomed plans by United States President Donald Trump to hold direct talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on ending the conflict. In Ukraine, three swimmers were killed by unexploded objects in the country's southern Odesa region at two beaches where swimming has been banned, regional officials said on Sunday. The Black Sea region has long been a popular summer destination, but authorities have urged caution since Russia's full-scale invasion left mines scattered near its coast. 'All of them were blown up by explosive objects while swimming in prohibited recreational zones,' Regional governor Oleh Kiper said in a statement. On Saturday, Russia launched a drone attack on a bus in Ukraine's Kherson region, killing at least two people and wounding 16 others, according to Ukrainian officials. Another drone hit the bus as the police were responding to the attack, injuring three officers, the police added. Russian attacks on Ukraine's Zaporizhia region also killed two people travelling in a car in the Bilenkivska community on Saturday, as well as a 61-year-old woman who was in her home in the Vasylivka district, a local official reported. Ukraine's air force said it intercepted 16 of the 47 Russian drones launched overnight, while 31 drones hit targets across 15 different locations. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 97 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight and 21 more on Saturday morning. Europe stresses support for Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin talks Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected any suggestion of land concessions to Russia as international efforts to end the war continue. Trump, who had promised to end the war within 24 hours of reentering the White House in January, plans to meet Putin in Alaska on Friday, saying the parties were close to a deal that could resolve the conflict. Trump is reportedly open to inviting Zelenskyy to Alaska, but there has been no confirmation as of yet. Putin has insisted the conditions must be right for him and the Ukrainian leader to meet in person. The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Finland, together with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, on Sunday issued a joint statement welcoming Trump's efforts, while stressing the need to maintain support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia. 'The emphasis [of the European statement was] … that this is a war that is in Ukraine, but is in Europe too, and has huge potential ramifications for European security,' said Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford, reporting from Ukraine's capital of Kyiv. The Wall Street Journal also reported that European officials who met US Vice President JD Vance in the UK on Saturday had presented a counterproposal for peace, which included demands that a ceasefire must take place before any other steps are taken. The proposal also said that any territory exchanges must be reciprocal, with firm security guarantees.
Al Jazeera
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Who are the Druze and why is Israel bombing Syria to ‘protect' them?
Who are the Druze and why is Israel bombing Syria to 'protect' them? NewsFeed Israel has bombed Syria, saying it is acting to 'protect' Syria's Druze minority after fighting broke out between Syrian government forces and Druze fighters. But who are the Druze and what do they have to do with Israel? Osama Bin Javaid explains from Damascus. Video Duration 01 minutes 18 seconds 01:18 Video Duration 03 minutes 11 seconds 03:11 Video Duration 00 minutes 32 seconds 00:32 Video Duration 01 minutes 06 seconds 01:06 Video Duration 01 minutes 36 seconds 01:36 Video Duration 00 minutes 58 seconds 00:58 Video Duration 01 minutes 05 seconds 01:05
Al Jazeera
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
The Take: Why is Israel escalating its strikes against Syria?
Israel has attacked Syrian government forces in a wave of deadly air strikes, at the same time as violence has gripped the southern province of Suwayda. In the spotlight is Syria's Druze minority, also present in Israel. What does the fighting spell for Syria's future? In this episode: Osama Bin Javaid (@osamabinjavaid), Al Jazeera correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced by Amy Walters and Tamara Khandaker, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Duha Mosaad, Melanie Marich, Marya Khan, Kisaa Zehra and our guest host, Manuel Rapalo. It was edited by Sarí el-Khalili and Kylene Kiang. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
Al Jazeera
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Live: Israel kills at least 40 in attacks on tent shelters, school in Gaza
Israeli attacks on Gaza kill at least 40 and injure more than 100 on Wednesday, medical sources tell Al Jazeera, as the death toll continues to mount from overnight strikes on the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says United States Republican party lawmakers support his 'very clear position' on the need to bomb 'food and aid depots' in least 51,305 Palestinians have been confirmed killed and 117,096 wounded in Israel's war on Gaza since it began 18 months Gaza Government Media Office updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive. Update: Date: 1m ago (00:07 GMT) Title: WATCH: Israeli raid turns Gaza school shelter into graveyard Content: As we previously reported, on Wednesday, Israeli forces attacked a school in Gaza City's Tuffah neighbourhood, which was sheltering displaced Palestinians, killing at least 13 people. The school blaze, part of strikes that have killed dozens of people across the Palestinian enclave over the past day, left classrooms full of charred bodies. Survivors described flames engulfing the shelter, with children among the dead and many more injured. Al Jazeera's Osama Bin Javaid reports: This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Update: Date: 4m ago (00:04 GMT) Title: A recap of recent developments Content: Update: Date: 8m ago (00:00 GMT) Title: Welcome to our live coverage Content: Hello, and thank you for joining our live coverage of Israel's war on Gaza as well as its attacks on the occupied West Bank and the wider region. Follow this page for round-the-clock updates on the latest developments. You can read about the key events from Wednesday, April 23, here.
