Latest news with #US-mediated
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Hezbollah member sentenced to death over killing of Irish peacekeeper Seán Rooney (23)
Judicial sources said Mohammad Ayyad had already been sentenced in absentia to death, and three others – Hussein Suleiman, Mustafa Suleiman and Ali Hakim – received only fines ranging from about $1,100 (€952) to $2,200. Defendants Ali Khalifeh and Ali Suleiman were sentenced to one and three months in prison, respectively. A seventh defendant, Mohammad Mezher, was acquitted. A security source said Ayyad was briefly detained in connection with the incident, but was released on bail in November 2023 after his lawyer provided medical documents showing he had cancer. Private Rooney, a 23-year-old Unifil peacekeeper from Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal, was killed on December 15, 2022, when the UN vehicle he was in was fired on in southern Lebanon. It was the first fatal attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon since 2015. Pte Rooney and several other Irish soldiers from Unifil were on their way from their base to Beirut airport. Two UN vehicles apparently took a detour through the town of Al-Aqbiya, which is not part of the area under the peacekeepers' mandate, and a mob opened fire. In January 2023, the Lebanese military tribunal charged seven people over the attack. In June of that year, a court document identified some of them as members of Hezbollah, the armed group that controlled the area at the time of the attack. The charges against the seven men ranged from murder to damaging a vehicle. Initial reports said angry residents confronted the peacekeepers, but the indictment concluded that the shooting was a targeted attack and alleged the defendants were linked to Hezbollah. The Lebanese officials said the defendants who appeared in court had testified that some of them were watching a sports match and noticed a vehicle passing suspiciously several times on a narrow residential street, leading a crowd to gather. They claimed they were unaware it belonged to Unifil. Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon frequently accuse the UN mission of collusion with Israel Hezbollah officials did not respond to requests for comment. Unifil was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel's 1978 invasion. The UN expanded its mission following the 2006 war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to deploy along the Israeli border to help the Lebanese military extend its authority into the country's south for the first time in decades. Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon frequently accuse the UN mission of collusion with Israel, while Israel has accused the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to Hezbollah's military activities in southern Lebanon. Unifil's mandate is up for renewal next month for the first time since last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah, which ended with a US-mediated ceasefire in November. Unifil welcomed the conclusion of the trial process and Lebanon's 'commitment to bring the perpetrators to justice'.
Euronews
5 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Thailand and Cambodia show support for US-backed ceasefire
Thailand and Cambodia have expressed their support for negotiating a US-mediated ceasefire following four days of fighting, which has so far left at least 34 people dead and displaced more than 168,000. Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday that he spoke to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia and suggested he would not move forward with trade agreements with either country if the hostilities continued. He later said both sides agreed to meet to negotiate a ceasefire. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Sunday his country agreed to pursue an 'immediate and unconditional ceasefire.' He said Trump told him that Thailand had also agreed to halt attacks following Trump's conversation with Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. 'This is positive news for the soldiers and people of both countries,' Hun Manet said in a statement. He said he tasked his deputy, Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, to coordinate next steps with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and to engage directly with Thailand's foreign minister to implement the ceasefire. Thailand expressed cautious support. Phumtham thanked Trump and said that Thailand agreed in principle to a ceasefire but stressed the need for 'sincere intention' from Cambodia, the Thai Foreign Ministry said. Phumtam called for swift bilateral talks to discuss concrete steps toward a peaceful resolution, it said. The fighting first flared up on Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia. Despite the diplomatic efforts, fighting continued Sunday along parts of the contested border, with both sides refusing to budge and trading blame over renewed shelling and troop movements. Col. Richa Suksowanont, a Thai army deputy spokesperson, said Cambodian forces fired heavy artillery into Surin province, including at civilian homes early Sunday. He said Cambodia also launched rocket attacks targeting the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple claimed by both countries, and other areas in a bid to reclaim territory secured by Thai troops. Thai forces responded with long-range artillery to strike Cambodian artillery and rocket launchers. Richa said Trump's efforts to mediate was a 'separate matter.' The battlefield operations will continue and a ceasefire can only happen if Cambodia formally initiates negotiations, he added. 'Any cessation of hostilities cannot be reached while Cambodia is severely lacking in good faith and repeatedly violating the basic principles of human rights and humanitarian law," Thailand's Foreign Ministry said separately. Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata accused Thai forces of escalating the violence with bombardment of Cambodian territory early Sunday, followed by a "large-scale incursion" involving tanks and ground troops in multiple areas. 'Such actions undermine all efforts toward peaceful resolution and expose Thailand's clear intent to escalate rather than de-escalate the conflict,' she said. Thailand on Sunday reported a new death of a soldier, bringing the total number of fatalities to 21, mostly civilians. Cambodia said 13 people have been killed. More than 131,000 people in Thailand have evacuated to safe locations and over 37,000 people fled from three Cambodian provinces. Many border villages are mostly deserted, with many schools and hospitals shut. Pichayut Surasit, an air-conditioning technician in Thailand, said the sudden outbreak of fighting meant leaving his work in Bangkok to return home to protect his family. 'I didn't have the heart to continue with my work when I heard the news. I wanted to come back as soon as possible but I had to wait until the evening,' he said. Now at a shelter in Surin housing some 6,000 evacuees, Pichayut worries for his wife and twin daughters, hoping the conflict will end soon so they can return to their home in Kap Choeng district, one of the hardest hit by shelling. Bualee Chanduang, a local vendor who moved to the same shelter Thursday with her family and pet rabbit, is counting on swift negotiations to end the violence. 'I pray for God to help that both sides can agree to talk and end this war,' she said. The UN Security Council has called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a regional bloc, to mediate peace between the two members. Human Rights Watch has condemned the reported use of cluster munitions, weapons banned by International law, in populated areas, and urged both governments to protect civilians. The 800-kilometre frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief.
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Syria seeks talks with Israeli officials to 'contain escalation'
A Syrian diplomatic source said Saturday that a US-mediated meeting with Israeli officials in Paris this week sought to "contain the escalation" after recent sectarian violence in southern Syria prompted Israeli intervention. Israel launched strikes this month on Damascus and Druze-majority Sweida province, saying it was acting both in support of the religious minority and to enforce its demands for a demilitarised southern Syria. The Syrian diplomatic source told state television on Saturday that the recent Paris meeting "brought together a delegation from the foreign ministry and the general intelligence service with the Israeli side", and addressed "recent security developments and attempts to contain the escalation in southern Syria". On Thursday, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack had said he held talks with unspecified Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris. A senior diplomat had previously told AFP that Barrack would be facilitating talks between Damascus's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. According to the source cited by state TV, the meeting "addressed the possibility of reactivating the disengagement agreement with international guarantees, while demanding the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from points where they recently advanced". After the overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that used to separate the countries' forces in the strategic Golan Heights. It has since conducted incursions deeper into southern Syria, demanding the area's total demilitarisation.
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Syria says meeting with Israeli officials sought to 'contain escalation'
DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) -- A Syrian diplomatic source said Saturday that a US-mediated meeting with Israeli officials in Paris sought to "contain the escalation" after recent sectarian violence in southern Syria prompted Israeli intervention. Israel launched strikes this month on Damascus and Druze-majority Sweida province, saying it was acting both in support of the religious minority and to enforce its demands for a demilitarized southern Syria. The Syrian diplomatic source told state television on Saturday that the recent Paris meeting "brought together a delegation from the Foreign Ministry and the general intelligence service with the Israeli side," and addressed "recent security developments and attempts to contain the escalation in southern Syria." On Thursday, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack had said he held talks with unspecified Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris. A senior diplomat had previously told Agence France-Presse that Barrack would be facilitating talks between Damascus's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. According to the source cited by state TV, the meeting "addressed the possibility of reactivating the disengagement agreement with international guarantees, while demanding the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from points where they recently advanced." After the overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar Assad in December, Israel sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that used to separate the countries' forces in the strategic Golan Heights. It has since conducted incursions deeper into southern Syria, demanding the area's total demilitarisation. Damascus had previously confirmed holding indirect contacts with Israel seeking a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement that created the buffer zone. The Paris meeting "did not result in any final agreements but rather represented initial consultations that aimed to reduce tensions and reopen communication channels in light of the ongoing escalation since early December," the diplomatic source said. More meetings were planned, the source said, adding that the Syrian side had emphasised that the country's unity and sovereignty were non-negotiable. The week of clashes in Sweida, which began on July 13, initially involved Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes, but government forces intervened on the side of the latter, according to witnesses, experts and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. The Observatory said on Saturday that the violence had killed more than 1,400 people, most of them Druze, and the vast majority in the week between July 13 and a ceasefire last weekend. On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that he spoke with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and called the ceasefire in Sweida "a positive sign." "The recent violence in Syria is a reminder of the extreme fragility" of the country's transition, Macron wrote, adding that "civilian populations must be protected." Sharaa, in a statement released by the Syrian presidency, blamed the violence in Sweida on "armed outlaw groups opposing the state and competing for influence." The state "will assume its full responsibility in imposing security and holding those who committed crimes to account," he said according to the statement, also rejecting "any external attempts, particularly by Israel, to exploit these conditions." "Sweida is an integral part of the Syrian state and its people are partners in building the nation," he said. Syrian and Israeli officials had previously met in Baku on July 12, according to a diplomatic source in Damascus, coinciding with a visit to Azerbaijan by Sharaa. The two countries have technically been at war since 1948, and Israel has occupied the Golan Heights, which it seized from Syria, since 1967. After Assad's ouster, Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria to prevent key military assets from falling into the hands of the new Islamist-led administration.
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Syria-Israel talks in Paris address Golan buffer zone, Sweida violence
DAMASCUS: A Syrian diplomatic source said Saturday that a US-mediated meeting with Israeli officials in Paris this week sought to "contain the escalation" after recent sectarian violence in southern Syria prompted Israeli intervention. Israel launched strikes this month on Damascus and Druze-majority Sweida province, saying it was acting both in support of the religious minority and to enforce its demands for a demilitarised southern Syria. The Syrian diplomatic source told state television on Saturday that the recent Paris meeting "brought together a delegation from the foreign ministry and the general intelligence service with the Israeli side", and addressed "recent security developments and attempts to contain the escalation in southern Syria." On Thursday, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack had said he held talks with unspecified Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris. A senior diplomat had previously told AFP that Barrack would be facilitating talks between Damascus's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. According to the source cited by state TV, the meeting "addressed the possibility of reactivating the disengagement agreement with international guarantees, while demanding the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from points where they recently advanced." After the overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that used to separate the countries' forces in the strategic Golan Heights. It has since conducted incursions deeper into southern Syria, demanding the area's total demilitarisation. Damascus had previously confirmed holding indirect contacts with Israel seeking a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement that created the buffer zone. The Paris meeting "did not result in any final agreements but rather represented initial consultations that aimed to reduce tensions and reopen communication channels in light of the ongoing escalation since early December", the diplomatic source said. More meetings were planned, the source said, adding that the Syrian side had emphasised that the country's unity and sovereignty were non-negotiable. The week of clashes in Sweida, which began on July 13, initially involved Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes, but government forces intervened on the side of the latter, according to witnesses, experts and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. The Observatory said on Saturday that the violence had killed more than 1,400 people, most of them Druze, and the vast majority in the week between July 13 and a ceasefire last weekend. On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that he spoke with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and called the ceasefire in Sweida "a positive sign." "The recent violence in Syria is a reminder of the extreme fragility" of the country's transition, Macron wrote, adding that "civilian populations must be protected." Sharaa, in a statement released by the Syrian presidency, blamed the violence in Sweida on "armed outlaw groups opposing the state and competing for influence." The state "will assume its full responsibility in imposing security and holding those who committed crimes to account", he said according to the statement, also rejecting "any external attempts, particularly by Israel, to exploit these conditions." "Sweida is an integral part of the Syrian state and its people are partners in building the nation," he said. Syrian and Israeli officials had previously met in Baku on July 12, according to a diplomatic source in Damascus, coinciding with a visit to Azerbaijan by Sharaa. The two countries have technically been at war since 1948, and Israel has occupied the Golan Heights, which it seized from Syria, since 1967. After Assad's ouster, Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria to prevent key military assets from falling into the hands of the new administration.--AFP
