Latest news with #YoavGallant
Daily Tribune
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
Israel Targets Syrian Military Sites Amid Rising Tensions in Sweida
The Israeli military has announced it struck the entrance of a Syrian military headquarters in Damascus and also targeted the city of Sweida, a majority-Druze area in southern Syria. According to Syria's state news agency SANA, Israeli drones hit military positions in Sweida where Syrian forces had recently deployed. A reporter on the ground witnessed an Israeli strike hitting a military truck at the western entrance of Sweida, where Syrian troops had gathered. This comes after Israel warned Syria to withdraw its forces from the south of the country, where deadly clashes have broken out between Druze and Bedouin communities. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israel "will not abandon the Druze in Syria" and stressed the need to enforce a demilitarized zone in southern Syria. He warned that Israeli attacks would intensify if Syrian troops did not leave the area. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier declared that southern Syria must remain free of military presence, stating that Israel would not tolerate the Syrian government's forces near its border. In Israel, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community, described the situation as 'an existential battle' for the Druze people. The situation remains tense, with both military and political leaders warning of more action if Syrian forces do not pull back.
Shafaq News
a day ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
ICC rejects Israel's bid to cancel Netanyahu, Gallant warrants
Shafaq News – Lahay/Middle East Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) rejected Israel's request to cancel arrest warrants issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. According to a statement, the court also declined a separate Israeli request to suspend the broader investigation into alleged atrocities committed in the Palestinian territories. The ICC satted that it will proceed with reviewing Israel's legal challenges concerning the court's jurisdiction over the war in Gaza. Earlier, (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Security Minister Yoav Gallant in connection with "alleged war crimes" in Gaza.
Daily News Egypt
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Israel escalates airstrikes on Syria amid surging violence in Suwayda
Israel has sharply escalated its aerial bombardment of Syria, launching strikes on the capital Damascus and the southern province of Suwayda in what Defence Minister Yoav Gallant described as 'painful attacks' targeting Syrian state institutions and military sites. The wave of strikes has drawn mounting regional and international condemnation and renewed fears of a wider conflict. According to Syria's Ministry of Health, three people were killed and 34 others injured after Israeli warplanes carried out three consecutive airstrikes on the headquarters of the General Staff in central Damascus. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported additional strikes near the international highway in Daraa. Meanwhile, Israeli military sources told Yedioth Ahronoth that the Israeli Air Force fired over 100 missiles at Syrian army tanks and vehicles in Suwayda. An Israeli military spokesperson said the strikes were 'a message to the Syrian government regarding the events in Suwayda,' while the army claimed to remain 'deeply committed to our alliance with the Druze community.' Defence Minister Gallant vowed that Israel would continue its operations until Syrian forces withdraw from the conflict zone. The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented 169 deaths and more than 200 injuries in Suwayda since clashes began last Sunday, with victims reportedly including civilians, women, children, and medical staff. The violence erupted after the Syrian army and internal security forces deployed to reassert control over the province, which has experienced a security vacuum since December 2024. Despite the government's announcement of a comprehensive ceasefire, Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri denied reaching any such agreement, instead calling for resistance against what he labelled 'internal occupation.' The ceasefire plan announced by Syria's Ministry of Interior included an immediate end to hostilities, the establishment of local security checkpoints, disarmament of groups outside state control, and the resumption of government institutions in Suwayda. It also outlined the creation of a fact-finding committee and compensation for victims. Israel's military escalation has triggered strong international backlash. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the strikes and called for respect for Syria's sovereignty and an end to foreign interventions. The Arab League denounced the attacks as 'thuggery that cannot be tolerated' and expressed full solidarity with Syria. Several Arab states—including Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, and Egypt—along with Turkey and France, voiced deep concern over the deteriorating situation and warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Suwayda. US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack also condemned the violence against civilians and called for an immediate ceasefire. Separately, Axios cited a senior US official saying Washington was close to brokering a security understanding between Israel and Syria, but the latest escalation could derail progress. The official noted intelligence indicating no direct Syrian government involvement in the atrocities in Suwayda, and pointed to political pressure from Israel's Druze community as a factor behind the strikes. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed serious concern over Israel's actions and confirmed that Washington is engaging both Syrian and Israeli officials to reduce tensions. He attributed the violence partly to a 'long-standing tribal conflict' in southwestern Syria and reiterated US hopes of restoring stability. US President Donald Trump later described the situation as a 'misunderstanding' between the two sides, saying he had spoken to leaders in Syria and Israel and hoped for de-escalation soon. With fighting ongoing in Suwayda and Israeli strikes expanding in scope, fears are rising that local clashes could spill over into a broader regional conflict. Southern Syria, already grappling with collapsing public services and a deepening humanitarian crisis, faces further instability. While the Syrian government insists it is committed to restoring order, continued Israeli intervention and internal divisions among Druze leadership risk plunging the region into renewed chaos and violence unless a comprehensive de-escalation agreement is reached, supported by robust regional and international guarantees.
Middle East Eye
a day ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
ICC judges reject Israel's request to withdraw Netanyahu arrest warrant
Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday rejected Israel's request to withdraw arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Israel made the request while the ICC reviews its challenge over the court's jurisdiction to weigh in on its war on Gaza. The decision, dated 9 July 2025, was published on the ICC website on Wednesday. The judges also rejected an Israeli request to suspend the court's broader investigation into alleged crimes in the occupied Palestinian Territories. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Israel argued that the warrants should be withdrawn, citing a decision by appeals judges at the ICC in April that ordered a lower panel to reconsider Israel's objections about the court's jurisdiction in Gaza. However, the judges rejected that reasoning, saying that Israel's jurisdictional challenge was still pending and the warrants would remain in place until the court ruled on that issue specifically. The ICC has come under intense pressure to drop its war crimes probe. Earlier this month, a senior legal advisor to the US State Department issued a dramatic threat to the court's oversight body, warning that "all options are on the table". "We will use all appropriate and effective diplomatic, political and legal instruments to block ICC overreach," Reed Rubinstein, the US representative, warned. The threat came just before the Trump administration announced it was imposing sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN's special rapporteur for Palestine. The sanctions follow Albanese's scathing report on 30 June, in which she named over 60 companies, including major US technology firms like Google, Amazon and Microsoft, which she said were involved in "the transformation of Israel's economy of occupation to an economy of genocide". Israel's effort to stop the ICC has, to date, failed to bear fruit. Middle East Eye revealed on Tuesday that a British-Israeli defence lawyer threatened in May to ''destroy" the British chief prosecutor of the ICC, Karim Khan, unless he withdrew the arrest warrants.
GMA Network
a day ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
ICC judges reject Israel's request to withdraw Netanyahu arrest warrant
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-defense minister Yoav Gallant during a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel, 28 October 2023. Abir Sultan Pool/ Pool via REUTERS/ File photo THE HAGUE — Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday rejected Israel's request to withdraw arrest warrants against its prime minister and former defense minister while the ICC reviews Israeli challenges to its jurisdiction over the conduct of the Gaza war. In a decision published on the ICC website, judges also rejected an Israeli request to suspend the wider ICC investigation into alleged atrocity crimes in the Palestinian Territories. The ICC issued arrest warrants on November 21 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense chief, Yoav Gallant, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict. The court said in February that judges had withdrawn the arrest warrant for al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, following credible reports of his death. Israel rejects the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes in Gaza, where it has waged a military campaign it says is aimed at eliminating Hamas since the deadly attack on Israel by the militant Palestinian group on October 7, 2023. It is contesting the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant. Israel has argued that an appeals chamber decision in April ordering the pre-trial chamber to review Israel's objections to the court's jurisdiction means there is no valid jurisdictional basis for the warrants. The judges rejected that reasoning as incorrect, saying on Wednesday that Israel's jurisdictional challenge to the arrest warrants was still pending and the warrants would remain in place until the court ruled on that issue specifically. There is no timeline for a ruling on jurisdiction in this case. In June the United States imposed sanctions on four judges at the ICC, an unprecedented retaliation over the war tribunal's issuance of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Two of the sanctioned judges are on the panel that ruled to reject Israel's request to withdraw the warrants. — Reuters
