Latest news with #confrontation
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Taiwan will 'not provoke confrontation' with China, vice president says
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan will not provoke a confrontation with China, the self-ruled island's vice president said Friday, lamenting Beijing's 'aggressive military posturing' against the island democracy that China claims as its own. 'We do not seek conflict. We will not provoke confrontation,' said Bi-khim Hsiao, adding that her government has urged Beijing to communicate 'with parity and respect.'
France 24
3 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Sharaa's pullout from Syria Druze heartland exposes shaky leadership
Since seizing office in December after ousting longtime autocrat Bashar al-Assad, Sharaa has worked to recast himself from jihadist to statesman, even earning praise from US President Donald Trump as a "tough guy". But in the early hours of Thursday, he was forced to announce the withdrawal of troops from the Druze-majority city of Sweida, framing it as an effort to avoid confrontation with Israel and prevent further destabilisation in a country still reeling from 14 years of war. AFP looks at what drove Syria's interim president to this withdrawal -- and whether his leadership is now fatally undermined. 'Imbalance of power' In his Thursday speech, Sharaa praised the "effective intervention of American, Arab and Turkish mediation, which saved the region from an unknown fate". That followed Israeli air strikes targeting the Syrian military headquarters and the vicinity of the presidential palace in Damascus. It also came amid diplomatic pressure from the United States. Gamal Mansur, a comparative politics researcher specialising in Syrian and Israeli studies at the University of Toronto, said he believed "the withdrawal was imposed on the authorities due to the imbalance of power caused by Israel's presence". Syria "was forced to retreat because its position in Sweida was not that strong and it was unable to retain the land in Sweida without a high price that would force a second Israeli intervention", he said. Sharaa admitted on Thursday that his options to avoid "open war" with Israel were limited. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire in Syria was "obtained by force" and "not by demands, not by pleas". A senior Western diplomat, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic, told AFP that Sharaa "is very aware of the situation that he is in and he is realistic". "He knows Syria is at a weak point and that the best option is to reach a deal with the Israelis." Heiko Wimmen, project director for Iraq, Syria and Lebanon at International Crisis Group, said Sharaa's pullback showed he was "making a further step towards accepting that Israel basically projects power onto the doorstep of Damascus". Since leading the overthrow of Assad, Sharaa has repeatedly said his country does not seek conflicts with its neighbours. Damascus has acknowledged holding indirect talks to reduce tensions with Israel, which has occupied Syria's Golan Heights since 1967. The Israeli army deployed troops into the UN-patrolled zone on the Golan after the fall of Assad and launched hundreds of bombing raids. Mansur believes the Sweida events "will place Israel in a better position and with stronger negotiating terms". The Western diplomat said that while full normalisation was unlikely, Israel could still reach a favourable security agreement with Syria. Internal pressure Sharaa and his government have been pushing for unified control of the country from Damascus, with the various armed factions, often tied to ethnic or religious identities, merged into the state's armed forces. That goal was undermined by the events in Sweida, which remains outside Damascus's direct control, and major sectarian clashes like the coastal massacres in March, during which more than 1,700 mostly Alawite civilians were killed. Sharaa's ability to control armed factions loyal to him, which include extremist groups and foreign jihadists, was heavily questioned following those incidents. Washington had previously demanded that "foreign terrorists" leave Syria. These developments reveal "the weakness of Sharaa's authority", Mansur said, adding the Syrian leader needed to consolidate his authority and secure control over the state's security apparatus. Additionally, the Kurds in northeastern Syria are still demanding a decentralised system despite repeated rejections by Damascus. Bedran Ciya Kurd, a senior official in the autonomous administration, said on Thursday that Damascus should "review" its attitude towards minorities. Syria's Kurds may be in a stronger position after the Sweida clashes, according to Wimmen, who said there was now a "big question mark" over the idea of full integration with Damascus. The Kurds now have "many reasons to be very careful about any form of integration", he said.
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
What a Wild Week in Washington Means for Your Wallet
Two developments out of DC this week could reshape your portfolio — if they haven't already. The first: President Donald Trump escalated his confrontation with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Trump said he's not planning to fire Powell, yet still managed to make it sound like a threat.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Hegseth lashed out at DOGE official in tense Pentagon confrontation
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at the Pentagon's top representative from Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service weeks ago in an angry confrontation arising from claims the DOGE official had summoned law enforcement to remove a subordinate from the building, according to three people familiar with the matter. The tense encounter in early April occurred with Yinon Weiss, a tech entrepreneur and military veteran like the secretary who had just become Musk's team lead at the Defense Department. Raising his voice at times, Hegseth demanded that Weiss explain why he thought he possessed such authority, these people said, all speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid reprisal by the Trump administration.
Al Mayadeen
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
Netanyahu, army chief clash over Gaza ethnic cleansing plans
A heated confrontation broke out in the Israeli occupation Prime Minister's office on Thursday evening, exposing deep fractures between political and military leaders over the future of operations in the Gaza Strip. The contentious meeting, revealed in a report by Channel 12's political correspondent Yaron Avraham, centered on the Israeli occupation forces' next steps should negotiations for a prisoner exchange collapse in the coming days. The gathering, which included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and several far-right cabinet members, quickly descended into what Israeli media called 'the loudest confrontation yet' between the military and political leadership since the start of the war. According to the report, ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir launched sharp criticisms of the Israeli occupation forces' performance in Gaza, accusing the military of failing to meet its objectives. 'You haven't done what you promised,' they reportedly told Zamir. In response, the IOF chief rejected claims of stagnation, asserting that the Israeli occupation forces were carrying out their assigned missions. 'We are doing exactly what we were tasked with,' Zamir said, warning politicians to 'be careful with their words,' especially while soldiers were 'being killed in battle.' Netanyahu, visibly agitated, reportedly shifted the discussion toward a large-scale civilian evacuation plan. 'We need a plan to evacuate residents to the south of the Gaza Strip,' he said. He later emphasized that leaving Hamas in control of any part of the territory was unacceptable, declaring, 'I will not allow Hamas to remain in Gaza under any circumstances.' Smotrich supported the idea of intensifying the campaign, suggesting a full blockade on northern Gaza. 'Impose a siege on the north. That's how we'll topple Hamas quickly,' he reportedly said. Zamir pushed back, questioning the feasibility of such a move. 'Do you want military governance? Who will manage two million people?' he asked. He warned that displacing civilians without adequate infrastructure or planning could lead to chaos and provoke a backlash against Israeli forces. 'Managing these people while they're hungry and angry could result in a loss of control. They might explode in our faces.' At that point, Netanyahu reportedly raised his voice and insisted, 'The army and the State of Israel will handle it. I don't want military rule, but I want them moved to a large civilian area. The alternative is a full re-occupation of the Strip, and that means killing the hostages. I won't allow that.' Despite Zamir's objections and insistence that such a plan had not yet been agreed upon, Netanyahu concluded the meeting with an order: 'Prepare the evacuation plan. I want it on my desk when I return from Washington.' An intensifying internal rift has emerged within the Israeli government as the Security and Finance ministries battle over critical defense funding for recent wars on Gaza and Iran that were not included in the 2025 state budget, Israeli media reported. The Security Ministry has requested an emergency allocation of 60 billion shekels to cover the cost of the unplanned offensives. However, the Finance Ministry has refused to approve the increase, leading to delays in acquiring essential equipment, including Arrow missile interceptors and armored vehicles needed by forces deployed in Gaza. Senior security officials said the Finance Ministry is even withholding funds already approved by a joint commission established to manage long-term "defense planning". They highlighted the financial burden of deploying reservists, estimated at 1.2 billion shekels per month, as a key point of contention. 'The ground offensive on Gaza was not part of the budget. The reserve force had to be called up more than expected,' said one security official. 'The Home Front Command alone needed tens of thousands of reservists.' The Israeli occupation forces have urgently requested the procurement of at least 500 new Hummer vehicles, citing the deteriorating condition of older jeeps, many of which have logged over one million kilometers and have sustained damage from anti-tank attacks and explosives. Although 632 new vehicles are already in production, the Finance Ministry's delay in approving payments threatens their delivery. Security sources warn the vehicles may be sold to other foreign armies if funding isn't secured promptly. The Air Force is also struggling to replenish stockpiles of critical munitions. Supplies of Arrow missile interceptors were significantly depleted during the 12-day confrontation with Iran and remain vital to ongoing operations, particularly against missile threats from Ansar Allah in Yemen and the potential for renewed aggression on Iran. Finance officials argue that the Israeli military's reliance on reserve forces has become excessive, calling many of the deployments unnecessary and urging the military to scale back. They also point to "Israel's" growing security export revenues as a possible buffer against additional internal military spending.
