Author: As-Satara

Israel expanded conflict by launching incursion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1 The Israeli army has begun the second phase of its ground operation in southern Lebanon, which the army says involves advancing toward Hezbollah’s second line of defense, Israeli daily Maariv reported Tuesday. “The Israeli army has initiated the second phase of the ground maneuver in southern Lebanon, with the 36th Division advancing toward Hezbollah’s second defensive line,” said Maariv. The 36th Division is an armored division and is the largest among the Israeli military formations. According to the daily, forces from the division were involved in the new…

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has instructed his forces to prepare a direct attack against Israel after deeming the Jewish nation’s retaliatory strike last week too big to ignore, according to a new report. While Khamenei attempted to downplay to the public the extent of Israel’s attack on Tehran’s military facilities, privately, he greenlit plans for a counterattack in a meeting with his Supreme National Security Council, three Iranian officials told The New York Times. The ayatollah allegedly made his decision on Monday after reviewing the damage report from his military officials, which detailed the strikes across Tehran’s missile production plants and defense systems.…

The Mossad enlisted Iranian security agents to plant explosives in the Tehran guesthouse where Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was staying, according to a report in the Telegraph. The report says the initial plan called for assassinating Haniyeh when visited Tehran in May to attend the funeral of president Ebrahim Raisi, but two Iranian officials tell the newspaper the operation was called off due to the large number of people in the building and seeming high possibility of failure. The British daily says the agents nevertheless went ahead and planted explosives in three rooms at the compound, and later left Iran. They…

All men in Russia are required to do a year-long military service, or equivalent training during higher education, from the age of 18. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree setting out the routine spring conscription campaign, calling up 150,000 citizens for statutory military service, a document posted on the Kremlin’s website showed on Sunday (31 March). All men in Russia are required to do a year-long military service, or equivalent training during higher education, from the age of 18. In July Russia’s lower house of parliament voted to raise the maximum age at which men can be conscripted to 30…

SINGAPORE – The Chinese embassy in Singapore on March 18 asked its citizens in the Republic to “stay away” from gambling, adding that cross-border gambling violates Chinese laws. The embassy, in a statement on its official WeChat account, “solemnly reminded” Chinese citizens in Singapore to steer clear of gambling, which is strictly prohibited by law in China. “Even if overseas casinos are opened legally, cross-border gambling by Chinese citizens is suspected of violating the laws of our country and face the risk of punitive actions,” said the embassy, warning that embassies may not be able to provide consular protection for…

A year ago Germany deported to Tajikistan an activist from that country’s exiled opposition movement who had been living in Dortmund since 2009. What happened next is a shocking example of what can occur when Germany fails to uphold safeguards in its increased efforts to deport unsuccessful asylum seekers. The Bundestag this month gave police greater powers to carry out deportations. The activist, Abdullohi Shamsiddin, 33, was deported to Tajikistan on January 18 2023. He was detained on arrival by the security services. Two months later he was convicted of trying to overthrow the constitution and jailed for seven years. No credible…

The Israeli army conducted operations against Hamas in Jabalya and the ground and air forces conducted a targeted raid on a Hamas command and control center, the Israeli military said on Tuesday. “[Israel army] troops are operating in the area of Jabalya, after completing the encirclement of the Jabalya camp. Over the past day, [Israel army] troops operated in Hamas strongholds and destroyed terrorist infrastructure in the area. During the activity, the [Israel army] took control of key military posts from which attacks on [Israel army] troops have been carried out. The troops struck terrorist infrastructure, located weapons and launchers in civilian compounds, and directed aerial…

The Israeli military operations intend to eliminate all military infrastructure that could threaten Israel and is not limited to Hamas; in addition, the army has intelligence on the whereabouts of the remaining 137 taken hostage by the militia, Israeli army spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said on Tuesday. Asked about “terror organizations” other than Hamas, Conricus said at an online press briefing: “Our intention is for there to be no military infrastructure in Gaza that has the ability to threaten Israeli civilians; and that includes Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and then, there are a few other smaller and even more extreme terror organizations that exist: the…

Israel’s war against Palestinian militant group Hamas playing out in the Gaza Strip has spilled over into neighboring Lebanon and could likely expand in scope to the wider Middle East, head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Aerospace Force said on Monday. “Today, we can see that the war has expanded, with Lebanon being embroiled in it,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Amir Ali Hajizadeh as saying. Tensions continue to grow north of the Israeli border, with attacks by Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah launching regular attacks targeting Israeli sites and the Israeli military returning fire. Hajizadeh added: “It is probable that the extent of clashes will grow even…

A group of French diplomats have penned a highly unusual joint memorandum deploring what they allege is a pro-Israeli bias from President Emmanuel Macron, adding to pressure on the president after sometimes controversial statements over the conflict between Israel and Hamas. French daily newspaper Le Figaro said on Monday that around a dozen French ambassadors accredited to the Middle East and North Africa countries signed the confidential note, calling it an “unprecedented gesture in the recent history of French diplomacy in the Arab world.” The exact content of the cable has not been revealed, although diplomats and sources, who spoke to AFP, confirmed…