NOURNEWS- The following headlines appeared in English-language newspapers in the Iranian capital on Sunday, November 26, 2023.
IRAN DAILY:
-- IKIA to become air transportation hub in Mideast
Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) will turn into a new air transportation hub in the Middle East, the chief executive of Chinese Hakan Company said.
Emphasizing that China’s cooperation with Iran is “unshakable and unwavering,” Hui Ka Yan stated that the development project of IKIA, in cooperation with the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, will become a role model for the development of the Silk Road, reported Tasnim news agency.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of the construction operation of the second phase of IKIA, he pointed to the amicable ties between Iran and China, and added that Chinese President Xi Jinping, during the visit of the Iranian president to China, emphasized that relations between the two countries are strategic, and he will make his utmost effort to expand the friendly relations in all areas.
The development of the airport is a turning point in cooperation between Iran and China, within the framework of a 25-Year Strategic Partnership Agreement, he said.
Speaking at the ceremony, Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash invited all airlines to join the second phase of the IKIA development project, which needs an investment of over €2.5 billion.
He emphasized that with the completion of the second phase of the project, its capacity will reach 50 million passengers per year.
The minister pointed to the development of the international airport as the biggest development project since the Islamic Revolution of Iran (1979), and said the first phase of the development project of IKIA will be completed by March 20, 2025.
“This project is also included in the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC), and we will see that the corridor will contribute to the increase of the national income of Iran as much as oil sales,” Bazrpash concluded.
-- European countries gradually distancing themselves from Israel
Israel has become locked in a diplomatic dispute with Spain and Belgium after the two European countries denounced the regime’s crimes in the Gaza Strip and called for the recognition of the Palestinian state.
The Israeli and Spanish foreign ministers exchanged harsh words and summoned each other’s ambassadors for reprimands as the dispute spiraled on Friday while Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo continued a visit to the Middle East.
Speaking in Al-Quds alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Sánchez had said the number of civilians killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza was “unbearable”.
And on Friday, on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing into Gaza, Spain’s leader said Israel was not acting within the limits of humanitarian law. “The indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, including thousands of boys and girls, [is] completely unacceptable,” he said.
His words, and similar sentiments expressed by De Croo, drew a sharp response from Eli Cohen, Israel’s foreign minister. “We condemn the false claims of the Prime Ministers of Spain and Belgium which support terrorism,” he wrote on X.
Unacceptable accusations
Spain was taken aback by the Israeli foreign minister’s response, said one Spanish official. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares in a statement on Friday night condemned Israel’s “false, misplaced and unacceptable accusations”.
Albares said Israel’s response was “especially serious” because it was aimed at the Spanish prime minister, whose country holds the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, and the leader of Belgium, which takes over the same role on January 1.
At the Rafah crossing, De Croo said Israel’s military operation had to respect international humanitarian law. “The killing of civilians needs to stop now. Way too many people have died,” he said. “The destruction of Gaza is unacceptable. We cannot accept that a society is destroyed in the way it is being destroyed.”
EU countries and G7 members have been divided over how much pressure to put on Israel to rein in its bombardment and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Other allies of Israel have started to adopt a tougher line on the stark human cost of its war in Gaza.
While acknowledging Israel’s right to self-defense, David Cameron, the UK’s foreign minister, said in an interview with the BBC on Friday that he had told Israeli officials that “they must abide by international humanitarian law, that the number of casualties are too high”.
‘Settler violence’
Cameron added that the “settler violence” against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank is “completely unacceptable”, and that those responsible should “be arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned”.
Spain has consistently spoken up for Palestinians and Sánchez on Friday called for the EU to formally recognize the state of Palestine.
Switzerland had also expressed strong support for Israel in the beginning.
However, on November 20, the country’s foreign minister announced that Switzerland will continue to support the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigations, including into the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
France, which has generally tried to maintain a balance in its relations with Israel and the Arab world for decades, was swift to draw attention to the indiscriminate nature of Israeli attacks on Gaza, after its initial strong expressions of support.
No reason for killing babies
President Emmanuel Macron openly called for a cease-fire in a BBC interview on Nov. 10, saying there is “no reason” for babies, women and the elderly to be killed, urging Israel to stop its assault.
France has reiterated the importance of a political solution, improving living conditions in Gaza, as well as opposing any plan that would include the re-occupation of Gaza by Israel.
Ireland is also among the other countries who has been strong in their criticism of Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has described the attacks on Gaza as “something approaching revenge,” while Foreign Minister Micheal Martin repeated that the offensive has been disproportionate.
Recognition of Palestinian state
In Norway, a bill passed with overwhelming majority in Parliament “asks the government to be ready to recognize Palestine as an independent state when recognition could have a positive impact on the peace process, without making a final peace accord a condition.”
Since the start of the conflict on October 7, many countries have cut diplomatic ties with Israel or recalled their ambassadors to show their anger at Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, which have claimed the lives of more than 14,500 people in the Palestinian territory.
South American countries of Belize and Bolivia have broken off diplomatic relations with Israel. Back on October 27, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva slammed Israel’s war on Gaza as a “genocide”, saying that what is happening is not a war.
On the early days of the conflict, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro also accused Israel of committing “genocide” against the Palestinians.
“We have witnessed in the past massacres and brutal atrocities against the Palestinian people.” The current situation, he pointed out, is a “new apartheid system” against Palestinians.
Turkey, Colombia, Chile and Honduras have recalled their ambassadors for consultations.
South Africa has also been highly critical of Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
On Tuesday, its MPs passed a motion recommending the Israeli Embassy’s closure until there is a cease-fire and a commitment to negotiations. Earlier this month, South Africa also recalled its diplomats from Israel.
Israel’s crimes in Gaza have also sparked pro-Palestinian protests on a daily basis across the world.
-- In praise of Generation Z
Every day, new videos on TikTok emerge that challenge the Zionists’ narrative surrounding the longstanding conflict in the Middle East. As a result, conservative senators and congressmen in the US have expressed concern about the proliferation of pro-Palestine content on TikTok, accusing the company of manipulating algorithms to amplify such content. However, TikTok recently issued a press statement clarifying that the prevalence of pro-Palestinian content is not due to algorithmic manipulation, but rather reflects the sentiments of the platform’s teenage users.
“Israel can’t sway us as easily with a propaganda video,” said a young TikToker recently in a 72-second video that went viral on the platform. “So, every time you see a video spreading the truth about Palestine and you like it, comment, favorite it, post it, or share it, you are costing Israel more money.”
In a video titled ‘Propaganda Is Expensive,’ the user @yourfavoriteguy drew an intriguing parallel between the South African apartheid and the ongoing apartheid in occupied Palestine, which resonated strongly with younger TikTok users (known in generational terms as Gen Zers, or zoomers). However, it was not just his peers who appreciated his insightful analysis, but also members of older generations who were impressed by his depth of understanding and clarity. His video shed light on the fact that amidst widespread misconceptions about the conflict, he was able to articulate a perspective that resonated with many. He concludes the video by saying, “Free Palestine,” a sentiment that has gained traction among a majority of Generation Z individuals.
Following is a full transcript of this viral video for the sake of my argument:
No Climate Justice on Occupied Land
Zoomers have inherited a messed-up world: from global warming to decades-long wars, unresolved territorial conflicts, some of which escalated into humanitarian crises. In the case of Israel, there is a new apartheid regime for which they are shouldering the responsibility of setting things right.
Greta Thunberg, the Swedish activist and a Gen Z icon, is only 20 years old, yet she understands the world and its happenings better than most political figures with decades of experience. During a recent pro-Palestinian rally, she emphasized the importance of listening to the voices of the oppressed and those fighting for freedom and justice as part of the climate justice movement. Thunberg stated, “Otherwise, there can be no climate justice without international solidarity,” according to Euronews.
To further amplify these voices, Thunberg invited a Palestinian and an Afghan woman to speak at the rally. However, while resuming her speech, a man approached the stage and took the mic angrily to express his disagreement, stating, “I have come here for a climate demonstration, not a political view.”
Undeterred, Thunberg firmly reclaimed the microphone from the man and told him to “calm down.” She then joined the crowd in chanting, “No climate justice on occupied land,” emphasizing the interconnectedness of climate justice and the need for addressing political issues.
The mere fact that a zoomer icon recognizes the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is hopeful. What is admirable about this new generation is that they are doing all the thinking for themselves, disregarding the influence of legacy media. They educate themselves on various matters without succumbing to the distorting views of their elders.
Not only are they confronting climate anxiety, but they also face limited means to halt the profitable oil and war machines. Nevertheless, they are persistent in their efforts. Moreover, they are indeed passionate about making sense of the world on their own terms, often challenging traditional modes of thinking or questioning what their parents and teachers have taught them to believe.
Criticisms of Gen Z
Born from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s, Generation Z is the first generation to grow up as digital natives. Often criticized by older generations for being unproductive and having short attention spans, Gen Zers are much more than that.
The common criticism is expressed in lines such as, “Look at them; they are careless. They spend countless hours on their phones, accomplishing nothing productive in their lives.” Sometimes referred to as “millennials on steroids,” zoomers pose a challenge for their elders on how to handle them. Subject to many jokes, they are often seen as individuals who will create chaos.
“We are a diverse cohort,” writes Leshan Kroma, a junior in the School of International Service, on The American Agora website. “All we want to do is use social media to interact and connect with the rest of the world. We learn about different cultures.”
Kroma further elaborates that they curate their public image, using social media as a means of communication and self-expression. Despite facing condemnation, they are simply innovative and pragmatic. They grasp the direction in which the world is heading and possess open-mindedness towards the evolving future, be it in technology or diversity.
“IGens are incredible individuals who are already changing the world,” Kroma verdicts.
Another Gen Z member, Grace Potter, writes in ‘In Defense of Gen Z’ on Junkee: “As a Gen Z, I feel an increasing amount of scrutiny from the public eye as we enter high school, universities, and the workforce. Gen Z is on the verge of embarking on adult lives in an environment that seems far from nurturing and encouraging.”
Pointing out the “complete lack of understanding” behind the familiar sigh of “young people,” accompanied by a shake of the head, she emphasizes that zoomers are not “hopeless and unmotivated.”
“We, like every generation before us, are simply trying to figure out how to navigate the world we have been placed in, which comes with its own set of challenges.”
Ability to Change
I seriously doubt that it’s true that zoomers don’t read as many books as previous generations and spend more time on their screens, jeopardizing their cognitive and social development.
According to French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, our habitus encompasses the ways in which we internalize and embody social structures and systems of meaning. Since we don’t share the same habitus with Gen Z, it’s hard for us to clearly see how they constantly evolve their value systems to navigate ethical conundrums. Their stance on the Palestine issue is a clear example of how successful they are in this regard.
Growing up with access to the internet, these young individuals had the time and resources to build a global community for themselves. Furthermore, through the creation of their own jargon and art forms – namely, memes and reels – they successfully ward off intruders who could pollute their thinking with corrupting agendas.
Due to our differences in habitus, it’s only natural that we don’t fully understand them, and from what I’ve gathered so far, zoomers are not like their parents, and their value system comes from their peers on social media. The only Gen Zers who aren’t like their global peers are the ones who were cut off from the internet.
When someone wants to be critical of the new generation, it would be wise to remember all the generational conflicts that came before them. Zoomers want different things in life and face unique challenges, so it’s natural for them to feel resentful towards previous generations and rebel against them.
When we come into contact with a member of this cohort and struggle to communicate with them, failing to understand their motives or even language, we should remind ourselves that the problem does not lie with them, but with us. Instead of trying to lecture or guide them onto our own paths, we should make an effort to learn their language and be passionate about their interests.
American zoomers not only suffered the effects of a long, futile war on terror instigated by George W. Bush, but also witnessed the shocking election of Donald Trump.
Therefore, given the world we are offering them, we are in no position to lecture zoomers on anything. They are a potent community of free-thinkers with the ability to change the world for the better. Let’s just support and help them along the way.
“Look at South Africa for a second. The government during apartheid was spending an average of $100 million a year on a worldwide propaganda campaign to convince the world that what they were doing was not a human rights violation and not oppression. And when we look at Israel, they spent $7 million on YouTube ads alone to convince people to support their oppression of Palestinian people since October 7. We have AIPAC, the Zionist lobby to the US government, spending tens of millions of dollars giving to politicians to convince them of their Zionist ideas. And then we have Israel in 2018, putting together a $37 million budget on propaganda videos. I’ll say it again: propaganda is expensive. A part of the reason apartheid ended was because it became too expensive to maintain. It was costing them too much money. It wasn’t worth it anymore. And the same must happen to Israel. Israel can’t sway us as easily with a propaganda video. So, every time you see a video spreading truth about Palestine and you like it, comment, favorite it, post it, or share it, you are costing Israel more money. So make sure to do all those things whenever you see those types of videos. Anyway, thank you for watching. Free Palestine.”
KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL:
-- Israeli Troops Raid Homes of Freed Palestinians
Hamas was expected to release a second group of Zionists on Saturday under a deal to allow an exchange of 50 prisoners for Palestinians, and Egypt indicated the four-day truce could be extended by one or two days.
A Zionist military spokesman told French TV BFM that, barring last minute changes, 13 Israelis were expected to be freed Saturday, while 39 Palestinian prisoners would be released in return.
Earlier, Egyptian security sources had said they had received the names of 14 Israeli women and children from Hamas and were waiting for more details.
Egypt, which controls the Rafah border crossing through which vital aid has resumed passing into the Gaza Strip under the truce accord, also said it had received “positive signals” from all parties over a possible extension of that deal.
Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS), said in a statement Cairo was holding extensive talks with all parties to reach an agreement which would mean “the release of more detainees in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.”
Under the existing deal, a total of 50 Zionists are to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners over four days. The first exchange took place on Friday.
Hamas fighters freed a total of 24 captives on Friday – 13 Zionists, 10 Thais and a Filipino - and the Zionist regime later released 39 Palestinian women and teenagers from detention.
Both sides have said hostilities would resume as soon as the truce ends, though U.S. President Joe Biden said there was a real chance of extending the truce.
Since Oct. 7, the occupying regime of Israel has rained bombs on Gaza, martyring about 14,000 people, roughly 40% of them children, Palestinian health authorities say.
For many of the 2.3 million people who live in the tiny Gaza Strip, the pause in the near-constant air and artillery strikes has offered a first chance to safely move around, take stock of the devastation, and seek access to aid imports.
“We hope the truce will continue and be permanent, not just four or five days. People cannot pay the cost of this war,” said Ayman Nofal, in a street market in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.
A UN convoy delivered aid to two shelters for displaced people in northern Gaza for the first time in over a month, the UN humanitarian office said.
“We are happy with the truce, it gave the people the opportunity to breathe a little bit,” Palestinian resident Haitham Ahmed said.
Four fuel trucks and four more carrying cooking gas passed through the Rafah crossing into Gaza early on Saturday. Palestinians, suffering acute fuel shortages due to Israel’s blockade of the enclave, stood in long queues to fill their gas cylinders.
But Muhammad Ghandour who waited five hours to fill his cylindrical metal canister, left empty-handed. “I’m now going home without gas,” he said.
Aid groups have also used the temporary truce to evacuate patients and health workers from some northern hospitals that have all but collapsed due to attacks and lack of fuel.
In Palestinian homes, the joy of being reunited with loved ones was tinged with bitterness. In at least three cases, prior to the prisoners’ release, Israeli police raided their families’ homes in Al-Quds, witnesses said.
“There is no real joy, even this little joy we feel as we wait,” said Sawsan Bkeer, the mother of 24-year-old Palestinian Marah Bkeer, jailed for eight years on knife and assault charges in 2015.
Israeli police were seen raiding her Al-Quds home before her daughter’s release. “We are still afraid to feel happy,” she added.
In Khan Younis, Tahani al-Najjar, a Palestinian woman returning to home to find it in ruins, said a pause in the fighting was not enough.
For Emad Abu Hajer, a resident of the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza City area, the pause meant he could again search through the rubble of his home, which was flattened in an Israeli attack last week.
He found the bodies of a cousin and nephew, bringing the death toll in the attack to 19. With his sister and two other relatives still missing, he resumed his digging Saturday.
“We want to find them and bury them in dignity,” he said.
Twenty-four Palestinian women and 15 teenage boys held in Israeli prisons in the occupied West Bank and east Al-Quds were freed. In the West Bank town of Beitunia, hundreds of Palestinians poured out of their homes to celebrate, honking horns and setting off fireworks.
The teenagers had been jailed for minor offenses like throwing stones. The women included several convicted of trying to stab Israeli soldiers.
“It’s a happiness tainted with sorrow because our release from prison came at the cost of the lives of martyrs and the innocence of children,” said one released Palestinian prisoner, Aseel Munir al-Titi.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an advocacy group, the Zionist regime is holding 7,200 Palestinians, including about 2,000 arrested since the start of the war.
-- Putin: Essential to Prevent Western Monopoly on AI
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a plan to endorse a national strategy for the development of artificial intelligence, emphasizing that it’s essential to prevent a Western monopoly.
Speaking at an AI conference in Moscow, Putin noted that “it’s imperative to use Russian solutions in the field of creating reliable and transparent artificial intelligence systems that are also safe for humans.”
“Monopolistic dominance of such foreign technology in Russia is unacceptable, dangerous and inadmissible,” Putin said.
He noted that “many modern systems, trained on Western data are intended for the Western market” and “reflect that part of Western ethics, norms of behavior, public policy to which we object.”
During his more than two decades in power, Putin has promoted “traditional values” to counter purported Western influence.
Putin warned that algorithms developed by Western platforms could lead to a digital “cancellation” of Russia and its culture.
“An artificial intelligence created in line with Western standards and patterns could be xenophobic,” Putin said.
“Western search engines and generative models often work in a very selective, biased manner, do not take into account, and sometimes simply ignore and cancel Russian culture,” he said. “Simply put, the machine is given some kind of creative task, and it solves it using only English-language data, which is convenient and beneficial to the system developers. And so an algorithm, for example, can indicate to a machine that Russia, our culture, science, music, literature simply do not exist.”
He pledged to pour additional resources into the development of supercomputers and other technologies to help intensify national AI research.
“We are talking about expanding fundamental and applied research in the field of generative artificial intelligence and large language models,” Putin said.
“In the era of technological revolution, it is the cultural and spiritual heritage that is the key factor in preserving national identity, and therefore the diversity of our world, and the stability of international relations,” Putin said. “Our traditional values, the richness and beauty of the Russian languages and languages of other peoples of Russia must form the basis of our developments,” helping create “reliable, transparent and secure AI systems.”
Putin emphasized that trying to ban AI development would be impossible, but noted the importance of ensuring necessary safeguards.
“I am convinced that the future does not lie in bans on the development of technology, it is simply impossible,” he said. “If we ban something, it will develop elsewhere, and we will only fall behind, that’s all.”
Putin added that the global community will be able to work out the security guidelines for AI once it fully realizes the risks.
“When they feel the threat of its uncontrolled spread, uncontrolled activities in this sphere, a desire to reach agreement will come immediately,” he said.
-- Drone Hits Israeli Ship in Indian Ocean
A suspected drone attack has hit a container ship owned by an Israeli businessman in the Indian Ocean, according to a Pentagon official.
Pan-Arab satellite channel Al Mayadeen also reported that an Israeli ship had been targeted in the Indian Ocean.
The drone targeted the Malta-flagged, French-operated CMA CGM Symi vessel. The ship reportedly suffered damage after the drone exploded, but no crew members were injured.
The U.S. official said “we continue to monitor the situation closely”.
Maritime security company Ambrey said in the days before the attack, the ship’s tracking transmissions had stopped shortly after departing port in the United Arab Emirates.
“The vessel was managed by an Israeli-affiliated company, which was assessed to be the reason why it was targeted,” Ambrey said.
According to the AP, the vessel’s crew had been behaving as though they believed the ship may face a threat as they had switched off its tracking system since Tuesday, after leaving Dubai’s Jebel Ali port. The ship had done the same earlier when travelling through the Red Sea past Yemen.
From Yemen, Ansarullah fighters have launched several rounds of missile and drone attacks on southern Occupied Palestine since Israel declared war on Gaza last month, according to Israeli officials. So far, the Israeli bombardment has martyred about 15,000 Palestinians, including more than 6,150 children, Palestinian officials say.
Earlier this week, Ansarullah also took control of a ship on Yemen’s Red Sea coast which they said was Israeli.
If the attack on the Symi vessel came late on Thursday, it would mean it happened just hours before a truce between the Zionist regime and Hamas came into effect. The Zionist regime had also ramped up its attacks on Gaza in the hours preceding the truce, according to the United Nations.
-- Hamas Hails Iran’s Efforts in Achieving Truce
Hamas on Saturday hailed Iran’s major contribution to diplomatic efforts that led to a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip between the group and the Zionist regime.
Ahmed Abd al-Hadi, who serves as Hamas’ representative in Lebanon, said Iran was a major player in efforts to bring an end to the Israeli military aggression on Gaza since it began in early October. “Iran’s role is (always) to support Palestine,” Abd al-Hadi told Lebanon’s LBC news.
-- Envoy Rejects Released Iranian Assets Blocked in Qatar
Iran’s ambassador to Qatar on Saturday rejected claims by U.S. officials that recently-released Iranian assets have been blocked in the Persian Gulf country. Ambassador Ali Salehabadi told IRNA that the Iranian funds, unfrozen as part of a prisoner swap deal with the United States, remain fully accessible and the banking process is underway. “Six Iranian banks are cooperating with two Qatari banks, and we are closely monitoring the intricate details of the banking developments. The banking procedures are progressing smoothly,” he said. The ambassador said Qatari officials were determined to facilitate the process. “Joint initiatives between Iran and Qatar are underway to ensure the optimal and comprehensive use of these banking resources.”
-- Report: U.S. Troops in Iraq, Syria Come Under Fresh Attacks
U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have been attacked 73 times since October 17, Fox News reported citing a Pentagon source.
The television channel reported that of these attacks, four were carried out on November 23, when the United States was celebrating Thanksgiving Day. Two of them targeted the U.S. bases in Syria, and two more the bases in Iraq.
There have been 37 attacks on U.S. troops in Syria and 36 more in Iraq.
U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Syria have seen a significant increase in the number of attacks since the breakout of the Palestine-Israel conflict in early October.
Anti-American sentiments have soared in Iraq over U.S. military adventurism in the region, in particular since Washington’s assassination of the top anti-terror commanders.
Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill that required the government to expel all U.S.-led foreign military forces from the Arab country.
The leader of an Iraqi resistance group says the American occupation forces have no intention of leaving the Arab country and justify their illegal presence under the pretext of fighting the now-defunct Daesh terrorist group.
Qais al-Khazali, secretary-general of Iraqi resistance movement Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq which is part of Iraq’s anti-terror Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi, made the statement in an exclusive interview with Arabic-language al-Ahad television network.
“The Americans do not want to leave Iraq, and when there is a government intention to expel them, they send threatening political messages,” Khazali said.
“Successive governments hesitate to remove foreign forces because of American pressure, and they justify their presence by fighting the terrorist Daesh,” he added, stressing that, “Everyone knows that Iraq declared its victory over the terrorist group in 2017.”
The leader of the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq resistance group said there were “only 700 Daesh terrorists on Iraqi soil,” and that the primary goal of the U.S.-led military coalition was to “protect American national security, which is linked to the Zionist entity.”
Khazali also underlined that Iraq does not need the presence of the U.S.-led coalition forces to direct air strikes against the terrorist ranks of Daesh.
“Iraq is a strong country and possesses an army and expertise that most countries in the region do not possess, and it can easily build its own capabilities,” he said, adding, “Iraq does not need the presence of the international coalition to direct air strikes against Daesh terrorist.”
Khazali also said in his exclusive interview with al-Ahad television network that the presence of U.S. occupation forces violates the Iraqi constitution as the establishment of foreign military bases was not part of Iraq’s request for international assistance to combat terrorism in the Arab country.
TEHRAN TIMES:
-- Iran’s diplomatic campaign pays off in Gaza
- Iran has assumed a key mediation role in the recent conflict in Gaza, successfully facilitating the release of 10 Thai nationals who were captured and brought to the Gaza Strip during a Hamas operation on October 7. Following a request from Thailand’s government, Iran offered its good offices for the captives’ release, resulting in the unconditional freedom of the individuals. Over a dozen Thai captives are still held in the besieged Gaza Strip. Iran has reportedly supplied Bangkok with vital information regarding their current conditions. Hamas has also agreed to release 40 other captives under a Qatar-mediated deal with Tel-Aviv agreeing to free 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails. Since October 7, Iran has embarked on an extensive diplomatic campaign aimed at averting the loss of innocent lives in the region. The Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has undertaken three regional tours, engaging with leaders in Qatar, Lebanon, Iraq, and Turkey to discuss the ongoing situation.
-- Israel faces decision-making challenges following 4-day truce
After almost 50 days of conflict, the global community witnessed a temporary cessation of military actions by the Zionist regime against the innocent people of the besieged Gaza Strip. Despite rejecting the ceasefire more than 12 times publicly and privately during mediator-led discussions between Tel Aviv and the Hamas movement, the Zionists were ultimately compelled to accept it. The 4-day temporary ceasefire highlighted the failure of the Zionist regime. Despite extensive bombings, destruction, and war crimes, coupled with Tel Aviv’s assertions of security and military prowess, and being backed by countries like the United States, the United Kingdoms, and France, the Israeli forces were unsuccessful in their attempt to take full control over the small enclave of Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel’s emergency cabinet initiated a ground battle in Gaza with the aim of destroying Hamas and liberating all Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip. Israeli journalist Ohad Hemo stated, “After 49 days of war, Hamas has demonstrated its resilience.
-- Israeli-owned ship targeted in suspected drone attack
A suspected drone attack has hit a container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire in the Indian Ocean, a US defense official said. The defense official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, claimed the Malta-flagged vessel, CMA CGM Symi, was suspected to have been targeted by a triangle-shaped, bomb-carrying Shahed-136 drone while in international waters. CMA CGM, a major shipper based in Marseille, France, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The ship had its Automatic Identification System tracker switched off since Tuesday when it left Dubai’s Jebel Ali port, according to data from MarineTraffic.com analyzed by the AP. Ships are supposed to keep their AIS active for safety reasons, but crews will turn them off if it appears they might be targeted. The drone exploded, causing damage to the ship but not injuring any of its crew. “We continue to monitor the situation closely,” the official said. Anonymous sources reported that an Israeli ship had been targeted in the Indian Ocean, according to Al Mayadeen. After the war in Gaza, which began on October 7 with the surprise attack of Hamas on Israel, the interests of the Zionist regime have been repeatedly targeted by various resistance groups.
-- Dialogue only way to solve Gaza crisis: Belgian deputy PM
“The killing of innocent people needs to stop. There is no military solution to this conflict. A general ceasefire and a political solution are the only way forward,” the deputy prime minister of Belgium said on X. Petra De Sutter says a “clear message” has been delivered by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo during his diplomatic mission to the region with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. On the back of De Sutter’s remarks, let’s remind you that the prime ministers of Belgium and Spain have criticized Israel for the suffering of Palestinian civilians under Israeli military operations in Gaza. Spain’s Pedro Sanchez also called for European Union recognition of a Palestinian state, saying the Spanish government might do so on its own. Following the comments, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen instructed the countries’ ambassadors to be summoned for a sharp reprimand. “We condemn the false claims of the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium who give support to terrorism,” Cohen said.
NOURNEWS