Author: Gulf News Week

Saudi defence minister urges Yemen’s STC to withdraw “peacefully” from seized provinces, Hadramout and al-Mahra.The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says it will respond to any separatist military movements that undermine de-escalation efforts in the southern region, as Riyadh doubles down on calls for the group to “peacefully” withdraw from recently seized eastern provinces.Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman said on X on Saturday that “it’s time” for troops from the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) to “let reason prevail by withdrawing from the two provinces and doing so peacefully”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Houthis detain 10…

Authorities are examining a wide range of data, including flight recordings and airpot CCTV footage, officials say.Istanbul, Turkiye – Turkish authorities and Libyan officials are conducting an investigation into the crash of a private jet that killed Libya’s army chief, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, and seven other people near Ankara.The probe, coordinated by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, is focusing on technical evidence, flight recordings, crew activity and aircraft maintenance, officials said. The French civil aviation investigations agency, BEA, has announced that it will participate in the probe.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Libyan army chief killed in…

Incursion follows Israeli defence minister’s order for military to ‘act forcefully’ against the Palestinian town.Israeli forces have carried out mass arrests and forced dozens of families from their homes in the town of Qabatiya in the occupied West Bank, on the second day of a sweeping military operation ordered by Israel’s defence minister.Israeli forces sealed off entrances to Qabatiya while rounding up and interrogating dozens of residents on Saturday, local sources told media. They converted several homes into military interrogation centres, displacing their occupants, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Israeli forces…

ISIL attacks dropped after the fall of the Assad regime. But the group will likely attempt to destabilise Syria’s new government.On December 13, a joint US-Syrian patrol was ambushed by a member of Syria’s own security forces near Palmyra, a city in central Syria once controlled by the ISIL (ISIS) group.Two US soldiers and an interpreter were shot dead, and four people were wounded, before Syrian forces killed the gunman.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3A father’s fight to find out what happened to his son who joined ISISlist 2 of 3Aleppo clashes expose hurdles in SDF’s integration…

Abu Safia’s health has deteriorated considerably since he was taken by Israeli soldiers.Gaza City – Dr Hussam Abu Safia, 52, remains in an Israeli prison a year after Israel detained him without charges or trial.His family and supporters are demanding his release as his health deteriorates amid reports of the inhumane conditions under which he is being held.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Who are the 95 Palestinian medics held captive by Israel?list 2 of 3Vigil in London for Palestinian prisoners held in Israellist 3 of 3Gaza’s Dr Hussam Abu Safia is still held by Israel, no sign of…

Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs tells media that Israel’s move aims to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza.Somalia has demanded Israel reverse its recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland, condemning the move as an act of “aggression that will never be tolerated”.Ali Omar, Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, told media in an interview on Saturday that the government would pursue all available diplomatic means to challenge what it described as an act of “state aggression” and Israeli interference in the country’s internal affairs.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Israel becomes first country to recognise Somalilandlist 2…

Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and military chief Selcuk Bayraktaroglu attend ceremony at an airbase near Ankara.Turkiye has held a military ceremony to honour a group of Libyan officials, including military chief Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, who were killed in a plane crash over Turkish territory earlier this week.The ceremony, held on Sunday at Murted airbase outside the capital, Ankara, honoured al-Haddad and four other military officers who were in Turkiye for high-level defence talks before the crash on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Libya mourns after army chief dies in plane crash near Turkiye’s capitallist 2…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appeals for immediate truce as fighting intensifies in Darfur and Kordofan regions.United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan’s brutal civil war, which the UN says has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.Guterres’s appeal, made late on Friday, follows a peace initiative presented by Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris to the UN Security Council on Monday, which called for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to disarm.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4RSF says Sudan’s army launches air strikes on paramilitary stronghold Nyalalist 2 of 4‘No negotiation, no truce’…

At least eight killed during Friday prayers in Alawite district; Guterres calls for accountability as Paris warns of deliberate destabilization campaign. UNITED NATIONS/PARIS — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres demanded justice on Saturday for the perpetrators of a deadly bombing at a mosque in Homs, Syria, that killed at least eight worshippers during Friday prayers. The attack targeted the Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque in a predominantly Alawite neighborhood of the central Syrian city. The extremist group Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna claimed responsibility, saying its fighters “detonated a number of explosive devices” inside the building. In a statement released by…

Dramatic 3-2 victory reduces gap at the top to a single point, intensifying the title race as other Friday fixtures reshape league standings. In a match that encapsulated the high stakes of the season’s finale, Al-Hilal secured a vital 3-2 win over Al-Khaleej on Friday, cutting the gap to Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Nassr to just one point and setting the stage for a climactic title race. The victory propels Al-Hilal into second place, overtaking Al-Taawoun and piling immense pressure on their Riyadh rivals, Al-Nassr, who must respond against Al-Okhdood on Saturday to reclaim their cushion. The match at King…