Tuesday, January 13, 2026
type here...
Home Blog Page 661

UNIFIL: Israel ‘deliberately and directly’ attacking UN positions in Lebanon

By
IFP Media Wire
-
UNIFIL

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Friday that two Israeli military excavators and one bulldozer had destroyed part of a fence and a concrete structure at a UN base in Ras Naqoura a day earlier.

The Israeli military denied any activity after UN forces contacted it to protest, despite UNIFIL publishing footage of the incident online.

The Israeli military’s “deliberate and direct destruction of clearly identifiable UNIFIL property is a flagrant violation of international law and resolution 1701”, UNIFIL added, referring to the UN Security Council resolution aimed at ending the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Since September 30, Israel has repeatedly demanded that UN peacekeepers vacate their internationally mandated premises so it can more freely advance with its ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

The peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon has been targeted 40 times since then, UNIFIL’s deputy spokesperson Kandice Ardiel told Al Jazeera on Friday.

Ardiel stated that eight of those attacks were confirmed to have originated from the Israeli army. Peacekeepers have been wounded and property destroyed in previous attacks.

Israel also requested that UNIFIL evacuate 29 sites near the Blue Line, the UN-delineated line of withdrawal between Israel and Lebanon, Ardiel said. Earlier, UNIFIL said Israeli forces have been destroying and removing blue barrels that mark the Blue Line.

“Yesterday’s incident, like seven other similar incidents, is not a matter of peacekeepers getting caught in the crossfire, but of deliberate and direct actions” by the Israeli military, UNIFIL added.

The Israeli military continues to push ahead with its military operation in Lebanon as Hezbollah fires rockets and launches drones into Israel.

Since October last year, at least 3,117 people have been killed and 13,888 wounded by Israeli attacks in Lebanon, the ministry said. Among them, 617 are women and 192 children.

The casualties include 180 health workers. The ministry added hospitals have been attacked 65 times.

EU trying to persuade Trump to keep funding Ukraine: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Trump

Trump soundly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s presidential election, with Republicans also taking control of the Senate and on track to keep the House majority. Since then, several EU leaders have called to congratulate him.

“Trump has been noncommittal on Ukraine in the calls, mainly listening and asking questions,” the WSJ reported on Friday, citing anonymous officials briefed on the conversations.

EU leaders taking part in the European Political Community summit in Hungary this week appear to be divided on Ukraine, according to the newspaper. At a dinner on Thursday at the parliament in Budapest, leaders from the Baltic states and Scandinavia urged the bloc to step up their support for Kiev if Washington pulls back. French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni seemed less enthusiastic.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the host of the summit, has urged Trump to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine as soon as possible. Slovakian PM Robert Fico has spoken out in favor of peace as well.

Speaking to reporters after the dinner, European Council President Charles Michel told reporters that the bloc has tried to persuade Trump that being “weak with Russia” would send a wrong signal to China and the rest of the world. The day before, Macron reportedly asked Trump to secure “real concessions” from Russia in any talks over Ukraine.

On Thursday, Macron told the summit that “our interest is that Russia doesn’t win this war… Because if it wins, that means that there will be an imperialist power lined up on our borders.”

Finnish PM Petteri Orpo said the summit needed to “give a clear message” to Trump that “we support Ukraine as long and as much is needed.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the EPC summit that he did not yet know Trump’s plans, but that Kiev should “decide what should and should not be on the agenda for ending this war.” He also demanded from the EU the roughly $300 billion in frozen Russian sovereign assets if the US cuts him off, claiming the money “rightfully belongs” to Ukraine.

As the WSJ acknowledged, however, Ukraine is “overwhelmingly dependent on foreign military assistance and budgetary support” from the West.

The US has given the Ukrainian government $106 billion since the conflict escalated in February 2022, including $70 billion in military aid, and spent another $70 billion funding “various US activities associated” with Ukraine. The EU has contributed a total of $133 billion in financial, humanitarian, refugee, and military assistance. Norway and the UK, which are in NATO but outside the EU, have also spent billions.

Biden allows deploying US military contractors to Ukraine

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Joe Biden

The “small numbers” of contractors will not participate in combat operations and will be stationed far from the front line, one of the sources told Reuters.

Such a move comes in the final months of Joe Biden’s presidency before Donald Trump returns to the White House after the victory in the US presidential election.

This policy would help the Ukrainian military maintain and repair weapons systems provided by Washington much more quickly.

Washington will also send Kyiv the full $6 billion military aid before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, the Pentagon has confirmed. Politico reported that Biden was rushing to deliver the remaining funds by the end of his term out of fear that a Trump administration might halt weapons shipments to Kyiv.

Trump’s electoral victory triggered fears that US aid to Ukraine might soon draw to a close. His comments on Ukraine have emphasized speedy results over long-term support, and he has refrained from saying he wants Kyiv to prevail over Moscow.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said after a recent phone call with President-elect Trump that the two had agreed “to maintain close dialogue and strengthen our cooperation”.

Several killed, injured in Pakistan train station bomb explosion

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Pakistan Blast Explosion

Pakistan is grappling with a surge in strikes by separatist ethnic militants in Balochistan province in the south and militants in its northwest. A decades-old insurgency has destabilised Balochistan and created security concerns for projects trying to access the province’s untapped resources.

Inspector general of police for Balochistan, Mouzzam Jah Ansari, said 24 people have died so far from the blast at the railway station, which is usually busy early in the day.

“The target was army personnel from the Infantry School,” he added, with many of the injured in critical condition.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement emailed to Reuters.

The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan, a province of about 15 million people that borders Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. The BLA is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups battling the government, saying it unfairly exploits the province’s rich gas and mineral resources.

“So far 44 injured people have been brought to civil hospital,” Dr. Wasim Baig, a hospital spokesman, told Reuters.

Senior superintendent of police operations, Muhammad Baloch, stated the blast seemed to be a suicide bomb and that investigations were underway for more information.

“The blast took place inside the railway station when the Peshawar-bound express was about to leave for its destination,” Baloch continued.

In August, at least 73 people were killed in Balochistan province after separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines and highways.

The assaults in August were the most widespread in years by militants fighting a decades-long insurgency to win secession of the resource-rich southwestern province, home to major China-led projects such as a port and a gold and copper mine.

Iran warns Israeli aggressions posing threat to West Asia, whole world

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Abbas Araghchi

Addressing an international conference on Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, marking the 40th day after the martyrdom of the Hezbollah chief, Araghchi said that Martyr Nasrallah repeatedly demonstrated to the world that the Zionist regime, due to its ongoing repressions, is a threat to both the region and the world.

He cited the Zionist regime’s merciless raids on civilians, destruction of vital infrastructure, and economic siege of the Gaza Strip as examples of actions that should be regarded as war crimes.

The minister emphasized that Martyr Nasrallah taught nations worldwide that resistance is the only way to achieve lasting justice and protect their rights.

He also stressed the responsibilities of the global community, particularly the United Nations, in addressing such crises, adding that they should pursue an impartial and justice-based approach to tackle these issues.

The top Iranian diplomat expressed regret that the apartheid, child-killing Zionist regime has rejected all ceasefire proposals in Gaza and Lebanon, continuing its crimes and genocide before the indifferent eyes of the global community.

The top diplomat called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, along with the prompt dispatch of aid to the Lebanese and Palestinian people.

He reiterated that the Islamic Republic of Iran will stand by the oppressed nations in the region and will never forget the people of Lebanon and the besieged enclave in their struggle against Zionist occupation and aggression.

Attorney General gives authority to investigate Israeli PM for office leaks

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Benjamin Netanyahu

The security scandal comes as Netanyahu’s government is facing a series of political and security crises, including the dismissal of defense chief Yoav Gallant, which has triggered significant opposition, as well as Israel’s attacks against the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

The Maariv paper said the green light by Baharav-Miara means that investigating authorities are also allowed to investigate Netanyahu.

If the investigation finds involvement by Netanyahu in any security-related cases, investigators must halt the probe until they obtain permission again to continue from the Attorney General, according to Israeli legal procedures.

Netanyahu’s office is yet to comment on the report by Maariv.

Israeli domestic security agency, Shin Bet, announced the arrest Sunday of four people, including a spokesperson for Netanyahu, concerning security documents leaks related to the war on Gaza.

The Haaretz newspaper also published Sunday details of a scandal involving Netanyahu that is related to the appointment of a spokesperson who took part in “sensitive security sessions”.

Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since an attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7, 2023. The ensuing Israeli response has killed more than 43,500 people and rendered the enclave almost uninhabitable.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the blockaded enclave.

Food security experts warn of a ‘strong likelihood’ famine is imminent in northern Gaza

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

“Immediate action, within days not weeks, is required from all actors who are directly taking part in the conflict, or have influence on its conduct, to avert and alleviate this catastrophic situation,” the independent Famine Review Committee (FRC) said in a rare alert on Friday.

The warning comes just days ahead of a US deadline for Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in the besieged strip or face potential restrictions on US military aid.

“If no effective action is taken by stakeholders with influence, the scale of this looming catastrophe is likely to dwarf anything we have seen so far in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023,” the FRC committee added.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that there are between 75,000 and 95,000 people still in northern Gaza.

The Famine Review Committee said that it could be “assumed that starvation, malnutrition, and excess mortality due to malnutrition and disease, are rapidly increasing” in north Gaza.

“Famine thresholds may have already been crossed or else will be in the near future,” it added.

The Famine Review Committee reviews findings by the global hunger monitor – an internationally recognised standard known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

The IPC defines famine as when at least 20% of people in an area are suffering extreme food shortages, with at least 30% of children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or malnutrition and disease.

The IPC is an initiative involving UN agencies, national governments and aid groups that sets the global standard on measuring food crises.

The IPC warned last month that the entire Gaza Strip was at risk of famine, while top UN officials last week described the northern Gaza Strip as “apocalyptic” and everyone there was “at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence”.

The amount of aid entering Gaza has plummeted to its lowest level in a year, according to UN data, and the UN has repeatedly accused Israel of hindering and blocking attempts to deliver aid, particularly to Gaza’s north.

The Israeli attacks on northern Gaza has so far killed at least 1,800 Palestinians, according to local officials.

Overall, the Israeli war on Gaza has killed more than 43,500 people and wounded over 102,000 more since 7 October, the majority of them children and women, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Thousands more are missing, presumed dead under the rubble.

Ramtin Hotel in northern Tehran catches fire, 29 injured

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran Firefighters

The spokesperson for the Tehran Fire Department, Seyyed Jalal Maleki, said that the fire emergency was reported at 00:09 a.m. local time, and five fire stations, along with rescue teams, lifting devices, a hydraulic ladder, multiple water tankers, and breathing equipment were immediately dispatched to the scene.

Firefighters arrived within five minutes to find the blaze had started in the first-floor kitchen of the five-story hotel and had spread to the adjoining café, Maleki said.

According to initial information, many individuals were trapped in their rooms, with smoke filling all the floors. More than 40 people were evacuated through windows and rooftop.

Due to the dense smoke, nearly all residents were examined for smoke inhalation checks.

Shervin Tabrizi, the spokesperson for Tehran Province Emergency Services, stated that ambulances, support operation vehicles, and command vehicles were dispatched to the emergency site.

He said seven individuals were transferred to medical centers, while 22 others were treated on the spot.

Iran dismisses as “baseless” allegations of involvement in assassination plots against US officials

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Esmail Baghaei

The spokesperson highlighted that similar accusations have been made in the past, which the Islamic Republic of Iran has firmly denied and proven false.

He emphasized that repeating such claims at this juncture is a malicious conspiracy orchestrated by Zionist and anti-Iranian circles, aimed at complicating the issues between the US and Iran.

He further stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as has previously stated, remains committed to utilizing all legitimate and legal means at both domestic and international levels to restore the rights of the Iranian nation.

The US justice department brought criminal charges over an Iranian plot to kill the president-elect, Donald Trump, that was thwarted by the FBI.

The federal government has unsealed criminal charges in what the justice department claimed was a murder-for-hire plan to take out Trump before this week’s presidential election, which he won decisively over his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.

Qatar agrees to expel Hamas leaders out of Doha following US request : Report

By
IFP Media Wire
-

With efforts to pause the war – which has been a top priority for President Joe Biden – firmly stalled, US officials informed their Qatari counterparts about two weeks ago that they must stop giving Hamas refuge in their capital; Qatar agreed and gave Hamas notice about a week ago, sources said.

“Hamas is a terrorist group that has killed Americans and continues to hold Americans hostage,” a senior administration official told CNN.

“After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, its leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner,” the source added.

Throughout the course of the war and negotiations to bring the hostages home, US officials have asked Qatar to use the threat of expulsion as leverage in their talks with Hamas. The final impetus for Qatar agreeing to kick Hamas out came recently after the death of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Hamas’ rejection of yet another ceasefire proposal.

Qatar has been a major player in endeavours over the past year to try to secure a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, in no small part because senior members of the group are based in Doha. Major negotiations have taken place in the Qatari capital for that reason.

Exactly when Hamas operatives would be exiled out of Qatar – and where they would go – are unclear. One US official told CNN the group has not been given an extended amount of time to leave the country. While Turkey is seen as a possible option, the US is not likely to approve of that scenario for the same reasons that it does not want Qatar to give refuge to Hamas leadership.

Dozens of hostages taken from Israel during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks are still being held in the besieged enclave. There are 101 hostages still held in the blockaded strip, Israeli authorities say, but as many as one-third of them are thought to be dead.

Israel has continued its military onslaught on Gaza following the attack by Hamas, despite a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

More than 43,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 102,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli offensive has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

Mediation bids to reach a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war.

1...660661662...5,037Page 661 of 5,037

© All Content by IFP News ( Iran Front Page ) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Us

Popular Articles

Editor Picks