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Iran’s response to Haniyeh’s killing still expected: UK spy chief

Hamas Ismail Haniyeh

“I suspect they will try and we won’t be able to let our guard down for the type of activity that the Iranians might try and prosecute in that direction,” Moore stated at an event in London on Saturday.

The assassination provoked anger across Palestine and stoked fears about a wider regional conflict amid Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.

Haniyeh, who was in Tehran to attend the Iranian president’s swearing-in ceremony, was killed in an Israeli operation in the early hours of July 31.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has warned the Israeli regime of a “harsh response” for Haniyeh’s assassination, calling it the Islamic Republic’s duty to avenge the Palestinian resistance leader’s blood.

Iran’s gold medal at 2024 Paralympics snatched away in a controversial move

Sadegh Beit Sayyah

In a decision that came as a shocker to many, Beit Sayyah had his medal snatched away for displaying a religious flag during his victory celebration on Saturday.

Beit Sayyah secured the medal with a throw of 47.64 meters, shattering the Paralympic record in a phenomenal feat.

However, the Paralympic organizers said he was “disqualified” for pulling out a flag bearing the name of Ummal Baneen (SA), the mother of Hazrat Abal Fazal Abbas (AS), leading to his medal being awarded to India’s Navdeep Singh, who had initially won silver.

The official website of the Paris Paralympics said the Iranian para athlete was found guilty for “a breach of rules pertaining to unsporting or improper conduct”.

World Para Athletics Rules and Regulations call for “maintaining the highest standards of integrity, ethics, and conduct in the sport of Para athletics”.

Some news outlets reported that the Iranian athlete had displayed “an objectionable flag”.

However, sports analysts assert that the action was not warranted and amounts to politicization of the Olympic Games at the behest of French authorities who are hosting the marquee sports competition this year.

It is noteworthy that Beir Sayyah had displayed a similar flag at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as well, where he won a silver medal, without facing any action.

Iranian contingent at the Paris Paralympics submitted their strong objection to the decision, which was turned down twice, according to media reports.

Three paramedics killed in Israeli attack on southern Lebanon

Israel Lebanon

Two other paramedics were also injured during the attack with one left in critical condition, NNA announced on Saturday.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health announced the team of paramedics was targeted by Israel as it extinguished fires caused by recent Israeli strikes in the area.

The incident is the second of its kind in the last 12 hours. An Israeli raid on the town of Qabrikha also wounded two paramedics.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has denounced Israel’s deadly attack on paramedics, stating that “this new aggression against Lebanon is a blatant violation of international laws … and human values”.

A statement from Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said that “due to [Israeli] aggression”, 27 emergency personnel and health workers have been killed and 94 others wounded since October.

Two hospitals and 21 health centres have been “targeted”, while 32 fire or ambulance vehicles have been “put out of service or partially damaged”. It urged an end to the “repeated and deliberate targeting of health workers and civilians”, it added.

Mikati has also demanded an urgent meeting with Western ambassadors after the fatal raid on Civil Defence personnel in southern Lebanon.

“Based on the principle that the Israeli enemy disregards international laws and norms, I have called for an urgent meeting with Western ambassadors and representatives of international organizations at the government palace on Monday,” he said in a statement.

The aim of the meeting is “to hold everyone accountable for stopping the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon and to pressure the Israeli enemy, which ignores any law and continues to fuel its crimes against Lebanon and the Lebanese people”.

Hamas urges ICRC to document Israel’s torture of Palestinian detainees

Israel Palestinian Detainees

“The humiliation of the Palestinian prisoners in Megiddo Prison by the occupying forces and their Nazi prison service shows the hatred and sadism of the prison guards towards the Palestinians,” Hamas said in a statement.

“These crimes are part of the occupying Israeli regime’s ongoing brutal treatment of Palestinian prisoners, which includes torture, mistreatment, starvation, deliberate medical negligence and deprivation of fundamental human rights. As a result, the number of Palestinians who have lost their lives as a result of negligence and torture has surpassed 60,” it added.

Leaked footage from Megiddo Prison has showed Israeli forces abusing Palestinian prisoners and terrorizing them with sniffer dogs.

The video shows dozens of prisoners lying on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs on their stomachs, some of them without clothes, while Israeli security personnel terrorized them with dogs.

In its statement, Hamas called on international human rights organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to document such abuses and other horrific crimes against Palestinian detainees.

It also asked world bodies to take immediate action to pressure Israel and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop their blatant violations of international law and standards concerning prisoners, and to hold Israeli leaders accountable for their continuous crimes.

The ministry of detainees’ and ex-detainees’ affairs in Gaza announced, “The occupying Zionist entity, under the supervision of extremist and terrorist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has turned prisons and detention centers into death chambers.”

Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz confirmed that the incident took place in the security section of the prison, where Israeli prison guards handcuffed the prisoners and abused them.

Israel keeps Palestinian inmates under deplorable conditions without proper hygienic standards, subjecting them to systematic torture, harassment, and repression.

Human rights organizations say Israel continues to violate all rights and freedoms granted to prisoners by the Fourth Geneva Convention and international laws.

According to the Palestine Detainees Studies Center, around 60 percent of the Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails suffer from chronic diseases, a number of whom died in detention or after being released due to the severity of their cases.

Palestinian detainees have continuously resorted to open-ended hunger strikes in an attempt to express outrage at their illegal detention.

Turkish intelligence says to have killed PKK official in charge of Iran

PKK

The Turkish intelligence identified the PKK official as Saleheh Ak Beiik. The PKK member was wanted by Turkey for “criminal activities”.

Ak Beiik joined the PKK in 2014 and was operating near the Iranian border on Iraqi soil.

PKK, also known as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, has been fighting to carve out an independent region inside Turkey since the 1980s.

The group has been blacklisted by much of the international community, including Iran, as a terror organization.

The conflict between the PKK and the Turkish government has killed over 40,000 on both sides.

IRGC chief says Iran hit 14 Israeli-linked vessels

Hossein Salami

Major General Salami said on Saturday during a meeting between President Masoud Pezeshkian and the commanders of the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters of the IRGC, that prior to this, the Zionist regime had mysteriously targeted 14 Iranian ships in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean in an attempt to halt Iran’s oil exports.

The Commander of the IRGC added that following Britain’s seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar, Iran also took control of the “Stena Impero” ship, which led them to surrender, and we exchanged our ships. The same situation occurred with the seizure of two Iranian ships in Greece, where Iran took reciprocal action and forced them to surrender.

He also referred to the IRGC’s deterrent operations against enemies, emphasizing that we managed to shoot down an advanced American drone.

Despite the severe crises following the martyrdom of General Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC Quds Force, the downing of the Ukrainian plane over Tehran’s skies, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the enemies’ harsh sanctions, we stood firm against efforts to politically isolate Iran.

Major General Salami also pointed to the failure of American forces, backed by a warship, in their attempt to seize an Iranian ship in the region, as well as their unsuccessful attempt to capture two Iranian oil tankers en route to Venezuela. He stated that the safest shipping lines in all seas now belong to ships flying the Iranian flag.

The IRGC commander also addressed the phenomenon of Takfiri terrorism, crediting its containment as one of the IRGC’s operations beyond Iran’s borders.

Recreation on Khazar Sea coast

Recreation on Khazar Sea coast

Over the past week, millions of people have rushed to the northern provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran along the Caspian Sea.

More in pictures:

Iran ranks 9th at 2024 Computer Olympiad

Iran Computer Olympiad

The Iranian team took part in the 36th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI 2024) in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria and finished 9th in the scientific competition among 96 countries.

Amir Ali Asgari bagged a gold medal while Amir Hossein Farkhondehfar and Amir Reza Dorosti won silver medals. Parsa Farajpour walked away with a bronze.

The Iranian team’s participation at the Egypt-hosted Computer Olympiad was virtual and online due to a delay in the issuance of visas for the students.

China, the United States and Poland took the first three podiums at the scientific event, which is organized by the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) in Alexandria from September 1-8.

The International Olympiad in Informatics, which is one of five international science olympiads held annually, is regarded as the most prestigious computer science competition for secondary school and high school students around the world.

Autopsy of Turkish-American activist shows she was killed by Israeli sniper’s bullet to head: Nablus governor

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi

Eygi, who was participating in a demonstration against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita, was shot by Israeli soldiers on Friday.

In a statement to Anadolu, Daghlas said the autopsy results indicated Eygi’s cause of death was a gunshot wound inflicted by a sniper, specifically targeting her head. Eygi had been rushed to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead upon arrival.

Eygi, 26, a dual citizen of Türkiye and the US, had been actively involved in solidarity movements supporting Palestinian rights. Her death has sparked outrage and calls for accountability from both local and international communities.

The family of Eygi urged the Joe Biden administration for an independent investigation into her killing.

The White House announced it was seeking additional information from Israel and had requested an investigation.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has vowed to act “as necessary” when Washington has more information regarding the killing of Eygi.

“We deplore this tragic loss,” Blinken said during a press conference in the Dominican Republic.

“Now, most important thing to do is to gather the facts, and that’s exactly what we’re in the process of doing.”

“As you heard me say many times before, I have no higher priority than the safety and protection of American citizens around the world, wherever they are… When we have more info, we will share it, make it available and, as necessary, we’ll act on it,” he added.

Blinken extended his “deepest condolences” to Eygi’s family, adding that the US is “intensely focused” on getting the facts, and any actions that will be driven by the facts.

“So first things first, let’s find out exactly what happened, and we will draw the necessary conclusions, consequences from that,” he continued.

Meantime, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned “Israel’s barbaric intervention against peaceful anti-occupation protest in the West Bank”.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also said the killing of a Turkish-American activist by the Israeli army in the northern occupied West Bank was carried out on the orders of Israeli politicians.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry called Eygi’s killing “an integral part of the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people”.

It added that such a crime is “a direct outcome of the implementation of the instructions” of Israeli politicians with the aim of killing Palestinians and solidarity activists.

The ministry held the Israeli government fully responsible for the crime that confirms its predetermined plans to escalate the situation to cover its colonial projects across the occupied territories.

Meanwhile, the United Nations called for a “full investigation” and accountability for the killing of the activist by the Israeli army in the northern occupied West Bank.

In response to Anadolu’s question on whether UN denounces the killing of the activist, the UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric at a news conference said: “I can tell you that we would want to see a full investigation of the circumstances and that people should be held accountable.”

“Again, civilians must be must be protected at all times,” he added.

Asked about whether there have been any accountability for any UN personnel killed by Israel, Dujarric stated: “we have not seen anything.”

He said investigations and the issue of accountability would happen “once the fighting stops.”

“We have seen some movement towards accountability on the issue of mistreatment of Palestinian detainees,” he added.

Naval forces cannot stay and protect you ‘forever’: US cautions Israel

US Aircraft Carrier

The comments came amid continued fears of escalations between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

According to Channel 13, a message was sent to Israel informing them that tensions with Hezbollah and Iran need to be reduced at some stage as “the [US] aircraft carriers will not be able to stay in the area forever”.

Fears of a full-scale war surged following Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, and the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Hanniyeh in Iran last July.

Hezbollah retaliated against the assassination by launching a large-scale missile and drone attack on targets in northern Israel on 25 August, however, further retaliations are expected.

Following the missile and drone attack, the US Department of Defence extended the deployment of two US aircraft carrier strike groups.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin reiterated Washington’s commitment to supporting Israel against any threats from Iran and Hezbollah following the the Lebanese group’s attack.

The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt had arrived in the region in early July and the Abraham Lincoln carrier arrived in mid-August.

According to reports, Austin recently called Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, with the two defence chiefs reportedly discussing the situation along the borders with Lebanon.

Iran has so far not retaliated for the assassination of Haniyeh, while ceasefire talks continue to stall.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday it was incumbent on both Israel and Hamas to say “yes” on remaining issues to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal, which has faced obstacles in negotiations for months.

“Based on what I have seen, 90 percent is agreed but there are a few critical issues that remain”, including the -called Philadelphi corridor which separates Egypt and Gaza, Blinken stated at a press briefing in Haiti.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted on keeping troops on the corridor, while Hamas has demanded the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza.

Blinken noted there were also some gaps in the agreement in how Israeli and Palestinian captives are exchanged.

“I expect in the coming days, we will share with Israel, and they (Qatar and Egypt) will share with Hamas our thoughts, the three of us, on exactly how to resolve remaining outstanding questions,” he added, referring to the US and mediators Qatar and Egypt.

Since the start of the war on Gaza, Israel has killed almost 40,900 Palestinians and wounded around 94,500 others in the same time frame. Around 10,000 others are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

The war on the besieged enclave has plunged it into a deep humanitarian crisis and levelled entire neighbourhoods, also destroying essential infrastructure and medical facilities.