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Israel orders residents of Gaza’s Khan Younis to evacuate ahead of offensive

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

The army earlier sent audio messages to residents telling them to leave before posting a message in Arabic repeating the warning on social media.

It said the area has become a “dangerous combat zone” and urged people to leave towards areas known as “humanitarian zones” in the western part of the city, known as the Al-Mawasi area.

The area ordered to be evacuated also includes the Gaza European hospital, which is one of the few hospitals operating in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier, the Islamic Jihad group announced it fired a barrage of rockets from the Khan Younis area towards Israeli areas bordering Gaza. The Israeli army did not report any casualties or material damage from the incident, however.

Palestinian resistance groups announced in separate statements during the day that their fighters were engaged in fighting and clashes with the Israeli army, particularly in the Shejaiya neighborhood of eastern Gaza City and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

At least 37,900 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and around 87,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Human rights organizations have warned that thousands of people in the besieged enclave are facing the risk of famine amid ongoing Israeli devastating onslaught.

US says no sign Israel lowered intensity of Gaza offensive

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

“We’ve heard the Israelis talk about a significant downshift in their operations in Gaza. It remains to be seen,” Blinken said at an event hosted by the Brookings Institute think tank in Washington DC.

For weeks, Israeli officials have signalled they are downshifting their offensive on the Gaza Strip, even as its military continues to pummel the enclave, inflicting a staggering number of civilian deaths.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, the death toll in Gaza has risen to at least 37,843, with 86,858 injured.

Last month, Israeli chief of staff Herzi Halevi said Israel was set to accomplish its military objectives in the southern Gaza border city of Rafah, and was preparing for a lower intensity of fighting.

“We are clearly approaching the point where we can say we have dismantled the Rafah Brigade,” Halevi added.

Blinken’s assessment that there has been no downshift in Israel’s offensive is likely to be carefully watched by Iran and its ally, Hezbollah, which has been in an escalating cross-border conflict with Israel.

MEE reported in mid-June that US envoy Amos Hochstein communicated to Hezbollah via mediators that Israel anticipates roughly five more weeks of intense fighting in Gaza, after which it will pause its main offensive across the enclave.

The US has announced that a “lull” in Gaza fighting will provide an opportunity for Hezbollah and Israel to reach their own truce, regardless of whether or not Hamas and Israel agree to a ceasefire, a premise that the Lebanese group has rejected.

“Israel doesn’t want a war, although they may well be prepared to engage in one if necessary from their perspective to protect their interests, but they don’t want one. I don’t believe Hezballah actually wants a war…. And I don’t believe that Iran wants a war,” Blinken said.

“So on the one hand, no one actually wants a war,” he continued, adding, “On the other hand, you have forces – momentum that may be leading in that direction”.

MEE revealed on Friday that US defence and intelligence officials are concerned that an Israeli invasion of Lebanon could further ignite Iran’s allies in the region and cement Tehran’s military ties with Russia.

Blinken also suggested that the US had advanced in discussions with regional states about a post-war plan for Gaza. He stated the US had reached a stage of sharing “concrete ideas, concrete proposals” with regional allies for post-war Gaza, so that it wasn’t “outpaced” should a ceasefire agreement be reached.

Israel’s political leadership has continued to rule out a day-after plan for the enclave, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a return of the Palestinian Authority (PA) or talks on a two-state solution.

But with the day-after plans stalled, Hamas has reconstituted itself in areas of Gaza where Israel previously thought it had eliminated the group.

A ceasefire proposal that President Joe Biden unveiled in May appears to have stalled, with each side of the conflict providing a different take on what the proposal means.

While the US insists it guarantees a permanent cessation of hostilities in Gaza, Israel says the agreement will allow it to ensure the destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities.

Blinken continued to insist that Hamas’s Gaza chief, Yahya Sinwar, was solely responsible for rejecting Biden’s proposal.

“One way or another, when this conflict ends, it cannot and must not end with a vacuum in Gaza,” he added.

Iran presidential contenders have it out in first debate for runoff

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Jalili

Reformist Massoud Pezeshkian and principlist Saeed Jalili presented their plans and challenged each other’s views in the first of the two debates aired live on the State Television (IRIB), the second of which will be broadcast on Tuesday evening.

Iran’s nuclear deal with the West, which is now a shell of its former past, and Iran’s accession to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) were among the highlights of the debate.

Pezeshkian said sanctions are a serious detriment to the country and normalizing relations with the world would be on top of his foreign policy agenda.

Pezeshkian added he would toe the FATF money-laundering line and seek to revive the moribund Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement.

Iran presidential contenders have it out in first debate for runoff

Jalili, however, was on the polar opposite side regarding the FATF and JCPOA, saying Iran should not kowtow in front West’s excessive demands or tie the country’s affairs to the decisions made by a few European countries and the US.

He said, “If the other side says they won’t fulfill their commitments, we shouldn’t bow down. This is what they did in those eight years,” referring to the administration of former president Hassan Rouhani.

Pezeshkian was in favor of greater social freedom and was vocally against harsh crackdown on violators of hijab, the Islamic dress code for women, which is constitutionally obligatory in Iran.

Jalili did not rule out social freedom, including in cyberspace, but said there should be restrictions as it is customary all over the world.

Pezeshkian garnered over 10.4 million and Jalili received 9.4 million out of the 24.5 million votes in the first round held on July 28. The runoff election will be held on Friday.

“Next Iran president should seek experts’ opinions on FATF”

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Ali Akbar Salehi

Salehi also paid tribute to the late Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, indicating that based on his knowledge and communication with him, negotiations with the United States have been ongoing.

Salehi noted: “While there have been ups and downs, it is not accurate to say that the negotiations [between Iran and the United States] have ceased.

FATF is an international body that develops policies to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other related threats to the integrity of the global financial system. Iran’s relationship with the FATF has been complex and politically sensitive. The adoption of the FATF standards has been a contentious issue within the Iranian Parliament. Some factions argue that complying with the FATF requirements is necessary for Iran’s economic health and international integration, while others contend that these measures could undermine national sovereignty and expose Iran to external pressures.

Palestinian presidency refutes administration of Gaza by foreigners

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

“There is no legitimacy for any foreign presence on Palestinian Territory, and only the Palestinian people can decide who governs them and manages their affairs,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesperson for the presidency.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted an unnamed security official as saying that the Israeli army will remain in the Gaza Strip until an international force is found to replace it, which could take several months.

Abu Rudeineh affirmed “the illegitimacy of colonies and the displacement policy that the occupation authorities were trying to implement on the ground through bloody massacres”.

“We will not accept or allow the presence of a foreigner on our land, whether in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip,” he added.

“The Palestinian issue is one of land and statehood, not a matter of humanitarian aid. It is a sacred cause and the central issue for the Arabs.”

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Nearly 37,900 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and around 87,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Human rights organizations have warned that thousands of people in the besieged enclave are facing the risk of famine amid ongoing Israeli devastating onslaught.

Iranian men’s taekwondo team clinch championship title in World Cup

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iranian men's taekwondo team

The Taekwondo World Cup kicked off on Monday with teams participating from Morocco, Ivory Coast, China, India, Iran and South Korea at the World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series in the city of Chuncheon.

The Iranian men’s national team managed to defend their title and retain the championship.

The Iranian team defeated the Ivory Coast 175-30 and 180-40 in two consecutive rounds in their first bout.

They secured another victory in the final round against the hosts 175-115 and 140-70. South Korea finished runners-up.

Morocco and Ivory Coast faced off for the third spot which finally went to the Moroccans.

Iranian women’s team will start their bout on Tuesday against South Korea.

The competitions will run through Wednesday.

Ukraine outlines model for negotiations with Russia

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Russia Ukraine War

Ukraine has previously refused to accept Russia’s terms as the basis for talks and has accused Moscow of being incapable of good-faith negotiations. In late 2022, Zelensky issued a decree proclaiming the “impossibility” of talks with Moscow while Russian President Vladimir Putin remains in power.

Moscow, meanwhile, has maintained that it is ready to restart negotiations, but only if Kiev renounces claims to former territories that have become part of Russia. In autumn 2022, four former Ukrainian territories – the two breakaway Donbass republics and the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye – formally joined Russia following a series of referendums. Ukraine has never recognized the results and continues to lay claim to these regions, as well as Crimea, which joined Russia following a similar referendum in 2014.

In his interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Zelensky claimed that Ukraine “can find a model” for a potential settlement with Russia. He pointed to the deal brokered two years ago by Türkiye and the UN that allowed the establishment of a corridor for agricultural exports from Ukrainian ports.

According to Zelensky, Ankara and the UN signed separate agreements with Moscow and Kiev. “It worked”, he said, adding that the grain corridor then existed “long enough”.

Moscow and Kiev were close to reaching another grain deal in March, but Ukrainian negotiators abruptly walked away after two months of talks, according to Reuters.

Agreements on “territorial integrity, energy and freedom of navigation” could be struck between Moscow and Kiev in the same format, Zelensky stated. He suggested that other countries could be invited to mediate.

“No one should say that it is… just Europe and the US,” he said, adding that nations from Asia, Africa, and South America should participate and help prepare the documents that would be presented to Moscow and Kiev.

“So far, there is only this model,” Zelensky continued. He stressed, however, that the final agreement must “suit” Kiev and be based on Ukraine’s terms.

Zelensky has long sought to promote his own ten-point “peace formula”, most recently during the summit in Switzerland on June 15-16, to which Russia was not invited. Moscow has flatly rejected Zelensky’s terms, insisting that the status of its newly acquired territories is non-negotiable. Putin further demanded in June that Kiev withdraw all its troops from the areas of the four Russian regions it currently controls.

According to Putin, Ukraine must also renounce its plan to join NATO and become a neutral country, as well as limit the size of its army.

Despite rejecting Russia’s terms, Kiev has recently signaled its willingness to end the fighting. In June, the deputy head of Zelensky’s office, Igor Zhovkva, said Ukraine wanted “peace as soon as possible”.

Zelensky stated last week that Kiev does not want to “prolong the war” or make it “last for years.”

Iran FM: Appeasement makes Israel hell-bent on killing Palestinian women, children

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Ali Bagheri Kani

Ali Bagheri made the remarks in an event on Monday commemorating the victims of chemical attacks by the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime on the Iranian city of Sardasht in 1987, whose effects continue to plague the wounded besides leaving dozens dead on the spot.

The caretaker foreign minister said, “While we are holding this ceremony, the bitter reality and immediate threat we are facing is the continuation of nine months of genocide and aggression by the Zionist regime in Gaza, whose effects and consequences are exactly the same as the use of weapons of mass destruction.”

He added, “Today, the people in Palestine and Gaza are victims of the Zionist regime’s genocide, and appeasement by the international community, especially the Western countries, has made the regime even more reckless in killing women and children.”

The Iranian diplomat said those who were backing the Iraqi dictator in the 1980s war against Iran are today direct partners in the Israeli regime’s genocide in Gaza, which has so far claimed the lives of nearly 37,000 Palestinians.

Bagheri also said Iran has not given up in the legal fight against the West to restore the rights of Iranian victims of the chemical attacks.

US military bases in Europe put on high alert: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
-
US Army

“There is credible intel pointing to an attack against US bases in Europe over the next week or so,” an unnamed official told Fox News.

According to the source, different installations, including the army garrison in Stuttgart, Germany, which hosts the US European Command, have increased their threat posture to Force Protection ‘Charlie’. This level applies “when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely”.

A threat level of this kind has not been activated “in at least ten years,” a US official stationed at one of the bases told CNN, adding that it is generally applied when the military faces an “active-reliable threat”.

The US Army operates a system called Force Protection Condition (FPCON), designed “to counter terrorists or other hostile adversaries”. Its threat levels are designated as Normal, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta, with Charlie and Delta being the highest states of alert.

A spokesperson for US European Command Commander Dan Day declined to comment on the exact nature of the threat, saying that the Pentagon is “constantly assessing a variety of factors that play into the safety of the US military community abroad” and takes extra steps to ensure the safety of service members.

“USEUCOM constantly monitors the security environment to ensure its personnel are informed and best postured to assure the safety of their individual person, family, and loved ones. As always, USEUCOM advises personnel in the European theater to remain vigilant and stay alert at all times,” he added, as quoted by CNN.

While the details of what has triggered the alert remain unclear, European authorities have reportedly warned of potential terrorist threats during the ongoing Euro 2024 football championship in Germany and the upcoming Olympic Games in France.

German authorities have deployed over 500 international police officers to assist with security during the tournament. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated the country has prepared “for all conceivable dangers, from Islamist terror to violent criminals and hooligans”.

The French government has raised the national security system to its highest level as well, saying that officials are “actively monitoring terrorist threats from organized groups and radicalized individuals”.

Iran envoy says complex condition in Afghanistan requires comprehensive consultations

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Hossein Kazemi Qomi

Hassan Kazemi Qomi made the remarks in a post on X on Sunday, hours before a delegation from Iran left for Qatar to attend the third Doha summit on Afghanistan.

Expressing hope that the upcoming round of the United Nations-hosted meeting on Afghanistan will bring about security, stability and welfare for the Afghan people, the envoy underscored the importance of collective efforts to resolve the ongoing challenges.

He added that the Iranian delegation would convey Tehran’s concerns about Afghanistan and explain the humanitarian policies of Iran regarding foreign nationals in the country to the officials of the United Nations and the countries participating in the meeting.

The Iranian diplomat further noted he hopes that the upcoming negotiations will lead to the reduction of the suffering of the people of Afghanistan and bring about peace, stability, security, sustainable development, and a government based on people’s will and without foreign interference and domination.

The third round of the UN-convened meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan is scheduled to be held on Sunday and Monday with the participation of representatives of various countries. Two other rounds were held in the Qatari capital, Doha, earlier.

An Afghan Taliban delegation will also participate in the meeting, marking the first time the Afghan rulers will attend a gathering of international envoys on Afghanistan since UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres started the process in May last year.

The Taliban managed to storm back to power in mid-August 2021 after making sweeping advances across Afghanistan during a messy withdrawal of US-led foreign forces as well as the rapid collapse of the country’s security forces.

The group announced the formation of a caretaker government in September, but their efforts to stabilize the situation have so far been undermined by international sanctions.

No country has yet recognized the Taliban government and its rule over Afghanistan, although they have been in power for nearly three years.

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