Palestinians Protest Against
Evictions of Families From
Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah
by Max Gorbachev
July 31st, 6:48pm (Sputnik)
Local residents and activists have been holding
demonstrations since the beginning of May,
when a district court approved a decision
to vacate six families from their homes,
where Jewish settlers have claimed
ownership of the land.
Sputnik is live from East Jerusalem, where Palestinians
are protesting against the eviction of families from the
Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. This development
comes as the Israeli High Court is expected to
have a hearing on the issue on August 2nd.
The lower courts have already given the
green light for the evictions.
The issue has drawn international attention since protests
in May led to clashes with Israeli police and sparked 11
days of hostilities between Israeli forces and Hamas
militants, the worst violence in years. More than
250 Palestinians were killed, including 100
women and children, while over 2,000
were wounded. Thirteen people
were killed in Israel in rocket
strikes including 2 women.
Follow Sputnik's live feed for latest.
_______________________________
US lawmaker calls plan
to evacuate 'allies' from
Afghanistan 'complete
disaster'
July 31st, 6:22pm (PressTV)
A US lawmaker has described the Biden administration’s
plan to evacuate Afghans, who worked with US forces
in Afghanistan, a "complete disaster".
The Biden administration decided to grant special visas
to Afghan interpreters, drivers, guides and other locals
after US President Joe Biden vowed to withdraw US
troops from the country.
However, a US lawmaker, who was involved in the
congressional process for granting special visas
to the Afghan interpreters & their families, said
the Department of Defense (DoD) had not fully
anticipated the move... describing the DoD’s
plan in this regard as a "complete disaster".
Americans still in limbo over Afghan ‘friends’
Americans are still in limbo, as to where to
relocate former employee "friends" fleeing
from Taliban retribution in Afghanistan.
“When they finally made the decision of a hasty
surrender & withdrawal, they didn’t anticipate
some of the unintended consequences or
really play out a lot of the details —
[visas] among them,” according
to Rep. Mike Gallagher
(R-Wis.).
At a classified briefing with top national security officials
on Capitol Hill, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was
asked to detail the US military’s plan to evacuate
thousands of Afghan nationals, who aided the
US invasion and occupation of the country.
Austin didn’t have a plan, according to two people
in the room, and a military official familiar with
the April meeting, as cited by Politico.
“We’ll get back to you on that,” Austin replied.
Gallagher said Austin's reply showed a lack of any
plan.. which has resulted in a "complete disaster".
“This whole thing is just a complete disaster... and it’s
not getting better any time soon,” Gallagher lamented.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is still seeking
to pave the way for the evacuation of some 20,000
interpreters and their families, fearing retribution
at the hands of Taliban militants, after the
complete exit of US forces
from Afghanistan.
On Friday, 200 Afghans out of an initial group of 2,500
– roughly 700 visa applicants and members of their
immediate families – arrived in the US, as part
of “Operation Allies Refuge”.
The others are still in Afghanistan, waiting for exit from
Afghanistan and a possible entry to the United States.
The process could take years and some 300 interpreters
have already died, waiting, according to a report.
“These people stood up and fought shoulder and shoulder
to [US forces]… and we’re closing our eyes and leaving
them there, leaving them to die,” said one interpreter
who had in the past, received the Special Immigrant
Visa (SIV) issued by the US State Department.
The Biden administration has asked Congress for one
billion dollars of emergency funding to expedite the
SIV process for the Afghans.
In the meantime, US military and intelligence sources have
warned, that the Afghan Taliban militants have made huge
territorial gains & could retake the country within months.
Battle in Herat forces more Afghan civilians from homes
“At the moment the fighting is ongoing in the
south and southeast,” Governor Qani said.
According to US military sources the group
now controls over 200 of the country’s
419 district centres.
Under a deal with the Taliban, which was signed
last year, the US has pulled out most of its
troops from Afghanistan.
The US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 ousted
the Taliban from power, but it also worsened the
security situation in the war-torn country.
The United States has been blamed for the surge of
violence --- as it has failed to stabilize the security
situation after 2 decades of war and occupation.
____________________________________
All But One District of Afghanistan's
Herat Province Under Control of
Taliban - Reports
July 31st, 6:03pm (Sputnik)
The Taliban (a terror group, banned in Russia) have
seized outskirts of the city of Herat, moving to the
downtown area, the national media reported
on Saturday.
Sixteen out of 17 districts of the N. Western province
are now... under control of the Taliban. The only
exception is Guzara, which has been liberated
by the government troops earlier in the day,
TOLOnews said, citing security sources.
Defense Ministry spokesman, Fawad Aman, however,
tweeted that the security situation in Herat's out-
skirts is normalizing.. due to the active presence
of pro-government forces in the liberated areas.
Afghanistan is witnessing a flare-up of tensions between
the government forces and the Taliban, as the latter
have seized large swathes of rural areas and
stepped up their offensive on large cities.
The violence is rising amid the with-
drawal of international troops
which is to be completed by
September 11th.
________________________________
14 African States Agree
to Expel Israeli Regime
from AU
July 31st, 2:55pm (FNA)
Algiers has reached an agreement with 13 other African
countries to expel Tel Aviv from the African Union as an
observer member, Algerian media reported.
Algeria has officially begun the process of forming an
African group to reject Tel Aviv's membership in the
African Union, the online newspaper Rai Al-Youm
reported on Saturday.
Algeria's goal is announced to be preserving the
principles of the African Union and to support
the Arab state of Palestine.
According to the report, South Africa, Tunisia, Eritrea,
Senegal, Tanzania, Niger, the archipelago of Qamar,
Gabon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Liberia, and the
Seychelles, have all agreed with
the decision.
Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra has stressed
that Algerian diplomacy would not back down from the
move by Tel Aviv and the African Union, which was
taken without consulting members.
The foreign minister added these diplomatic moves are, in
fact, a reaction to Tel Aviv's membership in the African
Union as an observer member, and that this is a
development that Tel Aviv diplomats have
been working on for years.
Lamamra noted that the Zionist regime had previously gained
membership as an observer in the Organization of African
Unity, but in 2002, the title was taken back from the
regime, as the African Union replaced the
Organization of African Unity.
The daily further wrote that Lamamra is expected to discuss
the issue of Tel Aviv's membership in the African Union in
his upcoming trips to the four African countries of
Tunisia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has announced in a statement
that Adamsu Alali, Tel Aviv's Ambassador to Addis Ababa,
had submitted his credentials as an observer member
of the African Union.
______________________________________
US to Give UK Troops
Access to Its Military
'Combat Cloud' to
Oppose China
July 31st, 2:54pm (FNA)
The US Department of Defense (DoD), is ''mulling'' giving
access to its "combat cloud" to UK military members,
to boost the interoperability of allied forces, in a
scenario involving a confrontation with China,
according to Vice Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, General John Hyten.
Recent war games simulating a US response to an attack on
Taiwan by China, were reportedly a trigger for the change,
as the US forces in the drills lost "miserably" & simulated
trials showed, that the US military could not effectively
work with one of its greatest military assets: Its own
allies, Sputnik reported.
"We have to address a classification problem... because we are
way over-classified. Even if we do that, we still have a problem
because we like to label things 'SECRET NOFORN [No Foreign
Nationals]'. Then, even our closest allies can't get on to our
basic secret system SIPRNet," Hyten stated.
Although the Pentagon did not declassify all of the information
regarding the outcome of the recent war games, Hyten said
that a key problem was that the "red team" knocked out the
US military's information systems at the onset of the
hypothetical conflict.
These essential systems are used to relay data and intelligence
between US forces and units. The latter ended up amassed in
one spot, becoming easy prey to a fictional Chinese
military offensive.
"Without overstating the issue, it failed miserably. An aggressive
'red team' that had been studying the United States for the last
20 years just ran rings around us. They knew exactly what we
were going to do before we did it," Hyten added.
The Pentagon is now overhauling its entire concept of waging
war against modern enemies -- purportedly in the event of a
war with China. US forces will reportedly now be amassing
only to land a strike, dissipating immediately after, to
survive a possible enemy assault.
The US military will also replace military information systems
with a "combat cloud", presumably immune to Chinese
hacking efforts. This cloud is expected to not only
provide US soldiers with combat data, but also
do the same for their British allies – via the
use of a personal biometrics login.
Despite being "overly classified" and limiting access to allies,
the Pentagon network for secret documents became the
source of one of the biggest and most embarrassing US
data leaks in history. In 2010 a US military intelligence
analyst, Chelsea Manning, leaked hundreds of
thousands of US war logs from Afghanistan
and Iraq, as well as Department of State
cables, to WikiLeaks and its founder,
Julian Assange.
The documents revealed multiple cases that
allegedly constitute war crimes and
misconduct by members of the US
military, as well as laying open
extremely sensitive US
diplomatic cables.
____________________________________
Yemen's army
liberates more areas
in central Yemen
July 31st, 2:53pm (PressTV)
A new victory against the Saudi-backed militant groups
was made by Yemen's armed forces, in the second
phase of the al-Nasr al-Mubeen operation.
The spokesman of the Yemeni army, Yahya Saree, said
No'man and Nate'e regions of the country's central
province of al-Bayda were fully liberated from the
control of the Saudi-backed terrorists. He said
the military operation, had left hundreds of
Saudi-backed militants killed and injured,
adding that the Yemeni forces had also
captured a number of the militants.
Saree also said the Yemeni forces have confiscated
militants’ weapons, which are US-made according
to military experts. They say this is yet another
proof of the US military support for Daesh
and al-Qaeda terrorists in Yemen.
Two weeks ago, the Yemeni army took control of large
areas in al-Bayda in the first stage of the al-Nasr
al-Mubeen operation that was launched on
July 13th. The operation was part of
military efforts to push members
of al-Qaeda and Daesh - out of
their strongholds in al-Bayda.
Observers say the US support for the terrorist groups
in Al-Bayda is aimed at hampering the Yemeni army’s
advances toward Ma’rib --- the last stronghold of
Saudi-backed militants in northern Yemen.
However, the Yemeni army says it will continue the
operations until the liberation of all Yemeni
territories, and putting an end to the
years-long Saudi-imposed war.
____________________________
Taliban Militants Attack UN Office
in Afghanistan’s Herat - Amid
Clashes, Gov’t Says
July 31st, 2:48pm (Sputnik)
This comes a day after the terrorist group launched a
similar attack in the country's third-largest city. No
UN personnel were hurt; however, Taliban*
militants killed one police officer and
injured several others, during
the assault.
Taliban militants... have attacked the UN Assistance
Mission in Afghanistan, Fawad Aman, spokesperson
for the Afghan Defence Ministry, wrote in a state-
ment on Twitter. He said the Afghan National
Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) are
now fighting against the militants, with
more and more Afghan forces going
to Herat, where the UN’s main
compound is located.
No information on casualties has been reported so far.
Violence has continued unabated in Afghanistan for several
weeks, with the Taliban launching an offensive on entire
cities. Reports say the militant group now controls
more territory than they did in 2001, when it was
toppled during the US-led invasion... Experts
say the group has been emboldened by the
withdrawal of US and NATO troops. The
departure is in accordance with the
peace deal the US and the Taliban
signed in February 2020.
____________________________
EU Adopts Framework for...
Sanctions Against Lebanon,
US Welcomes Move
July 31st, 12:07pm (FNA)
The EU adopted a legal framework for targeted
restrictive measures, against Lebanon, which
has already been grappling with an economic
crisis and political turmoil, amid Western
interference in the country’s
domestic affairs.
In a statement released on Friday, the European Council, the
EU's agenda-setting body, said the framework provides for
the possibility of imposing sanctions against individuals
& entities that it deems responsible for “undermining
democracy or the rule of law in Lebanon".
The sanctions consist of a travel ban to the EU as well as an
asset freeze for persons and entities, the statement read,
adding that EU persons and entities are forbidden from
making funds available to those listed.
The sanctions regime sets out three criteria under which
people may be targeted by the 27-nation bloc, including
the obstruction of the democratic political process in
Lebanon, the undermining of reforms in governance
and the financial sector, and serious financial
misconduct concerning public funds.
“Despite repeated calls on Lebanese political forces and
stakeholders to act in the national interest, and to no
longer delay the formation of a fully empowered
government... capable of meeting the country’s
urgent needs, & implementing critical reforms,
there is no progress. Meantime, the economic,
social and humanitarian situation in Lebanon
continues to deteriorate... and the people
continue to suffer,” the statement read.
It is, however, of the utmost importance that the Lebanese
leadership put aside their differences and work together
to form a government and enact the measures required
to steer the country towards a sustainable recovery,
according to the statement.
The EU diplomats stated targets are ''not likely''
to be decided, before the end of the summer.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken & Treasury
Secretary Janet Yellen welcomed the EU's move,
stating Washington "looks forward to future
cooperation with the EU, in our
shared efforts".
The EU’s measure came a few days after Lebanese
billionaire businessman Najib Mikati was appointed
as Lebanon's new prime minister-designate tasked
with forming a government and ending a year of
political deadlock.
Lebanon has been mired, since late 2019, in a deep
financial crisis -- that caused the Lebanese pound
to lose around 90% of its value to the dollar.
____________________________________
US seizes oil tanker vessel
over alleged violation of
sanctions against
North Korea
July 31st, 9:14am (PressTV)
The United States has seized a Singaporean-owned tanker
vessel over alleged violation of international sanctions by
making shipments of petroleum products to North Korea.
The US Justice Department (DoJ) announced in a statement
on Friday the seizure of a 2,734-ton tanker it said was
owned and operated by a Singaporean national and
used to transfer oil products to North Korean
vessels and to make direct shipments to
the North Korean port of Nampo.
The DoJ said in the statement that the oil tanker M/T
Courageous, was seized by Cambodian authorities
in March 2020 in accordance with a US warrant.
"Criminal charges of conspiracy to evade economic sanctions
on the DPRK and money laundering conspiracy are pending
against the alleged owner and operator of the Courageous,
Kwek Kee Seng, a Singaporean national, who remains at
large," the department said, using the acronym of
North Korea's official name, the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea.
The statement stopped short of saying why the charges
against Kwek had not yet been brought, more than a
year after the ship was seized -- but added that a
New York federal court had entered a judgment
of forfeiture regarding the vessel, on Friday.
The DoJ statement claimed that over a 4-month period between
August and December 2019 the M/T Courageous stopped
transmitting information of its location and during this
time, satellite imagery showed it transferring more
than $1.5 million worth of oil to a North Korean
ship, the Saebyol.
The statement added that payments to purchase the oil
were made, using US dollars, through unwitting US
banks, in violation of US law and UN resolutions.
"Kwek and his co-conspirators overseas sought to conceal
these sanctions-evading transactions by, among other
things, using front companies to disguise the nature
of the transactions," the DoJ said, without further
elaboration on the alleged co-conspirators.
North Korea has long been under harsh United Nations
sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs. The
US has spearheaded those sanctions, and has
imposed several rounds of its own.
N Korea does not rule out either ‘dialogue’ or war with US
Former US president Donald Trump attempted to court
Pyongyang. But even though he met with North
Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, three times, he
refused to relieve any of the sanctions
in return... for several steps taken by
Pyongyang toward denuclearization.
That hampered further diplomacy between Pyongyang
and Washington, and prompted Kim to announce an
end to a moratorium on the country’s
missile tests.
Pyongyang has blasted the new administration in
Washington for pursuing a "hostile policy" after
President Joe Biden said he would deal with
the “threat” posed by the North's nuclear
program, "through diplomacy, as
well as by stern deterrence."
Kim stresses military readiness ahead of US-S Korea drills
Separately on Friday, the North Korean leader was reported to
have met with the country’s military officers, and called for
a stronger capability to cope with any foreign provocation
ahead of annual drills between South Korea and the
United States, next month.
The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said
Kim held the workshop of military commanders and
political officers, from July 24-27, to discuss ways
to enhance the North’s military strength.
During the meeting, Kim “stressed that commanders
and political officers should focus all efforts on
completing preparations for actively and
offensively coping with any military
provocation of enemies,”
KCNA said.
South Korea and the United States are scheduled
to hold a smaller joint military drill, starting on
Monday, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kim said “the hostile forces,” an apparent reference
to the US and South Korea, were bolstering their
capabilities for making a preemptive attack,
and intensifying "all sorts of frantic and
persistent war drills for aggression.”
The North Korean leader ordered the country’s military
officers to put greater efforts into boosting their units'
combat efficiency, KCNA added.
North Korea defends its nuclear and ballistic
missiles programs, as a deterrent against
potential foreign aggression.
Pyongyang views the joint war games between the US
& its neighbours, including the South, as a rehearsal
for war, and has repeatedly urged Seoul to stop
participating in those drills.
______________________________________
A ‘New Cold War’ has already started,
but Russia & China are winning
against a ‘weakening’ West,
says former Kremlin adviser
by Jonny Tickle
July 31st, 8:15am (RT)
The Soviet Union might have lost the first Cold War, but
Russia is ahead, in the rematch with the US, and this
time, has every chance of coming out on top.
That's according to well-known Moscow
scholar, Sergey Karaganov.
Speaking to Russian newspaper Argumenty I Fakty, the
academic argued that Moscow is now much stronger
than it was during the late Soviet period, and the
West has weakened in that time.
Karaganov has been one of Russia’s top foreign-policy
theorists for decades, and has also advised President
Vladimir Putin in the past. He is currently the head of
the World Economy and International Affairs faculty
at the Higher School of Economics (HSE), a
prestigious university in Moscow.
He is also well-known, for the eponymous ‘Karaganov
doctrine’ - which states that Moscow should act as a
defender of human rights for ethnic Russians living
in the near abroad.
“There are several factors that allow us to talk about
good chances for success,” the professor explained.
Firstly, he claims, during the Cold War, the Soviet Union
was concerned with enemies on more than one front.
Now, with Beijing on the side of Moscow, Russia can
utilize China as a strategic resource, he went on to
say. Secondly... Russia is much more prosperous
than it was during the latter years of the USSR.
And, most importantly, the West is
significantly less powerful,
than it was in the past.
“But, to win even against a weakening but still powerful
West --- we need to pursue the right policies, both at
home and abroad,” Karaganov warned.
He also pointed to the “burdens” of the Soviet Union that
don’t apply to Russia, such as, what he described as
Moscow’s need to feed half of the world -- despite
local food shortages, as a benefit in its current
situation. He sees the lack of dependent
client states as an advantage, in
Russia's current situation.
“Georgia received the most money per capita in the USSR,
and Ukraine received the most money in absolute terms,”
he explained. “It is no coincidence that, with the loss of
these subsidies, all of them are dramatically poorer.”
When it comes to China, Karaganov dubs the relationship
a “semi-alliance,” noting that it came about due to the
West’s geostrategic failures. However, the political
scientist warned against “selling the country’s
sovereignty” to Beijing... repeating the
mistakes of Europe’s close friend-
ship with Washington, in
the past.
Karaganov is well-known for his favorable opinion of relations
between Russia and China, and has pushed for a closer
relationship between Beijing and Moscow.
“Knowing Russian history... and the psychology of our people
and political class, I think that we will not sell our sovereignty
to anyone,” he added. “I also hope for the wisdom of the
Chinese political class. If I were Chinese, I would never
do anything against Russia.”
Furthermore, China isn’t Russia’s only close partner,
Karaganov stated. Moscow now has friendly
relations with most Arab countries, Iran,
India, and even with some European
Union states, such as Hungary
and Austria.
“We are seeing a watershed. We will find out who will be
part of ‘Greater America’ – like the US and Northwest
Europe – and who will be on the side of
‘Greater Eurasia.’”
“The big question is, where Germany will end up,” he
concluded, referring to the dominant NATO power
that has embarked on the controversial Nord
Stream 2 project with Russia --- despite
staunch objections from NATO allies
and Washington.
___________________________________
Putin approves Russia's
participation... as
observer in SICA
July 30th, 7:09pm (Prensa Latina)
President Vladimir Putin approved his government's
proposal for Russia to participate as an observer in
the Central American Integration System (SICA),
the country's official legal information portal
published, today.
According to the presidential decree, the local Foreign
Ministry was entrusted with the task of signing the
agreement with SICA, 'allowing the introduction
of non-fundamental amendments' in the
project approved by the Russian
government last week.
In this way, Moscow will be able to attend as an observer
country in summits and meetings of the SICA councils
of ministers, as well as in other institutions or
organizations involved in the promotion of
integration and cooperation projects.
Established in 1991, the Central American Integration System
is made up of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
Nicaragua, Panama, Belize, and the Dominican Republic.
Its main purpose is the integration of Central America, to
turn it into a region of peace, freedom, democracy and
development, according to its founding statutes.
_________________________________
Nearly 170 Palestinians injured
in Israeli attack on anti-
settlement protests
July 30th, 6:01pm (PressTV)
Nearly 170 Palestinians have sustained injuries in an attack
by Israeli forces on anti-settlement protesters near the
occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
The violence broke out after the Friday prayers, when
the Israeli regime forces opened fire on Palestinians
protesting against the construction of a settlement
outpost on Jabal Sabih in the town of Beita, south
of Nablus, according to Palestinian media.
Palestine's official Wafa news agency said 29 civilians were
wounded with live and rubber-coated metal bullets, and
dozens more suffocated with tear gas, as Israelis
attacked the protest.
"168 injuries occurred during the confrontations with the
occupation forces, including 5 with live bullets, 24 with
rubber-coated metal bullets, while 132 others suffered
from suffocation as a result of the Israeli forces firing
tear gas canisters, while seven others were injured,"
Ahmed Jibril, director of ambulance and emergency
services at the Red Crescent in Nablus, told the
Palestinian Ma'an news agency.
Local Palestinian sources told Ma'an that confrontations
erupted in three locations with the occupation forces at
the Beita Junction, Jabal Sabih, and the al-Houte area.
The sources added that the occupation forces used
drones to drop tear gas canisters on Palestinians.
The Eviatar settlement outpost near Nablus has for the
past two months become one of the focal points of
clashes between settlers backed by regime
forces, and the Palestinians.
At least five Palestinians were recently shot dead by
Israeli troops, as they protested the appropriation
of more than five acres of their land - previously
used for the cultivation of olives - for the
construction of the Israeli settlement
of Eviatar.
The Israeli authorities have decided to turn Eviatar into
a military base. But the Beita town residents have
rejected the decision and pledged to continue
their protests until the outpost is removed.
Tensions have reached boiling point as Israeli settlers
continue their expropriation of Palestinian land, in
some cases defying Israeli authorities by refusing
to evacuate land that Palestinians depend on for
their livelihoods.
However, decades of successive Israeli regimes' economic
and political support for the settler movement, including
prevarication and indifference to illegal outposts, have
emboldened the settlers.
Villages in the occupied West Bank often hold Friday
demonstrations against land confiscations, house
demolitions, and Israeli settlements. Israeli
forces usually respond to the protests
with disproportionate violence.
Israeli soldiers clash with mourners in Hebron
Elsewhere in the occupied Palestinian territories on Friday,
Israeli forces violently clashed with Palestinian mourners
attending the funeral of a young man shot dead by the
regime’s soldiers near the city of al-Khalil (Hebron).
The Tel Aviv regime fired tear gas and rubber bullets against
the mourners, injuring a number of Palestinians.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the 20-year-old
Shawkat Khaled Awad was shot by Israeli soldiers on
Thursday and was critically wounded in Beit Ummar
town, north of the southern West Bank city
of Hebron.
Palestinian media reported that the young man was shot in
the head and abdomen before being admitted to hospital,
where he succumbed to his injuries, hours later.
_______________________________________
Informed sources: Raid on
Israeli-managed vessel was
retaliation for Israeli raid
on Syria
July 30th, 4:25pm (PressTV)
Informed sources have told Al-Alam television that an
attack on an Israeli-managed petroleum products
tanker off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea
that killed two crew members was in response
to an Israeli missile attack on Syria that killed
two resistance forces.
The Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned
ship, came under attack about 152 nautical miles
(280 km) northeast of the Omani port of Duqm
on Thursday, according to the UK Maritime
Trade Operations (UKMTO), which
provides maritime security
information.
In a statement on Friday, Zodiac Maritime, the Israeli-
owned firm managing the oil tanker, claimed that
two crewmen, a Briton and a Romanian, had
been killed in the assault.
“Details of the incident are still being established and
an investigation into the incident is currently under-
way. We continue to work closely with the UKMTO
and other relevant authorities,” London-based
Zodiac said, on its website.
It also said it was “not aware of harm to any other
personnel” than the British and Romanian crew
-men, who were, allegedly, killed.
According to Refinitiv ship tracking, the medium-size
tanker was headed to Fujairah, a port and oil terminal
in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from Tanzania.
Earlier on Friday, the firm described the incident
as suspected piracy --- but the UKMTO
categorized it as not piracy-related.
The company said the vessel was now sailing under
the control of its crew and on its own power, to a
safe location... with a US naval escort.
In recent months, several other Israeli ships have come
under apparent attacks on various maritime routes
across the world. Earlier in the month, a fire broke
out on an Israeli-owned cargo ship after it was
struck by an “unidentified weapon” in the
northern Indian Ocean. Lebanon’s al-
Mayadeen television network said
the Israeli vessel had been on
route to the coast of the UAE
when it was attacked.
Back in February, an Israeli-owned ship was hit by an
explosion in the sea of Oman. In April, another Israeli
ship came under attack off the coast of the UAE.
The attacks come against a backdrop of the Israeli
regime’s various assaults on cargo ships across
the Persian Gulf region and elsewhere.
___________________________________
US will repeat mistakes
of Afghanistan war:
Congress-appointed
inspector
July 30th, 1:58pm (PressTV)
An inspector general appointed by the US Congress
to examine the war in Afghanistan has enumerated
Washington’s failures in 20 years of war in the
Asian country and says the US will repeat
those mistakes.
John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan
Reconstruction (SIGAR), said Thursday, that Washington
had shifted its goals & set unrealistic timelines, among
other mistakes, in the Afghanistan war.
“Don’t believe what you’re told by the generals, or the
ambassadors, or people in the administration saying
we’re never going to do this again. That’s exactly
what we said after Vietnam,” Sopko said, at a
Defense Writers Group discussion with
reporters. “We will do it again.”
Sopko also said that US officials “knew
how bad the Afghan military was.”
“But the average American, the average taxpayer, the
average congressman, the average person working
in the embassy, wouldn’t know how bad it was,”
he said.
The inspector general made the remarks... after his office
submitted its latest quarterly report to the US Congress,
which provided a grim view of the war in Afghanistan.
The report came as the US military has withdrawn most
of its troops from Afghanistan, under a deal with the
Taliban militant group that was reached last year.
The US’s 2001 invasion of Afghanistan ousted the Taliban
from power, but it worsened the security situation in the
country. The invasion, which has led to the longest war
in US history, has left the nation “poor, aid-dependent,
and conflict-affected,” according to the SIGAR report.
The document also said that the Afghan military appeared
“surprised and unready, and is now on it back foot” in the
fight against the Taliban militants.
“Civilian casualties hit a record high in May and June...
the overall trend is clearly unfavorable to the Afghan
government, which could face an existential
crisis if it isn’t addressed and reversed,”
the report said.
US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley had
claimed last week that he had confidence in the ability
of Afghan forces to fend off a Taliban takeover of the
country. “I don’t think the end game is yet written,”
Milley said then.
The Taliban, who have intensified attacks across Afghanistan,
now control about 212 of the country’s 419 district centres,
according to the US military. The US is also blamed for
the surge in the Taliban violence, as it has failed to
stabilize the security situation in Afghanistan...
after two decades of war and occupation.
______________________________
Yemeni Forces Liberate More Areas
in Al-Bayda Province from
Saudi-led Mercenaries
July 30th, 1:57pm (al Manar)
Spokesman of the Yemeni Armed Forces, General Yahya Sarea,
announced, in a statement on Friday, that the offensive against
the Saudi-led mercenaries in Al-Bayda province has made
more advances.
General Sarea indicated that the Yemeni army and popular
committees liberated the two directorates of Noaman and
Natea from the the Saudi-led mercenaries, and inflicted
heavy losses upon them.
Hundreds of Saudi-led militants and mercenaries were
killed, injured, or captured, according to General Sarea.
The Yemeni military spokesman added that the Yemeni forces
will eradicate the remnants of the mercenaries in Al-Bayda,
stressing that the operations across Yemen will continue
until the full liberation and the end of the Saudi
aggression and blockade.
Yemen has been, since March 25th, 2015, under aggression
by the Saudi-led coalition, in a bid to restore power to
the fugitive Hadi, who is Riyadh’s ally. Tens of
thousands of Yemenis have been killed
or injured by Saudi-led airstrikes.
The Arab country has been also under harsh blockade by
the coalition which includes, in addition to the Kingdom,
the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco
and Sudan.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
________________________________
US Convoy Comes under
Attack in Iraq’s Babil
July 30th, 1:23pm (al Manar)
A US convoy was targeted in the southern Iraqi
province of Babil, local media reported
on Friday.
The Telegram channel “Saberin News”, reported
that a US logistics convoy was targeted in Babil
in the south, the third such attack on US forces
in the last 24 hours.
Saberin News has said that the footage of the attack
was recorded and will publish it as soon as it
receives the scenes from the “Qassem
al-Jabarin” group.
The new attack on the US troops comes a day after
Iraqi sources reported yesterday that several US
convoys had been attacked in al-Diwaniyah,
Babil and al-Nasiriyah provinces in
the country.
Dozens of attacks on US troops have been reported
in the last months. A piece of legislation approved
in the Iraqi parliament in early 2020 after the US
assassination of Iranian and Iraqi Resistance
commanders, General Qassem Suleimani
and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis --- near
Baghdad airport in January 2020.
Calls for an end to the presence of the foreign troops
in the country have escalated in the wake of the
assassination Suleimani and Al-Muhandis.
However, the US withdrawal has yet to
be fulfilled.
Source: Iraqi media
_______________________________
Save the Children censures
Israel - for excessive force
against Palestinian kids
July 30th,1:23pm (PressTV)
An international aid group has censured the excessive
use of force by Israeli soldiers against children in the
occupied Palestinian territories.
Save the Children released a press statement on Thursday
after three Palestinian children were killed across the
West Bank, as a result of extreme violence
exercised by the troops over
the past week.
It added that Israeli forces killed a Palestinian boy in the
town of Beit Ummar, north of the West Bank city of
al-Khalil (Hebron), after shooting him in the chest
while he sat in a car with his sister and
father, on Wednesday.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said Mohammad Mouayyad
Allamy was shot in the chest and suffered bleeding in his
lungs, when Israeli forces opened fire at the car and
added that the boy was evacuated by medics in a
critical condition to al-Ahli Hospital, but later
died of his injuries.
According to Save the Children, another 17-year-old Palestinian
teenager was also shot in the back and died in hospital after
four hours of surgery on Saturday, after Israeli forces
stormed the town of Beita, south of Nablus.
It said a third teenager died from gunshot wounds earlier this
week -- he sustained in the neck more than eight weeks ago.
“Three children shot in the chest, neck and back: this is totally
unacceptable that any life should be cut short so young,” said
Jason Lee, Country Director for Save the Children in Palestine.
He added that the families and friends of these children would
suffer “lasting emotional scars” on their losses, emphasizing,
“Children have special protection under international law
and must be protected from violence at all times.”
He added that Israeli forces must respect children’s rights and
the Israeli regime must open an investigation into all
instances involving the use of force against the
Palestinian children.
“Israeli security forces must fully respect, protect and fulfill the
rights of all children and act in accordance with international
law. Israel should promptly, transparently and independently
investigate all instances of use of force against children,”
Lee said.
The non-governmental organization Defense for Children
International-Palestine (DCI-Palestine) said in a press
statement that Israeli soldiers had, in the early hours
of Thursday, raided its headquarters in Sateh
Marhaba neighbourhood, in al-Bireh city
near Ramallah.
_______________________________
Iraqi Groups Vow to
Force US Troops to
Leave in Humiliation
July 30th, 12:35pm (FNA)
Iraqi Kata'ib Hezbollah resistance movement emphasized
that US military troops must withdraw from the Arab
country, and it is ready to force the occupation
troops to do so.
The anti-terror group, which is part of the Popular Mobilization
Units – better known by the Arabic word Hashd Al-Sha’abi --
announced in a statement on Thursday, that it has and
will, firmly oppose the dominance of “evil” colonial
powers, over the natural resources of Iraq,
presstv reported.
The statement noted that Kata'ib Hezbollah will continue
to carry out its duties, regardless of the pressures and
challenges it might face.
“All resistance groups have become a thorn in the eye of
the American enemy. We are fully prepared to, once
again, drive US forces out of Iraq in humiliation,”
it also read.
Kata'ib Hezbollah warned that further surprises await American
occupation forces in case they insist on their presence on the
Iraqi soil.
Jafar Al-Hussaini, spokesman for Kata'ib Hezbollah movement,
said Iraq's resistance factions would not target diplomatic
missions in the country, describing attacks on the US
embassy in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, as false
-flag operations aimed at deceiving the Iraqi nation.
"Diplomatic facilities in Iraq are not on the list of targets by
resistance forces. Attacks on the evil US embassy in
Baghdad are meant to disrupt equations and trick
Iraqi people,” Hussaini told Lebanon’s Arabic-
language Al-Mayadeen TV on Thursday.
He added, “The perpetrators of attacks on the evil embassy
are pursuing destructive interests, and their affiliations
are suspicious.”
Qais al-Khazali, leader of Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq movement, said
the United States does not intend to withdraw its forces
from Iraq --- stressing that the cost of the continued
presence of US forces in the country will be heavy.
“US overflights in Iraq are aimed at espionage purposes.
Baghdad-Washington negotiations will not result in the
withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. This is just a
deception game,” he added.
Khazali described the Iraqi government's negotiations
with the United States and the agreement purportedly
ending the US combat mission in Iraq by the end of
2021, as “deceptive” and “bogus”.
He said the agreement does not explicitly state the with-
drawal of US forces from Iraq, and fails short of
addressing violations of Iraqi airspace, by
US military aircraft.
“The agreement has simply been struck, in order to change
the title of US forces. This is what we had earlier reported
about. US overflights in Iraq are being carried out to spy
on resistance groups. Our demand concerning the
pullout of foreign military forces is legitimate,”
Khazali said.
US President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa
Al-Kadhimi on Monday sealed an agreement formally
ending the US combat mission in Iraq by the end of
the current year, more than 18 years after US
troops were sent to the Arab country.
Under the agreement, however, US military forces will
continue to operate in Iraq in what has been termed
as an “advisory role”.
_______________________________
More than 70 people killed in DPR
since Additional Measures
came into force
July 30th, 12pm (DAN)
More than 70 people in the DPR were killed since the
Additional Measures to reinforce the ceasefire came
into force, the Republic’s Ombudswoman, Daria
Morozova, said.
“Since July 27th, 2020, when the Measures came into force,
68 DPR service members and five civilians have been killed
as a result of Kiev’s aggression, one child is among
the victims.”
According to the report, 84 defenders
and 15 civilians were injured.
Morozova added that all the diplomatic efforts
to settle the conflict, are eroded by the
actions of the Ukrainian military.
“I believe that the situation requires an immediate
and objective legal assessment by international
human rights organizations. Those who
committed war crimes, must be held
responsible,” she said.
On July 28th, three DPR service members were
killed in a mortar barrage of Novaya Mariyvka,
by Ukrainian forces.
____________________________
Lebanon: LAF Commander Vows
to Confront Challenges --- on
76th Army Day Anniversary
July 30th, 11:26am (al Manar)
Lebanese Armed Forces Chief Major General Joseph Aoun
addressed soldiers, in Order of the Day, on the 76th Army
Day Anniversary.
“On the first of August this year, Lebanon is at the threshold
of the first anniversary of the fateful port blast that hit the
heart of the capital and claimed 206 lives. This coincides
with the most severe economic and financial crisis in
recent history amid the ongoing coronavirus
pandemic,” Aoun said, in the Order
of the Day.
He noted that all eyes are on the military institution, “which
remains the point of convergence for Lebanese hopes.”
The army commander called on soldiers not to allow anyone
to exploit the poor living conditions to question their faith in
your country and institution.
“Lebanon is entrusted to us, and under no circumstances
we will allow it to plunge into chaos and lose its security
and stability.”
“We will be facing additional challenges, stand ready to face
them wisely, patiently and carefully. Do not let sedition
infiltrate our homeland, and do not allow exploiters
to achieve their aims.”
Source: Lebanese media
__________________________________
‘Israeli’ Ship Targeted
Off Oman: Reports
July 30th, 9:27am (al Manar)
An ‘Israeli’ ship was reportedly targeted off the coast of Oman
in the Arabian Sea, a British military group said on Friday,
offering few other details.
Relatively, ‘Israel’ Hayom newspaper cited the British Defense
Ministry as saying the reports suggest that the ‘Israeli’-owned
merchant ship was attacked on Thursday in the Arab Sea.
According to Associated Press, the brief statement from UK
Maritime Trade Operations said an investigation was
underway into the incident, which it described as
happening late Thursday night, just northeast
of the Omani island of Masirah.
The location is over 300 kilometres
southeast of Oman’s capital, Muscat.
The statement did not elaborate, other to say that it suspected
the attack did not involve piracy. Earlier on Thursday, the
British military group had said it was investigating
another unexplained incident in the same area,
but did not elaborate.
Oman did not immediately acknowledge an attack
and officials there did not respond to requests
for comment.
Additionally, the US Navy’s 5th Fleet did not immediately
respond to a request for comment, according to AP.
Source: Agencies
________________________________
Ukrainian forces violate ceasefire
four times in 24 hours – JCCC
July 30th, 8:45am (DAN)
Ukrainian forces violated the ceasefire four times
over the past 24 hours, the DPR mission to the
Joint Centre for Control and Coordination
(JCCC) said.
“Over the past 24 hours, the number of registered
violations was four, the number of rounds fired
was 35 (of 12.7 mm calibre and higher)″.
Four townships were targeted with artillery and mortars.
All the attempts to reinstall the ceasefire through the
coordination mechanism failed as Ukrainians
ignored the requests.
On Thursday, Ukrainian army violated the ceasefire
eight times.
_____________________________
Yemeni army troops, allies, foil
infiltration bids in Hudaydah,
kill Saudi mercenaries
July 30th, 8:15am (PressTV)
Yemeni army soldiers, supported by fighters from allied Popular
Committees, have thwarted two infiltration attempts by Saudi-
led coalition forces and their Takfiri mercenaries in Yemen’s
strategic western province of Hudaydah, leaving scores of
them dead.
A Yemeni military source, speaking on condition of anonymity,
said the Yemeni troops and allies confronted two separate
groups of Saudi-led forces and militants who were
attempting to sneak into al-Faza area, south of
the provincial capital city of Hudaydah,
on Thursday.
Saudis violate Hudaydah truce 190 times in 24 hours
Yemen’s al-Masirah television network said the Saudi-led
military coalition and their mercenaries had violated 203
times, during the past 24 hours, a ceasefire agreement
on Hudaydah.
Citing an unnamed source in Yemen’s Liaison and
Coordination Officers Operations Room, the
television said the violations included 34
reconnaissance flights... over various
regions, in addition to 98 counts of
artillery shelling and 136 shooting
incidents.
Saudi warplanes bomb Ma’rib
Later in the day, Saudi warplanes carried out nearly two
dozen airstrikes against Rahabah and Jabal Murad
districts in the central Yemeni province of Ma’rib.
There were no immediate reports about
possible casualties and the extent
of damage.
______________________________
Israeli Defense Minister
to French Officials:
Hezbollah Must Be
Politically Isolated
in Lebanon
July 29th, 7:56pm (al Manar)
The Israeli defense minister, Benny Gantz, arrived in Paris
to discuss with the French officials their concerns about
the case of spying on the phone of the French president
via the Zionist Pegasus malware.
Reassuring the French officials regarding the spy reports,
Gantz attempted to utilize his visit to provoke France
against Hezbollah.
The Israeli DM warned the French officials against providing
Lebanon with any aid before mitigating the power and
influence of Hezbollah, calling for isolating the
Resistance Party politically.
Gantz also offered the Rench officials with maps and data
reports about what he claimed to be the positions of
Hezbollah precision-guided-missiles, and the
Iranian nuclear program.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
___________________________________
US Reportedly Plans to Slap
Iran's Missile, Drone Building
Industry With Sanctions
by Tim Korso
July 29th, 7:55pm (Sputnik)
Iran strongly rejected attempts to limit its ballistic missile
programme's capabilities, in addition to the limits
imposed on its nuclear programme, in 2015.
Tehran noted that it has the sovereign
right to develop its own weapons,
excluding nuclear weapons.
The White House is planning to slap new sanctions against Iran
as it struggles to negotiate the lifting of those existing in
exchange for Tehran's return to compliance with the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) also
known as the Iran nuclear deal - The Wall Street
Journal reported, citing anonymous US officials.
The new sanctions will reportedly target Iran's
guided missile and drone building capabilities.
"It’s part of a comprehensive approach so we’re dealing with all
aspects of the Iranian threat", the outlet cites an unnamed US
official as saying.
The WSJ claims the decision is prompted by an assessment that
the Islamic republic's guided missiles and drones currently
present a bigger threat than the prospect of the manufacture
of nuclear weapons to Middle East stability. Tehran has
repeatedly rejected notions that it either seeks to build
nuclear weapons, or is responsible for destabilising
the region. According to the Iranian authorities,
the US and Israel are the most significant
sources of disturbance in the
Middle East.
In the past, Washington imposed sanctions against Iran's ballistic
missile programme, which was never ruled illegal by the UN
Security Council, despite a disapproval of its development
by Tehran. Now, the US will reportedly be targeting guided
missile and drone programs, undermining the supply
chain for parts needed in their production, WSJ
sources claim. Last week, the same outlet
claimed that the White House also eyes
slapping sanctions on the allegedly
continuing oil trade between
Tehran and Beijing.
New Sanctions Amid Failing Iran Nuclear Deal Talks
The reported plans for new sanctions against Iran are bound
to complicate things for the US in the field of returning Tehran
to compliance with the Iran nuclear deal – a 2015 accord that
started to collapse in 2018 after former US President Donald
Trump unilaterally withdrew the country from the agreement.
The Biden administration tried to negotiate Iran's return to
compliance with the JCPOA, which it had been gradually
abandoning since 2019, in exchange for lifting most of
the sanctions introduced against the country's oil
trade and other industries. However, these efforts
have proved to be fruitless -- with talks failing by
June 2021, ahead of Iran's presidential election.
Who is Iran's New President and What Can
Be Expected of Him Both Domestically
and Globally?
Tehran's anti-West hardliner Ebrahim Raisi won the election,
but he generally supported the idea of returning to the
JCPOA if it means the complete removal of sanctions
from the country. Raisi refuses, however, to restart
the failed talks unless Washington lifts sanctions –
a prerequisite first introduced under outgoing
President Hassan Rouhani. The US not only
refuses to lift the sanctions in advance,
but is also reportedly mulling leaving
some in place, regardless of the
outcome of the talks.
____________________________________
Donbass situation worsens
as Kiev increases strikes
several-fold, JCCC warns
July 29th, 6:22pm (DAN)
Tensions have mounted on the contact line between Ukraine
and the Donetsk People’s Republic, the DPR Office at the
Joint Centre for Control and Coordination reported
on Thursday.
“As of today, the situation on the contact line continues to
worsen; Kiev has increased strikes at the Republic by
several times with weapons banned by the Minsk
Agreements,” the report said. “Mounting
tensions on the southern border of the
Republic in recent times, are of
particular concern.”
In the period from July 26th to July 29th, Ukrainian forces
opened fire with 122mm artillery eight times (which is
more than during the previous three weeks,) and
also used 120mm mortars (with higher intensity
compared with the previous two weeks) and
grenade launchers to shell settlements on
the Mariupol axis, expending 87 rounds
of ammunition, the DPR Office said.
As a result, three DPR militiamen aged 40, 49 and 42
were killed, and a 28-year-old militiaman suffered
serious shrapnel wounds, it said.
___________________________________
Pentagon’s Use of Private
Security Contractors
Requires Better
Oversight - GAO
July 29th, 4:57pm (Sputnik)
The US Department of Defense's use of private security
contractors requires better oversight, to ensure they
operate within international law, the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report
on Thursday.
"The Department of Defense (DOD), has been unable to
comprehensively identify private security contractor
(PSC) contracts.. and the personnel supporting
contingency, humanitarian, peace-keeping,
or other similar operations... limiting
DOD’s ability to readily & accurately
identify the use of PSCs,” the
report said.
"Without better identifying and tracking its PSC
contracts and personnel, DOD will not
be able to accurately determine
its use of PSCs."
GAO’s report was prompted by allegations the private security
contractors have violated the Montreux Document - signed
by 57 nations, including the United States, in support of
oversight and accountability of such organizations.
The report issued recommendations to improve oversight...
including to comprehensively determine which contracted
activities fall within the definition of a private
security function.
GAO also recommended developing a data source
containing info about the personnel and contracts
that fall within that definition, and create a senior
-level Defense Department position, responsible
for monitoring oversight.
_____________________________________
Israel allows extremist settlers to
seize vast swathes of Palestinian
-owned lands in occupied
West Bank
July 29th, 4:23pm (PressTV)
Israeli authorities have allowed dozens of extremist Jewish
settlers, to seize thousands of acres of Palestinian-owned
agricultural lands around six illegal outposts in the West
Bank, as the Tel Aviv regime continues with its land
expropriation policies irrespective of international
outcries and UN Security Council resolutions.
According to a report published by Palestine’s official WAFA
news agency on Thursday, the so-called Civil Administration
– the Israeli body that handles agricultural and building
permits, roads, water and electricity issues in the West
Bank – has allocated 8,719 dunams (over 2,154 acres)
of land to be taken over by the settlers.
The report, citing Peace Now – an Israeli anti-settlement group
that monitors settlement activity in the occupied West Bank,
noted that the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development has given, over the past few years,
approximately 2.6 million Israeli shekels
($800,000) to the Hashomer Yosh
organization to purportedly
cultivate or graze the land
at the six agricultural
settlement outposts
in the occupied
West Bank.
Peace Now went on to highlight that the ministry has actually
funded two other associations that work in the illegal
agricultural outposts.
The two associations of Kedma and Beit Yatir Preparatory are
said to be active in tens of thousands of dunams of land.
“The Ministry of Agriculture takes millions of shekels of public
assets, and gives them to associations which are intrinsically
linked to illegal activities,” Peace Now said.
It stressed the need for Israeli authorities to change their policies
“immediately and stop supporting outposts and illegal activities.”
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since
the 1967 occupation of the West Bank & East Jerusalem al-Quds.
Israel has stepped up its illegal settlement construction activities
in defiance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334,
which has pronounced settlements in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem al-Quds “a flagrant violation under
international law.”
All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The
UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement
activities in the occupied territories in
several resolutions.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future
independent state with East Jerusalem al-Quds
as its capital.
____________________________
Terrorist Groups Bombard
National Hospital and
Residential Neighbour-
hoods in Syria’s Daraa
July 29th, 4:08pm (al Manar)
Terrorist groups targeted with shells the National
Hospital and the citizens’ homes in the Syrian
city of Daraa.
SANA reporter said that the terrorist groups, positioned
in Daraa al-Balad neighborhood, targeted neighbour-
hoods in Daraa city with shells, one of which fell
on the National Hospital, damaging equipment
and supplies in the Renal Department.
The reporter pointed out that a mortar shell fell in al-Sahara
neighbourhood, adjacent to Daraa al-Balad, causing
material damage to properties.
Source: SANA
___________________________________
