Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, observed a subdued and somber Christmas as Israel’s Gaza war cast a long shadow over its traditional celebrations. Manger Square, usually the epicenter of festive cheer with its glowing lights, towering Christmas tree, and spirited performances of scout marching bands, stands starkly quiet. The air of...
BERLIN (AA) – Germany has approved arms exports to Israel worth more than €30 million ($31.2 million) over the past few weeks, German newsweekly Der Spiegel reports. Overall, Germany gave the green light to weapons exports to Israel worth more than €160 million over the course of the year, despite growing international criticism of genoc...
GENEVA (AA) – UN special rapporteur Alice Jill Edwards said ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should face justice for crimes committed in Syria, identifying the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the most appropriate venue for his trial. Edwards, the UN special rapporteur on torture, and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatm...
GAZIANTEP, Türkiye (AA) – Since 2017, more than 4,000 families have sought help from an association based in southeastern Türkiye to locate relatives taken away by Syria’s Assad regime. Families whose relatives were lost have been applying to the Association of Detainees and the Missing in Sednaya Prison in the border province of Gaziant...
President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, has praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Waltz credited Netanyahu for key regional achievements, including weakening Hezbollah and exposing Iran’s air defenses. He said Iran now is vulnerable, with its finances and proxy networks disrupted. Waltz also...
More than 500 taxpayers from Northern California have filed a lawsuit, accusing Congress members of funding genocide in Gaza by aiding Israel. They accuse Congress members Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson of violating laws by voting to allocate $26.38 billion in military aid to Israel in April 2024. They claim that U.S.-provided weapons were u...
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decried the latest US sanctions on four local firms for their alleged involvement in the country’s ballistic missile program, asserting that the move has “no justification.” “The sanctions placed upon our National Development Complex (NDC) and other entities have no ju...
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – A Palestinian teen was killed by the Israeli army fire during a raid in the occupied West Bank, local media reported. Witnesses said an Israeli force along with bulldozers raided the Tulkarem refugee camp in the northern West Bank, triggering clashes with displaced Palestinians. The official news agency Wafa sa...
ISTANBUL (AA) – Syrian armed factions have agreed to dissolve themselves and merge under the Defense Ministry, the state media has said. The state news agency SANA said the move was finalized during a meeting in Damascus between the head of Syria’s new administration Ahmed al-Sharaa and representatives of the revolutionary factions in the coun...
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel confirmed Monday that it assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and warned the leadership of Yemen’s Houthi group of similar action. Defense Minister Israel Katz’s comments, aired on Israel’s public broadcaster, followed a ballistic missile strike two days earlier by the Houthis which Israel’s air defense system...
