Live Updates: Gaza talks reach stalemate, Israel issues threat to Iran
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
U.S. claims strikes caused ‘severe damage’ and warns Iran against retaliation
People who had evacuated were returning to Tehran after what had felt like two days of relative calm. But that sense of calm was proved false by the U.S. strikes last night. Now, there’s heightened security entering Tehran: multiple checkpoints along the roads.
Instead, that sense of calm was proved false by the U.S. strikes last night.
Downtown Tehran yesterday. Morteza Nikoubazl / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Now, there’s heightened security entering Tehran: multiple checkpoints along the roads, and cars are being thoroughly searched to identify any potential internal threats. The people who are returning are not doing it because it feels safe, but because they have to.
Inside Tehran, most places are still closed. Only essential medical services are running and maybe a few drugstores for urgent needs. Government jobs are on hold, some private companies are working remotely, and factories are opening if their workers are willing to return. Many are scared for their lives, and the city remains mostly empty and eerie, more empty even than during the pandemic.
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Israel at War Day 522 | Iran’s President to Trump: I Will Not Negotiate, ‘Do Whatever the Hell You Want’
Israel and Lebanon plan to hold diplomatic talks on several contentious issues, including their disputed land border. Israel released five Lebanese prisoners as a goodwill gesture to newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
As a goodwill gesture to newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and in coordination with the United States, Israel had agreed to release the five Lebanese inmates.
The announcement came after representatives from Israel, the US, France and Lebanon met on Tuesday in the Lebanese city of Naqoura.
It was agreed that three joint working groups would be established to “stabilize the area” and focus on five Lebanese strategic points under Israeli control, disputed issues including the Blue Line and Lebanese detainees in Israeli custody, Netanyahu’s office said.
Syrian rebels topple Assad who flees to Russia in Mideast shakeup
Syrian rebels seized the capital Damascus unopposed on Sunday after a lightning advance. President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia after a 13-year civil war and six decades of his family’s autocratic rule. Moscow gave asylum to Assad and his family, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, said on his Telegram channel. His sudden overthrow limits Iran’s ability to spread weapons to its allies and could cost Russia its Mediterranean naval base. It could allow millions of refugees scattered for more than a decade in camps across Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to finally return home. For Syrians, it brought a sudden unexpected end to a war in deep freeze for years, with hundreds of thousands dead, cities pounded to dust and an economy hollowed by global sanctions.. Newly freed prisoners were filmed at dawn running through the Damascus streets holding up the fingers of both hands to show how many years they had been in prison. Thousands of people in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting “Freedom”
Rebels say they entered capital with no sign of army
Russia gives asylum to Assad and his family
Assad’s fall deals major blow to allies Russia and Iran
Western states will have to deal with triumphant Islamists
DAMASCUS, Dec 8 (Reuters) – Syrian rebels seized the capital Damascus unopposed on Sunday after a lightning advance that sent President Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Russia after a 13-year civil war and six decades of his family’s autocratic rule.
In one of the biggest turning points for the Middle East in generations, the fall of Assad’s government wiped out a bastion from which Iran and Russia exercised influence across the Arab world. Moscow gave asylum to Assad and his family , Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, said on his Telegram channel.
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His sudden overthrow, at the hands of a revolt partly backed by Turkey and with roots in jihadist Sunni Islam, limits Iran’s ability to spread weapons to its allies and could cost Russia its Mediterranean naval base. It could allow millions of refugees scattered for more than a decade in camps across Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to finally return home.
For Syrians, it brought a sudden unexpected end to a war in deep freeze for years, with hundreds of thousands dead, cities pounded to dust and an economy hollowed by global sanctions.
“How many people were displaced across the world? How many people lived in tents? How many drowned in the seas?” the top rebel commander, Abu Mohammed al-Golani , told a huge crowd at the medieval Umayyad Mosque in central Damascus, referring to refugees who died trying to reach Europe.
“A new history, my brothers, is being written in the entire region after this great victory,” he said, adding that with hard work Syria would be “a beacon for the Islamic nation.”
The Assad police state – known since his father seized power in the 1960s as one of the harshest in the Middle East with hundreds of thousands of political prisoners – melted away overnight.
Bewildered and elated inmates poured out of jails after rebels blasted open their cells. Reunited families wept in joy. Newly freed prisoners were filmed at dawn running through the Damascus streets holding up the fingers of both hands to show how many years they had been in prison.
“We toppled the regime!” a voice shouted as one prisoner yelled and skipped with delight.
The White Helmets rescue organization said it had dispatched five emergency teams to the notorious Sedhaya prison to search for hidden underground cells believed to hold detainees.
DEFACED ASSAD IMAGES
As the sun set in Damascus without Assad for the first time, roads leading into the city were mostly empty, apart from motorcycles carrying armed men and rebel vehicles caked with mud as camouflage.
Some men could be seen looting a shopping centre on the road between the capital and the Lebanese border. The myriad checkpoints lining the road to Damascus were empty. Posters of Assad were torn at his eyes. A burning Syrian military truck was parked diagonally on the road out of the city.
A thick column of black smoke billowed from the Mazzeh neighbourhood, where Israeli strikes earlier had targeted Syrian state security branches, according to two security sources.
Intermittent gunfire rang out in apparent celebration.
Shops and restaurants closed early in line with a curfew imposed by the rebels. Just before it came into effect, people could be seen briskly walking home with stacks of bread.
Earlier, the rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments. Thousands of people in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting “Freedom.”
People were seen walking inside the Al-Rawda Presidential Palace, with some leaving carrying furniture. A motorcycle was parked on the intricately-laid parquet floor of a gilded hall.
Item 1 of 37 Top rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani greets the crowd at Ummayad Mosque in Damascus, after Syrian rebels announced that they have ousted President Bashar al-Assad, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano/File Photo [1/37] Top rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani greets the crowd at Ummayad Mosque in Damascus, after Syrian rebels announced that they have ousted President Bashar al-Assad, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
The Syrian rebel coalition said it was working to complete the transfer of power to a transitional governing body with executive powers.
“The great Syrian revolution has moved from the stage of struggle to overthrow the Assad regime to the struggle to build a Syria together that befits the sacrifices of its people,” it added in a statement.
Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, prime minister under Assad, called for free elections and said he had been in contact with Golani to discuss the transitional period.
Golani, whose group was once Syria’s branch of al Qaeda but has softened its image to reassure members of minority sects and foreign countries, said there was no room for turning back.
ARAB WORLD STUNNED
The pace of events stunned Arab capitals and raised concerns about more instability on top of the Gaza war
U.S. President Joe Biden, in a televised address, cheered Assad’s fall but acknowledged that it was also a moment of risk and uncertainty.
“As we all turn to the question of what comes next, the United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risk,” Biden said.
The U.S. Central Command said its forces conducted dozens of airstrikes targeting known Islamic State camps and operatives in central Syria on Sunday.
Later in the day Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he spoke with Turkish Minister of National Defense Yasar Guler, emphasizing that the United States is watching closely.
Jubilant supporters of the revolt crowded Syrian embassies around the world, lowering red, white and black Assad-era flags and replacing them with the green, white and black flag flown by his opponents.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Assad’s fall was thanks to blows Israel had dealt to Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, once the lynchpin of Assad’s security forces.
“The barbaric state has fallen,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.
When the celebrations fade, Syria’s new leaders face the daunting task of trying to deliver stability to a diverse country that will need billions of dollars in aid.
During the civil war, which erupted in 2011 as an uprising against Assad, his forces and their Russian allies bombed cities to rubble. The refugee crisis across the Middle East was one of the biggest of modern times and caused a political reckoning in Europe when a million people arrived in 2015.
In recent years Turkey had backed some rebels in a small redoubt in the northwest and along its border. The United States, which still has 900 soldiers on the ground, backed a Kurdish-led alliance that fought Islamic State jihadists from 2014-2017.
The biggest strategic losers were Russia and Iran, which intervened in the war’s early years to rescue Assad, helping him recapture most territory and all major cities. The front lines were frozen four years ago under a deal Russia and Iran reached with Turkey.
But Moscow’s focus on its war in Ukraine and the blows to Iran’s allies following the war in Gaza – particularly the decimation of Hezbollah by Israel over the past two months – left Assad with scant support.
Reporting by Maya Gebeily and Timour Azhari in Damascus, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman, Tom Perry and Laila Bassam in Beirut, Jaidaa Taha and Adam Makary in Cairo, Clauda Tanios, Nadine Awadallah and Tala Ramadan in Dubai Writing by Michael Perry, Michael Georgy, Peter Graff, Phil Stewart, Patricia Zengerle Editing by Philippa Fletcher, Andrew Cawthorne, Frances Kerry and Lisa Shumaker
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Saudi Arabia abandons pursuit of US defence treaty over Israel stalemate
Riyadh wants Israel to first commit to Palestinian statehood, sources say. Saudi opts instead for more modest U.S. military pact act. Pact would expand joint military exercises and drills to address regional threats, mainly from Iran. Full-blown treaty would need to pass Senate with a two-thirds majority – and this would be a non-starter unless Riyadh recognises Israel, the sources said. But with public anger in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East at fever pitch over Israel’s military actions in Gaza, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has again made recognition of Israel conditional on it taking concrete steps to create a Palestinian state, two Saudi and three Western officials said. The pact now under discussion would involve expanding joint military drills. But it would not be the kind of binding mutual defence treaty that would oblige the world’s biggest oil exporter in the event of foreign attack. The agreement would promote Saudi investment in advanced technologies, especially drone defence. It would foster partnerships between U.K. and Saudi defence firms, with safeguards to prevent collaboration with China.
But approval contingent on Saudi recognition of Israel
Riyadh wants Israel to first commit to Palestinian statehood
Saudi opts instead for more modest U.S. military pact act
Cooperation pact would expand joint military exercises
RIYADH, Nov 29 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia has abandoned its pursuit of an ambitious defence treaty with Washington in return for normalising relations with Israel and is now pushing for a more modest military cooperation agreement, two Saudi and four Western officials told Reuters.
In a drive to get a wide-ranging mutual security treaty over the line earlier this year, Riyadh softened its position on Palestinian statehood, telling Washington that a public commitment from Israel to a two-state solution could be enough for the Gulf kingdom to normalise relations.
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But with public anger in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East at fever pitch over Israel’s military actions in Gaza, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has again made recognition of Israel conditional on it taking concrete steps to create a Palestinian state, two Saudi and three Western sources said.
Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu is still eager to secure normalisation with the Saudi powerhouse as a historic milestone and a sign of broader acceptance in the Arab world, Western diplomats said.
But he faces overwhelming opposition at home to any concessions to the Palestinians following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and knows any gesture in the direction of statehood would fracture his ruling coalition, they said.
With both leaders shackled for now by their domestic powerbases, Riyadh and Washington hope a more modest defence pact could be sealed before President Joe Biden leaves the White House in January, the sources said.
A full-blown U.S.-Saudi treaty would need to pass the U.S. Senate with a two-thirds majority – and this would be a non-starter unless Riyadh recognises Israel, the six sources said.
The pact now under discussion would involve expanding joint military exercises and drills to address regional threats, mainly from Iran. It would foster partnerships between U.S. and Saudi defence firms, with safeguards to prevent collaboration with China, the sources said.
The agreement would promote Saudi investment in advanced technologies, especially drone defence. The U.S. would increase its presence in Riyadh through training, logistics and cyber security support, and may deploy a Patriot missile battalion to enhance missile defence and integrated deterrence.
But it would not be the kind of binding mutual defence treaty that would oblige U.S. forces to protect the world’s biggest oil exporter in the event of foreign attack.
“Saudi Arabia will get a security deal which will allow more military cooperation and sales of U.S. weapons, but not a defence treaty similar to that of Japan or South Korea as initially sought,” said Abdelaziz al-Sagher, head of the Gulf Research Institute think-tank in Saudi Arabia.
THE TRUMP DILEMMA
The picture is complicated further, however, by the impending arrival of Donald Trump in the White House.
While Trump’s plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict excludes any provisions for Palestinian statehood or sovereignty, he is a close ally of the Saudi crown prince.
Palestinian and some Arab officials worry that Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner – architect of the “Deal of the Century” and also a close ally of the crown prince – may ultimately persuade him to support the plan.
How the prince reconciles Saudi priorities with this shifting diplomatic landscape will be pivotal, defining both his leadership and the future of the peace process, diplomats said.
The current U.S. administration has not given up hope for a deal on security guarantees before Biden leaves office in January, but a number of obstacles remain. One person in Washington familiar with the talks said there was reason to be sceptical about whether there was enough time to strike a deal.
U.S. officials are mindful that the kingdom is still interested in formally cementing the guarantees it has been seeking, especially to gain access to more advanced weapons, but are uncertain whether it would prefer to get it done under Biden, or wait for Trump, the source said.
“We continue to discuss and have many lines of effort on the table (with the Saudis),” the U.S. official said.
The White House National Security Council declined comment when asked about efforts toward reaching a deal on U.S. security guarantees for Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu’s office declined to comment when asked about the Saudi position on Palestinian statehood.
A defence treaty giving Saudi Arabia U.S. military protection in exchange for recognising Israel would reshape the Middle East by uniting two long-time foes and binding Riyadh to Washington at a time when China is making inroads in the region.
It would allow the kingdom to shore up its security and ward off threats from Iran and its Houthi allies, to avoid a repeat of the 2019 strikes on its oil facilities, which Riyadh and Washington both blamed on Tehran. Iran has denied any role.
A senior Saudi official said the treaty was 95% complete but Riyadh opted to discuss an alternative agreement, given it was not doable without normalisation with Israel.
Depending on the format, a scaled-down cooperation agreement could be approved without going through Congress before Biden leaves office, two of the sources said.
There were other stumbling blocks in the negotiations to secure a mutual defence treaty.
For instance, there was no progress in the talks about civil nuclear cooperation because Saudi Arabia refused to sign a so-called 123 Agreement with the U.S. that would have denied Riyadh the right to nuclear enrichment, the six sources said.
Saudi objections to articles related to human rights proved to be another area of disagreement, one Saudi source close to the talks told Reuters.
‘THE BIG PRIZE’
While the Saudi leadership strongly advocates Palestinian statehood, it remains uncertain, according to diplomats, how the crown prince would respond if Trump revives the deal he floated in 2020 to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The plan marks a dramatic shift in U.S. policy and international agreements by overtly aligning with Israel and deviating sharply from the long-standing land-for-peace framework that has historically guided negotiations.
It would allow Israel to annex vast stretches of land in the occupied West Bank, including Israeli settlements and the Jordan Valley, and recognises Jerusalem as the “undivided capital of Israel” – effectively denying Palestinian claims to East Jerusalem as their capital, a central aspiration in their statehood goals and in accordance with U.N. resolutions.
By legitimising Israeli annexations, the Trump plan is viewed by many as a severe blow to the two-state solution and Palestinian hopes of statehood.
Saudi officials insist that the creation of a Palestinian state in accordance with previous international agreements, including East Jerusalem as its capital, remains an essential condition for long-term regional peace and stability.
Without it the cycle of violence will continue to jeopardise any normal relations, they say.
“How can we imagine a region integrated if we sidestep the Palestinian issue?” a senior Saudi official said. “You can’t prevent the Palestinian right to self-determination.”
And in some of the harshest criticism of Israel since the start of the Gaza war, the Crown Prince Mohammed called Israel’s military actions in Gaza “collective genocide” in his address to an Arab and Islamic summit in Riyadh this month.
The potential for Saudi normalisation with Israel, however, could be revisited in the future, perhaps once the dust settles after the Gaza war – and possibly under a different Israeli government, diplomats said.
Fawaz Gerges, a Middle East expert at the London School of Economics, said Trump would leverage all possible avenues to secure historic normalisation between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
“For Trump, Saudi Arabia is the big prize,” said Gerges.
“As to how normalisation could happen despite repeated Saudi leaders insistence they will not recognise Israel until a real path to a Palestinian state is set, Trump could promise a ceasefire in Gaza in return for normalisation and tentative promise to support a Palestinian state, without obliging Israel to make any real concessions to the Palestinians.”
Reporting by Samia Nakhoul and Pesha Magid in Riyadh; Additional reporting by Matt Sptalnick in Washington and Crispian Balmer in Jerusalem; Writing by Samia Nakhoul; Editing by David Clarke
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November 27, 2024 – Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire takes effect in Lebanon
Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be holding. Israel says it will withdraw its forces south of the Litani River. At least 25 people have been killed in fighting in Lebanon since the ceasefire. Jordan says it is committed to working with Israel to end the conflict in the region, including in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In Syria, rebels have launched a large-scale attack on government forces in the city of Homs, according to reports. The Syrian government says the attack was in response to an Israeli airstrike on a military base in the town of al-Shahada, in the Golan Heights. The U.S. State Department says it has no immediate comment on the reports.
The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire that went into effect at 4 a.m. ET local time on Wednesday appears to be holding.
The deal brokered by the US and France has been met with mixed reactions from Israelis and with skepticism from Lebanese people. Some have voiced optimism for a cessation of violence while others remain doubtful the deal will hold.
Jordan, Turkey and Iran welcomed the ceasefire. The German foreign minister said the truce “gives the entire region a glimpse of hope.”
Here’s the situation on the ground:
Residents return home: Since the deal went into effect, thousands of displaced Lebanese have begun returning to their homes in the south. However, the Israeli military warned them not to move south of the Litani River. Separately, residents of northern Israel can decide for themselves when to return home, an Israeli security official said Wednesday.
Schools scheduled to reopen: Schools across Lebanon will be able to reopen next Monday, the country’s education minister said, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA). Most of the public schools were used as shelters during the war.
Lebanese army moves reinforcements: Lebanon shares its southern border with Israel. The new agreement stipulates that Israel must withdraw all its forces from southern Lebanon, and that the only armed groups present south of the Litani River should be the Lebanese military and UN peacekeeping forces.
Israeli soldiers opened fire in Lebanon: Just hours after a ceasefire deal came into force, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops fired in the direction of several vehicles in Lebanese territory to prevent them from reaching a restricted area. The vehicles withdrew following the Israeli fire. The IDF did not say whether there were any casualties.
Before the deal went into effect: Israel’s military bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs 20 times in two minutes in one of the most intense bombardments since the start of the war. At least 25 people were killed in the strikes, including at least 10 people in central Beirut. Here’s what the IDF has said since:
Hezbollah officer killed: Israel’s military said it killed Jafar Ali Samaha, an operations officer in Hezbollah’s aerial unit, in a strike before the ceasefire came into effect.
Israel’s military said it killed Jafar Ali Samaha, an operations officer in Hezbollah’s aerial unit, in a strike before the ceasefire came into effect. Hezbollah’s largest precision-guided missile production site struck before truce: The site was “used to produce surface-to-surface missiles,” the Israel Defense Forces said.
The latest from Gaza: Hamas said Wednesday it is committed to cooperating with “any efforts” to achieve a truce in the enclave. Jordan’s foreign ministry said the truce should be followed by international efforts to “halt aggression” in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. Jordanian airplanes dropped aid into Gaza for the first time in several months.
Attacks in Syria: Meanwhile, Syrian rebels have launched a large-scale attack on regime forces in western Aleppo, according to a Free Syrian Army source and local residents, marking the first major flare-up in years between both sides.