Despite Israel’s unprovoked attack on Doha to assassinate Hamas’ negotiating team, the Gulf state confirmed it would not suspend its mediation efforts, Head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani says Muslim countries should take concrete action rather than hold conferences, Israel launches some of the most violent strikes on Gaza since October 2023, levelling entire buildings and displacing tens of thousands, Israel’s aggression against south Lebanon, Hermel and the Beqaa intensifies, Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem delivered a speech on the state’s monopoly on arms marking Prophet Muhammad’s birth, US approves 14.2 million $ for Lebanon to degrade the Shiite group, Hezbollah denies Syria’s claims of cell active near Damascus, Gaza flotilla attacked twice off the coast of Tunisia, Israel attacks Yemen’s capital, Over 30 Yemeni journalists murdered in single strike by Israel, Baghdad vows to prosecute outlaws behind abduction of Israeli spy, Sudan welcomes peace efforts to end war with RSF but rejects foreign interference, The National Lebanese Library hosts the First Commemoration of the passing of renowned writer Elias Khoury
Israel attacks: the Arab countries hold a conference. No one could have imagined that the absurd disproportion between the scale of the attack and the limitations of the response – which has applied for decades to relations between Israel and Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and now Yemen – would also affect a Gulf country. Qatar – 200 km far from Israel – had been hosting the Hamas leadership at the request of the United States, which also has a regional command center, CENTCOM, located just 35 km away from the location of the strike.
Last Tuesday’s attack on Doha marks the first time Israel has struck the small Gulf nation, which has hosted multiple rounds of negotiations between Hamas, Israel and the United States. The explosions – that targeted the residential complex housing members of the Hamas Political Bureau – were heard across the capital with thick smoke rising above the skyline, striking a compound in the West Bay Lagoon area, a district which is home to foreign embassies, schools, nurseries, supermarkets and residential compounds housing Qataris and foreign residents.
Hamas has soon confirmed its delegation, led by Khalil al-Hayya, survived the assassination attempt; yet, Hayya’s son, four lower-ranking Hamas members, and a Qatari security officer were killed in the strike – bringing the death toll to six.
“A cowardly attack,” condemned the Qatari authorities – and called the Arab and Islamic leaders to gather in Doha for a regional emergency summit on the matter. Leaders made opening statements ahead of the official start of the summit which will begin today, September 15. “We express our appreciation to the Arab states who condemned this Israeli barbaric attack and their support to the lawful measures we will take to safeguard our sovereignty,” started Qatari PM Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at the ministerial meeting in Doha, denouncing the flagrant violation of Article 4 of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against countries and sovereignty. “It cannot be an isolated incident that goes unpunished. It must be met with fierce and firm measures.”
“The inhumane Israeli government has crossed all the red lines,” bin Abdulrahman went on saying. “It continues to undermine and destabilize any state in the world and sabotage political efforts that conflict with its agenda or expose its propaganda. That is why we cannot remain silent in the face of this barbaric attack. If we remain silent, we will be faced with an unlimited and countless series of aggressions that will end in total destruction, and no country will be spared.”
Promising that “it is time for the international community to abandon double standards and hold Israel accountable for all the crimes it has perpetrated;” that “Israel must know that the continued genocidal war against the Palestinian people, aiming at forcibly transferring them from their homeland, cannot succeed no matter what false justification is provided;” openly criticizing that “the Israeli government continues to reject proposal after proposal, intentionally widening the circle of war and placing the region’s peoples, including their own, at grave risk” – the Qatari Prime Minister’s statement appears to mark the first time the Gulf country, until now forced to diplomatic neutrality due to its negotiator role, harshly and openly condemned the boundless wickedness of the Zionist state.
Yet even such an attack on the country’s sovereignty – the seventh that Israel has carried out in recent months – has not been enough to call its mediation into question. “We in the State of Qatar reiterate that moderation as a means for amicable settlement is not merely an obligation but an ethical responsibility deeply rooted in our philosophy. Just and lasting peace is our strategic choice. Israeli barbaric practices and arrogance will not prevent us from continuing to cooperate with our partners in Egypt to bring this unjust, unlawful war to an end,” bin Abdulrahman declared – leaving little room for any kind of retaliation other than a merely symbolic statement of condemnation.
Adel Abdel Ghafar, senior fellow and director of foreign policy at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, described the summit as more of a message of solidarity rather than a signal that real action will be taken. “Concrete action can actually come out of the Gulf countries working together to look at their security architecture and deal with the US on a united front. I think the Gulf countries want to, first, have more robust security guarantees either through treaties or deeper engagement with the US. Secondly, they’d want to diversify some of these security partnerships and also grow their indigenous domestic defense capability. And perhaps leverage the investments that they’ve had in the US,” he told Al-Jazeera.
At this point – – where solidarity with the Palestinian cause has become a pretext for integrity, but outrage only erupts when Israeli fury touches the soil of another nation – equally symbolic sound the words of criticism of Ali Larijani, chief of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who, calling for a “joint operations room” against Israel, warned Gulf states that they must take action to prevent their “own annihilation.” “Warning to Islamic governments! Holding an Organization of Islamic Cooperation conference filled with speeches without practical results is in fact equivalent to issuing a new order for aggression in favor of the Zionist entity!” Larijani said, calling on Qatar and other Arab countries to “at least establish a joint operations room against this entity’s madness.” “Since you have done nothing for the starving and oppressed Muslims in Palestine, at least make a modest decision to avoid your own annihilation!” Larijani stated.
And resignation to disproportion ends up concerning not only the relationship between the intensity of the attack and the limits of the response, but also, sadly, the number of deaths needed to outrage the authorities of a country that has been hit. In the case of Qatar, one in 10,000. And Palestine remains a pretext.
In Lebanon
Airstrikes intensify: Over 300 people, including scores of civilians, have been killed by Israeli attacks on the country since the November ceasefire last year. Israel has also expanded the occupation it established during the ceasefire in violation of the deal, and Tel Aviv has said that it will not consider withdrawal until Hezbollah is disarmed first.
During the past week alone, at least 17 different attacks have hit the country. Monday, September 8: five people were killed and five others wounded in the Beqaa and Hermel districts. At least eight air raids were carried out: seven bombs fell on the outskirts of Hermel, one targeted the nearby town of Labweh.
Tuesday, September 9: a drone strike between the Iqlim al-Kharroub towns of Jiye and Barja targeted a vehicle, wounding its driver.
Thursday, September 11: an Israeli drone strike on the Ain Baal-Aitit road hit a motorcycle, assassinating Hezbollah commander Wassim Jbaie. Another one targeted a car in the town of Kfar Dunin in southern Lebanon. Israeli occupation forces struck an excavator in Aitaroun and launched air raids on Ansar, Zrariyeh, Qalaat Mays, the Beqaa Valley, and Al-Shaara. A new drone strike targeted Kfardouneen, leaving two Lebanese army soldiers injured as they were passing by the attacked area. Ground forces crossed into Aita al-Shaab, where they blew up a building at a special needs school in the Abu Tawil neighborhood, leaving it almost completely destroyed. Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee entered occupied Khiam.
Friday, September 12: an Israeli enemy strike on the town of Aitaroun killed one person, Hussein Khalil Mansour. In the morning, another drone strike injured two in Aita al-Jabal.
Saturday, September 13: overnight, the Israeli forces demolished a civilian house in the border village of Aita al-Shaab.
Sunday, September 14: Israel bombed a car between Touline and Bourj Qalawiya in south Lebanon, murdering the young man Mohammad Ali Yassin.
Army plan and Qassem’s response: Hezbollah’s Secretary General Naim Qassem rejected the government’s push for a state monopoly on arms in a Wednesday evening speech marking Prophet Muhammad’s birth, calling instead for a national security strategy. The idea of a state’s monopoly on arms is at the center of the latest ministerial statements of Nawaf Salam’s government – which Hezbollah backed – and was referenced in President Joseph Aoun’s inaugural address. After the September 5 Cabinet session in which ministers welcomed the army’s plan to disarm Hezbollah and other militias, Information Minister Paul Morcos told reporters the government remained “committed to developing a national security strategy, implementing the principle of the state’s exclusive authority over all its territory.”
Last Tuesday, Foreign Minister Joe Rajji outlined a five-stage army plan that begins with removing weapons south of the Litani River within three months. “There will be no warehouses, no weapons, no weapons transfers, no fighters, and no display of arms” in the area, Rajji said. The army also plans to tighten checkpoints and restrict weapons movement across the country “but without conducting raids, arresting individuals, or confiscating weapons from warehouses.”
“Stop talking about the arms monopoly,” Qassem responded. “Anyone who thinks they can strip the enemy of their pretexts is mistaken, because the enemy is pursuing its particular project.” He continued: “Lebanon is a permanent homeland for all its citizens, and we are part of it,” accusing Israel of “expansionist and colonial ambitions in the south since the creation of modern Lebanon.” He defended both the army and the resistance as defenders of the country and praised Hezbollah for “thwarting Israel’s objectives” during the war – while criticizing the ceasefire for failing to hold.
Qassem urged the government to prioritize Lebanese sovereignty and to expel Israeli forces from five positions north of the Blue Line. Pointing to recent strikes in Hermel that killed five people, he asked, “How can the government hold its head high when the Israeli aggression has reached Hermel?” He accused the United States of readiness to “deliver Lebanon” to Israel and of supporting moves to disarm Hezbollah before Israel honors its obligations. “The United States and the enemy share a single goal: to deprive Lebanon of its strength, so it becomes easy prey for the ‘Greater Israel’ project. The West does not care about Lebanon, just Israel,” he said.
Degrading Hezbollah: Washington has approved a 14.2 million $ package of assistance to help the Lebanese army disarm Hezbollah and other armed groups across the country. The security assistance package has been approved to help the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) “dismantle weapons caches and military infrastructure of non-state groups, including Hezbollah,” the Defense Department said. The Pentagon added that it is aimed at “empowering the LAF in degrading Hezbollah in alignment with the administration’s priority to counter Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the region.”
The Lebanese government adopted the decision to disarm the resistance in early August under heavy pressure from Washington, yet Hezbollah has rejected it, claiming it is open to discussing a national defense strategy, which would see its weapons incorporated into the Lebanese army and be available for use in defending the country if needed. Yet the group has emphasized that these talks cannot take place as Israel continues to attack Lebanon and occupy its territory in the south.
Not involved: Lebanon’s Hezbollah released a statement on September 11 denying what authorities in Syria announced about dismantling a “cell” linked to the militant group. Hezbollah’s Media Relations Department said the group “completely denies the accusations made by the Syrian Ministry of Interior concerning the affiliation of individuals arrested in the western countryside of Damascus to Hezbollah.” “It reiterates what it previously announced that Hezbollah has no presence and does not carry out any activity on Syrian territory, and it is very keen on the stability of Syria and the security of its people,” the statement added.
Earlier on Thursday, the Syrian Interior Ministry claimed that “specialized units in cooperation with the general intelligence service were able to arrest a terrorist cell belonging to the Hezbollah militia that was active.” “Preliminary investigations showed that the cell members underwent training in military camps in Lebanese territory, and were planning to carry out operations inside Syrian territory that threaten national security and stability,” the statement added. They also said they seized weapons, including Grad rockets, launchers, and anti-tank missiles.
At the same time, Israel and the Syrian government have been engaged in direct negotiations for months. Both sides have confirmed that Tel Aviv and Damascus are working to reach a “security arrangement” – despite, since the fall of the former regime, Israel has been establishing a widespread occupation of the country’s south and continues to regularly bomb Syria. Yet Hebrew media revealed late last month that the deal between Tel Aviv and Damascus could be finalized soon. On August 20, Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Paris. It was the first meeting that was officially announced by Syria. According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the meeting focused on “preventing” Hezbollah or Iran from establishing a presence in southern Syria.
One year without Elias Khoury: The First Commemoration of the passing of renowned Lebanese writer Elias Khoury is taking place today, Monday, September 15, 2025, at 5:00 pm at the National Lebanese Library in Beirut. The event is under the patronage of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Culture and aims to honor the late novelist, journalist, and intellectual Elias Khoury, who passed away on September 15, 2024.
Khoury was a pivotal figure in Arab literature, known for his novels and essays on themes of exile, war, memory, and the Palestinian cause. His work frequently addressed political issues and core aspects of human nature, the ongoing impact of historical trauma, and in total, he has authored 15 novels, most of which center on the Palestinian struggle.
To date, Khoury has received the State of Palestine Prize in 2007 and the Al Owais Award for fiction writing in the same year. In 2011, he was awarded the Spanish Legion of Honor, Commander, by King Juan Carlos of Spain.
In The Region
Bombing Doha: Qatar will host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit next week in Doha to discuss the repercussions of Israel’s strike on the Gulf state, Qatar News Agency announced on September 11, two days after an unprecedented Israeli attack that for the first time targeted the country. On September 9, in fact, Israel launched an attack in the Qatari capital that targeted Hamas leaders who were meeting to discuss US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal. According to Israel’s Channel 14 News, at least 10 Israeli air force jets took part in the attack on the Qatari capital.
Hamas confirmed its delegation, led by Khalil al-Hayya, survived the assassination attempt in Qatar’s capital on Tuesday; yet, Hayya’s son, four lower-ranking Hamas members, and a Qatari security officer were killed in the Israeli strike on the residential complex housing members of the Hamas Political Bureau – bringing the death toll to six. Qatari authorities condemned Israel’s airstrikes on Doha as a “cowardly attack.”
The Israeli army admitted carrying out the operation in coordination with its General Security Service, commonly known as Shin Bet, saying it targeted “the leadership of the Hamas movement.” A senior Israeli official told Channel 12 News that Trump greenlit the strike, yet White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly had no comment when pressed by reporters.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told US officials the attack represented “a betrayal by Israel and by the US,” and said Doha would re-evaluate its security partnership with Washington. In a CNN interview, Al-Thani warned that a regional response is under consultation, calling Israeli airstrikes “a barbaric action” that “killed any hope” for the Israeli captives in Gaza. The Gulf state stressed that it would defend its sovereignty and work with international partners “to ensure that Netanyahu is held accountable and that his reckless and irresponsible practices are halted.”
US President Donald Trump reportedly demanded that Netanyahu guarantee that such an attack would not be repeated, yet Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter vowed that Hamas leaders would be targeted again. “If we didn’t get them this time, we’ll get them the next time,” Leiter told Fox News.
While many social media accounts circulated claims that Qatar had suspended its mediation efforts in the Gaza war after the Israeli strike, it was later clarified that no such decision was taken. Prime Minister Al-Thani stressed in a press conference that mediation is part of Qatar’s identity and “nothing would hinder” the country’s role.
On the use of airspace: Israeli fighter jets reportedly crossed the airspace of several Arab states, including Iraq, during Tuesday’s strike in Doha that targeted a meeting of Hamas leaders, according to Iraqi security experts and Israeli media. Sources said nearly 15 jets launched long-range precision missiles, possibly transiting Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, or firing from outside Qatar.
The attack involved in-flight refueling and raised doubts about whether Gulf states’ advanced radar systems, including Qatar’s US-supplied Patriot batteries, detected or permitted the strike. Israeli media reported over 10 munitions were dropped on the targeted building.
Iraqi analyst Aayad al-Twfan, as reported by The New Arab, claimed the jets flew from Tel Aviv across Syria and Iraq into the Gulf before arriving in Doha, adding that US forces at Al-Udeid base were aware, and Qatar was informed shortly before the strike, which restricted its weapons. He noted that Iraq’s US-supplied F-16s cannot fly without American approval and that Israel had destroyed Syria’s last air defense system days earlier, preventing a response.
Rubio in Israel: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel on Sunday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following Israel’s unprecedented strike on Qatar and continued brutal bombardment of Gaza. His trip coincides with preparations for an emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha.
The visit comes after President Donald Trump publicly criticized Israel for the failed attempt to assassinate Hamas leaders in Doha, despite the fact that the strike could not have been carried out without US approval and coordination. Before departing, Rubio told reporters that while Trump was “not happy” with the strike, it would “not change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis.” He said Washington and Tel Aviv would discuss how the attack might affect efforts to secure a truce in Gaza.
“The president wants this to be finished with 48 hostages released all at once. Hamas is no longer a threat, so we can move on to the next phase, which is, how do you rebuild Gaza?” he said. Rubio noted that questions remain over who would finance and oversee reconstruction, and stressed his focus in Israel would be “on securing the return of hostages, finding ways to make sure humanitarian aid reaches civilians, and addressing the threat posed by Hamas.”
Without any limit: The attack in Doha was part of a wider wave of Israeli strikes extending beyond its immediate borders, and marked the sixth country attacked in just 72 hours and the seventh since the start of this year, including Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Tunisia.
In Gaza, the Israeli army has been launching some of its heaviest airstrikes since the start of its genocidal war in October 2023. According to an Al-Mayadeen correspondent, these are “the most violent attacks” since 7 October. “Over the past few hours, the Israeli army has conducted extensive bombing operations in southern Gaza City, intensifying its artillery bombardment of the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood with the aim of accelerating forced displacement. It has also launched intense airstrikes on the area since,” the correspondent said.
Israel also bombed Gaza City’s Al-Zaytoun neighborhood and carried out artillery shelling on the Shujaiya neighborhood. An airstrike on a tent housing displaced people in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, killed six people, including women and children. Additionally, the army shelled the southern city of Khan Yunis. At least 35 Palestinians have been killed since dawn on Sunday.
The Israeli army has launched a campaign of destroying Gaza City’s residential towers, claiming they house Hamas infrastructure and fighters. “The occupation misleads public opinion by claiming to target the resistance while systematically bombing residential towers, buildings, schools, and civilian institutions,” Gaza’s Government Media Office said in a statement on Sunday, September 14. “We strongly condemn the deceptive and false narratives propagated by the Israeli occupation army in its messages to both local and international audiences. While it claims to be targeting the resistance, the facts on the ground leave no room for doubt: the occupation is deliberately, and in a clearly systematic manner, bombing schools, mosques, hospitals, medical centers, destroying residential towers and apartment buildings,” it added.
Israel carried out more than 100 airstrikes on September 13. In less than a week, it has destroyed at least a dozen residential towers and hundreds of apartments in Gaza, displacing at least 10,000 people. Over 120 residential buildings with fewer than seven floors have been leveled, forcing more than 7,000 people out of their homes. Six hundred tents housing the displaced have also been targeted over the past several days, while ten schools and five mosques have been destroyed.
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal reported on September 12 that Israeli forces have left more than 50,000 people in Gaza homeless, commenting that “what is falling on Gaza is not just rockets, but barrels of fire and destructive volcanic lava that burn the land and everything on it.” According to recent Hebrew media reports, Israeli security officials told cabinet ministers that the operation to seize and occupy Gaza City will take months, as its massive escalation of strikes on Gaza City aims to wipe out infrastructure and pave the way for the upcoming assault.
The Israeli Army Radio reported on Sunday that the military estimates 300,000 people have been forced to leave Gaza City to date.
In Syria: On late Monday night, Israeli warplanes struck several sites in Syria, hitting a Syrian air force base in Homs and a military barracks near Latakia, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Residents reported powerful explosions in Homs and ambulances rushing to the scene in Latakia, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the attacks as a “blatant violation” of its sovereignty and a “direct threat” to its national and regional security. State media described the strikes as part of “a series of aggressive escalations” by Israel aimed at undermining Syrian sovereignty.
Since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on military sites and infrastructure across Syria. It has also expanded its presence in the occupied Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, in violation of a 1974 disengagement agreement with Damascus. The SOHR reports that Israel has already carried out nearly 100 attacks this year, including 86 air raids and 11 ground assaults, destroying approximately 135 sites and killing 61 people.
Attacks on the flotilla: On Monday night, the Global Sumud Flotilla’s (GSF) main ship, the Family Boat, was struck by a suspected Israeli drone while docked at the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said, igniting a fire. The 23-metre vessel, sailing under a Portuguese flag and carrying the flotilla’s steering committee, had six people on board. According to the GSF, the blaze damaged the main deck and storage areas but was quickly extinguished by passengers. All crew and activists were reported as safe.
The Family Boat is part of a coalition of more than 50 vessels with delegates from at least 44 nations seeking to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza. It departed on August 31, 2025, before joining other ships at Sidi Bou Said port.
A second attack followed late on Tuesday night, when another flotilla vessel, the Alma, sailing under a UK flag, was also targeted by a suspected Israeli drone in Tunisian waters. The GSF said the strike caused fire damage to the ship’s top deck, though the flames were brought under control and no casualties were reported.
Israel targets Sanaa: Israel launched an air strike on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Wednesday, targeting Houthi positions. The strike hit Sanaa airport, marking the second attack on the site in a month. Israel previously struck Sanaa airport on May 6, destroying its terminal building and badly damaging the runway.
Israel’s attack on the headquarters of the 26 September and Al-Yemen newspapers in the Yemeni capital last Wednesday has claimed the lives of at least 31 journalists and media figures, according to Al-Yemen Net. The total death toll from that one day of attacks has exceeded 50, with well over 100 injured.
On August 28, 2025, Israeli air strikes targeted a Houthi government meeting in the capital, killing Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and several other senior officials.
The release of Tsurkov: The Iraqi prime minister’s office vowed on September 10 to hold “accountable” those responsible for the abduction of suspected Mossad operative Elizabeth Tsurkov, following her release after more than two years in captivity. “We reaffirm that our security services will continue to pursue all those involved in this crime and ensure they are held accountable in accordance with the law,” Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump announced late Tuesday that Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militant group operating under the umbrella of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), had released Tsurkov. Tsurkov, a former Israeli military intelligence officer, entered Iraq illegally in 2023 using a Russian passport. She claimed to be doing research for a PhD program at Princeton University about the Sadrist current, a religious movement led by Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr – one of the most powerful men in Iraq.
During the CIA’s covert war to topple the Syrian government that began in 2011, Tsurkov enjoyed direct communication with many Al-Qaeda commanders in the country. She also published an interview with a spokesperson from the Saudi-backed extremist group, Jaish al-Islam, which is now integrated into Syria’s new army. Tsurkov also served as an Israeli military intelligence officer during Israel’s war on Lebanon in 2006.
Iraqi news channel Al-Rabiaa TV released footage on November 13, 2023 showing Tsurkov, who confirmed in the video her long-suspected ties to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.
Prime Minister Sudani described Tsurkov’s release as “a culmination of extensive efforts exerted by our security services.” The Prime Minister’s spokesperson described the abduction by “a group of outlaws” as “a crime that does not represent the true state of security and stability prevailing throughout Iraq’s cities.” He claimed that Iraqi authorities “succeeded in locating and reaching the site of her detention” after “extensive and high-level security and intelligence efforts.”
In contrast, a source in Kataib Hezbollah told AFP that “The operation that took place was a release, not a rescue, and no military operation was conducted to free her.” “Rather, she was released according to conditions, the most prominent of which was paving the way for the withdrawal of US forces without fighting and sparing Iraq from any conflicts,” the source added.
Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported that, according to sources, Tsurkov was freed in exchange for the release of a senior Iraqi militant figure’s son arrested by Baghdad’s authorities for his alleged involvement in an attack on the Iraqi Agriculture Ministry in June. No ransom was paid for her release, but US officials had issued threats against Kataib Hezbollah for holding her, the source added.
Moreover, Lebanese outlet Al Jadeed previously reported that several Iraqi prisoners would be freed in exchange for Tsurkov, and that negotiations would be held for the release of an alleged Lebanese Hezbollah member, Imad Amhaz, whom Israeli commandos abducted in November 2024 in Batroun on the northern Lebanese coast, as well as five other abductees, including Iranians.
Sudan, no foreign interference: On Saturday, September 13, Sudan welcomed efforts aimed at ending the 29-months long civil war in the country, yet stressing rejection of any foreign interference into its domestic affairs. “The government of Sudan welcomes any regional or international efforts to assist in ending the war, halting the terrorist attacks of the (RSF) militia on cities and infrastructure, and lifting the siege on cities so that tragedies and crimes committed against the people of Sudan are not repeated again,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X.
The statement came following a joint statement by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the US calling for a “humanitarian truce” in Sudan to enable the swift entry of aid to all parts of the country. Yet the ministry reiterated rejection of any “international or regional interference that does not respect Sudan’s sovereignty, its legitimate institutions, and its right to defend its people and land.”
The proposal called for a humanitarian truce, followed by a permanent ceasefire and a transition toward civilian rule. The four nations also suggested that no warring party should be included in the post-war transition — a proposal swiftly rejected by the government. Sudan’s current state institutions remain under army control.
The Khartoum-based government regretted the failure of the international community to oblige the RSF “to implement UN Security Council Resolutions 2736 and 1591, lift the siege on the city of El-Fasher, alleviate the suffering of its citizens, including the elderly, women, and children, and allow the passage of relief convoys.” El-Fasher has witnessed intense fighting between the Sudanese army and RSF since May 2024, despite international warnings about the risks of violence in a city that serves as a key humanitarian hub for the five Darfur states.
Moreover, multiple paramilitary drones attacked key army positions and civilian infrastructure in Sudan’s south on Sunday, an army official told AFP, just a week after similar strikes hit the capital. Sunday’s strikes targeted the headquarters of the Sudanese army’s 18th Division, along with fuel depots on the western bank of the Nile, east of the army-held city of Kosti in White Nile state. Additional attacks hit the Kenana air base and airport, located southeast of Kosti, while drones also struck the Um Dabakir power station, east of the city.
An army spokesman separately said that a number of paramilitary drones targeted early Saturday facilities in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state. The attacks come days after a wave of RSF drone strikes targeted key infrastructure and army installations in and around Khartoum, including a power station, an oil refinery, a weapons factory and an air base. The RSF’s Tasis administration, which has declared itself the governing authority in paramilitary-held areas, later claimed responsibility, describing them as “precise and successful air strikes.”
Following the army’s recapture of the capital in March, the RSF has increasingly used drones to attack army-controlled areas, often targeting critical infrastructure and causing widespread power outages affecting millions.
The RSF and the army have been locked in a brutal power struggle since April 2023, resulting in thousands of deaths and pushing Sudan into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. More than 20,000 people have been killed and 15 million displaced, according to UN and local figures. However, US-based researchers estimate the actual death toll to be as high as 130,000.
What We’re Reading
The Makki affair: Reformists wanted a Shia voice in government who would not fold to the Duo. But realistically, any Shia minister today — even openly anti-Duo — faces enormous pressure. In the south and Dahieh, and even in Beqaa, social ostracism can make life unbearable. The opinion of Ramzi Abou Ismail on the ‘Makki affair’ and the reformists’ missed opportunity.
A month of burdens: As the 2025 school year begins, the return of students to their classrooms has now become a source of deep anxiety for many parents. With the relentless rise in the cost of books and school supplies, fueled by soaring inflation, the collapse of the Lebanese pound, and the country’s ongoing crises, preparing children for school has turned into a heavy burden that most families in Lebanon struggle to bear. The weekly report of Rodayna Raydan.
From Escobar to Maduro: The so-called “Axis of Resistance” is mired in deep moral and political crises, none more telling than its astonishing ability to lie with abandon. Propaganda has become the bloodstream of its daily discourse – manufactured rumors repeated until they sound like truths, repackaged into heroic narratives under slogans such as “the most honorable people.” The opinion of Makram Rabah.
Not an indecent act, but rape: Human rights organization Equality Now newly released a landmark report, titled ‘In Search of Justice’, revealing how legal systems in all 22 League of Arab States countries are failing to define and prosecute rape adequately. Valeria Rando interviewed one of the report’s authors, Gender Advisor for the MENA region, Paleki Ayang, on the challenges that addressing rape in the Arab world entails: from marital rape, child marriage, to the use of force and the issue of consent, and the danger of a reductive and stigmatizing terminology.
