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Israel releases video of aid truck entering Gaza

Fri, 04/12/2024 - 13:19
Categories: Iraq

Argentine court blames Iran and Hezbollah for 1994 Jewish center bombing

Fri, 04/12/2024 - 09:00
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina's highest criminal court reported a new development Thursday in the elusive quest for justice in the country's deadliest attack in history — the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center headquarters — concluding Iran had planned the attack and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group had executed the plans. In a ruling obtained by The Associated Press, Argentina's Court of Cassation deemed Iran and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, responsible...
Categories: Iraq

20 years later, Abu Ghraib detainees get their day in US court

Fri, 04/12/2024 - 07:59
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Twenty years ago this month, photos of abused prisoners and smiling U.S. soldiers guarding them at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison were released, shocking the world. Now, three survivors of Abu Ghraib will finally get their day in U.S. court against the military contractor they hold responsible for their mistreatment. The trial is scheduled to begin Monday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, and it will be the first time that Abu Ghraib survivors are able to bring their...
Categories: Iraq

Reporter’s Notebook: Walking along a Syrian street ruled by two governments 

Fri, 04/12/2024 - 02:58
hasaka, syria — Palestine Street, in the heart of the northeastern Syrian city of Hasaka, resembles a typical scene in a conflict-ridden part of the Middle East: a crowded market with customers walking through dust-covered stores while the cries of street vendors give a bustling vibe to the place. Nothing out of the ordinary. But being the curious reporter that I am, I couldn’t help noticing something odd. Most stores on the right side of the street have painted Syrian flags on their...
Categories: Iraq

Pakistan bans Iran-backed Shiite group fighting in Syria

Fri, 04/12/2024 - 02:55
islamabad — Pakistan has banned the activities of an Iran-backed Shiite militant group allegedly involved in recruiting and sending young Pakistanis to fight in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. An Interior Ministry directive, seen Thursday by VOA, identified the proscribed outfit as the Zaynabiyoun Brigade, saying it "is engaged in certain activities which are prejudicial to the peace and security" of Pakistan. It did not elaborate. A ministry...
Categories: Iraq

Turkey-Israel disagreement over Gaza hits trade relations

Fri, 04/12/2024 - 00:59
washington — Tensions between Israel and Turkey over the war in Gaza are at risk of escalating into an all-out trade war, threatening a bilateral economic relationship that has long been nurtured even as the countries bicker over political issues. On Tuesday, Turkey’s Trade Ministry announced new restrictions on exporting 54 product groups, including aluminum, steel, several construction products, jet fuel and chemical fertilizers, to Israel.  Some experts think Ankara has historically...
Categories: Iraq

Experts say Turkey becoming a drug transit hub

Thu, 04/11/2024 - 12:27
ISTANBUL — Turkish police have seized the third largest haul of cocaine in the country’s history, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Thursday, as groups monitoring organized crime warned that the country was becoming an entry point for drugs reaching Europe. Some 608 kilograms of cocaine, most of it in liquid form, were confiscated in an operation across three provinces, Yerlikaya posted on the social media platform X. Nearly 830 kilograms of precursor chemicals used to process the...
Categories: Iraq

US destroys 11 Houthi drones

Thu, 04/11/2024 - 06:53
Categories: Iraq

US restricts trade with companies tied to drones used by Russia, Houthis

Wed, 04/10/2024 - 19:25
WASHINGTON — The United States restricted trade with five companies on Wednesday that it said help produce and procure drones for use by Russia in Ukraine and by Iran-backed Houthis in Red Sea shipping attacks.  The companies from Russia and China were among 11 additions to the Commerce Department's Entity List, which means suppliers need licenses before shipping goods and technology to them.  Russia has intensified its drone and missile strikes against Ukrainian energy facilities in...
Categories: Iraq

Six months on, Israel’s war in Gaza is at a crossroads

Wed, 04/10/2024 - 19:06
Six months into the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Israel is at a crossroads. Israeli forces have not been able to eradicate Hamas or free the remaining hostages, and some analysts say the war could escalate further. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem.
Categories: Iraq

Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al-Fitr in shadow of Gaza's misery 

Wed, 04/10/2024 - 18:06
Istanbul — Muslims around the world celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday Wednesday, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. But events were overshadowed by the worsening crisis in Gaza and Israel's expected military offensive in Rafah city after six months of war. "We should not forget our brothers and sisters in Palestine," imam Abdulrahman Musa said in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. "They have been subjected to unjustified aggression and a lot of violence (as) the...
Categories: Iraq

Israel warns Iran against attack 

Wed, 04/10/2024 - 15:16
Categories: Iraq

US destroys anti-ship missile fired by Houthis

Wed, 04/10/2024 - 07:17
Categories: Iraq

US, Israel ‘ready’ for cease-fire but say Hamas must free hostages

Wed, 04/10/2024 - 06:40
The White House blames militant group Hamas for the failure to reach a cease-fire with Israel before the end of Ramadan, as Washington prepares for a high-level meeting on Israel’s plans to invade Rafah and faces lingering questions over the killing of aid workers by Israeli forces. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Washington.
Categories: Iraq

Families of American hostages push for immediate cease-fire in Gaza

Wed, 04/10/2024 - 03:29
WHITE HOUSE — Families of American Israeli hostages demanded an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, saying it is the only means to win the release of their loved ones who have been held by Hamas since the militant group attacked Israel on Oct. 7. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, the families said they are working with the Biden administration to “encourage all our parties to reach a deal.” Only by doing so, “the horror” that the civilians of Gaza have been experiencing for...
Categories: Iraq