Existential War: Gaza to West Bank & Iran's Retaliation

By Myriam Charabaty

Al Mayadeen English

15 Apr 2024 23:46

The escalating confrontations in the West Bank are intricately linked to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the Axis of Resistance's support for Palestine, and Iran's retaliatory operation, True Promise.

In recent months, the West Bank has witnessed a disturbing trend: a surge in attacks by settlers targeting Palestinian individuals and villages. While this pattern of aggression is not novel within the context of "Israel's" policy of ethnic cleansing, its intensified manifestation, often concealed under the pretext of incidents such as the disappearance of a settler near Ramallah, underscores the volatile aftermath of Operation al-Aqsa Flood.

Amidst this backdrop, the launch of Operation al-Aqsa Flood emerges as a watershed moment that reaffirms the cause of Palestine as a central Arab and Islamic one, especially amid the existing critical juncture on the global scale.

Though carried out by the al-Qassam Brigades, this operation is like a sprout from the deep roots of the ongoing battle for Palestine's freedom, led by what has become known as the Axis of Resistance.

Spanning from the Mashreq to the Maghreb (Orient to the Occident), across the breadth of the Arab and Islamic worlds, the events unfolding in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and throughout occupied Palestine have ignited a widespread response. These developments have set off a chain reaction, leading to escalations not only within the West Bank but also beyond, fueled by "Israel's" "campaigns between wars."

This campaign precipitated Iran's remarkable retaliation following an Israeli assault on its consulate in Damascus. Understanding these unfolding events requires contextualizing them within the broader geopolitical landscape, where regional power dynamics intersect with longstanding conflicts and resistance movements.

Israeli settlers expelled under Resistance fire

Since October 7, the Israeli government has made public the displacement of over 250,000 Israeli settlers from their settlements. These settlements, largely constructed on land ethnically cleansed of its indigenous Palestinian and Arab communities, have become targets of Resistance operations spanning both northern and southern regions of occupied Palestine.

In the south, particularly in the Gaza envelope, where Palestinians besieged in the Gaza Strip once resided, a comprehensive evacuation has taken place after the Palestinian Resistance breached the Israeli separation walls and entered the settlements before showering its vicinity with missiles that have even reached "Tel Aviv" on multiple occasions.

The evacuation has significantly reduced the presence of settlers along the borders of the besieged Strip. Many settlers have relocated to central "Israel", while others have scattered throughout the occupied territories. Some have chosen to return to their countries of origin, primarily in Europe or the Americas, based on their nationality prior to settling in "Israel".

In the north, Resistance operations, spearheaded by Hezbollah and other factions, compelled Israeli settlers to evacuate settlements bordering Lebanon by a depth of 5 to 8 kilometers as reportedly revealed by Israeli journalists and Resistance sources.

While unprecedented since the so-called inception of "Israel", these evacuations were anticipated. Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah previously underscored that in the next war with "Israel", settlers would be forced to abandon their settlements, and while this is not even a widescale war, his words proved to be true once again. This strategic shift aims to bring the conflict to "Israel" rather than allow "Israel" to instigate hostilities in Lebanon, as it did in 2006 and 2000.

As Israeli deterrence erodes, it becomes increasingly apparent to settlers that they face an irreversible choice: either leave occupied Palestine or occupy another Palestinian home elsewhere in occupied Palestine.

Making up for what was lost on October 7

Israeli settlers faced a new reality following October 7, even vis-a-vis their daily life. Displaced settlers are now facing declining living standards after having initially migrated to "Israel" in pursuit of the material gains they had been promised once they settled in. 

Instead, settlers are now struggling not even to preserve their privileges against indigenous Palestinians, but to merely meet their daily needs as they lose their homes and the rest of the material gains they were promised at a time when the IOF has clearly failed to achieve any of its goals in the Strip or across the Northern Front - another issue which eliminates hope for Israeli settlers that things could get better in the foreseeable future.

Moreover, with the erosion of Israeli deterrence, settlers, once assured of their superiority over other regional powers such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran, to name a few, now seethe with fury at their expulsion from territories they occupied during the 1948 Nakba and the 1967 Six-Day War. This resentment has boiled over, leading to a surge in attacks on Palestinian residents of the West Bank, surpassing previous levels of violence and reoccurring at a more frequent rate.

Simultaneously, Israeli occupation influencers-turned-government officials like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have spearheaded efforts to arm all settlers, going beyond the usual military program enforced upon Israeli settlers. The arming, which came under the guise of "fighting terrorism", aims to revive historic terrorist Zionist organizations such as the Haganah, which conducted the initial Nakba in 1948, killing hundreds and thousands of Palestinians on purely racist grounds to occupy their homes and lands.

It's crucial to recognize that "Israel's" ethnic cleansing policies, which intensified notably after the events of Seif al-Quds in 2021 and further escalated following October 7, have emboldened settlers to perpetrate the same crimes of genocide as the Israeli occupation Forces are conducting the Gaza Strip [Over 33,000 martyrs] and the same crimes as the Haganah did in 1948.

Pro-Palestine Protesters Block San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge

By Al Mayadeen English

15 Apr 2024 23:08

The demonstration is part of a coordinated day of direct action in cities throughout the world demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

Pro-Palestine activists closed San Francisco's Gold Gate Bridge on Monday, with overhead imagery showing the whole span congested in one way while lanes in the other were vacant.

The demonstration is part of a coordinated day of direct action in cities throughout the world demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported today that the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza due to the Israeli genocide since October 7 has risen to 33,797 and those injured to 76,465.

Israeli occupation forces committed seven massacres in the past 24 hours against families in Gaza, killing 68 Palestinians and injuring 94 others.

Poll: Americans say Biden should encourage 'Israel' to stop war

The ministry stressed that victims are still under the rubble on the streets, as the IOF deliberately prevented ambulances and civil defense crews from reaching them. 

Poll: Americans say Biden should encourage 'Israel' to stop war

A rising proportion of Americans want President Biden to push "Israel" to end the aggression on Gaza and Biden's handling of the issue has dropped to its lowest point yet.

The survey, taken prior to Iran's retaliatory attack on "Israel," found little support among the American public for military action against Iran if Iran struck "Israel." Only 25% believed the US should take military action against Iran in such a scenario and 32% believed the US should not get involved.

Biden is under particular strain inside his own party over the war on Gaza, which has killed over 33,000 Palestinians, where Democrats are more sympathetic to the Palestinian people and his handling of the war has been abysmal in the eyes of younger Americans and Arab and Muslim Americans.

Compared to last October, fewer Democrats and independents currently believe the US should provide weapons and supplies to "Israel." That viewpoint maintains a consistent majority among Republicans. Only 40% of those polled believe that the US should continue sending weapons to the occupation, compared to 48% who thought so in October. 

In terms of humanitarian, aid to Gaza, a total of 63% of those polled believe aid should be sent to Palestinians, compared with only 57% who felt that way in October. 

Half of the nation, 51% feels that the war would exacerbate the threat of terrorism in the US and most Americans, 60% believe the US administration is not doing all necessary to return the American captives.

Zimbabwe: Muswere Calls On Media to Support Zim's New Currency

11 APRIL 2024

The Herald (Harare)

By Conrad Mupesa

The successful adoption of Zimbabwe's new currency Zimbabwe's Gold ( ZiG) , is hinged on the positive coverage given by media practitioners, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere has said.

Addressing members of the media attending a two-day workshop on HIV/AIDS in Chinhoyi organised by the National Aids Council (NAC), Dr Muswere challenged journalists to be ethical and tell the country's story in a positive way.

Minister Muswere added that while the media continue to play a critical role in disseminating information to curb pandemics like HIV, Covid-19 and cholera, some alarmists in the fraternity have been on a drive to discredit the newly-introduced currency.

"Let's all support the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG). That's our currency and the country comes first. It is good to discuss, to explore and to seek clarity because it's all constitutional in terms of freedom of expression but, the panic and the alarm around doom and catastrophe should not be part of journalism.

"Journalism should have ethics, to be able to tell the correct story which is factual, where there are negatives and positives, stories that are credible," he said.Turning to the issue of HIV and Aids, Dr Muswere said Zimbabwe had managed to attain the 95/95/95 target in reducing HIV/AIDS infection rate and recorded low deaths during the 2020-2022 Covid-19 era due to media personnel's efforts.

The media's participation in informing and educating the community had also resulted in Zimbabwe winning the battle against the disease.

On Tuesday, Cabinet announced that 10 districts had been declared Cholera-free.

It was therefore important to tell Zimbabwe's story correct, said the Minister.

With Zimbabwe edging towards an upper-middle-income-economy by 2030, Dr Muswere challenged journalists to play a critical role in national development.

"Journalists have a role to play in health matters and nation building because the health of the population defines the past, the current circumstances, the challenges, the opportunities and the resilience, the dedication and commitment of Zimbabweans. The health of the nation defines the future of our country and journalists have a role to play," he added.

He challenged journalists and the citizens to draw lessons from the tale of a young lawyer and author, Mr Kensington Marufu who has defied the odds despite his circumstances.

Mr Marufu is living positively with HIV.

Mr Marufu who tested positive to HIV in 2000, struggled and persevered through the hardships of life and stereotyping only to graduate as a legal practitioner.

The author gifted Dr Muswere with his book entitled 'Touched by Grace' which chronicles his life with the disease.

Speaking at the same occasion, NAC chief executive officer, Dr Bernard Madzima said the proper flow of information on HIV and AIDS required a mutual partnership between the media and his organisation.

"That partnership should facilitate deliberate sharing of information and accurate as well as responsible reporting, spurred by national interest and the pursuit of a development agenda anchored on the ideals of the National Development Strategy 1," he said.

Zimbabwe has an estimated 1.3 million people living with HIV, a global pandemic which has 37.7 million infected globally.

Macron Announces World Donors Pledge $2.1 Billion in Aid for War-stricken Sudan

Macron announces world donors pledge $2.1 billion in aid for war-stricken Sudan

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a session at the international conference on Sudan, Monday, April 15, 2024 in Paris

By Africa News and AP

World donors pledged more than $2.1 billion in humanitarian aid for Sudan after a yearlong war that has pushed its population to the brink of famine, French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday.

Macron spoke at the end of an international conference in Paris aimed at drumming up support for Sudan’s 51 million people. The aid will go to food, water, medicines and other urgent needs, he said, without providing a specific timeline.

Top diplomatic envoys, U.N. officials and aid agencies urged Sudan’s warring parties to stop attacks on civilians and allow access for humanitarian aid, and called for immediate international mediation efforts toward peace.

Members of Sudan’s civil society took part in the Paris meeting, but neither the Sudanese army nor its rival paramilitary were represented.

"Today, from this mobilisation, all of our presence, it sends a clear messages we are sending to the belligerents. We are making a solemn appeal out of respect for international humanitarian rights and for the protection of the civil population," Macron said at the conference.

Sudan descended into conflict in April last year when simmering tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere across the country.

The United Nations’ humanitarian campaign needs some $2.7 billion this year to get food, health care and other supplies to 24 million people in Sudan — nearly half its population. So far, funders have given only $145 million, about 5%, according to the U.N’s humanitarian office, known as OCHA.

More than 14,000 people have been killed and at least 33,000 have been wounded in the yearlong war.

Nearly 9 million people have been forced to flee their homes either to safer areas inside Sudan or to neighbouring countries, according to the U.N. Hunger, sexual violence against women and girls and continued displacement are rampant and much of the country's infrastructure — homes, hospitals and schools — has been reduced to rubble.

“We cannot let this nightmare slide from view,” Guterres said in a video message to the Paris conference.

“It’s time to support the Sudanese people. It’s time to silence the guns," he added.

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said the aim of the conference was to mobilize humanitarian funding to help Sudanese people, who have been victims of both a “terrible war” and “international indifference.”

The European Union's crisis management commissioner, Janez Lenarcic, said the 27-member bloc wants to ensure that Sudan is not forgotten as wars in Gaza and Ukraine dominate the international news.

“People of Sudan, caught up in this emergency, are almost completely invisible,” Lenarcic said. Sudan has turned into one of the worst humanitarian disasters ever on the African continent, he said, and added: “It is our duty not to look away.”

President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric warned that humanitarian action is increasingly politicized in Sudan and humanitarian workers are risking their lives to get vital aid to people.

“Securing a military advantage cannot be pursued regardless of the human cost,” Spoljaric said.

The United States and Saudi Arabia initially led efforts to find a negotiated way out of the conflict. But since October the fighting has been overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which is threatening to expand into a broader regional conflict.

Relief workers, meanwhile, warn that Sudan is hurtling towards potential mass death in the coming months. Food production and distribution networks have broken down and aid agencies are unable to reach the worst-stricken regions.

The conflict has also been marked by widespread reports of atrocities including killings, displacement and rape, particularly in the area of the capital and the western region of Darfur.

At least 37% of the population at crisis level or above suffer from hunger, according to OCHA. Save the Children warned that about 230,000 children, pregnant women and newborn mothers could die of malnutrition in the coming months.

“Famine is a reality in Sudan,” said Abdallah al-Dardari, a regional director of the U.N. Development Program.

The military, headed by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, have carved up Khartoum and trade indiscriminate fire at each other. In 2021, Burhan and Dagalo were uneasy allies who led a military coup. They toppled an internationally recognized civilian government that was supposed to steer Sudan’s democratic transition.

Empowering Sudanese Women:  A Call for Peace and Justice

Participants at the solidarity conference with Sudanese women held in Nairobi on November 23-24, 2023

April 14, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Feminist groups and organizations in Sudan are proposing that a national conference be held to address the impact of war on women and draw global attention to the human rights violations they face.

This initiative comes as the European Union (EU) seeks women’s perspectives on the conflict.

In late March, the EU representative, Dr. Amina Al-Rasheed, held separate meetings with representatives from Darfur organizations, the “Women Against Injustice” campaign, and “Allies against Violence and Humanitarian Violations.”

These discussions aimed to understand women’s experiences and their recommendations for ending the year-long war.

During the meeting, however, Dr. Al-Rasheed emphasized the EU’s commitment to supporting Sudan’s political transition and achieving lasting peace.

She explained the EU’s focus on fostering dialogue between political and civil groups to fulfill the goals of the December revolution and establish a civilian government.

Notably, Dr. Al-Rasheed clarified that the EU has not provided any financial aid during the conflict.

Following these meetings, Dr. Al-Rasheed endorsed the proposal for a comprehensive feminist conference. This platform would ensure geographical and cultural inclusivity, giving voice to the humanitarian violations women have endured. Ultimately, the conference aims to advocate for an end to the war and the establishment of peace.

Additionally, Dr. Al-Rasheed commended the idea of creating a dedicated feminist platform to highlight Sudanese women’s issues.

Women’s groups presented their initial recommendations to the EU delegate, including; an immediate ceasefire; opening safe corridors for humanitarian aid delivery; coordination among women’s groups to amplify their collective voice; protection for women’s rights defenders and aid workers in conflict zones as well as women’s inclusion in peacemaking efforts and decision-making roles.

Beyond the conference, however, women groups proposed establishing a “feminist platform” to champion their agenda, arguing that this platform would serve as a central point for collecting testimonies of violence against women, with a specific focus on sexual violence and forced displacement.

Also proposed were capacity-building training programs seen as key in empowering women to network and effectively advocate for their rights.

The groups are also calling for a strong feminist movement that pushes for an end to the war, promotes peacebuilding, facilitates collaboration between women’s organizations and the EU, and ensures women’s participation in humanitarian aid distribution.

In addition, the women’s groups are emphasizing the need to empower young women and encourage their active involvement in feminist movements.

Meanwhile the EU Representative also acknowledged the international community’s insufficient response to the crisis in Sudan, particularly regarding funding and aid, while emphasizing that the current level of support doesn’t match the severity of the devastation caused by the war.

The conflict in Sudan is having a devastating impact on the people of Sudan, particularly women and girls, United Nations said on the eve of the day when violence broke out in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum in mid-April last year.

According to the UN, 53 per cent of internally displaced are women and girls, and there is a growing risk that the violence will soon create the world’s largest hunger crisis.

(ST)

RSF Leader Expresses Readiness for Ceasefire, Peace Negotiations

Mohamed Hamdan Daglo aka Hemetti (Photo)

April 15, 2024 (KHARTOUM) – The commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hemeti” has declared his forces’ readiness for a nationwide ceasefire and comprehensive peace negotiations.

In a pre-recorded speech marking the one-year anniversary of Sudan’s war, Hemeti emphasized their commitment to ending the war and establishing a civilian government.

He stressed the RSF’s peaceful intentions, highlighting their control of Darfur, Al-Jazeera, most of Khartoum State, and parts of Kordofan and White Nile.

Despite this dominance, however, the RSF leader expressed willingness for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid delivery and initiate serious political talks.

“Our goal is a comprehensive political solution leading to a civilian government that guides the country towards democratic transition and lasting peace,” Hemeti stated.

He maintained a firm stance regarding self-defense against “elements of the defunct regime within the army, intelligence service, and armed movements aligned with enemies of change.”

The RSF leader also emphasized the need for a singular, professional Sudanese national army free from political influence and reflecting diversity in leadership and composition.

He reiterated his call for negotiation to address the war’s root causes, rectify grievances, and achieve a peaceful democratic transition, emphasizing the RSF’s consistent opposition to war and their unwavering commitment to democratic transition and civilian governance.

The commander outlined the war’s devastating consequences, including the destruction of Khartoum and other areas, mass displacement, a humanitarian crisis, and widespread human rights violations.

He further warned of the war’s potential expansion within Africa, posing a threat to international peace and security.

Hemeti provided details of the RSF’s military actions, claiming they halted the army’s advance in Omdurman and defeated them and allied movements in Sennar and Al-Jazeera states. He boasted of capturing 118 combat vehicles from these forces.

Casting blame on others, Hemeti stated, “While we sought peace in Jeddah, Kampala, and Manama, the army leadership, in coordination with old regime elements, was preparing for war by attacking our forces in Omdurman.”

He accused the previous regime and elements within the Sudanese army, led by General Burhan, of initiating the war by attacking the RSF on this very day last year. He called for an international investigation by the United Nations and African Union to determine who ignited the war and who perpetuates it.

(ST)

World Paid Little Attention to Sudan’s War for a Year. Now Aid Groups Warn of Mass Death From Hunger

Monday will mark one year since the war in Sudan began between the country’s military and the notorious Rapid Support Forces. The war in the African country has killed thousands and forced close to nine million people to flee their homes. The precarious conditions and lack of aid is pushing Sudan to the edge of famine. (Apr. 14)

BY SAMY MAGDY

8:32 PM EDT, April 14, 2024

CAIRO (AP) — On a clear night a year ago, a dozen heavily armed fighters broke into Omaima Farouq’s house in an upscale neighborhood in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. At gunpoint, they whipped and slapped the woman, and terrorized her children. Then they expelled them from the fenced two-story house.

“Since then, our life has been ruined,” said the 45-year-old schoolteacher. “Everything has changed in this year.”

Farouq, who is a widow, and her four children now live in a small village outside the central city of Wad Madani, 136 kilometers (85 miles) southeast of Khartoum. They depend on aid from villagers and philanthropists since international aid groups can’t reach the village.

Sudan has been torn by war for a year now, ever since simmering tensions between its military and the notorious paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into street clashes in the capital Khartoum in mid-April 2023. The fighting rapidly spread across the country.

The conflict has been overshadowed by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza Strip, which since October has caused a massive humanitarian crisis for Palestinians and a threat of famine in the territory.

But relief workers warn Sudan is hurtling towards an even larger-scale calamity of starvation, with potential mass death in coming months. Food production and distribution networks have broken down and aid agencies are unable to reach the worst-stricken regions. At the same time, the conflict has brought widespread reports of atrocities including killings, displacement and rape, particularly in the area of the capital and the western region of Darfur.

Justin Brady, head of the U.N. humanitarian coordination office for Sudan, warned that potentially tens or even hundreds of thousands could die in coming months from malnutrition-related causes.

“This is going to get very ugly very quickly unless we can overcome both the resource challenges and the access challenges,” Brady said. The world, he said, needs to take fast action to pressure the two sides for a stop in fighting and raise funds for the U.N. humanitarian effort.

But the international community has paid little attention. The U.N. humanitarian campaign needs some $2.7 billion this year to get food, heath care and other supplies to 24 million people in Sudan – nearly half its population of 51 million. So far, funders have given only $145 million, about 5%, according to the humanitarian office, known as OCHA.

The “level of international neglect is shocking,” Christos Christou, president of the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, said in a recent statement.

The situation in fighting on the ground has been deteriorating. The military, headed by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, have carved up Khartoum and trade indiscriminate fire at each other. RSF forces have overrun much of Darfur, while Burhan has moved the government and his headquarters to the Red Sea city of Port Sudan.

The Sudanese Unit for Combating Violence Against Women, a government organization, documented at least 159 cases of rape and gang rape the past year, almost all in Khartoum and Darfur. The organization’s head, Sulima Ishaq Sharif, said this figure represents the tip of the iceberg since many victims don’t speak out for fear of reprisal or the stigma connected to rape.

In 2021, Burhan and Dagalo were uneasy allies who led a military coup. They toppled an internationally recognized civilian government that was supposed to steer Sudan’s democratic transition after the 2019 military overthrow of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir amid a popular uprising. Burhan and Dagalo subsequently fell out in a struggle for power.

The situation has been horrific in Darfur, where the RSF and its allies are accused of rampant sexual violence and ethnic attacks on African tribes’ areas. The International Criminal Court said it was investigating fresh allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the region, which was the scene of genocidal war in the 2000s.

A series of attacks by the RSF and allied militias on the ethnic African Masalit tribe killed between 10,000 and 15,000 people in Geneina, the capital of West Darfur near the Chad border, according to a report by United Nations experts to the Security Council earlier this year. It said Darfur is experiencing “its worst violence since 2005.”

With aid groups unable to reach Darfur’s camps for displaced people, eight out of every 10 families in the camps eat only one meal a day, said Adam Rijal, the spokesman for the Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees in Darfur.

In Kelma camp in South Darfur province, he said an average of nearly three children die every 12 hours, most due to diseases related to malnutrition. He said the medical center in the camp receives between 14 and 18 cases of malnutrition every day, mostly children and pregnant women.

Not including the Geneina killings, the war has killed at least 14,600 people across Sudan and created the world’s largest displacement crisis, according to the United Nations. More than 8 million people have been driven from their homes, fleeing either to safer areas inside Sudan or to neighboring countries.

Many flee repeatedly as the war expands.

When fighting reached his street in Khartoum, Taj el-Ser and his wife and four children headed west to his relatives in Darfur in the town of Ardamata.

Then the RSF and its allies overran Ardamata in November, rampaging through the town for six days. El-Ser said they killed many Masalit and relatives of army soldiers.

“Some were shot dead or burned inside their homes,” he said by phone from another town in Darfur. “I and my family survived only because I am Arab.”

Both sides, the military and RSF, have committed serious violations of international law, killing civilians and destroying vital infrastructure, said Mohamed Osman, Sudan researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Food production has crashed, imports stalled, movement of food around the country is hampered by fighting, and staple food prices have soared by 45% in less than a year, OCHA says. The war wrecked the country’s healthcare system, leaving only 20 to 30% of the health facilities functional across the country, according to MSF.

At least 37% of the population at crisis level or above in hunger, according OCHA. Save the Children warned that about 230,000 children, pregnant women and newborn mothers could die of malnutrition in the coming months.

“We are seeing massive hunger, suffering and death. And yet the world looks away,” said Arif Noor, Save the Children’s director in Sudan.

About 3.5 million children aged under 5 years have acute malnutrition, including more than 710,000 with severe acute malnutrition, according to the World Health Organization.

About 5 million people were one step away from famine, according to a December assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, considered the global authority on determining the severity of hunger crises. Overall, 17.7 million people were facing acute food insecurity, it found.

Aid workers say the world has to take action.

“Sudan is described as a forgotten crisis. I’m starting to wonder how many people knew about it in the first place to forget about it,” said Brady, from OCHA. “There are others that have more attention than Sudan. I don’t like to compare crises. It’s like comparing two cancer patients. ... They both need to be treated.”

World Donors Pledge $2.1 Billion in Aid for War-stricken Sudan to Ward Off Famine

BY BARBARA SURK AND SAMY MAGDY

1:04 PM EDT, April 15, 2024

PARIS (AP) — World donors pledged more than $2.1 billion in humanitarian aid for Sudan after a yearlong war that has pushed its population to the brink of famine, French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday.

Macron spoke at the end of an international conference in Paris aimed at drumming up support for Sudan’s 51 million people. The aid will go to food, water, medicines and other urgent needs, he said, without providing a specific timeline.

Top diplomatic envoys, U.N. officials and aid agencies urged Sudan’s warring parties to stop attacks on civilians and allow access for humanitarian aid, and called for immediate international mediation efforts toward peace. Members of Sudan’s civil society took part in the Paris meeting, but neither the Sudanese army nor its rival paramilitary were represented.

Sudan descended into conflict in April last year when simmering tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere across the country.

“Much of the world has been focused on the crisis that was generated in the Middle East. As concerning as those developments are, other dramatic life-and-death emergencies are being pushed into the shadows,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters after the Security Council met on Sudan on Monday.

This handout photo provided by World Relief shows emergency food being distributed by World Food Programme (WFP) and World Relief in Kulbus, West Darfur, Sudan, end of March 2024. 

“The world is forgetting about the people of Sudan,” he said.

The United Nations’ humanitarian campaign needs some $2.7 billion this year to get food, health care and other supplies to 24 million people in Sudan — nearly half its population. So far, funders have given only $145 million, about 5%, according to the U.N’s humanitarian office, known as OCHA.

In a video statement, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres points up the scale of the emergency aid now needed for Sudan.

After Monday’s conference, Macron said, ‘’We are today at 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) for Sudan.’' Of that, some 900 million euros comes from EU countries, he said.

Monday’s conference among 58 countries also called on regional powers to stop funding Sudan’s war. Without naming them, Macron said, ’’The amount we raised today remains probably less than all the money raised by several powers’’ to wage a proxy conflict in Sudan.

More than 14,000 people have been killed and at least 33,000 have been wounded in the yearlong war. Nearly 9 million people have been forced to flee their homes either to safer areas inside Sudan or to neighboring countries, according to the U.N. Hunger, sexual violence against women and girls and continued displacement are rampant and much of the country’s infrastructure — homes, hospitals and schools — has been reduced to rubble.

“We cannot let this nightmare slide from view,” Guterres said in a video message to the Paris conference.

“It’s time to support the Sudanese people. It’s time to silence the guns,” he added.

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said the aim of the conference was to mobilize humanitarian funding to help Sudanese people, who have been victims of both a “terrible war” and “international indifference.”

The European Union’s crisis management commissioner, Janez Lenarcic, said the 27-member bloc wants to ensure that Sudan is not forgotten as wars in Gaza and Ukraine dominate the international news.

“People of Sudan, caught up in this emergency, are almost completely invisible,” Lenarcic said. Sudan has turned into one of the worst humanitarian disasters ever on the African continent, he said, and added: “It is our duty not to look away.”

President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric warned that humanitarian action is increasingly politicized in Sudan and humanitarian workers are risking their lives to get vital aid to people.

“Securing a military advantage cannot be pursued regardless of the human cost,” Spoljaric said.

The United States and Saudi Arabia initially led efforts to find a negotiated way out of the conflict. But since October the fighting has been overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which is threatening to expand into a broader regional conflict.

Relief workers, meanwhile, warn that Sudan is hurtling towards potential mass death in the coming months. Food production and distribution networks have broken down and aid agencies are unable to reach the worst-stricken regions.

The conflict has also been marked by widespread reports of atrocities including killings, displacement and rape, particularly in the area of the capital and the western region of Darfur.

At least 37% of the population at crisis level or above suffer from hunger, according to OCHA. Save the Children warned that about 230,000 children, pregnant women and newborn mothers could die of malnutrition in the coming months.

“Famine is a reality in Sudan,” said Abdallah al-Dardari, a regional director of the U.N. Development Program.

The military, headed by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, have carved up Khartoum and trade indiscriminate fire at each other. In 2021, Burhan and Dagalo were uneasy allies who led a military coup. They toppled an internationally recognized civilian government that was supposed to steer Sudan’s democratic transition.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo and Surk from Nice. Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.

US Judge Tosses Out Lawsuits Against Libyan CIA Operative Accused of Overthrowing Gaddafi and Other War Crimes

5:07 PM EDT, April 14, 2024

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP-PANW) — A U.S. judge has tossed out a series of civil lawsuits against a Libyan military commander who used to live in Virginia and was accused of killing innocent civilians in that country’s civil war.

At a court hearing Friday, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said she had no jurisdiction to preside over a case alleging war crimes committed in Libya, even though the defendant, Khalifa Hifter, has U.S. citizenship and lived for more than 20 years in the northern Virginia suburbs of the nation’s capital as an exile from the government of Moammar Gadhafi.

The ruling was a significant reversal of fortune for Hifter. In 2022, Brinkema entered a default judgment against Hifter after he refused to sit for scheduled depositions about his role in the fighting that has plagued the country over the last decade.

But Hifter retained new lawyers who persuaded the judge to reopen the case and made Hifter available to be deposed. He sat for two separate depositions in 2022 and 2023 and denied orchestrating attacks against civilians.

Once a lieutenant to Gadhafi, Hifter defected to the U.S. during the 1980s. He is widely believed to have worked with the CIA during his time in exile.

He returned to Libya in 2011 to support anti-Gadhafi forces supported by the Pentagon-CIA and NATO that engineered the overthrow against the Pan-Africanist statesman and killed him. During the country’s counter-revolution, he led the self-styled Libyan National Army, which controlled much of the eastern half of Libya, with support from countries including Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. He continues to hold sway in the eastern half of the country.

In the lawsuits, first filed in 2019, the plaintiffs say family members were killed by military bombardments conducted by Hifter’s army in civilian areas.

The lawsuits also alleged that Hifter and his family owned a significant amount of property in Virginia, which could have been used to pay off any judgment that would have been entered against him.

While the lawsuits were tossed out on technical issues over jurisdiction, one of Hifter’s lawyers, Paul Kamenar, said Hifter denied any role in the deaths of civilians.

“He’s not this ruthless figure that everyone wants to portray him as,” Kamenar said in a phone interview Sunday.

Faisal Gill, a lawyer for plaintiffs in one of the three lawsuits that Brinkema tossed out Friday, said he plans to appeal the dismissal.

Mark Zaid, lawyer for another set of plaintiffs, called Brinkema’s ruling perplexing and said he believes that the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case had already been established at an earlier phase of the case.

“A U.S. citizen committed war crimes abroad and thus far has escaped civil accountability,” Zaid said Sunday in an emailed statement.

In court papers, Hifter tried to claim immunity from the suits as a head of state. At one point, the judge put the cases on pause because she worried that the lawsuits were being used to influence scheduled presidential elections in Libya, in which Hifter was a candidate. Those elections were later postponed.

Your Morning Coffee May Be More Than a Half Million Years Old

BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN

12:35 PM EDT, April 15, 2024

That coffee you slurped this morning? It’s 600,000 years old.

Using genes from coffee plants around the world, researchers built a family tree for the world’s most popular type of coffee, known to scientists as Coffea arabica and to coffee lovers simply as “arabica.”

The researchers, hoping to learn more about the plants to better protect them from pests and climate change, found that the species emerged around 600,000 years ago through natural crossbreeding of two other coffee species.

“In other words, prior to any intervention from man,” said Victor Albert, a biologist at the University at Buffalo who co-led the study.

These wild coffee plants originated in Ethiopia but are thought to have been first roasted and brewed primarily in Yemen starting in the 1400s. In the 1600s, Indian monk Baba Budan is fabled to have smuggled seven raw coffee beans back to his homeland from Yemen, laying the foundation for coffee’s global takeover.

Arabica coffee, prized for its smooth and relatively sweet flavor, now makes up 60% - 70% of the global coffee market and is brewed by brands such as Starbucks, Tim Horton’s and Dunkin’. The rest is robusta, a stronger and more bitter coffee made from one of arabica’s parents, Coffea canephora.

To piece together arabica coffee’s past, researchers studied genomes of C. canephora, another parent called Coffea eugenioides, and more than 30 different arabica plants, including a sample from the 1700s — courtesy of the Natural History Museum in London — that Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus used to name the plant.

The study was published Monday in the journal Nature Genetics. Researchers from Nestlé, which owns several coffee brands, contributed to the study.

The arabica plant’s population fluctuated over thousands of years before humans began cultivating it, flourishing during warm, wet periods and suffering through dry ones. These lean times created so-called population bottlenecks, when only a small number of genetically similar plants survived.

Today, that renders arabica coffee plants more vulnerable to diseases like coffee leaf rust, which cause billions of dollars in losses every year. The researchers explored the makeup of one arabica variety that is resistant to coffee leaf rust, highlighting sections of its genetic code that could help protect the plant.

The study clarifies how arabica came to be and spotlights clues that could help safeguard the crop, said Fabian Echeverria, an adviser for the Center for Coffee Research and Education at Texas A&M University who was not involved with the research.

Exploring arabica’s past and present could yield insight into keeping coffee plants healthy – and coffee cups full – for future early mornings.

Any Military Aggression Will Prompt More Defensive Measures: Iran Foreign Ministry

Sunday, 14 April 2024 4:54 PM

This video grab from AFPTV taken on April 14, 2024 shows explosions lighting up the sky in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during an Iranian attack on the occupied territories. (Photo by AFP)

Iran's Foreign Ministry reaffirms its commitment to international law but says the country will take further defensive measures in case of any military aggression.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran would not hesitate to take further necessary defensive measures to protect its legitimate interests against any act of military aggression or unlawful use of force," the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

It added that Iran carried out a series of military strikes on Israeli military bases in exercise of the Islamic Republic's inherent right of self-defense as recognized under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

It added that the attacks were also a response to Israel's recurring military aggression, resulting in the killing of the Iranian military advisors in Syria upon a request from its government, in particular the regime's recent armed attack against Iran's diplomatic premises in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

It reiterated Iran's adherence to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.

Tehran, however, is resolute on forcefully defending its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests against any unlawful use of force and aggression, the ministry said.

It added, "The Islamic Republic of Iran's resort to defensive measures in exercise of its right of self-defense demonstrates Iran's responsible approach toward regional and international peace and security."

The ministry emphasized that Iran feels responsible towards regional and global peace and security at a time when the Israeli occupying apartheid regime's pattern of relentless genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people is accompanied with repeated military aggression against neighboring states and fanning the flames across the region and beyond.

A senior IRGC commander has warned that any further military aggression by the Israeli regime will see a bigger response from Iran.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched extensive missile and drone strikes against the occupied territories late on Saturday in response to Israel’s missile attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1.

Iran hit a large intelligence base in the occupied lands and Israel’s Nevatim Airbase, from where an F-35 jet took off to target Iran’s consulate in Damascus.

A senior commander of the IRGC Quds Force, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, and his deputy General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi were among the seven Iranian martyrs of Israel's deadly attack in Damascus.

Thousands Rally in Niger for US Departure, Russian Support

Sunday, 14 April 2024 9:30 AM

Hundreds took to the streets of Niger's capital on Saturday to demand the departure of US troops, after the ruling junta further shifted its strategy by ending a military accord with the United States and welcoming Russian military instructors.

Marching arm in arm through central Niamey, the crowd waved Nigerien flags in a demonstration that recalled anti-French protests that spurred the withdrawal of France's forces from Niger last year after the army seized power in a coup.

One hand-written sign in English read "God Curse USA" in a show of support for the junta and its decision in mid-March to revoke an accord that had allowed around 1,000 US military personnel to operate on its territory out of two bases.

Until the coup, Niger had remained a key security partner of France and the United States, which used it as a base as part of international efforts to curb a decade-old Islamist insurgency in West Africa's Sahel region.

But the new authorities in Niger have joined juntas in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in ending military deals with one-time Western allies, quitting the regional political and economic bloc ECOWAS and fostering closer ties with Russia.

The arrival on Wednesday of Russian military instructors and equipment was further evidence of the junta's openness to closer cooperation with Moscow, which is seeking to boost its influence in Africa.

A few Russian flags were visible at the protest, but some citizens told Reuters on Friday they did not want the welcome Russian defense assistance to lead to a permanent presence in Niger.

It is unclear, however, if or when the US troops will leave.

Thousands Protest in Niger Demanding Immediate Withdrawal of US Troops

Thousands of people in Niger's capital on Saturday protested for the immediate departure of US soldiers from the north, after the military junta in Niamey said it was withdrawing from a military agreement with Washington. 

13/04/2024 - 18:56

Nigeriens gather in a street to protest against the US military presence in Niamey, Niger on April 13, 2024. The sign reads "This is not Washington, it's Agadez."

Following a July coup, the West African country said in mid-March that the 2012 cooperation agreement had been "unilaterally imposed" by the United States. 

Students and several prominent figures from the military regime were amongst the crowd in front of the National Assembly Headquarters in Niamey. 

The crowd was heard chanting "Down with American imperialism" and "The people's liberation is on the march". 

French troops were expelled at the end of 2023, but about 1,000 American soldiers remain based in Agadez city in the north. 

In late March, Niger said the US would submit a proposal to "disengage" its soldiers from the country. Washington declined to comment, but said it contacted Niger to "obtain clarification".  

"They said they (the Americans) were going to leave, so let them leave in peace and quickly," shouted Sheikh Ahmadou Mamoudou, a well-known religious leader.  

Flags from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Russia were visible but organisers asked demonstrators to refrain from slogans insulting the US or burning its flags. 

In March Niger joined neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso in the creation of a joint force to battle the long-running jihadist rebellions raging in the three nations.

The three countries have turned their backs on former coloniser France and strengthened their ties with Russia.

(AFP)

Niger Demonstrators Take to the Streets in Protest Against Foreign Forces

By Africa News

Hundreds of demonstrators took part in a protest against the presence of foreign forces in Niger, including the armed forces of the United States, which has a military base in the north of the country.

The demonstrators gathered in the center of the capital city of Niamey, at the call of civil society organizations close to Niger's ruling military junta whose members took part in the demonstration.

“We have called for the departure of the Americans and all foreign forces from Niger, and the CNSP (acronym for the organization of the military junta of Niger) has taken our concerns into account, and it is in this context that we have come to support and reaffirm our support for the CNSP in relation to the decision taken for the departure of foreign forces", said Abdoulaziz Yaya, a protester.

The demo comes as the west African nation pulls away from close cooperation with the United States in counterterrorism efforts, turning instead to Russia for security.

It may be seen as a further step in urging Washington to withdraw from Niger - where Russian troops arrived last week to provide security for Niger's ruling junta.

“The Russians will be here as part of a win-win cooperation, whereas the Americans, as we've seen, have been here for how many years? Has insecurity weakened? I'd say not. Whereas with the Russians, we've just recently seen that things are moving forward”, said Moumouni Amadou Gado, who helped organise the demonstration.

Niger’s ruling military council, known as the CNSP, has yet to order American troops out, U.S. officials have said.

But the arrival of Russian forces makes it complicated for the U.S. forces, along with diplomatic and civilian personnel, to remain in the country.

It also throws into doubt the future of joint Niger-U.S. counterinsurgency operations.

Until recently, Washington considered Niger a key partner and ally in a region swept by coups in recent years, investing millions of dollars in an airbase in a desert area that served as the heart of American counterinsurgency operations in Africa's sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel.

The U.S. also invested heavily in training Niger’s forces to beat back insurgencies by militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, which ravaged the country and its neighbors.

But last summer, some of those elite U.S.-trained forces took part in a coup that ousted the elected president.

Since then, relations between Niger's new leaders and Washington have deteriorated.

The junta has criticized the U.S. for warning Niger against cooperating with Russia and Iran, saying it was trying to force the African nation to choose between partners.

DR Congo: Infectious Disease Experts Coordinate Efforts Against Monkey Pox

By Africa News

In a concerted response to the growing threat of the Monkey Pox virus, also known as simian pox, Africa is mobilizing to strengthen its response. On April 13, nearly 250 experts gathered in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) under the aegis of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa (CDC), to develop strategies to stem the spread of this disease in the African region.

The situation is alarming, with over 92,000 human cases reported in more than 110 countries. In 2023, the DRC was one of the hardest-hit countries, recording 14,600 cases and 654 deaths. 

For Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, renowned virologist and co-discoverer of the Ebola virus, the urgency of the situation is clear: "Very recently in the DRC, for the first time we observed sexual transmissions of MPOX, and so if we take this sexual, heterosexual transmission, we take the severity, we take the spread of the disease, almost every province is affected. It's a public health emergency."

In their fight against the epidemic, the experts pledged to coordinate their efforts in diagnostics, laboratory optimization and vaccine research. 

Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, Chief of Staff and Head of the Africa CDC Executive Office, stresses the need to: "Facilitate the strengthening of preparedness and response capacity to mitigate the impact of Mpox in Africa and beyond, strengthen effective surveillance, national laboratory capacity, rapid epidemic response, and engagement with affected communities."

WHO is also committed to supporting these efforts, by strengthening surveillance capacity, risk communication and community engagement. 

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, says: "We will be working on many aspects of the subject. We will start at the local, national and global level. We are there and we will work with governments to move this agenda forward."

Every day counts in the fight against Mpox, and there is an urgent need to improve the effectiveness of the response to this epidemic. That's why the health ministers of 12 African countries have decided to work together to create an action plan to combat Mpox.

The plan includes measures to prevent, detect and control the spread of the disease, protect African populations and ensure a safer, more resilient future for all.

Togo Campaign Rallies Take Over the Streets of Lome as Parties Attempt to Woo Voters

Opposition protestors rally against the results of recent legislative polls, in Lome, Togo, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013.

By Jerry Fisayo-Bambi and Noël Tadegnon

**The electoral campaign for Togo's legislative and regional elections kicked off Saturday in the country's capital Lome. The Alliance nationale pour le changement, one of the opposition parties, launched its campaign with great fanfare, with a caravan through the streets of Lomé. **

The campaign is taking place against a backdrop of protests over the government's constitutional change.

"We're here with serenity, because we know we're going to fight them. We won't let an adept of the permanent power grab impose his vision on us" says Jean-Pierre Fabre, President of the ANC.

For the Forces Démocratiques Républicaines FDR, another opposition party, the question of changing the constitution is a major issue at stake in these elections.

"We want to hold a sanction vote. So that whatever they do, in the ballot box, we're going to beat them to say that strength lies with the people" Emmanuel Alatodé one of the card-carrying members of the FDR told Africanews.

Meanwhile, supporters of the ruling UNIR party also took to the streets, out to conquer the electorate. After criss-crossing several roads of the Togolese capital, they all converged on a meeting point to listen to their leaders.

"The challenge is simple- to confirm the confidence and support of the Togolese people in everything we're doing. But at the same time, to say to the Togolese people, we will listen to them and we will act to improve and accelerate everything we have done so far" according to Gilbert Bawara, Minister and member of the ruling party.

Africanews correspondent Noël Tadegnon reports that more than 2,000 candidates from political parties and independents are vying for 113 seats as MPs and 179 seats as regional councillors.

They have two weeks to convince 4 million voters ahead the voted scheduled for Monday April 29.

Iran's Truthful Promise: 400-500 Missiles, Drones Launched at 'Israel'

By Al Mayadeen English

14 Apr 2024 01:17

US-based news agencies have circulated the statements of senior US officials on the ongoing Iranian strikes.

The first batch of Iranian ballistic missiles has been launched toward Israeli occupation targets in occupied territories, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported post-midnight on Sunday. 

On its part, the US-based ABC said that it believes that there will be anywhere near 400 to 500 drones and missiles launched from Iraq, Syria, South Lebanon, and Yemen, however, the bulk of these weapons will be fired from Iran. 

Later, the news agency said, citing a US official, that 150 missiles were launched in the attack. 

A senior US official confirmed to ABC that the United States will help "Israel" intercept every possible aerial target in the region, despite the fact that Iran told the US that its forces will come under the line of fire if it assists "Israel".

According to the news outlet, upward of 85% of these targets will be intercepted, leaving at least 60 highly capable aerial objects to hit their intended targets. The target is reportedly expected to be three Israeli military bases, one of which hosts F-35 fighter jets.

Moreover, a US official told Bloomberg that they expect that the Israeli airborne defenses will be confused with the simultaneous drone and missile attack, considering their different speeds, altitudes, and directions.

The expected time of arrival of the inbound drones is 1:00 am (local time), the Israeli occupation forces announced.

IRGC's Aerospace Force announces Operation Truthful Promise

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force announced that it targeted Israeli positions in occupied Palestine with dozens of drones and missiles, as part of the retaliatory response to the malicious Israeli crime against the Iranian embassy in Syria. 

The IRGC's Aerospace Force announced that the operation dubbed "Truthful Promise" was launched in the context of "punishing the criminal Zionist regime."

The force said that the operation came "in response to the numerous evil crimes of the Zionist regime," including the attack on the embassy. It said that its forces supported by other units of the Iranian Armed Forces launched the "wide-ranging" military operation. 

The statement added that the operation was conducted with the approval of the Supreme National Security Council and under the supervision of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, with the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the backing of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces.

"Details of this operation will soon draw the attention of the heroic Iranian people and the free peoples of the world," the statement concluded.

IRGC Launches Retaliatory Attack on 'Israel' with Drones, Missiles

By Al Mayadeen English

14 Apr 2024 00:04

Hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles are reportedly heading toward Israeli-occupied territories, according to Israeli media.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force announced that it targeted Israeli positions in occupied Palestine with dozens of drones and missiles, as part of the retaliatory response to the malicious Israeli crime against the Iranian embassy in Syria. 

The IRGC's Aerospace Force announced that the operation dubbed "Truthful Promise" was launched in the context of "punishing the criminal Zionist regime."

The force said that the operation came "in response to the numerous evil crimes of the Zionist regime," including the attack on the embassy. It said that its forces supported by other units of the Iranian Armed Forces launched the "wide-ranging" military operation. 

The statement added that the operation was conducted with the approval of the Supreme National Security Council and under the supervision of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, with the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the backing of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces.

"Details of this operation will soon draw the attention of the heroic Iranian people and the free peoples of the world," the statement concluded.

Meanwhile, Israeli media outlets reported that three swarms of attack drones were launched from Iran toward Israeli-occupied territories on Saturday night. 

The spokesperson for the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) confirmed that dozens of drones were launched toward occupied territories. He said that Global Positioning Systems were also jammed across Israeli-occupied territories. 

"A short while ago, Iran launched unmanned aerial vehicles from its territory towards the territory of the State of Israel," the spokesperson said. 

"The air defense array is on high alert at the same time as the Air Force planes and Navy ships that are on a mission to protect the country’s skies," the statement continued as the situation develops. 

The spokesperson stressed to settlers that "Israel’s" air defenses, while not hermetic completely tight, asking them to abide by emergency instructions and protocols. 

Three swarms of Iranian drones and missiles have reportedly been launched by Iranian forces toward Israeli positions, with the first swarm reportedly launched at around 8:00 pm (al-Quds Time).

NYT: Synchronized attacks ongoing

On its part, The New York Times, citing US officials, estimated that Iran would try to synchronize the drone attack with faster-moving missiles, which would be launched later, explaining that the slower drones could be used to distract Israeli occupation "defense systems".

According to a security source, the Israeli occupation government issued instructions that included entering fortified shelters more capable than those set for precision missiles.

Simultaneous drones, missiles attack set to confuse "Israel’s" anti-air system: Bloomberg

A simultaneous attack with drones and missiles may confuse "Israel’s" anti-air system, as they may arrive at different speeds, altitudes, and directions, Bloomberg quoted a US official, who asked not to be identified discussing internal assessments, as saying.

A state of panic and anxiety escalated on the Israeli occupation home front, where strict measures were issued according to occupation security estimates, as Israeli media revealed that all Israeli politicians received orders to stay in "Israel" and cancel their travel abroad.

For his part, Israeli occupation forces spokesperson Hagari announced changes in the home front command that will take effect from 11:00 pm today, Saturday, and will continue until the same hour next Monday.

In detail, the measures, according to the spokesperson, include, "in the Gaza envelope, up to 100 people are allowed to gather in open areas and up to 300 people in built-up areas, and beaches are closed," while in other settlements, only 30 Israelis are allowed to gather in open areas and 300 in built-up areas, while in other settlements, only 30 Israelis are allowed to gather in open areas and 300 in built-up areas.

Israel Says Iran Launched a Number of Drones Toward it That Will Take Hours to Arrive

A video seen by AP appears to show an attack on a vessel near the Strait of Hormuz that a Mideast defense official alleges Iran carried out on Saturday. The video appears to show a helicopter flying over the vessels as commandos fast-roped down to the ship.

BY JOSEPH FEDERMAN

4:20 PM EDT, April 13, 2024

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says Iran has launched a number of drones toward Israel.

The army’s spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said it would take several hours for the aircraft to arrive. He said Israel was prepared. He spoke Saturday evening.

Israel has been on heightened alert since an airstrike last week killed two Iranian generals in Syria. Iran accused Israel of being behind the attack and vowed revenge. Israel has not commented on that attack.

A U.S. official briefed on the attack said Iran had launched “dozens” of drones. The official could not publicly discuss details of the attack and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Earlier Saturday, the Israeli military said it was canceling school and limiting public gatherings to no more than 1,000 people as a safety precaution.

Briefing reporters, Hagari said Israel is “prepared and ready” with defensive and offensive actions. He also said there was “tight” cooperation with the U.S. and other partners in the region.

The head of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. Erik Kurilla, has been in Israel in recent days to coordinate with Israel about the Iranian threats.

Israel has a number of layers of air defense capable of intercepting everything from long-range missiles to UAV’s and short-range rockets. Hagari said Israel has an “excellent air defense system” but stressed it is not 100% effective and urged the public to listen to safety announcements.

___

AP writer Michael Balsamo in New York contributed.

Commandos from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard rappelled from a helicopter onto an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz and seized the vessel Saturday in the latest attack between the two countries.

The seizure followed a suspected Israeli strike this month on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed 12 people, including a senior Guard general.

Iran has promised to retaliate, and U.S. President Joe Biden cut short a weekend trip to his beach house in Delaware to return to the White House and monitor the situation. Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip has inflamed decade-old tensions in the Middle East, and any new attack threatens to escalate that conflict into a wider regional war.

Iran’s state-run IRNA said a special forces unit of the Guard’s navy carried out the attack on the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, a container ship associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime.

On Day 190, Gov. Media Office Releases New Statistics on Gaza Genocide

By Al Mayadeen English

The government media office in Gaza publishes detailed statistics on the number of martyrs, casualties, and missing persons as a result of the ongoing Israeli genocide.

The Government Media Office in Gaza published an update, on Saturday, regarding key statistics of the genocidal war perpetrated by the Israeli occupation against the Gaza Strip for the 190th consecutive day since October 7, 2023.

According to the released statistics, after 190 days, the occupation committed about 2,973 massacres, resulting in approximately 40,686 martyrs and missing persons, with 33,686 martyrs reaching hospitals, in addition to 7,000 missing. The number of injured reached 76,309.

Regarding the number of wounded requiring treatment abroad, their number reached 11,000 in need of travel for treatment, classified as "life-saving and critical" cases.

The Media Office pointed out that 14,560 children were killed, with 30 children martyred due to the Israeli man-made famine. 72% of the martyred victims are children and women, with at least 17,000 children now living without one or both of their parents.

Moreover, the report underscored that approximately 9,582 women were killed.

According to the statistics, there are also about 10,000 cancer patients facing death and in need of treatment, and 1,089,000 people infected with infectious diseases due to displacement and the lack of a safe environment and necessary healthcare.

The statistics report also emphasized that there are currently 8,000 cases of viral hepatitis infections due to displacement.

As for pregnant women, their number reached approximately 60,000, and they are at risk due to the lack of necessary healthcare. There are also 350,000 cases of chronic diseases, and they are at risk due to the lack of necessary medication for their condition, according to the statistics.

Meanwhile, 485 medical personnel were killed, including 66 martyrs serving with the civil defense.

Additionally, 140 journalists were killed, according to the statistics of the Government Media Office in Gaza. 

The Office's statistics in Gaza included the number of detentions carried out by the Israeli occupation forces during the war, amounting to 5,000, including 310 health personnel and 20 journalists, whose names are known.

About two million Palestinians were internally displaced in the Gaza Strip.

The occupation destroyed official, educational HQs and places of worship

The statistics provided by the Government Media Office in Gaza revealed that about 171 official government headquarters were completely destroyed by the occupation, in addition to 100 schools and universities completely destroyed, while 305 schools and universities were partially destroyed.

Even Islamic and Christian places of worship were not spared from destruction, as 233 mosques were completely destroyed and 301 mosques were partially destroyed. Meanwhile, the occupation targeted three churches and destroyed them completely.

The occupation also completely destroyed 70,000 housing units. As for the residential units that were partially destroyed yet deemed uninhabitable, their number reached 290,000 units, according to the data revealed.

The occupation completely put 32 hospitals out of service, due to their complete destruction, in addition to 53 health centers that saw the same fate. The occupation also targeted 159 health facilities and 126 ambulances.

Archaeological and heritage sites were also the target of deliberate bombing and assault, as “Israel” destroyed 203 units of this category.

Moreover, the Government Media Office revealed that the occupation dropped 70,000 tons of explosives on Gaza so far.

Al-Nakhalah: Resistance Prepared for Extended War, Axis Aid Integral

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: Khamenei.ir

The PIJ Secretary-General confirms the retreat of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian Resistance, both militarily and politically, and discusses supporting fronts.

The Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, was interviewed by the website of the leader of the Revolution in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Sayyed Ali Khamenei.

In the discussion with khamenei.ir, al-Nakhalah addressed the latest developments relating to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and the ongoing Israeli occupation's genocide across the Gaza Strip.

Al-Nakhalah said that through Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and the resilient retaliation of the Resistance against the Israeli incursions into the Gaza Strip, "we have made significant progress toward the moment of final victory," while the occupation is retreating.

He revealed gradual concessions made by the Israeli occupation in negotiations, indicating that mediators and the United States are trying to marginally give "Israel" concessions so it can "take in defeat bit by bit."

Al-Nakhalah stressed that the Resistance today stands firm in its bid to impose its conditions, refusing to accept the conditions of the Israeli occupation. He announced that the Resistance has prepared for a long-term confrontation in the event that the occupation does not accept a ceasefire as per the demands of the Resistance, stating, "We will continue to resist with the same level of performance."

Vis-à-vis the Israeli threat of a ground incursion operation in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, al-Nakhalah affirmed that the occupation will face the same resistance it faced in Khan Younis, the central region, and the northern region.

He highlighted that the significant atrocities committed by the Israeli occupation over 190 days of aggression have strengthened the Palestinian people's commitment to their rights and their support for the Resistance, despite enduring significant sacrifices.

Al-Nakhalah additionally mentioned that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement extended the expertise of the Resistance to the West Bank, establishing both small and large armed Resistance groups across its cities.

In the interview, al-Nakhalah also discussed Iran's role and the support of Resistance factions, outside occupied Palestine, in bolstering the Palestinian Resistance, affirming that most of the resources supporting Gaza's efforts came from Tehran.

He added that the Resistance in Gaza obtained the know-how of manufacturing weapons, shells, and missiles from Iran, noting that Tehran did not for a moment abandon the Resistance in Palestine, and its support has never stopped.

In that same context, al-Nakhalah confirmed that Hezbollah in Lebanon is present shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinian Resistance, providing expertise and training. He also described the Yemeni presence on the battlefield against "Israel" as historic.

Regarding the support of Iraq and Syria, al-Nakhalah said that the people of the region as a whole stand in solidarity and have rallied behind the Palestinian people.

Al-Quds Brigades reveals details of first Nuseirat ambush

The Palestinian Resistance continues to confront Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, nearly six months since the occupation launched its wide-scale invasion into the besieged territory in late October. 

On the 189th day, confrontations centered around the central Gaza Strip in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where Israeli occupation forces launched an operation into the area that it has not been able to infiltrate to this point.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza said that the Palestinian Resistance continues to engage in fierce confrontations against occupation forces on the outskirts of the Nuseirat camp. 

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) al-Quds Brigades announced that its fighters ambushed a large Israeli force, including three Merkava tanks and two Israeli D9 military-grade bulldozers. The force was lured into northern Nuseirat, where anti-tank explosive devices and mines were set off.

Al-Quds Brigades said that its fighters confirmed that Israeli soldiers were killed and injured in the ambush, which forced Israeli military rescue helicopters to land in the area of the attack and transport the casualties.

Russian Military Trainers Arrive in Niger as Relations Deteriorate with the US

FILE - Supporters of Niger’s ruling junta, gather for a protest called to fight for the country’s freedom and push back against foreign interference, in Niamey, Niger, Aug. 3, 2023. A top Pentagon official says that the U.S. has not received a formal request from Niger’s junta to depart the country, saying instead it has received mixed signals on whether the hundreds of U.S. troops based there are no longer welcome. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

BY JESSICA DONATI

6:54 PM EDT, April 12, 2024

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Russian military trainers arrived this week in Niger to reinforce the country’s air defenses as the west African nation pulls away from close cooperation with the United States in counterterrorism efforts, turning instead to Russia for security.

State television in Niger on Thursday broadcast footage of Russian military trainers arriving in the country aboard a plane equipped with military supplies. Two Russian trainers were filmed in front of the plane at night wearing military uniforms, caps and face coverings.

“We are here to train the Nigerien army to use the military equipment that is here,” one of the Russian trainers said in the broadcast, speaking in French. “We are here to develop military cooperation between Russia and Niger.”

Niger’s ruling military council, known as the CNSP, has yet to order American troops out, U.S. officials have said. But the arrival of Russian forces makes it complicated for the U.S. forces, along with diplomatic and civilian personnel, to remain in the country. It also throws into doubt the future of joint Niger-U.S. counterinsurgency operations.

Until recently, Washington considered Niger a key partner and ally in a region swept by coups in recent years, investing millions of dollars in an airbase in a desert area that served as the heart of American counterinsurgency operations in Africa’s sub-Saharan region known as the Sahel.

The U.S. also invested heavily in training Niger’s forces to beat back insurgencies by militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, which ravaged the country and its neighbors. But last summer, some of those elite U.S.-trained forces took part in a coup that ousted the elected president. Since then, relations between Niger’s new leaders and Washington have deteriorated.

Following the visit last month of a U.S. delegation led by the top U.S. envoy to Africa, Molly Phee, the junta announced on state television that flights from the U.S.-built airbase were illegal and that it no longer recognized the American military presence in the country.

The junta criticized the U.S. for warning Niger against cooperating with Russia and Iran, saying it was trying to force the African nation to choose between partners.

A senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing talks, said Washington was looking at options for revising military cooperation with Niger. While the path forward would not be easy, there was still hope for finding a formula that addressed concerns and interests on both sides, the official said.

The Russian plane had arrived on Wednesday night, the report by Niger’s state television said, and carried Russian military supplies to help Niger improve its air defenses. The broadcast said the arrival of Russian trainers followed a call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Niger’s military leaders in March. Niger’s military leaders are seeking to diversify their partnerships and achieve greater sovereignty, the broadcast said.

“The arrival of a Russian air defense system can be viewed as part of the junta’s effort to reclaim sovereignty, this time over its airspace, and force the U.S. and Russia to cooperate with each other in Niger,” said John Lechner, Africa analyst and author on the Wagner Group. But he added that, “Such cooperation is unlikely.”

He said the Niger government may be trying to compel the U.S. forces to withdraw without explicitly pushing them out.

Since 2012, Niger and other neighbors in the region have been gripped by a worsening insurgency fought by groups linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State militants.

As recently as December, some 600 U.S. troops and hundreds more contractors were stationed in Niger, tasked with flying manned and unmanned surveillance operations and supporting local forces against jihadi groups.

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Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Jerusalem contributed to this report.