Ada Derana

Highly Factual

The head of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed in Iraq in an operation by members of the Iraqi national intelligence service along with U.S.-led coalition forces, the Iraqi prime minister announced Friday. “The Iraqis continue their impressive victories over the forces of darkness and terrorism,” Prime Minister Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai, or “Abu Khadija,” was “deputy caliph” of the militant group and as “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world,” the statement said. On his Truth Social platform Friday night, U.S. President Donald Trump said: “Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed. He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters” in coordination with the Iraqi government and the Kurdish regional government. “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!” Trump posted. A security official said the operation was carried out by an airstrike in Anbar province, in western Iraq. A second official said the operation took place Thursday night but that al-Rifai’s death was confirmed Friday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The announcement came on the same day as the first visit by Syria’s top diplomat to Iraq, during which the two countries pledged to work together to combat IS. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein said at a news conference that “there are common challenges facing Syrian and Iraqi society, and especially the terrorists of IS.” He said the officials had spoken “in detail about the movements of ISIS, whether on the Syrian-Iraqi border, inside Syria or inside Iraq” during the visit. Hussein referred to an operations room formed by Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon at a recent meeting in Amman to confront IS, and said it would soon begin work. The relationship between Iraq and Syria is somewhat fraught after the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad. Al-Sudani came to power with the support of a coalition of Iran-backed factions, and Tehran was a major backer of Assad. The current interim president of Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa, was previously known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani and fought as an al-Qaida militant in Iraq after the U.S. invasion of 2003, and later fought against Assad’s government in Syria. But Syrian interim Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani focused on the historic ties between the two countries. “Throughout history, Baghdad and Damascus have been the capitals of the Arab and Islamic world, sharing knowledge, culture and economy,” he said. Strengthening the partnership between the two countries “will not only benefit our peoples, but will also contribute to the stability of the region, making us less dependent on external powers and better able to determine our own destiny,” he said. The operation and the visit come at a time when Iraqi officials are anxious about an IS resurgence in the wake of the fall of Assad in Syria. While Syria’s new rulers - led by the Islamist former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham - have pursued IS cells since taking power, some fear a breakdown in overall security that could allow the group to stage a resurgence. The U.S. and Iraq announced an agreement last year to wind down the military mission in Iraq of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group by September 2025, with U.S. forces departing some bases where they have stationed troops during a two-decade-long military presence in the country. When the agreement was reached to end the coalition’s mission in Iraq, Iraqi political leaders said the threat of IS was under control and they no longer needed Washington’s help to beat back the remaining cells. But the fall of Assad in December led some to reassess that stance, including members of the Coordination Framework, a coalition of mainly Shiite, Iran-allied political parties that brought current Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani to power in late 2022. Source: AP --Agencies

Ada Derana

Highly Factual

An Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis killed Hamas political leader Salah al-Bardaweel, Hamas and Palestinian media reported in the early hours of Sunday. Pro-Hamas media said the airstrike killed Bardaweel, who is a member of the group’s political office, and also killed his wife. Israeli officials had no immediate comment. Israel resumed significant strikes on Gaza on Tuesday, blaming Hamas, abandoning a ceasefire agreement that began on January 19 and ending almost two months of calm. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said the main aim of the war is to destroy Hamas as a military and governing entity. He has said the aim of the new campaign is to force the group to give up remaining hostages. Hamas’ de facto government head Essam Addalees and internal security chief Mahmoud Abu Watfa were among those killed by Israeli strikes on Tuesday, in addition to several other officials. Palestinian health officials said at least 400 people, more than half of them women and children, were killed on Tuesday. Palestinian medics said an Israeli plane bombed a house in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, wounding several people. Hamas has accused Israel of breaking the terms of the January ceasefire agreement by refusing to begin negotiations for a final end to the war and a withdrawal of its troops from Gaza but has said it is still willing to negotiate and was studying Witkoff’s “bridging” proposals. The return to the air strikes and ground operations that have devastated Gaza has drawn calls for a ceasefire from Arab and European countries. Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement calling on Israel to restore access for humanitarian aid. Israel has blocked the entry of goods into Gaza and Falk accused Hamas of taking aid for its own use, a charge Hamas has previously denied. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza after a devastating Hamas attack on Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023 that killed some 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally, and saw 251 abducted as hostages. The Israeli campaign has killed more than 49,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities, and devastated much of the coastal enclave leaving hundreds of thousands of people in tents and makeshift shelters. Source: Reuters --Agencies

Ada Derana

Highly Factual

Lebanon’s Defence Minister Michel Menassa and his Syrian counterpart Murhaf Abu Qasra agreed on a ceasefire, the Lebanese and Syrian defence ministries said in statements on Monday, as cross-border clashes in the last two days left 10 dead. Three soldiers in Syria’s new army and seven Lebanese were killed in border clashes during the past two days, the Syrian defence ministry and Lebanese health ministry said. On the Lebanese side, 52 people were wounded, the health ministry said. The Lebanese and Syrian defence ministers also agreed on continuing contacts between the army intelligence directorates to prevent more deterioration on the border. The mountainous frontier has been a flashpoint in the three months since Islamist rebels toppled Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Tehran and Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and installed their own institutions and army. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Foreign Affairs Minister Youssef Raji met his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shibani in Brussels to discuss the cross-border developments and agreed to maintain contacts, the Lebanese state news agency NNA reported. Late on Sunday, Syria’s defence ministry accused Hezbollah of crossing into Syrian territory and kidnapping and killing the three members of Syria’s new army. Hezbollah denied any involvement. A Lebanese security source told Reuters the three Syrian soldiers had crossed into Lebanese territory first and were killed by armed members of a tribe in northeastern Lebanon who feared their town was under attack. Syrian troops responded by shelling Lebanese border towns overnight, according to the Syrian defence ministry and the Lebanese army. Residents of the town of Al-Qasr, less than 1 kilometre (0.6 mile) from the border, told Reuters they fled further inland to escape the bombardment. Lebanon’s army said in a statement on Monday that it had handed over the bodies of the three killed Syrians to Syrian authorities, and that it had responded to fire from Syrian territory and sent reinforcements to the border area. Syria’s army sent a convoy of troops and several tanks to the frontier on Monday, according to a Reuters reporter along the border. Syrian troops fired into the air as they moved through towns on the way to the border. “Large military reinforcements were brought in to reinforce positions along the Syrian-Lebanese border and prevent any breaches in the coming days,” said Maher Ziwani, the head of a Syrian army division deploying to the border. Source: Reuters --Agencies

Ada Derana

Factual

The Israeli military says it is carrying out “extensive strikes” in the Gaza Strip, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting that at least 220 Palestinians have been killed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was targeting what it called “terror targets” belonging to Hamas. Mahmoud Abu Wafah, the deputy interior minister in Gaza and the highest-ranking Hamas security official in the territory, has reportedly been killed in a strike. This is the largest wave of airstrikes in Gaza since the ceasefire began on 19 January. Talks to extend the Gaza ceasefire have failed to reach an agreement. Many people were having their pre-dawn meal, due to it being the holy month of Ramadan, when explosions started in Gaza, witnesses say. More than 20 Israeli war planes flew over, they said. The planes then began to hit targets in Gaza City, Rafah and Khan Younis. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the strikes on Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the PM’s office. “This follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators,” it said. “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” it added. The plan for the strikes “was presented by the IDF over the weekend and approved by the political leadership”, it said. Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, warned Hamas to release all the hostages, stating “we will show no mercy on our enemies”. Hamas has responded furiously, accusing Israel of treachery for overturning the ceasefire agreement. It also says Israel is exposing the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza to “an unknown fate”. But Hamas has not yet declared that it is resuming the war, instead calling on mediators and the United Nations to intervene. US President Donald Trump’s administration was consulted by Israel prior to carrying out the strikes, a White House spokesperson told Fox News. Negotiators have been trying to find a way forward after the first phase of the temporary truce ended on 1 March. The US proposed extending the first phase until mid-April, including a further exchange of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. But a Palestinian official familiar with the talks told the BBC that Israel and Hamas disagreed over key aspects of the deal set out by Witkoff at the indirect talks. The latest war between Israel and Hamas started on 7 October 2023, when Hamas killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, with 251 taken hostage. The assault triggered an Israeli military offensive that has since killed more than 48,520 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry which are used by the UN and others. Most of Gaza’s 2.1 million population has been displaced multiple times. An estimated 70% of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, healthcare, water, and sanitation systems have collapsed and there are shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter. Source: BBC --Agencies

Ada Derana

Factual

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s war with Hamas began, the territory’s health ministry said Sunday, a grim milestone for a war with no end in sight as Israel resumes fighting and warns of even tougher days ahead. The ministry reported 41 more deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the toll to 50,021. Authorities in Gaza do not distinguish between civilians and Hamas fighters when reporting casualty figures, but the health ministry and the United Nations say the majority of deaths are women and children. And the true toll could be much higher, with many thousands believed to still be under the rubble. The death toll surged as Israel resumed its war with Hamas this week, ending a two-month ceasefire in Gaza. Tuesday’s renewed airstrikes made it one of the deadliest days for Palestinians since the war began, with more than 400 killed by Israeli fire, according to the health ministry. By Wednesday, Israel had also resumed its ground operation in the enclave. Israel launched a war on Hamas in Gaza on October 7, 2023, following the militant group’s surprise attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostage, according to Israeli authorities. Hamas called the latest offensive a “new and dangerous breach” of the ceasefire agreement. The militant group says it is committed to the ceasefire agreement it signed with Israel in January, but on Thursday fired its first rockets at Israel since the truce collapsed. Gazans are left with little hope that the killing will slow as Israeli officials warn that what’s to come will be significantly worse. Defense Minister Israel Katz this week vowed to make Gaza’s residents “pay the full price” if Israeli hostages are not returned and Hamas remains able to govern in the strip. “Return the hostages and eliminate Hamas, and other options will open up for you – including going to other places in the world for those who wish,” he said. “The alternative is complete destruction and devastation.” In a televised address Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “I want to assure you: This is just the beginning.” Almost all of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million has been displaced from their homes. The enclave’s healthcare system has been severely damaged, with hospitals often becoming the center of fighting. A humanitarian crisis and famine in parts of Gaza are unfolding, as Israel blocked aid from entering Gaza earlier this month and as its latest operation impedes distribution. Negotiations to extend the ceasefire have been moribund nearly from the day it went into effect January 19. Hamas has insisted on sticking to the initial framework signed with Israel in January, which would have seen parties move to a second phase on March 1. Under the terms of the second phase, Israel would have had to withdraw entirely from Gaza and commit to a permanent end of the war. In exchange, Hamas would release all living hostages. The second phase never happened, and Israel resumed the war, citing Hamas’ alleged rejection of “two concrete mediation proposals presented by the US” and its “threats to harm IDF soldiers and Israeli communities” as justification for its attacks on Gaza. Israel does not dispute that a significant number of Palestinian civilians have been killed in its war in Gaza. It has however long argued that the health ministry’s figures are exaggerated, and that Hamas embeds itself between civilians, using them as “human shields.” The United Nations and United States State Department have repeatedly said they believe the health ministry’s figures to be accurate, and independent academic studies have estimated that the true toll is likely to be far higher. CNN cannot independently verify the numbers and the Israeli government does not allow foreign journalists to independently enter Gaza. Source: CNN --Agencies

Daily Mirror

Highly Factual

BBC - The Israeli military says it is carrying out "extensive strikes" in the Gaza Strip, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting that at least 220 Palestinians have been killed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was targeting what it called "terror targets" belonging to Hamas. Mahmoud Abu Wafah, the deputy interior minister in Gaza and the highest-ranking Hamas security official in the territory, has reportedly been killed in a strike. This is the largest wave of airstrikes in Gaza since the ceasefire began on 19 January. Talks to extend the Gaza ceasefire have failed to reach an agreement. Many people were having their pre-dawn meal, due to it being the holy month of Ramadan, when explosions started in Gaza, witnesses say. More than 20 Israeli war planes flew over, they said. The planes then began to hit targets in Gaza City, Rafah and Khan Younis. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the strikes on Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the PM's office. "This follows Hamas's repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators," it said. "Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength," it added. The plan for the strikes "was presented by the IDF over the weekend and approved by the political leadership", it said. Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, warned Hamas to release all the hostages, stating "we will show no mercy on our enemies". Hamas has responded furiously, accusing Israel of treachery for overturning the ceasefire agreement. It also says Israel is exposing the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza to "an unknown fate". But Hamas has not yet declared that it is resuming the war, instead calling on mediators and the United Nations to intervene. US President Donald Trump's administration was consulted by Israel prior to carrying out the strikes, a White House spokesperson told Fox News. Negotiators have been trying to find a way forward after the first phase of the temporary truce ended on 1 March. The US proposed extending the first phase until mid-April, including a further exchange of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. But a Palestinian official familiar with the talks told the BBC that Israel and Hamas disagreed over key aspects of the deal set out by Witkoff at the indirect talks. The latest war between Israel and Hamas started on 7 October 2023, when Hamas killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, with 251 taken hostage. The assault triggered an Israeli military offensive that has since killed more than 48,520 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry which are used by the UN and others. Most of Gaza's 2.1 million population has been displaced multiple times. An estimated 70% of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, healthcare, water, and sanitation systems have collapsed and there are shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.

Daily Mirror

Factual

Reuters - Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Kamel Maddouri less than a year after his appointment, and named Sara Zaafarani as his replacement, amid a faltering economy and a worsening flood of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa countries. Zaafarani, who is an engineer and served as minister of equipment and housing since 2021, is the third prime minister in less than two years. In recent months, Saied has sharply criticised the performance of ministers, saying many have not met the required standards and that the expectations of the Tunisian people are high. Last, month he sacked finance minister Sihem Boughdiri. Economic growth has not exceeded 1.4% in the past year and the North African country's public finances face a severe crisis that has led to shortages of key commodities including sugar, rice and coffee. “We will continue the liberation battle until justice prevails for all citizens ... We will continue to thwart all conspiracies,” Saied said in a speech at a national security council meeting on Friday. The country also is facing widespread criticism over an unprecedented migrant crisis, as thousands of sub-Saharan African migrants are flocking to Tunisia seeking to reach the Italian coast. Thousands of them are living in tents in forests in Amra and Jbeniana after authorities prevented them from reaching Europe by sea. While the migrants frequently clash with local residents who want them deported from their area, local human rights groups accuse the authorities of racist rhetoric and incitement against migrants. Saied seized extra powers in 2021 when he shut down the elected parliament and moved to rule by decree before assuming authority over the judiciary. The opposition described the move as a coup.

Ada Derana

Factual

At least 70 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Thursday after Israel resumed its bombing campaign and ground operations in the enclave, a Gaza health official said. Medics said Israeli strikes targeted several houses in northern and southern areas of the Gaza Strip. Asked for comment, the Israeli military said it was looking into the reports. The military has resumed its air assaults on Gaza since Tuesday and launched ground operations on Wednesday, effectively abandoning a ceasefire with the Palestinian militant group Hamas that had held since January. It said on Thursday that its forces had been engaged for the past 24 hours in what it described as a targeted ground operation to expand a buffer zone separating the northern and southern halves of Gaza, known as the Netzarim corridor. Israel ordered residents to stay away from the Salahuddin road, the main north-south route, and said they should travel along the coast instead. Tuesday’s first day of resumed airstrikes killed more than 400 Palestinians, one of the deadliest days of the war. At least 510 Palestinians have been killed in the past three days, more than half of them women and children, Khalil Al-Deqran, the spokesperson of the territory’s health ministry told Reuters. In a blow to Hamas as it sought to rebuild its administration in Gaza, this week’s strikes have killed some of its top figures, including the de facto Hamas-appointed head of the Gaza government, the chief of security services, his aide, and the deputy head of the Hamas-run justice ministry. Hamas, severely weakened but still standing, has not hit back even though Israel has warned the latest onslaught was only the beginning. The militant group said the Israeli ground operation and the incursion into the Netzarim Corridor were a “new and dangerous violation” of the two-month-old ceasefire agreement. In a statement, it reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire deal and called on mediators to “assume their responsibilities”. A temporary first phase of the ceasefire ended at the start of this month. Hamas wants to move to an agreed second phase, under which Israel would be required to negotiate an end to the war and withdrawal of its troops, and Israeli hostages held in Gaza would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. Israel has offered only a temporary extension of the truce, cut off all supplies to Gaza and says it is restarting its military campaign to force Hamas to free remaining hostages. The resumption of air strikes has sent Palestinian residents again fleeing for their lives from homes they had begun to reinhabit among the ruins of the devastated enclave. Some Palestinians who tried to use the Salahuddin road said they saw cars come under fire from Israeli troops advancing towards Netzarim. The fate of the passengers in the vehicles was unknown. “Bulldozers protected by some tanks were heading to the west coming from the areas where they are stationed near the fence east of the Salahuddin road,” one taxi driver told Reuters, asking not to be identified for fear of reprisals. He said it had become clear the Israelis were advancing on Netzarim when Egyptian and foreign inspectors stationed there under the ceasefire abruptly withdrew. Some residents turned to social media to report the disappearance of some relatives, while others reported cases to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, a Hamas official said mediators had stepped up their efforts with the two warring sides but added that “no breakthrough has yet been made”. Hamas has yet to make clear threats to retaliate in response to the Israeli escalation. Asked why the group had not yet responded, the Hamas official said it was “giving a chance for things to be contained”. Some residents said there were no signs yet of preparations by Hamas on the ground to resume fighting. But an official from one militant group allied to Hamas told Reuters on Thursday that fighters, including from Hamas, had been put on high alert awaiting further instructions. “Fighters and leaders of the resistance were also advised to avoid the use of cellular phones as a means of precaution,” said the official, who asked not to be identified. The war started after Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities in October, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, by Israeli tallies. More than 49,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to Gaza’s health authorities, with the enclave reduced to rubble. Source: Reuters --Agencies

Daily Mirror

Factual

BBC- More than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said on Sunday. That number - 50,021 - equates to about 2.1% of the 2.3 million pre-war population of the territory, or around 1 in 50 people. A total of 113,274 others had been injured in the same period, the health ministry said. In the past, figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH) were widely used in times of conflict and seen as reliable by the UN and international institutions. But Israel has consistently refuted data published by Gaza's authorities. International journalists, including the BBC, are blocked by Israel from entering Gaza independently, so are unable to verify figures from either side. The figures released by the health ministry for the number of people killed do not differentiate between civilians and fighters. The war was triggered by Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, were killed and 251 other taken hostage. Israel responded to the 7 October attack with a massive military offensive, which has caused huge amounts of destruction to homes and infrastructure, in addition to the 50,000 dead.