Libya’s unity government, Turkiye strengthen military cooperation with agreement in Ankara

Libya’s unity government, Turkiye strengthen military cooperation with agreement in Ankara
Abdulsalam Al-Zoubi, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Defense of the Libyan National Unity Government based in Tripoli, signs the agreement alongside his Turkish counterpart. (Kuwait News Agency)
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Updated 36 sec ago

Libya’s unity government, Turkiye strengthen military cooperation with agreement in Ankara

Libya’s unity government, Turkiye strengthen military cooperation with agreement in Ankara
  • Deal outlines cooperation in military fields to enhance Libyan army’s readiness, professionalism
  • Libya’s undersecretary of the Ministry of Defense met Yasar Guler, Turkey’s minister of national defense

LONDON: Libya and Turkiye signed an agreement on Thursday to enhance the Libyan army’s military capabilities through advanced training and logistical support.

The National Unity Government based in Tripoli said that Abdulsalam Al-Zoubi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Defense, visited Ankara to work on strengthening military cooperation between Libya and Turkiye. During his visit, he met Yasar Guler, the Turkish minister of national defense, as well as the undersecretary of the ministry of defense.

The agreement outlines cooperation in military fields to enhance the Libyan army’s readiness and professionalism. Al-Zoubi said that the cooperation is part of Tripoli’s plan to develop the Libyan army, praising the strategic relationship with Ankara. He said cooperation with Turkiye is a key priority for the Ministry of Defense’s institutional development program.

Turkiye has reaffirmed its commitment to support Tripoli’s defense capabilities, highlighting its strategic partnership, the statement added.


Israeli drone kills one in south Lebanon: ministry

Israeli drone kills one in south Lebanon: ministry
Updated 5 sec ago

Israeli drone kills one in south Lebanon: ministry

Israeli drone kills one in south Lebanon: ministry
  • The Israeli military identified its target as Muhammad Jamal Murad and said he was a Hezbollah artillery commander in the coastal sector

BEIRUT: A man was killed in an Israeli drone strike on southern Lebanon on Thursday, the health ministry said, after Israel announced it was carrying out “special, targeted operations” against Hezbollah.
Despite a November ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has kept up its strikes in Lebanon, hitting suspected Hezbollah targets and occasionally those of its Palestinian ally Hamas.
“One man was killed and two others wounded in an Israeli enemy drone strike that targeted a motorcycle in the village of Mansouri” near the coastal city of Tyre, the ministry said.
The Israeli military identified its target as Muhammad Jamal Murad and said he was a Hezbollah artillery commander in the coastal sector.
It accused him of being behind past rocket launches toward Israel and of attempting to rebuild Hezbollah’s artillery capabilities.
On Tuesday, a drone strike hit a car in a nearby village, killing another man the Israeli military said was involved in developing Hezbollah’s artillery capabilities.
The November 27 ceasefire sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war that left the group severely weakened.
Under its terms, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border, leaving the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers as the only armed parties in the region.
Israel was required to fully withdraw its troops from the country but has kept them in five places it deems strategic.
On Thursday, a patrol of the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon was blocked and pelted with stones by “several individuals in civilian clothes” in the southern village of Wadi Jilu, UNIFIL said.
“The (Lebanese army) arrived at the scene and the situation was brought under control,” UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said.
In recent weeks, several incidents have seen civilians in Hezbollah strongholds confront UNIFIL patrols. The UN force sits on the ceasefire monitoring committee alongside Lebanon, Israel, France and the United States.
Referencing the attacks, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told EU ambassadors “these were limited and isolated incidents, which are being addressed and contained,” adding that the “safety of UNIFIL personnel is essential to Lebanon, and that cooperation with the army is close.”


Rescuers save four more survivors from Houthi-struck ship in Red Sea

This image released by Houthi Media Office in Yemen shows the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen as it sinks.
This image released by Houthi Media Office in Yemen shows the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen as it sinks.
Updated 49 min 19 sec ago

Rescuers save four more survivors from Houthi-struck ship in Red Sea

This image released by Houthi Media Office in Yemen shows the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen as it sinks.
  • Houthis are believed to be holding six of the Eternity C’s complement of 22 crew and three guards, maritime security sources said

ATHENS/LONDON: Rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, maritime security sources said, a day after Houthi militants sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said they were holding some of the crew still missing.
It was the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia, shattering months of relative calm off Yemen’s coast, the gateway to the Red Sea and a critical route for oil and commodities to the world.
Many shipping companies have suspended voyages due to the fear of attack. The Houthis are believed to be holding six of the Eternity C’s complement of 22 crew and three guards, maritime security sources said.
“These are blameless victims who were simply doing their job,” the UK-based Seafarers’ Charity association said.
“Seafarers should be able to work safely at sea. Instead, they are being unfairly forced into the firing line.”
Eternity C was first hit on Monday with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats. Four people are believed to have been killed in the attacks, maritime security sources say. If confirmed, the deaths would be the first fatalities in the area since June 2024.
Following a second attack on Tuesday morning, the crew were forced to jump into the water. Rescuers have been searching for survivors since Wednesday morning. The vessel’s operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.
A total of 10 survivors from the Eternity C have been rescued so far — eight Filipino crew members, one Indian and one Greek security guard. The four people rescued on Thursday morning had spent nearly 48 hours in the water.
“This fills us with more courage to continue to search for those missing, as the Greek vessel operator requested, and shows that our search plan was correct,” said Nikos Georgopoulos, an official at the Greece-based maritime risk firm Diaplous.
Another 11 people are still missing.
The United States’ Mission in Yemen has accused the Houthis of kidnapping crew members and has called for their immediate, unconditional release.
On Wednesday, the Houthis’ military spokesperson said in a televised address that the Yemeni navy had “responded to rescue a number of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location.”
Fraught passage
The Eternity C sank on Wednesday, days after Houthis hit and sunk the Magic Seas, reviving a campaign launched in November 2023 that has seen more than 100 ships attacked in what the group said was solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza war.
Both of the vessels hit this week flew Liberian flags and were operated by Greek companies. All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it went down.
Some of their sister vessels in the respective fleets had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year, an analysis of shipping data showed.
Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen’s Houthi fighters, reiterated in a televised address on Thursday the group’s ban on companies transporting goods related to Israel through the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.
He said this week’s attacks were part of that ban, which has been in place since 2023.
“It was never stopped or canceled, and it is a valid decision,” he said. “What was discovered (this week) was the violation by some companies of the decision.”
The insurance cost of shipping goods through the Red Sea has more than doubled since this week’s attacks, with some underwriters pausing cover for some voyages, industry sources said on Thursday.
The number of daily sailings through the narrow Bab Al-Mandab strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea and a gateway to the Gulf of Aden, was 32 vessels on July 9, down from 43 on July 1, Lloyd’s List Intelligence data showed.
Several ships on Thursday broadcast messages referring to Chinese crew and management or armed guards on board, according to MarineTraffic data. One vessel broadcast that it had no relation with Israel.


Israeli forces arrest pro-Palestine activists near Jericho amid settlers’ attack

Israeli forces arrest pro-Palestine activists near Jericho amid settlers’ attack
Updated 10 July 2025

Israeli forces arrest pro-Palestine activists near Jericho amid settlers’ attack

Israeli forces arrest pro-Palestine activists near Jericho amid settlers’ attack
  • The settlers entered Al-Auja Spring village on Wednesday and attempted to sabotage a Palestinian bedouin community’s source of livelihood

LONDON: Israeli forces detained several pro-Palestine activists with foreign nationalities north of Jericho in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday evening.

The Al-Baidar Organization for Defense of Bedouin Rights reported that activists were arrested while intervening on behalf of Palestinian residents of Al-Auja Spring village to protect the nomadic community’s cattle from an attack by Israeli settlers.

The settlers entered the village on Wednesday and released the cattle among the homes and cultivated land, sabotaging the community’s source of livelihood, the Al-Baidar human rights group said.

The Arab Al-Mlaihat clan living in the Jordan Valley relies on livestock for their income. Al-Baidar said that repeated settler attacks on this nomadic community aim to force them to leave the area.

The clan originally comes from the desert area of the Negev in Israel. However, due to political events and armed conflicts since 1948, the residents of Arab Al-Mlaihat were forced to live in different parts of the West Bank.

Dozens of Palestinian bedouin communities live in the Jordan Valley, an area that Israel has declared 45.7 percent of its northern part as military firing zones.

About 1 million Israeli settlers live in illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law. Their violence against Palestinians has escalated since 2023, prompting Western governments to sanction some of their leaders; however, Israeli authorities rarely prosecute their actions.


King of Jordan meets leaders on sidelines of Sun Valley Conference in Idaho

King of Jordan meets leaders on sidelines of Sun Valley Conference in Idaho
Updated 10 July 2025

King of Jordan meets leaders on sidelines of Sun Valley Conference in Idaho

King of Jordan meets leaders on sidelines of Sun Valley Conference in Idaho
  • King Abdullah II emphasized the need to modernize the economy and administration to enhance Jordan’s competitiveness

LONDON: King Abdullah II met with various business and technology leaders during the Sun Valley Conference taking place this week in the US state of Idaho.

The one-day annual gathering on July 8 brought together leaders from various fields, including technology, business, media, and entertainment.

The conference, funded by the private investment firm Allen & Company, is known as the Sun Valley Media and Technology Conference and is often referred to as the “summer camp for billionaires.” Alongside politicians, several technology and media leaders attended this year’s event, including the CEOs of Apple, Disney, and OpenAI.

On the sidelines of the forum this week, King Abdullah II met with representatives from several major international and US companies operating in sectors such as industry, mining, technology, trade, transport, defence, and media, the Petra news agency reported.

He also had a meeting with Scott Bessent, the US Treasury secretary. King Abdullah emphasized the significance of modernizing the economy and administration to enhance Jordan’s competitiveness, attract investments, and build partnerships, Petra added.

Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Alaa Batayneh, the director of the king’s office, attended the meetings.


Children queuing for nutrition supplements among 52 killed by Israeli forces in Gaza

Children queuing for nutrition supplements among 52 killed by Israeli forces in Gaza
A Palestinian woman comforts a child as casualties are brought into Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following an Israeli strike, in Dei
Updated 10 July 2025

Children queuing for nutrition supplements among 52 killed by Israeli forces in Gaza

Children queuing for nutrition supplements among 52 killed by Israeli forces in Gaza
  • 17 Palestinians, including eight children, killed in Israeli strike in front of a medical point in Deir Al-Balah in Gaza
  • Dozens of others killed across the territory by airstrikes and shooting

GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defense agency on Thursday said at least 52 people, including eight children, were killed by Israeli forces in the Palestinian territory battered by more than 21 months of war.
The latest deadly strikes and gunfire came just hours after Hamas, which runs Gaza, announced it was willing to release 10 hostages as part of indirect ceasefire talks with Israel.
Israel has recently expanded its military operations in the Gaza Strip, where the war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the population of more than two million people.
Civil defense official Mohammad Al-Mughair told AFP that 17 people were killed in a strike in front of a medical point in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza.
The Israeli military told AFP that it had struck a Hamas militant in Deir Al-Balah who had infiltrated Israel during the group’s October 7, 2023 attack.
It said it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimize harm as much as possible,” adding the incident was under review.
Mughair said eight children and two women were killed in the strike.

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Yousef Al-Aydi, 30, said he was among dozens of people, mostly women and children, waiting for nutritional supplements in front of the medical point.
“Suddenly, we heard the sound of a drone approaching, and then the explosion happened,” he told AFP by phone.
“The ground shook beneath our feet, and everything around us turned into blood and deafening screams.”
“What was our fault? What was the fault of the children?” asked Mohammed Abu Ouda, 35, who had also been waiting for supplies.
“I saw a mother hugging her child on the ground, both motionless — they were killed instantly.”
AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details due to media restrictions in Gaza.

Palestinians react as casualties are brought into Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following an Israeli strike, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza on Thursday. (Reuters)


Four people were killed and several injured in a pre-dawn air strike on a family home in Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza, Mughair added.
AFP footage from Al-Bureij showed a family including three young children sitting among rubble outside their tattered tent after an air strike hit a house next door.
Mughair reported 27 more people killed in bombardments across the territory, including 15 people in five separate strikes in the area of Gaza City.
One person was killed southwest of the southern city of Khan Yunis by “Israeli military fire,” Mughair said.
Three more, including a woman, were killed by Israeli gunfire on civilians near an aid center in the northwest of nearby Rafah, he added.
More than 600 people have been killed around aid distributions and convoys in Gaza since late May, when Israel began allowing in a trickle of supplies, the United Nations said in early July.
The war began after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, leading to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians.
Israel’s retaliatory strikes have killed at least 57,680 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
The United Nations deems the figures reliable.