Page 25 - Middle East

Six months into Gaza war, Israel's isolation grows with no end in sight

When Israel declared war against Hamas last October, it stood unified at home and enjoyed broad backing from around the world following an unprecedented attack by the Islamic militant group. Six months later, Israel finds itself in a far different place: bogged down in Gaza, divided domestically, isolated internationally and increasingly at odds with its closest ally. The risk of a broader regional war remains real. Despite Israel's fierce military onslaught, Hamas is still standing, if significantly weakened. The offensive has pushed Gaza into a humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 80% of the population and leaving over 1 million people on the brink of starvation. Yet Israel hasn't presented a postwar vision acceptable to its partners, and cease-fire talks remain at a standstill. Here are six takeaways from the first six months of war. BATTLEFIELD STALEMATE Israel declared war in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 cross-border attack, in which the militant group killed 1,200 people,

PAG-backed Nuvama eyes Middle East for $400 million for first time

Nuvama also expects to raise another $100 million from the region for a new public equities long-short product

We had nothing to do with it: US after attack on Iranian consulate in Syria

Shortly after an airstrike widely attributed to Israel destroyed an Iranian consulate building in Syria, the United States had an urgent message for Iran: We had nothing to do with it. But that may not be enough for the US to avoid retaliation targeting its forces in the region. A top US commander warned on Wednesday of danger to American troops. And if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent broadening of targeted strikes on adversaries around the region to include Iranian security operatives and leaders deepens regional hostilities, analysts say, it's not clear the United States can avoid being pulled into deeper regional conflict as well. The Biden administration insists it had no advance knowledge of the airstrike Monday. But the United States is closely tied to Israel's military regardless. The US remains Israel's indispensable ally and unstinting supplier of weapons, responsible for some 70% of Israeli weapon imports and an estimated 15% of Israel's defense budget.

Houthis may be low on weapons as attacks on ships slow, says US commander

Houthi rebels in Yemen may be running through their supplies of drone swarms and anti-ship ballistic missiles as the pace of their attacks has slowed a bit, the top US Air Force commander for the Middle East said Wednesday. Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who heads US Air Forces Central, said that the persistent American retaliatory strikes on the Iran-backed militia group have certainly affected their behaviour. Their pace of operations is not what it was. The Houthis have been conducting near daily attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, launching drones and missiles from rebel-held areas of Yemen. The attacks -- which are often unsuccessful but at times have struck the ships have disrupted a crucial shipping route. In response, the US and allies have been forced to increase their military ship presence along the waterway, and on several occasions have launched wider retaliatory strikes on ammunition, weapons and other facilities. US ships and fighte

Oil gains on expectations for higher demand as Middle East concerns rise

Opec's output fell last month by 50,000 bpd, indicating the voluntary cuts are having some effect

Gensol Engineering appoints Kapil Nirmal as CEO of West Asia business

Solar energy solutions provider Gensol Engineering has appointed Kapil K Nirmal as CEO - Middle East to lead its solar EPC (engineering procurement construction) business operations in the region. In his new role, Nirmal will spearhead the region's expansion for Gensol navigating market complexities, ensuring sustainable growth, and establishing Gensol as a prominent player in the Middle East solar PV sector, according to a statement on Wednesday. He has over 18 years of experience in business development, new market establishments, and avenues, having held several positions across top organisations like Emirates Electrical Engineering LLC, Al Rostamani Group, Siraj Power Contracting LLC and Amplus Energy Solutions. He is an alumnus of the University of Cambridge and IIM Calcutta. Gensol has a distinguished track record of over 600 MW in diverse solar projects, including rooftop, ground-mounted, and floating installations across India.

Philippines President thanks India for rescuing Filipino crew members

The Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday expressed his gratitude to India for its swift and decisive action in rescuing Filipino crew members of a merchant ship attacked by Houthi rebels in the Gulf of Aden this month. The Indian Navy's medical team rescued all the crew members of MV Confidence and provided them critical care after the merchant ship sustained an attack by a Houthi missile strike while sailing the Gulf of Aden on March 6. Three crew members, including two Filipinos, were killed. All the Filipino crew members who survived the attack have been repatriated, the Philippine News Agency reported. Marcos, extending his gratitude to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is visiting the Philippines, said: I express my profound gratitude to the Indian government for their swift and decisive action in rescuing Filipino seafarers involved in the MV True Confidence incident. I look forward to further strengthening our bilateral relations for the mutual

Early warning on Moscow attack validates US strategy on ISIS-K: White House

US officials said they shared the intelligence with Russia ahead of the attack as part of their "duty to warn" policy, which requires notifying even geopolitical adversaries of imminent threats

Israel launches raid on Gaza hospital, alleges presence of Hamas' militants

Israeli forces launched another raid on the Gaza Strip's largest hospital early Monday, saying Hamas militants had regrouped there and had fired on them from inside the compound, where Palestinian officials say tens of thousands of people were sheltering. The army last raided Shifa Hospital in November after claiming that Hamas maintained an elaborate command centre within and beneath the facility. The military revealed a tunnel leading to a bunker, as well as weapons it said were found inside the hospital, but the evidence fell short of the earlier claims, and critics accused the army of recklessly endangering the lives of civilians. People sheltering in the hospital said Israeli forces backed by tanks and artillery had surrounded the medical complex early Monday and that snipers were shooting at people inside. They said the army raided a number of buildings and detained dozens of people. We're trapped inside, said Abdel-Hady Sayed, who has been sheltering in the medical facility f

Houthis may have a hypersonic missile, could raise stakes in Red Sea crisis

Yemen's Houthi rebels claim to have a new, hypersonic missile in their arsenal, Russia's state media reported on Thursday, potentially raising the stakes in their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways against the backdrop of Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The report by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited an unidentified official but provided no evidence for the claim. It comes as Moscow maintains an aggressively counter-Western foreign policy amid its grinding war on Ukraine. However, the Houthis have for weeks hinted about surprises they plan for the battles at sea to counter the United States and its allies, which have so far been able to down any missile or bomb-carrying drone that comes near their warships in Mideast waters. On Thursday, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the Houthis' secretive supreme leader, said the rebels will start hitting ships heading toward the Cape of Good Hope in Africa's southern tip. Until now, the rebels have largely .

Gaza war, Red Sea attacks may push Yemen back into war, says UN envoy

The longer the war in Gaza goes on and Yemen's Houthi rebels keep attacking ships in the Red Sea the greater the risk that Yemen could be propelled back into war, the UN special envoy for the poorest Arab nation warned on Thursday. Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council it has been impossible to shield his promising efforts to restore peace to Yemen because the reality is, what happens regionally impacts Yemen and what happens in Yemen can impact the region. Since November, the Iranian-backed Houthis have targeted ships in the Red Sea to demand a cease-fire in Israel's offensive in Gaza. It began after Gaza's Hamas rulers launched a surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people and led to about 250 others being taken captive. Israel's ongoing military operation has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The Houthi attacks targeting vessels since November, however, have increasingly had little or no connecti

Cabinet approves inter-governmental agreement between India-UAE on IMEC

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved an inter-governmental framework agreement between India and the United Arab Emirates on cooperation for the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor. The aim of the inter-governmental framework agreement (IGFA) is to enhance the bilateral ties and further strengthen the relations between the two countries in ports, maritime and logistics sectors, an official statement said. IGFA includes areas of cooperation with the objective of exploring the further potential of future joint investment and collaboration with respect to the development of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). The agreement contains a detailed framework for cooperation between the two countries. The cooperation will be based on a set of mutually agreed-upon principles, guidelines and agreements, consistent with the relevant rules and regulations of the countries' jurisdiction.

UNSC urges Sudan's warring parties to halt hostilities during Ramadan

The U.N. Security Council urged Sudan's warring parties on Friday to immediately halt hostilities during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and allow aid to get to 25 million people in desperate need of food and other assistance. Ramadan is expected to begin on or around Monday, depending on the sighting of the crescent moon. The 15-member council voted overwhelmingly in favor of the British-drafted resolution, with 14 countries in support and only Russia abstaining. Sudan plunged into chaos in April, when long-simmering tensions between its military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke out into street battles in the capital, Khartoum. Fighting spread to other parts of the country, especially urban areas, but in Sudan's western Darfur region it took on a different form, with brutal attacks by the Arab-dominated Rapid Support Forces on ethnic African civilians. Thousands of people have been killed. U.N.

Iran responsible for 'physical violence' that killed Mahsa Amini, says UN

Iran is responsible for the physical violence that led to the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 and sparked nationwide protests against the country's mandatory headscarf, or hijab, laws and its ruling theocracy, a UN fact-finding mission said on Friday. The stark pronouncement came in a wide-ranging initial report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council by the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran. It also found that the Islamic Republic employed unnecessary and disproportionate use of lethal force to put down the demonstrations that erupted following Amini's death, and that Iranian security forces sexually assaulted detainees. The monthslong security crackdown killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained. There was no immediate comment on the report from Iran. Iranian officials did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press on the mission's findings. The release of the report is unlikely to change the trajectory of Iran's government, now more firmly in

Biden to announce aid port on Gaza's coast as cease-fire talks stall

President Joe Biden will announce Thursday that he is directing the U.S. military to help set up a temporary port off the Gaza coast to establish a sea route for food and other direly needed aid for Palestinian civilians trapped in the Israel-Hamas war, senior U.S. administration officials said. The announcement signals further deepening U.S. involvement in the war and the escalating conflicts and tensions in the region. The move also shows the Biden administration resorting to a highly unusual workaround to deliver aid to Gaza's 2.3 million civilians, in the face of restrictions that U.S. ally Israel has placed on overland aid deliveries. Meanwhile, hopes for reaching a cease-fire before the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts in the coming days, stalled Thursday when Hamas said its delegation had left Cairo, where talks were being held. The outline for the cease-fire would have including a wide infusion of aid into Gaza. A widening humanitarian crisis across Gaza .

Indian warship INS Kolkata rescues crew of drone-hit vessel in Gulf of Aden

Indian warship INS Kolkata has rescued 21 crew members, including one Indian national, after their Barbados-flagged cargo vessel was hit by a missile in the Gulf of Aden, a Navy spokesperson said on Thursday. The crew members had abandoned bulk carrier MV True Confidence after it caught fire following the attack on Wednesday. INS Kolkata, deployed for maritime security operations in the Gulf of Aden, arrived at the scene of action at 4.45 pm and rescued 21 crew members, including one Indian national, from a life raft using its integral helicopter and boats, Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said. Critical medical aid was provided to the injured crew by the ship's medical team, he said. The rescued crew, including the critically injured personnel, have been evacuated to Djibouti by INS Kolkata. The Indian Navy warship swiftly responded to the maritime incident in Gulf of Aden, Madhwal said. The Barbados-flagged vessel was reportedly hit by a drone approximately 55 nm sout

S Africa asks ICJ to impose emergency measures on Israel over Gaza 'famine'

The health officials in Gaza reported that over 30,000 people have died in the strip during the five-month conflict

Manish Prasad appointed president and MD for SAP Indian Subcontinent

Prasad succeeds Kulmeet Bawa, who takes on a global role for SAP

India beats rivals in West Asia private capital deals since 2020: Reports

India accounted for more than half of all Asia deals with West Asia investors and 58% of the capital invested in Asia during the period, outpacing China and Southeast Asia

Ships entering Yemeni waters must obtain permit, says Houthi minister

In normal times, more than a quarter of global container cargo - including apparel, appliances, auto parts, chemicals and agricultural products like coffee - move via the Suez Canal