Israel will ‘drag region deeper into the abyss of an all-out war’
Israel needs to be stopped by the UN Security Council to prevent it from dragging the region into an all-out war, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi says.
He said Chapter VII of the UN Charter must be invoked to “force Israel to comply with international law and immediately end all its illegal wars” in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Lebanon, referencing a framework that allows the UN Security Council to impose sanctions or in extreme cases even military force to guard against threats to peace.
Safadi wrote in a post on X that Netanyahu and his far-right ministers must be held accountable to end Israeli impunity, and called on all nations to stop sending arms to Israel that are now being used against civilians, UN peacekeepers, journalists and medics across the Middle East.
“Otherwise, this radical Israeli government will further undermine the credibility of international law and institutions, and drag the region deeper into the abyss of an all out regional war, whose consequences will reverberate far beyond the borders of the region.”
Iran bans pagers, walkie-talkies on flights after Lebanon attacks
Iran has banned pagers and walkie-talkies on all flights, according to local media reports, weeks after deadly sabotage attacks in Lebanon that were blamed on Israel.
“The entry of any electronic communication device, except mobile phones, in flight cabins or … in non-accompanied cargo, has been banned,” semi-official ISNA news agency reported, citing the spokesman for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation, Jafar Yazerlo.
The decision came three weeks after the sabotage attacks targeting members of the Iran-allied Hezbollah group in Lebanon that saw pagers and walkie-talkies explode, killing at least 39 people.
Nearly 3,000 others were wounded in the attack, which Iran and Hezbollah blamed on Israel, including Tehran’s ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani. Earlier this month, Dubai-based airline Emirates banned pagers and walkie-talkies on board its planes.
Norway slams Israel’s ‘brutal warfare’ in Gaza
Norway has slammed Israel’s “brutal warfare” in Gaza, accusing it of violating the rules of war.
“Israel’s brutal warfare in Gaza includes indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, as well as measures that prevent the population from receiving humanitarian aid. This is in violation of the rules of war,” Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.
“Civilians, the sick and wounded must receive protection, food and essential medical assistance.”
Emphasising that a ceasefire, release of the captives and enough emergency aid for the people of Gaza are important first steps, adding that “only a two-state solution and respect for international law can provide lasting stability and security in the Middle East”.
