Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

[SvennoJ]

Syria says Israeli ‘aggression’ damages bridges in Homs

Syria’s state news agency says Israel struck bridges in the town of Qusayr in the southern region of Syria’s Homs province.

Earlier, SANA news agency said blasts were heard in the town, which is located near Lebanon’s border.

Israel has hit Syria with strikes for years, taking aim at what are believed to be targets linked to Hezbollah. Those attacks have stepped up since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensified in the past few months.

Israel says Syria strikes targeted Hezbollah smuggling routes

Following up on the reports we had earlier of Israeli strikes on bridges in Syria’s al-Qusayr on the Syrian-Lebanese border, the Israeli military says it was targeting routes used by Hezbollah to smuggle Iranian weapons into Lebanon, according to The Times of Israel.

The military said the strikes were part of its efforts to target Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, which it says is responsible for the delivery of weapons from Iran to Lebanon.

UN experts call for injured Al Jazeera cameraman to be evacuated from Gaza

Three UN experts have called for Israel to facilitate the medical evacuation of Al Jazeera’s Fadi al-Wahidi from Gaza.

Al-Wahidi is in a coma after he was shot in the neck by an Israeli sniper in October while he was covering an Israeli ground offensive in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. He was wearing protective gear that clearly identified him as a member of the news media.

The plea for his evacuation came from three UN special rapporteurs: Irene Khan, Francesca Albanese and Tlaleng Mofokeng.

“Al-Wahidi has the right to receive urgent medical care, and Israel has an obligation under international law to facilitate that right, but despite his life-threatening medical condition, the lack of medical facilities in Gaza, and urgent and repeated appeals from his doctors, his family and various press and journalist organisations, Israeli authorities continue to refuse to allow his evacuation,” the experts said.

“The killing of Palestinian journalists, their persistent arbitrary arrests and detentions, the continued ban on independent media access into Gaza, persistent internet shutdowns, the destruction of media outlets and displacement of the Gaza media community have severely restricted reporting on the war and hampered documentation,” they added.

“The denial of medical evacuation or delays in approving requests seem to be part of the overall pattern of persecution, threats and attacks by Israel on journalists in the occupied Palestinian territory in blatant defiance of its international obligations. We condemn it wholeheartedly. Access to medical care must not become a weapon to intimidate and silence journalists or anyone that sheds light on the situation in Gaza.”