You are here

Region

Region section

One dead as Huthi-claimed drone breaches Israel defences

By - Jul 19,2024 - Last updated at Jul 19,2024

Men chant slogans during an anti-Israel and anti-US rally by university students and academics in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Huthi-controlled Yemeni capital Sanaa on July 17, 2024 (AFP photo)

TEL AVIV - A drone claimed by Yemen's Huthi rebels slipped through Israel's vaunted air defence system on Friday to hit a Tel Aviv building near a US embassy annex, killing a civilian.
 
The Huthis fired at Tel Aviv a "new drone called 'Yafa', which is capable of bypassing the enemy's interception systems," said Yahya Saree, the Iran-backed Yemeni movement's spokesman.
 
The Huthis have targeted shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with numerous drone and missile attacks since November, citing solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
 
They have previously claimed attacks on Israeli cities including Ashdod, Haifa and Eilat, but Friday's strike appears to be the first to breach Israel's intricate air defences.
 
It comes after the rebels threatened an escalation.
An Israeli military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a "very big drone that can travel long distances" was used in the 3:12 am (0012 GMT) attack.
The drone was detected, he said, but due to "human error" the alarm was not raised in time, and it slammed into an apartment building.
 
Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel believed the drone used was Iranian-made and upgraded so it could reach Tel Aviv from Yemen -- at least 1,800 kilometres (1,100 miles) away.
 
It was "likely a Samad-3 model, which we estimate was launched from Yemen and reached Tel Aviv," he said, adding one civilian was killed and others lightly injured. Medical services said four people suffered "relatively minor" injuries.
 
'Everything blew out' 
 
In grainy security camera footage, the buzz of what appeared to be the drone was followed by an explosion that shook the building and set off car alarms.
The blast occurred about 100 metres (yards) from a US embassy annex, said an AFP journalist who saw broken windows along the street lined with apartment blocks.
"It woke me up because the vibration of the sound was like a 747 coming in," said Kenneth Davis, an Israeli who was staying in a hotel opposite the struck building.
 
"And then the explosion... everything blew out in the room, the windows and things from the ceiling, and it was on me, nothing heavy, but lots of pieces of stuff," he told AFPTV.
 
Hagari said Israel "intercepted another UAV trying to infiltrate from the east" at around the same time as the Tel Aviv attack.
 
"We are investigating why the UAV was not identified as a threat and intercepted before it struck," he said. "I want to emphasise that (Israel's air) defence is not impenetrable."
 
In recent weeks, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-backed groups, has claimed drone strikes against targets in Israel, labelling many of them "joint operations" with the Huthis.
 
The United States and Britain launched a campaign of air strikes in January to deter Huthi attacks on ships.
The Gaza war was triggered by the October 7 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
 
The militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza, including 42 the Israeli military says are dead.
 
Israel's military retaliation to wipe out Hamas has killed at least 38,848 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, where fighting raged on Friday.
 
'Moral stain' 
 
Residents said clashes were heard between Palestinian fighters and the Israeli army, with explosions and shelling in the Tal al-Hawa district of Gaza City.
 
The war has destroyed much of Gaza's housing and other infrastructure, leaving almost all the population displaced, short of food and drinking water.
 
Many are living in unsanitary conditions. Health authorities in Gaza and Israel said on Thursday that a highly infectious polio virus has been detected in Gaza sewage samples.
 
The World Health Organisation said on Friday however that so far no cases of polio had been discovered in Gaza.
 
"The humanitarian situation... is a moral stain on us all," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
 
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly insisted that, despite mounting pressure both at home and from abroad, there would be no let-up in Israel's campaign against Hamas.
 
Far-right members of his governing coalition oppose a truce deal, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir who on Thursday said Netanyahu must not make a "surrender" accord with Hamas.
 
Netanyahu is set to address the US Congress next Wednesday.
 
Ahead of his trip, Israeli lawmakers passed a symbolic resolution opposing the creation of a Palestinian state -- a move criticised by the United Nations and one that clashes with US ambitions for the region.
 
Despite the vote, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reiterated "our firm belief in the power and the promise of the two-state solution".

Omani brothers behind mosque attack that killed six: police

By - Jul 18,2024 - Last updated at Jul 18,2024

This image grab from a UGC video taken on July 16, 2024 shows shows people fleeing the scene of a shooting at the Imam Ali Mosque in the Al-Wadi Al-Kabir area in the east of Oman's capital Muscat (AFP Photo)

MUSCAT, Oman — Three Omani brothers were behind a shooting near a Shiite mosque, the sultanate's police force said Thursday, after the Daesh terror group claimed the rare attack.

Monday's shooting killed at least six people -- four Pakistanis, an Indian and an Omani police officer -- and wounded 28, authorities have said. 

It was the first known operation claimed by the IS group in the sultanate which is among the most stable countries in the Middle East.

"The three perpetrators involved in the incident were Omani nationals and brothers," Omani police said in a statement on social media platform X.

"They were killed due to their insistence on resisting security personnel," the statement said, adding that the attackers "were influenced by misguided ideas."

In a statement Tuesday, Daesh's Aamaq propaganda arm claimed the attack, saying it targeted "Shiites practising their annual rituals" on the occasion of the holy mourning period of Ashura

It posted a picture purporting to show the three perpetrators raising the group's black flag.

Aamaq did not provide any details on their nationalities.

Monday's attack came ahead of Ashura, an annual day of mourning that commemorates the seventh-century death in battle of Imam Hussein, regarded by Shiites as the rightful successor to the Prophet Mohammed.

Several attacks on Shiite mosques have roiled the Gulf in past years but this was the first in Oman.

A 2015 suicide attack on a Shiite mosque in Kuwait killed more than two dozen worshippers and was claimed by the IS group.

The same year, Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province saw two attacks on Shiite mosques in the space of a week, with at least 25 people killed. Daesh again claimed the attacks.

Israel lawmakers vote to oppose Palestinian state

By - Jul 18,2024 - Last updated at Jul 18,2024

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories — The Israeli parliament voted Thursday to oppose a Palestinian state as an "existential threat", a day after prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told lawmakers the army had Hamas "by the throat".

The vote, which drew swift criticism from the Palestinian leadership and the international community, is largely symbolic but laid down a marker ahead of a planned address by Netanyahu to the US Congress next Wednesday.

The veteran hawk has shown little interest in efforts by the US administration to broker a truce and hostage release deal for Gaza, insisting that "absolute victory" over Hamas is within reach and vowing to ramp up the military pressure.

On the ground in Gaza, the territory's health ministry reported 54 deaths in 24 hours as Israel kept up its heavy bombardment of recent days.

The resolution passed by Israeli lawmakers in the early hours said a Palestinian state on land occupied by the Israeli army would "perpetuate the Israel-Palestinian conflict and destabilise the region".

It said "promoting" a Palestinian state "would only encourage Hamas and its supporters" after its October 7 attack on Israel which triggered the Gaza war.

The resolution passed by 68 votes to nine in the 120-member parliament.

The Palestinian Authority accused Israel's hard-right ruling coalition of "plunging the region into an abyss".

France expressed "consternation" at the vote, noting that it was "in contradiction" with multiple UN Security resolutions.

 

 'Stake through the heart'

 

The establishment of a Palestinian state on lands occupied by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967 has been the cornerstone of the international community's efforts to resolve the conflict for decades.

The Oslo Accords of the 1990s, which gave the Palestinian Authority limited autonomy in urban areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, were supposed to lead to negotiations for an independent state.

But UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday that "recent developments are driving a stake through the heart of any prospect for a two-state solution".

Guterres renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war, saying "the humanitarian situation... is a moral stain on us all".

All health facilities in southern Gaza have been pushed to "breaking point" by the influx of casualties from Israeli bombardments, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Thursday.

AFPTV images showed mourners at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central town of Deir el-Balah, where several white-shrouded corpses lay on the ground. One man cradled the covered body of a child.

Rescuers confirmed several people had been killed in separate Israeli strikes.

At the hospital, Ahmed Abu Muheisen said one strike had targeted his cousin's family in the Al-Zuwaida area.

"His children and his wife were martyred and so was he," Muheisen said.

 

 'Not living' 

 

In an address to the European Parliament on Thursday, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen underlined international concern over the civilian death toll in Gaza.

"The people of Gaza cannot bear any more, and humanity cannot bear any more," she said.

The war has destroyed much of Gaza's housing and other infrastructure, leaving almost all of the population displaced and short of food and drinking water.

Pax, a Dutch activist group, said in a study released Thursday that "continuous bombing and Israel's fuel blockade have decimated" Gaza's outdated waste collection system, threatening water supplies and farm land.

For Umm Nahed Abu Shar, 45, staying in a tent with her family in Deir el-Balah, this means clouds of flies, the stench of sewage and constant illness.

"We are not living," she said.

Iran rejects accusations implicating it in plot to kill Trump

By - Jul 17,2024 - Last updated at Jul 17,2024

TEHRAN — Iran on Wednesday rejected what it called "malicious" accusations by US media implicating it in a plot to kill former US president Donald Trump.

CNN reported on Tuesday that US authorities received intelligence from a "human source" weeks ago on an alleged Iranian plot against the former president, prompting his protection to be boosted. Other US outlets also reported the alleged plot. 

CNN said the alleged plot was not linked to Saturday's shooting at a Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania, in which the former president was wounded and a supporter killed.

The US National Security Council said it had been "tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years" after Tehran threatened revenge for the 2020 killing of Revolutionary Guard commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in neighbouring Iraq.

Iran's mission to the United Nations called the accusations "unsubstantiated and malicious".

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said Iran "strongly rejects any involvement in the recent armed attack against Trump".

He added however that Iran remains “determined to prosecute Trump over his direct role in the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani”. 

Soleimani headed the foreign operations arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, overseeing Iranian military operations across the Middle East.

Trump ordered his killing in a drone strike just outside Baghdad airport. 

 

Deadly strikes pound Gaza as hopes fade for US-announced ceasefire plan

By - Jul 17,2024 - Last updated at Jul 17,2024

Men stand before the collapsed minaret of a mosque following Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday amid the ongoing Israel war on the Palestinian territory (AFP photo)

GAZA, Palestinian Territories — Israel kept up its air strikes on Gaza Wednesday as hopes fade for a US-announced ceasefire plan.

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh accused Israel of deliberately undermining negotiations for a truce and hostage release deal because it did not want to end the war.

The health ministry in Gaza said 52 people, most of them women and children, had been killed in Israeli strikes over the previous 24 hours.

The UN humanitarian office OCHA said multiple strikes across Gaza on Tuesday killed and wounded dozens.

The territory's civil defence agency said 30 people had been killed in three strikes in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, one on a UN-run school, another on a house and a third on a mosque.

 

Talks deadlock 

 

In southern Gaza, two people were killed in Israeli bombardment of the Shakush area, northwest of Rafah, a medical source at Nasser Hospital said.

At least 90 per cent of Gazans have been forced from their homes, many of them seeking refuge in UN-run schools. Seven of them have been hit by Israeli strikes since July 6.

Nearly 70 per cent of UN-run schools across Gaza have been hit during more than nine months of fighting, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.

"Why do they target us when we are innocent people?" asked Umm Mohammed Al Hasanat, sheltering with her family at a UN-run school in Nuseirat, which was among those hit.

"We do not carry weapons but are just sitting and trying to find safety for ourselves and our children."

Washington has been pushing for a truce deal between Israel and Hamas since President Joe Biden released details of what he said was an Israeli ceasefire roadmap on May 31.

But despite the efforts of Egyptian and Qatari mediators, indirect negotiations between the foes have made no headway.

In a telephone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan late Tuesday, the Hamas leader blamed Israel for the deadlock.

“We dealt positively with the proposals put to us by the mediators but the occupation is avoiding the required outcome and does not want to reach an agreement under which it ends its war,” Haniyeh said.

His comments came after a senior Hamas official said Sunday that the group was withdrawing from the current talks following Israel’s deadly strikes but was ready to return if its attitude changes.

 

Hostage families demand deal 

 

The war began with Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

The militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza including 42 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel responded with a military offensive that has killed at least 38,713 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Gaza health ministry.

Critics in Israel, including tens of thousands of demonstrators who have taken to the streets to demand a deal to bring home the hostages, have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war.

The families of five Israeli women soldiers among the hostages said Tuesday they were “begging” the prime minister to “make the deal happen”.

“We are waiting for a face-to-face meeting with you [Netanyahu] to ensure that the negotiations are moving towards a signed deal,” said Ayelet Levy, whose daughter was abducted on October 7.

Meanwhile ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters fought police near Tel Aviv, hours after the Israeli military said it would begin issuing draft notices for men in the community from Sunday.

Historically exempt from compulsory military service, ultra-Orthodox seminary students are being called up as the Gaza war and a potential conflict with Hizbollah strain the armed forces’ manpower and fuel resentment against those who do not have to serve.

Lebanon media says 3 children among 5 dead in Israeli strikes

By - Jul 17,2024 - Last updated at Jul 17,2024

Smoke billows following an Israeli strike near the village of Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, amid continuing tensions on the Lebanese-Israeli border (AFP photo)

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanese official media said separate Israeli strikes on Tuesday in south Lebanon killed five people including three Syrian children, with Hizbollah announcing rocket fire at Israel in retaliation.

"Three Syrian children" were killed "in an enemy raid that targeted farmland in the village of Umm Toot", the National News Agency (NNA) said.

It also said an "enemy" drone strike had targeted a motorcycle on the Kfar Tebnit road elsewhere in south Lebanon, killing two Syrians.

A Lebanese security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, told AFP that the two Syrians were "civilians" who worked nearby and had been swimming in the area.

The NNA said that "eyewitnesses reported that the motorbike was carrying two people and that when a number of citizens tried to approach the bike... it was subjected to a second strike".

Hizbollah said it launched rounds of “Katyusha rockets” at northern Israel in response to the Israeli strikes.

The group in separate statements mentioned both “the death of two civilians” in Kfar Tebnit and “the horrible massacre in Umm Toot village” as reasons for the retaliatory fire.

The United Nations children’s agency said that “more children are at risk as long as the violence continues.”

“The killing of three more children by an airstrike today as they were reportedly playing in front of their home in south Lebanon is horrific,” UNICEF said on social media platform X.

Hizbollah has traded almost daily fire with Israeli forces in support of ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 attack on Israel triggered war in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said that “approximately 40 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory, some of which were intercepted. No injuries were reported”.

The statement also said the air force “struck a launcher in the area of Blat that was identified firing projectiles towards the Kiryat Shmona area” as well as “a Hizbollah terrorist cell” in the Yarin area, which is close to Umm Toot.

A further 10 projectiles were identified late Tuesday, the military said, while the air force launched strikes against parts of south Lebanon where it said there were Hizbollah sites.

Sirens warning of incoming fire blared overnight in northern Israel, the military said, with no reports of casualties.

In Lebanon, the cross-border violence since October has killed 511 people, mostly fighters but also including at least 104 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

On the Israeli side, 17 soldiers and 13 civilians have been killed, according to authorities.

The violence, largely restricted to the border area, has raised fears of all-out conflict between the foes, who last went to war in the summer of 2006.

 

Israeli settlement threatens Palestinian UNESCO village

By - Jul 17,2024 - Last updated at Jul 17,2024

Olayan Olayan, who was born in the village of Battir in 1941, overlooks a valley in which a new Israeli settlers outpost is built, as pictured from Battir, a Unesco heritage village in the occupied West Bank south of Jerusalem, on July 8 (AFP photo)

BATTIR, Palestinian Territories — On a hillside near Palestinian landowner Olayan Olayan’s olive groves, young Israeli settlers are hammering out a new, illegal outpost in a UNESCO-protected zone. 

Olayan and his neighbours have long battled attempts to settle the land in Battir, a heritage site in the Israeli-occupied West Bank famed for its ancient stone terraces. 

Israeli construction in the West Bank has boomed since the war began in the Gaza Strip, even though all settlements in the territory are considered illegal under international law.

The new outpost on a Battir hilltop, also not approved by Israel, was served an eviction notice that Olayan’s cousin Ghassan Olayan said has not been enforced because of the Gaza war.

The outpost already has a flagpole, living quarters and a barn for sheep that roam a rocky hill covered by olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers.

“I ploughed the land and planted it until it bore fruit trees,” said Olayan, who at 83 is older than the state of Israel itself. 

“Some trees were 50 years old, or even more, and suddenly the settlers came and wanted to devour the land and take it from us,” he added, his voice shaky.

 

Heletz settlement 

 

Even more concerning to the Olayans than the encroaching outpost is the adjacent, future settlement of Heletz.

Yonatan Mizrahi of settlement watchdog Peace Now said Heletz was among five settlements “deep in Palestinian territory” approved by the Israeli government on June 27.

“It is a settlement that is going to block Battir and in many ways create tension between the neighbours,” he said.

Heletz and the outpost sit inside the UNESCO protection zone for Battir, one of four listed heritage sites in the West Bank.

The UNESCO classification means the village can get technical, legal, and monetary assistance to preserve sites deemed in danger.

In Battir, children splash in the Roman-era fountain that waters the terraces where tomatoes, corn, aubergines and olive trees grow.

The 2,000-year-old dry stone walls supporting the landscape earned the village its cultural inscription in 2014. But the classification has done little to prevent seizures of the surrounding farmland.

Battir’s inhabitants have beaten in court at least three previous Israeli settlement outpost attempts.

But Ghassan Olayan fears the war since the Hamas attacks of October 7 on Israel will make the new, government-approved Heletz more likely to become reality.

 

Preventing statehood 

 

According to Olayan, Heletz is intended to link Jerusalem to Gush Etzion, a cluster of settlements deeper in the West Bank.

If that is achieved, Battir and the nearby Palestinian villages would be cut off from Bethlehem and the rest of the West Bank, a process they fear will fragment a future Palestinian state.

“There will be no [territorial] continuity,” said Olayan, leaving only what some observers describe as an archipelago of Palestinian sovereignty.

Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler himself, openly states that preventing Palestinian statehood is the objective.

“We will continue to develop the settlements in order to maintain Israel’s security and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he wrote on the X social media platform after the five latest settlements were approved in June.

In recent months, Israeli forces have blocked a road to Battir, nearly doubling the time it takes to reach Jerusalem just 10 kilometres north.

When asked about the new outpost in Battir, an Israeli security official acknowledged that “an Israeli farm had been established without proper authorisation”.

The official told AFP “the possibility of authorising the farm will be weighed” as the development of Heletz gets under way.

Battir residents “raised several claims that the land belongs to them” but have “not presented documentation to support their position”, according to the official.

Olayan said documents from Ottoman times prove Battir inhabitants’ ownership of the land.

A UNESCO spokesperson said the UN cultural agency’s world heritage committee had been told about “reports of illegal constructions” and that Battir would be discussed at a session in late July.

Olayan fears that sleepy Battir, with its collective life centred around the Roman fountain’s irrigation system allotting each family a specific time slot to irrigate their crops, faces a difficult future.

“Battir is a peaceful village and the settlement will only bring trouble,” he said.

Dubai Summer Surprises 2024: A season of unmatched fun, entertainment

By - Jul 17,2024 - Last updated at Jul 17,2024

DUBAI — The Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) 2024 has unveiled its most extensive and thrilling edition yet, promising a summer filled with endless fun and adventure. Running from June 28 to September 1, DSS 2024 offers a variety of activities, spectacular deals, and entertainment, making Dubai the ultimate summer destination for residents and visitors alike.

 
A season packed with unforgettable experiences

 

Organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), DSS 2024 will transform the city into a hub of excitement and discovery. Over 65 days, visitors can enjoy a plethora of events, including:

• Retail Extravaganza: Discounts of up to 75 per cent on over 800 top brands across more than 3,500 stores.
• Grand Raffles: Incredible prizes ranging from luxury cars to substantial cash rewards.
• Kids-Go-Free Offers: Special deals that make family outings more affordable.

Gastronomy Delights: Exclusive dining offers at top restaurants across the city.

 

Highlight destinations and activities

 

Hotel Boulevard, Autograph Collection: A chic boutique hotel offering luxurious accommodations, diverse dining options, and stunning city views. Perfect for both business and leisure travelers, it is surrounded by art galleries, cafes, and fine dining establishments.

The Green Planet: Dubai’s tropical rainforest, home to over 3,000 species of plants, animals, and birds. The 'Camping in the Rainforest' experience offers interactive activities every weekend from June 1 to October 5, 2024.

Shang Palace, Shangri-La: This Michelin-recommended fine dining Chinese restaurant impresses with its contemporary take on Cantonese cuisine, offering an elegant dining experience.

Dubai Festival City Mall: Featuring the new IMAGINE show, a "Shop & Win" campaign with daily prizes, and a vibrant parade with up to 50 entertainers, this mall promises a summer full of excitement.

Madame Tussauds: Located at Bluewaters Dubai, the wax museum features lifelike replicas of celebrities and world leaders, offering a unique photo opportunity.

Lah Lah Dubai, Zabeel House: An edgy Pan-Asian kitchen with a garden party atmosphere, known for its generous portions and reasonable prices.

La Perle by Dragone: A must-see acrobatic show located in Al Habtoor City, featuring 450 performances a year in a state-of-the-art theatre with a transforming 'aqua-stage'.

Bistro Aamara, VOCO Hotel: A culinary journey inspired by the Silk Route, offering a blend of flavors from the East to the West.

ARTE MUSEUM: An immersive art experience at Dubai Mall, featuring digital artworks across 14 zones themed 'Eternal Nature'.

AYA Universe: Known for its innovative experiential entertainment, AYA Universe recently launched the Star Pool, a massive ball pit surrounded by a 360-degree show of cosmic visuals.

Zenon Dubai: Located at Kempinski Central Avenue, this restaurant combines Mediterranean and Asian cuisine with advanced AI technology, creating a unique dining experience with AI-designed screens displaying live data and artwork.

 

A summer well spent

 

With its array of discounts, unique experiences, and thrilling activities, DSS 2024 ensures a summer well spent in Dubai. Whether shopping, dining, or exploring, visitors and residents can look forward to a season of unforgettable memories and great value.

For more information on Dubai Summer Surprises 2024, visit the official website.

 

Six killed in rare Oman attack near Shiite mosque

By - Jul 16,2024 - Last updated at Jul 16,2024

MUSCAT, Oman — Six people including four Pakistanis were killed and nearly 30 wounded in a shooting near a Shiite mosque in the Omani capital Muscat, officials said on Tuesday, a rare attack in the otherwise stable Gulf sultanate.

Monday's mosque attack, which has yet to be claimed, came as Shiites this week mark Ashura, an annual day of mourning that commemorates the seventh-century death in battle of Imam Hussein, regarded by the sect as the rightful successor to the Prophet Mohammed.

"The Royal Oman Police have responded to a shooting incident that occurred in the vicinity of a mosque in the Al Wadi Al Kabir area" of the capital, a police statement said.

The three gunmen behind the attack were killed and police officers have "concluded the procedures for dealing with the shooting", it said.

It gave a toll of six killed, including a police officer. It said 28 people "from various nationalities" were wounded, including rescuers and paramedics.

The foreign ministry in Islamabad said at least four Pakistanis were killed.

"Four Pakistanis were martyred as a result of gunshots in the dastardly terrorist attack on the Ali Bin Abi Talib mosque," it said in a statement.

"Another 30 Pakistanis are under treatment in hospitals."

Footage verified by AFP shows people fleeing the Imam Ali Mosque, its minaret visible, as gunshots ring out.

A voice can be heard saying "oh God" and repeating "oh Hussein".

Speaking to AFP, Pakistan's ambassador to Oman Imran Ali said the mosque was mostly frequented by south Asian expatriates. Oman is home to at least 400,000 Pakistanis, he said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was "deeply saddened by the terrorist attack".

In a statement on social media platform X, he said: "Pakistan stands in solidarity with the Sultanate of Oman and offers full assistance in the investigation."

Pakistan’s ambassador said the attack started with gunfire from a building adjacent to the mosque as hundreds of people gathered for prayers.

The worshippers were held “hostage” by militants before “they were later freed by Omani forces”, Ali told AFP.

He said there was little information on the perpetrators of the attack or their possible motive.

“Everyone is being tight-lipped about this,” he said, adding that the attack created a “difficult situation”. 

Earlier on Tuesday, Ali toured hospitals treating the wounded.

In a video message on X, he urged Pakistanis in Oman to cooperate with the authorities and avoid the area around the mosque.

“We are in touch with Omani authorities as well as hospitals. Our officers are on standby for emergency blood donations in the embassy,” he said, adding that a hotline has been set up to assist the wounded and their relatives.

The US embassy in Muscat issued a security alert following the shooting and cancelled all visa appointments for Tuesday.

“US citizens should remain vigilant, monitor local news and heed directions of local authorities,” it posted on X.

 

Investigations

underway 

 

Police said “all necessary security measures and procedures have been taken to handle the situation” following the attack.

“The authorities are continuing to gather evidence and conduct investigations to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident,” police added on X.

The area remained cordoned off on Tuesday, with journalists unable to access the mosque, an AFP photographer reported.

Oman has a population of more than four million, of whom upwards of 40 per cent are expat workers, mostly from south Asia, according to government figures.

Shiites make up a small minority of Oman’s overwhelmingly Muslim population. Most Omanis follow the Sunni or Ibadi branches of the faith.

While several attacks on Shiite mosques have roiled the Gulf in recent years, Tuesday’s attack is a first for Oman.

A 2015 suicide attack on a Shiite mosque in Kuwait killed at least 27 worshippers and wounded more than 200. It was claimed by the Sunni extremists of the Daesh group.

The same year, Saudi Arabia saw two attacks on Shiite mosques in the space of a week, with at least 25 people killed. The attacks were again claimed by Daesh, which regards Shiites as heretics.

In 2005, a former teacher opened fire inside a government building in Muscat, killing two people and wounding several others, before shooting himself.

Sudan's warring parties continue talks with UN envoy

By - Jul 16,2024 - Last updated at Jul 16,2024

GENEVA — Talks between a UN envoy and delegations from both warring parties in Sudan are continuing in Geneva this week, focused on humanitarian aid and protecting civilians, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

War has raged since April 2023 between the Sudanese regular army under Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's personal envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, invited delegations from the army and the RSF for talks which began on Thursday.

The discussions are taking place under the so-called proximity format, whereby Lamamra is meeting separately with each delegation at a time, in different rooms. The two delegations are not scheduled to meet each other.

Lamamra and his team had several interactions with both delegations throughout the weekend, UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci told a media briefing.

"The teams engaged intensively on the two key items discussed during these talks: Humanitarian assistance and protection of civilians," she said. 

"The discussions are continuing this week."

No end date has been scheduled.

 

The two delegations are comprised of senior representatives of the warring parties and include humanitarian, security and military experts.

The talks are in Geneva, with some taking place at the UN’s Palais des Nations headquarters.

Despite being present in the Swiss city, one side did not show up for Thursday’s first day of discussions, though the UN did not say which party. However, both parties are now engaging with Lamamra, the former Algerian foreign minister.

“With each delegation he has engaged during the weekend, several times,” said Vellucci.

 

‘Promising signs’ 

 

The conflict in Sudan has left tens of thousands dead and displaced more than 10 million people, according to the United Nations.

A recent UN-backed report said nearly 26 million people, or slightly more than half of the population, were facing high levels of “acute food insecurity”.

Shible Sahbani, the World Health Organization’s representative in Sudan said there were “a few promising signs” emerging from Monday’s talks in Geneva.

“Let’s wait for the coming hours and days, and we hope that... if we don’t get a ceasefire, at least we can get the protection of civilians and the opening of humanitarian corridors,” he said, speaking from Port Sudan.

He said the protection of civilians should also incorporate respect for international humanitarian law, including opening access to basic services and the protection of health care.

Sahbani visited the border between Sudan and Chad last week and said many refugees explained the main reason they were fleeing was now hunger.

“It’s not insecurity, it’s not lack of access to basic services but because they have nothing to eat,” he said, with people reporting that whatever food was produced locally was being taken by fighters.

He called the situation an “unfolding humanitarian catastrophe”.

“If we don’t take action now, the rapidly deteriorating situation in Sudan could spiral out of hand, permitting the unchecked reign of diseases, malnutrition and trauma with transgenerational impact on Sudan’s people,” said Sahbani.

Pages

Pages



Newsletter

Get top stories and blog posts emailed to you each day.

PDF