Alsephina

In a written message to Washington, Iran “warned the US not to get dragged into Netanyahu’s trap”, Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian president’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, wrote on X, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US should “step aside so that you don’t get hit”.

“In response, the US asked Iran not to hit American targets,” Jamshidi said. ⠀

NBC, citing two unnamed United States officials, said US President Joe Biden’s administration is concerned any attack could be inside Israel, specifically against “military or intelligence targets, rather than civilians”.

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While the number of protesters has ebbed and flowed throughout the war, the recent Israeli military campaign on al-Shifa Hospital and the pending invasion of Rafah has brought many Jordanians back to the streets en masse.

Protesters’ demands may vary, though one Jordanian researcher monitoring the protests told Al Jazeera that there are some primary asks, including suspending normalisation with Israel, reconsidering ties with the United States, and cancelling other energy, gas, or trade deals with Israel. ⠀

So far, the protests have been overwhelmingly focused on Gaza and Palestine. Frustrations with the monarchy have not manifested calls for regime change, analysts said. But the understanding that ensured older generations of Jordanians avoided criticism of King Abdullah seems to have thawed for this new generation, the activist said. ⠀

“I would be looking for policy changes in Jordan’s stance toward the Jordanian relationship with Israel,” Elizabeth Parker-Magyar, a PhD candidate in comparative politics and political methodology at MIT with a focus on Jordan.

“And I think the Jordanian government will be looking for a concession it can give, or an attempt to renegotiate these positions to that extent that it can in order to placate protesters.”

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WASHINGTON—Explaining why the United States would not call on Israel to end its continuous airstrikes on Palestinian civilians, the White House warned Wednesday that a ceasefire in Gaza would only serve to benefit humanity. “We know there are voices across the world calling for a ceasefire, but what everyone needs to understand is that the only people who stand to gain from halting the bombing campaign are people who deeply value human life,” President Biden said in an Oval Office address, adding that if Israel was not given time to collectively punish all 2.3 million people who live in Gaza, it would be a great victory for anyone who believes civilians are entitled to basic dignity and security for themselves and their families. “We cannot allow that happen. These humanitarian concerns may be valid, but right now, a pause in hostilities would advance the interests of no one but innocent Palestinians, the many U.S. citizens living in Gaza, and the more than 200 Israelis who were violently abducted by Hamas and are currently being held in unknown locations. That’s not what America stands for.” Biden later extended the argument to explain why the United States spent billions on military aid for Israel while it spent mere millions on humanitarian aid for Gaza.

After Israel killed seven aid workers in Gaza, the US says it has not found any incidents of Israel violating international humanitarian law in the past six months. An Al Jazeera probe concluded the World Central Kitchen vehicles were deliberately hit.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow believes that any aggressive Israeli actions "are totally unacceptable and must be stopped." ⠀

In a statement, the Lebanese Resistance group Hezbollah said Zahedi was "one of the first to support, sacrifice, and persevere for many years to develop and advance the work of the resistance in Lebanon." ⠀

The Yemeni Foreign Ministry in the Sanaa government also condemned the Israeli aggression, affirming it as a blatant violation of norms and laws, and an aggression against the sovereignty of two brotherly countries. ⠀

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry condemned the targeting of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Damascus, deeming it a flagrant violation of international law. ⠀

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said it rejects the targeting of diplomatic facilities under any pretext, echoing similar condemnations from the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, and Pakistan ⠀

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla said Havan strongly condemns the Israeli attack on Iranian diplomatic missions in Damascus, describing the latest strike as a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty and international law. ⠀

Venezuela also strongly condemned the Israeli aggression, expressing solidarity with the peoples and governments of Iran and Syria.

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Frankcom was one of four international aid workers that Palestinian officials say were killed along with their Palestinian driver on Monday in an Israeli air attack in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah.

Speaking at a news conference in Brisbane, Albanese said Frankcom’s death was “completely unacceptable” and “beyond any reasonable circumstances”. ⠀

Albanese also reiterated calls for a “sustainable ceasefire”.

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Suspected Israeli warplanes bombed Iran's embassy in Syria on Monday, a marked escalation in a war pitting Israel against its regional adversaries, and Tehran said the strike killed seven military advisers including three senior commanders.

Reuters reporters at the site in the Mezzeh district of Damascus saw emergency workers clambering atop rubble of a destroyed building inside the diplomatic compound, adjacent to the main embassy building. Emergency vehicles were parked outside. An Iranian flag hung from a pole by the debris.

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Protesters even demanded an end to trade relations, particularly vegetable exports to Israel.

For the eighth consecutive night on Sunday, thousands of people demanded the severing of diplomatic relations with Israel.

The massive protests took place in the Rabieh suburb, in the city of Amman, where the embassy of the Zionist state is located.

Besides calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, protesters demanded the breaking of the Wadi Araba Peace Treaty signed between Jordan and Israel in 1994.

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The targeting of peacekeepers is “unacceptable”, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a peacekeeping force that helps monitor the Israel-Lebanon border, said in a statement on Saturday, adding that it was still investigating the origin of the blast. ⠀

Two security sources told the Reuters news agency that the observers were wounded in an Israeli strike, but the Israeli military denied targeting the area.

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Biden administration dramatically softens the sanctions it imposed on the seven Israelis from the Israel Defense Forces and makes it clear that they will be able to use their bank accounts.

Original article in Hebrew