Author: Anadolu Agency

Israeli media reported Friday that the army has set military plans to bolster security along the Gaza Strip’s borders including the gradual withdrawal from the enclave as part of implementing a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. The Walla news portal said the army will adjust its deployment and start a gradual withdrawal from areas in Gaza during the implementation of the deal. It added that the southern command is preparing to strengthen its deployment along the borders with Gaza and bolster defense lines to ensure security along border areas. The report noted that the army’s 162nd Division will take…

Israeli media reported Friday that the army has set military plans to bolster security along the Gaza Strip’s borders including the gradual withdrawal from the enclave as part of implementing a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. The Walla news portal said the army will adjust its deployment and start a gradual withdrawal from areas in Gaza during the implementation of the deal. It added that the southern command is preparing to strengthen its deployment along the borders with Gaza and bolster defense lines to ensure security along border areas. The report noted that the army’s 162nd Division will take…

Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Chair Denis Becirovic emphasized the importance of Türkiye’s support for his country, praising President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a sincere friend to Sarajevo. In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency (AA), Becirovic described the ties between Türkiye and Bosnia-Herzegovina as not only political and economic but also rooted in historical, cultural and spiritual connections. He said the two countries share a friendly and cooperative relationship, with room for further expansion in various areas, including defense, security and trade. Referring to meetings with Erdoğan, he said: “We have met several times over the past two years and discussed various…

The UN human rights chief on Friday warned that the conflict in Sudan is taking “an even more dangerous turn” for civilians amid reports of dozens killed in ethnically targeted attacks in Al Jazirah and an imminent battle for control of Khartoum. The conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, continuing since April 2023, has claimed thousands of lives and forced millions from their homes. “As the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battle for control at all costs in the senseless war that has raged for close to two years now, direct…

Outgoing US President Joe Biden has revised a 2019 executive order on the situation in Syria, removing sections from it having to do with Türkiye. Biden reported to Congress that he made the changes in view of changing circumstances on the ground in post-Assad Syria and to take additional steps on the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894, issued in October 2019 during the first term of then-President Donald Trump. After Türkiye launched the anti-terrorist Operation Peace Spring on Oct. 9, 2019 in northern Syria, near the Turkish border, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on three Turkish officials and…

A Pakistani court on Friday sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to jail time over a graft case related to the Al Qadir University Trust. The former premier was sentenced to 14 years behind bars, and his wife to seven, in the thrice-postponed verdict announced inside Adiala jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where Khan has been held since August 2023. Khan and Bibi were indicted in the case, popularly known as the “£190 million ($236 million) reference,” last February. They can challenge the verdict. The National Accountability Bureau said that Khan and his…

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir expressed deep concern on Friday about the prisoner exchange and cease-fire agreement in Gaza with the Palestinian group Hamas, which was approved by the Security Cabinet earlier in the day. Ben-Gvir voted against ratifying the agreement during the Security Cabinet session and has previously threatened to resign from the government if it is passed. “I feel even more alarmed,” Ben-Gvir said in a video statement released following the meeting. “If I was horrified by the deal yesterday, today, after learning more details—including the release of ‘terrorists’ serving life sentences to Jerusalem and Judea and…

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday ordering reserve forces to participate in military training in 2025. The decree, published on the government portal, requires reserve personnel to train with the Russian Armed Forces, National Guard, Emergency Ministry units, state security agencies, and the Federal Security Service. The government and regional authorities have been instructed to organize and supervise the training. The decree went into effect immediately upon its publication. The annual training is aimed at enhancing the combat readiness of reservists.

The G7 leaders said late Thursday they “fully endorse and will stand behind” the cease-fire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas “This is a significant development that has the potential to secure the release of all remaining hostages; further facilitate urgently needed humanitarian aid; and pave the way for civilians to return to, and rebuild, their homes and their lives,” they said in a joint statement. Thanking Egypt, Qatar, and the US for mediating, the leaders called on all parties to respect the terms of the agreement. “We also urge all parties to engage constructively in negotiating the subsequent phases…

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) released a statement Thursday condemning a decision by the US to designate the Greek Cypriot Administration eligible for arms sales. The claim by the US that this decision “was made to contribute to ‘world peace’ is tragicomic in the most diplomatic terms,” said the TRNC’s Foreign Ministry. US President Joe Biden issued a directive Wednesday allowing the Greek Cypriot Administration to purchase military equipment from the US. “The furnishing of defense articles and defense services” to the Greek Cypriot Administration “will strengthen the security of the United States and promote world peace,” Biden…