Author: Anadolu Agency

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayve on Saturday urged people against relying on disinformation and fake news regarding the Azerbaijani airlines plane and asked authorities to complete a foolproof investigation into Wednesday’s incident. Tokayev instructed the Prosecutor General’s Office and the government commission at a meeting in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, his press service said in a statement. The president emphasized the importance of working to prevent disinformation and fake information intended to ‘provoke,'” the statement said. “The Government Commission and the Prosecutor General’s Office, together with other authorized bodies, have been instructed to…

Israel reportedly engaged in secret communications with the ousted Bashar Assad’s regime in recent years using the messaging app WhatsApp, according to a report Friday by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. It said Israel conducted covert operations to establish contact with Assad and his inner circle, sending messages through Israeli intelligence agents posing as “Musa” on WhatsApp. The messages allegedly reached high-ranking officials in Damascus. One operation reportedly sought to negotiate a secret deal where Assad would halt the transfer of weapons to Lebanon in exchange for lifting international sanctions against his regime. The report noted that by the end of…

Estonia announced on Friday that the country will send its naval patrols near the Estlink 1 electricity cable connecting it to Finland in the Baltic Sea, following the suspected sabotage of a parallel cable, Estlink 2, on Christmas Day. “We’ve decided to send our navy close to Estlink 1 to defend and secure our energy connection with Finland,” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said on X. The disruption of Estlink 2 marks the latest in a series of incidents targeting underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. The incident comes just over a month after two telecommunications cables were severed in…

The EU is focusing on ironing out problems and facilitating visa access for Turkish citizens, according to its ambassador to Ankara, stressing that the bloc has as much interest in fostering the exchange of people as Türkiye. Many Turkish citizens have been facing problems in securing visas, such as increased scrutiny of applications and months of waiting to get an appointment date, hampering essential movement of businesspeople, academics, students, and others. “The EU has as much interest in furthering the exchange of people as Türkiye. We want Turkish businessmen to come to Europe. We want Turkish students to study at…

Israel on Friday confirmed airstrikes on facilities at the Janta crossing on the Syrian-Lebanese border, claiming they were used to transfer weaponry to Hezbollah. In a statement, the Israeli army said that its air forces “carried out airstrikes on infrastructure at the Janta crossing on the Syrian-Lebanese border which had been used to transfer weaponry from Syria to Hezbollah.” The Janta crossing is located on the Lebanese side of the border. Israel claimed that “Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 is responsible for smuggling weapons from Iran and its proxies to Lebanon.” In its efforts to respond to what it describes as “threats…

Dozens of left-wing Israelis protested in West Jerusalem on Friday, demanding an end to the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip. The protesters held signs reading: “Stop the genocide; Stop ethnic cleansing; Stop the war now, and Stop the massacre,” according to an Anadolu reporter. Israeli police forces were stationed around the protest, and officers attempted to disperse the crowd by confiscating the signs, leading to a scuffle between the police and protesters. The Israeli left-wing group “Free Jerusalem,” which opposes the Israeli occupation, reported that police arrested three protesters. “This will not deter or silence us. We will continue…

Türkiye on Friday “strongly” condemned a raid carried out by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on the Al-Aqsa Mosque. “We strongly condemn the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by an Israeli Minister under the protection of security forces,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said the ongoing genocide in Gaza, along with Israeli authorities’ provocative actions intended to change the historical status quo of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, pose a threat to regional security and stability. The statement also called on the international community to take necessary measures against Israeli officials’ actions that will further escalate tensions…

The Palestinian presidency on Friday condemned Israel’s “grave crime” of setting fire to sections of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza. According to Wafa news agency, the presidency said in a statement that the hospital provides services to more than 400,000 residents. It said that the Israeli army’s act is a “serious and flagrant violation of international law, treaties, and conventions that protect the medical sector and health care workers during times of war.” Separately, the Palestinian Health Ministry also condemned Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. In a statement, the ministry said: “The Israeli occupation’s persistence in its…

France on Friday condemned a raid carried out by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on the Al-Aqsa Mosque. “France condemns the visit yesterday of the Israeli Minister of National Security, Mr. Ben Gvir, to the Esplanade of the Mosques,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, referring to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem. It added that such actions violated “the historical status quo of the Holy Places in Jerusalem.” “In Jerusalem, the now systematic questioning of the status quo on the Esplanade of the Mosques creates a risk of generalized conflagration,” the ministry said. Emphasizing…

Residents of Hama province in central Syria on Friday honored pilot Ragheed Tatari, who spent 43 years in Assad regime prisons before its downfall. Tattari was arrested in 1982 for refusing to carry out orders from then-President Hafez al-Assad to bomb civilians in Hama. Footage shared by Syrian activists captured the tribute at a mosque in Hama following the Friday prayer, which included a memorial service across the country. Tatari was presented with a golden sword by Sheikh Muaz Rayhan on behalf of the people of Hama for his courage and sacrifice. The sword was described as a “symbolic gift”…