Author: Anadolu Agency

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani stressed the critical need for an agreement between the US and Iran. “There is no way that Qatar would support any kind of military step in that region. We will not give up until we see a diplomatic solution between the US and Iran. This needs to reach an agreement,” Qatar’s Al Jazeera channel quoted Al-Thani as saying. His remarks came shortly after US President Donald Trump hinted on Friday that he hoped for a “peace agreement” with Iran. In a televised interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, Al-Thani said that every…

Russia forces reclaimed three settlements in Kursk, a Russian border region partially captured by Ukraine last year, said the Kremlin on Saturday. Viktorovka, Nikolayevka, and Staraya Sorochina were retaken in an operation carried out by the Sever (North) group of forces, said a Russian Defense Ministry statement. The ministry also claimed advances in eastern Ukraine, bordering Russia, saying four Ukrainian settlements had been captured over the past week in the Donetsk region. The ministry said Ukrainian forces suffered losses in personnel and military equipment, including armored vehicles and artillery systems. Additionally, Russia’s air and artillery forces targeted Ukrainian positions in…

Despite Tel Aviv having agreed to a ceasefire, Israeli warplanes on Saturday evening carried out more than 20 airstrikes on various areas in southern Lebanon. “Israeli warplanes launched a wide-scale aerial assault on valleys and the outskirts of towns with more than 20 airstrikes,” according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. The agency has yet to report on any casualties or material damages. A fragile ceasefire, in place in Lebanon since Nov. 27, was supposed to end months of cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah that escalated last September into a full-scale conflict. But Lebanese authorities have…

Syrian confirmed Saturday evening that it had regained control over areas in the northwestern coastal region that faced attacks from remnants of the deposed Assad regime. A Defense ministry spokesperson, who was not identified, made the announcement in a broadcast by SANA, the official Syrian news agency. “Forces of the Defense Ministry achieved rapid field progress, reestablishing control over areas that witnessed treacherous attacks on public security personnel,” the spokesperson said. He added: “We have executed precise encirclement operations, tightening the grip on the remaining (ex-) officers and remnants of the former regime, while our forces continue advancing in accordance…

US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Republicans to support an over $1.5 trillion spending bill aimed at preventing a government shutdown, calling it a “very good” bill “under the circumstances.” “All Republicans should vote (Please!) YES next week,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. He emphasized the need for unity, claiming that Democrats would “do anything they can to shut down our Government.” “Great things are coming for America, and I am asking you all to give us a few months to get us through to September so we can continue to put the Country’s ‘financial house’ in…

Syria’s membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which had been suspended for 13 years, has been reactivated after Türkiye’s initiative. According to diplomatic sources, Türkiye’s initiative during the OIC Extraordinary Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Jeddah paved the way for Damascus’ return to OIC. The issue of reviving Syria’s OIC membership was added to the agenda of the meeting in Jeddah, which was attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. At the meeting, the draft resolution was adopted and Syria’s OIC membership, which had been suspended for nearly 13 years, was revived. Following the adoption of the resolution,…

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized Friday that plans to displace Palestinians and seize their lands are “absolutely unacceptable.” “Those who seek the displacement of Palestinians and the takeover of Gaza must remember this: the reason we are at this point today is Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands,” Fidan said at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Extraordinary Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Saudi Arabia. “We must thwart the calls of Israeli extremists who seek the annexation of the West Bank. Similarly, we cannot allow Israel to alter the historical and political status quo of Al-Haram Al-Sharif. As Türkiye,…

Türkiye on Friday expressed strong support for Syria’s efforts to address its Chemical Weapons Program and fulfill its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. “No doubt, the fall of the Assad regime has marked a new chapter in Syria,” Turkish envoy to the UN Ahmet Yildiz said at the UN Security Council meeting. Citing the convening of the National Dialogue Conference and the establishment of a committee to draft a constitutional declaration, Yildiz said: “We believe these positive steps will contribute to an inclusive and representative Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition.” He said the new chapter in Syria is “a…

Pope Francis’ clinical condition remains stable in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he is being treated for double pneumonia, the Vatican said on Friday. Pope Francis spent the day resting and in prayer while continuing his hospitalization at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he was admitted last month, the Vatican said in a statement. Early Friday, it was reported that the pope “had a restful night and woke up shortly after 8:00.” The 88-year-old pontiff has been at Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14. He was elected as Pope Benedict XVI’s successor at the age of 76 on March 13, 2013, and took…

Germany on Friday expressed strong support for the Arab League’s reconstruction plan for Gaza, which stands as an alternative to US President Donald Trump’s proposed US takeover of Gaza. “The German government welcomes the Arab League’s plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told a news conference in Berlin. “The plan includes many valuable elements we can build upon. Constructive discussions should begin immediately,” he said, adding that Berlin maintains that Gaza must not pose any security threat to Israel in the future. At the same news conference, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian…