Author: Daily Sabah With Reuters
Israeli leaders hailed on Tuesday a pledge by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that there would be “hell to pay” in the Middle East unless hostages held in the Gaza Strip were released ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration. The reaction in Gaza was less enthusiastic. Writing on Truth Social, and without naming any group, Trump said the hostages had to be freed by the time he was sworn in. If his demand was not met, he said: “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America.”…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel was committed to its ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, but warned that it did not mean the war was over. Speaking at the start of a cabinet meeting in the northern border city of Nahariya, Netanyahu said Hezbollah had seriously violated the accord on Monday and that Israel had subsequently attacked more than 20 targets across Lebanon in retaliation. “We are currently in a ceasefire, I note, a ceasefire, not the end of the war,” he said. “We have a clear goal to return the residents, to rehabilitate the north. We…
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday declared martial law in an unannounced late night address broadcast live on YTN television. Yoon said he had no choice but to resort to such a measure in order to safeguard free and constitutional order, saying opposition parties have taken hostage of the parliamentary process to throw the country into a crisis. “I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect…
Russian Navy frigates equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles have conducted drills in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. The crews of the frigates fired Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic anti-ship missiles, while a Russian submarine launched a Kalibr cruise missile, another weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, the ministry said. On the coast nearby, a missile system carried out a live launch of an Onyx anti-ship missile, it said.
A visit to Russia by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is being prepared, but there is no clarity yet on when it will take place, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. Peskov said it was unclear whether the visit would happen this year, but that a date for the trip could be agreed very quickly if necessary. “Such a visit is being prepared, preparations are underway,” Peskov told reporters at a daily briefing when asked about the matter. Moscow is preparing to sign a new bilateral treaty with Tehran that will include closer defence cooperation, the kind of treaty that…
France is at a turning point due to uncertainty over the country’s budget and the future of the government, said Finance Minister Antoine Armand on Tuesday. “The country is at a turning point,” Armand told France 2 TV, adding that politicians had a responsibility “not to plunge the country into uncertainty.” Prime Minister Michel Barnier, who is facing no-confidence motions, is due to address TV news programmes on Tuesday evening.
Prince William and his wife Kate will greet Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and his wife on Tuesday as they begin a two-day state visit to Britain. The visit marks the return of Kate to formal welcoming duties after she missed the Japanese emperor and his wife in June while she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer. A royal salute and a carriage procession kick off a morning of pageantry, before the emir heads to the Houses of Parliament to address both chambers. A state banquet at Buckingham Palace will follow in the evening. Britain is seeking…
Novak Djokovic is eager to take on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the Grand Slam level when he returns to action at the Australian Open after a lackluster 2024 season, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said. After dominating last year with three major titles, the 37-year-old has struggled in 2024, failing to secure a Grand Slam victory for the first time since his injury-hit 2017 season. World No. 1 Sinner dethroned Djokovic at Melbourne Park en route to his maiden Grand Slam win, and the 23-year-old Italian also beat the Serb in the Shanghai Masters final in October. Reigning…
Novak Djokovic is eager to take on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the Grand Slam level when he returns to action at the Australian Open after a lackluster 2024 season, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said. After dominating last year with three major titles, the 37-year-old has struggled in 2024, failing to secure a Grand Slam victory for the first time since his injury-hit 2017 season. World No. 1 Sinner dethroned Djokovic at Melbourne Park en route to his maiden Grand Slam win, and the 23-year-old Italian also beat the Serb in the Shanghai Masters final in October. Reigning…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel would respond “strongly” after the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, citing repeated Israeli ceasefire violations, carried out a strike on an Israeli military position.