Author: Thaamira al-Shaban

A salvo of machine gun fire, customary during funerals, illuminated the night sky as dozens of men converged in a dimly lit, unpaved alley on the edges of the sprawling slums of Sadr city to pay their respects. A giant picture of Ali Hassan al-Daraaji had been erected outside the family home in north-east Baghdad to announce his “martyrdom” in this week’s US airstrikes on Iraqi armed groups. The series of strikes left nine fighters dead, including Daraaji, the first Iraqi fatalities linked to the Israel-Hamas war. Even as a tenuous truce takes hold in Gaza, the pace and intensity of…

It was a day that shattered Israel’s sense of its own invincibility and military might, undermining the security felt by every one of its citizens. But it did not seem so extraordinary at the start. When I saw the early morning “red alerts” on my phone warning of incoming rocket fire from Gaza, we had no idea of the scale of the assault. I messaged my colleagues – some of whom were away for the end of the Jewish holidays – to say that I would head to the office. Soon I was struggling to absorb the impact of what…

Berlin (05/11 – 40) The international transport corridor “Tajikistan-Europe” will be expanded. The initiative for the implementation of the “Crossroads of the World” project was announced at the IV International Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, which concluded in the capital of Georgia. The project envisions the development of connections between Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Iran. This means that the Silk Road, which once passed through the North Caucasus, will now be connected to the South Caucasus hub. “In this way, another node is added to the multimodal corridor ‘China – Tajikistan – Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran – Turkey – Europe’,”…

London (07/11 – 71) For ten years now, the authorities of Tajikistan have been engaged in forced assimilation of the ethnic Pamiri people, giving away the heartlands to China for debts,” Orzu M. shared with RFI – Radio France Internationale is a French news and current affairs public radio station that broadcasts worldwide. RFI met with Orzu in Paris, sharing the fact that more and more Pamiris are leaving their native homes in Gorno-Badakhshan Mountainous Autonomous (GBAO) Region of Tajikistan; they are driven into exile by the persecution of the authorities, who are displacing indigenous peoples. RFI: How did it…

Iran has warned of a possible “preemptive” action against Israel “in the coming hours”, as Israel prepares for a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip. The Iran-backed, Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier for days, further raising tensions as Israel bombards the Gaza Strip to the south following an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas inside Israel last week. “All possible options and scenarios are there for Hezbollah … Naturally, resistance leaders will not allow the Zionist regime to take any action in Gaza, and when it feels reassured about Gaza,…

Germany has signed a deal to acquire the Israeli-made Arrow 3 hypersonic missile system that will become a key part of Europe’s defence against air attack. The signing of the deal in Berlin on Thursday was a “historic day” for both countries, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said at a news conference alongside his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant. Worth about $3.5bn (3.3 billion euros), the sale is the biggest ever deal for Israel’s military industry. The Arrow 3 system would make “German air defence ready for the future”, Pistorius said. Germany has led a push to bolster NATO’s air defences…

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have held a meeting to discuss how Israel could assist Ukraine in its war with Russia. The pair met as Zelenskyy pressed for more open help from the Israeli state on Thursday. “The president noted the importance of Israel’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said a readout on Ukraine’s presidential website. “The two sides discussed possible paths of Israeli support for Ukraine in opposing Russia’s invasion.” Netanyahu’s office said the two leaders discussed “the continuation of Israeli assistance to Ukraine, including to Ukrainian refugees in Israel, as well as the advancement…

The Israeli government, aiming to bolster its influence over occupied East Jerusalem, unveiled a budgetary plan set to span the next five years. According to a statement released Sunday by the government, a budget of 3.2 billion Israeli shekels ($843 million) has been earmarked for investment in East Jerusalem between 2024 and 2028. The statement said the objective of this initiative is to address social inequality and promote economic development in East Jerusalem. Regarding the plan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “the decision will change the face of Jerusalem.” It will contribute to an increase in the number of…

Spin doctors, those officials employed to interpret events for the media favorably, have many arrows in their quiver. One of the most effective in Israel has been dubbed “bigger elsewhere.” The “bigger elsewhere” strategy is simple. When one’s client is in the midst of a crisis, redirect, divert, and distract the public’s attention to something bigger, preferably better, happening elsewhere. Undeniably, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government find themselves embroiled in a deep domestic crisis. The judicial overhaul plan has overtaken Netanyahu’s political and diplomatic agenda. Except for the occasional security incident or flare-up, this has dominated the headlines for the eight months…

Israel has carried out air attacks near Syria’s capital Damascus, wounding two Syrian soldiers, Syrian state news has reported. The state-run news agency SANA reported early on Wednesday morning that Syrian air defences had confronted Israeli missiles launched at 12.25 am local time (21:25 GMT) from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and “shot down most of them”. SANA, citing military sources, said two Syrian soldiers were injured in the missile attack and there were “some material losses”. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor based in the United Kingdom, said the air attacks marked the 20th time Israel has struck targets…