https://nordictimes.com/world/un-women-and-children-killed-in-israeli-air-strike/

World

UN: “Women and children killed in Israeli air strike”

Published 16 October 2024

– By Editorial Staff

Montage. Photo: Al Jazeera/YT

Pictures taken shortly after the bombings.

The UN Human Rights Office says it has received information that the majority of those killed in yesterday’s Israeli airstrike on the town of Aitou in northern Lebanon were women and children – not militants.

Israel frequently claims that it only targets legitimate targets, and that the high number of civilian casualties resulting from its bombing is due to the use of civilians as “human shields” by Hamas, Hezbollah or other groups with which Israel is in conflict.

However, critics and analysts say the killing of civilians is mainly due to Israeli indifference, often dropping heavy bombs in densely populated areas – even where it knows there are large numbers of civilians.

Yesterday, 22 people were killed in another Israeli raid – this time on northern Lebanon, the majority of whom are said to be women or children.

– What we are hearing is that amongst the 22 people killed were 12 women and two children, said Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office during a press briefing yesterday.

Suspicion of war crimes

– We understand it was a four-story residential building that was struck. With these factors in mind, we have real concerns with respect to IHL (International Humanitarian Law), so the laws of war, and the principles of distinction proportion and proportionality, Laurence continued, calling for a thorough investigation of the events.

At the same press briefing, UN officials said that 25% of Lebanon is now “under a direct Israeli military evacuation order” and that those who are able are trying to comply, but are “fleeing with almost nothing”.

Geographically, Aitou is in northern Lebanon and has a Christian majority. It is far from the southern parts where Hezbollah has the most influence, and it remains unclear why Israel chose to drop bombs on the town.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/iran-shows-off-underground-naval-base/

World

Iran shows off underground naval base

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 29 January 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: facsimile/X

Photos from the Iranian naval base.

Iran has unveiled an underground naval base, located 500 meters below the surface in the Persian Gulf.

The base, whose exact location has not been disclosed, is designed to house advanced ships equipped with long-range missiles and conduct operations with very high precision and range.

The underground construction is unique in its deep location and security against air strikes and other types of attacks. According to Iranian state media reports, the base contains Taregh-class radar-evading speedboats capable of firing cruise missiles. These boats are also said to have the capacity to destroy US warships and destroyers.

General Hossein Salami, head of the Revolutionary Guards, recently visited the facility during a military exercise and described the development as an important step in the country’s defense strategy. He commented that the base is one of several underground facilities built to strengthen Iran’s naval capabilities.

WATCH: Iran’s IRGC Navy unveils underground base housing combat boats specialized in targeting US warships

Follow us on Telegram: https://t.co/B3zXG74hnU pic.twitter.com/s2B79v8jmr

— Press TV (@PressTV) January 18, 2025

– We assure the great nation of Iran that their young people are capable of coming out honorable and victorious from a battle on the seas against enemies big and small, the general commented.

The purpose of showcasing the base in this way is believed to be to send a clear signal to the outside world – and hostile nations like the US and Israel in particular. The location in the Persian Gulf is also said to strengthen Iran’s position in a strategically important region for world trade, through which a large part of global oil exports pass.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/mostly-civilian-casualties-in-israeli-strike-on-terrorist-command-center/

World

Mostly civilian casualties in Israeli Strike on “terrorist command center”

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 25 January 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Montage. Photo: facsimile/BBC

Israel's military claims that it always ensures that the number of civilian casualties “is not disproportionate to the military advantage expected from the attack”.

At least 73 people were killed when the Israeli military bombed a six-storey building in the Lebanese village of Ain El Delb in late September last year – the deadliest Israeli attack in the country in the last 18 years.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) quickly claimed the building was a “terrorist command center” and that “the overwhelming majority” of those killed were terrorists – but a review shows that almost all the victims were civilians.

The BBC’s thorough investigation has identified 68 of the 73 victims, of whom at least 62 were civilians, including 23 children. Only six victims could be linked to Hezbollah’s military wing, and none of these appear to have been in a senior position.

The investigation has revealed details that have provoked grief and outrage on social media. A small infant, just months old, was killed in apartment 2B; in apartment 1C, teacher Abeer Hallak lost her life along with her husband and three children; and three floors up, three generations of the Hakawati family were wiped out.

The IDF has chosen not to comment on whether the six identified Hezbollah fighters were the intended targets. However, the IDF claims that it constantly makes assessments to ensure that the number of civilian casualties “is not disproportionate to the military advantage expected from the attack”.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombings and attacks have claimed thousands of civilian lives and caused widespread destruction in Lebanon. Numerous attacks have also been carried out against hospitals and other health facilities and nearly 1.5 million Lebanese have been forced to leave their homes.

As usual, the Israeli military attributes the civilian casualties to the use of human shields by their enemies, who attack Israeli targets from densely populated locations – such as hospitals or residential complexes.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-pm-israels-attacks-must-be-investigated/

Sweden

Swedish PM: Israel’s attacks must be investigated

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 4 January 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: Magnus Liljegren/Government Offices

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) is waiting to take a position on whether Sweden considers Israel’s reported hospital attacks to be compatible with international law, but emphasizes the importance of protecting civilians.

According to a report by the UN human rights body OHCHR, published in December 2024, Israel has carried out 136 attacks against 27 hospitals and 12 other health facilities in Gaza since October 2023. In several of these attacks, patients and health workers have been killed, and mass graves have been found with bodies showing clear signs of belonging to health care seekers.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed serious concern about the situation in Gaza but avoided taking a position on whether Israel’s attacks on hospitals in the area are compatible with international law.

– We maintain our demands for both humanitarian access and the need for incredible caution where there are many civilians, Kristersson told TT.

The Israeli government claims that the hospitals are being used as terrorist hideouts, but the UN describes the evidence presented for this as vague. The Swedish government also states that it has not seen sufficient evidence to determine whether the attacks can be justified as proportionate under international law.

– I have not seen any evidence. Nor for the opposite, I should say, but these are things that will be examined very, very carefully, says Kristersson.

He also notes that a “united EU” criticizes Israel for lack of consideration for civilians, also taking into account the complicated situation in the densely populated Gaza.

– Nevertheless, the belligerent has a responsibility to protect civilians. Israel is constantly criticized for this, even by a united EU.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/sources-turkey-prepares-to-invade-syria/

World

Sources: Turkey prepares to invade Syria

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 18 December 2024

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: CatEyePerspective/iStock

Turkey is accused of wanting to become the “ruler” of the region.

Turkey and its allied militias are reported to be building up their forces near the Syrian border and are expected to launch a major invasion against Kurdish-controlled areas of the country soon.

The Wall Street Journal is the source of the information, citing senior US officials. According to the newspaper’s sources, the forces include militia fighters as well as Turkish commandos and a large number of artillery pieces.

Preparations are taking place near Kobani on Syria’s northern border with Turkey – a town that today has a Kurdish majority, and according to the sources, Washington is currently focusing on trying to persuade the Turkish leadership to hold off on the military operation.

Ilham Ahmed, who works for the Civil Administration of the Syrian Kurds, has also sent a letter to US President-elect Donald Trump, appealing to him to prevent a Turkish attack.

“From across the border, we can already see Turkish forces amassing, and our civilians live under the constant fear of imminent death and destruction“, Mr. Ahmed writes in the letter obtained by the WSJ.

US threatens sanctions

According to the Kurds, Erdoğan’s goal is to “establish de facto control” over the Kurdish territories before Trump takes office in January – and the aim is reportedly to force the US to cooperate with Ankara as the “ruler” of the region.

Already last week, US-backed Kurds in the country said they had been subjected to Turkish artillery and drone attacks, prompting Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to warn the Ankara leadership that the NATO member could face sanctions if it did not cease hostilities.

Since overthrowing the government of Bashar al-Assad, jihadist militants and their allies have also taken control of almost all of western Syria – and are supported in various ways by Turkey itself.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — Abu Mohammad al-Julani is now Syria’s de facto head of state – but different actors are fighting for control of Syrian territory. Photo: facsimile X/@PamirNews/CNN

Fight for influence and new territory

In the east and north-east, however, Syria is still controlled by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces – funded in part by the United States. Turkey’s position is that the armed Kurdish groups are considered terrorists.

There are estimated to be between 1.6 and 2.5 million Kurds living in Syria – mainly in autonomous regions in the north of the country. The Kurdistan region, which includes parts of Iraq, Iraq, Syria, Armenia and Turkey, is home to around 35 million Kurds, and Kurdish nationalist groups are striving to establish an independent nation state in the region.

As previously reported by The Nordic Times, the fall of Assad seems to have led to various actors quickly trying to seize territory and strengthen their influence in the region. One clear example is Israel, which recently captured new land beyond the Golan Heights area that it has illegally occupied since 1967 – on the grounds that it wants to prevent potential hostilities and terrorist threats against the Jewish state.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Polaris of Enlightenment

Polaris of Enlightenment