Iran confirms damage at Natanz nuclear site, extent unknown
Iran's nuclear facility in Natanz was damaged in an Israeli attack on Friday, the country's atomic energy organisation said in a statement, but investigations have not shown any radioactive or chemical contamination outside the site.
'The attack has damaged several parts of the facility. Investigations are ongoing to assess the extent of damages,' the statement said.
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Arab News
19 minutes ago
- Arab News
Deconstructing the language of war in Gaza
In the dense urban landscapes of Gaza, where homes, schools, hospitals and humanitarian offices blend into the same war-ravaged blocks, a chilling narrative has taken root: the justification of civilian deaths through the term 'human shields.' It is a phrase that, with calculated frequency, surfaces in military briefings and international news coverage — offered up as explanation, defense or even absolution for airstrikes that leave families buried beneath the rubble. But what does it mean to accuse an entire population of serving as human shields, and who benefits from this framing? This terminology has become a central rhetorical device in the ongoing war in Gaza. Israel, backed by several Western allies, repeatedly claims that Hamas embeds itself within civilian infrastructure, using hospitals, schools and densely populated areas as cover. These claims are used to justify strikes that result in high civilian casualties and the destruction of critical infrastructure, including the deaths of aid workers and UN personnel. Yet, to critically assess this narrative, we must examine not only its implications but its very foundations. International humanitarian law prohibits the use of civilians as human shields. It also mandates that all warring parties distinguish between combatants and noncombatants and take every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians. But the invocation of 'human shields' creates a dangerous legal gray zone — one that permits the reclassification of civilian-heavy areas as legitimate military targets, even in the absence of transparent evidence. In effect, the accusation of 'human shields' becomes a post hoc shield for military action, not a verified truth Hani Hazaimeh This ambiguity is often exploited. When a missile strikes a refugee camp, or when a humanitarian convoy is targeted, the fallback explanation is often a vague claim of militant presence in the vicinity. Rarely are these claims independently verified and often they are retroactively provided. In effect, the accusation becomes a post hoc shield for military action, not a verified truth. This language erodes accountability. It transforms war crimes into tactical necessity and leaves civilians in Gaza with no safe haven — not even within the walls of a UN school or beneath the tents of an aid organization. Labeling civilians as human shields does more than justify their deaths — it dehumanizes them. It subtly shifts blame from the aggressor to the victim, implying that civilian suffering is not only inevitable but strategic. This framing creates a moral detachment, desensitizing the world to scenes of bloodied children and shattered homes. It also reinforces a false dichotomy: that the people of Gaza are either combatants or collaborators, shields or threats. This dichotomy ignores the basic truth that the majority of Gaza's population are children, mothers, elders and aid workers — people who have nowhere to flee and nothing to shield but their families. Nowhere is the cost of this language more tragically evident than in the rising death toll among aid workers. The UN Relief and Works Agency, Doctors Without Borders and other humanitarian organizations have seen their staff killed while delivering food, administering medical care or sheltering refugees. These are not military operations. They are lifelines. Yet when these convoys or compounds are hit, the same justification often resurfaces: alleged militant proximity. This deflects outrage and inhibits meaningful investigations. More importantly, it contributes to the breakdown of humanitarian corridors and the paralysis of relief operations — leaving an already besieged population even more vulnerable. Nowhere is the cost of this language more tragically evident than in the rising death toll among aid workers Hani Hazaimeh Words matter. They shape public opinion, influence international policy and determine whether tragedies are investigated or ignored. The language used to describe the war in Gaza must reflect the reality on the ground — not political agendas or military talking points. The international media must rigorously interrogate claims of human shields being used and resist the urge to parrot official narratives without evidence. Human rights organizations must push for independent investigations into all strikes that result in civilian deaths, particularly those targeting or affecting aid agencies. Governments and international bodies must hold all parties accountable to the standards of international law — not selectively or symbolically, but consistently and transparently. And most of all, we must remember that beneath the euphemisms and geopolitical calculus are real people — families that grieve, children who fear and communities that endure trauma that no terminology can justify. The people of Gaza are not shields. They are human beings. And their suffering should not be rationalized — it should be stopped. • Hani Hazaimeh is a senior editor based in Amman. X: @hanihazaimeh
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
European national arrested in Iran for allegedly ‘spying on sensitive areas': Report
A European national was arrested in northwestern Iran for allegedly 'spying on sensitive areas of the country,' the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Friday.
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
US sanctions target those providing Iran with defense machinery, Houthi oil trading
The Trump administration said on Friday it had issued fresh Iran-related sanctions targeting eight entities, one vessel and one person for their alleged role in providing sensitive machinery for Tehran's defense industry. 'The United States remains resolved to disrupt any effort by Iran to procure the sensitive, dual-use technology, components, and machinery that underpin the regime's ballistic missile, unmanned aerial vehicle, and asymmetric weapons programs,' US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. 'Treasury will continue to degrade Iran's ability to produce and proliferate these deadly weapons, which threaten regional stability and global security,' he added in a statement announcing the action. Two of the entities include shipping companies based in Hong Kong: Unico Shipping Co. Ltd and Athena Shipping Co. Ltd, the statement said. The Treasury Department on Friday also issued counterterrorism-related sanctions targeting Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis over alleged illicit oil trading and shipping, it said in a separate statement. Those sanctions target four individuals, 12 entities, and two vessels over imported oil and other illicit goods to support the Houthis, the department said.
