Latest news with #NaharnetNewsdesk
Nahar Net
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Qassem says Hezbollah 'not neutral,' will act as it sees fit
by Naharnet Newsdesk 19 June 2025, 23:03 Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Thursday that his Iran-backed group would "act as we see fit" in response to the ongoing war between Iran and Israel. In a written statement, Qassem said Hezbollah was "not neutral" in the conflict between the two regional superpowers, saying that the group would "act as we see fit in the face of this brutal Israeli-American aggression." This comes after the U.S. special envoy for Syria warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war and after Speaker Nabih Berri said that "Lebanon will '200%' not enter the war, because it has no interest in that and would pay the price and because Iran does not need us."
Nahar Net
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Iran Guardian Council warns US of 'harsh response' if it intervenes
by Naharnet Newsdesk 9 hours Iran's deputy foreign minister warned the United States on Thursday against intervening in the war to back up its ally Israel, adding that his country was ready to defend itself in case of escalation. "If the United States wants to actively enter the field in favor of the Zionist regime, Iran will have to use its tools to both teach a lesson to aggressors and defend its national security and national interests," said deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi, according to state TV. "Naturally, our military decision makers have all the necessary options on the table," he added. - Iran Guardian Council warns US of 'harsh response' - A key Iranian body warned the United States on Thursday that any intervention in support of its ally Israel would be met with a "harsh response". "The criminal American government and its stupid president must know for sure that if they make a mistake and take action against Islamic Iran, they will face a harsh response from the Islamic Republic of Iran," the Guardian Council said in a statement carried by state television. - China says opposes 'use of force' - China said Thursday it opposed the "use of force", in response to a question about U.S. President Donald Trump warning he was weighing U.S. military action in the Israel-Iran conflict. Beijing "opposes any act that... infringes upon the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of other countries, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations", foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing. China also urged countries in the Middle East, "especially Israel", to cease fighting. "China strongly calls on all parties involved in the conflict, especially Israel, to put the interests of the region's people first, immediately cease fire and stop fighting," Jiakun said. - Russia warns US against 'military intervention' - Russia's foreign ministry on Thursday warned the United States not to take military action against Iran. "We would like to particularly warn Washington against military intervention in the situation, which would be an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences," the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.
Nahar Net
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Russia, Ukraine say have completed fresh POW exchange
by Naharnet Newsdesk 19 June 2025, 15:07 Russia and Ukraine said Thursday they had completed another exchange of captured soldiers, part of an agreement reached earlier in June at peace talks in Istanbul. "Our people are returning home from Russian captivity," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media, as Russia's defence ministry also confirmed the exchange. Neither side said how many soldiers had been freed.
Nahar Net
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Putin to visit China in late Aug for summit, WWII commemorations
by Naharnet Newsdesk 19 June 2025, 13:19 Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China later this year for a regional summit, talks with leader Xi Jinping and commemorations marking 80 years since the end of World War II in Asia, the Kremlin said Thursday. Putin will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin on August 31-September 1, before heading to the WWII events scheduled in Beijing for September 3, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
Nahar Net
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Massive security operation for NATO summit turns parts of The Hague into fortress
by Naharnet Newsdesk 19 June 2025, 15:31 Locals, art lovers and diplomats like to meet over a meal and a drink in the historic Gastrobar Berlage behind a landmark art museum in The Hague. But the usual stream of visitors turned into a trickle when fences started rising outside as part of super-tight security around a meeting of NATO leaders that is smothering the Dutch city in a massive military and police operation called Orange Shield. Parts of the usually laid-back city, where NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte used to ride his bicycle to work while munching on an apple when he was prime minister of the Netherlands, are turning into a military fortress. "It's dead," Berlage owner Bianca Veenhof said as she looked at an almost empty terrace at the start of what should have been Wednesday's lunchtime rush. Parking spots have been blocked off by freshly installed security fencing, workers in nearby offices have been told to stay home and public transit lines near the grounds have been diverted. The city that markets itself as the global hub of peace and justice because of the international courts it hosts is turning into a city of security and inconvenience for the June 24-25 meeting that is scheduled to feature leaders of the 32-nation alliance, including U.S. President Donald Trump. The summit comes as global geopolitical tensions soar and conflict escalates in the Middle East. About half of the Netherlands' police force will be on duty In what they are calling the biggest security operation ever staged in the Netherlands, authorities are locking down parts of the city, closing off roads, and shutting down airspace. Temporary barricades and metal mesh fences surrounding the World Forum summit venue are just a fraction of the measures that radiate out from The Hague. Some 27,000 police officers — about half of the country's entire force — will be on duty around the summit along with more than 10,000 defense personnel. Military police will protect delegations. Frigates will patrol the North Sea, F-35 fighter jets and Apache helicopters will take to the skies and air defense systems will be on alert. Bomb squads will comb the venue for explosives. Convoys carrying leaders will be whisked with military police escorts along closed-off highways from airports to their accommodations. While civilian drones are banned from the airspace around the summit and other key locations, police and military drones will buzz around the skies over the summit venue and other locations where leaders gather. Police and riot police also will be on hand for several protests that have already been announced, including an effort by demonstrators to shut down a major highway into the city. Then there are the less visible but no less important measures being taken to provide cybersecurity. The country's top counterterrorism official declined to go into details. Boosting NATO spending and Ukraine are on the agenda The leaders are scheduled to have dinner with Dutch King Willem-Alexander at his palace in a forest in the city Tuesday night before a meeting the next day where they are expected to agree a new defense spending target. While the leaders are dining with the Dutch royals, foreign and defense ministers from NATO nations will hold meetings at the summit venue to discuss issues including the war in Ukraine. When the government heads meet Wednesday, they will seek agreement on ramping up military spending as Trump insists Europe must look after its own security, while Washington focuses on China and its own borders. The Hague is known for hosting international courts The summit venue is a conference center and theater close to the building that once housed the U.N. tribunal for the former Yugoslavia where Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, his military chief Ratko Mladic, and others were convicted of war crimes. The venue also is close to the headquarters of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the European Union's law enforcement and judicial cooperation agencies. Just down the road is the International Criminal Court, whose chief prosecutor and four judges have been slapped with sanctions by Trump. Closer still is the top United Nations court, the International Court of Justice, whose judges settle disputes between nations. Getting away from it all Many residents near the summit are not sticking around to watch the event unfold. At the end of the week, Berlage will close its doors and sunny terrace for a week, only reopening when the NATO bandwagon has moved on. Veenhof estimates the enforced closure and weeks of plummeting bookings will cost the bistro up to 150,000 euros ($173,000) in lost earnings. Veenhof and her partner Bauke van Schaik, who is the chef at Berlage, have had enough of the summit already and are fleeing the city for the duration. "Good friends of ours live in Portugal, so we going there for a few days," she said. "We'll be a bit further away from all the misery and frustration."
