Live Update: Haniyeh's assassination aimed at prolonging Gaza war — Abbas

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

05:23 GMT — Haniyeh's assassination aimed at prolonging Gaza war — Abbas

The killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was intended to prolong the war in besieged Gaza and will complicate talks on resolving the crisis, Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas has told Russia's RIA state news agency.

"There is no doubt that the purpose of Mr. Haniyeh's assassination is to prolong the war and expand its scope," RIA cited Abbas as saying.

"It will have a negative impact on the ongoing negotiations to end the aggression and withdraw Israeli troops from Gaza."

04:40 GMT — China urges citizens to take 'caution' in Lebanon travel

China's embassy in Beirut has urged citizens to "travel with caution" should they visit Lebanon, warning they face "higher security risks" as fears of a regional conflict soar.

In a statement, the embassy warned citizens the situation in the country was "grave and complex".

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Lebanon remind Chinese citizens to closely monitor the evolution of the local situation and to travel with caution in Lebanon in the near future," the embassy said on its official WeChat account.

04:12 GMT — Meta says Malaysian PM Anwar's posts on Haniyeh assassination removed in error

Meta Platforms has apologised for what it says was erroneous removal of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's social media posts in which he expressed condolences to a Hamas official about the Israeli assassination of the group's political leader and peace negotiator Ismail Haniyeh.

Meta was sorry for "an operational error", adding that the content had been restored with "the correct newsworthy label," a Meta spokesperson told Reuters news agency.

03:23 GMT — Israeli army fails to recruit hundreds of Haredi Jews

The Israeli military, which has failed to subdue the resistance fighters in besieged Gaza, has failed to register hundreds of Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) Jews for military service, local media reported.

The Israeli public broadcaster KAN said on Monday only 30 Haredi Jews appeared during the day at the conscription office, while 1,000 are supposed to register their names on Monday and Tuesday.

KAN quoted a source in the Israeli army who referred to the low number of registering Haredi Jews for conscription due to a protest held by them that pushed many who intended to join the army to retract.

03:00 GMT — Israel's ally US seeks truce ahead of potential Iran retribution

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Tehran and Tel Aviv to agree to a Gaza ceasefire to "break this cycle" of violence, urging de-escalation as Iran prepares a potential retaliatory strike on Israel.

"Escalation is not in anyone's interests. It will only lead to more conflict, more violence, more insecurity. It's also critical that we break this cycle by reaching a ceasefire in Gaza," Blinken told reporters.

Blinken's comments came as fears grow of an attack by Iran and its allies on Israel in retaliation for its killing of top Hamas and Hezbollah figures in strikes last weeks.

02:23 GMT — American personnel wounded in Iraq attack

Several American personnel have been injured in a suspected rocket attack on a base in Iraq, a US defence spokesperson said.

"There was a suspected rocket attack today against US and coalition forces at al-Asad Airbase, Iraq. Initial indications are that several US personnel were injured," the spokesperson said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on Ain al-Assad air base.

02:00 GMT — 'No change' in arms export licenses approach to Israel: UK

Rebuffing reports that the UK had imposed a "secret arms embargo" on Israel amid its ongoing carnage in besieged Gaza, the British government said there has been "no change" in its approach to arms export licenses to Israel.

"There has been no change to our approach to export licenses to Israel. We continue to review export license applications on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria," a government spokesperson told Anadolu Agency.

The official added: "We are reviewing the advice regarding exports to Israel, and no decision has been made."

For our live updates from Monday, August 5, 2024, click here.