West Asia – Page 2 – The News Desk

Israel Expands Operations in Southern Gaza Amid Worsening Humanitarian Crisis

29Dec

By adminNo Comments

World

Israel Expands Operations in Southern Gaza Amid Worsening Humanitarian Crisis

Israeli forces expanded their military operations in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, intensifying efforts to kill Hamas’s top leadership, as aid agencies said the areas to which Israel has directed Palestinians to evacuate were increasingly overcrowded and short on resources.A Hamas political delegation was headed to Cairo on Friday to discuss a deal proposed by Egypt to end the war, a plan which neither side has agreed to so far, Egyptian officials said. Israel said negotiations on the deal, which would free hostages held by Hamas, were under way.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Small Drones Are Helping Israel Navigate the Urban Battlefield in Gaza

29Dec

By adminNo Comments

World

Small Drones Are Helping Israel Navigate the Urban Battlefield in Gaza

Updated Dec. 29, 2023 12:05 am ETThe Israeli military has tried a variety of methods to explore Hamas’s tunnels in Gaza: robots, robot dogs and real dogs. But what it has quickly learned is that the cheapest and most effective option for exploring the underground labyrinths—which are a potential death trap for soldiers—is a small quadcopter drone. It isn’t just tunnels. In the dense urban battlefield of Gaza, the Israeli military has been flying these quadcopters—essentially small helicopters with four rotors—into buildings before sending in soldiers. The devices are also providing smaller units with aerial reconnaissance and being used as guided munitions.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

29Dec

By adminNo Comments

Business

Tort Law vs. the Anti-Israel Protesters

Normally we wouldn’t wish trial lawyers on our worst enemy. But as anti-Israel demonstrations grow increasingly lawless, the plaintiffs bar could help. Why not hit protesters who break the law and keep Americans from getting to their destination with a tort liability suit for false imprisonment?On Wednesday anti-Israel protesters blocked access to JFK and LAX airports in New York and Los Angeles, respectively. The laws of New York and California, like most states, recognize the tort. While there is no precedent applying this tort to road-blocking protesters, it fits the offense. The purpose of these demonstrations is to block the road to keep people from getting to the airport—deliberately and against their will.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe85...

28Dec

By adminNo Comments

World

Vol. 36, No. 12: Dealmakers

The Wall Street Journal’s style guide is going to one word on dealmaker and policymaker, according to the Journal’s monthly editing bulletin.

Israel-Iran Tensions Fuel Fears War Could Spread Beyond Gaza

28Dec

By adminNo Comments

World

Israel-Iran Tensions Fuel Fears War Could Spread Beyond Gaza

Updated Dec. 28, 2023 7:21 am ETIranian-backed militants and Israeli forces traded fire around northern Israel, heightening fears that the war in Gaza could spill into a broader regional conflict including Lebanon and Syria.The Israeli military said it returned fire on Wednesday after Hezbollah militants in Lebanon fired rockets into Israel. A separate Israeli airstrike on Wednesday killed three people, including two Lebanese-Australian citizens. An Iranian-backed Iraqi militia claimed responsibility for an uncrewed aircraft carrying explosives that crash-landed into part of the Golan Heights annexed by Israel.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

28Dec

By adminNo Comments

Health

Why Hamas Won’t Release Hostages

Deal or no deal? In the early days of Israel’s counteroffensive against Hamas, the terrorist group begged for a breather. It released 105 hostages for a seven-day pause and some low-level prisoners. But Hamas has since turned down two offers for a pause in the fighting, each one more generous than the last. What changed?After the terrorist group brushed aside an Egyptian proposal over Christmas weekend, Hamas Politburo member Izzat al Rishq explained, “There can be no negotiations without a complete stop to the aggression”—an end to the war. On Dec. 20, in rejecting an Israeli offer, Politburo member Ghazi Hamad said Hamas is no longer interested in “a pause here and there, for one week, two weeks, three weeks,” even though Israel was ready to release senior Hamas terrorists as well.Copyr...

The Dominant Dollar Faces a Backlash in the Oil Market

28Dec

By adminNo Comments

Money

The Dominant Dollar Faces a Backlash in the Oil Market

Updated Dec. 28, 2023 12:00 am ETSome major emerging economies are dabbling in trading commodities without using the dollar, as they seek to reduce their reliance on the U.S. currency.Faced with U.S. sanctions and other restrictions, Russia and Iran in particular have stepped up oil sales in alternative currencies, and have found buyers in China, India and elsewhere that are happy to buy these exports, often at lower prices.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

27Dec

By adminNo Comments

Health

Iran Is Pushing Biden Around

Hours after Kataib Hezbollah injured three American troops with an attack on an air base in Iraq on Dec. 25, the U.S. struck back, hitting three facilities used by the Iran-backed militia. U.S. officials described the act as a proportionate retaliation to deter further attacks and mitigate the risk of a full-scale war between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. military officials say there have been 103 attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17. Several Americans have been injured. The U.S. has retaliated half a dozen times against Iran’s Arab proxies in both countries. The math isn’t working for the Biden administration, and neither is time. Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

27Dec

By adminNo Comments

Business

America Needs a Middle East Strategy

Nearly two months into Israel’s ground campaign, all eyes are on the Gaza Strip. Yet divisions over Gaza point to a disconnect between U.S. policy and strategic reality. The Middle East is headed toward a major war, for which the U.S. needs a strategy well beyond Gaza.Since late November, the Biden administration’s approach to the Gaza war has been to issue generic statements of discontent for domestic audiences absent policy action. Washington and Jerusalem disagree on their visions of postwar Gaza. The administration sees the Palestinian Authority as the most viable partner for governance there. Israel can’t accept this, given the authority’s corruption, incompetence and unpopularity in Gaza and the West Bank. A Palestinian Authority-governed Gaza would relapse into Hamas-style radicali...

Israel Intensifies Offensive in Gaza Refugee Camps

27Dec

By adminNo Comments

World

Israel Intensifies Offensive in Gaza Refugee Camps

Listen to article(2 minutes)TEL AVIV—Israeli forces intensified their ground offensive in refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip, as fighting continued to drive Palestinian civilians into shrinking and overcrowded areas in search of safety.Since the launch of its military operation in October, Israel has struck several refugee camps in Gaza as it seeks to eradicate Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist group that launched a bloody attack on Israel on Oct. 7. On Tuesday, Israel’s top general, Herzi Halevi, said “the war will continue for many more months,” given the complexity of uprooting Hamas.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8