Middle East
- By Kian Sharifi
Will Hezbollah's New Leader, Naim Qassem, Seek To Negotiate With Israel?
The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah on October 28 named Naim Qassem as its new secretary-general, picking him from what was a seemingly small field of candidates.
Qassem, who had served as Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general since 1991, takes over from longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a massive Israeli air strike on September 27.
Nasrallah’s expected successor, Hashem Safieddine, was also killed by the Israelis a week later, leaving the group with little choice but to pick Qassem.
Hezbollah -- which also has a political party represented in Lebanon’s parliament -- is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, although the European Union has only blacklisted its armed wing.
Qassem is often credited with leading Hezbollah’s efforts to transition from a mainly militant group into a dominant political force in Lebanon, with his writings mostly focused on the ideological and religious underpinnings of the group, rather than military strategy.
The appointment of an experienced political figure may suggest that Hezbollah is preparing to talk to Israel to end the ongoing conflict, though Israel has shown no interest in meeting.
Born in 1953 in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Fila, Qassem joined Hezbollah in the early years of its formation in the 1980s. While not a founding member, he rose through the ranks quickly and was named deputy secretary-general to Abbas al-Musawi, the then-chief of Hezbollah and one of its founders.
Following Musawi’s death in an Israeli operation a year after he received the appointment, Nasrallah was named Hezbollah’s new boss and Qassem retained his position.
Like Nasrallah, Qassem has very close ties with Tehran. Unlike his predecessor, however, his trips to Iran have not been covert. He has frequently been photographed with Iranian officials and traveled to Tehran in July to attend the inauguration of President Masud Pezeshkian.
The United States labeled Qassem a “specially designated global terrorist” in 2018 and later sanctioned him as part of a wider crackdown on Hezbollah’s financial network.
Leading the group’s political efforts, Qassem has been heavily involved in organizing Hezbollah’s political campaigns since it began participating in parliamentary elections in 1992.
Qassem has been crucial in framing Hezbollah’s ideological and religious stance. He published a book in 2005, Hezbollah: The Story From Within, which sought to offer an insider’s look into the group’s inception and stated goals, including fighting Israel.
Hezbollah has suffered significant setbacks in recent months as Israel continues to degrade its military capabilities and decapitate its leadership. Qassem is effectively the only remaining Hezbollah figure with any name recognition beyond Lebanon’s borders.
While Hezbollah’s decision-making Shura Council was not spoiled for choice in picking Nasrallah’s successor, the appointment of Qassem may also signal the group’s willingness to end the conflict with Israel.
“Rather than electing a primarily military figure, in choosing Naim Qassem Iran and Hezbollah are preparing for the end of the ongoing war with Israel,” Lina Khatib, director of the Middle East Institute at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, wrote on X.
“Hezbollah needs an experienced political interlocutor at the helm in anticipation of political negotiations with its opponents,” she added.
But Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wasted little time in dispelling the possibility of diplomacy with the Iran-backed group, writing on X about Qassem’s promotion: “Temporary appointment. Not for long.”
More News
- By RFE/RL
US Military Orders Second Aircraft Carrier Group To Middle East
The US military has announced a second aircraft carrier group will deploy to the Middle East to respond to regional threats to stability as US forces continue to hit Iran-linked Huthi fighters in Yemen from its ships in the Red Sea.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on April 1 that the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson will join the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in the Middle East "to continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region."
The Carl Vinson has been ordered to arrive from the Indo-Pacific following completion of a scheduled exercise, Parnell said without saying when it would get there.
The announcement comes as US forces hit Huthi fighters in Yemen with near-daily air strikes in a campaign aimed at ending the threat they pose to civilian shipping and military vessels in the region.
"The United States and its partners remain committed to regional security in the CENTCOM AOR (area of responsibility) and are prepared to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the region," Parnell said. CENTCOM is the US military command responsible for the region.
Parnell added that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth continues to make clear that “should Iran or its proxies threaten American personnel and interests in the region, the United States will take decisive action to defend our people.”
The Huthis, which the United States has designated as a terrorist group, began targeting shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the start of the Gaza war in 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.
Huthi attacks have prevented ships from passing through the Suez Canal, forcing many companies to send their goods on a costly detour around the tip of southern Africa that takes considerably longer.
President Donald Trump vowed on March 31 that strikes on the Huthis will continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping.
"The choice for the Huthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Huthis and their sponsors in Iran," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Trump added that the Huthis had been "decimated" by "relentless" strikes since large-scale air strikes began on March 15, saying that US forces "hit them every day and night -- Harder and harder."
The large-scale air strikes began after Trump warned the Huthis that "hell will rain down upon you" if they did not stop their extremist actions, including missile launches against Israel.
Trump has also said that "there will be bombing" if Iran does not reach a deal on its nuclear program.
Huthi officials said at least 12 civilians were killed and another nine injured in the US attacks, but the claims could not be independently confirmed. The officials vowed revenge without specifying how it would carry it out.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 16 said the attacks were “a message to Iran” to stop supporting the Huthis, and Hegseth said Iran "is on notice" that Huthi attacks on American ships, aircraft, and troops will not be tolerated.
With reporting by AFP
How Hungary Will Defy An ICC Arrest Warrant When Netanyahu Visits
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Hungary, it is virtually certain he will not be detained despite an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
As a signatory to The Hague court, Hungary has an obligation to arrest him, but its domestic legal situation is complicated and has given the government enough wiggle room to welcome him.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban publicly extended an invitation to Netanyahu in November shortly after the ICC issued the warrant. The Israeli leader was scheduled to arrive on April 2 for a four-day visit.
"I will guarantee him, if he comes, that the judgment of the ICC will have no effect in Hungary," Orban said.
Meanwhile, diplomatic sources inside Hungary told RFE/RL that the country had decided to withdraw from the ICC, though this could not be immediately confirmed officially.
What Are The Political Reasons?
The politics of all this are clear. Orban has closely aligned himself with Netanyahu and with US President Donald Trump, who has also criticized the court's warrant.
Trump issued sanctions against the ICC last month, criticizing as "baseless" its arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto welcomed the decision with a social media post, accusing the ICC of being a "political tool."
The indictment says Netanyahu is "allegedly responsible for the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare and of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024."
What's The Legal Position?
The legal situation is more complex. The court cannot arrest anyone; rather, it relies on countries who have signed onto the treaty creating the court -- the Rome Statute -- to enforce its warrants.
"It is not for states to unilaterally determine the soundness of the court's legal decisions," court spokesman Fadi El-Abdallah told RFE/RL. He said it was a "legal obligation to the court" to enforce them.
This view was endorsed by two senior lawyers who spoke to RFE/RL.
"If Mr. Netanyahu visits a state party like Hungary or Germany and is not arrested, this state violates its obligations under the Rome Statute of the ICC," said Kai Ambos, professor of criminal and international law at Germany's Goettingen University.
"The nonexecution of ICC arrest warrants undermines the court's legitimacy," said Ambos, who serves as a war crimes judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, an international court set up for crimes committed during the 1990s Kosovo conflict.
Tamas Adany, an associate professor of international law in Hungary, agreed with this but also pointed to a nuance.
"Globally speaking, there are countries where, whenever they ratify an international treaty, it becomes part of the law of the land," he said.
"Most other countries, where the typical language of multilateral treaties is not an official language…rely on a process called promulgation" to make an international obligation part of national law, he said.
Hungary ratified the Rome Statute in 2001 under the first Orban government. But it has never carried out the second step, which basically amounts to incorporating the statute into the country's own national legal code.
"The question is hard because Hungary is under a legal obligation from the perspective of international law to comply with this. But Hungarian national law does not make it possible for the authorities [to do so]," Adany said.
This reasoning has also been used by the Hungarian authorities.
"Thanks to former President Janos Ader, we had the sense to never make it part of domestic law," government spokesman Gergely Gulyas said on March 13.
Yet Adany said the law was not entirely clear on this point, because Netanyahu is accused of crimes that have been considered part of customary international law since the 1940s.
"I'm very positive that those parts of the Rome Statute, which are considered by a majority of states to be customary international law in nature, should be enforced in Hungary even without a formal promulgation," he said.
Is Hungary Alone?
Gulyas pointed to another reason for not arresting Netanyahu. When the court warrant was issued, Germany offered an ambiguous response.
"I find it hard to imagine that we would make arrests on this basis," government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said, adding that legal questions had to be clarified about the warrant.
Then, in January, Christian Democrat leader Friedrich Merz said he would find "ways and means" to invite Netanyahu to Germany. Merz's party subsequently won federal elections, and he is now preparing to take office as the country's next chancellor.
Gulyas, the Hungarian government spokesman, seized on this.
"Since a country of Germany's size and power thinks that it must disregard its own domestic law because the decision of the International Criminal Court is so absurd, what is the point of the whole thing?" he said.
What Would Be The Consequences?
Merz's comments were hugely controversial in Germany.
Ambos said there could be "sanctions" for not carrying out an arrest warrant, imposed by the ICC's Assembly of State Parties, which is responsible for various court matters, including the election of judges and prosecutors and setting its budget.
"Such a situation just arose with regard to Vladimir Putin's visit and nonarrest in Mongolia," he added, referring to the Russian president's visit there in September.
Putin is wanted for the war crime of abducting children from Russian-occupied Ukraine.
"The consequence for Hungary is that we may possibly lose our voting rights in the Assembly of States Parties," Adany said, adding there could be a "judicial investigation into this conduct of Hungary."
The political fallout might be quite limited.
Hungary is already highly isolated within the European Union, where it has been accused of democratic backsliding and curtailing media freedom. Its pro-Russia positions have also led to diplomatic problems.
"I'm absolutely positive that the arrest is not going to happen," Adany said. "Netanyahu is going to travel home safely."
The Hungarian government did not immediately respond to RFE/RL's questions for this article.
- By Kian Sharifi
US Strikes On Yemen's Houthis A Message To Iran
The United States has launched extensive air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, aiming to curb their threat to shipping while also signaling a warning to Iran.
In a statement announcing his directive on March 15, US President Donald Trump also warned Iran to “immediately” end its support for the Houthis and vowed to hold Tehran “fully accountable” if it threatened Americans or shipping lanes.
On March 17, Trump turned up the heat, posting on his Truth Social platform that “the hundreds of attacks made by the Houthi, who are hated by the Yemeni people, emanate from, and are created by, Iran.”
"Any further attack or retaliation by the 'Houthis' will be met with great force, and there is no guarantee that the force will stop there,” he wrote.
The strikes come as Iran is weighing its response to a letter by Trump on direct talks over Tehran’s nuclear program, and possibly its regional activities and missile development.
Michael Horowitz, head of intelligence at the Bahrain-based Le Beck International consultancy, said he believes the attack on Houthi targets may well have something to do with Iran’s opposition to direct talks with the Trump administration.
“There is a message being sent in the type of weapons used, including sea-launched missiles,” he told RFE/RL. “Nuclear negotiations haven’t started, and Trump is threatening to use force if diplomacy doesn’t work. This is a way to show that he is serious.”
How Are The Attacks Different From Past Strikes?
Designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the Houthis, who are formally known as the Ansarallah movement, seized power in Yemen in 2014 by toppling the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government.
Soon after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, the Houthis began launching attacks on Israel and targeting ships in the Red Sea believed to be sailing to or from Israel. The group said this was in solidarity with the Palestinians.
The attacks stopped after a fragile cease-fire went into force in January, but the Houthis have threatened to resume their attacks if aid does not flow into Gaza.
Last year, US and British militaries carried out multiple air strikes against the Houthis, but the new wave of attacks seems to be different.
Horowitz said the administrations of former US President Joe Biden was focused on defensive and pre-emptive strikes, targeting weapon depots and weapons just before they were launched.
“Trump appears to have widened the scope of those strikes to include Houthi officials and offices. I would not discount that we’ll even see a campaign of targeted assassinations,” he added.
The Houthis have vowed to retaliate and claimed to have launched 18 drones and missiles against USS Harry S. Truman on March 16. The United States has not commented on the claim, but reports citing unnamed US officials say the drones were intercepted and the missiles did not reach the warship.
The Yemeni group claims US strikes have killed dozens of people, including children. But White House national-security adviser Mike Waltz said on March 16 that the United States “took out” multiple Houthi leaders.
How Has Iran Responded To The US Air Strikes?
The X account of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on March 16 posted a quote from the top Iranian decision-maker dating back to 2020, in which he insisted that the “nation of Yemen is definitely victorious.”
“The only path is that of resistance. That which has caused the US and its allies to panic today is the fact that the Muslim nations are standing firmly and that this resistance will prove to be effective,” the post read.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi criticized the Trump administration for demanding that Tehran cut ties with the Houthis, saying that US government “has no authorities or business dictating Iranian foreign policy.”
Meanwhile, Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), rejected assertions that Iran influences the Houthis, insisting that Tehran “has no role” in the Houthis’ decision-making process.
The Houthi movement is a key member of the Iran-led "axis of resistance," a network of non-state actors that has suffered major setbacks over the past year. The movement has particularly risen in stature as a defender of the Palestinian cause since it started hitting Israel and alleged Israeli-linked vessels.
Horowitz said the Houthis’ rising profile within the axis of resistance gives them some level of autonomy, but they are ultimately an Iranian proxy.
“They are still extremely dependent on Iran for weapons they use regularly so they will follow Iran's lead in my opinion,” he added.
- By Kian Sharifi,
- Schemes,
- Systema and
- RFE/RL's Radio Farda
What Data Tells Us About The Violence In Syria
While the eruption of violence in western Syria has raised questions about the transitional government’s ability to control its affiliated factions, it has also brought Russian and Iranian involvement in Syrian affairs into sharp focus.
Various human rights groups monitoring the situation in Syria have documented over 800 casualties, including civilians, since clashes erupted on March 6 between government forces and gunmen loyal to the deposed president, Bashar al-Assad.
Rebel groups led by Ahmad al-Sharaa toppled the government in a lightning offensive in December 2024, bringing an end to half a century of Assad family rule over Syria.
Assad’s government was backed by Russia and Iran. While Russia has maintained ties with the new government, Iran has been completely excluded.
Through interviews and analysis of open-source data, RFE/RL can give a clearer picture of what's happening inside Syria.
Men Executed By Gunshots
Rights groups say among the dead are hundreds of civilian casualties, most of whom were Alawite, a minority community which Assad belongs to. The UN on March 11 said entire families, including women and children, were killed during the violence.
Social-media footage analyzed by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, suggests that some of the worst violence against Alawite civilians took place in the port city of Latakia, where Russia’s Hmeimim air base is located.
Some videos showed unarmed men being executed by gunshot from behind and others depicted victims being physically abused and humiliated, such as being forced to bark like a dog and crawl over dead bodies.
Nobil, a Syrian from Latakia who currently lives in Greece, told Schemes that factions affiliated with the transitional government entered his home village of Muzayraa on the night of March 6 and indiscriminately shot at houses with large-caliber machine guns mounted on trucks.
He said he lost six family members in the attack, including two aunts and two nephews, but his brother managed to escape.
Schemes found the Facebook profile of one of the alleged attackers known as Abu Bakr Mork, also called Talha, whose page is filled with posts about the attacks in western Syria.
In one post, he called for men to come to the area because the women in the area “are widowed and there are no men left.” In another, he wrote about the “campaign to clear the remnants of the defunct regime,” referring to Assad’s government.
Seeking Refuge In A Russian Air Base
Satellite images provided by Planet Labs and analyzed by Schemes show that, as early as March 7, people started to gather near the Russian-operated Hmeimim air base, seemingly seeking refuge from the clashes.
“This very well may be the only safe place for people to stay, given that neither side wants to spoil relations with Russia at the moment,” Ihor Semyvolos, director of the Kyiv-based Center for Middle East Studies, told Schemes.
Russia was a major backer of Assad, providing his forces and Iranian-backed proxies air support as they fought not only against Islamic State (IS) militants but also rebels opposed to Assad’s rule.
Those same rebels are now in charge, but Moscow has managed to position itself as a critical partner to Syria’s new rulers, who rely on Russia to print its local currency.
The Russians have maintained a significant presence at their two military bases, especially at Hmeimim.
Systema, RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit, has confirmed at least 37 flights by large Antonov An-124 cargo planes between December 2024 and March, identifying 22 arrivals and 15 departures from the air base. Each plane can carry up to 150 tons of equipment, indicating substantial movement of personnel or equipment.
Shaky Ground: Inside The Russian Military Bases In Syria
Analyzing images on social media from the last few days, Systema has found that Major General Sergei Gashkov, head of Russia's Center for Reconciliation and Refugee Movement Control in Syria, is currently at the air base.
It is unsurprising that Russia seeks to maintain strong ties with Damascus under its new leadership, as retaining control over the Hmeimim air base and the naval base in Tartus provides strategic access to the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean Sea.
What Is Iran’s Role?
There is no solid evidence suggesting that Russia is involved in fomenting unrest along Syria’s western coast, but some have accused Iran of playing a part.
In Assad, Iran lost a key ally who had allowed Tehran to use Syria as a land corridor to connect its regional proxies in Iraq and Lebanon.
When Syrian rebels deposed Assad, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that Syrians would rise and resist the rebel government.
Iran currently has no way of getting funds or arms into Syria, but several key figures leading the pro-Assad resistance to the new government are close to Tehran and trained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Assad’s surviving loyalists are led by four figures: Major General Suhail al-Hassan, whose hometown of Aita was among the first to witness clashes; Muqdad Fatiha, founder of the Coast Shield armed group; Ibrahim Hawija, former head of Syrian Intelligence; and Ghias Dalla, aformer officer in Syria's elite 4th Armored Division with links to the IRGC and the US-designated Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.
Phillip Smyth, an expert on Iranian proxies and Shi'ite militias, told RFE/RL that Iran “desired an overreaction” from the transitional government, and it got what it wanted.
Tehran "is happy this was set off," especially since it establishes that Iran "can cause massive disruption" in Syria, Smyth said.
With reporting by Olya Ivleva, Kyrylo Ovsyaniy, Anna Myroniuk of Schemes; Daniil Belovodyev, Dmitry Sukharev, Svetlana Osipova, Yelizaveta Surnacheva of Systema; and Iliya Jazaeri of RFE/RL’s Radio Farda
- By Kian Sharifi
Hundreds Of Civilians Said To Have Been Killed By Syrian Security Forces
The United Nations and the United States have called on Syrian authorities to take immediate action after it was reported that Syrian government forces have killed hundreds of civilians belonging to the Alawite minority group in recent days.
The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on March 8 that it had identified 745 civilians belonging to the Alawite minority who were killed in two days of clashes between security forces and fighters loyal to the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad in Latakia Province. The numbers have not yet been independently verified.
"The killing of civilians in coastal areas in northwest Syria must cease, immediately," UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement on March 9.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Syria's interim authorities to hold accountable the "radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis" who have committed "massacres against Syria’s minority communities" in recent days.
"The United States stands with Syria's religious and ethnic minorities," Rubio said in a statement on March 9.
Reuters quoted diplomats as saying the United States and Russia have asked the Security Council to meet behind closed doors on March 10 over the escalating violence. Russian state media quoted Moscow's UN mission as saying the meeting would begin at 10 a.m.
According to SOHR, the total death toll from the violence rose to more than 1,000, including at least 125 security personnel and 148 Assad loyalists.
The monitoring group, which has a network of sources across Syria, said most of the civilian victims were shot at close range by "security forces and allied groups."
The clashes that erupted on March 6 mark the country's worst outbreak of violence since the regime of Assad, an ally of Iran and Russia, was overthrown in December.
Reuters and Al-Jazeera reported that dozens of people, mostly women, children, and elders, have sought refuge at the Russian Khmeimim military base in the Latakia countryside. There has been no immediate comment from the Russian authorities.
The monitoring group also reported that electricity and drinking water were cut off in large areas around the city of Latakia, the heartland of the Alawite minority to which Assad belonged.
Sharaa's Struggle To Maintain Control
Ahmed Sharaa, Syria's interim president, called for peace on March 9, saying the nation has to "preserve national unity and domestic peace."
"We will be able to live together in this country," Sharaa said speaking at a mosque in Damascus.
Sharaa had earlier blamed what he called "remnants" of Assad's government for the violence, but he did not address allegations that his forces had killed civilians.
Reuters cited a Syrian source as saying on March 9 that clashes continued overnight in several towns where armed groups fired on security forces and ambushed cars on highways leading to main towns in the coastal area.
A curfew has been enforced in Homs, Latakia, and Tartus due to ongoing fighting.
Analysts say the fighting exposes Sharaa's struggle to maintain control in a post-Assad Syria -- to the delight of Iran, Israel, and even Islamic State (IS) extremists.
Colin Clarke, director of policy and research at the New York-based Soufan Group intelligence consultancy, said what is transpiring in Latakia is "simply an inevitable outcome" in any postconflict setting.
Did Iran Start The Unrest?
The fighting started about a week after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, whose country is a major backer of Sharaa's rule, warned Iran against moving to challenge the new Syrian government by empowering groups opposed to it.
He warned that it "would not be the right" approach and said doing so may result in "another country doing the same thing to you in return."
Sharaa, who saw Ankara-backed groups join the offensive launched by his US-designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) against Assad, has received scores of foreign delegations since seizing power in Damascus but has frozen Iran out in favor of its rivals Turkey and Saudi Arabia, as well as Western nations.
Phillip Smyth, an expert on Iranian proxies and Shi'ite militias, said there is "a lot of evidence" pointing to Tehran's involvement in the new outbreak of violence.
Iranian figures, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said after Assad's fall that Syrians would revolt against Sharaa's rule.
Smyth said Tehran "is happy this was set off," especially since it establishes that Iran "can cause massive disruption" despite losing a key ally in Assad.
"Better for Tehran is the fact that HTS militants demonstrated they would engage in human rights abuses. Iran desired an overreaction," he added.
Some observers have also suggested Tehran could look to back the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to challenge not only Sharaa, but also Turkey's growing influence.
The SDF commander Mazloum Abdi told Reuters on March 9 that factions “supported by Turkey and Islamic extremists” were chiefly responsible for the latest violence in Latakia.
Syria, under Assad's rule, played a pivotal role in Iran's strategic land corridor to the Levant. This corridor was crucial for Iran's regional influence, serving as the logistical backbone for its network of state and nonstate actors.
Who Else Stands to Gain From The Unrest?
Since rebels seized power, the new government has faced numerous security challenges.
Elements loyal to Assad, who belongs to the Alawite community, have sporadically attacked the new government's security forces, while IS remains active in various pockets throughout the country.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have expanded territorial control in southern Syria, with reports saying they are positioned about 20 kilometers from the capital. Israel has been targeting military assets and demanding the demilitarization of southern Syria.
"IS is extremely opportunistic and will be biding its time and waiting to strike. Israel will also take advantage of the situation by launching more strikes in the south of Syria," Clarke said.
"Sharaa is indeed struggling with control, but much of this is to be expected," he added.
- By RFE/RL
First Phase Of Gaza Cease-Fire Nears End With Release Of 6 Israeli Hostages
The U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has released six Israeli hostages -- the last living hostages from a group of 33 that were expected to be freed in the first phase of the Gaza cease-fire.
Hamas had held two of those released for around a decade since they entered Gaza on their own.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog in a statement on X celebrated their release "from the depths of hell to begin the process of healing and recovery alongside their loving families."
In return, Israel is set to free 602 Palestinian prisoners, including convicted felons and Gazans detained following the start of the war, to complete the final hostage-prisoner swap of the first phase of the truce. Those handed the longest sentences are not allowed back in Gaza and will be sent to a third country.
The multiphase ceasefire went into effect on January 19, but negotiations have not yet started to move to the crucial second phase, which involves a permanent end to the Gaza war.
"The completion of a hostage deal is a humanitarian, moral, and Jewish imperative," Herzog wrote on X.
The conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked settlements in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages to Gaza.
Israel retaliated by launching a devastating war in the Palestinian enclave that has killed tens of thousands of people, according to local authorities, and displaced most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
Hamas has been strongly criticized for its stage-managed release of Israeli hostages, which have included public ceremonies during which hostages are taken on stage.
The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross slammed Hamas this week for parading the bodies of dead Israeli hostages in Gaza.
The militant Palestinian group on February 20 handed over the bodies of four hostages to the Red Cross, after presenting their coffins on a stage surrounded by armed militants.
The bodies included two children and their mother Shiri Bibas, but Israeli authorities said the body in the coffin was not hers. This threatened the tenuous cease-fire as Israel accused Hamas of being in “serious violation” of the truce.
However, Hamas delivered another body late on February 21, which Bibas’s family confirmed to be hers.
The Palestinian group insists the family was killed in an Israeli airstrike, but Israel says forensics show the mother and her young children were “deliberately” killed by their captors.
The final four sets of remains, completing the hostage release of the first phase, will be released next week.
Mediators say both sides plan to begin a second round of negotiations focused on securing the release of about 60 remaining hostages -- fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive --and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
However, prospects for an agreement have been complicated by disputes over Gaza’s future, further inflamed by regional outrage over U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to remove Palestinians from the enclave and transform it into a U.S.-controlled resort.
- By Kian Sharifi
Why Is Saudi Arabia Seeking To Mediate A Deal Between U.S. And Iran?
After facilitating the first high-level talks between U.S. and Russian officials since the Ukraine war began, Saudi Arabia is now reportedly positioning itself as a mediator in another high-stakes negotiation -- this time between the United States and Iran.
CNN, which first broke the story, reports that it remains unclear whether the Saudis have formally offered to mediate. Still, analysts suggest Riyadh has strong incentives to broker talks and may be better positioned than traditional mediators to bring the U.S. and Iran to the negotiating table.
“Riyadh is looking for a way to address concerns around Iran's nuclear program, as well as its regional activities and its support for proxies,” says Gregory Brew, senior analyst at the U.S.-based Eurasia Group.
“Given Riyadh's interest in avoiding an escalation in the Gulf, it probably sees diplomacy as a more effective means of addressing these issues, rather than military action,” he added.
Saudi Seeking Stability
Saudi Arabia cut relations with Iran in 2016 after its diplomatic missions were attacked by protesters angry over Riyadh’s execution of a top Shi’ite cleric. Two years later, when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, the Saudis were among Iran’s adversaries who celebrated the move.
In 2019, Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels launched a major drone and missile attack against Saudi oil facilities, severely disrupting the Kingdom’s crude production.
But much has changed since then, thanks to a Chinese-brokered deal in March 2023 that led to the restoration of relations between Tehran and Riyadh.
Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman has long sought to position his country as a global economic and diplomatic powerhouse under his Vision 2030 plan, which aims to diversify the Kingdom’s economy and reduce its reliance on oil.
To achieve that, however, Saudi Arabia needs stability in the Middle East.
“Saudi Arabia's willingness to moderate between Tehran and Washington was not borne of a political vacuum,” said Behnam Taleblu, senior director of the Iran Program at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).
“By stylistically accommodating Tehran through diplomatic normalization but substantively remaining in the Western orbit, Riyadh is hoping to insulate itself from being the place where a larger regional conflict involving Iran is adjudicated.”
While the Islamic republic officially insists it is not pursuing a nuclear weapon, there has been growing discussion in Iran about weaponizing its nuclear program -- especially as Tehran's regional proxies, long seen as its primary deterrent against Israel and the United States, have suffered setbacks.
Abdulaziz Sager, the chairman of the Saudi Arabia-based Gulf Research Center, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that Riyadh “firmly says” it’s up to Iran whether it wants to maintain its peaceful nuclear program.
He added, however, that Iran’s expansion of its nuclear program following Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear accord “does not give assurances” that it will remain peaceful.
Iranian Incentives
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last month dismissed the prospect of direct talks with Trump over a new nuclear deal, insisting that the U.S. president cannot be trusted.
This is where Saudi Arabia can prove decisive and flex its diplomatic muscles, experts say.
On paper, the Saudis can offer to the Iranians things that traditional mediators, namely Oman and Qatar, may not be able to offer, said Brew.
Saudi Arabia has arguably benefitted more than Iran from the 2023 normalization deal, with many in Iran complaining that Tehran has gained little economically from restoring relations with the Sunni powerhouse.
“Iran is looking for ways of ensuring that it's going to receive a degree of economic benefit from an agreement, and Saudi Arabia is a natural way of obtaining that if the Saudis can offer investment, trade, and other benefits,” Brew said.
Another incentive for agreeing to Saudi mediation is that just like former U.S. President Barack Obama could not guarantee that the Trump administration would remain in the 2015 nuclear deal, Trump cannot allay Iranian concerns about the next administration sticking to the deal.
“On the other hand, [Muhammad bin Salman] is going to be around for a long time, and there’s the potential for Saudi offers to sweeten the deal,” Brew argued.
Iran and the U.S. initially held secret talks in 2013 before holding public meetings that eventually led to the signing of the nuclear deal in 2015.
“Iran is likely to engage, especially if it is private, and force concessions simply for staying at the table or for turning off the spigot to activities it can easily resume at a time of its own choosing,” FDD’s Taleblu said.
Hannah Kaviani of RFE/RL’s Radio Farda contributed to this story.
- By Kian Sharifi
Can Israel Destroy Iran's Nuclear Program?
U.S. intelligence has concluded that the odds of an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear program in the next few months are high, according to major American media, but the jury is out on whether Israel can destroy its archfoe's nuclear facilities on its own.
Iran is widely believed to be at its weakest and most vulnerable in decades, mostly due to Israeli actions in the past year that severely damaged Tehran's regional network and weakened its air defenses and missile production capabilities.
This assessment is "not strange" because the possibility has been floated for months, specifically following Israeli strikes on Iran last October, according to Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
"But this now being reported by major outlets could be linked to U.S. President Donald Trump's approach toward Iran, which is a mixture of a desire to strike a nuclear deal while threatening military action," he told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
Potential Israeli Attack
The Israeli attack last October was in response to the Islamic republic launching 200 ballistic missiles, which penetrated Israel's formidable air defenses but caused little damage.
While Tehran downplayed the impact of the Israeli attack, satellite images quickly showed Israel had successfully degraded Iran's air defense and missile-production capabilities.
Analysts say the attack was calibrated, thanks to pressure from former U.S. President Joe Biden's administration, which convinced Israel not to hit Iran's nuclear facilities and energy infrastructure.
The attack marked the largest aerial offensive against Iran since the 1980s and showed that Israel can target facilities deep inside Iranian territory.
But Israel is unlikely to be able to destroy Iran's nuclear program without help from the United States.
Iran's two key nuclear sites are the underground fuel enrichment plant in Natanz and the enrichment site in Fordow, which is dug into a mountain. Some have expressed doubt about whether even U.S. weapons can reliably penetrate and completely neutralize those facilities.
Since taking office in January, Trump has expressed a desire to make a "verifiable nuclear peace agreement" with Iran, but his language has become noticeably more threatening over time. While Trump initially talked about wanting to see Iran "prosper", he more recently said he would "love to make a deal with them without bombing them."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a staunch critic of negotiating with Iran and he opposed the 2015 nuclear deal that was signed during U.S. President Barack Obama's administration.
While Netanyahu has a great rapport with Trump, there is no guarantee that he will reconsider attacking Iran's nuclear sites if Trump were to reach a deal with Tehran.
"For Netanyahu, no deal with Iran is better than any deal. He probably worries that Trump might give away the whole store to the Iranians," says Ali Vaez, the director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group.
Advanced Nuclear Program
Iran has significantly expanded its nuclear program since Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal during his first term in office and reimposed sanctions against Tehran.
The Islamic republic insists that its nuclear program is peaceful and that it has no intention to develop a bomb.
But it is now enriching uranium to 60 percent purity, which is close to weapons-grade levels and far above the 3.67 percent limit under the nuclear accord. As of October 2024, Iran has just over 182 kilograms of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent. Around 42 kilograms are needed to produce one bomb, meaning Tehran has enough to make four bombs.
The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in its 2024 annual threat report that it does not believe Iran is currently pursuing a bomb, but its activities in recent years "better position it to produce a nuclear device."
If the Islamic republic chose to make a bomb, it would be mainly limited by the time required to build a deliverable nuclear warhead, which can take anywhere from a few months to two years.
The New York Times earlier this month reported that there are indications Iran is looking into quickly building a crude nuclear weapon to ward off an attack.
But the D.C.-based Institute for Science and International Security argues that even if Iran were to build a crude weapon in half a year, it risks being detected in just a few months, which "is more than sufficient for a devastating military response."
Vaez said while there is a military option in dealing with Iran's nuclear program, there is no military solution.
"Iran's most important asset is the knowledge that it has gained, not the physical infrastructure on the ground or in bunkered facilities," he added.
Fereshteh Ghazi of RFE/RL's Radio Farda contributed to this story.
Aga Khan Buried In Egypt After Shia-Ismaili Muslims Commemorate Spiritual Leader
Spiritual leader and business magnate Prince Karim Aga Khan, considered by his followers to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, was laid to rest in Aswan, Egypt today. He was remembered fondly by admirers in Pakistan and Lisbon a day earlier on February 8. Shia-Ismaili Muslims around the world reflected on Aga Khan's advocacy for peace, interfaith harmony, women's rights, and his philanthropy work. With a lifelong passion for design and architecture, Aga Khan poured a financial empire built on billions of dollars in tithes into building homes, hospitals, and schools in developing countries. He died on February 4 at 88.
- By RFE/RL
Trump Signs Order Imposing Sanctions On International Criminal Court
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order slapping sanctions on officials with the International Criminal Court for opening investigations targeting the United States and Israel.
Trump's order said the court in The Hague “has engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”
The executive order, signed by Trump on February 6, said those actions “set a dangerous precedent, directly endangering current and former United States personnel,” including members of the U.S. military.
The order refers to an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his actions toward Palestinians in Gaza and recent actions by the court that endanger members of the U.S. military.
The order was signed after Netanyahu visited Trump at the White House on February 4. It notes that neither the United States nor Israel are members of the court.
Trump’s order imposes sanctions, including barring ICC officials, employees, and family members from entering the United States and freezes any assets they hold in U.S. jurisdiction. The sanctions also apply to anyone deemed to have helped the court's investigations.
The ICC issued arrest warrants on November 21 for Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif -- who Israel says is dead.
The warrants are for "crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024."
Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people, mostly Israeli citizens, and took hundreds of others hostage. A subsequent Israeli offensive aimed at neutralizing Hamas has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly in the Gaza Strip.
Trump in 2020 during his first administration imposed financial sanctions and a visa ban on the ICC's then-prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, and other senior officials and staff. The move came after Bensouda launched an investigation into allegations of war crimes against U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.
President Joe Biden lifted the sanctions soon after taking office in 2021.
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan,Khan later effectively dropped the United States from the Afghan investigation.
With reporting by AFP
- By Kian Sharifi
Why Trump's Gaza Takeover Proposal Has Drawn Strong Reactions Worldwide
U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to displace Palestinians from Gaza and have the United States take control of the territory has drawn strong reaction worldwide, potentially upending Washington’s longstanding Israeli-Palestinian policy.
"The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We'll own it," Trump said during a joint press conference at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 4.
Details about how the radical proposal, first made last month, would work were not clear, including under what authority the United States could take control of the Gaza Strip, or how the 2.3 million residents would be relocated.
Many established Middle East foreign policy experts deem the plan unworkable and suggest the U.S. administration reconsider its stance due to the staunch opposition it has encountered.
“This has no realistic prospect, and I think once the administration sees the opposition, they’ll pull back from this whole thing,” said Azriel Bermant, a senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations Prague.
Cease-Fire Deal In The Balance
There are further concerns that the proposal risks damaging a fragile cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group that has run Gaza since 2007.
The multiphase cease-fire, which went into effect last month, temporarily paused more than a year of fighting in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
“The fear is that [Trump’s proposal] could do damage to the possibilities of getting the remaining hostages out,” Bermant said.
The crucial second phase of the cease-fire agreement envisions a permanent end to the war, but negotiations have not even started to iron out the details and implement it.
"There is a risk that this could hurt efforts" to agree on and execute the second phase of the cease-fire, Bermant said.
Allies, Adversaries Up In Arms
Prominent Arab nations, including those that have normalized relations with Israel, jointly rejected Trump’s recent demand for Egypt and Jordan to accept Gaza residents.
Now, Trump has upped the ante by suggesting that, not only does he want Gazans relocated, but intends for the United States to take control and turn Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East."
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas has rejected Trump’s proposal and said that “legitimate Palestinian rights are not negotiable.”
U.S. allies and adversaries have also criticized the plan and renewed calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The French Foreign Ministry asserted that relocating Palestinians would be a “serious violation of international law” and insisted that Gaza cannot be controlled by “a third state.”
The Saudis, who maintain good relations with Trump, warned that they “will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without” a sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Trump aims for regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia to join Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in normalizing relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, but it’s hard to see this moving forward in tandem with his current Gaza proposal.
China and Russia have also expressed opposition to the forced transfer of Palestinians.
Around 2.4 million registered Palestinian refugees currently live in Jordan, according to UN figures. Many of them have been displaced for generations while fighting for their right of return under international law. There is a lack of official data on Palestinian refugee numbers in Egypt, but reports say at least 115,000 Gaza residents have crossed the border into Egypt since the outbreak of the war in October 2023.
The View From Israel
Trump’s plan will undoubtedly be welcomed by hard-liners in Netanyahu's cabinet, as well as many Israeli citizens.
Some are suggesting that this is crucial for Israel's security while others argue it might even be the most humanitarian solution for a population who have no homes to go back to after the widespread destruction of Gaza.
But for many moderate Israelis, who are supportive of the two-state solution, the worry is that this could backfire badly.
Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid likened the proposal to “dropping a bomb” whose ramifications were difficult to predict.
Challenging U.S. Policy
The United States has actively backed a two-state solution since the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, which envisioned both Gaza and the West Bank as part of a Palestinian state.
All U.S. administrations since then have supported a two-state solution, but Trump appears to be shifting a long-standing U.S. policy.
"There is no power in the world that can determine where Palestinians will live. This is our country,” Samir al-Barawi, a Palestinian refugee in Bosnia, told RFE/RL’s Balkan Service.
“Trump cannot decide where we will live. We were born in Gaza and only death can take people out of Gaza.”
Barawi said he, like other Palestinians, would like to return to Gaza one day, “but not as tourists.”
Trump has not publicly commented on whether he supports an Israeli annexation of the West Bank, but when asked about it on February 4, he said Israel is a “small country in terms of land.”
Bermant reiterated that Trump’s Gaza proposal was unlikely to be implemented and argued that a “bigger concern” is whether the U.S. president is going to allow the Netanyahu government to annex the West Bank.
“That would be a huge shift [in U.S. policy],” he said.
With reporting by Meliha Kesmer of RFE/RL's Balkan Service
- By Kian Sharifi
Eyeing Regional Powers, Syria Is Freezing Iran Out
Rebel leader-turned-Syrian ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa has received scores of foreign delegations since seizing power in Damascus in December -- but not one of them was Iranian.
To drive his point home, Sharaa made trips to Iran's regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Turkey a priority soon after being declared Syria's interim president.
Iran being frozen out by Syria's new rulers is hardly surprising. After all, Tehran spent billions of dollars, dispatched military advisers, and set up proxies in Syria to help former President Bashar al-Assad crack down on dissent and fight rebel forces opposed to his government when civil war broke out in 2011.
"After tens of thousands being killed by Iran, its allies, and proxies in Syria, there's no love lost for them nor much of an urge for rapprochement," said Phillip Smyth, an expert on developments in the Middle East and Iranian proxies.
'Door Closed' To Tehran
Even conservative Iranian media see Sharaa's Saudi trip as a signal to Iran that Damascus has moved out of Tehran's orbit.
"I can't see how it wouldn't be interpreted as a message to Tehran, given Saudi is one of their major regional foes," said Smyth.
Sharaa, head of the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has long tried to change his public image. He has publicly renounced his ties to Al-Qaeda and tried to portray himself as a pragmatist and tolerant leader.
He stopped using his rebel moniker Abu Muhammad al-Jolani after toppling the Assad government and has set out to lift sanctions on Syria and rebuild the country after over a decade of civil war.
Masoud Aflak, a political analyst based in the United Arab Emirates, said Sharaa's Saudi trip was "an important step" toward lifting Western sanctions, acquiring funds to rebuild Syria, and establishing security in the post-Assad era.
"The interim president is aware that to lift sanctions, Syria needs a country that can be its voice on the world stage," he told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
Saudi Arabia's overture to Sharaa is notable in that Riyadh views Islamist movements as an existential threat.
"Saudi Arabia sees an opportunity based in pragmatism when dealing with Syria," Smyth said. "Now, Saudis, along with other states (including European ones) are testing the waters. They're trying to see what the next chapter will be in Damascus and have more of a chance for influence than with the last regime."
Aflak said the primary concern for the Saudis is to ensure there is no power vacuum in Syria that extremist groups and Iran-backed proxies can use.
"Instability in Syria will not be contained to Syria and will spill over to other countries," Aflak argued.
Sharaa's trip carries another message -- this one directed at Sunni regional actors, according to Smyth.
"It's opening its doors to competitive actors with their own regional geopolitical issues," he said. "Qatar and Saudi come to mind. There's already a relationship with Turkey. The door has been shut to Iran."
Even Russia Gets A Nod
The only other state ally of Assad was Russia, which helped the former Syrian leader maintain his grip on power throughout his reign -- particularly in the years after its major military intervention in 2015 -- and took him in when he was pushed from power.
Unlike Iran, Russia seems to have had some success connecting with Syria's new rulers. It has maintained contact with Damascus and even sent a delegation to speak to Sharaa last week in the hopes of salvaging its military bases in Syria.
"Iran tried to fundamentally change Syria and was overt in these measures. It was sectarian and ideological in nature," Smyth said. "Russia, despite its clear use of cruel violence against civilians, still was a bit more pragmatic."
Crucially, Smyth added, Russia "provides a better counterweight" to Western powers looking cautiously to establish relations with Damascus.
However, Iran, having watched its loose network of regional allies and proxies unravel over the past year, has little to offer Syria.
"Even their oil doesn't carry much value when links to the Gulf have been renewed," Smyth said.
Room To Wiggle Back?
Syria under Assad served as a crucial part of a land corridor connecting Iran to the Levant, which was considered the logistical backbone of its regional network of state and nonstate actors. Losing Assad has, therefore, dealt a heavy blow to the so-called axis of resistance.
The Iranian government has not ruled out establishing relations with Sharaa's government, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi saying Iran endorses any government elected by the Syrian people.
But that message runs contrary to comments by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who last month backed "Syrian youth" to rise against Sharaa.
For his part, Sharaa does not seem interested in striking up a relationship with Tehran. He has banned Israelis and Iranians from entering Syria and is reportedly seeking compensation from the Islamic republic for damages caused during the civil war.
That basically leaves Iran with one option: Capitalize on reports of sectarian violence under the new interim government to prop up armed Shi'ite militias to challenge Sharaa.
"They may try to rally some support for violence within Syria. Instability and the crafting of it has always been a usable option for Iran," Smyth said.
But given Iran's many challenges at home and abroad, that is easier said than done.
With reporting by Elaheh Ravanshad of RFE/RL's Radio Farda
- By RFE/RL
Trump Withdraws U.S. From UN Human Rights Council, Aid Agency For Palestinians
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and said Washington will not renew funding for the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees.
Trump signed an executive order on February 4 just before meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country has long accused both UNHRC and the Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) of bias against Israel and antisemitism.
The executive order said the United States helped found the United Nations after World War II to prevent future global conflicts and promote international peace and security. But some UN agencies “have drifted from this mission and instead act contrary to the interests of the United States while attacking our allies and propagating anti-Semitism,” it said.
UNRWA has reportedly been infiltrated by members of groups long designated as foreign terrorist organizations, according to the order, while UNHRC has protected human rights abusers by allowing them to use the organization to shield themselves from scrutiny.
The executive order also said the United States would review involvement in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The executive order said UNESCO has demonstrated failure to reform itself, continually demonstrated anti-Israel sentiment over the past decade, and failed to address concerns over mounting debts.
The order also set up a broad review of U.S. funding for multilateral organizations to be completed within 180 days. The review is to determine in part which organizations, conventions, and treaties “are contrary to the interests of the United States" and whether they can be reformed.
Trump also pulled the United States out of the Human Rights Council during his first term in office. The U.S. ambassador to the UN at the time, Nikki Haley, accused the council of “chronic bias against Israel” and pointed to what she said were human rights abusers among its members.
President Joe Biden renewed support for the 47-member UNHRC, but announced in September that the United States would not seek a second consecutive term.
The council's activities include reviews of countries' human rights records and specific allegations of rights abuses.
UNRWA is currently providing humanitarian assistance to many of the 1.9 million people displaced by the war in Gaza who depend on its deliveries for survival.
U.S. funding of UNRWA was halted in January 2024 by Biden after Israel accused 12 of its employees of involvement in Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack.
A series of probes found some "neutrality related issues" at UNRWA, but no evidence for Israel's chief allegations, and most other donors that had similarly suspended funding resumed their financial support.
Trump said based on the UN's “great potential” the United States would “continue to go along with it,” but added that the primary purpose of the United Nations should be settling conflicts.
A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Guterres has worked tirelessly to implement many reforms and increase efficiency and innovation.
Stephane Dujarric added that U.S. support for the United Nations has saved countless lives and advanced global security.
"The secretary-general looks forward to continuing his productive relationship with President Trump and the U.S. government to strengthen that relationship in today’s turbulent world," Dujarric said.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
- By RFE/RL
Trump Proposes Palestinians Leave Gaza To Clear Way For U.S. 'Ownership'
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a proposal on February 4 under which displaced Palestinians would leave the Gaza Strip, allowing the United States to take ownership of the coastal territory and develop it economically into a “phenomenal” place where many nationalities could live in peace.
Trump said this would occur after the resettlement of the Palestinian people to other countries to get them out of what he said was a “hell hole” of demolished buildings following more than a year of war between Israel and Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
Trump made the surprise proposal at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying such a drastic move is necessary because other ideas to end decades of conflict between the Palestinian people and Israelis have not worked.
His proposal on the Gaza Strip would see the United States taking it over and would appear to upend years of U.S. policy calling for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Trump said the United States would work to dismantle all unexploded bombs and other weapons in the territory and clear away destroyed buildings before economically developing the area.
"If it's necessary, we'll do that, we're going to take over that piece, we're going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it'll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of," Trump added.
The president did not immediately offer details on where the Palestinians would be resettled, but said he would support resettling them "permanently" in other countries. Earlier in the day he repeated his call for Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab states to take in Gazans. Hamas has adamantly insisted it wants to remain in Gaza.
Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Trump may have floated this idea to raise the stakes after Arab countries refused his request to take in Palestinians.
"Now, he’s cranking up the pressure: If you won't take them, we’ll remove them ourselves and take control of Gaza," Dubowitz said on X. "Classic Trump: Go to the extreme, making what once seemed outrageous suddenly look like the reasonable middle ground."
The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement that its call for an independent Palestinian state was a "firm, steadfast, and unwavering position."
The statement noted Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the country's de facto ruler, has said Saudi Arabia will not stop working toward the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
Trump said he had discussed his proposal with Netanyahu during their meeting at the White House. He also said he had raised it with other leaders of countries in the Middle East and claimed it had been met favorably.
Netanyahu said Trump sees a different future for the Gaza Strip, which he said has been the source of so many "trials and tribulations" for the Israeli people.
"He has a different idea," Netanyahu said. "It's something that could change history and it's worthwhile really pursuing this avenue.”
Just two weeks into his second term, Trump was hosting Netanyahu to discuss the future of the Gaza cease-fire, the release of hostages, and a renewed push for a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
- By Ray Furlong
As Netanyahu Visits The White House, Could Trump's Gaza Plan Happen?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the White House on February 4 as Donald Trump's first guest since his inauguration at a critical juncture in the Gaza cease-fire -- and amid ongoing controversy about the U.S. president's idea of removing the Palestinian population from the strip.
The meeting comes just as talks were due to begin on phase two of the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by both Israel and the United States.
"This is a very significant meeting that to a large extent will dictate the trajectory of the whole war and the deal down the road," Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence officer, told RFE/RL.
Speculation about the talks has swirled, with some analysts suggesting Trump will seek to push Netanyahu to drive the process forward and avoid a return to war. "It's basically to try to end the situation as soon as possible," said Melamed.
But the visit also comes just days after Trump called for Palestinians from Gaza to be moved to Egypt and Jordan. The plan to "clean out" the strip, as he put it, would mean "they could maybe live in peace for a change," he said.
This suggestion has been welcomed by some hard-liners in Netanyahu's cabinet but has met indignation in Arab countries. This position appears to broadly reflect public opinion in these countries.
"In the Middle East, it's seen as unworkable, undesirable, illegal," Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, told RFE/RL.
"This has been a red line for Egypt not just during the era of President [Abdel-Fattah] Sisi but going back to [former President Hosni] Mubarak that they would not accept Gaza being dumped on Egypt," he added.
Several million Palestinians already live in Jordan, and tens of thousands in Egypt. Trump appeared to suggest their dependence on huge levels of U.S. military and financial aid would make them comply.
"We do a lot for them, and they are going to do it," he said on January 30.
Melamed said that some voices on Arab social media were challenging official positions.
"People are saying: The Palestinians in Gaza have nothing to go back to. There are no homes, there are no services," he said, summarizing the argument as: "I want to have a future for me and my kids, and I want to have a house and not a tent."
Melamed acknowledged that views such as this did not amount to a trend.
Doyle says Trump's comments could be "an opening negotiating tactic, knowing full well they're not going to take 1.5 million refugees."
Instead, Doyle says, "he might get them to do a token amount, maybe 100,000 each, or he might get them to be more pliable on another issue."
Other Israeli observers are also deeply skeptical about Trump's idea.
Writing on the Haaretz news website, veteran commentator and retired Israeli Army officer Zvi Bar'el said Trump's Gaza proposal could endanger the current cease-fire in Gaza. He said it may lead to a decision by Hamas not to release Israeli hostages.
"Freeing all the hostages requires Israel not only to end the war but also to refrain from resuming it and start discussing Gaza's rehabilitation. If Trump's transfer idea is on the table, however, the demand to scrap it may become a key condition brought forward by Hamas, risking the deal's continuation," he wrote.
Another possible element to the Trump-Netanyahu talks will be the prospects for Israel to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia. Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Israel, via Riyadh, last week.
A deal would be hugely significant following the Abraham Accords which established diplomatic relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain during the first Trump administration.
But the death and destruction wrought by Israel in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas are widely seen as having made the deal politically difficult for Saudi Arabia for the time being.
Additionally, Riyadh has linked formalizing ties with Israel to a two-state solution with a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank.
At the weekend, Saudi Arabia signed up to a joint statement with Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Palestinian Authority, and the Arab League condemning the idea of a population transfer.
"We affirm our rejection of [any attempts] to compromise Palestinians' unalienable rights, whether through settlement activities, or evictions, or annex of land, or through vacating the land from its owners," the statement said.
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