Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to testify in court on Tuesday, facing charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases.
Netanyahu has repeatedly requested to delay his testimony because of the conflicts roiling the Middle East but was mostly denied by the courts. The long-running trial comes as Netanyahu is already facing accusations by critics in Israel of dragging out the war in Gaza and putting off a cease-fire deal that could release some 100 hostages who remain in the territory after 14 months of war triggered by the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,500 Palestinians in the Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to local health authorities. They say most of the dead are women and children but do not distinguish between fighters and civilians. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250, including older adults and children.
Meanwhile, U.S. prosecutors have accused two senior Syrian officials of overseeing a notorious prison that tortured peaceful protesters and other political prisoners, including a 26-year-old American woman who was later believed to have been executed.
The indictment was unsealed Monday, two days after a shock rebel offensive overthrew Syrian President Bashar Assad. The U.S., U.N. and others accuse him of widespread human rights abuses in a 13-year battle to crush opposition forces seeking his removal from power.
Assad fled to Russia, where he received asylum from his longtime ally.
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Here’s the Latest:
Israeli military official says troops plan to seize a buffer zone inside Syria
TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli military official says troops plan to seize a buffer zone inside Syria as well as “a few more points that have strategic meaning.”
The official spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The official dismissed reports of a larger Israeli invasion as “rumors.”
Following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, Israel sent troops into a buffer zone in Syria established after the 1973 Mideast war. It said the move was temporary and was aimed at preventing attacks. It said the 1974 agreement establishing the zone had collapsed and that Syrian troops had withdrawn from their positions.
Israel has also carried out airstrikes across Syria in recent days targeting what it says are suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia have condemned Israel’s incursion, accusing it of exploiting the disarray in Syria and violating international law.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community, except for the United States. The rest of the world views the strategic plateau as occupied Syrian territory.
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From AP journalist Joseph Krauss.
Israeli air force has launched hundreds of airstrikes in Syria, war monitor says
DAMASCUS, Syria — Israel’s air force has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in different parts of Syria as its ground forces move north of the Golan Heights along the border with Lebanon, according to an opposition war monitor.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday that since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government, Israel’s air force has carried out more than 300 airstrikes against research centers, arms depots and military infrastructure across Syria, as well as a naval base along the Mediterranean coast.
Associated Press journalists in Damascus witnessed intense airstrikes on the city and its suburbs overnight into Tuesday morning.
Photographs posted online by activists showed destroyed missile launchers, helicopters and warplanes.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops marched along the border with Lebanon and now control a long stretch on the Syrian side facing Lebanon’s Rashaya region, according to the war monitor’s head, Rami Abdurrahman, and the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV, which has reporters in Syria.
Israeli troops are now about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Damascus, according to the monitor.
Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli incursion into a buffer zone in Syria
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone in Syria and a wave of Israeli airstrikes launched after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that “the assaults carried out by the Israeli occupation government, including the seizure of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, and the targeting of Syrian territory confirm Israel’s continued violation of the principles of international law and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity.”
Israel sent troops into a buffer zone inside Syria that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war. It said the move was temporary and was taken to prevent any cross-border attacks after Syrian troops withdrew.
Israel has also carried out heavy airstrikes that it says are aimed at preventing suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets from falling into the hands of extremists.
Saudi Arabia has been in talks with the United States in recent years over normalizing relations with Israel in exchange for a U.S. defense pact, American assistance in establishing a civilian nuclear program and a pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
But the kingdom has also repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, where it is at war with the Hamas militant group.
Last month, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and day-to-day ruler Mohammed bin Salman accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, allegations Israel adamantly rejects.
The Associated Press