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Hamas says committed to Gaza deal after Kushner talks in Israel

Hamas said Tuesday it remained committed to a Gaza peace deal backed by the United States after envoy Jared Kushner spoke to Israel about pressuring the group on disarmament.

"Hamas is committed to this agreed-upon process. It is clear that, so far, the Israeli side has not given the mediators clear approval of the roadmap," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP.

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Syria issues death sentence to detained Assad cousin

A Syrian court on Tuesday issued a death sentence to detainee Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad who was himself sentenced to death in absentia a week ago.

Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said Wassim al-Assad was convicted of multiple murders and "murder accompanied by torture and brutality... classified as crimes against humanity and war crimes", adding that "he is therefore sentenced to death".

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US slams 'unnecessary escalation' after Israeli strike on Syria

Israeli airstrikes on an airbase in northwest Syria early Tuesday caused material damage without inflicting any casualties, Syrian state TV reported.

State TV said eight strikes hit the runway of the Abu Duhur airbase in the northwestern province of Idlib. It gave no further details.

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Houthis target refinery in southern Saudi Arabia

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis targeted an oil refinery on Saudi Arabia's southern Red Sea coast on Tuesday, rebel media reported, as the rebels ramp up attacks on the kingdom.

The Houthis "targeted the Aramco refinery in Jazan with a number of drones... in response to airspace violations over the governorates of Saada and Hajjah" in Yemen, Houthi news agency Saba said, citing a military source.

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Iran condemns 'suspicious' drone attack on Iraqi Kurdistan PM's office

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei condemned a drone attack that targeted the Iraqi Kurdistan prime minister's office, state media reported.

Baqaei denounced the attack, "describing it as a highly suspicious development that requires vigilance and careful attention", according to a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.

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Israeli official says Netanyahu, Kushner agree US general to supervise Hamas disarming

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed on Monday with U.S. envoy Jared Kushner that a U.S. general should supervise Hamas' disarmament and said Israel would not pull troops from Gaza until then, an Israeli official told AFP.

The two sides "agreed that the first step toward the demilitarization of the Strip would be to require Hamas to hand over its weapons for decommissioning under the supervision of an American general," the Israeli official said.

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US-Israel meeting 'constructive' but no firm commitment to US plan for Gaza

A marathon meeting Monday between U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the fate of the Gaza ceasefire unclear, with officials signaling moderate optimism but offering no concrete commitment by Israel to the latest U.S.-proposed plan.

Hamas has already agreed to the proposal. American negotiators appeared to acquiesce to Israeli demands that Hamas disarmament must come before any reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian enclave. They did not publicly signal that Israel had made any commitments to withdraw from the 60% of Gaza that Israeli troops currently occupy.

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Yemen's Houthis say targeted Saudi military vessel in Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Monday they had targeted a Saudi military vessel and four accompanying boats in the Red Sea, as part of their maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia.

Yahya Saree, military spokesperson for the Iran-backed Houthis, said they had "succeeded in targeting a military landing ship belonging to the Saudi enemy, accompanied by four military patrol boats, in the Red Sea off the coast of Mokha, using several ballistic missiles".

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Trump threatens to 'bomb' Oman, says Iran must 'put up white flag'

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to bomb Oman if it "gets in the way" of a deal with Iran on the Strait of Hormuz and called for Iran to surrender.

"If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the shit out of them," Trump told Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, referring to ongoing talks between Oman and Iran on control of the strait, while Washington is also pursuing its own talks.

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Yemen risks return to 'full-scale conflict', warns UN rights chief

The U.N. rights chief voiced alarm Monday at the rising civilian toll of escalating hostilities in Yemen, urging restraint and an immediate de-escalation to avoid plunging the country back into a full-scale war.

"I urge all parties to halt immediately any actions that risk returning Yemen to full-scale conflict," Volker Turk said in a statement, as renewed fighting between the Houthi rebels and the government undermined a 2022 truce.

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