Middle East Crisis

Israel-Syria
High Tensions in Syria – Israeli Strike in Damascus

Israel has carried out an airstrike near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus, several media outlets report. The attack comes after more than 100 people – the majority from the Druze minority group – have been killed in recent days in sectarian violence outside Damascus.

Israel’s prime minister says in a statement that the airstrike is “a clear message” to the Syrian government and that the minority group will not be allowed to be threatened.

The Syrian government accuses Israel of destabilizing the country through a “dangerous escalation against state institutions and its sovereignty”.

“Syria must not become an arena for regional tensions”

Concern is being expressed from several quarters following the recent unrest in Syria. More than 100 people have been killed in sectarian violence and after Israel carried out an airstrike in the capital Damascus on Friday, the attack was condemned by the UN.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, according to AFP, that Syria's sovereignty must be respected, and Germany's Foreign Ministry called for calm.

"Syria must not become an arena for regional tensions," the German Foreign Ministry wrote.

Israel has claimed that the airstrike sent a "clear message" and that it is acting to protect the Druze minority group.

Gaza War
Humanitarian work in Gaza is close to total collapse

Humanitarian work in Gaza is on the verge of complete collapse. The Red Cross is now warning of this, according to AFP and Reuters.

The reason is the two-month-long blockade that is preventing vital aid from flowing in.

“If deliveries are not resumed immediately, the International Committee of the Red Cross will not have access to food, medicine and life-saving supplies needed to maintain many of the programs in Gaza,” the organization writes in a press release.

All humanitarian inflow is strictly controlled by Israel, which stopped all deliveries on March 2, a few days before the latest ceasefire broke down.