World
Three Israeli soldiers killed in shootings near Egyptian border
Israeli military said the incidents took place during a security operation against smugglers in the Naqab (Negev) desert.
At least three Israeli soldiers have been killed in rare shootings near the Egyptian border, and a fourth one injured, the army has said.
The exchange of fire on Saturday reportedly took place around the Nitzana/al-Awja border crossing between Israel and Egypt, which is located about 40km (25 miles) southeast of the point where Israel’s border with Egypt and the Gaza Strip converge. It is used to import goods from Egypt destined for Israel or the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli media, two of the soldiers were found dead at an Israeli military guard post after they failed to respond to their radios, about two hours after arriving at the post for their shift.
The Israeli army said the first exchange of fire took place on Saturday morning. The second border clash occurred at noon, in which a third Israeli soldier was killed.
The Israeli army announced it had killed the gunman in the second exchange of fire, who was reportedly dressed in the uniform of an Egyptian border guard and had infiltrated the border where the army said it was operating to thwart smuggling activity.
“During an encounter with an assailant in Israeli territory, a short while ago, an exchange of fire developed. Troops and commanders engaged [the suspect] and shot and killed him,” the army said.
“This morning, a security incident occurred in the area of the Paran Regional Brigade. Two [Israeli] soldiers, a man and a woman, were killed by live fire adjacent to the border,” the military said in a statement, adding that the incident is under review.
The army had initially declined to confirm the deaths, which were reported by Israeli media, while families were notified.
According to Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Palestine, Walid al-Omari, the last time a smuggler attempted to infiltrate the Egyptian-Israeli border was a year and a half ago, when he was killed by Israeli forces.
Al-Omari added that the border was active between 2004 and 2012 until Israel built a 241km border fence that extends from Eilat and Taba on the Red Sea to the meeting point of the Egyptian-Israeli-Palestinian border east of Rafah.
The fence was to stop the entry of African refugees and migrants, and armed fighters linked to ISIL (ISIS) who are active in Egypt’s Sinai desert.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979 and maintain close security ties. Fighting along their shared border is rare.
World
Five convicted over Amsterdam clashes with Israeli football fans
Men found guilty of crimes including kicking fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv and inciting violence in chat groups.
A Dutch court has convicted five men for their part in last month’s violence involving Israeli football fans in Amsterdam.
The Amsterdam district court on Tuesday found them guilty of a range of crimes from kicking fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv in the street to inciting violence in chat groups.
The heaviest sentence imposed was six months in prison, for a man identified as Sefa O for public violence against several people.
The violence took place on November 8 during two days of skirmishes in the city, where the Israeli football fans clashed with apparent pro-Palestinian protesters before and after a Europa League football match between their team Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax.
Videos shared on social media at the time showed Israeli fans chanting racist, anti-Arab songs, vandalising a taxi and burning a Palestinian flag.
The fighting broke out after that and was instigated by the Israeli fans, witnesses and a local councilman told Al Jazeera at the time.
Police arrested people who had beaten the Israeli fans, as global leaders made accusations of anti-Semitism.
The prosecutor in the case said the beatings had “little to do with football” but added that “in this case, there was no evidence of … a terrorist intent and the violence was not motivated by anti-Semitic sentiment”.
“The violence was influenced by the situation in Gaza, not by anti-Semitism,” said the prosecutor.
The most serious case under consideration by the court on Tuesday was Sefa, who prosecutors said played a “leading role” in the violence.
The court saw images of a man identified as Sefa kicking a person on the ground, chasing targets, and punching people in the head and the body.
Another man identified as Umutcan A, 24, received a sentence of one month for assaulting fans and ripping a Maccabi scarf from one of them.
A 22-year-old, identified as Abushabab M, faces a charge of attempted murder, but his case has been postponed while he undergoes a psychiatric assessment. He was born in the Gaza Strip and grew up in a war zone, his lawyer told the court, while Abushabab sat sobbing as his case was being heard.
A further six suspects are set to appear at a later stage. Three of these suspects are minors and their cases will be heard behind closed doors.
Police said they were investigating at least 45 people over the violence, including that carried out by fans of the Israeli club.
At an emotionally charged news conference the morning after the riots, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said the city had been “deeply damaged” by “hateful anti-Semitic rioters”.
However, Halsema later said she regretted the parallel she had drawn between the violence and “memories of pogroms”, saying this word had been used as propaganda.
World
Asia shares rise, dollar underpinned by elevated bond yields
World
US military carries out airstrike in Syria, killing 2 ISIS operatives
The U.S. military conducted an airstrike on Monday in Syria, where they killed a pair of ISIS operatives and destroyed a truckload of weapons, according to U.S. Central Command.
A precision airstrike in the Dayr az Zawr Province, which was formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and Russians, killed two ISIS operatives and wounded another, CENTCOM said.
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The operatives were driving a truckload of weapons, which was destroyed, when they were targeted in the strike.
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“This airstrike is part of CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
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