Qatar helps in release of US citizen from Taliban’s detention in Afghanistan
Qatar helps in release of US citizen from Taliban’s detention in Afghanistan/node/2594298/middle-east
Qatar helps in release of US citizen from Taliban’s detention in Afghanistan
US citizen George Glezmann (C) posing for a picture with US official Adam Boehler (C-L), former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (C-R), and Qatari diplomats in Kabul, Mar. 20, 2025. (AFP)
Qatar helps in release of US citizen from Taliban’s detention in Afghanistan
George Glezmann arrived in Doha on Thursday
Release of US prisoner described as ‘gesture of goodwill’
Updated 1 min 17 sec ago
Arab News
LONDON: Qatar facilitated on Thursday the release of a US citizen in Afghanistan who had been in detention since December 2022.
George Glezmann is the third US citizen to be released by the Taliban government since January. The Taliban’s intelligence agency detained Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, in December 2022.
He arrived in Doha on Thursday and will depart for his home country later, the Qatar News Agency reported. A date was not specified.
The Taliban government’s release of the detainee was a “gesture of goodwill,” reflecting its willingness to engage in dialogue with the international community, the QNA added.
The Taliban have been in control of Afghanistan since the summer of 2021, following the withdrawal of US and Western troops from the Central Asian country.
Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al-Khulaifi said that cooperation with the mediation process involving the US and the “Afghan caretaker government” had led to the release of Glezmann.
He added that Qatar was dedicated to mediation efforts to find peaceful solutions to conflicts, disputes, and complex international issues.
Qatar has taken a leading role in mediating during some of the most contentious conflicts, including its recent efforts to help end the Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip and to facilitate the release of Israeli captives held by the militant group Hamas.
Lebanon committed to regaining confidence of Arab countries: Aoun
German foreign minister makes official visit to Beirut
Updated 10 sec ago
NAJIA HOUSSARI
BEIRUT: Lebanon is committed to regaining the confidence of Arab countries and the world through reforms, President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday.
He was speaking at a meeting of Lebanese businessmen based in Saudi Arabia.
The president thanked the Kingdom for embracing expatriates and their families.
Addressing the delegation of the Lebanese Executives Council in the Kingdom, Aoun said: “It is unacceptable to cover the repercussions of financial and economic mismanagement using depositors’ funds, which have been frozen in Lebanese banks since 2019.”
The issue requires a solution in cooperation with economic bodies, banks, the central bank, depositors and the state as soon as possible, Aoun said.
“Boosting the economic cycle and investment flow requires a trustworthy banking sector,” he added.
“This was a commitment in the oath speech and is at the core of the government’s work, and we look forward to helping the parliament by accelerating the process of issuing the necessary laws.”
The Lebanese president on Wednesday had informed German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock that Israel’s occupation of areas in the south of the country hindered the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 and contradicted the agreement reached last November.
His remarks came during the German official’s visit to Beirut.
Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, left, arrives at the government palace to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 19, 2025. (AP Photo)
Baerbock was then to head to Damascus on Thursday to reopen the German Embassy in Syria.
Aoun said that the Lebanese army, which has been deployed in all areas vacated by Israeli forces, was carrying out its duty to enforce security and seize weapons.
He told the German minister that Israel had rejected all Lebanese proposals to evacuate the five hills it still occupies and replace its forces with international troops.
Diplomatic efforts and negotiations are continuing in a bid to find a solution to the issue, the president said.
Aoun also told Baerbock that Israel continues to hold several Lebanese prisoners and had only released five nationals, an issue that the government is “determined” to resolve.
Also on Thursday, Hezbollah reacted to Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji’s statements a day earlier, accusing the party of “reneging on the ceasefire agreement between it and Israel, despite the agreement being clear on which groups are allowed to bear arms.”
During a meeting with the Maronite League, Rajji highlighted “diplomatic efforts to end the Israeli occupation,” and said that “Lebanon’s goal is to return to the 1949 Armistice Agreement, and the only solution is international pressure, particularly from the US.
“The conditions are clear: The full implementation of Resolution 1701 and the cessation of military operations. These are tough conditions caused by the party that entered the war and delayed acknowledging the necessity of a ceasefire,” he added.
However, Rajji said that Lebanon “will not accept any direct political negotiations with Israel.”
In response, Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Al-Moussawi said on Thursday that the foreign minister’s remarks harmed national interests and distorted facts, “ultimately providing Israel with additional justifications for its aggression.”
Al-Moussawi added that Hezbollah remained committed to “what the Lebanese government agreed upon through UN Resolution 1701.”
He said the foreign minister should have condemned Israel’s crimes and highlighted them to the international community, instead of directing accusations at Hezbollah.
Al-Moussawi urged the government to correct the “irresponsible statements” made by Rajji.
Similarly, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem accused the foreign minister of “providing Israel with an excuse to continue its aggression, a stance that is inappropriate for any Lebanese government official.
“We have adhered to the agreement while Israel continues to violate it,” he added.
Israel says struck military sites in east, south Lebanon
Lebanese state media on Thursday reported Israeli strikes on the country’s south and east
Four missiles were fired in the Nabatiyeh area of southern Lebanon
Updated 40 min 45 sec ago
AFP
JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said it struck military sites in east and south Lebanon on Thursday, in its latest attack despite a November ceasefire that ended a war against militant group Hezbollah.
“A short while ago, the IDF (military) struck a military site containing an underground terrorist infrastructure site in the Bekaa area in Lebanon, as well as a military site containing rocket launchers in southern Lebanon in which Hezbollah activity has been identified,” the military said in a statement.
Lebanese state media on Thursday reported Israeli strikes on the country’s south and east.
The state-run National News Agency said “enemy aircraft” struck “the eastern slopes of the mountain range within the town of Janta in the Bekaa,” as well as “the outskirts of the town of Taraya, west of Baalbek,” also in the east.
Four missiles were fired in the Nabatiyeh area of southern Lebanon, NNA said.
No casualties were immediately reported.
The November 27 truce largely halted more than a year of fighting between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, including two months of open war during which Israel sent in ground troops.
Hezbollah had said it was acting in support of Hamas militants fighting Israel in Gaza.
Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanese territory since the truce agreement took effect.
Under the agreement, Israel had been expected to withdraw from Lebanon by February 18 after missing a January deadline, but it has kept troops at five locations it deems “strategic.”
The ceasefire also required Hezbollah to pull back north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and to dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
Fight against disinformation to continue, says Turkish official
Updated 20 March 2025
Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Altun
ANKARA: Following the decision to detain Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality officials and other suspects within the scope of a series of investigations conducted by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office, we note that some parties, especially leaders of the main opposition party, are making efforts to undermine the integrity of the investigations with political and ideological motives.
Among the political and ideological assessments made without familiarity with the content and details of the investigations that have begun, we are also witnessing irrational slanders against our president.
We will continue to stand firmly against such endeavors aimed at undermining the independence of our judiciary, which exercises its authority on behalf of the Turkish nation, as well as putting our president under suspicion, and will continue to protect the rights of our president against these ideological slander campaigns.
We emphasize our belief that all decisions of an impartial judiciary should be respected by all groups, and we would like to state that we will continue our fight against disinformation as the Communication Directorate in this process.
We ask our valued citizens to support this fight by dealing cautiously with unconfirmed and suspicious content and, as always, please rely on the statements of official institutions and authorities.
Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Altun is Head of the Communications Directorate of the Republic of Turkiye.
Houthi militant media reports fresh US strikes on Yemen
Four strikes hit Hodeida governorate on the Red Sea
The Houthis have reported several rounds of US attacks since Saturday
Updated 41 min 23 sec ago
AFP
SANAA: Fresh attacks hit two areas of militant-held Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis’ Al-Masirah TV station reported on Thursday, blaming “US aggression.”
Four strikes hit Hodeida governorate on the Red Sea, and a further attack hit Saada in the north, the birthplace of the Houthi movement, Al-Masirah said.
The attacks came around the same time that Israel’s military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen for the second time in a day.
The Houthis have reported several rounds of US attacks since Saturday, when a heavy bombardment targeting senior figures killed 53 people, according to the militant group.
In return, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked a US aircraft carrier battle group and twice announced missile launches at Israeli targets.
The US attacks are aimed at stamping out months of strikes by the Houthis on Red Sea shipping during the Gaza war that have crippled the vital trade route.
Israel says it intercepts two missiles launched from Yemen
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the launch, but it comes after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis had threatened to escalate attacks in support of Palestinians
Updated 20 March 2025
AFP
JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said it intercepted two missiles launched from Yemen on Thursday after US President Donald Trump threatened to punish Iran over its perceived support for Yemeni Houthi militants.
Warning sirens sounded in Jerusalem and the nearby Israeli-occupied West Bank after the second missile was fired later in the day, the military said, adding that it was intercepted before it entered Israeli territory.
The military said it also downed a missile launched from Yemen earlier in the day after sirens blared in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Israel’s national ambulance service Magen David Adom said it received no reports of casualties following both launches.
The Houthis, undeterred by waves of US strikes since Saturday, fired a ballistic missile toward Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, the group’s military spokesperson said in a televised statement earlier on Thursday.
The group has recently vowed to escalate attacks, including those targeting Israel, in response to the US campaign.
US strikes that began on Saturday over Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping amount to the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January. The US attacks have killed at least 50 people.
Yemen’s Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported at least four US strikes on the Al Mina district of the Red Sea city of Hodeidah on Thursday, an area which houses a major port and the headquarters of Houthi naval forces.
Al Masirah TV reported another strike on Al-Safra district of Saada which, according to Yemeni sources, houses weapons storage and training sites, and is considered one of the group’s most important and heavily fortified military strongholds.
Trump threatened on Monday to hold Iran accountable for any future Houthi attacks, warning of severe consequences. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the Houthis were independent and took their own strategic and operational decisions.
On Tuesday, the Houthis said they had fired a ballistic missile toward Israel and would expand their range of targets in that country in coming days in retaliation for renewed Israeli airstrikes in Gaza after weeks of relative calm.
The Houthis have carried out over 100 attacks on shipping since Israel’s war with Hamas began in late 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians.
The attacks have disrupted global commerce and prompted the US military to launch a costly campaign to intercept missiles.
The Houthis are part of what has been dubbed the “Axis of Resistance” — an anti-Israel and anti-Western alliance of regional militias including Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and armed groups in Iraq, all backed by Iran.
