EU official cites reports accusing Assad regime of mass killings in Syria

LONDON: The UK has warned Israel it could have broken international law after Benjamin Netanyahu’s government halted electricity supplies into Gaza.
The move came ahead of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, and a week after Israel also blocked food, fuel and medical aid from entering the enclave.
The two sides have been attempting to renegotiate the terms of the ceasefire, with Hamas wanting to move on to the second phase, but Israel insisting on the release of more hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 before any further negotiations take place.
Hamas is believed to still have 24 living hostages, as well as the bodies of another 35 people.
In a post on social media platform X, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said: “I have now signed an order to cut off electricity to the Gaza Strip immediately. Enough with the talk, it’s time for action!”
A UK Foreign Office spokesman said: “Humanitarian aid should never be contingent on a ceasefire or used as a political tool.
“A halt on goods and supplies entering Gaza, including basic needs such as electricity, risks breaching Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law.”
The suspension of aid into Gaza will have a detrimental effect on the lives of the 2 million people in the enclave, with fears mounting that cutting electricity will hinder the ability of locals to operate Gaza’s desalination plants, disrupting the supply of safe drinking water.
More than 48,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel began military operations against Hamas following the Oct. 7 attack.
The initial phase of the ceasefire deal, agreed on Jan. 17, has so far seen the release of 25 hostages from Gaza, with Israel releasing about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

DAMASCUS: Syria’s defense ministry announced on Monday the end of a major security operation in coastal provinces, after days of violence and mass killings that sparked international concern.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said nearly 1,500 people have died in the violence since Thursday, the majority civilians of them killed by security forces and allied groups in the heartland of the Alawite minority to which deposed president Bashar Assad belongs.
In a statement on official news agency SANA, defense ministry spokesman Hassan Abdul Ghani said security forces had neutralized security threats and “regime remnants” in Latakia and Tartus provinces on the Mediterranean coast.
“Having achieved this, we announce the end of the military operation,” Abdul Ghani said.
He hailed “the success of our forces... in achieving all the objectives set” for the operation.
“We were able... to absorb the attacks of the remnants of the toppled regime and its officers” and push them from “vital” locations, Abdul Ghani said.
Clashes broke out last week between the security forces and gunmen loyal to Assad, with the Observatory reporting 231 security personnel and 250 pro-Assad fighters killed.
Including at least 973 civilians, many of them Alawites, killed by the security forces and allied forces, the overall death toll according to the Observatory reached 1,454.
Abdul Ghani said that “the security apparatuses will work in the upcoming phase to consolidate our work to ensure stability and preserve residents’ safety and security.”
He also pointed to “new plans to continue fighting the remnants of the toppled regime and work on eliminating any future threats.”
Interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group led the offensive that toppled Assad in December, had vowed to “hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians.”
“There will be no one above the law and anyone whose hands have been stained with the blood of Syrians will face justice sooner or later,” he said.