RAMALLAH: Opposition was on Tuesday mounting against the Israeli government’s approval for the establishment of a national guard force under the supervision of the country’s controversial far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Groups representing 1.7 million Arabs living in Israel, political opposition figures, and Israeli security services chiefs have all expressed concerns over the decision and the possibility of Ben-Gvir taking direct control of the armed force.

The move has come in the wake of violent clashes in mixed Jewish-Arab towns in May 2021.

NEW YORK CITY: The UN Security Council on Tuesday strongly condemned recent Houthi escalations of the conflict in Yemen, including an attack on senior government officials in Taiz. Members urged the Iran-backed militia to halt the provocations and “prioritize the Yemeni people.”

A government soldier was killed and two wounded in the besieged city of Taiz on March 25 when an explosives-laden Houthi drone targeted a convoy in which military leaders, including Defense Minister Mohsen Al-Daeri, were traveling.

GENEVA: When his mother phoned, the Iraqi man was stopped at a checkpoint, on his way to visit a cousin, and said he would call back right away.
He never did, according to the mother’s testimony reported Tuesday by a UN committee which urged Baghdad to establish a legal framework for tackling the “heinous crime” of disappearances.
The man, who disappeared from the checkpoint set up by “men in uniform,” is among up to one million Iraqis estimated to have gone missing over the past five decades scarred by dictatorship and war.

LONDON: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Tuesday discussed ways to enhance relations with Israel during a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Emirates News Agency reported.

Sheikh Mohamed “affirmed the UAE’s ongoing commitment to bilateral relations with Israel,” according to the WAM report.

BEIRUT: Lebanon is investigating alleged embezzlement of over $300,000 at its Ukraine embassy, a judicial official told AFP on Monday, as sources say cash-strapped Beirut is trying to cut costs at diplomatic missions.
The probe was launched after financial irregularities came to light in September, the official said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Preliminary investigations showed “an estimated $318,000” had been embezzled from funds including for consular services such as “passport renewal fees,” the official said.