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Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt snap ties with Qatar

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Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt snap ties with Qatar

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The move comes as a major shock in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has also accused Qatar of supporting terrorists

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Qatar on Monday and announced the withdrawal of their diplomatic staff from Doha within the next 48 hours. Qatari forces will also be pulled out of the ongoing Saudi Arabia-led war against Yemen.

Riyadh has closed border, air and sea traffic with Qatar, urging “all brotherly countries and companies to do the same”.

Egypt’s foreign ministry accused Qatar of taking an “antagonist approach” towards Egypt and said “all attempts to stop it from supporting terrorist groups failed”. Cairo announced the closure of its airspace and ports for all Qatari transportation “to protect its national security”.

Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain gave two weeks to Qatari visitors and residents to leave their countries. This will effectively cut off Qatar from the rest of the Arabian Peninsula.

Kuwait and Oman, considered closer to Iran, have not yet followed the Saudi diktat on Qatar. All these countries are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which is yet to come up with its decision on Qatar’s continued membership of the council.

According to statement issued by the Saudi Press Agency, Riyadh took the decision to cut diplomatic ties due to Qatar’s “embrace of various terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at destabilizing the region” including the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda, the Islamic State and groups supported by Iran in the kingdom’s restive eastern province of Qatif.

Shias in the eastern region have been demanding their religious and political rights where Riyadh has accelerated demolition of some Shia neighbourhoods. A large number of casualties and fatalities were recently reported from the region. A revered Shia leader, Sheikh Baqar al Nimr, was executed in January 2016.

Etihad Airways, the UAE’s flag carrier, said it would suspend flights to and from Qatar beginning Tuesday morning.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry also issued a statement saying it would withdraw its diplomatic staff from Qatari capital Doha within 48 hours and all Qatari diplomats should leave Bahrain within the same period.

The fast changing developments were witnessed after the recent visit of US President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia where he addressed heads of 55 Muslim states. According to Al Jazeera, the Doha-based TV channel, Qatari Foreign Ministry regretted the measures by the Arab nations calling the decision “unjustified.” The Foreign Ministry statement said that “the measures are unjustified and are based on claims and allegations that have no basis in fact.”  However it said that the decisions would “not affect the normal lives of citizens and residents”.

Criticising Saudi Arabia’s big brotherly behaviour Qatar said “the aim is clear, and it is to impose guardianship on the state. This by itself is a violation of its (Qatar’s) sovereignty as a state,” it added.

The dispute between Qatar and Gulf Arab countries was escalated after a recent hacking of Qatar News Agency when it falsely attributed a statement to Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani expressing support to Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel. It had also reportedly suggested that US President Donald Trump may not last in office.

Qatar’s government, however, categorically denied the comments were ever made. On Wednesday, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani was quoted as saying “there are international laws governing such crimes, especially the cyber attack. (The hackers) will be prosecuted according to law.”

Meanwhile, on May 27, Qatar’s Emir called Iranian President Hasan Rouhani to congratulate him on his re-election. Qatar shares a massive offshore gas field with Iran. Saudi Arabia sees Iran as its enemy number one and a threat to regional stability.

Moreover, the Saudi-supported Yemen’s government headed by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi also announced cutting ties with Qatar, accusing it of working with its enemies in the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, state news agency Saba reported. Hadi and his cabinet colleagues mostly stay in Riyadh and Yemen is virtually ruled by Al-Houthis headed by Abdul Malik al-Houthi. Saudi Arabia blames Iran of supporting them.

Senior Iranian official Hamid Aboutalebi, the deputy chief of staff of Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted that the measures by the Arab nations would not help end the crisis in the Middle East.  “The era of cutting diplomatic ties and closing borders … is not a way to resolve crisis … As I said before, aggression and occupation will have no result but instability.”  He was referring to the Saudi-led coalition’s involvement in Yemen.

Qatar is home to the sprawling al-Udaid Air Base which hosts the US military’s Central Command and some 10,000 American troops. Bahrain, one of the countries severing ties with Qatar, hosts the US Navy’s 5th fleet.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is currently visiting Australia, said he did not believe the diplomatic crisis would affect the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions, Justin Trudeau shares video of his Diwali celebrations

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

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Amid the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday shared a video of his Diwali celebration on social media platform X.

Sharing a 44-second video of his Diwali celebrations on social media, the Canadian Prime Minister wrote, “Happy Diwali! So many special moments shared celebrating with the community this week.”

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday, while addressing the media over Canada’s serious allegation against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar, said it was unfortunate that the prevailing atmosphere in Canada has reached high levels of intolerance and extremism.

In the video, Prime Minister Trudeau showed off some colorful religious threads on his wrists, explaining that he received them during visits to three Hindu temples in Canada recently. He called them symbols of “good luck” and “protection,” adding with a smile, “I’m not taking them off until they fall off”.

Trudeau was also seen interacting warmly with the community, celebrating the festival, and enjoying delicious Indian sweets like jalebis, which he jokingly said he would “save for the team.”

On November 1, Trudeau posted on X, “Happy Diwali! Today, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain families will celebrate the triumph of light over darkness with festivities, candles, diyas, and fireworks. Wishing you all joy and prosperity during this special time.”

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Jaiswal said India condemns the recent allegations made by the Canadian government against Shah that he was purportedly involved in the killing of Nijjar and called it “absurd and baseless”.

Jaiswal also said that India had summoned the Canadian High Commissioner on Friday to protest in the strongest terms for the references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison.

On Tuesday, Morrison claimed that Shah orchestrated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering aimed at Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. He informed members of Canada’s national security committee in Parliament that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which was the first to report the allegations. However, Morrison did not provide details on how Canada became aware of Shah’s alleged involvement.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

The Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

In a significant development, India and China have completed the disengagement exercise in the Depsang and Demchok friction points at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The troops of both the countries are now verifying the vacation of positions and removal of infrastructure.

Reportedly, the Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks. The two sides will exchange sweets for Diwali tomorrow.

Earlier, Foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced that New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement to disengage in the remaining friction points at LAC in eastern Ladakh. After the agreement, the two countries began troops disengagement at the two friction points at Demchok and Depsang plains on October 23.

India-China relations worsened because of the Chinese troops’ aggression along the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, in April 2020. It further deteriorated on June 15, 2020, after 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty thwarting the Chinese offensive in the Galwan Valley. New Delhi had said India’s bilateral relations with China will normalise only after the situation at the LAC returns to what it was before May 2020.

Reports said that the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have pulled back their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two flashpoints, and have also dismantled temporary structures that had been built during the four-year-long standoff.

The Indian soldiers will resume their patrolling in areas that had been cut off because of the PLA’s presence. Nonetheless, the disengagement in Depsang and Demchok will not lead to the creation of buffer zones.

Both the countries had disengaged from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15) areas and created buffer zones. Speaking to a newspaper publication, Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations said that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok will facilitate patrolling by both sides in a coordinated manner, and in the agreed upon frequency and strength of the patrolling parties.

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Iran says 2 soldiers killed in Israeli air strikes

Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.

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The Iranian Army said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were killed in Israeli air strikes that targeted military bases.

Iran stated that its air defenses effectively countered the attack, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of two soldiers and some areas suffering limited damage.

The Israeli military conducted strikes on Iranian military sites after 2 am on Saturday, responding to what they cited as ongoing attacks by Iran and its allies in the region.

Following the strikes, the Israeli military announced they had successfully completed the mission and achieved their objectives.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the precise targeting of military sites in Iran to neutralize immediate threats to Israel.

“I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel,” the Israel Defence Force posted on X.

Iran’s air defense headquarters acknowledged the hits on bases in Ilam, Khuzestan, and Tehran but asserted that these attacks were effectively repelled, with investigations ongoing to assess damages. Moreover, Iran indicated its readiness to retaliate against any Israeli aggression, stating that Israel would face proportional consequences for its actions.

Iran expressed its intentions to respond to the Israeli attacks on its military bases, condemning the actions as a violation of international law and the UN Charter’s principles on the use of force.

Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.

Pakistan strongly condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran, attributing the escalation to Israel and urging the UN Security Council to intervene for peace and security.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasised that Iran should refrain from retaliating against Israel, advocating for restraint on all sides to prevent further escalation.

“I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. I’m equally clear that we must avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to restrain. Iran should not respond,” the PM said at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The United States advised Iran to halt its attacks on Israel to cease the ongoing violence and break the cycle of conflict, underlining the importance of de-escalation.

“We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett told reporters.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the Israeli operation throughout its development and execution by his National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.

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