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Saudi Arabia and UAE were about to attack Qatar

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Saudi Arabia and UAE were about to attack Qatar

Rex Tillerson asked the two countries to avoid crisis

Saudi Arabia and UAE were planning to attack Qatar last year after severing their ties with the tiny Arab nation which led to its blockade. However, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson asked the two countries not to go ahead for the operation.

According to Intercept, an online investigative news publication dedicated to “adversarial journalism,” the plot was largely devised by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin-Salman and his UAE’s counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed, involved Saudi ground troops entering Qatar, and with support from UAE army, advancing 100 kms inland and seizing Doha, the capital of the country.

According to a US intelligence official, Qatari intelligence agents inside Saudi Arabia caught wind of the plot in the summer of 2017. US and UK intelligence services confirmed about the plot several months later, the report said.

Saudi Arabia and UAE were about to attack Qatar

Robert Malley, the CEO of the Crisis Group and former advisor on Middle East issues to former President Barack Obama, said that since the summer of 2017, Qatari officials had been telling him that their country was under the threat of invasion.

Read More: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt snap ties with Qatar

He said, “There is little doubt that senior Qatari officials with whom I spoke were convinced — or at least acted as if they were convinced — that Saudi Arabia and the UAE had been planning a military attack on their country that was halted as a result of US intervention.”

According to Qatar based Aljazeera, Saudi Arabia and UAE were stopped from launching a military operation by former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in an act that may have played a key role in his dismissal.

The investigative news website said that attack against Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, would have involved Saudi forces circumventing the Al-Udeid Air Base, which is home of the US Air Force Central Command and some 10,000 American troops, and seizing Doha.

Saudi Arabia and UAE were about to attack Qatar

Read More: Qatar’s emir: Saudi Arabia want “regime change”

The Al-Udeid Air Base is a military base southwest of Doha, which is also known as Abu Nakhlah Airport, serves as one of the US’ most important overseas military bases and carries out operations throughout Middle East.

According to report Rex Tilerson had reportedly urged Saudi Arabia’s King Salman not to carry out the attack and also encouraged Defense Secretary James Mattis to explain the dangers of such an invasion to his counterpart in the kingdom.

According to Aljazeera, pressure from Tillerson caused Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to back down, who was concerned that invasion on Qatar would damage long term ties between Riyadh and Washington.

Read More: Trump calls Saudi Arabia to resolve Qatar crisis

However, this enraged UAE’s Crown Prince and its de facto ruler Mohammed bin Zayed who subsequently lobbied in the White House for Tillerson’s removal. One source said that the timing of Tillerson’s removal- a week before Saudi Crown Prince arrival in Washington for a much publicized visit was significant.

Saudi Arabia and UAE were about to attack Qatar

According a report, Tillerson was frustrated with President Donald Trump for endorsing Qatar’s blockade, with his aides suspecting that a line in the president’s speech where Doha was accused of funding terrorism at a “very high level” had been written by UAE’s ambassador to US Yousef al-Otaiba, who has been reportedly in constant touch with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

On June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt suddenly announced severing ties with Qatar alleging Doha of supporting terrorist groups and creating upheavals in the regional countries. Later 13-point charter of demands was made public which included severing ties with Iran and shutting down Turkish military base and Aljazeera news network.

Qatar denied allegations and rejected Saudi-led quartet for violation of its sovereignty and national integrity.

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin.

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

The Kremlin today denied a US media report that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US president-elect Donald Trump had spoken on the phone last week about the Ukraine conflict.

Earlier on Sunday, The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Pution on call, urging him not to inflame the conflict. Speaking on the matter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media that the report was completely false information, and denied any phone call took place.

It was reported that US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine. It said that Donald Trump held the call from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris. The report also mentioned that both the leaders expressed an interest in further conversations to discuss the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon.

Notably, Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin. However, the US President elect has not said how he intends to strike a peace deal or what terms he is proposing.

Donald Trump’s election is seen as carrying the potential to upend the almost three-year Ukraine conflict, as he insists on a quick end to the fighting and casts doubt on Washington’s multi-billion dollar support for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Trump on Wednesday, with the Republican’s billionaire backer Elon Musk also notably joining them on the call. Volodymyr Zelensky described the call as excellent, adding that he and Trump had agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation.

Additionally, the outgoing Democratic administration of President Joe Biden has confirmed that it will send as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the White House aims to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar’s press conference

The MEA said that these actions yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar's press conference

A few hours after Australia Today aired External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s press conference in Australia, Canada banned the outlet. The External Affairs Minister gave remarks on the India-Canada diplomatic standoff. 

Reacting to this, India on Thursday said it was surprised by Canada’s move to ban the outlet and emphasized that it highlighted Ottawa’s hypocrisy towards freedom of speech. Australia Today, which is an important outlet for the Indian community in the country, had aired the joint press conference of S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra.

In a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that they understand that the social media handles, pages of this particular outlet, which is an important diaspora outlet, have been blocked and are not available for viewers in Canada. He continued that this happened just an hour or a few hours after this particular handle carried the press conference of S Jaishankar with Penny Wong. He called out the incident, mentioning that they are surprised, and the matter looks strange to them.

He further underlined that these are the actions which yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech. He noted that the External Affairs Minister spoke about three things: Canada making allegations and a pattern had developed without any specific evidence, surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, which he termed as unacceptable, and  the political space which has been given in Canada to anti-India elements. 

With this one can draw conclusions, why Australia Today channel was blocked by Canada, the spokesperson said. Australia Today focuses on news and analytical pieces related to the Indian community in Australia and elsewhere across the world.

This incident follows days after devotees were attacked by pro-Khalistani at a Hindu temple in Canada’s Brampton, with S Jaishankar calling it deeply concerning. Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the attack and said that there were cowardly attempts to intimidate Indian diplomats.

The diplomatic standoff between India and Canada began in September last year when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian government agents might have been involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a claim outrightly rejected by New Delhi.

Later in October 2024, ties between both the countries nosedived when Canada termed the Indian High Commissioner a person of interest in its investigation into Nijjar’s murder. Issuing a strongly worded statement, India dismissed the fresh charge and recalled the envoy and some diplomats, while expelling six Canadian officials, including Canada’s acting High Commissioner.

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Latest world news

PM Modi congratulates Donald Trump on winning US President election

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on winning the 2024 US Presidential election and said he is looking forward to renewing their collaboration to further strengthen the India-US partnership.

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

“Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity,” PM Modi posted on his X handle.

With the results being announced for the 2024 US election on November 6, Trump became the 47th President of the United States.

Former US President Trump appeared to be on track for a remarkable political comeback in the White House race. Projections suggested that he was poised to secure the necessary 270 electoral college votes, effectively blocking Democratic candidate Kamala Harris from winning the election.

The relationship between Trump and Modi has been characterised by robust diplomatic ties, strategic collaboration, and a noticeable personal rapport. Their friendship was prominently displayed during major events such as “Howdy, Modi” in Houston in 2019 and “Namaste Trump” in Ahmedabad in 2020, where they addressed large audiences and expressed their mutual respect.

On a strategic level, Trump and Modi found common ground in matters of defense and security, both adopting a strong stance against terrorism, which reinforced their alliance, particularly concerning threats from Pakistan.

As he approaches a notable victory in the US election, Republican Presidential candidate Trump expressed gratitude to his supporters today, calling it a magnificent victory for the American people. He also referenced the assassination attempt on July 13, stating, “God spared my life for a reason.”

The 78-year-old candidate is currently projected to secure 267 electoral college votes, just three shy of the decisive 270, while his opponent, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, holds 224 electoral votes.

Trump described the Republican campaign as the greatest political movement of all time, asserting, “We are going to help our country heal, secure our borders, and we made history for a reason tonight. This is an incredible political victory. I want to thank the American people. I will fight for you and your family with every breath I have.”

He noted that Democrats are now looking at a projected total of 315 electoral votes.

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