Morning Briefing: February 23, 2024

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Friday, including Houthis attacks on US and UK targets, a UN envoy urging for a political solution for Palestine, and countries condemning Israeli violations at the world court hearings.

TOP STORIES

• Yemen's Houthis strike Israeli, US, British targets

Yemen's Houthi group struck Israeli, US and British targets Thursday using missiles and drones in response to American and British “aggression” and in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

The group targeted the Israeli city of Eilat along with a US warship in the Red Sea and a British cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden.

"In support of the Palestinian people's just cause and in response to the American-British aggression against our country, the armed forces carried out three quality military operations,” Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement.

• Only long-term solution for Gaza is political: UN envoy

The UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process on Thursday expressed "deep concern" about a possible full-scale Israeli military operation in Gaza’s densely populated Rafah area.

"I cannot stress enough how urgently we need a deal that will bring about a humanitarian cease-fire and the release of hostages.

"I reiterate my call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and a humanitarian cease-fire," Tor Wennesland told a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

• Countries decry Israeli violations against Palestinians at world court

Several countries while presenting their oral arguments at the International Court of Justice condemned Israeli actions against the Palestinians.

Iraq representative Hayder Shiya Al-Barrak on Thursday said Israeli violations against Palestinians amount to “genocide.”

Jordan termed the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands as “unlawful” and “inhumane” during the hearing.

Israel’s prolonged occupation of the Palestinian lands violates the right of Palestinians to self-determination, said Iran.

Israel prevented the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, an Irish delegation said.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Brazil to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues, including the war in Ukraine.
  
  
• Senegal’s president announced Thursday that his mandate as president will end on April 2 and consultations for the organization of the election of his successor will start next week.
  
  
• An Israeli airstrike targeted a car in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank on Thursday, killing one Palestinian and wounding 15 others.
  
  
• At least 40 Palestinians were killed and around 100 others were injured in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, the Gaza Media Office announced Thursday.
  
  
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded Thursday to criticism that the US is alone in its approach to Israel’s war on Gaza, saying, "we all share the same goals."
  
  
• Palestine will seek full UN membership and may ask member states to sign a statement welcoming its admission, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations said Thursday.
  
  
• The UN said Thursday that it is against the use of the death penalty after the Taliban carried out a double public execution in Afghanistan.
  
  
• US President Joe Biden assured Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny's widow and daughter Thursday that the US will roll out "major" new sanctions against Moscow this week in retaliation for his death.
  
  
• A Canadian judge ruled Thursday that the murders of four members of a Muslim family in 2021 in London, Ontario, was a “terrorist” act, while giving life sentences to the killer.
  
  
• ​​​​​​​The Odysseus lander on Thursday became the first US spacecraft in more than half a century to land on the Moon.

SPORTS

• Sparta Prague beat Galatasaray 4-1 to eliminate them in Europa League playoffs

Czech side Sparta Prague eliminated Turkish team Galatasaray 6-4 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa League playoffs after beating them 4-1 in a second-leg match on Thursday.

Sparta Prague defender Angelo Preciado netted an early opener. Defender Abdulkerim Bardakci scored next, equalizing the score.

Indrit Tuci scored the second goal for Sparta, Haraslin in the 80th minute and Kuchta scored the fourth goal.

• Qarabag become 1st Azerbaijan team to reach Europa League Last 16

Qarabag became the first Azerbaijani team to reach the UEFA Europa League Last 16 after defeating Portuguese club Braga 6-5 on aggregate after extra time in the second leg of the playoffs on Thursday.

Matheus Silva gave Qarabag hope by scoring in the 102nd minute, but Braga's Simon Banza leveled with a goal. Nariman Akhundzade tallied the late winner for Qarabag in the 122nd minute.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• S&P closes at new all-time high; Nasdaq records biggest gain in a year

The S&P 500 closed at a fresh all-time high Thursday, while the Nasdaq recorded its biggest daily gain in a year.

The S&P 500 jumped 105.23 points, or 2.1%, to finish the session at 5,087.03.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 456.87 points, or 1.18%, to 39,069.11 for a record-high close.

• Türkiye leaves policy rate unchanged at 45%, meeting forecasts

The Central Bank of Türkiye on Thursday left its policy rate, also known as the one-week repo rate, unchanged at 45%, in line with market consensus.

The current level of the policy rate will be maintained until the underlying trend of monthly inflation drops significantly and inflation expectations converge to the projected forecast range, it said in a statement.