By Rabia Ali
ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including US airstrikes in eastern Syria, Israel’s aerial attack on Gaza mosque, and demand for cease-fire by Arab nations.
TOP STORIES
- US launches strikes in eastern Syria in response to attacks on bases: Defense chief
The US military launched airstrikes on two facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups in eastern Syria, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
He said that the "self-defense strikes" are a response to a series of ongoing attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed groups.
The attacks resulted in the death of a civilian contractor from a cardiac incident, while 21 US personnel were injured.
The Pentagon earlier said that it was sending 900 troops to the Middle East.
- Several feared dead in Gaza in Israeli airstrike on mosque
Israel carried out an airstrike on the Al-Abyad Mosque in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, with several feared dead.
The attack was part of a series of airstrikes on the Al-Shati Refugee Camp, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Al-Abyad Mosque, which was targeted with several missiles, was destroyed, it added.
Israeli forces raided the West Bank city of Jenin early Friday, killing one Palestinian and wounding three others in clashes.
A young man, Abdullah Abu al-Hayja, was killed by multiple gunshot wounds.
- Arab countries call for immediate cease-fire in Gaza
Nine Arab countries demanded that the UN Security Council enforce an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
The call was made in a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Morocco.
The statement condemned “the targeting of civilians, forced displacement, and the policy of collective punishment.”
It called for a cease-fire and safe access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- At least six people were wounded when a missile struck a healthcare facility and residential building in the Egyptian resort town of Taba near the Israeli border early Friday.
- Around 3,000 children in Gaza killed by Israel since Oct 7 says Palestine's UN envoy Riyad Mansour tells the General Assembly, adding: "There is no time to mourn and more death is on the way."
- Ismail Haniyeh, the political bureau chief of Hamas, warned in a televised statement that the Israeli war against Gaza “will put the entire region out of control.”
- Israel's attacks on Gaza have long since crossed the threshold of self-defense to turn into open oppression, brutality, massacres, and barbarism, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
- Representatives of Palestinian group Hamas are holding talks with Russian diplomats in Moscow, a Russian government spokesperson said.
- Israeli airstrikes have damaged at least 29,000 buildings in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, the Government Media Office said. Around 190,000 homes have been partially damaged and around 2,000 people are still under debris.
- Libya’s High Council of State has called for the severing of relations with countries that support Israel's bombardment and blockade of the Gaza Strip.
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China and the US need to have a "comprehensive" dialogue as he began a visit to Washington, speaking ahead of his meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
- Serbia and Kosovo failed to make progress on normalizing relations in talks in Brussels on Thursday as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti met separately with European leaders in the Belgian capital.
- China's former Premier Li Keqiang, 68, died early Friday following a heart attack, according to state media.
SPORTS
- Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt beat Besiktas in Conference League
Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt defeated Turkish side Besiktas 3-1 in a UEFA Europa Conference League Group D match on Thursday.
Bodo/Glimt's Danish midfielder Albert Gronbaek, brought the lead to the Norwegian side in the 29th minute. Cameroonian forward Faris Moumbagna scored in the 58th minute.
Norwegian midfielder Ulrik Saltnes tallied the third goal.
Bodo's Norwegian defender Brede Moe headed the ball into his own goal in the 91st minute.
- Swiss prosecutors drop probe into FIFA President Gianni Infantino
Swiss prosecutors ended criminal proceedings against FIFA chief Gianni Infantino in connection with undisclosed meetings with the country’s former attorney general, FIFA said.
"FIFA President Gianni Infantino has always acted absolutely correctly and lawfully in his relations with the Swiss public prosecutors who were investigating the ‘old FIFA!’” it said in a statement.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- Gaza war costing Israel billions of shekels daily, reports local newspaper
Israel is spending billions of shekels per day to maintain its military campaign against Gaza, an Israeli newspaper reported on Thursday.
"The army has purchased equipment on an unprecedented scale for the possibility of a multi-front war at the same time as the planned ground operation in Gaza is underway," according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
- European Central Bank keeps interest rate constant for 1st time since January 2022
The European Central Bank kept its policy interest rate constant at 4.5%, the first time it has done so since January 2022, in line with market expectations.
The bank gradually increased the rate from 0% to 4.5% from January 2022 to September 2023 to fight ongoing high inflation.
It stressed: "The incoming information has broadly confirmed its previous assessment of the medium-term inflation outlook.