‘We will not withdraw’: Katz fires back at Syrian President over Golan

‘We will not withdraw’: Katz fires back at Syrian President over Golan

Israel National News

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz responded on Wednesday to an address delivered earlier in the day by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the United Nations General Assembly.

During his address, al-Sharaa criticized Israel and declared that "the Golan will remain Syrian territory." In response, Katz made clear that Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights is not subject to challenge.

"My clear answer to the Syrian President who made loud declarations in the UN: the Golan Heights is under Israeli sovereignty; it is an integral part of the State of Israel forever," Katz declared.

Katz mentioned past agreements and clarified that Israel would not agree to return to previous security situations: "We will not withdraw from Mount Hermon and the security zones that were conquered in 1973 and given over in the Disengagement Agreement in 1974 under conditions which were violated when Syria became an Iranian base and threat on our borders."

The Defense Minister expanded on the IDF's presence on the other side of the border and explained that military measures taken recently sought to foil immediate threats: "With the fall of Assad, the IDF entered the summit of Mount Hermon and the security zone in Syria to prevent your and your supporters' Jihadist threats against the State of Israel. The IDF will remain there as long as there is a Jihadist threat on the border and the Israeli communities, be it from your security forces or other Jihadist groups and organizations in Syria."

Katz concluded by sending a stern warning to the leadership in Damascus against escalating the situation: "If they attack our forces or the territory of the State of Israel within Syria, we will have to act and respond, and any territory we take this time will remain ours forever, in accordance with the laws of war. We will not allow Syria to become a threat to the State of Israel, and we will act to prevent this when necessary."

No pause in Ukraine conflict – Lavrov

No pause in Ukraine conflict – Lavrov

RT

Moscow will not pause its special military operation while peace negotiations are underway, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the UN Security Council on Wednesday, asserting that a temporary ceasefire only benefits Kiev.

Ukraine and 51 of its allies released a statement on Wednesday demanding that Russia accept an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” so that peace talks between Moscow and Kiev can take place. The statement, whose signatories included the EU and its member states, the UK, Canada, and Australia, was published before the security council met to discuss the conflict. 

“We are not going to have a pause in our special military operation,” Lavrov said during the meeting. “Europe, whatever it thinks, just wants to get a pause and it wants to use it to pump the Kiev regime with weapons.” 

Kiev is “clearly and blatantly using terrorist methods,” Lavrov added, referring to Ukraine’s long-range strikes on civilian targets in Russia. 

Ukraine and its allies issued their ceasefire demand less than four days after Ukrainian forces launched their largest-ever drone raid on the Russian capital. The attack killed two civilians in its suburbs and damaged an oil refinery, residential buildings, and civilian infrastructure. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the “unprecedented” raid involved more than 1,600 UAVs from all directions.

Throughout the conflict, Ukraine has repeatedly followed such attacks with appeals for ceasefire, which Russia has rebuffed. Moscow maintains that it will only cease military action when both sides seek a comprehensive settlement that addresses the root causes of the conflict.

Russia has dramatically stepped up its missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian military and dual-use infrastructure in recent months, in response to Vladimir Zelensky’s 40-day “influence campaign” of long-range strikes on civilian targets.

Zelensky’s stated aim was to foment discontent among the Russian public, but the campaign ultimately ended with the destruction of Ukraine’s Black Sea port infrastructure and an earlier-than-usual start to Russia’s winter campaign against its power plants and substations.

In a statement released after the latest drone raid on Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian army would further “intensify its high-accuracy strikes against military targets in Kiev” in response. 

Lavrov, Rubio Exchange Views on Wide Range of Bilateral, Int'l Issues - Foreign Ministry

Lavrov, Rubio Exchange Views on Wide Range of Bilateral, Int'l Issues - Foreign Ministry

Sputnik

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio exchanged views on a wide range of bilateral and international issues, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"An agreement has been reached to continue contacts on all the issues mentioned via the foreign ministries of both countries," the statement said.

Lavrov stressed the need to improve bilateral relations as soon as possible in accordance with the agreements reached by the leaders, the ministry said.

"Among international and regional issues, the situation in the Middle East, Transcaucasia, Latin America and Caribbean region was touched upon, as well as the topic of countering illegitimate practices in the international legal sphere by certain multilateral institutions," the ministry said in a statement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized the threat to global energy markets from Kiev's attacks on infrastructure during the meeting with Rubio.

"They examined in detail Kiev's destructive actions, which deliberately target civilians and cross-border infrastructure facilities, leading to the destabilization of global energy markets," Russia's foreign ministry stated.

Lavrov also discussed Kiev's destructive actions against civilians and infrastructure with Rubio, the ministry said, adding that the Russian foreign minister noted Kiev's coordination with European sponsors.

Russia's commitment to achieving goals of the special military operation was reaffirmed during the meeting, the ministry added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also discussed preparations for G20 events scheduled through the end of the year.

Earlier in the day, the top diplomats held a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, which had lasted about an hour.

France Is Running Out Of Fuel: 16% Of French Gas Stations Are Reporting Outages And Rationing Has Started In Several Other Countries

France Is Running Out Of Fuel: 16% Of French Gas Stations Are Reporting Outages And Rationing Has Started In Several Other Countries

Michael Snyder

It has begun. Hundreds of gas stations all over France are reporting that they are out of at least one type of fuel, and there are quite a few nations in Asia that are now imposing very strict measures in order to conserve energy. I have no idea why this isn’t making more news here in the United States. Maybe the big news outlets don’t think that there is any way that this could ever happen here. Or maybe there is a coordinated effort to keep the public calm. I don’t know. But without a doubt, this is a very big deal.

I knew that Europe was facing a severe energy crunch, but I didn’t realize that things had gotten so bad already.

It is being reported that 16 percent of all gas stations in France are out of at least one type of fuel…

Official French pump data on Monday showed that 16 percent of stations are short of at least one main fuel, diesel or petrol.

That was slightly better than Sunday evening (17 percent) but worse than Friday (13 percent). About 9,900 stations are in the count, according to prix-carburants.gouv.fr.

Shortages were worst this morning in Pays de la Loire (20 percent); Grand Est (19 percent); Île-de-France, Centre-Val de Loire, and Normandy (18 percent); Nouvelle-Aquitaine (17 percent); and Brittany, Hauts-de-France, and Occitanie (16 percent).

We aren’t just talking about a few isolated cases.

We are talking about hundreds upon hundreds of French gas stations that are experiencing outages.

This is serious.

If you can actually find fuel in France, prices are absolutely outrageous.

The average price of a liter of diesel in France is up to €2.406, which is approximately $10.45 a gallon.

Europe is facing its worst energy crisis in history, and there is no end in sight.

In fact, Saudi Arabia has told Europe that there will be no shipments of oil for them for the entire month of October…

The trigger this week was a drone strike on Sept. 10 that closed Saudi Arabia’s East West pipeline, the line carrying crude from the eastern oil fields to Yanbu on the Red Sea without touching Hormuz.

Aramco has now told European refining customers they will receive no crude at all in October under long-term contracts, reported Bloomberg. The decision applies to every European buyer.

What this means is that the shortages that we are witnessing in Europe right now are likely to get even worse.

Meanwhile, several countries in Asia have been forced to institute fuel rationing.

In Pakistan, many types of businesses are being forced to close early in order to save energy…

From September 17, shops and malls across Pakistan must close by 09:00 PM, wedding halls by 10:00 PM, and restaurants by 11:00 PM. This Cabinet Division order runs for the next three months.

Moreover, government vehicles lose 50% of their fuel allocation, with security fleets exempt.

The government banned new vehicle purchases and official foreign travel, and ordered a 5% cut to non-employee spending for fiscal 2026-27.

In Bangladesh, almost all businesses must now shut down by 8 o’clock at the latest…

Shops, markets, and shopping centres must shut by 8 PM, an hour earlier than before, and lit billboards go dark from 7 PM. Only hospitals, pharmacies, food shops, and emergency services are exempt.

Industry is taking the same hit. Garment factories, the country’s main source of foreign currency, face rationing and temporary closures, and one Gazipur plant reported four or five power cuts a day.

In Indonesia, there are now extremely strict rules about when citizens are allowed to fill up their vehicles…

By September 11, queues at Makassar pumps ran as long as one kilometer. Ride-hailing drivers described three-hour waits and called it the worst shortage they had ever seen.

South Sulawesi’s answer was rationing by decree on September 12. Cars can only refuel on days matching their plate number, private vehicles must show a fuel gauge below one bar, and trucks and buses may fill up only between 06:00 PM and 04:00 AM.

More...

Macron’s UN remark stuns Israel

‘Hamas never operated in the West Bank’: Macron’s UN remark stuns Israel

Danna Avni

French President Emmanuel Macron’s assertion that Hamas has not operated in the West Bank drew strong criticism from Israeli officials on Tuesday, following his address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

“Just look at what is happening in the West Bank; day after day, we witness violations. And for what? Hamas has never operated in the West Bank,” Macron said. “What we need is to respect the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to exist. This is a necessary condition for the security of the people of Israel, today and in the future.”

Israeli officials rejected Macron’s assertion, pointing to attacks and alleged plots attributed to Hamas operatives in the West Bank.

Their criticism came after Netanel Shukron, a French-Israeli citizen and father of six, was killed near the N’vei Tzuf spring in the Binyamin area. Israeli officials said the attacker was affiliated with Hamas. Earlier in the month, Israeli security forces announced the arrest of a suspected 10-member Hamas cell accused of planning an attack in the northern Jordan Valley.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office described Macron’s remarks as “a grotesque absurdity.”

“On Sunday, the eve of Yom Kippur, just two days ago, Netanel Shukron—a French citizen and father of six—was murdered in his car by a Hamas terrorist in the West Bank,” the statement said. “In his final breaths, he told his son to run away. Hamas terrorists perpetrate attacks against Jews almost every day. They have murdered countless Israeli civilians in the West Bank. Ignorance is no excuse for erasing their blood.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also accused Macron of misrepresenting Hamas’s presence in the territory.

“President Macron is lying,” Smotrich wrote on X. He cited Shukron’s killing as one of “hundreds of attacks” allegedly led by Hamas, adding that the organization plays a significant role in encouraging and carrying out terrorism in the West Bank.

Israeli advocacy activist Yoseph Haddad similarly condemned the French president’s statement, arguing that Hamas has operated in the West Bank for decades. He cited the March 2002 suicide bombing at the Park Hotel in Netanya, which killed 30 people and wounded more than 140. The attacker was linked to a Hamas cell based in Tulkarm.

During his address, Macron also criticized the international response to the war in the Gaza Strip and questioned the value of recognizing a Palestinian state without taking further action.

“A year ago, in this very hall, several dozen countries recognized Palestine,” Macron said. “You recognized it on paper. Look at the reality on the ground—but what is the value of our credibility if we remain inactive regarding Gaza?”

Macron said claims that peace had been achieved had not resulted in the opening of humanitarian-aid channels, calling the situation “shameful.”

Turning to Lebanon, Macron said only a fully sovereign Lebanese state would be capable of disarming Hezbollah and restoring security for Lebanese citizens and neighboring countries.

Macron was among several world leaders who addressed the Palestinian issue during Tuesday’s General Assembly session.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of committing genocide, saying generations of Palestinians would bear the resulting pain and trauma.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his support for an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. He also described Gaza as “the largest children’s graveyard in the world.”

Members of the Israeli delegation walked out of the chamber during Erdoğan’s address in protest.