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Gaza Burning: Israel expands military operation and warns residents to leave
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Gaza Burning: Israel expands military operation and warns residents to leave

16 September 2025
The Israeli military began a ground offensive targeting Gaza city on Tuesday 16 September slowly squeezing in on the Palestinian territory’s largest city that has seen block after block already destroyed in the Israel-Hamas war. Residents still in the city were warned they must leave and head south. The push marks yet another escalation in a conflict that has roiled the Middle East as any potential ceasefire feels even further out of reach despite months of diplomacy. While the military wouldn’t offer a timeline for the offensive, Israeli media outlets suggested it could take months. Earlier in the day, according to Associated Press, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that “Gaza is burning” while independent experts commissioned by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council announced that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, joining a rising international chorus of such accusations.
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Ethiopian dam upsets Egypt, whilst China plays a difficult game
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Ethiopian dam upsets Egypt, whilst China plays a difficult game

14 September 2025
Ethiopia last week opened its mega dam on the River Nile, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The launch has sparked a tense diplomatic battle between Ethiopia and Egypt, with Cairo denouncing it as “an unlawful unilateral act” and protesting to the United Nations Security Council. During an inauguration ceremony on Tuesday (9 September) Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described the US$5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as a “symbol of Ethiopian unity and national achievement". Several regional leaders, including Kenyan President William Ruto and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, attended the event. Egypt, whose life has historically centred around the River Nile, believes the dam will threaten its water supply and cause shortages. Following the inauguration, Cairo warned that it reserved the right to take all measures provided for under international law and the UN Charter to “defend the existential interests of its people”. Sudan, has also raised concerns about dam safety and the risk of uncoordinated water releases.
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UN General Assembly vote highlights Israel's isolation
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UN General Assembly vote highlights Israel's isolation

13 September 2025
Applause rang out in the UN General Assembly Hall on Friday as countries endorsed a declaration on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and implementation of the two-State solution with Israel.  The New York Declaration is the outcome of an international conference held in July at UN Headquarters, organized by France and Saudi Arabia, which resumes later this month. The General Assembly comprises all 193 UN Member States and 142 countries voted in favour of a resolution backing the document. Israel voted against it, alongside nine other countries – Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga and the United States – while 12 nations abstained. The vote highlights the current Israeli international isolation as a result of its current policies. Prior to the vote, French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont recalled that the New York Declaration “lays out a single roadmap to deliver the two-State solution”. This involves an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, release of all hostages held there, and the establishment of a Palestinian State that is both viable and sovereign. The roadmap further calls for the disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from governance in Gaza, normalization between Israel and the Arab countries, as well as collective security guarantees.
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NATO States remain on Heightened Alert as Russia and Belarus Launch Military Drills
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NATO States remain on Heightened Alert as Russia and Belarus Launch Military Drills

12 September 2025
On Friday (12 September), Russia and Belarus commenced large-scale joint military exercises under the name “Zapad 2025,” in operations that have triggered concern among NATO members along the alliance’s eastern frontier. The manoeuvres begin only days after Poland accused Moscow of violating its airspace with an unprecedented number of drones, intensifying tensions across the region. According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the purpose of Zapad 2025 is to enhance the skills of commanders and staff, improve cooperation, and conduct field training among regional and allied troop groupings. The Kremlin insists the drills were planned well in advance of the drone incident on Wednesday (10 September) involving Poland.
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Israel’s strikes in Yemen kill at least thirty-five people
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Israel’s strikes in Yemen kill at least thirty-five people

12 September 2025
On Wednesday (10 September), Israeli jets targeted Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, as well as al-Jawf province. Houthi authorities reported that there are at least 35 dead and 131 wounded, although later figures suggested 46 fatalities and 165 people injured. Strikes in Sanaa’s al-Tahrir neighbourhood damaged residential areas, a medical facility, and the national museum, while in al-Jawf, government compounds were hit. The damage to civilian infrastructure has drawn widespread condemnation, with UNESCO warning of irreparable losses to cultural heritage.
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EU to push for sanctions on Israel ministers and suspend bilateral support
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EU to push for sanctions on Israel ministers and suspend bilateral support

11 September 2025
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated she would push to sanction "extremist" Israeli ministers and curb trade ties over Gaza, as she warned famine should not be used as a "weapon of war". Addressing the European Parliament on 10 September in the annual State of the Union, von der Leyen lamented that divisions among member states were holding back a European response but insisted the European Commission "will do all that it can on its own". "What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world. People killed while begging for food. Mothers holding lifeless babies. These images are simply catastrophic," von der Leyen said. The German politician said the Commission would put its bilateral support to Israel on hold, stopping all payments, but without affecting work with civil society groups and Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
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What role for the EU in the post-Washington South Caucasus?
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What role for the EU in the post-Washington South Caucasus?

11 September 2025
The agreements reached in the US-mediated summit of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Washington on August 8 are poised to fundamentally reshape the region's future. Particularly, the deal concerning the Zangezur corridor – rebranded as the “Trump Route for Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) – holds significant geopolitical importance. If implemented, the TRIPP agreement would deal a severe blow to the regional standing of Russia and Iran. More importantly, it would pave the way for a strategic U.S. presence in this critical geography. This outcome represents a success that few would have predicted for the United States, especially for the Trump administration, given the region's notoriously complex and volatile geopolitics.
Vasif Huseynov