Israel says it bombed Hamas ‘terror tunnel’
JERUSALEM – Israeli aircraft bombed what the military described as a “terror tunnel” used by Hamas in Gaza and the militant Palestinian group said three of its fighters were killed in the strike early Friday.
The military said it carried out the strike after five of its soldiers were wounded as they tried to demolish another tunnel used by the Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas that rules Gaza. That incident drew Israeli fire that killed one Hamas militant.
The latest violence was the deadliest along the volatile boundary since an eight-day Israeli military campaign last November aimed at stopping attacks from Gaza, a coastal strip that borders both Israel and Egypt.
The soldiers were blowing up the infrastructure of a recently discovered tunnel dug in Gaza that stretched into Israel when an explosive device was detonated late Thursday, wounding the troops and drawing Israeli fire, the military said.
Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said one Palestinian was killed by the Israeli tank fire.
Nations want resolution to protect privacy
UNITED NATIONS – Brazil and Germany, whose leaders have allegedly been targeted by U.S. eavesdropping, are asking the U.N. General Assembly to adopt a resolution calling on all countries to protect the right to privacy guaranteed under international law.
Their draft resolution notes that rapid technological developments are improving information and communications for people around the globe but they are also enhancing the capacity of governments, companies and individuals “for surveillance, interception and data collection, which may violate human rights.”
The draft resolution, sent to the assembly’s huma- rights committee Friday, follows a series of reports of U.S. eavesdropping on foreign leaders, including Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, that has surprised and angered allies.
Envoy asks Syria rebels to attend peace talks
DAMASCUS, Syria – The international envoy to Syria called on the divided opposition Friday to overcome differences and agree to attend peace talks with President Bashar Assad’s government, warning the negotiations cannot go forward without them.
Lakhdar Brahimi, who wrapped up his five-day visit to Damascus, appeared uncertain about prospects for the meeting expected to take place later this month in Geneva.
The deeply fractured Syrian opposition groups are split on whether to attend the talks.
They also disagree over conditions for taking part – from demands that Assad steps down right away to guarantees that he would not be part of a negotiated solution for the country’s future.
The opposition is also split between Damascus-based groups, who have said they will attend without preconditions, and the exiled opposition, which is more hard-line.
The government has rejected demands that Assad step aside, saying he will stay at least until the end of his term in mid-2014, and will then decide whether to seek re-election. Assad also has said he will not negotiate with armed rebels.
Associated Press
