#Israel welcomes 'all help' in striking #Iran, Trump to decide 'within two weeks'

Israel on Thursday welcomed "all help" in striking Iran's nuclear sites as President Donald Trump dangled the prospect of US involvement in the war, saying he will decide "within the next two weeks".

Israel, claiming Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, launched air strikes against its arch-enemy last week, triggering deadly exchanges.

After an Iranian missile hit an Israeli hospital on Thursday, in an attack that Tehran said targeted a military and intelligence base, Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a threat against Iran's supreme leader, spiking tensions in the week-old war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran would "pay a heavy price" for the strike on Soroka Hospital in the southern city of Beersheba that left 40 people injured and the facility in flames.

In a televised interview later on Thursday, Netanyahu said Israel is "capable of striking all of Iran's nuclear facilities" but "all help is welcome".

"Trump will do what is good for the United States, and I will do what is good for the State of Israel," Netanyahu told public broadcaster Kan.

Citing "the fact that there's a substantial chance" to resume nuclear negotiations with Iran -- which had been derailed by the Israeli attacks -- Trump said in a statement he will decide "whether or not to go within the next two weeks".

Trump said on Wednesday that Iran had asked to send officials to the White House to negotiate a deal on its nuclear programme and end the conflict with Israel.

Iran denied it would do so, but its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is due to attend nuclear talks in Geneva on Friday with top diplomats from France, Britain, Germany and the European Union, officials and diplomats said.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2025/Jun/19/israel-welcomes-all-help-in-striking-iran-trump-to-decide-within-two-weeks

#Ethiopian wildlife official raises alarm as #Walia ibex numbers plummet to 306

The Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority has reported that the Walia ibex population has plummeted to a mere 306, prompting urgent calls for religious leaders to publicly denounce the killing of the animal.

Kumera Wakjira, director of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, told the Ethiopian Press Agency that although the ibex was historically shielded from harm due to deep-rooted religious and cultural reverence, such protective customs have gradually eroded in recent years. Now confined solely to the Simien Mountains National Park, the species teeters on the brink of extinction.

Read more at

https://x.com/addisstandard/status/1935961884689097148?t=3qD-hPOGrPxqcgW5CnCbow&s=19

Updated

#Just_in - #Ethiopia: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed today received General Michael Langley, U.S. Marine Corps and Commander of United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), for what he described as “discussions on bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.”

The U.S embassy in Addis Abeba said “Their discussions focused on countering terrorist threats from al-Shabaab and ISIS in the Horn of Africa.”

The meeting in Addis Abeba comes just a day after Somaliland confirmed, that General Langley was part of a high-level U.S. delegation led by Ambassador
Richard Riley that visited Hargeisa and held talks with with President Abdirahman Irro and other senior officials.

According to the press statement issued by the Somaliland presidency, the delegation held talks on “shared security, maritime, and defense interests,” and visited the port city of Berbera to assess infrastructure relevant to regional security cooperation.

37 #Ethiopians among scores of foreign nationals at “imminent risk” of execution in #Saudi_Arabia: rights groups report

At least 37 Ethiopian men are facing execution in Saudi Arabia for drug-related offences, according to a joint statement by 31 civil society and human rights organizations. The groups warned of an “imminent risk” of execution for hundreds of foreign nationals held in the kingdom, mostly for non-lethal drug-related charges.

In the statement released on 17 June, the signatories—including Reprieve, ALQST for Human Rights, and the African Academy of Diplomacy—said they are “gravely fearful for the lives” of detainees, particularly Ethiopian, #Somalia, and #Egyptian nationals. Citing data from the Saudi Press Agency, they stated that 98 individuals have been executed in 2025 alone for drug-related offences, most of them foreign nationals.

The statement noted that “19 Somali and seven Ethiopian nationals have been publicly reported as executed this year,” including “three Ethiopian nationals” who were executed on 16 June. The groups added that “37 Ethiopian men and 27 Somali nationals” remain on death row in Najran Central Prison in southwestern Saudi Arabia, while 26 Egyptian nationals are held in Tabuk Central Prison in the northwest.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50971

News Analysis: #Ethiopia among #African countries at epicenter of rising conflicts: Global Peace Index 2025

Global Peace Index 2025 by the Institute for Economics & Peace places Ethiopia among Africa’s most volatile conflict epicenters - alongside Sudan, South Sudan, and the DRC. “There are currently 59 active state-based conflicts globally, the highest since World War II, and Africa is home to some of the most dangerous of them,” the report warns.

Despite the end of the two-year devastating war in the #Tigray region following the Pretoria agreement Ethiopia’s tensions with Eritrea remain a major flashpoint, with the report naming the Ethiopia/Eritrea dyad among “the highest risk of rapid and severe escalation.”

Although the report doesn’t explore other conflicts within Ethiopia in depth, the ongoing militarized conflicts in Amhara and Oromia regions continue to devastate civilians and infrastructure. The Amhara region has endured nearly two years of conflict involving government forces and Fano militias, while Oromia’s six-year conflict with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) remains unresolved.

Similarly, more than 11,000 people have been displaced in recent weeks due to armed violence in the border areas of Oromia and Benishangul-Gumuz regions.

Africa’s conflict burden is increasingly externalized. Countries like Rwanda, Nigeria, and Ghana are now engaged in five or more external conflicts, often under peacekeeping or counterinsurgency roles. “We are entering an age of global power fragmentation,” IEP notes, highlighting a growing “peace inequality” as fewer conflicts end in peace agreements.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50980

#Ethiopia, #UN sign new development cooperation framework agreement

The Government of Ethiopia and the United Nations have signed a new Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for the period 2025–2030.

“An estimated US$6.5 billion is required to implement the framework fully over five years. Currently, approximately US$1.5 billion has been mobilized, leaving a funding gap of US$5 billion. Addressing this gap will be critical for realizing the framework’s objectives and ensuring impactful results,” the Ministry said.

Read More at: https://x.com/addisstandard/status/1936031174947663935

#Ethiopia: #Tigray Deputy President accuses federal gov’t of exploiting Pretoria deal to advance ‘wartime goals ’; warns of ‘demographic change’ at IDP rally

The Deputy President of the Tigray Interim Regional Administration, Amanuel Assefa, has accused the federal government of “using the #Pretoria Peace Agreement to achieve the goals it could not accomplish through war” and warned that the deal is being “exploited” to “fragment Tigray” and “change the region’s demographic composition.”

Amanuel made the comments on 20 June during the closing rally of a three-day peaceful demonstration held at Romanat Square in Mekelle. The protest, which began on 18 June, was organized under the slogan “Let’s not spend the fifth rainy season in tents” by Tsilal Western Tigray Civil Society, and called for the full implementation of the Pretoria Agreement and the immediate return of displaced persons. Delivering a message on behalf of the Interim President, Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede, Amanuel claimed the federal government is “exploiting the agreement to make Tigray exist in a fragmented state and to change the demographic composition of the area.”

“Beyond silencing the guns,” he said, “it has so far failed to ensure the security of the Tigray people,” adding that displaced residents are “living in difficulty and suffering, having been stripped of their sovereign territory, displaced from their homes, and driven from their residences.” He stated that the administration would “make every effort to ensure all of Tigray’s interests through peaceful means,” but warned that “if that path fails, it should not be assumed that Tigray’s dignity will remain violated or its sovereignty broken.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50984