The Russian crew immediately took the necessary measures to prevent a collision. The incident is said to have occurred over the al-Tanf region in Homs. The US maintains a military base there near the border with Jordan. A statement from the US Department of Defense is not yet available. Reuters was initially unable to independently verify the information.
20:34: The Islamist Hamas apparently rejects the recently discussed deal to release the hostages. This is reported by several Israeli media outlets, referring to an official statement by the terrorist organization. It claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is setting “new conditions and demands” in order to prevent talks and prolong the war in the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas statement, quoted by the Times of Israel, says that the latest US-backed proposal reflects Israel’s demands. It refers to the Israeli demand that the Israeli armed forces remain in the so-called Philadelphia Corridor and at the Rafah border crossing, among other places. “After hearing from the mediators what was discussed at the last round of talks in Doha, we are once again convinced that (Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to put obstacles in the way of an agreement,” the Islamist organization’s statement said.
The question of whether Israel will withdraw from the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, which it captured in May, is considered to be particularly controversial in the negotiations. Hamas is demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu, on the other hand, wants the Israeli army to continue to control the Philadelphia Corridor even after a ceasefire, for example to prevent the smuggling of weapons. Read more about this here.
It is still unclear whether the negotiations have finally failed. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv late in the afternoon. He is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu and other leading figures on Monday. He will make it clear to all parties that an agreement must be found, it is said.
