Foreign
Israel accuses Iran of sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria
The Israel has renewed its allegations that Iran sponsors terrorism globally, including in Nigeria, amid an ongoing diplomatic row between the two countries over security claims and counter-claims.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja, Israel’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, said Iran’s record on terrorism was well documented and could not be dismissed by public denials.
The statement followed recent comments by Iran’s envoy to Nigeria, Gholamreza Mahdavi Raja, who appeared on Arise Television on March 8, where he rejected accusations that Tehran sponsors extremist activities in Nigeria and across West Africa.
Responding to the denial, Freeman insisted that Iran has for decades been widely identified as a major state sponsor of militant groups across different regions of the world.
“For decades, Iran has been widely identified as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, providing funding, weapons, training and strategic direction to terrorist organisations such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis,” the Israeli envoy said.
He further argued that activities linked to Tehran have not been limited to the Middle East but have extended to other parts of the world.
“Iranian-backed operatives and networks have been linked to attacks and plots across the globe; from Argentina and Bulgaria to Australia and the United Kingdom,” Freeman said.
The ambassador also referenced the October 7 attacks carried out by Hamas against Israeli civilians, alleging that Iranian leaders publicly praised the assault and encouraged further violence against Israel.
Freeman noted that Nigeria has also recorded incidents allegedly connected to Iranian-linked operations.
According to him, Nigerian authorities intercepted a shipment of Iranian weapons in 2010 at the Apapa Port in Lagos, which he claimed was concealed in cargo containers and allegedly destined for armed groups operating in West Africa.
He also cited a 2013 security operation in which Nigerian authorities reportedly uncovered a weapons cache and arrested individuals linked to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in Abuja and Kano.
Commenting further, Freeman said Iran’s denials could not erase what he described as documented evidence of its activities.
“The Iranian regime can make as many statements as they like and appear on as many television channels as they want. But facts speak louder than words. And the fact is that Iran is the world’s largest sponsor of terrorism and has backed the Islamic Movement of Nigeria for years,” he said.
He also alleged that Iran has supported the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), noting that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had previously met with the group’s leader Ibrahim Zakzaky and praised him for his activism.
The Israeli embassy said the statement was issued to counter what it described as misinformation regarding Iran’s global activities.
“Terrorism threatens the security and stability of nations across the world, including here in Nigeria,” the statement added.
The man suspected in the White House correspondents’ dinner shooting wrote a statement saying he wanted to target members of President Donald Trump’s administration, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the document.
Acting attorney general Todd Blanche said that the suspect in custody, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, appeared to be targeting members of the Trump administration, and potentially Trump, but that the information was “quite preliminary.”
Officials based their assessment on Allen’s writings, including a statement he sent to members of his family before the shooting, investigators said. D.C. interim police chief Jeffery Carroll said Saturday night that Allen was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and knives when he charged through a security checkpoint toward the ballroom at the Washington Hilton, where hundreds of journalists, politicians and celebrities were gathered for the dinner.
Culled: Washington
Post
By Wumi Tewogbade ,Abuja
The European Commission on Wednesday, announced €235 million in humanitarian assistance to support the most vulnerable people in West and Central Africa.
In a statement issued by EU, in Abuja, the organisation said the fund will support those affected by current conflicts and food crises, forcibly displaced people, host communities, and hard-to-reach populations.
Out of the money, Nigeria is expected to get €33 million.
The statement reads, “Out of the €235 million, €75 million will be directed to the Central Sahel, over €16.6 million to Cameroon, €22 million to the Central African Republic, over €72 million to Chad, €4.8 million to Mauritania, €33 million to Nigeria, and over €6 million to coastal countries.
“An additional €6.4 million will support projects with a regional scope.
“West and Central Africa is facing a storm of humanitarian crises, driven by conflict, poverty, hunger, instability, and climate shocks.” said Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management.”
Lahbib said in the statement, “Last year in Chad, I saw the human cost with my own eyes: families who had fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs, their homes lost, their livelihoods destroyed. For millions of people, humanitarian aid is not a choice. It is food on the table, clean water, medicine, shelter, and a chance for their children to learn again.
“The European Union will always stand with people in crisis, as a reliable and principled humanitarian partner, to save lives, ease suffering, and bring hope where it is needed most.”
It would be recalled that the West and Central Africa region is plagued by various humanitarian crises, with significant needs for humanitarian assistance.
The primary driver of these crises is conflict, further intensified by the adverse effects of climate change and a multitude of local factors related to governance, demography and access to land and resources.
The epicentre of these crises is in the Central Sahel and Lake Chad regions, with the Central Sahel conflict spilling over in the coastal countries, fuelling large-scale displacement both internally and across borders. The ongoing Sudan crisis is also severely impacting the resilience of Eastern Chad. In addition to these intertwined dynamics, standalone crises persist in North-West Nigeria, North-West and South-West (NWSW) Cameroon, and the Central African Republic (CAR).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned “in the strongest terms” the damaging of a “Catholic religious icon” by an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon.
It follows an image that emerged online appearing to show an Israeli soldier striking a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer.
In a statement on X, Netanyahu said he and “the overwhelming majority of Israelis” were “stunned and saddened” to hear of the incident.
He says military authorities are conducting a criminal investigation into the matter, and will take “appropriately harsh disciplinary action” against the offender.
“Israel is the only place in the Middle East that adheres to freedom of worship for all. We express regret for the incident and for any hurt this has caused,” he adds.
Earlier, the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called for “swift, severe, and public consequences”.
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