World roundup: June 5 2025
Stories from Israel-Palestine, China, Cameroon, and elsewhere
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TODAY IN HISTORY
June 5, 1963: In what’s become known as the 15 Khordad Movement (because it took place on the 15th day of the Iranian month of Khordad), protests and riots break out in cities across Iran after the arrest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini over his criticisms of the Iranian government. The previously little-known Khomeini emerged suddenly on the public stage months earlier when he angrily denounced Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s “White Revolution” reforms as contrary to Islam. The outpouring of anger over his arrest cemented him as a leading opposition figure, a status he carried with him into exile and all the way through the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
June 5, 1967: The Six Day War begins.
MIDDLE EAST
SYRIA
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is reporting that Syrian security forces rampaged through a predominantly Alawite town in northwestern Syria’s Latakia province on Wednesday, setting fire to homes and other buildings and killing at least three people. According to Syrian authorities they were responding to an attack on a nearby telecommunications facility, but I imagine it doesn’t come as a huge surprise to learn that there’s no particular reason to believe that any of the three men they killed were involved in that incident and that residents are denying that the telecommunications attack ever took place. Syrian security forces have been on another Alawite killing spree this week, with the SOHR reporting at least five dead after one incident in Damascus on Sunday and eight dead in another incident on Wednesday in Hama province.
LEBANON
The Israeli military (IDF) bombed southern Beirut’s Dahieh neighborhood on Thursday, after issuing an evacuation order for several buildings in the area. It later issued a similar order for a village in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh province. Israeli officials claimed that the Beirut attack targeted “buildings used for the production and storage of Hezbollah’s UAVs.” Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called it a “blatant violation” of November’s ceasefire agreement.
ISRAEL-PALESTINE
Al-Jazeera’s Mat Nashed notes the recent expansion of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank despite international “condemnation”:
Israel’s international allies are growing louder in their condemnation of its war on Gaza and its continued construction of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
United Nations experts, human rights groups and legal scholars have all previously told Al Jazeera that Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza and committing abuses that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank.
And yet less than two weeks after receiving a stern warning from its Western allies, Israel approved 22 illegal settlements in the West Bank, amounting to what has been described as the largest land grab since Israeli and Palestinian leaders inked the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993.
“Israel is all about showing [the world] who calls the shots. They are saying … you can condemn us all you want, but in the end, you will bow down to us and not the other way around,” said Diana Buttu, a legal scholar and political analyst focused on Israel and Palestine.
The Oslo Accords were ostensibly aimed at creating a Palestinian state, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.
However, in practice, Israel has continued to expand illegal settlements and render the two-state solution impossible, analysts told Al Jazeera.
I understand the sentiment here but it gets harder and harder to take these stories of European criticism or “condemnation” seriously when it never manifests as anything other than verbal scolding or empty proceduralism (like recognizing a Palestinian “state” and then doing nothing meaningful to support it). Western governments (and, let’s be honest, their Arab client governments too) treat the West Bank settlement movement as a public relations problem instead of what it is, the ethnic cleansing of that territory in preparation for Israeli annexation. They have the leverage to force the Israeli government to stop, but they have no interest in using it.
Meanwhile, in Gaza:
A new United Nations report finds that the number of children in Gaza who are “suffering from acute malnutrition” has tripled since the Israeli government blocked all aid from entering the territory in early March. Humanitarian agencies screened 50,000 children under 5 and found that 5.8 percent were in a state of acute malnutrition, up from 4.7 percent last month and triple the percentage identified in February, during the temporary truce earlier this year.
The “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” partially resumed its dubious humanitarian aid operation on Thursday after closing down for “renovations” the previous day. The GHF reopened two of its four distribution centers and, surprisingly, the IDF did not (as far as I know) open fire on any crowds of people who gathered at either one.
Hamas politburo member Khalil al-Hayya said on Thursday that the organization is “ready for a new, serious round of negotiations aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire agreement.” This got some headlines, but you’ll note there’s nothing in there about accepting anything short of a permanent ceasefire and as has already been well established the Israeli government will not agree to that.
A Haaretz analysis of satellite imagery and videos circulating online finds that the IDF has allowed “a new armed Palestinian militia” to set up shop inside Gaza on territory that is supposed to be off limits to Palestinians. This supports a report the outlet released last month indicating the emergence of a group calling itself the “Anti-Terror Service” in the Rafah area, led by a man named Yasser Abu Shabab. That group has been credibly accused of looting humanitarian aid in attacks that the Israeli government has then attributed to Hamas and used to justify cutting off humanitarian aid entirely. The suggestion is that the IDF is working with this and other groups to stage the theft of aid. Israeli opposition politician Avigdor Lieberman claimed on Thursday that some of these groups may be “affiliated” with Islamic State, while Benjamin Netanyahu’s office obliquely confirmed that the IDF is supporting these groups by issuing a statement saying that “Israel is working to defeat Hamas in various ways.” Readers may recall that in the wake of the October 7 attacks, Netanyahu began a campaign called “Hamas is ISIS” to drum up international support for the mass slaughter of the population of Gaza. Whether or not you think Hamas is ISIS I think we can all agree that ISIS is ISIS, and if Lieberman is correct then it seems Netanyahu doesn’t really have a problem with them.
YEMEN
Greek Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis, the commander of the European Union’s Red Sea naval mission, claimed on Thursday that commercial traffic through that waterway is up 60 percent over what it was back in August. The US-Houthi ceasefire appears to have gone some way toward restoring shipping firms’ confidence in the safety of the Red Sea route, and subsequent exchanges of fire between the Houthis and Israel don’t seem to have done much to reduce traffic—though to be fair the region remains well off of the levels of commercial traffic it saw prior to the October 7 attacks. And according to The Wall Street Journal, the Houthis’ success in fending off the world’s most expensive military may have lasting ramifications for naval warfare:
Officials are now dissecting how a scrappy adversary was able to test the world’s most capable surface fleet. The Houthis proved to be a surprisingly difficult foe, engaging the Navy in its fiercest battles since World War II despite fighting from primitive quarters and caves in one of the world’s poorest countries.
The Houthis benefited from the proliferation of cheap missile and drone technology from Iran. They fired antiship ballistic missiles, the first-ever combat use of the Cold War-era weapon, and they innovated how they deployed their weaponry. The latest technologies have transformed maritime warfare, much the way they have rewritten the script for land wars in Ukraine—forcing militaries to adapt in real time. The U.S. is developing fresh ways to intercept the newest drones and missiles but still relies largely on expensive defense systems.
Though the Houthis never managed to hit a US warship they came close several times, and in doing so seem to have exposed a vulnerability when those vessels operate so close to land and thus with minimal time to activate their air defenses.
IRAN
The Wall Street Journal, citing “people familiar with the transaction,” is reporting that the Iranian government “has ordered thousands of tons of ballistic-missile ingredients from China.” There’s been no comment from Iran and the Chinese government says it’s unaware of the transaction. The main component identified in the WSJ piece is 1000 tons of sodium perchlorate, a precursor chemical that can be used to produce ammonium perchlorate, a component of solid rocket fuel, but the piece also alleges that the Iranians have ordered a larger consignment of ammonium perchlorate that should start arriving in the next few months. Some of that sodium perchlorate may have contributed to the massive explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee seaport back in April. The Iranians are presumably looking to replenish their own stockpiles but may ship some of the finished product to regional clients like Hezbollah and the Houthis.
ASIA
AFGHANISTAN
According to The Washington Post, the recent upgrade in diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan came by way of Beijing:
In a May meeting in Beijing, Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to reinstate ambassador-level diplomatic ties after years of deteriorating relations and a surge in deadly violence along their shared border. Afghanistan was also invited to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multibillion-dollar infrastructure project that is a cornerstone of China’s economic ambitions.
The long-elusive breakthrough was the culmination of years of diplomatic efforts by China, according to five Pakistani and Afghan officials with knowledge of the talks, most of whom spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential negotiations. But it was the fighting with India, which put strain on Pakistan’s already overstretched military, that gave the talks added urgency and helped get the deal across the finish line, said one Pakistani official.
“That was the moment all sides realized it’s best for them to work together to solve the problems,” the Pakistani official said.
Everybody stands to benefit here, including a Chinese government that once again gets to demonstrate its capabilities as a mediator and would very much like to see fewer attacks by Afghanistan-based militants on its infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
CHINA
Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone on Thursday and apparently decided to give trade negotiations another go. Trump called their interaction “very positive” and said via social media that “our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined.” The two leaders apparently also invited each other to visit their respective capitals, so that’s nice. Whatever progress was made at last month’s initial session between US and Chinese representatives in Switzerland had already been overwhelmed by accusations of bad faith and deal-breaking, so a reset does appear to be in order. There is one potential area of concern—the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s readout said that Trump was the one who initiated the call, which could be taken as a claim that the US blinked first and we’ll have to see whether Trump takes offense at that.
NORTH KOREA
The North Korean military has reportedly re-floated the destroyer that it heavily damaged in a “side launch” last month. According to state media the ship is now “moored at a pier” while repair work continues. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered that the vessel be fully repaired before a meeting of the Workers’ Party of Korea later this month.
AFRICA
MALI
Jihadist militants have attacked at least two more Malian military bases over the past two days. Unspecified militants attacked an outpost in eastern Mali’s Gao region on Wednesday, while Jamaʿat Nusrat al-Islam wa’l-Muslimin fighters struck an outpost in southern Mali’s Sikasso region on Thursday morning. Islamic State is suspected in the former incident though as yet there’s been no claim of responsibility. Large-scale jihadist activity appears to be on the rise in Mali, as these were at least the third and fourth military posts that have been attacked since Sunday.
BENIN
An apparent jihadist attack in northwestern Benin’s Atakora department left at least three soldiers and two police officers dead late Wednesday. There’s been no claim of responsibility but jihadists do fairly regularly cross into northern Benin from neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
CAMEROON
The Norwegian Refugee Council has named Cameroon as the new home of “the world’s most neglected displacement crisis,” as africanews reports:
CHAD
The Chadian government has stopped issuing visas to US travelers in retaliation for its inclusion in Donald Trump’s new travel ban. Chadian President Mahamat Déby took to social media on Thursday to announce the reciprocal ban and to lament that Chad “has no planes to offer” Trump in order to get out from under the ban.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
AFP is reporting that the Qatari government presented the Congolese government and the M23 militant group with a new “draft peace proposal” after another negotiating session in Doha. The two delegations have been charged with taking the draft back to their respective superiors for consultation before returning to Qatar. According to AFP’s “source with knowledge of the talks,” these latest talks have been productive, with both parties “engaging on the core issues underlying the conflict.” The Qataris have been coordinating their mediation efforts with the US and African Union.
EUROPE
NATO
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters after a meeting of the alliance’s defense ministers in Brussels on Thursday that “there’s broad support” among member states for a proposal to raise defense spending levels to 5 percent of GDP in accordance with Donald Trump’s wishes. He added that he has “total confidence” that he’ll be able to announce a deal to that effect by the next NATO leaders’ summit later this month. To soften the budgetary blow to member states somewhat, Rutte has proposed—and the Trump administration has signaled its approval for—a framework that would oblige members to spend 3.5 percent of GDP on strictly military items and the other 1.5 percent on infrastructure that could plausibly have military applications but may also offer civilian benefits.
UKRAINE
For whatever it’s worth—not much—Trump thought that the Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s long-range bomber fleet over the weekend was “pretty strong” and “badass,” according to Barak Ravid at Axios. Maybe I’m being too dismissive. The attack was surely meant in part to impress Trump and convince him that the Ukrainian cause is not lost and that he shouldn’t force Kyiv into accepting a peace agreement on Russian terms. So mission accomplished, I guess. Whether it actually changes Trump’s thinking (using that term loosely) about the war remains to be seen. He’s also reportedly worried about the severity of Russia’s forthcoming retaliation, though it’s unclear whether he’d blame an excessive Russian response on Russia, for undertaking it, or Ukraine, for provoking it.
AMERICAS
BOLIVIA
The Bolivian Constitutional Court restored Senate President Andrónico Rodríguez to the ballot for August’s presidential election on Thursday. Electoral officials had provisionally excluded Rodríguez from that contest at the registration deadline last month while they tried to determine whether his “Third System” party was legitimate. The court ruled that it is, and thus that it can field candidates. Polling has indicated that Rodríguez is the leading left-wing candidate heading into the election, with considerably more support than ruling Movement for Socialism party candidate Eduardo del Castillo. The court also reaffirmed the ineligibility of former President Evo Morales, who may end up endorsing Rodríguez though for now he’s still calling on his supporters to protest until the government allows him to run.
COLOMBIA
In a rare bit of positive environmental news, the Colombian government announced on Thursday that deforestation in that country dropped by 33 percent in the first quarter of 2025, with around 27,000 hectares lost compared with a bit over 42,000 for the same period last year. Environment Minister Lena Estrada said that deforestation was down a healthy 54 percent in Colombia’s three Amazon national parks, though Colombia’s rainforest areas still account for most of the country’s deforestation.
HAITI
The United Nations World Food Program is seeking $46 million to support the 2 million Haitians who are most at risk of starvation for the next six months. That’s how many Haitians are currently in one of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s two most serious categories—with some 8500 people estimated to have slipped into the worst, Phase 5 or “Famine/Humanitarian Catastrophe.” Gang militancy continues to roil the country with no sign of relief in sight.
UNITED STATES
The Trump administration on Thursday blacklisted four International Criminal Court judges for having the temerity to seek Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest. All four are women, which I’m sure is purely a coincidence, and will be barred from entering the US and have any US-based economic assets frozen. The court criticized the designations as “a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 States Parties from all corners of the globe.”
Finally, Drop Site has published the latest organizational chart that’s circulating around DC under the banner of the Trump administration’s proposed gutting of the State Department. I hesitate to make too much of this because the reorg plan is still apparently in flux and it may be premature to start drawing any conclusions, but journalist Marisa Kabas reported a few days ago on one of the plan’s seedier aspects:
Arguably the most alarming piece of the report comes in the section for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM). The report states that PRM will be “substantially reorganized” and that a number of new offices will be created as part of the absorption of USAID. There will be three new offices under the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Migration Matters, “to shift focus towards supporting the Administration’s efforts to return illegal aliens to their country of origin or legal status.”
One such office will be the Office of Remigration (REM), which will “provide a policy platform for interagency coordination with DHS and other agencies on removals/repatriations, and for intra-agency policy work to advance the President’s immigration agenda.” There will also be offices of International Migration/Repatriation and Refugee Processing.
Coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) surprised one State Department employee I spoke to who said the people they’ve known to work in PRM are “pretty much the opposite” of those who work for DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
While these plans align with Trump’s open objective of expelling as many migrants from the United States as possible, the use of the word “remigration” is particularly striking as it’s widely used by far-right extremists in Europe.