US ‘Conditional Proposal’ to Assad and Netanyahu 2011: Abandon Iran in Exchange for Restoring Golan

Arab World

February 28th, 5:24am

London - Ibrahim Hamidi

President Bashar Assad meets with John Kerry when he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Nov, 8, 2010. AP file photo

Syria and Israel, through American mediation, were on the verge of signing a peace agreement in February 2011, just before the “Arab Spring” protests broke out. The American mediator drafted an agreement that “went further than any previous document.” It included Damascus’ pledge to sever “military ties” with Iran and the Hezbollah party in Lebanon and “neutralizing” any Israeli threat, in exchange for its reclaiming of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, based on the June 4, 1967 border. This was confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat by officials who were involved in the negotiations, which were held by Syrian President Bashar Assad and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and mediated by American envoy Frederic Hof. The negotiations also included at least two meetings with the participation of late Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, legal advisor Riad Daoudi and former US Ambassador to Damascus Robert Ford. Then US President Barack Obama and his Vice President Joe Biden, the current president, were aware of these secret negotiations, which ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also heavily involved in. No official statement over these negotiations was made by Damascus, which has long expressed its commitment to restoring all Golan territories and maintaining the “strategic relationship with Iran”. Enticing offer Former US Secretary of State John Kerry shed light on the secret talks. In his book “Every Day Is Extra”, he revealed that Assad had sent Obama a proposal to establish peace with Israel. When informed of the proposal, Netanyahu was very surprised with it. Kerry revealed that when he served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he visited Damascus in 2009 where he met with Assad to tackle a number of issues including a peace deal with Israel given that previous attempts by the governments of Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak and Netanyahu (1996-1999) ended in failure. Kerry wrote: “Assad asked me what it would take to enter into serious peace negotiations [with Israel], in the hope of securing return of the Golan Heights, which Syria had lost to Israel in 1967. I told him that if he were serious, he should make a private proposal.” “He asked what it would look like. I shared my thoughts. He instructed his top aide to draft a letter from Assad to President Obama,” he added. Assad, in his letter, had asked Obama to sponsor a fresh round of Syria-Israel peace talks, expressing his readiness “to take a number of steps in exchange for the return of the Golan from Israel”. The next day, Kerry flew to Israel where he met with Netanyahu, who had returned to power. Netanyahu, recalled Kerry “was surprised that Assad was willing to go that far, significantly further than he’d been willing to go [previously].” Kerry said that after meeting with Netanyahu, he returned to Washington with the “Assad offer”. The Obama administration tried to test the extent of the Syrian president’s seriousness by demanding “confidence-building measures” towards the US and Israel, including stopping some arms shipments to Hezbollah, which did not happen. “I remember hearing that Assad was continuing with exactly the kind of behavior on Hezbollah that we told him needed to stop. It was disappointing but unsurprising,” wrote Kerry. Iranian strikes With the launch of peace negotiations in wake of the 1991 Madrid peace conference, overtures between Syria and Israel were made and peaked when Rabin held the so-called “four-legged table” negotiations. They focused on the withdrawal, peace relations, security arrangements and the timetable. Meetings included the Syrian and Israeli chiefs of staff, as well as secret and open negotiations that covered a commitment towards a “complete withdrawal” from the Golan and studying the possibility of “establishing normal peace relations”, security arrangements and opening embassies and border gates along the June 4, 1967 border. After Rabin was assassinated in November 1995, Peres tried to “soar in the sky with a peace deal with Syria”, rushing to hold negotiations to reach a treaty. Indeed, in early 1996 bilateral negotiations were held but they collapsed after a series of suicide attacks in Tel Aviv, Ashkelon and Jerusalem. At the time, the Israeli delegation informed its Syrian counterpart during talks in the US that “Iran is behind the attacks because it wants the negotiations to fail” and that “Syria must condemn the terrorist operations,” revealed an informed source. The negotiations ultimately collapsed and Peres launched Operation Grapes of Wrath in Lebanon, which marked the end of his time in government. Netanyahu then came to power in 1996. Late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad “negotiated” with him through an American mediator, businessman Ronald Lauder, over a “very advanced” detailed agreement in 1998. Netanyahu was succeeded by Ehud Barak, who resumed the negotiations and held a meeting with former Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa. The talks were sponsored by former US President Bill Clinton. Barak offered an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan towards the June 4 border in exchange for peace and security arrangements. Intense work meetings were held in Shepherdstown near Washington, with attention focused on the thorny water file. The Israelis said that the issue was a “red line” and the Americans offered a “working paper” equivalent to a draft peace treaty. In early 2000, Barak informed the Americans at the conclusion of another round of negotiations that he could not strike a peace deal because of the “complicated internal situation” that demanded he head back to Israel. He pledged to return to Shepherdstown, but never did. The final shot at negotiations by a then ailing Hafez Assad was made in March 2000 when he met with Clinton in Geneva. Those talks also collapsed after 20 minutes due to a dispute over Syria’s access to the shores of Lake Tiberias and Clinton’s proposal of a map, which was previously rejected by Assad, of the June 4 border and Tiberias shore. President Bashar Assad came to power in mid-2000. When Syria was confronted with international isolation following the assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, Damascus started to show some flexibility in its desire to hold negotiations with Tel Aviv. It sought to “end the isolation imposed by Washington by holding negotiations with Tel Aviv.” Turkey sponsored the talks, which were held in 2008. The discussions were advanced enough to begin considering the possibility of arranging direct telephone negotiations between Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Assad and then Israeli PM Ehud Olmert in late 2008. The efforts collapsed when Israel launched an operation against the Gaza Strip in December of that year. The European and American isolation eventually ended. Robert Ford was then appointed ambassador to Damascus in 2010. Washington built on previous efforts, including those exerted by Ankara, and on the Obama administration’s desire to activate the peace path. To that end, it had appointed envoy George Mitchell to test the waters in the Syrian-Israeli negotiations, which remained secret and whom very few figures in each of the involved countries knew about. On the American side, everyone from Obama, Biden, Clinton, national security advisor Tom Donilon, American Ambassador to Tel Aviv Dan Shapiro and Ford in Damascus knew of the talks. On the Syrian side, the officials who were informed of the talks, in varying degrees, included Assad, Muallem and Daoudi. The latter two had held rounds of talks with Hof and Ford. In Israel, Hof’s meetings were limited to Netanyahu at the official residence of the prime minister. The meetings were attended by then Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Assad-Hof The final meeting held as part of this mediation took place between Assad and Hof on February 28, 2011, at the height of the “Arab Spring” that had ousted regimes in Libya and Egypt and whose protests had started to break out in Damascus. Hof, who had worked on drafting the agreement, recalled that some proposals included Damascus’ abandoning of “military relations” with Tehran and Hezbollah in exchange for the Israeli withdrawal from the Golan towards the June 4 border. Hof is a former US military commander and expert in the demarcation of borders of disputed areas. Back in the early 1990s, he was the first official to draw the June 4 border on the ground. Ford told Asharq Al-Awsat that upon his arrival in Damascus, Hof requested that the ambassador not attend his meeting with Assad. Ford agreed on condition that “that Hof sleep at the ambassador's residence”. “I telephoned him on an open line so that Syrian intelligence could overhear our conversation. I said, ‘I agree on condition that you and your aide sleep at the ambassador’s residence, so that the Syrians know that we are a single team.’ And this is indeed what happened. Hof later informed me of the details of the meeting, I leave it to him to disclose” what took place during talks with Assad and with the negotiations as a whole. According to Israeli reports in 2012, Hof’s documents revealed that the negotiations were based on Netanyahu’s readiness to return to the June 4 border, allowing Damascus complete control over the Golan, in exchange for a comprehensive peace deal that includes an Israeli “expectation” that Syria would sever ties with Iran. Officials who were informed of the talks said Hof was “confident that peace was possible, whereby Assad would end his relations with Iran and Hezbollah and shift his alliances towards America and moderate Arab countries.” One official told Asharq Al-Awsat: “I did not see the peace agreement draft. It was the beginning of negotiations, not the end.” Another official said: “It was not clear whether the two sides had agreed on a specific timetable or a resolution to the water issue in the Golan. Syria was saying that Israel had no claim over waters beyond the June 4 border. Israel, however, said that even if it could not deploy its military beyond that border, it wanted to maintain logistic presence that would allow it access to the water.” The water dispute and shore of Tiberias Lake were one of the reasons of the collapse of the Assad-Clinton summit in 2000. Assad at the time had insisted that he wanted to “dip his feet” in the lake, which Barak rejected at the time. In fact, the Israelis paved a road around the shore, making it virtually impossible for the Syrians to access it without a clear agreement. Some said that the Hof mediation was “conditional-hypothetical”, similar to what had taken place in the mid-1990s when then US Secretary of State Warren Christopher led negotiations by posing “hypothetical” questions to Hafez Assad. “What if Rabin pledged to withdraw fully from the Golan? Are you ready to forge peace (normalize) ties?” At the time, Rabin had placed a “deposit” with Christopher that included the readiness to pullout completely from the Golan if Assad agreed to demands that included peace relations and security arrangements. One of the officials informed of the Hof mediation said that Netanyahu was “prepared to withdraw completely from the Golan if the Syrians agreed to a peace agreement that includes changing regional approaches and severing ties with Iran.” A former American official, who is informed of the file, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “There can be no doubt on the seriousness. The negotiations were conditional. The Israelis wanted strategic change in the Syrian approach. Syria wanted to reclaim all territories until the June 4 border. A lot of progress had taken place between both sides.” “America had no doubt over the seriousness of the negotiations. Assad and Netanyahu were serious in finding out how far the other would go,” he added. “Moreover, great progress, more than ever before, was achieved with Netanyahu over the issue of territories. Hof’s meeting with Assad on February 28 gave a clear signal of what Assad could offer.” The Americans are keen on stressing that the written draft of the agreement was American. “This is important because envoy George Mitchel did not draft any paper between Netanyahu and [Palestinian] President Mahmoud Abbas (Abou Mazen).” The Americans are also keen to stress that no direct Syrian-Israeli meeting had taken place, but the negotiations had been held through Hof. Confidence-building The last attempt at negotiations gains importance on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the eruption of the Syrian protests, especially for Moscow, the main player in Syria that is leading a “confidence-building” mediation between Damascus and Tel Aviv. This meditation includes a prisoner swap, repatriating the remains of Israeli soldiers, sponsoring a return to working with the “disengagement agreement” in the Golan of 2018 and keeping Iran and its militias away from southern Syria. Another area of significance is word that some Arab countries are interested in opening channels between Damascus and Israel or holding secret meetings to test the possibility of striking a peace agreement and keeping Iran away in exchange for financial “incentives” related to reconstructing Syria and resolving its economic problems. Tel Aviv did not openly express interest in the political negotiations, especially after President Donald Trump announced in 2019 his support for “Israeli sovereignty” over the Golan and as it has continued to carry out raids against “Iranian positions” in Syria. Damascus, for its part, has not openly expressed interest in peace that does not include a “complete withdrawal” from the Golan and that may “jeopardize its strategic relations with Iran.” Ford, meanwhile, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “It will be difficult for Assad to presently sign a peace deal with Israel unless he receives a lot in return, because he currently needs the support provided by Iran, its militias and Hezbollah. If they pull out from Syria, who will help the regime control the Syrian Badia, Homs, Sweida and parts of Daraa?” “Will Damascus obtain western financial aid even if Assad were to sign a peace agreement and open an Israeli embassy in Damascus? It is difficult for the money to flow and for the sanctions to be removed after all the crimes that have taken place in Syria,” he remarked. “Some American sanctions may be removed, such as those related to the blacklisting of terrorist organizations, meddling in Lebanon or the arrival of Arab or European aid. However, the Caesar Act (which came into effect in mid-2020) cannot be simply undone.” “Assad will not receive any sympathy in America even if a peace agreement is signed. There are limits to what can be offered in exchange to any peace deal,” he added. Meanwhile, an Arab official, who is informed of Damascus’ position, said: “It is difficult for the regime to agree to sign a peace agreement without receiving a clear guarantee that it will reclaim the whole of the Golan. It is also difficult for the regime to completely disassociate itself from Iran.” Between these two stances, a senior official, who is informed of the position in Syria, Israel, the region and the US, said: “Perhaps this was the final chapter in efforts to reach a peace agreement between Syria and Israel in the form we have been familiar with in past decades. At best, a new agreement or understanding may be reached, but it will be different than what we have read about and negotiated over for decades.”

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2832201/us-%E2%80%98conditional-proposal%E2%80%99-assad-and-netanyahu-2011-abandon-iran-exchange

Exclusive: Ten Years Ago

Opinion

February 28th, 5:05am

Frederic C. Hof

Frederic C. Hof - Former ambassador, researcher, distinguished fellow and former Director at Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East.

On February 28, 2011, American diplomacy reached a critical and promising point in its effort to produce peace between Syria and Israel. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad told the US mediator he would break military ties with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas and neutralize all threats to Israel arising in Syria, provided Israel would agree to restore to Syria all land taken from it in June 1967. Informed days later of Assad’s conditional commitment, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the seriousness of the mediation and directed his team to move forward toward a peace treaty based on an evolving American draft. Two weeks later, however, opportunity began to change to horror. Syrian security personnel had opened fire on peaceful demonstrators. Governmental lawlessness raised a fundamental question: Did Bashar al-Assad still have the right to speak for Syria on something so important as peace with Israel? As demonstrations expanded across Syria and official security forces continued to inflict deadly violence, the answer became clear: No, he did not. Assad’s violent lawlessness shredded his legitimacy as Syria’s chief of state. Ten years later Syria lies in ruins, exploited by Russian military officers making money from Assad-directed contracts and Iranian operatives using Syria as a land link to Tehran’s Hezbollah proxy in Lebanon. Al Qaeda and the remnants of ISIS remain implanted in a country whose president promoted their growth to claim he was battling terrorism rather than inflicting state terror on Syrian civilians. The corruption and incompetence of the family and its entourage have destroyed Syria’s economy. More than half the pre-war population has been displaced both inside Syria and externally as refugees. Who knows how many defenseless civilians have been killed, mostly by Assad-directed artillery, airstrikes, and barrel bombs; carnage supplemented by Russian airstrikes? A clique blind to the suffering of Syrians has made Damascus the Pyongyang of the Levant. The destruction of Syria has been senseless. A Syrian President seemingly committed to retrieving occupied territory in exchange for Syria’s strategic reorientation threw it all away. And for what? Yes, he and his entourage continue to strip-mine what is left of Syria for personal profit. But is presiding over wreckage better than what might have been? Was there no honorable and peaceful alternative to waging war on one’s own people? Were the potential economic dividends of peace worthless? The “alternative” question is probably unanswerable. Syria’s President and his (then) popular First Lady could have gone to Deraa in March 2011, returning imprisoned and beaten children to their parents, providing compensation to the aggrieved, and ordering his forces to their barracks, all accompanied no doubt by a firm demand for order. But nonviolence, decency, generosity, and respect for human dignity seem never to have been elements of the Assad approach to Syrians. One possibility is that Assad deliberately used violence to cancel his conditional peace commitments and escape the US mediation. No one forced him to make those commitments; he offered them all during a fifty-minute meeting. One wonders, however, if in the weeks following his promise of full strategic reorientation, Bashar al-Assad had second thoughts about Iran’s likely reaction and the domestic political implications of peace. In any event he has all-but-deeded to Israel the land he said he wanted returned to Syria. “Assad Heights” would be a better name for Israel’s new Golan settlement than “Trump Heights.” Another possibility is that Assad either was told by his security chieftains to order violence or did so on his own out of fear of seeming weak. Yet the idea of Assad privately preferring nonviolence seems decisively contradicted by his behavior since. He has authorized the use of chemical weapons against civilians, including children. His political survival strategy has centered on civilian mass homicide. He has promoted violent Islamist extremists as his enemies of choice. Would such a person have been capable of considering humane alternatives ten years ago? Now a new American administration ponders what to do about the incendiary wreckage that is Syria. Assad, maneuvering between the Russian Foreign Ministry, avaricious senior Russian military officers, and Iran makes it clear to all, especially the UN Special Envoy for Syria, that political compromise is not on his agenda. The man who has uttered not a syllable of regret for what has happened to Syria and Syrians is determined to keep his seat at all costs. Yet even those who have grudgingly supported him for years are intimately familiar with the reality of cost: Lives sacrificed for the sake of a family business; and now economic ruin. Ten years on Assad hopes the US will reengage him diplomatically and lavish reconstruction funds on him and his entourage. The view here is that such hopes are illusory. Too many key officials in the Biden administration now recognize that a red line erased in 2013 and public presidential advice in 2016 that Arabs should “share the neighborhood” with Iran harmed Western security and damaged American credibility far beyond Syria. The new administration will study its options carefully. It is profoundly unlikely, however, that President Biden would repeat past policy failures by abandoning Syrian political transition – mandated by the UN Security Council – as the foundation of his Syria policy. Ten years of useless, mainly Assad-imposed agony have plunged upwards of 80 percent of Syrians into poverty, all-but-wiping out a small but productive middle class. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have died. Countless Syrians have been maimed and traumatized, both physically and psychologically. Tens of thousands remain in regime torture chambers. All this to preserve a family business; a business that might have thrived and evolved politically into something more inclusive and representative if it had made pragmatic and humane choices a decade ago. But was it even capable of doing so? Syria’s condition in 2021 suggests the answer: No. Ambassador Frederic C. Hof teaches at Bard College in New York. In 2009 to March 2011, he mediated between Syria and Israel. He then served as advisor to the US Secretary of State on political transition in Syria until September 2012. His book on the Israel-Syria peace mediation is forthcoming.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2832191/frederic-c-hof/exclusive-ten-years-ago

Bird Wins in Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah after Lynn Crash

Sports

February 27th, 8:28pm

Asharq Al-Awsat

Britain's Sam Bird, behind the wheel of a Jaguar, won the second Diriyah Formula E race. (SPA)

Britain's Sam Bird, behind the wheel of a Jaguar, won the second Diriyah Formula E race in the Saudi capital on Saturday as compatriot Alex Lynn survived a terrifying crash. Bird finished ahead of Dutchman and pole-sitter Robin Frijns of Virgin Racing and French driver Jean-Eric Vergne in a DS Techeetah. The race ended three laps early when red flags came out following an accident suffered by Lynn whose Mahindra car skidded and overturned on the tight circuit. "Following his accident in today's ePrix @alexlynnracing is conscious, talking and on his way to hospital for checks," the Mahindra team tweeted. Friday's opening race of the floodlit double-header was won by Nyck de Vries in a Mercedes. It was a problematic second race in the desert for Mercedes who needed permission from the stewards to take part. That was after Mercedes client Venturi driver Edoardo Mortara had crashed heavily into a barrier following a rear-braking system failure in a practice start. The next round of the all-electric series takes place in Rome on April 10.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2831651/bird-wins-saudi-arabia%E2%80%99s-diriyah-after-lynn-crash

Palestinians Shut West Bank Schools to Contain Coronavirus Variants

Arab World

February 27th, 7:08pm

Asharq Al-Awsat

A Palestinian man walks past a closed school, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank February 27, 2021. (Reuters)

Schools in the occupied West Bank will shut down for 12 days in an effort to stop a sharp rise in coronavirus variant infections, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said on Saturday. High schools will be exempt from the closure which will begin on Sunday, Shtayyeh said in a televised address, adding the new restrictions were prompted by a large number of cases of the British and South African variants in the territory. Intensive care units for COVID-19 patients have reached 95% occupancy in the West Bank and schools have been identified as a major cause for the fast spread of infections, the Ministry of Health said. On Thursday, it reported that a randomized sample of coronavirus patients showed that more than three-quarters were infected with the British variant. The World Bank said in a report this week that the Palestinian territories have one of the lowest testing rates in the Middle East and North Africa and that the positivity rate in the West Bank is over 21%, and in Gaza 29%, indicating an uncontrolled spread of the pandemic. The West Bank, where 3.1 million Palestinians live, has reported a total of 118,519 coronavirus cases and 1,406 deaths. Gaza, where coronavirus restrictions have gradually been lifted since January, has reported 55,091 cases and 549 deaths within its population of 2 million. With around 32,000 vaccine doses in hand to date, the Palestinians launched limited vaccination programs in the West Bank and Gaza this month, beginning with health workers. The Palestinian Authority (PA) expects to receive an initial COVAX shipment within weeks and says it also has supply deals with Russia and drugmaker AstraZeneca, although doses have been slow to come. Shtayyeh said he expected shipments in March. Israel has donated 2,000 doses to the PA but has come under criticism for not supplying more vaccines to the Palestinians. It argues that under interim peace accords the PA is responsible for vaccinations in Gaza and the West Bank.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2831586/palestinians-shut-west-bank-schools-contain-coronavirus-variants

Arab Coalition Destroys Houthi Drones, Ballistic Missile Fired at Kingdom

Gulf

February 27th, 7:01pm

Asharq Al-Awsat

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

The Saudi-led Arab coalition intercepted and destroyed on Saturday a ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen towards Riyadh. It also destroyed armed drones launched towards Jazan, Khamis Mushait and the Southern Region. The coalition stressed that it is taking the necessary measures to neutralize and destroy the terrorist Houthis’ capabilities in order to protect civilians in line with international humanitarian law. Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Dr. Nayef al-Hajraf condemned the Houthis for targeting civilians, saying that the persistence of such terrorist attacks reflects the militias’ flagrant defiance of the international community. He urged the international community to take an immediate and firm stance to stop their repeated terrorist attacks that target vital installations and Saudi security and stability. He reiterated the GCC’s solidarity with the Kingdom and all the measures it takes to defend its territories and safeguard its security.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2831576/arab-coalition-destroys-houthi-drones-ballistic-missile-fired-kingdom

Barcelona Brush aside Sevilla to Reignite La Liga Hopes

Sports

February 27th, 6:52pm

Asharq Al-Awsat

Ousmane Dembele scored for Barcelona against Sevilla on Saturday in La Liga. (AFP)

Barcelona reignited their title hopes after Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele scored in a 2-0 victory over Sevilla on Saturday to put them two points behind Atletico Madrid. Atletico still have two games in hand, the first of those coming against sixth-placed Villarreal on Sunday, but a dip in form from La Liga's leaders has given their chasing rivals hope. Barca looked dead and buried a few weeks ago but this was their ninth win out of 10 in La Liga, a surge that has put them back in contention, with Atletico playing against Real Madrid next weekend. Sevilla started the day as arguably the form team at the top, having won all of their last six league games, the last five of those without conceding a goal. But they were second best at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, a dominant performance from Barcelona exposing them still as slightly short of Spain's top three. It also creates an intriguing back-drop to Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final second leg when these two teams meet again, with Barca hoping to overturn a 2-0 deficit at Camp Nou. Pedri and Ronald Araujo could be doubts after both were substituted in the second half with what looked like injury problems. Coach Ronald Koeman could well stick with his new 3-5-2 system, which saw Jordi Alba and Sergino Dest playing as wing-backs ahead of a back three and Dembele deployed up front alongside Messi. Without Antoine Griezmann, who dropped to the bench, Koeman sacrificed some creativity in the final third for control through the middle, not to mention the threat of Dembele in behind. Certainly for the best part of an hour Sevilla struggled to escape Barcelona's press or establish any sustained pressure, even after Julen Lopetegui introduced three substitutes at half-time and switched formation to match their opponents. Marc-Andre ter Stegen was passed fit to play by the team doctor despite hurting his right thumb in the warm-up and in truth it was hardly tested in the first half. Barca controlled the game and while Alba and Dest never really advanced as much as Koeman might have liked, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri were a constant threat through the middle, with the speedy Dembele just in front. Chances, though, were few and far between and it took a counter-attack for Barcelona to take the lead. Fernando gave the ball away cheaply up front and two passes were enough, Messi curling the decisive one through for Dembele to race clear and finish. Lopegtegui reacted with three changes at half-time and two more after the hour but even by matching Barcelona's system, Sevilla struggled to gain a foothold. Alba came up just short of De Jong's cross, Dest slammed against the post and Messi blazed over after another surge from Dembele. One of Lopetegui's substitutes Youssef En-Nesyri had Sevilla's best chance but headed over. Yet without a second goal, a nervy finale was always likely and En-Nesyri found the corner on the turn but had the goal ruled out for a handball, his tussle with Araujo seeing Barca's defender go off and he booted some chairs over in frustration. But Sevilla's push was brief, ended by Messi with six minutes left. He traded passes with Dembele, nipped inside Diego Carlos and tried to finish with a chip. Bono saved but the ball came to Messi, one yard out.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2831561/barcelona-brush-aside-sevilla-reignite-la-liga-hopes

Israel Says Initial Assessment Finds Iran behind Explosion on Israeli-Owned Ship

Iran

February 27th, 6:41pm

Asharq Al-Awsat

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz. (Reuters file photo)

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Saturday his "initial assessment" was that Iran was responsible for an explosion on an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman. "Iran is looking to hit Israeli infrastructure and Israeli citizens," Gantz told the public broadcaster Kan. "The location of the ship in relative close proximity to Iran raises the notion, the assessment, that it is the Iranians." "Right now, at an initial assessment level, given the proximity and the context - that is my assessment," Gantz said, adding that a deeper investigation still had to be carried out. The ship, a vehicle-carrier named MV Helios Ray, suffered an explosion in the Gulf of Oman between Thursday and Friday morning. A US defense official in Washington said the blast had left holes above the waterline in both sides of the hull. The cause was not immediately clear and no casualties were reported. The ship is owned by a Tel Aviv company called Ray Shipping through a company registered in the Isle of Man, according to a UN shipping database. Kan named the owner as Rami Ungar and quoted him on Friday as saying: "The damage is two holes, diameter approximately 1.5 meters, but it is not yet clear to us if this was caused by missile fire or mines that were attached to the ship." Tensions have risen in the Gulf region since the United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018 after then-president Donald Trump withdrew Washington from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers. Washington has blamed Iran for a number of attacks on shipping in strategic Gulf waters, notably on four vessels in May 2019. Iran has denied carrying out those attacks.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2831556/israel-says-initial-assessment-finds-iran-behind-explosion-israeli-owned-ship