Netanyahu defies ICC warrant, lands in Hungary – DW – 04/03/2025

Syria on Thursday condemned deadly Israeli strikes across the country as “a blatant violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty.”

“This unjustified escalation is a deliberate attempt to destabilize Syria and exacerbate the suffering of its people,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Telegram.

On Wednesday, Israel had launched airstrikes on military targets in Syria, hitting bases in Damascus, Hama, and Homs, the Israeli military said.

The strikes reportedly destroyed Hama’s military airport and injured dozens of civilians and soldiers, according to the Syrian Foreign Ministry. 

Israel stated it targeted military infrastructure to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the new Islamist authorities.

Since the fall of former President Bashar Assad and a new Islamist-led leadership coming into power in Syria, Israel has increasedstrikes on Syria, focusing on military bases and weapons facilities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest on Thursday, marking his first visit to Europe since 2023 despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban invited Netanyahu last November, promising Hungary would not enforce the ICC arrest warrant, which he called politically motivated. 

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including using starvation as a weapon towards Palestinians in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the US, the EU, and Israel, among others.

Hungary’s Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky received Netanyahu at the airport with military honors.

A joint press conference with Orban is expected at 12:30 p.m. (1030 GMT).

Orban is expected to back Netanyahu on US President Donald Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza. That plan has been criticized by UN experts as ethnic cleansing.

Experts say Netanyahu is strategically visiting countries where he faces no risk of arrest, aiming to gradually normalize his international travel.

In February, Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz said he will find “ways and means” for Netanyahu to visit Germany.

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On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest, marking his first visit to Europe since 2023, in defiance of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.

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