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Israeli Go-Kart Driver Ditches Championship Trophy at Podium for Picture of Sister Kidnapped by Hamas
Israeli racing drivers Guy Albag, left, and Yam Pinto, holding up signs of Albag’s sister, who was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, at the CEE Championship in Slovakia, May 5, 2024. Photo: Screenshot
An Israeli go-kart driver won an international championship race in Slovakia recently, but instead of raising his trophy at the podium after his win, he held up a photo of his sister, who is still being held hostage by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel.
Guy Albag, 15, secured first place at the CEE Championship in Slovakia on Sunday and dedicated his win to his older sister, Liri, 19, who remains in Hamas captivity. Fellow Israeli driver Yam Pinto, who won third place in the same race, also ditched his trophy to instead hold up a photo of Albag’s sister on the podium.
After his win, Albag took to Instagram and wrote a heartfelt post addressed to Liri.
“My sister I miss you so much just waiting for that day when you come to us with your smile and laughs miss your voice,” he wrote. “They told me you said you didn’t want me to stop racing I hope you come back as soon as possible and see me win.”
In addition to murdering about 1,200 people during their Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel, Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists also abducted 252 individuals as hostages. Liri Albag is one of the roughly 130 captives to remain in captivity in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas, seven months after the attack. She was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz post in southern Israel where she was serving as an observer.
The Daily Mail previously reported that the Israel Defense Forces identified Albag’s DNA from splatters of blood found in a civilian home in Gaza where she was held captive at one point. Hamas also released a video on Telegram hours after Albag’s capture that showed her alive but scared, and sitting against a concrete wall with her hands tied behind her.
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Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy
Thomas Barrack at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
i24 News – Lebanon’s daunting social, economic and political issues would not get resolved unless the state persists in the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy behind so much of the unrest and destruction, special US envoy Tom Barrack told The National.
“You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again,” he said, using the historical Arabic name for the region sometimes known as “larger Syria.”
The official stressed the need to follow through on promises to disarm the Iranian proxy, which suffered severe blows from Israel in the past year, including the elimination of its entire leadership, and is considered a weakened though still dangerous jihadist outfit.
“There are issues that we have to arm wrestle with each other over to come to a final conclusion. Remember, we have an agreement, it was a great agreement. The problem is, nobody followed it,” he told The National.
Barrack spoke on the heels of a trip to Beirut, where he proposed a diplomatic plan for the region involving the full disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese state.
The post Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a cultural forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11, 2024. Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Scherbak/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian leadership that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, the Axios website reported on Saturday. The Russian strongman also relayed the message to his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, the report said.
Iranian news agency Tasnim issued a denial, citing an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard.
Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “Any negotiated solution must respect Iran’s right to enrichment. No agreement without recognizing our right to enrichment. If negotiations occur, the only topic will be the nuclear program. No other issues, especially defense or military matters, will be on the agenda.”
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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool
i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is attending at least one meeting with Israeli officials in Azerbaijan today, despite sources in Damascus claiming he wasn’t attending, a Syrian source close to President Al-Sharaa tells i24NEWS.
The Syrian source stated that this is a series of two or three meetings between the sides, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also in attendance, along with Ahmed Al-Dalati, the Syrian government’s liaison for security meetings with Israel.
The high-level Israeli delegation includes a special envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as security and military figures.
The purpose of the meetings is to discuss further details of the security agreement to be signed between Israel and Syria, the Iranian threat in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s weapons, the weapons of Palestinian militias, the Palestinians camps in Lebanon, and the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza in the region.
The possibility of opening an Israeli coordination office in Damascus, without diplomatic status, might also be discussed.
The source stated that the decision to hold the meetings in Azerbaijan, made by Israel and the US, is intended to send a message to Iran.
The post Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan first appeared on Algemeiner.com.