WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, February 11, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, February 12, 2018.

‘No impunity for Israel’

A senior Iranian official has hailed as heroic, the downing of an Israeli jet by the Syrian army. Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said the move shows that the era of hit-and-run has ended. He added that Tel Aviv must get ready to face the consequences of its aggression against Syria. On Saturday, Syria downed an F-16 Israeli jet which was carrying out a raid on military positions inside the country. Tel Aviv claims that it conducted the attack after a drone entered the occupied Golan Heights from Syria but Damascus dismissed the claim as a lie.

Inter-Korean rapprochement

The US Defense Secretary has kept up Washington's anti-North Korea rhetoric despite recent efforts by Pyongyang and Seoul to ease tensions. James Mattis made the comments shortly after a high-level North Korean delegation headed home following a historic visit to the South on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics. The delegation included senior officials from Pyongyang, including Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korea’s leader. The South Korean president sat down with the North Korean delegation in the Blue House. The delegation told Moon Jae-in that the leader of the North has offered to meet him. Seoul hopes to use the games as an opportunity to restore regular communication with Pyongyang and resolve the standoff over its missile and nuclear programs.

Russia plane crash

Russian officials say all people aboard a Russian passenger plane that crashed near the capital Moscow have lost their lives. The Russian deputy healthcare minister added that efforts are underway to identify the passengers. President Vladimir Putin has also ordered to set up a government commission to probe into the crash. The Antonov An-148 came down shortly after taking off from an airport in Moscow. There were 65 passengers and 6 crew members aboard the plane. Russia says numerous possible causes of the crash would be considered, including weather conditions as the country has experienced record snowfall in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry offered the Islamic Republic’s condolences over the tragedy.

Koreas’ relations

South Korea says it’s seeking a new thaw in relations with North Korea ahead of a possible summit between the two neighbors. A statement from the South’s Ministry of Unification says arranging more family reunions as well as lowering military tensions with Pyongyang are high on its agenda. The statement came after a high-level North Korean delegation concluded a three-day visit to the South. The delegation, which included the North Korean leader’s sister was the first of its kind since the end of the Korea war in 1953. During the visit, Kim Yo Jong delivered a letter from her brother, asking South Korean President Moon Jae-in to visit Pyongyang. Despite skepticisms, Seoul hopes that the new diplomatic overture would help restore regular communication with Pyongyang and resolve the standoff over the North’s missile and nuclear programs.

‘Israel tortures minors’

A non-governmental Palestinian organization says 60 percent of Palestinian minors in Israeli detention centers are exposed to physical or mental torture. The Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a statement on Sunday that the detained children are subjected to long-hour interrogation sessions. The organization added that the imprisoned minors are kept for hours without food and water. The statement contained three testimonies from three children in their late teens. Some 6500 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons.

Myanmar crackdown

Pressure is mounting on the Rohingya in Myanmar with the government trying to demonize the Muslim minority in the eye of the public. Reports coming out of Yangon say Rohingya people experience a sense of rising persecution and hatred these days. According to Rohingya Muslims, officials are trying to associate the group with terror threats. The government and media frequently refer to the minority as illegal Bengali interlopers. Rohingya Muslims say their Buddist neighbors and even their friends increasingly side with the military's crackdown in Rakhine State. The government has torched and leveled Rohingya villages there, since the start of a new military campaign in the western region last August. The crackdown has sent some 700,000 members of the minority group to Bangladesh. The UN says this is a text-book example of ethnic cleansing.

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