Robert Swift

Journalist covering defense & Middle East news. Bylines in i24NEWS, The National, +972 Magazine, The Media Line, Ynet, The Jerusalem Post. Veteran @BritishArmy.

[Robert Swift @SwiftJournalism]

My favorite bit of work from the last 2.5 years reporting in Israel and Palestine.

[i24NEWS English @i24NEWS_EN]

Speaking to the Druze living in the border zone separating Syria and Israel, i24NEWS' @SwiftJournalism has heard a variety of perspectives on their identity and affiliation; yet everyone voiced concern, if not outright fear, about Syria's new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa.

[Nada Homsi @NadaOHomsi]

Israel is gradually expanding its buffer zone in south Lebanon, creeping beyond its self-established ‘yellow line’ despite -- and in some cases enabled by -- the ceasefire. I spoke with over a dozen people and visited two villages in the south, Haris and Aita al Jabal, then the outskirts of Hadatha, to understand how. Meanwhile, Al Mansouri remains the most blatant case of territorial expansion we've seen yet.

Full story in next tweet.

[Video: A group of displaced neighbors gather to watch the destruction of their village, Hadatha, every day]

[+972 Magazine @972mag]

Israel's army recently announced that it was opening investigations into the killing of Hind Rajab and her relatives, and the killing of 15 medical and rescue workers last year — while declining probes into other high profile incidents. The whole thing is a publicity stunt. 🧵

[Ihab Hassan @IhabHassane]

🚨BREAKING: The municipality of the Christian village of Taybeh has called on residents holding U.S. passports or green cards to document attacks and property damage they have suffered at the hands of Israeli settlers, in preparation for a civil lawsuit in the United States against the settlers and the American organizations that fund them.

Full English translation of the announcement:

"VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

The Taybeh Municipality announces to the esteemed citizens among the people of Taybeh, both at home and abroad, who hold American passports or American residency (Green Card): if any of you has been subjected to personal assaults, or to assaults on his property, including being prevented by settlers from reaching it, please come to the Municipality to register your names and the damage you have incurred, as we are in the process of filing a civil case in the United States concerning these damages and concerning the American institutions that support these assaults. Please note that there is a Palestinian-American organization named Olive Branch Funding Group, represented by attorney Jonathan Kuttab, which is prepared to cover the full expenses of this case."

Taybeh has been under relentless settler attacks, facing arson, land seizures, and violence against its residents and churches. Now the village is taking a different path: turning to U.S. courts to seek accountability, not only from those responsible for the attacks, but also from American organizations accused of funding and supporting them.
https://t.co/8CvtdRIlmx

[Jeremy Diamond @JDiamond1]

Israeli flags. Military checkpoints. And enormous destruction.
This is a rare look inside Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon.
The 3 Christian villages spared by the bulldozers. The Shia communities devastated by the war. And the Lebanese Army's difficult task.
W/ @zeenasaifi & @cyrilthps

[Josh Meyer @JoshMeyerDC]

1/ A source told me one of Iran's newest ballistic missiles was tearing into US bases across the Gulf, even as the Trump admin insisted its campaign obliterated Tehran’s arsenal and our defenses were holding.

Two very different stories. So I got to work. Here's what I found.🧵

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

It’s been coming.

Multiple casualties, dead & injured, in heavy clashes between rival #Druze militias in #Suwayda city tonight.

Heavy machine guns, RPGs & grenades used in street-to-street fighting.

[Trita Parsi @tparsi]

As Arundhati Roy said, what is under the rubble in Gaza is not only the bodies of countless Palestinians killed by Israel, but also the carcass of Western Liberal Democracy...

[Robert Swift @SwiftJournalism]

@oasis_of_peace Shared Struggle Secures First Grade at Wahat al-Salam Neve Shalom - https://t.co/pp0VD49KjT

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

7 months ago, #Netanyahu's just-departed national security advisor wrote publicly urging an intensification of talks with #Syria to conclude a security deal.

The #Iran war then got in the way, but make no mistake, #Israel's upcoming election is what's driving today's war talk.

[i24NEWS English @i24NEWS_EN]

'Tension is rising as Israel is trying to exert sovereignty over a foreign country [Syria] - but that country has the support of the US and Turkey.'

Correspondent Robert Swift (@SwiftJournalism) joins @theemilyfrances

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

Since launching unprovoked airstrikes in northern #Syria **48hrs ago,** #Israel has conducted the following in southern #Syria:

- 6 artillery strikes on farmland
- 5 ground incursions
- Bulldozed a stretch of forest
- Detained 2 men, abducting one back to #Israel.

[Ambassador Tom Barrack @USAMBTurkiye]

We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.

The Al-Sharra government has neither adopted a predatory posture nor maintained proxy forces. It has, in fact, repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel. The United States has in the past, and will continue in the future, to host discussions to encourage diplomatic cadence over kinetic frustration for both nations.

Enduring deescalation agreements are built through sustained dialogues with all concerned nations and principals.

The United States continues to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritize logical discourse over further military incidents.

[Jeremy Diamond @JDiamond1]

I was with Palestinian-American Loui Ridi tonight when he made it to his home in Qusra.
One of the first things he did was raise an American flag over his house.
I’ll have much more on this story soon-

[Israel Elects @israel_elects]

With Hamas and the Gaza War likely to play a major role in the upcoming Israeli elections, the latest PCPSR survey of Palestinian public opinion is particularly relevant. Here are the main findings🧵

1/n

[Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي @NTarnopolsky]

💥The @IDFSpokesperson now clarifies that "journalists are permitted to enter the area." But, "if a military commander determines that their presence poses a danger to their lives or interferes with the activity of the soldiers, they are authorized to prohibit their entry."

[i24NEWS English @i24NEWS_EN]

'This is a severe case in Thailand, the death toll has now risen to 9 kids killed after a 14-year-old boy shot over 30 people at his school.'

Correspondent @SwiftJournalism joins @theemilyfrances

[Elizabeth Tsurkov @LizHurra]

Israel is building a road to Beaufort Castle in an apparent preparation for long-term occupation of this high-ground overlooking Galilee panhandle

[Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي @NTarnopolsky]

💥#Breaking: Jordan accuses Israel of changing the Temple Mount status quo as Arab, Muslim ministers gather for emergency talks. Jordanian FM Ayman Safadi warns moves could ignite religious conflict across the Muslim world. https://t.co/BtFewQRW8q

[Elizabeth Tsurkov @LizHurra]

Since Israel incorrectly sees the leadership of Syria as a jihadist group, does it mean Israel will remain forever in the areas it recently occupied?
Israel invaded Syria without any provocation or a concrete security threat. Its forces (unlike the Turkish aoldiers in Syria) spend their nights storming homes of Syrian residents & demanding to know "who are the terrorists in the village". This is a recipe for breeding resistance, which Israel will then use to justify its endless occupation.

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

I continue to follow with deep concern the ongoing and escalating violence in the #HolyLand, where, in recent days, many civilians, both in the West Bank and in Gaza, have once again fallen victim. I make a heartfelt appeal for a return to negotiations to achieve a just political solution, founded on the equal dignity and equal rights of every human person. At the same time, I urge the rejection of further military actions and unilateral decisions, especially those that violate the respect for and the status quo of the holy places of every religion.