South Korean opposition moves to impeach president after his declaration of martial law
(SEOUL and LONDON) — South Korea’s dominant opposition party moved on Wednesday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, submitting a motion a day after his declaration of martial law set off a night of political chaos.
The opposition Democratic Party’s motion to impeach Yoon is expected to make its way through the National Assembly in the coming days, with a vote likely either Friday or Saturday. The measure would require a two-thirds majority to pass, and would then be sent to South Korea’s Constitutional Court, which would have to approve the motion.
Lawmakers and members of South Korea’s main opposition party had earlier on Wednesday gathered in Seoul to call for Yoon’s resignation.
“If President Yoon does not step down immediately, we will immediately begin impeachment proceedings in accordance with the will of the people,” the Democratic Party had said in a statement. “We will fight to the end together with all the people to protect the democracy and constitutional order of the Republic of Korea.”
As he declared martial law in a televised speech late Tuesday, the president said the measure would be necessary due to the actions of the Democratic Party, a liberal coalition that Yoon accused of controlling parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government.
The declaration included banning political activities, including rallies and protests. Yoon also called for a stop to the “dissemination of fake news” and the manipulation of public opinion. All press would have been controlled by the state under the declaration.
The move sparked protests and — just hours after the declaration — the National Assembly voted early Wednesday morning to demand that the president lift the martial law order. A majority of parliament voted to lift the decree requiring that it then be lifted, under the South Korean constitution.
Following the National Assembly’s vote, Yoon said he withdrew the troops that had been deployed to carry out martial law and “will lift martial law as soon as we have a quorum in the cabinet.” The State Council then convened to vote to officially lift it.
Presidential Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok and nine other senior presidential secretaries announced their resignations, the South Korean presidential office told reporters Wednesday morning.
A member of the conservative People Power Party, Yoon began his five-year term in May 2022 after wining office by a razor-thin margin.
A political newcomer before his election, Yoon had spent his entire career as a prosecutor, rising to prominence by prosecuting big political players, including President Park Geun Hye, who was impeached and removed from office in 2017.
Yoon was meeting on Wednesday afternoon with South Korea’s top political leaders in his office, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The Democratic Party organized a candlelight vigil in support of Yoon’s impeachment on the steps of the National Assembly on Wednesday night.
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman, Joe Simonetti, Dave Brennan and Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — Many residents of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon are expected to return to their homes in the coming days and weeks, with most of the fighting in both areas paused under Israeli ceasefire agreements with Hamas and Hezbollah.
Under Israel’s multi-phased deal with Hamas, some hostages held in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have started to be released. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to continue amid the first phase of the deal, which was slated to last about six weeks.
Israel strikes southern Lebanon
Israel has launched several strikes against southern Lebanon on Tuesday, saying it struck a Hezbollah truck and an additional vehicle transferring weapons in the areas of Chaqif and Nabatieh.
“The truck and the additional vehicle were struck after being monitored by the IDF at the time of the transfer of the weapons,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
“The IDF is determined to continue to operate in accordance with the understanding between Israel and Lebanon, despite Hezbollah’s attempts to return to southern Lebanon, and will operate against any threat posed to the state of Israel and its citizens,” the IDF said.
Egypt denies speaking to Trump about taking Palestinians from Gaza
Egypt on Tuesday denied reports that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump after the latter said Jordan and Egypt should take in Palestinians from Gaza.
“There was no truth to what some media outlets reported about a phone call between the Egyptian and American presidents,” a senior official told state-affiliated Al-Qahera News TV. The official added that any such contact would have been announced.
Trump suggested on Saturday a plan to “clean out” the Gaza Strip, saying he would “like Egypt to take people,” and would like Jordan to do the same.
He elaborated on the remarks on Monday, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that he’d spoken with Sisi, although he did not clarify Sisi’s stance on accepting additional Palestinian refugees.
“I wish he would take some, we help them a lot, and I’m sure he can help us, he’s a friend of mine,” Trump said. “He’s in a very rough part of the world, to be honest, as they say, it’s a rough neighborhood, but I think he can do it.”
“When you look at the Gaza Strip, it’s been hell for so many years,” Trump said Monday. “There’s always been violence associated. So, I think you can get people living in areas that are a lot safer and maybe a lot better and maybe a lot more comfortable.”
Both Jordan and Egypt appeared to reject Trump’s suggestion. Egypt’s foreign ministry issued a statement affirming its rejection of the “displacement or the uprooting of Palestinians from their land whether temporarily or long-term,” and Jordan reiterated its “firm and unwavering” stance against any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
Netanyahu is scheduled to visit Washington D.C. on Feb. 4.
Israeli troops to remain in Syria for ‘unlimited period of time’
The IDF will remain on the summit of Hermon and in the security zone for an indefinite period, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.
“The IDF will remain on the summit of Mount Hermon and in the security zone for an unlimited period of time to ensure the security of the residents of the State of Israel. We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria — from here to the Sweida-Damascus axis, and we will not be dependent on others for our defense,” Katz said.
Israel warns Lebanese residents to avoid areas near border
Israel issued a warning to Lebanese residents on Tuesday, telling them to avoid multiple areas near the Israeli border as it redeploys in various locations in southern Lebanon.
At least 22 were killed over the weekend.
“The deployment process is taking place gradually and in some sectors it is being postponed and requires more time in order to ensure that Hezbollah is not able to re-establish its strength in the field,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
”Hezbollah, as usual, puts its narrow interests above the interests of the Lebanese state and tries through its mouthpieces to heat up the situation, despite being the main reason for the destruction of the south,” the IDF said.
Palestinians on returning home: ‘It feels like we’re reborn!’
Emotional scenes played out all over the Gaza Strip on Monday as families and friends reunited for the first time in over 15 months after the Israeli military allowed movement between northern and southern Gaza.
A sea of people swept the shoreline heading north along the sandy remains of the coastal highway. Many traveled on foot trudging through sand, a Palestinian flag flickering in the wind above them.
“It feels like we’re reborn!” Om Wael, a grandmother from Gaza City, told ABC News as she carried her granddaughter in her arms, with a look of joyful determination on her face.
“Even if our home is flattened, we’re so happy to return to our city, to our homes, unharmed. Thank God,” she said.
Mirvat Ajur, 29, from the Daraj neighborhood in central Gaza City, told ABC News that she walked for about five hours until she reached central Gaza.
“It was a difficult journey, but the people were very happy, singing, clapping and dancing in joy at returning to their homes,” she said.
Approximately 300,000 people made the journey home, according to figures released by Gazan authorities. Samira Halas, 55, was among them.
“I know that my home is damaged and burned, but I want to return to it,” Halas, from Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya neighborhood, told ABC News, describing the destruction she saw upon her return “like an earthquake had hit it.”
“I want to live in those burned and destroyed rooms,” she continued. “I am like a fish dying far from the sea.”
-ABC News’ Ruwaida Amer and Zoe Magee
At least 300,000 return to northern Gaza
At least 300,000 Palestinians returned home to northern Gaza on Monday, according to the Gaza government office, after Israel allowed them to cross into the north for the first time in over a year.
135,000 tents needed in Gaza
As people return to northern Gaza on Monday, the Gaza government said it “immediately and urgently” needs at least 135,000 tents because 90% of the buildings have been destroyed.
The government called on the international community to help provide “basic supplies” for Palestinians.
8 dead hostages among 33 being released in 1st phase: Israel
Of the 33 Israeli hostages set to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire, eight have been killed by Hamas, according to Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer.
Seven hostages have already been released since the start of the ceasefire, meaning 18 more living hostages will be released by Hamas in the coming weeks.
More hostages are set to be released on Thursday and Saturday, Mencer said.
Threats to ceasefire will ‘bear the full cost,’ Israeli minister says
Katz Israel, the Israeli defense minister, said on Monday that his country would “firmly” enforce the ceasefires that have paused fighting in Gaza.
“Anyone who violates the rules or threatens IDF forces will bear the full cost,” he said in Hebrew on social media. “We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7.”
Tens of thousands trek into northern Gaza
Tens of thousands of people were marching and driving on Monday back to northern Gaza, after Israel allowed them to cross into the north for the first time in over a year.
Long lines of Palestinians — some singing, others smiling and some kneeling to kiss the soil as they stepped into the northern part of the strip — were seen making their way home.
Those returning home were moving along two main routes.
Many of those who were were walking home were moving along al-Rashid Street, a path expected to be taken by about 300,000 people.
Many of those who were driving north were doing so along Salah al-Din Road.
A line of cars could be seen stretching for about 8 miles on Monday morning, as they waited for permission to cross into the northern part of Gaza.
-ABC News’ Sami Zyara, Diaa Ostaz, Jordana Miller, Nasser Atta and Samayeh Malekian
1 dead, 4 injured after IDF fired at ‘dozens of suspects’ in central Gaza
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its team evacuated one person who was killed, and four people who were injured, after an attack by Israeli snipers near the Wadi Gaza Bridge on Sunday.
Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that troops fired “warning shots” at “several gatherings of dozens of suspects” who the IDF said posed a threat to them.
Additionally, a rocket was destroyed by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, according to the IDF’s statement.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had introductory call with Israel’s Netanyahu
Newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had an introductory call on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement from a U.S. senior defense official.
“Both leaders discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats,” according to the statement.
Hegseth, who won Senate confirmation after being selected by President Donald Trump for the role, stressed to Netanyahu that the U.S. is “fully committed” to ensuring that Israel “has the capabilities it needs to defend itself,” according to the statement.
Additionally, the defense official said that “both leaders agreed to remain in close contact.”
Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended to Feb. 18
The White House announced Sunday that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended until Feb.18.
Lebanon, Israel and the U.S. will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after Oct. 7, 2023.
(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Family members and friends of thousands of missing Syrians are continuing their search for those disappeared by former President Bashar Assad’s regime across 14 years of civil war, as victorious rebel forces begin building a transitional government.
Crowds gathered outside a hospital in the capital of Damascus to pore over images of mutilated bodies recovered from the infamous Saydnaya prison — once described by Amnesty International as a “human slaughterhouse.”
Among them was Abdullah, who was told that his brother was arrested in 2013 and died in 2016. Abdullah told ABC News he had been given no other information then or since and that he came to the hospital in the hope of identifying his brother among the dead.
Abdullah did not find his brother’s body. He told ABC News he would continue his search at another hospital where released prisoners were being treated.
In a morgue inside the hospital, one man found his son among the bodies. Mohammad, 20, was a political prisoner taken into custody in October, his father said. Security Forces also took the father into custody and held him for 60 days, before releasing him.
Mohammad was killed just two months before the spectacular collapse of Assad’s regime, the man said. Holding his 15-year-old younger son close, the bereaved father told ABC News he feels there are brighter days ahead despite his loss.
Some 157,000 people disappeared into regime prisons and other facilities between 2011 and 2024, per an estimate by the Syrian Network for Human Rights.
A forensics doctor in the hospital morgue told ABC News he identified the bodies of about 37 people, most of whom were being held in the Saydnaya prison.
Many of the bodies had signs of torture and many of them suffered malnutrition; some of the bodies have almost no muscle tissue between the ribs due to extreme malnutrition, Dr. Sarah Melhem, a forensics doctor at the hospital, told ABC News. Many have signs of being shot, including entry and exit wounds, while others have signs of torture, including bruises, wounds and scars.
Some of the recovered bodies have expressions of fear on the faces while others are decomposed, Melhem said.
“These are political prisoners, so these prisoners have maybe spent a long time in the prisons so the torture signs [have] dissolved,” Melhem said.
Many of the bodies showed signs of being shot, bearing entry and exit wounds. Others had signs of torture including bruises, wounds and scars. Some of the recovered bodies have expressions of fear frozen on their faces, while others are decomposed, Melhem said.
“I have a cousin who was a political prisoner, but we don’t know anything about him,” Melhem said. “We don’t see him. He was arrested from about 2013 and we don’t know anything about him,” Melhem said.
Under Assad, people were taken into custody for things as simple as a Facebook post, Melhem said.
“I believe that this is a criminal system and all of the Syrian people refuse the system but nobody [could] talk. We [didn’t] have the right to speak,” Melhem said.
“After this system fell down, all of the Syrian people are speaking a lot about their experience. All of them have an experience of somebody who died, somebody who have a criminal action on them,” Melhem said.
The collapse of Assad’s government last weekend ended 14 years of conflict between Damascus — backed by Russia and Iran — and a patchwork of anti-government forces, some supported by foreign nations including Turkey and the Gulf states.
Who will lead the next government remains unclear. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — an Islamist group which has its roots in al-Qaeda — led the surprise offensive that eventually toppled Assad.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, whose real name is Ahmed al-Sharaa, has vowed to punish those accused of involvement in the torture, killings and disappearances that long characterized Assad family rule in Syria.
“We will not hesitate to hold accountable the criminals, murderers, security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people,” Jolani said in a statement posted to the rebels’ Military Operations Command Telegram channel.
“We will pursue war criminals and demand them from the countries to which they fled so that they may receive their just punishment,” he added.
(LONDON) — Ukrainian authorities said that at least 23 people were injured and 41 buildings damaged by a Russian missile strike in the northeastern city of Kharkiv overnight into Monday, as Moscow’s troops launched a fresh offensive effort in the region and claimed battlefield gains all along the eastern front.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram that the S-400 anti-aircraft missile impact in Kharkiv was part of a multi-pronged barrage against Ukrainian cities overnight. Kyiv, Odessa and Zaporizhzhia were all also targeted.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 145 drones, 71 of which were downed and 71 were lost during flight. One UAV flew into Belarusian airspace, the air force said.
The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, claimed to have downed 23 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions. The ministry also said it downed eight ballistic missiles, though did not specify their type.
Vladislav Shapsha, the governor of Kaluga Oblast that borders Moscow Oblast to the southwest, said falling drone debris sparked a fire at a manufacturing facility. Ukraine’s General Staff, though, said its strikes destroyed the Kaluganefteproduct oil depot in the city of Kaluga.
“In total, since yesterday evening, Russia has used about one and a half hundred attack drones, aerial bombs and missiles against more than 10 of our regions,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram early Monday.
“These attacks by Russia on Ukrainian life can be stopped,” he added. “With pressure, sanctions, blocking the occupiers’ access to the components they use to create the tools of this terror, arms packages for Ukraine and a determination that must be unwavering.”
Only 19 miles from the Russian border, Ukraine’s “second city” of Kharkiv has faced near-constant attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in early 2022.
Russian forces failed to encircle and capture Kharkiv during the opening weeks of the invasion, but fighting has continued along the shared border throughout the conflict.
Ukraine’s General Staff said in a post to Facebook on Monday that Russian forces launched assaults the settlement of Kozacha Lopan, around 2 miles from the border and 16 miles north of Kharkiv.
The Ukrainian Deep State Telegram military blogger reported that Russian forces also launched an amphibious operation across the Oskil River in eastern Kharkiv region, where Russian troops have been pushing towards the strategic objective of Kupyansk.
The Russian force established a foothold on the Ukrainian-controlled side of the waterway, Deep State wrote. The blogger’s claims could not be immediately be verified.