Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Israel’s advance into southern Gaza, and the end of Africa’s G5 Sahel alliance.

Putin Visits the Middle East

Russian President Vladimir Putin conducted a rare foreign trip to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, marking his first visit to the region since before the COVID-19 pandemic began and highlighting the two countries’ importance to Russia as trading partners and fellow major oil producers.

For his first stop on Wednesday, Putin attended a meeting with Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during which the two leaders were expected to discuss economic and trade relations as well as the Israel-Hamas war. Despite Abu Dhabi being a key U.S. partner, the country maintains close ties with Russia, as does Saudi Arabia. The two leaders also planned to discuss greater energy cooperation opportunities amid the backdrop of the UAE hosting this year’s U.N. climate change summit (or COP28) in Dubai. As members of the Saudi-led OPEC+ oil cartel, both countries agreed last week to extend oil production cuts to boost market prices.

After Putin’s quick stop in the UAE, the Russian president flew to Saudi Arabia for talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. At the top of the meeting agenda was Saudi Arabia’s effort to promote better strategic coordination among OPEC+ members. They were also expected to discuss regional conflicts, including those in Yemen and Syria as well as the Israel-Hamas war. Putin advocated for Russia to help lead peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas. The Kremlin supports Riyadh’s policy of establishing an immediate cease-fire and the eventual creation of an independent Palestinian state. On Thursday, Putin hosts Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the Kremlin. Tehran has a history of backing Hamas financially and operationally.

Putin’s last trip to the UAE and Saudi Arabia was in 2019. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has only traveled to former Soviet states, Iran, and China. An International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Putin for alleged war crimes has hindered the Russian leader from attending major diplomatic gatherings, including the so-called BRICS summit in South Africa in August. However, neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE have ratified the ICC statute, which means they are not legally obligated to enforce the ICC warrant by arresting Putin.

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What We’re Following

Siege of Khan Younis. Israeli forces continued their bombardment of southern Gaza’s city of Khan Younis on Wednesday in one of the heaviest phases of fighting since the war began. Hospital staff warned of overrun facilities as casualty numbers mount, and thousands of Palestinians fled strikes in areas previously deemed safe zones by Israeli officials. U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said on Wednesday that his colleagues have described the war zone as “apocalyptic,” with heightened risks of “atrocity crimes.”

Turk’s warning follows a new report by Amnesty International on Tuesday that details evidence of the Israeli military using U.S.-made weapons in strikes that killed dozens of Palestinian civilians, including the deaths of two families. Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, Washington has supplied Israel with additional air defense systems, munitions, ammunition, and other military equipment on top of its $3.8 billion yearly commitment.

The end of G5 Sahel. Mauritania and Chad announced their intention to dissolve the G5 Sahel alliance on Wednesday after the bloc’s three other members withdrew from the group. Burkina Faso and Niger signaled their desire to leave the regional bloc on Saturday, following Mali’s example in 2022 after a foiled coup attempt. Both Burkina Faso and Niger faced their own coup attempts this year, with Niger’s military junta succeeding in taking control of the West African nation.

The G5 Sahel alliance was first established in 2014 to fight Islamist extremism and other challenges to the region. A joint military force established in 2017 to fight militants, though, has been heavily criticized as having little effectiveness, with international actors pointing to continued armed violence displacing millions of people.

An alleged conspiracy. A Venezuelan government official on Wednesday ordered the mass arrests of opposition figures for allegedly working with ExxonMobil to undermine the nation’s authority over Guyana’s Esequiba region, which Caracas views as part of Venezuela. That same day, President Nicolás Maduro appointed Maj. Gen. Alexis Rodríguez Cabello to oversee the newly established Guayana Esequiba state.

This dramatic move is Maduro’s latest effort to assert Venezuelan control over the disputed territory. Under international law, the mineral-rich area falls under Guyana’s jurisdiction. However, ExxonMobil’s discovery of oil there in 2015, along with Maduro’s efforts to bolster party support ahead of next year’s presidential election, prompted the Venezuelan leader to hold a referendum on Sunday to decide Esequiba’s status. The highly contested vote showed overwhelming support for Esequiba becoming part of Venezuela, though international actors have criticized the referendum’s legitimacy.

Odds and Ends

Even pigeons deserve protection under Japanese wildlife laws. Authorities in Tokyo arrested a taxi driver on Sunday for deliberately driving into a flock of pigeons, killing one of the birds. A veterinarian determined that the animal’s cause of death was traumatic shock. The 50-year-old man’s behavior was “highly malicious” for a professional driver, police said, and violated Japan’s animal rights laws.