(November 11, 2024)
The U.S. military said on Monday it had carried out strikes against nine targets associated with Iranian groups in Syria.
(…)
The U.S. has 900 troops in Syria, and 2,500 more in neighboring Iraq, on a mission to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swathes of both countries but was later defeated.
Dies ist der erste ICBM-Start Nordkoreas in diesem Jahr und der erste seit zehn Monaten. Zuletzt hatte das Land am 18. Dezember letzten Jahres eine Interkontinentalrakete mit Feststoffantrieb vom Typ Hwasong-18 abgefeuert.
Hinter dem Raketenstart wird die Absicht Nordkoreas vermutet, im Vorfeld der US-Präsidentschaftswahlen am 5. November mit einer Interkontinentalrakete Präsenz zu demonstrieren. Denn eine solche Rakete könnte auch das US-Festland erreichen.
The missile landed in waters between North Korea and Japan.
The military said it was analyzing data to learn more about the missile, but that it believed it was an ICBM. North Korea last tested a long-range missile in December, when it test-fired its solid-fueled Hwasong-18 ICBM.
North Korea confirmed later Thursday that its military had launched an ICBM, saying that its leader, Kim Jong-un, had been present.
Q: So, just to follow up on that, let‘s say US weapons are used to kill North Korean soldiers and that could have far reaching implications. I mean, how do you handle that, or you have — will you have limits on what US weapons can be used if it‘s a bunch of North Korean soldiers?
MS. SINGH: No. I think I mentioned this on Thursday and the secretary has said this as well — If North Korea — if we see DPRK troops moving in and towards the front lines, I mean, they are co-belligerents in the war. And so, they are fighting on these front lines and the Ukrainians are defending their sovereign territory and pushing the Russians back.
(…)
MS. SINGH: I don‘t have more details on the type of troops or equipment capabilities that they have. In terms of the numbers, what I have is that, you know, we estimate
approximately 10,000 are moving to train in eastern Russia. That is going to help augment Russian forces.
Again, don‘t have more fidelity to share right now on kind of what their makeup looks like, capabilities, etc. But, you know, we‘ll of course keep you updated on that.
Adding thousands of North Korean soldiers to Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II will pile more pressure on Ukraine’s weary and overstretched army. It will also stoke geopolitical tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the wider Indo-Pacific region, including Japan and Australia, Western officials say.
Good morning. This morning, a delegation from the Republic of Korea, a close NATO partner, briefed the North Atlantic Council and our other Indo-Pacific partners – Australia, Japan and New Zealand – on North Korea‘s growing involvement in Russia‘s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
The delegation included senior representatives from the Republic of Korea‘s National Intelligence Service and Ministry of National Defence. Allies also shared their intelligence assessments. Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that there is evidence North Korean troops are in Russia, branding their presence a „very serious“ escalation in the war that started with Russia‘s unprovoked invasion in 2022 and has left tens of thousands dead.
(October 17, 2024)
Ich nenne Ihnen nur zwei Beispiele. In wenigen Tagen, am 21. Oktober 2024, eröffnet diese Bundesregierung eine NATO-Kommandozentrale in Rostock. Die schwedische Presse berichtet, dass dort auch 30 schwedische NATO-Soldaten stationiert werden sollen.
(Jürgen Coße (SPD): Und das ist gefährlich?)
Jetzt hören wir wieder von Leuten, die das Twittern von legal-illegal-scheissegal-verfassungswidrig-StaatNATO-Pressemitteilungen mit wissenschaftlicher Arbeit verwechseln, das sei ja gar keine Stationierung, weil diese Soldaten alle zwei Jahre rotieren. Wer soll Ihnen diesen Schwindel eigentlich abnehmen?
(Beifall beim BSW)
Im Zwei-plus-Vier-Vertrag ist ganz klar festgeschrieben, dass ausländische Truppen nicht im Beitrittsgebiet stationiert werden dürfen. Die NATO-Soldaten sind doch nicht zum Segeln in Rostock. Mit der Stationierung ausländischer NATO-Truppen in Rostock verletzt diese Bundesregierung den Einigungsvertrag,
(Johannes Arlt (SPD): Was?)
und ich fürchte, Ihnen ist die Tragweite Ihrer Völkerrechtsverletzung gar nicht klar.
(Beifall beim BSW)
Dieser Wahnsinn muss jedenfalls gestoppt werden.
Zweites Beispiel. Ab 2026 wollen Sie US-Raketen in Deutschland stationieren, die russische Kommandozentralen präventiv ausschalten können sollen….
The reported incident occurred on 13 October, when the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) said two Israeli Merkava tanks broke through the gates of one of its bases. The tanks left after 45 minutes, following complaints from Unifil.
The Financial Times does not specify in its report where the incident took place, but on that same day, two tanks were reported to have hit the post of a Unifil base in Ramya, a town in southern Lebanon. Unifil said its peacekeepers were being treated for skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions.
Within the next hour after the tanks left, several rounds were fired 100 metres north of the Unifil base, and the rounds emitted a „smoke of suspected white phosphorous“ that ultimately injured 15 peacekeepers.
Source: Rutter on X (Twitter)
Rutte discussed with President Yoon the information regarding the possible deployment of North Korean troops to fight in the war against Ukraine.
Quote: „North Korea sending troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine would mark a significant escalation,“ Rutte said.
They also talked about Seoul‘s partnership with NATO, defence cooperation, and interconnected security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.
Nordkorea hat sich zur Bekanntgabe der südkoreanischen Regierung über eine Entsendung nordkoreanischer Soldaten nach Russland bislang nicht geäußert.
Der südkoreanische Geheimdienst (NIS) hatte am Freitag mitgeteilt, dass 1.500 nordkoreanische Soldaten ins russische Wladiwostok verlegt worden seien.
On Friday, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said the North had shipped 1,500 special forces troops to Russia’s Far East for training and acclimatizing at military bases there, probably to be deployed for combat in the war.
Austin declined to say whether the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, or THAAD was operational.
Der Bundestag hat das Mandat für den Einsatz deutscher Soldaten im Irak um weitere 15 Monate verlängert. Für die Fortsetzung stimmte eine deutliche Mehrheit von 539 der anwesenden Abgeordneten (Nein: 93, Enthaltung: 2), wie das Präsidium nach namentlicher Abstimmung verkündete.
(Updated October 13, 2024 at 7:27 p.m. EDT)
The shipment, which will be delivered at an unknown date, is the latest example of Biden using “carrots” rather than sticks to induce Israel into less aggressive behavior, Mann said.
Das Aussendepartement hat den israelischen Vorstoss in einen UN-Stützpunkt verurteilt.
Zuvor hatten israelische Panzer das Tor zu einer Unifil-Einrichtung durchbrochen, über ein Dutzend Blauhelme wurden verletzt.
Auch der Papst hat dazu aufgerufen, die «Friedenstruppen zu respektieren».
(Issued on: 13/10/2024 – 22:57)
„In a deeply worrying incident that occurred today, the entrance door of a UN position was deliberately breached by IDF armored vehicles,“ he added in a statement.
At least five peacekeepers have been wounded in recent days as Israel targets Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
According to the Mission, at about 04:30 (local time), while peacekeepers were in shelters, two IDF Merkava tanks destroyed the main gate and entered the position.
“They requested multiple times that the base turn out its lights,” UNIFIL said in a statement.
The tanks left about 45 minutes later after the Mission protested through its liaison mechanism, saying that IDF presence was putting peacekeepers in danger.
At around 06:40, peacekeepers at the same position reported the firing of several rounds 100 metres (about 110 yards) north, which emitted smoke.
“Despite putting on protective masks, fifteen peacekeepers suffered effects, including skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions, after the smoke entered the camp,” UNIFIL reported.
The affected peacekeepers are receiving treatment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on the United Nations to immediately pull its peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon from areas where Israel is battling Hezbollah, saying that the terror group is using the international troops as “human shields.”
Netanyahu’s comments came as the UN peacekeeping force said two Israel Defense Forces tanks had entered a United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon position Sunday.
The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Poland before the United Nations promoted a proposal, signed by 40 countries who provide funds and troops to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), to condemn the recent attacks of of Israel against its base in Naqoura (in the south of the country) and five peacekeepers were injured in just three days. “We call for respecting the UN mission and guaranteeing the safety of people,” dictates his message published on the social network X.
The 40 contributing countries „reaffirm our full support for UNIFIL‘s mission and activities, whose principal aim is to bring stabilization and lasting peace in South Lebanon as well as in the Middle East,“ the statement read.
„We urge the parties of the conflict to respect UNIFIL‘s presence, which entails the obligation to guarantee the safety and security of its personnel at all times,“ it added.
UNIFIL, which involves about 9,500 troops of some 50 nationalities, is tasked with monitoring a ceasefire that ended a 33-day war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah.
The US will deploy the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system in Israel, according to reports by Channel 12 news and Army Radio that describe the move as part of preparations for the expected Israeli response to Iran’s recent missile attack.
Channel 12 news says the advanced missile defense system will be operated by American troops on Israeli soil.
The deployment would mark a deepening of the US‘s military footprint inside Israel.
The pentagon has said US special operations forces are stationed in Israel to “actively“ help Israel “identify hostages, including American hostages“.
The Israeli army did not mistakenly target the Blue Helmets; it acted deliberately to eliminate inconvenient observers
(October 11, 20248:29 PM GMT+2Updated a day ago)
The leaders of France, Italy and Spain on Friday condemned the recent targeting of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, by the Israel Defence Forces and said such attacks were „unjustifiable“ and should „immediately come to an end.“
The two countries, which supply large amounts of troops to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon known as UNIFIL, summoned Israel‘s ambassadors to their respective capitals in response to incidents in which four peacekeepers were injured, one of whom required hospitalization. No French or Italian troops were wounded.
France‘s Ministry for Foreign Affairs condemned the „deliberate“ attack on Friday, which it said constitutes a „serious violation of international law.“
Das libanesische Außenministerium warf Israel einen „absichtlichen und systematischen Beschuss der Blauhelmtruppe“ vor.
UNIFIL bestätigte auf der Plattform X, dass es zwei Explosionen nahe einem Wachturm in Nakura gab. Zwei Soldaten seien verletzt worden. Den Grund der Explosionen nannte die UN-Mission nicht.
Israeli forces on Friday launched another attack on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) headquarters in southern Lebanon, injuring several Sri Lankan peacekeepers stationed there.
According to Lebanon‘s official National News Agency, an Israeli Merkava tank targeted one of UNIFIL‘s observation towers on the main road connecting Tyre to Naqoura, in front of a Lebanese Army checkpoint, injuring the Sri Lankan contingent stationed there.
It said Israeli artillery fired a shell that struck the main entrance of the UNIFIL command center in Naqoura, causing damage to the site.
„These are extremely serious violations of the norms of international law, not justified by any military reason.
„There is no justification in saying that the Israeli armed forces had warned UNIFIL that some bases had to be vacated.
„I told the ambassador to tell the Israeli government that the United Nations and Italy cannot take orders from the Israeli government“.
6-52 is on the outskirts of Maroun El Ras, in the flat land below the town.
Referencing the UN post in a release, Hezbollah said its fighters had observed the movement of Israeli forces around the location but were ordered not to attack the area to „preserve the lives of the soldiers of the international forces“.
It was a welcome statement for many families in Ireland. Despite coming from an organisation few trust in global politics, positive news has been sorely needed.
This is the first reserve division in the neighboring country, which joins three permanent divisions that already operated in the central and eastern areas of southern Lebanon: the 98th, the 36th and the 91st, the latter called up Monday.
„The soldiers of the 91st Division began localised and targeted operational activity in southern Lebanon,“ said a statement from the army.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, expressed deep alarm over the escalation in southern Lebanon and the impact on civilians, reiterating the need for a cessation of hostilities and negotiations to restore calm.
“UNIFIL peacekeepers feel duty-bound to the mandate given to them by the Security Council, and they feel duty-bound to the population in southern Lebanon,” he told journalists at UN Headquarters in New York, referring to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.
“The peacekeepers are currently staying in their position…Team UNIFIL remains united and committed.”
He added that the mission continues working with partners “to do whatever they can” to protect the population, providing temporary shelter to affected populations in recent weeks and supporting the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
(October 2, 2024)
The Indian contingent in the United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) will be staying put and performing its duties in the face of Israel’s decision to enter the country amid escalating tensions in the region.
“The (Indian) battalion of more than 900 people is holding its position and everybody is safe,” a UNIFIL source in south Lebanon told PTI over the phone Tuesday (October 1, 2024).
(September 27, 2024)
The announcement, coming two weeks after the Iraqi government said it had reached a deal with the Biden administration to remove most U.S. troops over the next two years, underscored Washington’s hesitancy to telegraph its military movements at a time of extreme volatility in the Middle East. But it also sowed confusion over the eventual end state of the Pentagon presence in the country.
Before Israel and Hezbollah’s last war, in 2006, parents came to the border to bid their sons goodbye. In October, rows of tanks formed in southern Israel before invading the Gaza Strip.
The troops will number in the dozens, one official said, and will head to the region to help protect the thousands of Americans who are stationed there.
(…)
About 40,000 American troops are stationed in the region on bases in Iraq, in Syria and in the Persian Gulf countries. The U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln is in the Gulf of Oman, and a second aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman, left Norfolk, Va., on Monday for the Mediterranean as part of a regularly scheduled deployment.
(July 2, 2024)
During a press briefing on 1 July 2024, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh addressed the issue. When asked about indications of North Korea sending troops to Ukraine to support Russia, Singh replied,
“I don’t have anything for you on that. We certainly know that North Korea is supporting Russia’s efforts in Ukraine with supplying them different military support, but I don’t have anything for you on any specific troops going into Russia at this time.”