The final outcome in Syria appears stark: Assad’s regime has fallen, and the Syrian army has been entirely dismantled—an unprecedented event even compared to the 1967 war. Israel now firmly controls the Golan Heights and Mount Hermon. Turkish forces have seized more than 13 cities, cementing their influence. The United States has solidified its presence in oil-rich regions while extending legal protection to the Kurds and the SDF.
Archiv: Militäroffensiven / military offensives
No talk of ceasefire between Turkey and US-backed SDF in Syria, Turkey says
(December 19, 2024)
There is no talk of a ceasefire deal between Turkey and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria, contrary to a U.S. announcement, a Turkish defence ministry official said on Thursday.
The State Department had said…
Turkey, Russia and Iran Meet in Doha Seeking Exit From Syria Chaos
Turkey‘s foreign minister will meet with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Doha on Saturday to try to find a solution to the renewed fighting in Syria and avoid chaos on its doorstep.
The three countries have been partners since 2017 in the Astana process seeking to end the civil war in Syria. This is despite the fact they have supported opposite sides on the battlefield.
Assad’s family ‘flees’ to Russia – but Kremlin won’t come to Syrian leader’s rescue
(December 6, 2024)
Bashar al-Assad’s family fled to Russia in the days after rebel forces launched a shock offensive that captured swathes of territory across northern Syria, it has been revealed.
It comes after a source close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg News that Moscow had no plans to rescue the Syrian president, with Vladimir Putin said to be disgusted by reports of regime troops fleeing their positions. (…)
Egyptian and Jordanian officials are understood to have urged the Syrian president to leave the country and form a government-in-exile.
Syrian rebels say they are encircling Damascus
Daraa and Quneitra are near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, where Israel said it was boosting its troop presence, and Jordan, which late Friday urged its citizens to leave Syria „as soon as possible.“
Iraq allowed hundreds of troops from the Syrian army in, some of them wounded, amid the offensive, according to two Iraqi security sources speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP). The soldiers from President Bashar al-Assad‘s forces „have fled the front lines“ and entered Iraq through the Al-Qaim border crossing, said one senior security official, adding that „the wounded have been hospitalized“ in the area.
Israel says it‘s repelling attack on UN peacekeepers in occupied Golan Heights
According to Israel, a UN post on the edge of the UN-patrolled buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights came under attack.
„The [Israeli army] is currently assisting the UN forces in repelling the attack,“ Israel said.
IDF calls troops to Golan as rebels force Syrian army from border province
On Friday, the military completed a General Staff exercise in the northern Jordan Valley and the southern Golan Heights.
During the exercise, General Staff readiness was drilled by the Operations Directorate, by both air and land, to assess response time and reaction to an emerging incident in real time.
Turkish-backed extremists ‚headed to Damascus‘ says Erdogan
“We do not want escalation to continue in the region,” the Turkish president claimed.
“Idlib, Hama, and Homs are in the hands of the Syrian opposition, and they are continuing towards Damascus. We extended our hand to Bashar al-Assad but he did not respond,” he added.
Putin ‚Letting Syrian Rebels Overthrow Assad‘: Ex-Trump Intel Chief
(November 30, 2024)
Russia appears to be „letting the Syrian rebels overthrow“ President Bashar al-Assad according to Richard Grenell, who served as acting director of National Intelligence for a time during Donald Trump‘s first administration.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Grenell, who had been tipped as a possible member of Trump‘s incoming administration, commented: „Russia seems to be letting the Syrian rebels overthrow Assad. Big. Time to play chess.“
Syrian rebel groups take control in and around Aleppo
The offensive is led by Hayʼat Tahrir ash-Sham (HTS), a Sunni Islamist opposition group backed by Turkey and designated a terrorist organization by the U.S.
On Friday, the rebels entered the old city of Aleppo and took over several key sites, including the historic citadel and the Umayyad Mosque, according to videos posted on social media.
Araghchi says terror resurgence in Syria part of Western-Israeli plot
Araghchi held a telephone conversation with Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam al-Sabbagh on Friday, where both officials examined the evolving situation in Syria and broader regional developments.
„The reactivation of terrorist groups in Syria is a U.S.-Zionist scheme after failure in Lebanon,“ Araghchi stated while reaffirming Tehran‘s unwavering support for Damascus in its ongoing struggle against terrorism.
Syrian rebels enter Aleppo for first time in eight years during shock offensive
Syrian armed rebels have entered Aleppo just three days into their surprise offensive, marking the first time they have set foot in the country’s second largest city since government forces recaptured the city in 2016.
Rebel forces launched a surprise attack this week, sweeping through several villages outside the city and reigniting conflict that had been largely static for years.
50,000 Russians Are Poised To Attack 20,000 Ukrainians In Kursk. Ukrainian Brigades Are Bracing For A ‘Massive’ Fight.
(November 24, 2024)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has given his general until early February to eject the Ukrainians from western Russia. But the real deadline, it seems, is the Jan. 20 inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to end Russia’s wider war on Ukraine but whose offhand proposals hinge on an unenforceable ceasefire that would freeze the front line in place.
Why Israel‘s genocide in Gaza is a western war on the Palestinian people
Western countries and Israel share the same values of settler-colonialism, racism, white supremacy and genocide – all of which are imperial tools to protect their interests
West Bank attacks: To western leaders, there are no red lines for Israel‘s slaughter
War in the West Bank was planned before Hamas‘s attack on 7 October last year, a senior Fatah member with close links to security circles told me.
It was postponed by the Gaza war, but also refined and honed by it.
When Israel saw just how much Palestinian blood the US and Europe were prepared to tolerate in Gaza – how much destruction, how many millions would be continually displaced, and for how long – Israel felt emboldened to visit the same hell on its real target: the occupied West Bank.
CPI and Hadash Calls to Cease Deadly Military Operation in the Occupied West Bank
The Communist Party of Israel (CPI) and Hadash issued a common communique who said “The occupation’s attacks in the West Bank is a continuation of the campaign of destruction in Gaza.” They called for occupation forces to cease military operations in the West Bank.
According to Hadash MK Ofer Cassif, “The assault by the occupation forces on the West Bank has nothing to do with the security of Israel. It is just another layer in the total war that the Israeli government has been waging against the entire Palestinian people to annex their land and expel them from their homeland. Stop the war! End the occupation!”
MK Aida Touma-Sliman (Hadash) called it the “Gazafication of all Palestinian land” and part of a plan to “ethnically cleanse the West Bank.
King, in call with German chancellor, urges end to Israeli attacks in West Bank
His Majesty reaffirmed that Jordan will not allow for a regional war to unfold on its land, nor accept any actions that threaten its stability, the statement said.
The King also noted the importance of creating a political horizon to achieve just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution.
US largely silent on Israel‘s West Bank assault as ally Jordan gets rattled
A State Department spokesperson told MEE that Washington recognises „Israel’s very real security needs, which includes countering terrorist activity in the West Bank“.
„At the same time, we continue to insist that Israeli authorities take measures to protect all civilians from harm,“ the spokesperson said.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if it launches major invasion of Rafah
The president’s announcement that he was prepared to condition American weaponry on Israel’s actions amounts to a turning point in the seven-month conflict between Israel and Hamas. And his acknowledgement that American bombs had been used to kill civilians in Gaza was a stark recognition of the United States’ role in the war.
The president has come under extraordinary pressure, including from members of his own party, to limit shipments of arms amid a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Drohung von Präsident Biden: USA wollen keine Waffen für Großangriff auf Rafah liefern
In dem CNN-Interview wurde Biden gefragt, ob mit dem Typ an US-Bomben, deren Lieferung vorerst auf Eis liege, Zivilisten in Gaza getötet worden seien. Biden sagte dazu: „Zivilisten wurden im Gazastreifen infolge dieser Bomben und anderer Methoden, mit denen sie Bevölkerungszentren angreifen, getötet.“
Biden machte zugleich deutlich, die US-Regierung werde weiter sicherstellen, dass Israel ausreichend militärische Ausrüstung zur eigenen Verteidigung habe, etwa das Raketenabwehrsystems Iron Dome.
White House pauses shipment of some weapons to Israel
The White House last week paused a shipment of weapons to Israel, as Israeli leaders closed in on a decision to launch an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Wednesday in testimony to Congress that „we paused one shipment of high payload munitions.„
Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel
(06.05.2024)
President Biden updated the Prime Minister on efforts to secure a hostage deal, including through ongoing talks today in Doha, Qatar. The Prime Minister agreed to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing is open for humanitarian assistance for those in need. The President reiterated his clear position on Rafah.
‚Humanitarian islands‘: how will Israel‘s plan for Rafah civilians work?
(14.03.2024)
Israel has not revealed when the offensive in Rafah will begin, nor when the evacuation will occur. Announcing the „humanitarian islands“ plan, Hagari said only that Israel wanted the timing to be right operationally and to be coordinated with neighbouring Egypt, which has said it does not want an influx of displaced Palestinians crossing its border.
Israel briefs US on plan to move Gazans ahead of Rafah invasion
(03.05.2024)
The Israeli military has informed aid groups and the Biden administration of a plan to begin removing Gazans from Rafah ahead of an invasion, according to a U.S. official and two other people familiar with the situation.
The Israel Defense Forces recently told the U.S. government and aid groups operating on the ground that they had developed a plan to move people out of Rafah, the main humanitarian hub in the enclave, to al-Mawasi, a small strip of land on the southern Gaza coast.
Israel Briefs US on Plan for ‚Ethnic Cleansing‘ of Rafah
(04.05.2024)
According to an unnamed U.S. official and two other people familiar with the plan, Israel would „move people out of Rafah, the main humanitarian hub in the enclave, to al-Mawasi, a small strip of land on the southern Gaza coast.“ Politico also obtained a copy of a map containing some details of the plan.
WHO warnt vor „Blutbad“ in Rafah
Israels Regierungschef Benjamin Netanyahu hatte kürzlich erklärt, die israelische Armee werde ungeachtet der internationalen Kritik und unabhängig von einer möglichen Einigung auf ein Abkommen über eine Waffenruhe im Gazastreifen ihre Pläne für eine Bodenoffensive in Rafah umsetzen.
In photos: Aftermath of deadly Israeli strikes in Rafah
Israeli fighter jets have bombed two homes in Rafah in overnight strikes, killing a total of 10 people, including six children and women.
An Israeli airstrike in Gaza‘s south kills at least 9 Palestinians in Rafah, including 6 children
(today)
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
US approves Rafah op. in exchange for no Israeli counter-strikes on Iran – report
(18.04.2024)
The US has approved a potential Israeli Rafah operation in exchange for the Jewish state not conducting counterstrikes on Iran, according to a Thursday report from the Qatari newspaper The New Arab.
A senior official told The New Arab that „Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to obtain American approval for a military operation in Rafah, in exchange for [Israel] refraining from carrying out a wide military operation against Iran in response to its recent attack.“
Gantz: ‚We will enter Rafah and go back to Khan Yunis‘
National Unity chairman Benny Gantz said during a press conference in Sderot on Wednesday that Hamas was militarily defeated following the IDF‘s operation in Gaza.
„From a military point of view – Hamas is defeated. Its fighters are eliminated or in hiding. Its abilities are cut off, and we will continue to strike what remains.
Gantz: Hamas has been defeated militarily but we’ll fight against remnants for years to come
However, “from a military point of view – Hamas is defeated. Its fighters are eliminated or in hiding” and its capabilities “crippled,” he continues, stating that “victory will come step by step” and that Israel “will not stop. We will enter Rafah. We will return to Khan Younis. And we will operate in Gaza. Wherever there are terrorist targets – the IDF will be there.”
US hasn‘t ruled out consequences for Israel over looming Rafah operation: What would that look like?
„It‘s very, very important,“ Ziv said of U.S. military aid to Israel. Placing conditions on it, he said, „creates a dangerous precedent for Israel because it just wasn‘t in the cards up until now.“ (…)
The U.S. could continue to abstain or even support United Nations resolutions that Israel finds unfavorable, as it did this week.
In reversal, Netanyahu sending delegation to White House for Rafah talks
(27.03.2024)
It‘s a sharp reversal by Netanyahu who on Monday canceled the same trip by the same people in protest over the U.S. not vetoing a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The fallout over the canceled trip and a deadlock in hostage talks added to already spiraling relations between Netanyahu and the Biden administration.
With record of Gaza truce vetoes, US unveils new, ambiguous UN resolution
A copy of the new draft resolution, obtained by Al Jazeera, reads: “The Security Council determines the imperative of an immediate and sustained ceasefire to protect civilians on all sides, allow for the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance, and alleviate humanitarian suffering and towards that end unequivocally supports ongoing international diplomatic efforts to secure such a ceasefire in connection with the release of all remaining hostages.” (…)
No vote has yet been scheduled on this text.
Blinken: U.S. submitted draft resolution to UN calling for Gaza ceasefire
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the U.S. has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council that calls „for an immediate ceasefire“ in Gaza that‘s „tied to the release“ of hostages held by Hamas.
Netanyahu says it ‘will take some time’ until IDF launches offensive in Rafah
(21.03.2024)
Two senior US officials told The Times of Israel on Tuesday that the US will present alternative plans for how Israel can continue pursuing Hamas without launching a major ground operation in Rafah during an upcoming meeting with a visiting Israeli delegation in Washington.
Israel to send team to D.C. to discuss Rafah; Blinken to return to Mideast
(19.03.2024)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted President Biden’s invitation to send a senior delegation to Washington, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said, to “hear U.S. concerns” over Israel’s plans to invade Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where displaced Palestinians are concentrated.
Netanyahu says he made clear to Biden Rafah ground op crucial to destroying Hamas
“We have a disagreement with the Americans about the need to enter Rafah,” Netanyahu told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “Not about the need to eliminate Hamas — the need to enter Rafah. We do not see a way to eliminate Hamas militarily without destroying these remaining battalions. We are determined to do it. ”
“I made it clear to the president in our conversation, in the clearest way, that we are determined to complete the elimination of these battalions in Rafah,” said Netanyahu. “There is no way to do it, except by going in on the ground.”
Netanyahu makes it ‚supremely clear‘ to Biden that Rafah invasion necessary
Briefing lawmakers on Tuesday, Netanyahu said that he made it „supremely clear“ to US President Joe Biden „that we are determined to complete the elimination of these battalions in Rafah, and there‘s no way to do that except by going in on the ground“.
US would support limited, pinpoint IDF op against high-value targets in Rafah — report
Two Israeli officials told Politico that the Israel Defense Forces is still developing a plan for protecting the civilians.
But unnamed US officials told Politico that in private meetings, top administration officials have told the Israelis that the US would back a strategy for “counterterrorism operations” in Rafah rather than the full-scale war waged elsewhere in Gaza.
Gaza enters Ramadan amid Israeli strikes, siege
Israel has continued it‘s bombardment of Gaza on the first day of Ramadan, as hunger persists in the besieged enclave.
Israeli strikes against the Sabra neighbourhood in Gaza city has killed 16 people, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. Strikes were also reported in Gaza‘s southern city of Rafah.
The strike comes amid low aid flows into the territory, with the situation in north Gaza putting hundreds of thousands on the brink of famine, at least 20 already having died from starvation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has doubled down on Israel‘s war effort, saying that he intends to press ahead with an invasion of Rafah following Biden‘s comments that such an invasion would be a „red line“.
Israel‘s war on Gaza, which has been ongoing since 7 October, has killed 31,112 Palestinians, injuring a further 72,760.
Biden makes contradictory comments on Gaza ‚red line‘ in MSNBC interview
Biden and his aides have urged Netanyahu in strong terms not to launch a major offensive in Rafah until Israel crafts a plan for mass evacuation of civilians from the last area of Gaza it has not yet invaded with ground forces. More than half of Gaza‘s 2.3 million people are sheltering in the Rafah area.
“There‘s other ways to deal, to get to, to deal with … the trauma caused by Hamas,” Biden said, referring to the Islamist group’s Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed.
Israel could still assault Rafah even if Gaza ceasefire agreed with Hamas: Netanyahu
Israel is still planning an offensive of Rafah, now home to around 1.5 million Palestinians, even if a ceasefire is agreed, PM Netahyahu has said.
UPDATE #Israel #Palestine Death toll in Gaza climbs to 28,775 including more than 12,300 children and 8,400 women. The latest toll includes 112 people killed over the past 24 hours.
(16.02.2024)
Profoundly disappointing. @CIJ_ICJ affirms the severity of the harm endured by Palestinians & its promise 2 worsen but fails to add provisional measures. It simply doubles down on its measures ordered on 1/26. The sames ones that Israel has flagrantly violated for 2 weeks #Gaza
ICJ rejects South African request for urgent measures to limit Israeli action in Rafah
On Thursday, Israel urged the court to reject what it called South Africa’s “highly peculiar and improper” request.
Israel says it does all it can to spare civilians and is only targeting Hamas terrorists. It says Hamas’s tactic of embedding in civilian areas makes it difficult to avoid civilian casualties.
Increased airstrikes in #Rafah where nearly 1.5 million people are sheltering Intense fighting in/around Khan Younis – Nasser Hospital continues to be besieged by Israeli tanks. Reportedly 10,000 people within the hospital, including 300 medical staff
U.S., Arab nations plan for postwar Gaza, timeline for Palestinian state
(14.02.2024)
“The key is the hostage deal,” said one U.S. official among several American and Arab diplomats who discussed the subject on the condition of anonymity to avoid derailing the plan before it is completed.
War on Gaza: Why Egypt fears Israel‘s Rafah attack and what it means for their peace treaty
“The back-and-forth statements in the media are for public consumption. What matters is what’s happening behind closed doors, in intelligence coordination meetings in Cairo and other capitals.”
Likewise, Joost Hiltermann, an analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, said suspension of the treaty “won’t happen”.
“Relations between Israel and Egypt remain strong, despite what is taking place in Gaza.”
Gaza: Israel storms Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, intensifies Rafah strikes
Israeli forces have stormed the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, saying that the raid was conducted because the military had information Hamas fighters were hiding Israeli hostages in the facility, although it did not provide evidence for the claim.
The storming comes following a siege of the hospital through this week, with The New Arab‘s Arabic service Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reporting that a Palestinian was killed and 14 others were injured during Israeli shelling of the orthopaedic department at the hospital this morning.
South Africa’s request to ICJ to prevent an unprecedented massacre in Rafah is welcomed by Euro-Med Monitor
In its report on 10 February, Euro-Med Monitor stressed that 15 days after the ICJ ordered Israel to take all possible measures to prevent the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has maintained its rate of killing civilians, depriving them of their most basic human rights, besieging them, and starving them.
The human rights group reported that the Israeli army has killed over 1,864 Palestinians—including 690 children and 441 women—and injured over 2,933 more since the ICJ ruling, bringing the death toll of Israel’s genocidal war against the Gaza Strip, ongoing since 7 October 2023, to 35,880, including 13,880 children and 7,910 women.
Israel’s military has continued to bomb and destroy houses even after its military operations in the southern Gaza Strip were supposedly terminated a few weeks ago, stated the rights group. The Israeli army has blown up at least 43 residential squares since the ICJ ruling, with each square containing between 20 to 50 houses, mainly in the Strip’s southern area of Khan Yunis.
War on Gaza: Palestinians in Rafah run out of shelters as Israel threatens assault
A few hundred metres from the Rafah border fence with Egypt, dozens of Palestinian families set up tents as a „last resort“ as they sought refuge from the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip after having to move multiple times from their homes and previous shelters.
But many are now considering yet another displacement as Israel threatens a military operation in the border town Rafah, which is now sheltering more than half of Gaza‘s two million residents.
APPLICATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE IN THE GAZA STRIP (SOUTH AFRICA V. ISRAEL) – URGENT REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL MEASURES UNDER ARTICLE 75(1) OF THE RULES OF COURT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
9. In LaGrand, the Court exercised its Article 75(1) power in a situation of extreme urgency affecting one individual. Here there is a situation of extreme urgency affecting an estimated 1.4 million vulnerable Palestinians in Rafah, at least half of them children. They are at serious risk of irreparable harm to their right to be protected from acts of genocide contrary to Articles II and II of the Genocide
Convention, by a State which has already been found by this Court to be acting in plausible breach of its obligations under that Convention.
10. South Africa thus respectfully calls upon the Court to consider as a matter of the greatest urgency whether the developing circumstances in Rafah require that it exercise its power under Article 75(1) of the Rules of Court to prevent further imminent breach of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza. South Africa also reserves its own rights to take further action in respect of the situation.
11. I have the honour to assure the Court of my highest esteem and consideration.
South Africa asks UN court to urgently examine Israel’s targeting of Rafah in ongoing genocide case
South Africa said it asked the court to weigh whether Israel’s strikes on Rafah, and its intention to launch a ground offensive on the city where 1.4 million Palestinians have sought shelter, breaches both the U.N. Genocide Convention and preliminary orders handed down by the court last month in a case accusing Israel of genocide.
South Africa calls on ICJ to make decision on Rafah offensive
South Africa has made an urgent request to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to consider whether Israel‘s decision to extend its military operations in Rafah requires that the court use its power to prevent further breach of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza, South Africa‘s presidency said on Tuesday.
Israel bombs Gaza‘s crowded Rafah city as battlefront nears
Israeli forces stepped up air strikes on Gaza‘s far-southern Rafah on Thursday as fears of ground fighting grew among the more than one million Palestinians crowded into the city.
NRC‘s @YousefHammash in Gaza tells @CNN families are afraid of an expanded Israeli military operation in Rafah as there are no options left for the displaced population in the area to seek safety.
BBC News illustrating how the population of Rafah has grown with over a million displaced Palestinians seeking refuge there. @NRC_Egeland says conditions there are horrific.
Gaza death toll nears 25,000 as Netanyahu rejects calls for Palestinian state
(9 hours ago)
In a nationally televised news conference today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly said that Israel would not halt its offencive until it reaches its goals of destroying Hamas and bringing home all remaining hostages.
He rejected claims by a growing number of Israeli critics that those goals are not achievable, vowing to press ahead for many months.
“We will not settle for anything short of an absolute victory,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu‘s first question from any Israeli journalist in years goes to @YaaraShapira who asks if he will take responsibility for the disaster and whether he will commit to a National Commission of Inquiry. He deflects.
Gallant & Gantz have adopted the Netanyahu war style, all-black open necked button down shirts, and Gantz also cites Churchill.
Only 20 minutes late, Netanyahu meets live journalists. No one can remember the last time he did this. Years. He spouts clichés, slogans, pre-masticated lines. Uses Churchill‘s „sea, air, land.“ At one point the TelePrompter gets stuck and he stops cold and says „advance it.“
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: The Invasion of Gaza Has Begun
srael’s widely expected invasion of the northern Gaza Strip has begun, three weeks after Hamas’ stunning attack. On Friday, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces announced ground forces “are expanding their operation,” and on Saturday, Israeli troops remained in Gaza, where virtually all communications have been cut and the civilian death toll, already in the thousands, is expected to rise sharply. Below are live updates on this significant escalation in the war as it develops.
U.S. Raises Concerns About Israel’s Plan of Action in Gaza, Officials Say
Biden administration officials insisted that the United States had not told Israel what to do and still supported the ground invasion. But the Pentagon has sent a three-star Marine, Lt. Gen. James Glynn, along with other officers to help the Israelis with the challenges of fighting an urban war.
A Pentagon official said on Monday that the deployment of General Glynn, reported earlier by Axios, did not mean the Pentagon was making decisions for Israel. General Glynn, the official said, would not be on the ground in Israel if an incursion into Gaza begins.
Ukraine ‘has never been closer’ to NATO membership – Stoltenberg
“And these three things, the interoperability, the NATO-Ukraine Council and removal of the requirement for Membership Action Plan for Ukraine, demonstrate that Ukraine has never been closer to a membership in NATO than now,” Stoltenberg declared.
US President Joe Biden said ahead of the July summit that Ukraine would have to meet certain conditions before its bid was accepted. NATO member states have also ruled out Ukraine joining before the conflict with Russia is resolved.
Ukraine‘s front-line forces aren‘t advancing as much as ‚hoped‘ in the face of tough Russian defenses, but they‘re gaining ground, about 300 feet per day, NATO chief says
Since the much-anticipated counteroffensive began in early June, Ukraine has faced waves of criticism — including from officials and experts in Western countries that have provided it with military support — that its forces are not moving fast enough. Kyiv has grown increasingly frustrated with such pessimistic commentary, and Dmytro Kuleba, the country‘s top diplomat, even told critics recently to „shut up“ and try liberating territory themselves.
Blinken during visit to Kyiv: We see good progress on counteroffensive, we want to make sure Ukraine has what it needs
„We‘ve seen good progress on the counteroffensive (inaudible). We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs not only to succeed in the counteroffensive but has what it needs it for the long term to make sure that it has a strong deterrent, strong defense capacity so that, in the future, aggressions like this don‘t happen again,“ the U.S. Secretary of State said.
He also said the United States is determined to continue working with partners to restore a strong economy, strong democracy, „to ensure that Ukraine not only survives, but it thrives in the future.
‚No red lines‘: US response to West Bank assault underlines Israel‘s free hand
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has wasted no time trumpeting US support as a counter to domestic opponents who say his far-right government has imperiled relations with Israel‘s closest ally.
„America has provided Israel with moral and political backing,“ Netanyahu said. „Security cooperation [with the US] has never been better, intelligence sharing has never been deeper.“
Propaganda auf allen Kanälen
Je nach Quelle haben die Ukrainer in der ersten Woche ihrer Offensive nicht nur große Teile der westlichen Waffen, sondern auch 3.000 bis 5.000 Soldaten verloren. Während deutsche Medien dies unter dem Argument relativieren, Verluste gehörten halt zum Krieg und Russlands demoralisierte Armee werde nun unter Kosten von Material und Menschenleben hinfortgefegt, verweisen pro-russische Kommentatoren darauf, dass der Ukraine bei dieser „selbstmörderischen“ Kriegsführung bereits in zwei bis drei Wochen nicht nur die Waffen und die Munition, sondern auch das menschliche „Kanonenfutter“ ausgehen wird.