Author: CNN

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel on Wednesday for meetings with key government officials to press for a “humanitarian truce” as US international and domestic pressure mounts to end the conflict in Gaza.The stakes on a crucial day of discussions in Tel Aviv became higher following news on Tuesday that Hamas had responded to a proposal aimed at securing the freedom of the remaining hostages held by the terror group and a continued cessation of fighting in Gaza. Blinken said on Tuesday that he would discuss the counterproposal with Israeli officials.Blinken is expected to meet, as he…

Yoav Gallant attends a meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 18, 2023. Maya Alleruzzo/AP/FileHamas’ leadership, including its top official in Gaza, is “on the run” as Israel’s military pushes further south in the Palestinian enclave, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed on Monday.The Israeli military operation in the southern city of Khan Younis will “soon achieve its goals” as troops advance southward on Rafah — Hamas’ last remaining stronghold, Gallant said in a televised briefing. “Our forces operate on the ground in most of the territory of the Gaza Strip,” he said.Israel has publicly accused Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar of being the “mastermind”…

The United States destroyed or damaged 84 out of 85 targets in its series of sweeping air strikes on Friday in Syria and Iraq, according to US defense officials, with no signs of Iranian casualties.All but one of the 85 targets were “destroyed or suffered functional damage,” the officials said, citing a preliminary battlefield damage assessment.A full post-strike analysis is still underway, but one official said there were no indications that members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed as part of the operations.President Joe Biden told reporters traveling with him to Nevada on Sunday that the strikes work…

The US-led coalition launches airstrikes in Yemen in response to the Houthi aggression on the Red Sea on February 3. US Central CommandThe United States and the United Kingdom launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen from air and surface platforms — including F/A-18 aircraft — on more than 30 targets in 13 locations, according to the officials.The United States and the United Kingdom carried out the strikes with support from several other countries, according to a joint statement issued on Saturday.“Today’s strike specifically targeted sites associated with the Houthis’ deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air…

A screenshot from a video, georeferenced by CNN, of the town of Al-Qaim, Iraq, showing the aftermath of US military strikes in the area according to the Iraqi military. An arms depot appears to have been targeted, and a number of illuminating projectiles were seen shooting into the sky. Obtained by CNNRetaliation for a drone strike that killed three US soldiers in Jordan last weekend has begun: The US military launched major airstrikes on 85 targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday.The White House declared the operation successful, which lasted about 30 minutes, but few details were immediately available about…

CNN  —  Here’s a look at the life of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Birth date: October 7, 1952 Birth place: Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia Birth name: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin Father: Vladimir Putin, factory foreman Mother: Maria Putina Marriage: Lyudmila (Shkrebneva) Putina (July 28, 1983-2014, divorced) Children: Yekaterina and Maria Education: Leningrad State University, law, 1975 Religion: Orthodox Christian Enjoys working out and has a black belt in judo. Grew up in a communal apartment shared by three families. Served in the KGB as an intelligence officer before becoming involved in politics. 1975 – Joins the Committee for State Security…

The US State Department announced the first round of sanctions under a new executive order targeting perpetrators of violence in the West Bank on Thursday.The new sanctions – which block their financial assets and prevent them from coming to the United States – target four Israeli citizens. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that “Israel must do more to stop the violence against civilians in the West Bank and hold those responsible accountable.”Here are some additional details:Who is it targeting: The State Department said the executive order focuses on four individuals accused of directly committing acts of…

Two aid agencies are claiming they have evidence that indicates Israel carried out a strike earlier this month on a compound housing humanitarian workers and their families in a supposed safe zone in Gaza. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said an independent assessment carried out by the United Nations concluded that the damage was caused by an airstrike most likely involving a missile package exclusively possessed by the Israeli military. “The Israeli military is the only armed actor in Gaza with access to this weaponry,” the statement on Wednesday said. The strike took place on January…

US President Joe Biden said he had decided on the US response to the drone strike that killed three service members in Jordan. Follow for live updates. Source link

Israel claimed that some employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack. In response, Gaza’s main relief agency fired a number of its staff. But beyond the allegations of recent days, Israel has long-standing problems with UNRWA, accusing it of helping Hamas and calling for its complete dismantling.In 2017, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to dissolve UNRWA and merge it with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. More recently, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz suggested that Israel would seek to prevent the UN agency from…