Friday, December 8, 2023

Media Wire

Rockets reportedly fired towards US embassy in Iraq

Rockets have been fired at the US embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, according to unconfirmed reports. The US troops and installations in Iraq and Syria have come under regular attacks since the Israeli onslaught against Gaza, fully supported by Washington.

Kremlin says Putin and Raisi talked for over five hours

A meeting in the Kremlin between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, lasted  more than five hours and was over just before midnight Moscow time, the Russian president’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters.

US says can’t give Ukraine guarantees over funding

Ukraine can’t expect additional funding from the US until it is approved in the Congress, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has stated.

IMF warns Gaza war to ‘severely depress’ Palestinian economy

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a stern warning about the economic impact of Israel’s Gaza war on the regional economic outlook, and stressed that the onslaught on the besieged enclave is expected to "severely depress" the Palestinian economy.

Syria appoints new envoy to Saudi Arabia after a decade

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has appointed Ayman Soussan, who has been serving as deputy foreign minister, as the country’s new ambassador to Riyadh, following the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries after more than a decade.

Over 90 people killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since early October: Beirut

At least 94 people have died and 406 been injured in Lebanon as a result of the Israeli aggression against southern Lebanon between October 8 and December 5, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

Israel should await “terrible days”: Iran FM

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has stressed the upcoming days are going to be horrific for the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.

White House interns pen letter to Biden, calling for Gaza ceasefire

In another sign of growing dissent brewing in Washington over the US administration's steady support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza, more than 40 interns at the White House have signed a letter demanding President Joe Biden call for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza’s health system “on its knees” and nearing total collapse: WHO

Gaza's health system is "on its knees" and nearing total collapse, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned.

IRGC chief says Israeli military can’t withstand prolonged war in Gaza

The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami has stated Israel cannot withstand a prolonged onslaught against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Israel-Palestine conflict LIVE: Gaza death toll tops 17,000

Palestinian group, Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, has announced the start of military the operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel. Thousands of rockets have been fired from the blockaded enclave towards the occupied territories as far away as Tel Aviv, killing over 1,200 Israelis, including both military and settlers. More than 16,200 Palestinians have been so far killed in an exchange of fire between the two sides.

NATO-supplied fighter jets for Ukraine to be legitimate targets: Russia

Warplanes supplied by NATO member states to Ukraine will be a legitimate targets for Moscow, increasing the risks of a direct military clash with the alliance, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has stated.

UN chief invokes Article 99 on Gaza in a rare move

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, urging the UN Security Council to act on the war in the Gaza Strip.

US Senate blocks Ukraine, Israel funding bill

US Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a bill to provide aid to Ukraine and Israel over a lack of border provisions in the measure.

British special forces secretly operated in Ukraine: Report

UK special forces were embedded with Ukrainian troops in the early days of the conflict, Declassified UK reported on Wednesday, citing the newly published book by Polish journalist Zbigniew Parafianowicz.

Gaza one of world’s ‘most dangerous places’: UN

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that the situation in the Gaza Strip is “getting worse each minute”, describing the strip as one of the most dangerous places in the world.

Erdogan says Israel to pay heavy price if Hamas members targeted in Turkey

Israel would pay a very heavy price if it targets Hamas members in Turkey, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned.

US officials believe military operation in Gaza could end by January

US officials expect the current phase of Israel’s ground invasion of the Gaza Strip targeting the southern end of the strip to last several weeks before Israel transitions, possibly by January, to a lower-intensity, hyper-localized strategy that narrowly targets specific Hamas fighters and leaders, multiple senior administration officials tell CNN.

Israeli army ‘taken by surprise’ in Gaza battlefield: Islamic Jihad

The Islamic Jihad resistance movement has announced Palestinian fighters have “taken Israel by surprise” on the battlefield across the Gaza Strip by inflicting heavy losses on the Israeli army.

Hamas raps US for repeating Israel’s allegations over “sexual violence”

Hamas has taken US President Joe Biden to task for waging a smear campaign against the Palestinian resistance movement following the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel in early October.

Israeli PM says impossible to bring all hostages back in tense meeting

During a meeting with the families of captivates held in the Gaza Strip and other members of the war cabinet on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that "currently, it's not possible to bring them all back", referring to the hostages.

Flooding Gaza tunnels with seawater ‘a good idea’: Israel

Israel’s so-called Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi commented on reports that Israel aims to flood Hamas’s tunnel network in the Gaza Strip, saying “It’s a good idea.”

Russia says still ready for talks with Ukraine

Moscow is ready to resolve the ongoing conflict with Kiev through diplomatic means at any moment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He added Russia has never rejected such an option, and it was Kiev that withdrew from the talks in spring 2022.

WFP warns Israeli war on Gaza to intensify ‘catastrophic hunger crisis’

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has warned that Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip will intensify the “catastrophic hunger crisis” for more than two million Palestinian civilians in the besieged enclave.

Persian Gulf leaders, Tukey president call for end to Israel’s war on Gaza

Leaders of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have jointly condemned Israel’s aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, calling for an immediate end to the carnage.

Latest news