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Zelensky: Ukraine has plan to continue counteroffensive against Russia

By
IFP Media Wire
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Russia Ukraine War

The president made the remarks on Wednesday as he appeared at the Reuters NEXT conference via a video link.

“We have a plan. We have very concrete cities, very [concrete] directions where we go. I can’t share all the details but we have some slow steps forward on the south, also we have steps on the east,” Zelensky stated.

While largely avoiding naming any exact locations where such activities are expected to happen, Zelensky promised certain “good steps near Kherson Region,” without elaborating further. Ukrainian forces have a plan for next year, but will “try” to show “battlefield results” by the end of 2023, Zelensky insisted.

“I am sure we’ll have success. It’s difficult,” he added.

Zelensky’s remarks contrasted with the assessment given by his top general, Valery Zaluzhny, in an interview with The Economist published last week. The top military commander claimed the conflict between Moscow and Kiev had reached a WWI-style stalemate, with Russia having better chances given its far larger population and vast resources. This may “drag on for years” and “wear down” the country, with a “deep and beautiful breakthrough” unlikely, he warned.

Zelensky has previously acknowledged the slow progress of the long-heralded counteroffensive launched by Kiev in early June. While “some people” expected quick success, the drive ran into “certain difficulties,” Zelensky admitted. However, he somewhat shifted the blame for the lack of progress to Kiev’s Western backers, stating the country received less weaponry from abroad than it had originally hoped for.

The botched counteroffensive has resulted in little to no territorial gains for the Ukrainian military, which sustained heavy personnel and material losses. According to Russian estimates, Kiev lost more than 90,000 soldiers in the push, with hundreds of military hardware pieces – including assorted Western-supplied vehicles – damaged and destroyed.

Yemen says to keep up military operations against Israel until end of Gaza war

By
IFP Media Wire
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Yemeni Forces

Ansarullah spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam made the pledge in a post shared on social media on Wednesday, after Yemen’s Armed Forces shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone which was conducting a “hostile espionage” operation in support of the Israeli regime.

“The downing of the American drone shows that our armed forces will continue their operations in support of Gaza until the Israeli acts of aggression stop,” he said.

Abdul-Salam also added that the Yemeni armed forces had reaffirmed their readiness to counter all hostile maneuvers against Yemen’s national sovereignty by bringing down the American UAV over the country’s territorial waters.

Over the past month, the Yemeni Army has carried out several missile and drone strikes against Israeli targets in response to the occupying regime’s war crimes in Gaza.

The prime minister of Yemen’s National Salvation Government announced recently that Ansarullah fighters are “part of the Axis of Resistance” against Israel.

“It is one axis and there is coordination taking place, a joint operations room, and a joint command for all these operations,” Abdulaziz bin Habtour stated, adding, “We cannot allow this arrogant Zionist enemy to kill our people.”

Israel waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group conducted Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Since the start of the aggression, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 10,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 26,500 others.

It has also imposed a “complete siege” on the coastal sliver, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

Something “clearly wrong” with Israel’s Gaza military operation: UN chief

By
IFP Media Wire
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António Guterres

“Nothing should reduce our total rejection for the horrible things that Hamas did” in its October 7 attacks that killed about 1,400 people, Secretary-General António Guterres said in an interview with Reuters.

“But we need to distinguish: Hamas is one thing, the Palestinian people (are) another.”

“There are violations by Hamas when they have human shields,” he continued, adding, “But when one looks at the number of civilians that were killed with the military operations, there is something that is clearly wrong.”

Israel’s operations must be conducted with full respect to the laws of war, Guterres stressed, while allowing for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

“Every year the highest number of killing of children by any of the actors in all the conflicts that we witness is the maximum in the hundreds,” Guterres said, adding, “We have in a few days in Gaza seen thousands of children killed.”

“To a certain extent, the sympathy that is generated in the world is being put into question by the images that every day we have in which we see people in a dramatic humanitarian situation,” he stated, also calling for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas.

About three-quarters of the 10,515 people killed in Gaza since the conflict began are children, women and the elderly, according to a report Wednesday by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.

Pentagon says US launched new air strike in Syria

By
IFP Media Wire
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US Warplanes

The US has attacked an alleged weapons storage facility in eastern Syria it claims was being used by Tehran and Iran-backed groups.

In a statement on Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the “self-defence strike” was carried out by two of the air force’s F-15 fighters in response to recent attacks on US forces.

“The president has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel and its interests,” the statement added.

Amid rising tensions since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on October 7, Washington has announced its troops and their allies have been attacked at least 40 times in Iraq and Syria by “Iran-backed forces”, with 45 servicemen suffering traumatic brain injuries or minor wounds.

Late last month, the Pentagon said the US struck two IRGC and Iran-linked facilities in Syria following attacks on US personnel.

In Wednesday’s statement, Austin urged an end to the attacks.

“The United States is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities. We urge against any escalation,” he added.

The United States has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 more in Iraq, on a mission to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Daesh which in 2014 seized control of large swathes of both countries before it was eventually defeated.

The US has claimed its strikes are not connected with the Israel-Hamas war, amid concerns about a regional escalation of the crisis.

Washington has accused Iran-backed militias, but admitted there is no evidence to pin blame on Tehran’s leadership for ordering the strikes.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has denied that Iran had instructed groups in Syria and Iraq to target US troops in recent days.

He stated it was Washington — not Tehran — that was fanning the violence in the region.

“The US could face dire consequences in the Middle East if it continues to support Israel,” Amiradbollahian stressed, adding that Washington “is advising others to show self-restraint, but it has sided with Israel totally”.

“If the United States continues what it has been doing so far, then new fronts will be opened up against the United States.”

He also cautioned that the continued bloodshed in Gaza “will make the situation get out of control in the region.”

“The American side should decide – does it really want to escalate, intensify the war?” he asked.

The foreign minister went on to deny that Iran had instructed militant groups in Iraq and Syria to attack the US, insisting that they were acting on their own.

“They’re not receiving any orders from us, any instructions,” he noted.

Iran has repeatedly warned the United States against any act of mischief in the region.

Prisoner swap a priority: Hamas

By
IFP Media Wire
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Israel Hostages Hamas

“We continue to prioritise the prisoners case, and we stress that the only way to free them is through [a] complete or gradual swap of prisoners,” he said in a televised address on Al-Aqsa TV.

The Qassam Brigades spokesman stated the group is holding women captives as well as sick and elderly people and other civilians but stressed that Israel is holding the same types of people in its prisons.

“This issue cannot be resolved except via a trade within each of these categories [of prisoners and captives] or in a comprehensive process that includes everyone,” he added.

Negotiations are continuing between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, mediated by Qatar in coordination with the United States, that could see 10-15 Hamas-held captives released in exchange for a multiday pause in fighting, Hamas and Egyptian sources have told the Reuters and AFP news agencies.

More than 240 people, including Israeli soldiers and civilians, as well as foreigners from numerous countries, were taken captive by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups during a deadly assault on Israel on October 7 that Israeli authorities say killed more than 1,500 people.

Five hostages have been released thus far, most of them following negotiations through diplomatic channels with assistance from countries including Qatar and Egypt, and one after a ground incursion by Israeli soldiers inside Gaza.

The Palestinian group Hamas has announced it is ready to conclude a deal on swapping prisoners with the Israeli side.

Hamas Spokesman Hazem Kasem has recently told Al Jazeera the movement is ready to release all the prisoners held by it in exchange to all those held by Israel.

There are 19 prisons within Israel and one inside the occupied West Bank that hold thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

Iran president arrives in Uzbekistan to attend ECO conference

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Ebrahim Raisi

Ebrahim Raisi was welcomed by the Uzbek prime minister upon arrival.

During his day-long visit, the Iranian president is to deliver a speech at the ECO conference and held bilateral meetings with heads of state of some of the countries attending the event.

Iran’s ex-FM Zarif: Russia benefiting most from Gaza war

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Javad Zarif

“The one that has benefited most from this operation is definitely Russia,” said Zarif in a gathering held to discuss the issue of Paletine from the perspective of international law.
He then touchd upon specualtions that the Gaza battle is a proxy war.

“I believe the picture that some folks have painted of Hamas as a proxy is not correct either from a legal perspective or a political one,” the former top diplomat explained.

He underlined that Iran had no prior knowledge of Hamas’ plan to attack Israel on October 7.

“The reason why Iran had no prior knowledge of Hamas’ attack on Israel is that they (Hamas) do their job on their own. The reason why we and Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah didn’t know about the operation is that Hamas troops are independent,” Zarif explained.

“I believe anyone who has initiated a war since 1917 has not been victorious, except for two US operations in Granada and Panama. I believe war has lost its effectiveness,” he added.

Hamas says Gaza governance ‘pure Palestinian affair’

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

“Governing Gaza or part of our land is a Palestinian affair, and no force will be able to change reality or impose its will,” Hamas spokesman Abdul-Latif al-Qanou said Wednesday.

White House national security spokesman, John Kirby, stated Tuesday that Hamas could not be part of the governance equation in Gaza.

“There needs to be a healthy set of conversations about what post-conflict Gaza looks like and what governance looks like,” he added.

The Hamas spokesman termed Kirby’s call for ejecting Hamas as a “pure imagination.”

“Hamas is a national liberation movement and resides in every Palestinian home,” al-Qanou said, adding, “Hamas is an integral part of our people and has the right to resist the occupation in accordance with all laws and customs.”

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas a month ago.

At least 10,500 Palestinians, including more than 4,000 children and over 2,700 women, have been killed since then. The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,600, according to official figures.

Besides the large number of casualties and massive displacements, basic supplies are running low for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents due to the Israeli siege.

Israel’s unemployment rate climbs sharply amid Gaza war

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Israel Hamas Attack

Figures released by the Israel Employment Service showed that 70,000 people registered themselves as unemployed in October – up by 57,500 people compared to a month earlier, Hebrew-language newspaper Globes reported.

“Of these, 42,400 are workers on unpaid leave, 60.3% of the new registrants,” the daily added.

The Israel Employment Service counts the number of job-seekers who register with it each month.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas a month ago.

At least 10,500 Palestinians, including more than 4,000 children and over 2,700 women, have been killed since then. The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,600, according to official figures.

Besides the large number of casualties and massive displacements, basic supplies are running low for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents due to the Israeli siege.

Russia says west has lost billions trying ‘to teach Moscow a lesson’

By
IFP Media Wire
-
European Parliament

According to the top diplomat, these are “very conservative estimates” of the damage that the West has inflicted on its own businesses over the past year-and-a-half by introducing unilateral sanctions.

Russia-EU trade turnover totaled $200 billion in 2022 and is expected to drop to less than $100 billion by the end of 2023, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The latest ministry estimates show that mutual trade between Russia and EU member states, which totaled $417 billion in 2013, could have reached $700 billion this year were it not for the sanctions.

Speaking at a Ukraine-related meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions in Moscow on Wednesday, Lavrov said that, while the EU shows no sign of reversing its policies, Russia is creating independent trade mechanisms.

“We understand perfectly well that the sanctions imposed against us will not go away in the foreseeable future, and even in the longer term. We don’t need this, not because we choose isolationism or self-sufficiency. The West decided to destroy the world economy for the sake of teaching Russia a lesson,” he added.

Lavrov stressed that Russia will rely “exclusively” on itself in strategic areas. According to Lavrov, the country is now building up new transport corridors and supply chains that will be “beyond the control of malicious influence” from the West.

Many economists worldwide have repeatedly emphasized that Western sanctions have failed to achieve the declared goal of destabilizing Russia and its economy. While the Russian economy initially suffered a downturn as a result of restrictions last year, it has now largely recovered after redirecting trade to the East, according to the Finance Ministry.

Thus far, the EU has introduced 11 sanctions packages against Russia over its military operation in Ukraine. The number of restrictions has reached tens of thousands, although officials in the EU and US have repeatedly admitted that the negative impact of the penalties on Russia has not been as significant as expected.

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