Day: October 25, 2023
Israel is preparing for a full siege of Gaza.
Israel has agreed to delay an expected invasion of Gaza for now so that the United States can rush missile defences to the region to protect its troops there, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.
Israel is also taking into account in its planning the effort to supply humanitarian aid to civilians inside Gaza, as well as diplomatic efforts to free hostages held by Hamas militants, the report said.
Threats to U.S. troops were of paramount concern, it said.
The U.S. military and other officials believe their forces will be targeted by militant groups once the invasion of the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory starts.
The United States is hurrying to deploy nearly a dozen air-defence systems to the region, according to the Journal.
Reuters reported on Monday that Washington advised Israel to hold off on a ground assault in the Gaza Strip and is keeping Qatar – a broker with the Palestinian militants – apprised of those talks as its tries to free more hostages and prepare for a possible wider regional war.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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<p class=”text-body text-muted small”>Finnish Navy divers examine damage and objects around the Balticconnector gas pipeline in the Gulf of Finland. (Finnish Navy)</p>
<p>An undersea telecommunications cable between Sweden and Estonia has been damaged by means of external force or tampering, the Swedish government has confirmed.</p>
<p>The incident has been linked to the suspected sabotage of the Balticconnector undersea gas pipeline and telecommunications cable that connects Finland and Estonia in early October.</p>
<p>In a 23 October announcement the Swedish government said the damage, which was discovered the previous week and occurred within the Estonian economic zone, had not affected the functioning of the cable.</p>
<p>“We are co-operating closely with our Estonian and Finnish partners,” said Swedish Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin. “Estonia has reported that traces of physical impacts have been found. They have also assessed that the damage to the gas pipeline and communications cable between Finland and Estonia is related to the damage to the communications cable between Sweden and Estonia.”</p>
<p>On 19 October the Finnish Police’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said it had completed its crime scene investigation into the gas pipeline damage that occurred in Finland’s exclusive economic zone during a storm on 8 October and that an analysis of the collected samples was under way. NBI’s General Head of Investigation, Detective Superintendent Risto Lohi, said the investigation had confirmed that the damage was caused by an external mechanical force and that “there is no reason to believe the damage has been caused by an explosion”.</p>
<p>Finnish police are now focused on the role of the Chinese container ship <em>Newnew Polar Bear,</em></p>
Israeli soldiers drive in a tank by Israel’s border with Gaza in southern Israel, October 10, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Oct 25 (Reuters) – Israel has agreed to delay an expected invasion of Gaza for now so that the United States can rush missile defences to the region to protect U.S. troops there, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.
U.S. officials have so far persuaded Israel to hold off until U.S. air-defence systems can be placed in the region, as early as later this week, the WSJ said.
Israel is also taking into account in its planning the effort to supply humanitarian aid inside Gaza, as well as diplomatic efforts to free hostages held by Hamas militants, the news report said.
Threats to the U.S. troops were of paramount concern, it said.
Washington was scrambling to deploy nearly a dozen air defence systems, including for its troops serving in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates, the Journal said.
The U.S. military and other officials believe their forces will be targeted by militant groups once Israel launches its ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory, according to the report.
Reuters reported on Monday that Washington advised Israel to hold off on a ground assault in the Gaza Strip and is keeping Qatar – a broker with the Palestinian militants – apprised of those talks as its tries to free more hostages and prepare for a possible wider regional war.
Last week Reuters reported the Pentagon planned to send two Iron Dome missile defence systems to Israel to help it defend itself against inbound missiles, and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and additional Patriot air defense missile system battalions to the Middle East.
Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Alison Williams and Howard Goller
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Haaretz | Opinion
Opinion |
Nehemia Shtrasler
Oct 17, 2023
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Oct 17, 2023
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unfit. He cannot remain in his position for even one more day. We saw this on Saturday night, when, pale and wan despite a ton of makeup, he stood in front of the microphone and delivered a weird, empty speech. His face revealed the shock he was experiencing. It is clear he is incapable of leading the nation in war.
Paid by Attorney Rakefet Shfaim