.
Europe
France
Sep 23, 2024, 10:00 AM Europe will have to review its relations with Russia sometime in the future, French President Macron said. Addressing an international conference on peace in Paris, he has called for "thinking about peace in Europe of tomorrow," bearing in mind that Europe "is not confined to the European Union and NATO." "We are trying to develop the European political community, but we need to think about a new organization of Europe and then review our ties with Russia, and think about peace in this [European] continent," Macron said. His speech was aired on the Elysee Palace’s X page. Macron called on European and world nations to focus on how 'to build a new world order.' The French president called for a bigger presence of "densely populated countries, which did not exist when the current world order was only forming" in international organizations. He said that he plans to raise this topic in his speech at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The European Political Community, an international forum, was set up in 2022 at Macron’s initiative to hold discussions on Europe’s future. (Source: mehrnews *)
* Mehr News Agency, a semi-official news agency of the government of Iran. It is headquartered in Tehran
Asia
Israel
(Monday ), September 23, 2024, 10:37 PM The Israeli military expanded its Lebanon campaign with hundreds of airstrikes today. Dozens of Israeli warplanes struck more than 1,300 targets in southern Lebanon today morning. At least 492 people were killed and more than 1,600 wounded, the Lebanon Ministry of Public Health said. Of those killed, 35 were children and 58 were women. Hezbollah returned fire across the border. There were about 250 launches from Lebanon into Israel today, according to Israeli Emergency Officials. Some munitions were intercepted and some fell in open areas, the force wrote. Israel also launched a targeted strike on a residential building in Bir al-Abd, a southern suburb of Beirut. Hezbollah officials said senior commander Karaki - who Israeli sources confirmed was the target of the Beirut strike - survived the attack. Israeli communities in the north of the country are braced for further escalation. The IDF issued new security guidance on yesterday, closing schools and beaches in the region, while the Rambam Hospital in Haifa transferred patients to an underground facility. Israeli Foreign Minister Katz said that Israel will act with full force to change the current situation in southern Lebanon. Following the intense strikes in the south of the country today morning, Hagari said the IDF would soon start hitting targets in the eastern Bekaa Valley - another Hezbollah stronghold. Israeli leaders are also demanding that Hezbollah withdraw beyond the Litani River - some 18 miles north of the Israeli border - as stipulated in a 2006 United Nations Security Council resolution that sought to end the last major cross-border war. I want to clarify Israel's policy - we do not wait for a threat, we anticipate it, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a statement. (Source: abcnews *)
* ABC News, the news division of the American television network ABC. Headquarters New York City
21:36 BST, (Monday), 23 September 2024 'War on five fronts.' Prior to the October 7 attacks, Hamas is believed to have had some 20,000-30,000 fighters making up the ranks of its militarised wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam brigades. The militia was stocked with all manner of small arms and heavy weapons obtained from across the Middle East - particularly Iran, Syria and Libya - and is thought to have had some 30,000 short and medium-range rockets at its disposal. Now, after almost one year of intense fighting and widespread destruction in Gaza at the hands of the IDF, Hamas' military capabilities will have been considerably weakened. In the short term, Hamas is unlikely to be able to mount any kind of damaging offensive against Israeli positions - somewhere between 9,000-12,000 Hamas fighters remain active in Gaza, with their tactics having shifted to selective attacks and guerrilla-style warfare. Israel's deployment of troops in the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt has also served to crack down on smuggling efforts to resupply Hamas fighters via their intricate tunnel network. Hamas’ capacity to continue waging guerrilla-style attacks, including bombings, suicide attacks on Israeli troops in Gaza remains. Its extensive tunnel network suggests Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups could feasibly attempt another operation on Israel soil, and its remaining stockpile of missiles and rockets could deal damage to Israeli targets if launched as part of a coordinated aerial strike with Hezbollah and Iranian assets. Jewish state faces all-out conflict against its Middle Eastern enemies after killing 274 people in Lebanon today alone in latest Hezbollah strikes. The 'new phase' of war against Hezbollah had begun last week. Israel's hawkish defence minister Gallant and IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Hagari say they 'will do whatever is needed' to cripple Hezbollah's military capabilities and allow displaced residents from Israel's northern territories to return home safely. Lebanon accuses it of carrying out an 'extermination.' Hezbollah's leader Nasrallah has vowed to continue fighting until a ceasefire in Gaza is agreed upon, with deputy leader Qassem declaring the group is now entering 'an open-ended battle of reckoning' with Israel. Israel's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) is estimating that the Hezbollah group's arsenal counts 150,000 to 200,000 rockets, including 'hundreds' of precision missiles and thousands of drones. Hezbollah also boasts a range of anti-tank and anti-air systems, dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles, and claims to have up to 100,000 active fighters - though INSS estimates the number is more likely 25,000 to 50,000. It has an extensive tunnel network along the Lebanese-Israeli border which serves as a strategic asset for clandestine movement, storage, and guerrilla warfare. Israel's military capability is still superior. It has long been supported by the US with $3.3 billion in congressionally mandated annual funding, plus another $500 million toward missile defence technology that protects its skies from rockets and drones. The Jewish state also spends more than 5 per cent of its GDP on the IDF. Jerusalem would assuredly emerge victorious thanks to its technological capabilities and raw numeric advantage in terms of firepower and manpower. Hezbollah would be able to inflict massive damage. Its missile and drone arsenal is large enough to quickly overwhelm Israel's air defences if deployed in earnest, and the thousands upon thousands of Hezbollah fighters that could stream into northern Israel would be continuously supported by air and ground supply routes from Iran via Iraq and Syria. Such a war would also spell disaster for civilians in both Israel and Lebanon - particularly citizens of the latter, many of whom have long been mired in poverty. Lebanon has struggled with years of political and economic crises that left it indebted, without a stable electricity supply, a proper banking system and with rampant poverty. UN agencies estimate an 'uncontrolled conflict' between Israel and Hezbollah would displace up to one million people - almost a fifth of Lebanon's population - and the country is already reliant on meagre stockpiles of food and fuel. Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN's special coordinator for Lebanon, warned today: 'With the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer.' Hezbollah is often referred to as the 'jewel in the crown' of Iran's Axis of Resistance that encompasses Hamas; the Lebanese group; the Houthi movement in Yemen; various Shi'ite armed groups in Iraq; and Syria. The heavily armed Houthi rebel group - a Shi'ite militia - stormed to prominence in Yemen in 2014 and has cemented 10 years of strict rule over roughly two-thirds of the country's population. Its leaders vowed to come to Hamas' defence following Israel's retaliation to the October 7 attacks and began targeting a slew of Israel and Western-affiliated cargo ships and oil tankers in the Red Sea with drones, missiles and in some cases armed boarding parties. They have also fired a small number of missiles and drones at Israel directly, with one drone in July killing a man and wounding four others in Tel Aviv. Israel should expect more strikes in the future 'as we approach the first anniversary of the October 7 operation,' Houthi military spokesman Sarea said earlier this month. A number of other Iran-backed militia groups across Iraq and Syria have limited capabilities to launch strikes against Israeli targets, with Hezbollah maintaining a strong footprint in Syria from which it could launch attacks on Israel's northeast. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) - an umbrella group of various Iran-backed Shi'ite militia forces - announced yesterday it had launched drones at IDF targets in the Israeli-occupied Jordan Valley, and vowed to escalate its attacks as the anniversary of October 7 approaches. Former Israeli intelligence official and leading regional analyst Melamed told that Israel's attacks on Hezbollah in the past week have pushed the conflict into a new phase and removed any room for manoeuvre. 'We are at a pivotal moment in both the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, but also the war between Israel and Iran, where the regime must make a choice: risk it all or step back from the brink. 'Within the realm of diplomatic solutions, a positive result for Israel could be Iran pressuring Hamas leaders to accept the ceasefire deal on the table, return the hostages, and end the war in Gaza. 'Another option could be for Hezbollah to bifurcate itself from the conflict in Gaza and enter into a separate diplomatic arrangement with Israel only covering the skirmish in the north. 'But it would be tough for Hezbollah to do so after 11 months of crossfire with Israel and Nasrallah's statements that Hezbollah would only cease after an agreement is in place with Hamas.' In a full-scale conflict, Jerusalem may be forced to contend with attacks from its chief adversary - Iran. A full-scale war with Iran and its proxies could ultimately result in the destruction of the state of Israel. 'Iran and its proxies have 250,000 missiles, rockets, and drones encircling Israel, which means about 4,000 munitions hitting the Israeli home front on a daily basis. 'Population centres, Haifa Bay, water and electricity facilities, gas fields [in the Mediterranean Sea], IDF bases, and strategic civilian infrastructure... A regional war can ruin the State of Israel,' Brik, a former Major General in the IDF, told the Jerusalem Post. The Islamic Republic has already launched one serious strike on Israel since October 7, sending a salvo of some 200 missiles and drones soaring towards Israeli targets in April following an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria. Analysts at the time largely agreed the Iranian attack was merely symbolic - designed to display Tehran's willingness for military engagement. With Hezbollah now being subjected to a brutal assault by the IDF, Tehran may be more inclined to come to its defence after former Hamas chief Haniyeh was assassinated on July 31, as he lay in his bed hours after attending the inauguration of Iranian president Pezeshkian in Tehran. Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei vowed to take revenge. The Islamic Republic is enjoying an advantage in terms of manpower and the variety of their artillery systems. Any meaningful direct conflict between the two is likely to take the form of aerial assaults by air forces, missiles and drones, given their considerable geographic separation. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) certainly has the upper hand over its adversary, flying US-manufactured combat aircraft including the F-35 stealth fighter-bomber, and F-15 and F-16 fighter jets specifically designed according to IAF requirements. It is also believed to have more combat aircraft at its disposal, outstripping the Islamic Republic of Iran's Air Force (IRIAF) which is made up of older generation F-14 Tomcat fighters, Iranian-manufactured jets based on the aged US F-4 and F-5 series planes, and an assortment of Russian and Chinese manufactured combat aircraft. The real Iranian threat is its array of missiles and highly capable drones which could be used to deal punishing strikes on Israel. The Islamic Republic has thousands upon thousands of long-range and precision-guided missiles alongside hundreds of thousands of mid-range cruise missiles. The worst-case scenario feared by Israeli defence experts is a coordinated attack in which Iran, Hezbollah and other allies launch wave after wave of missile and drone strikes that overwhelm Israel's air defences and devastate towns and cities. Bowen, Professor of International Security at King's College London's Department of War Studies, told that Iran would most probably face an uncontrollable response from Israel backed by the might of the US military, should it decide to launch a major aerial assault. 'It has been widely reported of course that Tehran wants to avoid such a direct conflict with Israel and the US. This is likely because the Iranian leadership knows that it might be very difficult for it to control the national and regional repercussions of such a development,' he concluded. Retired US Army Colonel Sweet and security expert Toth added that ’Israel could seek to deploy its nuclear weapons’ should it be faced with a full-scale direct strike from Iran. 'Any such hit could see Israel deploying one or all of its long-range assets. F-35 stealth fighter-bombers, precision deep-strike ICBMs and/or the Israeli's nuclear equipped submarines. 'The US is highly likely to respond with a direct hit on Iran potentially using the full array of military assets – cruise missiles, B-52 bombers, subs, and carrier and/or land-based fighter-bombers. In this scenario, this attack would likely be closely coordinated with Israel, if not performed jointly.' US Defense Secretary Austin last month ordered two aircraft carrier strike groups - the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Theodore Roosevelt - to deploy to the Middle East. An Air Force F-22 Raptor squadron also arrived in the region along with cruise missile submarine USS Georgia. (Source: dailymail *)
* The Daily Mail British daily newspaper's MailOnline news website. Headquarters London.
North America
United States
12:44 AM CEST, (Monday), September 24, 2024 In light of increased tension in the Middle East, the U.S. is sending 'a small number of additional troops' to the Middle East in response to a sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war. The U.S. now has about 40,000 troops in the region. Today, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, two Navy destroyers and a cruiser set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, headed to the Sixth Fleet area in Europe on a regularly scheduled deployment. The ships’ departure opens up the possibility that the U.S. could keep both the Truman and the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is in the Arabian Gulf, in the region in case more violence breaks out. A decision is expected soon, possibly this week, on whether the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier will stay in the Middle East or continue to the Asia-Pacific. The new deployments come after significant strikes by Israeli forces against targets inside Lebanon that have killed hundreds. Israel is preparing to conduct further operations. Having two carrier strike groups in the Middle East at the same time has been relatively rare in recent years. But as violence has spiked between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah, both Iranian-backed militant groups, the Biden administration has ordered the Navy to have the carriers and their warships overlap for several weeks on a couple occasions. It will take the Truman aircraft carrier about two weeks to cross the Atlantic Ocean and get into the Mediterranean Sea. Navy warships are scattered across the region, from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf of Oman, and both Air Force and Navy fighter jets are strategically based at several locations to be better prepared to respond to any attacks. The State Department is warning Americans to leave Lebanon as the risk of a regional war increases. The American presence in the Middle East is designed both to help defend Israel and protect U.S. and allied personnel and assets. There is already a Marine amphibious ready group in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard, which is expected to be able to assist in an evacuation if needed. (Source: apnews *)
* Associated Press, an American news agency headquartered in New York City
(Monday, 23 September 2024 11:24 AM) The Zelensky’s visit to the US - where he is also due to attend the UN General Assembly - coincides with efforts from the White House to prepare a new $375m military aid package for Ukraine. In a statement ahead of the visit, he previewed three elements to his ’victory’ plan. Zelensky listed further weapons donations for the military, diplomatic efforts to force Russia into peace, and to hold Moscow accountable for the full-scale invasion in 2022. When asked by reporters on Sunday whether he had made a decision on allowing Ukraine to use US-made long-range weapons, President Biden answered "no". Trump has previously flagged his own plan to end the war "within 24 hours" if he is elected in November, but has provided no details other than to label US support for Ukraine as a waste of money. According to Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who met Trump in March, the former president said he would "not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war. That is why the war will end". The US has been the largest foreign donor to Ukraine, and to date has provided $56bn for Ukraine's defence. (Source: bbc *)
* The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), headquartered in London, England
.
