OT subject but worth a main-stream read- OT News Feeds...

JohnInCarolina

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Monday Middle East update:

"Qatar on Saturday said it is pausing its Gaza ceasefire mediation efforts over a failure by Israel and Hamas to make progress. Jared Malsin, Summer Said, and Alexander Ward report for the Wall Street Journal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the September pager attacks, a spokesperson said today, the first confirmation of Israel’s role in the operation. Eugenia Yousef reports for CNN.

The U.N. Human Rights office said on Friday that nearly 70 percent of the people killed in attacks in Gaza whose details could be verified were women and children, “indicating a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.” Tim Lister, Ibrahim Dahman, and Tamar Michaelis report for CNN.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said yesterday that his country has defeated Hezbollah and must “continue to put pressure in order to bring about the fruits of that victory.” Steven Scheer reports for Reuters.

The United States and the United Kingdom launched raids on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, Houthi-run media reported on Sunday. Separately, the United States on Saturday carried out a series of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. Ahmed Tolba and Mohammed Ghobari report for Reuters; Oren Liebermann reports for CNN. "

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Monday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russia has assembled a force of 50,000 soldiers in preparation for a Russian-North Korean offensive intended to reclaim territory seized by Ukraine in the Kursk region, U.S. and Ukrainian officials say. Julian E. Barnes, Eric Schmitt, and Michael Schwirtz report for the New York Times.

Russia and Ukraine carried out their largest drone attacks against each other since the start of the war over the weekend, with drones targeting Moscow forcing flights to be diverted from the capital’s airports. Alex Boyd reports for BBC News.

In the last 48 hours, Russia fired 145 drones at Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, more than any previous single nighttime attack during the conflict.

Russia also said it had downed 34 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow, the largest attempted attack on the capital since the start of the war in 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a mutual defense partnership treaty with North Korea, according to a decree published Saturday. Reuters reports. 

Trump spoke with Putin on Thursday and advised him to not escalate the war in Ukraine, several sources say. Ellen Nakashima, John Hudson, and Josh Dawsey report for the Washington Post.

The incoming Trump administration will focus on achieving peace in Ukraine rather than enabling the country to gain back territory, a former Trump adviser told BBC News. Sofia Ferreira Santos reports. "

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China Opposes New Philippine Maritime Law, Vows to Protect South China Sea ‘Sovereignty’

Another potential US-China flashpoint:
https://gcaptain.com/china-opposes-new-philippine-maritime-law-vows-to-protect-south-china-sea-sovereignty/?subscriber=true&goal=0_

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Tuesday Middle East update:

"Trump’s win means “the time has come” to annex parts of the West Bank, Israel’s finance minister said yesterday, the strongest indication to date of Trump’s election emboldening Israeli hardliners. Louisa Loveluck, Claire Parker, and Cate Brown report for the Washington Post.

The Biden administration deadline for Israel to improve Palestinians’ access to aid or face restrictions on U.S. military assistance  is due to expire later today. International aid organizations today said Israel failed to meet U.S. demands, with conditions in Gaza at their worst since the war began. Julia Frankel and Samy Magdy report for AP News; Jennifer Hansler reports for CNN.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman yesterday accused Israel of committing “genocide” against Palestinians during a Riyadh summit. The Washington Post reports.

Israel denied or impeded the majority of Gaza aid missions in October amid a “severe deterioration” in the operating environment for humanitarian groups in the territory, a U.N. aid agency (OCHA) said yesterday. Amanda Coletta reports for the Washington Post.

The state of health care in Gaza is now “apocalyptic,” World Health Organization officials said yesterday. Rebecca Tan and Annabelle Timsit report for the Washington Post.

Israel’s newly-appointed Defense Minister Israel Katz said “there will be no ceasefire and there will be no respite” in Lebanon, contradicting the Israeli foreign minister’s suggestion yesterday that “certain progress” was being made on ceasefire talks. Tala Ramadan reports for Reuters; William Christou reports for the Guardian.

Iran is building a “defensive tunnel” in Tehran following Israeli strikes on targets in the country, an Iranian news agency reported today. Reuters reports."

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Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that Ukrainian troops “continue to hold back” the “nearly 50,000-strong enemy group” in Kursk. Ivana Kottasová and Svitlana Vlasova report for CNN.

North Korea has ratified a mutual defence treaty with Russia – signed by the two countries’ leaders in June – which calls for each side to come to the other’s aid in case of an armed attack, North Korea’s state media, KCNA, said on Tuesday.

The Kremlin dismissed reports that United States President-elect Donald Trump had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin as “pure fiction.” The denial comes after anonymous sources claimed Trump had told Putin on a call that Moscow should not escalate its war in Ukraine.

The European Union has supplied Ukraine with more than 980,000 shells for the war and plans to pass the 1 million mark by the end of this year, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said."

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Wednesday Middle east update:

"The United States will keep supplying military aid to Israel after assessing that the country is not in violation of U.S. law, a State Department spokesperson said yesterday, after the Biden administration’s deadline for improving the Gaza aid supply expired. Edward Wong and Farnaz Fassihi report for the New York Times.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken today said Israel failed to live up to all of the U.S. demands to ease civilian suffering in Gaza, adding that the United States wants “real and extended” humanitarian pauses in fighting. Michael Birnbaum reports for the Washington Post; the Guardian reports.

Israel largely failed to comply with the Biden administration’s three core demands on Gaza aid, a Washington Post analysis based on interviews with humanitarian workers found. Miriam Berger reports.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield yesterday stressed that “there must be no forcible displacement, nor policy of starvation in Gaza” by Israel in remarks to the Security Council. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.

Conditions in Gaza are “unfit for human survival,” the acting U.N. relief chief told the U.N. Security Council yesterday. 

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday unsuccessfully targeted two U.S. Navy warships with multiple drones and missiles, the Defense Department said yesterday. Jon Gambrell and Tara Copp report for AP News.

More on the attack:

Two U.S. Navy destroyers successfully fended off a significant multi-pronged attack while navigating the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait on Monday.

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed the incident on Tuesday, stating that the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Stockdale and USS Spruance repelled a barrage of drones and missiles, including “at least eight one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems (UAVs), five anti-ship ballistic missiles, and three anti-ship cruise missiles.”

The coordinated assault, which occurred on November 11, was thwarted without any damage to the vessels or injuries to personnel."

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Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukraine has received a $1.35 billion humanitarian and social program grant from the United States, the country’s prime minister said today. Olena Harmash reports for Reuters.

Blinken yesterday left for Brussels to meet with NATO and European officials to discuss Ukraine’s war against Russia, the State Department said. Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times. 

Ukraine shot down 46 of 110 Russian drones launched overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said. An additional 60 Russian drones were lost in Ukrainian airspace and two travelled towards Belarus. Russian forces also launched three missiles during the overnight attack, in addition to guided aerial bombs, the Air Force said.

Russian air defence systems destroyed 13 Ukrainian drones overnight in regions bordering Ukraine, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said.

North Korean troops have begun engaging in combat alongside Russian forces, the United States State Department said. Spokesperson Vedant Patel said that more than “10,000 DPRK [North Korean] soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia”, the vast majority to the Kursk region, where they have “begun engaging in combat operations with Russian forces”."

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From Fareed Zakaria-

The Task for Europe

“Europeans should pay Donald Trump the compliment of believing what he does and says, not what they desperately want to hear,” Phillips Payson O’Brien writes for The Atlantic. “He has clearly indicated that he wants the United States out of the Ukraine war as soon as possible.”   That means European capitals must step up support for Kyiv. And there’s plenty they can do, O’Brien writes, for instance “by openly deploying their forces at least to western Ukraine. They could take over air-defense responsibilities—shooting down Russian missiles and drones without directly killing Russian soldiers. European forces could also openly assist in training Ukrainian forces in Ukraine and assist with air defense and training. Moves like these will reassure the Ukrainian people that they are not alone if the U.S. withdraws—and that their future is in Europe.”   Europe has been plagued by lackluster defense cooperation for decades, and Trump’s reentry into the White House will make improvement an urgent task. The EU can expect trade friction with Trump’s administration. Broadly speaking, “Europeans need to get their own house in order,” Sophia Besch and Liana Fix write for Carnegie’s Emissary blog. “They must unite rather than scramble to individually win Trump’s favor and, in the process, lose any collective leverage they may have. … Europeans have a tendency to feel morally superior to the United States, especially with Trump at the helm. However, this time, Europeans will have to get their hands dirty. They now must consider their strengths, have their opening offers ready, and avoid rushing to give up all leverage immediately. It’s going to be a long four years.”