Tuesday briefing: an Israeli warning to Hezbollah
Israel says attacks on Lebanese border ‘demand’ response
Top Israeli officials have warned that increased Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel, carried out from Lebanon, could trigger a strong response as Israeli forces waged street battles against Hamas in Gaza.
“Increased aggression and increased attacks by the Iran-backed Hezbollah on Israel’s demand for Israel to remove such a threat,” Benny Gantz, a member of the War Cabinet and former Defense Minister, told the US Secretary of State in a phone call. of State, Antony Blinken. call, according to a statement from Gantz’s office. That echoed comments made a day earlier by Israel’s army chief of staff, who said continued violence by the militia risked pushing his forces to make a “very clear change” in the confrontation. Follow our live updates.
In Gaza, the Israeli army said it had taken control of the area around Hamas’s former headquarters in Gaza City, and its forces were engaged in heavy fighting in three areas where the group said it still had “strongholds” .
This includes regions in the south where the UN has warned of a humanitarian disaster, raising fears of possible mass displacement into Egypt.
To the ground: The Israeli army now controls the area in Gaza City around Palestine Square, home to the headquarters of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the enclave, said Admiral Daniel Hagari, the army’s main spokesman. Israeli forces are now, he said, focusing on fighting in three areas: Jabaliya and Shajaiye in northern Gaza, and Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza.
No end in sight: Israel, which is under international pressure to wind down its campaign in Gaza, is resisting setting a deadline for ending the war.
Russia focuses on Kiev as Zelensky heads to the US
The Russian army yesterday targeted the Ukrainian capital with the most intense salvo of ballistic missiles in months. The attack came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Washington on an urgent mission to press for continued US military aid.
Hours earlier, a video circulated showing President Vladimir Putin in Moscow drinking champagne and celebrating declining Western support for Kiev. He declared that Ukraine had “no future.”
Context: Russia has stepped up its attacks on Kiev in recent weeks, including a wave of drone strikes and strikes using its bomber fleet. Britain’s Defense Intelligence Agency said the attacks were “likely the start of a more coordinated campaign by Russia aimed at deteriorating Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.”
What’s next: Zelensky is meeting with President Biden and congressional leaders today. With Biden’s request for additional funding for Ukraine stalled in Congress, U.S. aid is now in doubt.
A close-up of how China controls the seas
Following several maritime clashes with Chinese vessels in recent months, the Philippines invited journalists onto one of its ships, which supplies fuel to Filipino fishermen in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
Mathematicians have discovered an ‘einstein’, a unique shape that can tile an infinitely flat surface in a pattern that does not repeat. Since then, DIY enthusiasts have found ingenious ways to use it. Take a look at these creative performances.
Who is a colonizer?
The colonial era entered its death throes after World War II, when dozens of states in Asia and Africa overthrew European colonial leaders who had exploited local lands and their inhabitants for economic gain.
More than half a century later, a broad struggle over colonialism and its legacy has begun again. Recently, pro-Palestinian protesters have denounced a “settler colonial” Israel, portraying Palestinians as dark-skinned indigenous people and Israelis as white oppressors.
My colleague Roger Cohen examined the term “colonizer” and how – in debates from Israel to Africa to America – it has become a powerful accusation.
That’s it for today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. —Jonathan
PS Amanda Taub, writer of The Interpreter newsletter, wrote about her six-part series on women in India.
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Correction: In yesterday’s newsletter, Shohei Ohtani was incorrectly mentioned as a pitcher and outfielder. He is a design hitter and not an outfielder.