JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
HOUSE,SENATE WANT BIDEN IMPEACHED OR 25TH AMENDMENT FOR INSANITY.AS UKRAINE SHOOTS 6 LONG RANGE MISSLES INTO RUSSIA
LONG
EXPLANATION OF AMERICAS DESTRUCTION (NEW YORK POLITICAL BABYLON OF
REVELATION CHAPTER 18)(REVELATION CHAPTER 17 IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE
RELIOUS BABYLON THE VATICAN IN ROME)
JEREMIAH 51:29-32
29 And
the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall
be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of
Babylon (NEW YORK) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30 The mighty
men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in
their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have
burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
31 One post shall
run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king
of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32 And
that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and
the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are
affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)
LEVITICUS 26:30-34 (NY IS BUILT ON A GARBAGE DUMP)
30
And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast
your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my (GODS) soul shall
abhor you.
31 And I will make your cities waste,(GARBAGE-DESTROYED)
and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the
savour of your sweet odours.
32 And I will bring the land into desolation:(RUIN) and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
33
And I will scatter you among the heathen,(ENEMY NATIONS) and will draw
out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities
waste.
34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it
lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the
land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
2 KINGS 19:25
25 Hast thou
not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have
formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay
waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.
ISAIAH 34:10
10 It
(NEW YORK-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the
smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it
shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
EZEKIEL 39:21
21
And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall
see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon
them.
ISAIAH 18:1-2
1 Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:
2
That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon
the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and
peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation
meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!(AMERICA)
JEREMIAH 50:11,37,12
11
Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine
heritage,(ISRAEL) because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and
bellow as bulls;(BACKSLIDERS)
37 A sword is upon their horses, and
upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the
midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her
treasures; and they shall be robbed.(A NATION OF MINGLED PEOPLE)
12
Your mother (england) shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall
be ashamed:(MOTHER ENGLAND) behold, the hindermost of the nations shall
be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
JEREMIAH 51:13,7,53
13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
7
Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the
earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the
nations are mad.
53 Though Babylon (NEW YORK) should mount up to
heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet
from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.
REVELATION 18:3,5,7
3
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,
and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the
merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her
delicacies.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
7
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much
torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen,
and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3
For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her,
which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they
shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a
snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(NEW YORK) and thou
wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast
striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK ATTACK ON NEW YORK)
REVELATION 18:9-11,15-21
9
And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived
deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they
shall see the smoke of her burning,(NUKE ATTACK I BELIEVE FROM RUSSIA)
10
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that
great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment
come.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
15
The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand
afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And
saying, Alas, alas that great city, (NEW YORK) that was clothed in fine
linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious
stones, and pearls!
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to
nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors,
and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! (NEW YORK)
19
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing,
saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had
ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she
made desolate.(1 HOUR NEW YORK IS GONE)
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21
And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it
into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon
(NEW YORK) be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
THE
CRAZY WORLD IS STILL TRYING TO POKE GOD IN THE EYE WITH THIS USELESS
WASTE OF TIME ISRAEL HATE CEASEFIRE.he continued.“When the locals
realized that the elephant population was dwindling, they gradually
shifted their focus to fallow deer. Identifying the deer’s plentiful
source, they began to develop the unique scrapers in the same place.
This is the earliest instance of a phenomenon that later spread
throughout the world,” Litov said.The Mount Gerizim location, near
Nablus, is especially important because numerous fallow deer bones were
found there at an ancient altar site. As Gerizim is associated with the
Israelite’s entry into the Land of Israel and is considered a sacred
site by the local Samaritan community, “apparently, the Mountains of
Samaria gained a prominent, or even sacred status as early as the
Paleolithic period, and retained their unique cultural position for
hundreds of thousands of years,” the researchers said.
Presidential Disability and Succession
25th Amendment
Section 1
In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.
Section 2
Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.
Section 3
Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.
Section 4
Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the
principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as
Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of
the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written
declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and
duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the
powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of
the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written
declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and
duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either
the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body
as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the
President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable
to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress
shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that
purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after
receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in
session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble,
determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is
unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice
President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President;
otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his
office.
SENATE AND
HOUSE MEMBERS IN AMERICA ARE CALLING FOR THE 25TH AMENDMENT TO FORCE
BRAIN-DEAD BIDEN OUT OF OFFICE.BECAUSE OF HIS DEMENTIA.AND OTHERS ARE
CALLING TO IMPEACH BIDEN AND GET HIM OUT OF OFFICE FOR BRINGING WW3 ON
AMERICA.BY HIM SAYING THE UKRAINE CAN SHOOT LONG RANGE MISSLES INTO
RUSSIA.
Putin broadens rules on Russia's use of nuclear arms.by AFP Staff Writers.
Moscow
(AFP) Nov 19, 2024-Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a
decree broadening the scope of when Moscow can use nuclear weapons in a
clear message to the West and Ukraine.The move comes on the 1,000th day
of Russia's offensive on Ukraine and after the United States gave Kyiv
permission to use long-range missiles to strike military targets inside
Russia.The new doctrine outlines that Russia will consider using nuclear
weapons against a non-nuclear state if they are supported by nuclear
powers."Aggression by a non-nuclear state with the participation of a
nuclear state is considered as a joint attack," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
Peskov told reporters on Tuesday -- a clear reference to Ukraine and
its Western backers."It was necessary to bring our principles in line
with the current situation," Peskov added, calling the update a "very
important" document that should be "studied" abroad.Russia "has always
viewed nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence," he said, adding that
they would only be deployed if Russia felt "forced" to respond.Putin has
issued a string of nuclear threats throughout the almost three-year
campaign against Ukraine, triggering concern in the West over rhetoric
it has slammed as reckless.The new doctrine also allows Moscow to
unleash a nuclear response in the event of a "massive" air attack, even
if it only uses conventional weapons.When the Kremlin first unveiled the
proposed changes in September, Peskov called it a "warning" against
anybody who was thinking about participating "in an attack on our
country by various means, not necessarily nuclear".Moscow's nuclear
umbrella will also be extended to its close ally Belarus under the new
doctrine.Speaking on the 1,000th day of the conflict, Peskov said the
"collective West" had unleashed a "war" against Russia, pledging that
Moscow would see what it calls its "special military operation" through
to the end.
Russia says Ukraine fired US long-range missiles; Borrell urges EU states to follow US on missile use-by AFP Staff Writers.
Moscow
(AFP) Nov 19, 2024-Russia's military said Tuesday that Ukraine fired
US-supplied long-range missiles at a military facility in the Bryansk
border region, in what would be the first attack since Washington
authorised the use of its weapons."At 03:25 am (0025 GMT), the enemy
struck a site in the Bryansk region with six ballistic missiles.
According to confirmed data, US-made ATACMS tactical missiles were
used," the defence ministry as saying in a statement.Ukraine had for
months been demanding that Washington let it use the longer-range ATACMS
missiles to hit sites on Russian territory.Moscow has said the use of
Western weapons to attack Russia's internationally recognised territory
would make the United States a direct participant in the conflict and
pledged an "appropriate and palpable response".In its statement,
Russia's defence ministry said five missiles were shot down by its air
defences, while fragments from a sixth fell onto an unspecified
"military facility", causing a small fire."There were no casualties or
damage," it said.Ukraine's foreign minister hailed on Monday the
permission to use the missiles for strikes inside Russia as a potential
"game changer" in the nearly three-year old conflict.Borrell urges EU
states to follow US on Ukraine missile use-Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Nov
19, 2024 - The EU's outgoing top diplomat Josep Borrell pressed member
states Tuesday to align with the United States in allowing Ukraine to
strike inside Russia using donated long-range missiles.Speaking to
reporters before chairing his final EU defence ministers' meeting --
1,000 days after Russia's invasion -- Borrell called the US policy shift
"very good news" for Ukraine."Today we will discuss about it, and I
hope that all member states will follow the US decision," he said."I'm
sure that they will follow the example of the US in order to allow the
Ukrainians to use their arms to fight against the Russians inside
Russian territory -- because it is from Russian territory where they are
being attacked," Borrell added."It is fully in accordance with
international law," he said.While President Joe Biden has not spoken
publicly on the matter, a US official has confirmed Washington would now
allow Kyiv to use American-supplied long-range missiles for strikes
inside Russian territory.The shift puts the focus on other allies
supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles -- notably the British and
French Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on
Monday ruled out, once again, his country's sophisticated Taurus
missiles being sent to Ukraine for use.But French President Emmanuel
Macron -- who previously voiced openness to letting Ukraine strike
military targets inside Russia -- hailed the US decision as "a good
one."As he prepared to hand over the bloc's diplomatic helm to his
designated successor Kaja Kallas next month, Borrell renewed his call
for European unity and ramped-up defence spending.He warned Russia's war
-- which the West says is being militarily supported by Iran and North
Korea, and "enabled" by China -- had changed the international security
equation for good."No one can escape to the consequences of this war,"
Borrell said. "It has changed the world. It started the new era. So
let's face the current circumstances and make all the member states
united in support."
Putin ratchets up nuclear threat after
Ukraine fires US-supplied missiles at Russia-Russian leader signs order
allowing use of nuclear weapons in case of conventional attack by
country backed by a nuclear power, as defiant Kyiv marks 1,000 days
since invasion-By AFP and AP Today, 5:20 pm-NOV 19,24
KYIV,
Ukraine — Moscow said Tuesday that Ukraine had fired US-supplied
long-range missiles into its territory for the first time since
Washington authorized such strikes, as Russian President Vladimir Putin
signed a decree broadening the justification for using nuclear
weapons.With neither side showing any sign of relenting, Putin
officially authorized the use of nuclear weapons in the case of a
conventional attack by any nation that is supported by a nuclear
power.Putin signed the decree shortly before Moscow confirmed that
Ukraine had fired six US-made ATACMS missiles early Tuesday at a
military facility in Russia’s Bryansk region that borders Ukraine. It
said air defenses shot down five of them and damaged one more.Washington
this week said it had cleared Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS, or Army
Tactical Missile System, weapons against military targets inside Russia
— a long-standing Ukrainian request, but one that could change the
contours of the war, now in its 1,000th day.Elsewhere, a Russian strike
in the eastern Ukrainian region of Sumy gutted a Soviet-era residential
building and killed at least 12 people, including a child.President
Volodymyr Zelensky published images of rescue workers hauling bodies
from the debris and called on Kyiv’s allies to “force” the Kremlin into
peace.The foreign ministry released an anniversary statement calling on
allies to ramp up military support to bring about a “sustainable” end to
the war.“Ukraine will never submit to the occupiers, and the Russian
military will be punished for violating international law,” the ministry
said.“We need peace through strength, not appeasement,” it added,
referring to growing calls for Ukraine to sit down at the negotiating
table with Russia to end the war.The Kremlin also vowed to defeat
Ukraine.“The military operation against Kyiv continues… and will be
completed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, using
Russia’s preferred language for its invasion.Nuclear
saber-rattling-Russia’s military said Ukraine used ATACMS missiles
against a facility in the Bryansk region close to the border
overnight.“At 03:25 am (0025 GMT), the enemy struck a site in the
Bryansk region with six ballistic missiles. According to confirmed data,
US-made ATACMS tactical missiles were used,” said a defense ministry
statement.Moscow said Monday the use of Western weapons against its
internationally recognized territory would make the US a direct
participant in the conflict and pledged an “appropriate and palpable
response.”The new nuclear doctrine allows Moscow to unleash a nuclear
response in the event of a “massive” air attack, even if it is only with
conventional weapons.While the doctrine envisions a possible nuclear
response by Russia to such a conventional strike, it is formulated
broadly to avoid a firm commitment to use nuclear weapons and keep
Putin’s options open.Asked Tuesday if a Ukrainian attack with
longer-range U.S. missiles could potentially trigger a nuclear response,
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov answered affirmatively, pointing to the
doctrine’s provision that holds the door open for it after a
conventional strike that raises critical threats for the “sovereignty
and territorial integrity: of Russia and its ally, Belarus.Commenting on
whether the updated doctrine was deliberately issued to follow Biden’s
decision, Peskov said the document was published “in a timely manner”
and that Putin instructed the government to update it earlier this year
so that it is “in line with the current situation.”Putin first announced
changes in the nuclear doctrine in September, when he chaired a meeting
discussing the proposed revisions. He has previously warned the US and
other NATO allies that allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied
longer-range weapons to hit Russian territory would mean that Russia and
NATO are at war.Washington permitted Ukraine to use the longer-range
weapons on targets inside Russia after declaring that thousands of North
Korean troops were deployed in the Russian region of Kursk to fight an
incursion by Kyiv’s forces.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced
the revised nuclear doctrine as the “latest example of
irresponsibility” from “the depraved Russian government,” according to
spokesperson Camilla Marshall.“Russia’s the one that continues to
escalate this war, and the use of North Korean troops is just one
example of that,” Marshall said. “He could remove his troops, roll back
his tanks and end the onslaught and needless bloodshed in both Ukraine
and Russia… We would urge him to do so.”Deadly strike on Sumy-Russia has
stepped up strikes on Ukraine in recent days as its troops advance in
the east of the country.One overnight Russian attack hit a dormitory in
the town of Glukhiv, which had a pre-war population of around 30,000
people and lies just 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Kursk region in
Russia, where Ukrainian troops captured territory in a major ground
offensive in August.The drone attack killed 12 people including a child,
the emergency services said.In total, Kyiv said Russia had launched 87
drones over Ukraine during the night, and that 51 were shot down.A
separate missile strike on Monday on Odesa in southern Ukraine left 10
dead and 55 wounded.US President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to cut US
assistance to Ukraine and bring about a swift end to the war, without
detailing how he would do so.A group of European foreign ministers
meeting in Warsaw on Tuesday discussed stepping up aid to Ukraine if
Washington’s support wanes.“I note with appreciation the readiness of
the largest European Union countries to assume the burden of military
and financial support for Ukraine in the context of a possible reduction
in US involvement,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said
after the talks.‘Direct threat’ to West-Ukrainian forces have steadily
lost ground in the Kursk region and have warned that Russia has massed
some 50,000 troops, including North Korean forces, to wrest back the
region.The anniversary of Russia’s invasion — launched on February 24,
2022 — comes at a perilous time for Ukrainian forces across the front,
particularly near the war-battered cities of Kupiansk and Pokrovsk.NATO
chief Mark Rutte warned Tuesday that Putin must not be allowed to
prevail.“Why is this so crucial that Putin will not get his way? Because
you will have an emboldened Russia on our border… and I’m absolutely
convinced it will not stop there,” Rutte told reporters in Brussels.“It
is then posing a direct threat to all of us in the West,” he said.The
EU’s outgoing top diplomat Josep Borrell also pressed member states to
align with Washington in allowing Kyiv to strike inside Russia using
donated long-range missiles.“It is fully in accordance with
international law,” he said.
US slams Russia's 'irresponsible rhetoric' on nukes.
Rio
de Janeiro, Nov 19 (AFP) Nov 19, 2024-The White House condemned
Russia's "irresponsible rhetoric" Tuesday after Vladimir Putin eased
Moscow's rules for nuclear strikes, but said it saw no need to change
its own force posture.Putin's move came after Washington allowed Ukraine
to fire long-range US-made missiles into Russian territory, with Moscow
saying Kyiv had used the weapons for the first time on Tuesday."This is
more of the same irresponsible rhetoric from Russia, which we have seen
for the past two years," a spokesperson for the US National Security
Council told AFP.The spokesperson said that "we were not surprised by
Russia's announcement that it would update its nuclear doctrine" and
that Moscow had been "signaling its intent" to do so for several
weeks."Observing no changes to Russia's nuclear posture, we have not
seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture or doctrine in
response to Russia's statements today."US officials have previously
confirmed that outgoing President Joe Biden, who is attending a G20
summit in Rio de Janeiro, gave the green light for ally Kyiv to use
long-range missiles against Russia.While the White House has not done so
on the record, it has hinted that the move is a response to Russia's
use of North Korean soldiers against Ukraine.The deployment of
Pyongyang's troops is a "significant escalation... and we warned that
the United States would respond. I won't get into the details of that
response today," the National Security Council spokesperson said.The US
reaction came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused G20
leaders of failing to act after Putin's nuclear rule change.Ukraine is
anxiously watching to see whether US President-elect Donald Trump will
switch off American military aid and try to push through a peace deal
that could force Kyiv to cede territory to Moscow.
Macron hails 'good' US decision on Ukraine missiles despite doubts-by AFP Staff Writers.
Rio
De Janeiro (AFP) Nov 19, 2024-French President Emmanuel Macron on
Monday hailed the United States' decision allowing Ukraine to fire
US-supplied long-range missiles into Russia as it fights Moscow's
invasion."It was a decision that was a totally good one," Macron said in
Brazil, on the sidelines of a G20 summit also attended by US President
Joe Biden, who made the policy change."I understand it was also
triggered by a grave change in the conflict which shouldn't be
underestimated, which is the entry of North Korean troops alongside
Russia on what is European soil," he told journalists.Macron added that
Russia was "the only power making an escalation in this conflict today"
with the North Korean mobilization. "So it's really a sudden change in
this war that led to the Americans' decision."While Biden himself has
not spoken publicly on the move, a US official has confirmed that
Washington was now to allow Kyiv to use American-supplied long-range
missiles for strikes inside Russian territory.The shift puts the focus
on other allies supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles -- notably
the British-French Storm Shadow missile.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on
Monday ruled out, once again, his country's sophisticated Taurus
missiles being sent to Ukraine for use.US permission to fire missiles on
Russia no game-changer: experts-Paris (AFP) Nov 18, 2024 - Permission
from Washington for Ukraine to strike Russian territory with
American-supplied long-range missiles may have come too late and hedged
with too many restrictions to slow Moscow's advance, experts warn.US
President Joe Biden did not grant Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky's
request for deep strike capability until two months before he hands the
keys to the White House to Ukraine aid sceptic Donald Trump.The shift
comes as Russian forces press their advance through eastern Ukraine,
claiming on Monday they had captured a new village south of Pokrovsk -- a
crucial logistics hub for the defenders.Moscow's troops took a further
60 square kilometres (23 square miles) over the weekend, according to an
AFP analysis based on data from the US-based Institute for the Study of
War (ISW).That brought the figure for November so far to 458 square
kilometres -- on track to beat October's total of 610, a record since
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022."Putin hasn't reached the
borders of the Donbas. So long as he isn't there yet, he'll keep
pushing," a senior French military source told AFP."If you take a
cool-headed look at the balance of forces, the advantage is with the
Russian side," the source added."News from eastern Ukraine continues to
be grim," agreed Mick Ryan, a former Australian army general."While no
major Russian operational breakthrough is expected, the Russians have
been able to sustain their pressure on the Ukrainians for about a year
now and it is telling".Deep strikes into Russian territory with
US-supplied ATACMS missiles could in theory disrupt or even push back
Moscow's advance.But "these missiles have already been in use for at
least a year and a half" in Crimea and the Donbas, Moscow-based military
analyst Alexander Khramchikhin pointed out.- Limited impact -"You can't
launch missiles directly from the front line, because then the
launchers won't last long," he added.He suggested the US had delivered a
"very limited" number of missiles and launchers to Kyiv, although no
reliable estimates are available of the true figures.In any case, the
Russians "long ago moved their most critical resources out of ATACAMS'
range", said Stephen Biddle, an international relations professor at New
York's Columbia University."I don't think it's going to be decisive for
the direction of the war" that Ukraine now has permission to hit
Russian territory with them, he added.ATACMS missiles can carry a
payload of a single charge or cluster munitions that spread multiple
small explosives over a large area, analysts at British private
intelligence firm Janes told AFP.Ukraine could use them against "deep
targets such as logistics hubs that would slow resupply, or command and
control nodes," they added -- although given the time Russia has had to
prepare, "this might not be as great an influence as initially expected"
on the front line.Just like Western deliveries of major equipment such
as heavy tanks or fighter aircraft, Kyiv has had to push relentlessly
for many months to secure Washington's green light.- Bargaining chip?
-No individual weapons system alone will be enough to turn the conflict
in one side's favour.Fast-moving, highly manoeuverable ATACMS missiles
are "difficult targets to intercept" but "the Russian S-400 air defence
system offers an ability to counter tactical ballistic missiles," the
Janes' analysts noted.Several experts suggested that rather than handing
Kyiv a decisive weapon, Biden's decision is aimed at influencing both
domestic and international policy towards Ukraine -- which faces being
forced into talks on unfavourable terms as support from the West
flags.Within the US, Trump will take over the presidency in two months
and could reverse Biden's move."The administration wants to push all of
the aid that has currently been authorised by the Congress into Ukraine,
before January 20th," Biddle said.After then, any commitment from Biden
"doesn't constrain the Trump administration in any way".On the global
stage, the missile authorisation marks a counter-move to the deployment
of North Korean reinforcements to Russia's front line.Biden's team
"wants Putin and... the North Koreans to understand that there are costs
to escalation," Biddle said."I worry that the administration's emphasis
on the missile issue has been too much on 'sending a message' to China
and North Korea and not on delivering a consequential upgrade to
Ukraine's strike capability," said Ivan Klyszcz of the Estonia-based
International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS)."Will Washington
allow Kyiv to aim for targets inside Russia that are not connected to
north Korea?... This point remains ambiguous to me," he added."Some have
argued that the authorisation could be a bargaining chip in
negotiations" between Russia and the US, Klyszcz noted -- although
"Trump remains as unpredictable as usual".
Missiles will speak for themselves,' says Zelensky; Biden OKs deeper strikes in Russia-by Darryl Coote.
Washington
DC (UPI) Nov 17, 2024-President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said
"missiles will speak for themselves," following reports that U.S.
President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to conduct strikes deeper
into Russian territory.The besieged Eastern European nation has
repeatedly increased its requests for assistance from the United States
amid its war, with many being granted. However, Ukraine has for months
now called on Washington to allow it to strike deeper into Russia with
U.S munitions -- a request that the Biden administration has been
reluctant to grant out of fear of escalating the nearly 1,000-day-old
war.On Sunday, it was reported that U.S. President Joe Biden, who is to
leave the White House in two months, has given Zelensky authorization to
use Army Tactical Missile Systems, which are long-range missiles, to
strike Russia."Today, there's a lot of talk in the media about us
receiving permission for respective actions. But strikes are not carried
out with words. Such things are not announced. Missiles will speak for
themselves. They certainly will," Zelensky said in his nightly address
on Sunday.Biden's authorization of Ukraine to attack further in Russian
territory was reported by The New York Times, CNN and ABC News. All
three news organizations cited unnamed U.S. officials.The authorization
comes as North Korean troops have entered combat in the Ukraine-Russia
war.The U.S. State Department last week said some 10,000 soldiers of the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea have been sent to eastern Russia,
most to Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian forces have occupied hundreds of
square miles, taken in a surprise August incursion.With the
authorization, Ukraine is expected target Russian and North Korean
troops in defense of Ukrainian forces in Kursk region, officials told
The Times, adding that Biden may also allow Kyiv to use them elsewhere
in Russia.The decision to allow the use of longer-range weapons in the
war is the latest shift in Ukraine war policy in Washington. It had also
turned down Ukrainian requests for Patriot missiles, Abrams tanks and
F-16 fighter jets, only to later acquiesce.President Vladimir Putin of
Russia has threatened to use nuclear weapons in the war. In September,
amid debates about the use of Ukraine conducting longer-range attacks,
he warned that Moscow could respond to conventional missiles with its
nuclear arsenal.
Biden answers missile pleas from Ukraine as clock ticks down.
Washington
(AFP) Nov 18, 2024 - US President Joe Biden's decision to authorize
Ukraine to use long-range American missiles against targets inside
Russia is a bold shift in position in the final months before he hands
over power to Republican Donald Trump.Despite repeated pleas for a
greenlight from Ukraine, Biden had long resisted calls for a change from
within the US Congress and latterly from allies such as Britain.But
with the clock ticking down before the inauguration of Trump -- who has
expressed admiration for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and vowed to end
the fighting in Ukraine in "one day" -- on January 20, Biden has given
permission for the powerful Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to
target Russian territory.The New York Times and The Washington Post,
which first reported the news, said the 81-year-old Democrat's shift
came in response to North Korean troops being deployed to help Moscow's
war effort against its neighbor.Previously, US officials had worried
about the danger of escalating the conflict with nuclear-armed Russia,
as well as the risk of depleting Washington's own stocks of the valuable
munitions.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had pleaded again for
restrictions to be lifted on Friday."We see every site where Russia is
amassing these North Korean soldiers on its territory -- all their
camps. We could strike preventively, if we had the ability to strike
long enough," Zelensky said in an evening address.On Sunday, he noted
that the reports about Biden's policy change had not been openly
confirmed by the White House but said the "missiles will speak for
themselves."Putin has warned that the use of ATACMS inside Russia would
mean the NATO alliance being "at war" with his country -- a threat he
has made previously when Ukraine's Western backers have escalated their
military assistance.Western intelligence reports suggest that around
10,000 North Korean troops are being deployed in Russia.- European moves
-The American shift is likely to lead European allies to review their
stances on long-range missiles, even though experts say the weapons
alone will not decisively tilt current battlefield dynamics.France and
Britain have provided Ukraine with their long-range Storm Shadow and
SCALP missiles, but have held back from authorizing their use inside
Russia without American approval for ATACMS.During a meeting with French
leader Emmanuel Macron on Monday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of
Britain discussed how to put Ukraine in "the strongest possible position
going into the winter," his office said afterward.Speaking in Argentina
on Sunday, Macron said Putin "does not want peace" and that "it's clear
that President Putin intends to intensify the fighting."German
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has refused to supply Ukraine with his country's
Taurus missiles with a range of over 310 miles (500 kilometers) over
fears that they could hit Russian territory.In the final two months of
the Biden administration, US officials have promised to spend the
remaining $6 billion of approved Ukraine funding at their disposal.It is
unclear how many ATACMS remain in Ukraine's arsenal.The missile is made
by US defense group Lockheed Martin and has a top range of 190 miles
(300 kilometers).- Negotiation -Trump has provided no specifics on how
he plans to end the conflict in Ukraine, and is expected to pressure
Kyiv to give up its claim to some or all of its territory conquered by
Russia.Trump's pick for his National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, said
recently that "pouring more billions in (to Ukraine) is the definition
of insanity at this point," adding that the conflict was a
"stalemate."Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., has even mocked
Zelensky online, sharing a clip on Instagram last weekend that said the
Ukrainian leader was just weeks away "from losing your
allowance."Writing Sunday about Biden's missile decision, he said "the
military industrial complex seems to want to make sure they get World
War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save
lives."Russia pounded Ukraine on Sunday with a massive attack that
killed 11 civilians across several regions and damaged the country's
already fragile energy grid.
Poland scrambles jets during Russia's missile attack on Ukraine: army by AFP Staff Writers.
Warsaw
(AFP) Nov 17, 2024-Poland said it had scrambled fighter jets and
mobilised all available forces on Sunday in response to a "massive"
Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine."Due to a massive attack by
Russia, which is carrying out strikes using cruise missiles, ballistic
missiles and drones against sites located, among other places, in
western Ukraine, operations by Polish and allied aircraft have begun,"
Poland's Operational Command posted on social media platform X.These
measures were "aimed at insuring security in the areas adjacent to the
threatened zones."Ukraine's Energy Minister German Galushchenko said on
the Telegram platform that "a massive attack on our energy system is
ongoing" and that Russian forces were "attacking electricity generation
and transmission facilities throughout Ukraine".Kyiv mayor Vitali
Klitschko said one person was wounded by falling debris from a drone on a
residential building.Local authorities and Ukrainian media reported
numerous explosions throughout the country including in Zaporizhzhia,
Odessa and Mykolaiv in the south and Chernigiv in the north.
NKorea to boost economic cooperation with Russia alongside growing military ties-by Thomas Maresca.
Washington
DC (UPI) Nov 19, 2024-North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with the
leader of a Russian delegation in Pyongyang and called for deeper
economic and scientific ties between the two countries, state media
reported Tuesday, amid an already heightened military cooperation.Kim
sat down with Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexandr
Kozlov for one-on-one talks Monday, state-run Korean Central News
Agency reported. Kozlov and his delegation were in North Korea for a
meeting of the intergovernmental committee for cooperation in trade,
economy, science and technology.During the session, Kim noted that
bilateral cooperation has grown under a new treaty between the two
countries. Moscow and Pyongyang signed a comprehensive strategic
partnership treaty in June, which includes a mutual defense clause that
calls for mutual military assistance in the event either country is
attacked.North Korea ratified the pact last week."It is necessary to
mutually and powerfully propel the co-prosperity and development of the
two countries by further promoting the inter-governmental trade,
economic, scientific and technological exchange and cooperation in a
more extensive and diversified way," Kim said, according to
KCNA.Relations between the countries have reached a "new strategic
level," Kim added.In a separate report on Tuesday, KCNA said that a
delegation from Russia's Military Academy of the Armed Forces' General
Staff arrived in Pyongyang the previous day.Pyongyang has been assisting
Moscow in its war against Ukraine by sending munitions and, more
recently, troops to Russia.The Pentagon said Tuesday that more than
11,000 North Korean troops had moved into the Kursk region of southwest
Russia, where Ukrainian forces have occupied hundreds of square miles
since a surprise incursion in August.The U.S. State Department and
Ukrainian military intelligence have reported that North Korean forces
have already begun combat operations.During a press briefing,
spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said that the Pentagon had not yet confirmed
the reports but noted the North Korean troops are "moving into Kursk for
a reason.""We have every expectation that they would be engaging in
combat operations," she said."North Korea entering this war makes them
co-belligerents with Russia and we're talking about North Korean
soldiers being used to take Ukraine's sovereign territory and continue
to push this war forward," Singh said. "Certainly we view [that] as
escalatory."U.S. President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk
Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba issued a joint statement
at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru last week
condemning North Korea's decision to deploy troops to Russia for combat
against Ukraine, saying the move will "dangerously expand Russia's war
of aggression."North Korea's hosting of the Russian trade delegation
appears to be aimed at receiving maximum compensation for the troop
deployment, an official from South Korea's Unification Ministry told
reporters.The meeting between Kim and Kozlov "seems to be intended to
express expectations for economic exchanges between the two countries
and to demonstrate the close ties," a ministry official told reporters,
according to news agency Yonhap.Both Russia and North Korea are under
heavy international sanctions, but the military cooperation is believed
to be delivering much-needed funding to Pyongyang via weapons sales and
payments for troops.During a meeting with foreign journalists in Seoul
last week, analyst Doo Jinho of government-funded think tank Korea
Institute Defense Analyses estimated that North Korea could receive more
than $700 million per year for dispatching the soldiers.South Korean
officials have also raised concerns over Moscow sharing missile and
nuclear technology with Pyongyang. Seoul's military intelligence said
last week that North Korea's new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic
missile, test-fired on Oct. 31, could have been developed with Russian
technical assistance.On Monday, Kim Jong Un called for North Korea to
expand its nuclear arsenal "without limit" in response to what he called
a "frantic" military buildup in Asia led by the United States.
China, Russia ministers discuss Korea tensions at G20: state media-by AFP Staff Writers.
Rio
De Janeiro (AFP) Nov 19, 2024-The Chinese and Russian foreign ministers
discussed tensions on the Korean peninsula during a meeting at the G20
summit in Brazil on Monday, according to Beijing's state media.China and
Russia have drawn closer since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022,
with Western countries accusing Beijing of providing tacit support for
its partner's war of aggression.Beijing has also given a mostly muted
response to North Korea's decision to send military assistance to
Russia, though President Xi Jinping told US leader Joe Biden last week
that China would protect its "core interests" on the peninsula.Chinese
state broadcaster CCTV reported that foreign minister Wang Yi met his
Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, where the
two sides "exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and the situation on
the Korean peninsula".The report did not give specific details of the
discussions.Wang said China was "willing to work with the Russian side
to further strengthen cooperation and alignment", according to CCTV.He
added that Beijing would make "due contributions to the development and
revitalisation of our respective countries and the reform of global
governance", the broadcaster said.Longtime socialist giants with a
history of tempestuous ties, China and Russia have bolstered diplomatic,
economic and defence ties in recent years while making much of the
supposed personal amity between Xi and Russian President Vladimir
Putin.But some analysts have said North Korea's decision to send troops
to Russia for potential deployment in Ukraine has made Beijing uneasy
about the security implications in its East Asian backyard.China is
traditionally North Korea's biggest diplomatic ally, and has been a
critical source of economic support for Pyongyang's moribund
economy.Last week, Xi told Biden at a summit in Peru that Beijing "does
not allow conflict and turmoil to happen on the Korean Peninsula",
according to state news agency Xinhua."China will not sit idly by when
its strategic security and core interests are under threat," Xinhua
reported Xi as saying.
Iran faces fresh censure over lack of cooperation at UN nuclear meeting-By Anne BEADE, Kiyoko METZLER.
Vienna
(AFP) Nov 19, 2024-European powers -- backed by the United States --
are pushing ahead with a plan to censure Iran for its poor cooperation
with the UN nuclear watchdog at a board meeting starting Wednesday,
diplomats told AFP.Tensions between Iran and the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) have repeatedly flared since a 2015 deal curbing
Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanction relief fell apart.In
recent years, Tehran has cut cooperation with the IAEA by ramping up
its nuclear activities, deactivating surveillance devices to monitor the
nuclear programme and barring UN inspectors.A plan by Britain, France,
and Germany -- with US support -- to submit a new resolution against
Iran comes as concerns over the rapid expansion of its nuclear programme
heightened fears that Tehran might be seeking to develop a nuclear
weapon.According to the IAEA, Tehran is the only non-nuclear weapon
state to enrich uranium to 60 percent, a short step from the 90 percent
level needed for atomic weapons.Iran has always denied seeking a nuclear
weapon.Diplomats told AFP that the planned censure is driven by a need
to raise diplomatic pressure on Iran to come back into compliance and
address the IAEA's long-standing concerns.- 'Too little too late' -A
similar resolution was passed by the IAEA board in June.According to a
confidential draft of the censure seen by AFP, Western powers this time
ask for a "comprehensive report" to be issued by IAEA head Rafael
Grossi.The report would seek to shed more light on Iran's nuclear
activities, including "a full account" of Tehran's cooperation with the
IAEA on uranium traces found at undeclared sites.The resolution -- due
to be submitted on Tuesday -- follows a trip by Grossi to Tehran last
week for talks with President Masoud Pezeshkian and other high-ranking
officials.During his visit, Grossi also toured the Natanz and Fordo
uranium enrichment plants in central Iran."Grossi's visit to Tehran
was... too little and too late to stave off a censure from the board,"
Kelsey Davenport, an expert with the Arms Control Association, told
AFP.His visit was "a missed opportunity for Pezeshkian to demonstrate
that he is serious about de-escalation," she said."Taking tangible steps
to enhance IAEA oversight of Iran's nuclear programme and address the
agency's questions about past undeclared nuclear activities would have
quelled speculation that Iran is engaged in illicit nuclear activities,"
Davenport said.- Trump's return -Earlier this week, Iran expressed hope
that talks on its nuclear programme would be conducted "away from
political pressure and considerations".During his meeting with Grossi,
Pezeshkian said that Tehran was willing to resolve "doubts and
ambiguities" over its programme.Grossi's visit was seen as one of the
last chances for diplomacy before Donald Trump returns as US president
in January.During his first term between 2017 and 2021, Trump imposed a
"maximum pressure" policy against Iran.This included Washington tearing
up a deal on Iran's nuclear programme that had been reached under his
predecessor, Barack Obama in 2015.The landmark deal struck with the
United States, China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain provided Iran
sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its atomic programme.Efforts
to revive the deal have so far failed.
NATO holds large Arctic exercises in Russia's backyard.By Anna KORKMAN.
Rovaniemi,
Finland (AFP) Nov 19, 2024-Thousands of NATO soldiers are taking part
in large-scale artillery exercises in Finland's Arctic this month, seen
by some as a signal to neighbouring Russia over its war on
Ukraine.Sounds of cannon fire and rocket artillery echo across the
snowy, hilly Lapland landscape as some 3,600 soldiers from the United
States, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France and other NATO members
conduct live fire drills throughout November.They are part of NATO's
largest artillery exercise ever held in Europe, dubbed Dynamic Front 25,
which also includes drills in Estonia, Germany, Romania and Poland
involving a total of around 5,000 soldiers.Joel Linnainmaki, a
researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, said the
massive exercises should be interpreted as a message to Russia, with
which Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border."These NATO
exercises are increasingly intended to show other countries, in this
case especially Russia of course, that the alliance is united and is
capable of defending its members," he said.The exercises are the first
large-scale manoeuvres held in Finland since the Nordic country joined
NATO last year, when it dropped decades of military non-alignment
following Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.The move angered
Moscow, which has long opposed any expansion of NATO.Colonel Janne
Makitalo, director of the Dynamic Front 25 exercise in Finland, said the
main goal was to train and develop inter-operability within the
alliance's artillery units, and prepare troops for harsh Arctic
conditions, now that Norway, Sweden and Finland are all NATO members."Of
course this sends a message that we are able to train together and we
are developing our assets," he told reporters."Artillery is basically
the king and queen of the battlefield, as we have seen from experience
of combat in Ukraine," Makitalo said.He dismissed the notion that NATO
could provoke Moscow by flexing its military might in Russia's
backyard."It is not any sort of show of force," he insisted.That said,
Finland joining NATO brought "280,000 soldiers to NATO's northern
flank", he said.- 'Unique place to train' -In the hilly Rovajarvi area,
troops are camped and stationed at gun positions covered in thin layers
of snow and ice.The sun rises at around 9:30 am this time of year above
the Arctic Circle and sets less than six hours later, before 3:00
pm.Measuring more than 1,000 square kilometres (620 square miles), it is
Europe's largest firing range and training area, and allies come to
rehearse in its difficult conditions."This is a unique place to train,
because this is one of the few places where you can train things at
their actual scale," said lieutenant Antti-Matti Puisto, a firing
platoon leader for the Finnish Karelia brigade.In a region where
temperatures typically drop to below minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus
four degrees Fahrenheit) during winter months, the Finnish defence
forces are known for being well-trained and equipped for harsh winter
conditions.Puisto underlined the importance of staying warm by wearing
many layers of clothes, and of keeping encampments dry and free of
humidity."The aim is to practise our skills as artillerymen and
mountaineers, working in a very cold environment," said Captain Romain,
the French unit commander of the Ecrins battery of the 93rd mountain
artillery regiment, told AFP."Also to work on interoperability with our
allies, to carry out artillery fire in coherence with our NATO allies",
he told AFP, choosing only to give his first name."We are making history
and it's really nice to see different nations in Finland," conscript
and sergeant Olli Myllymaki said after his brigade conducted fire drills
with K9 tanks in a snowy forest.
Iran offers to cap enriched
uranium stock if UN watchdog scraps resolution-Proposed 185 kg of 60%
enriched material is higher than verified tally so far, but Tehran
already preparing for implementation, IAEA says ahead of high-level
meeting-By Agencies Today, 8:22 pm-NOV 19,24
VIENNA, Austria —
Iran has offered to not further expand its stock of highly enriched
uranium and has made preparations to implement the restriction, the
United Nations nuclear watchdog said in a confidential report to member
states on Tuesday.The International Atomic Energy Agency assessed that
Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60
percent purity since its last tally in August, in defiance of
international demands, according to the report, which was seen by news
agencies.Uranium enriched to 60% purity has no civilian application and
is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of
90%.During IAEA chief Rafael Grossi’s trip to Iran last week, “the
possibility of Iran not further expanding its stockpile of uranium
enriched up to 60% U-235 was discussed, including technical verification
measures necessary for the Agency to confirm this if implemented,” the
report read.Iran’s offer would cap the stock at around 185 kilograms,On
November 16, one day after Grossi left Iran, IAEA inspectors verified
that Tehran had started to get ready to curb its stockpile at
underground nuclear sites in Fordow and Natanz, the report said.“Iran
ha[s] begun implementation of preparatory measures aimed at stopping the
increase of its stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60 % U-235,” it
read.A senior diplomat, however, said Iran’s offer, which would cap the
stock at around 185 kg, was conditional on Western powers scrapping a
planned resolution against Iran at this week’s IAEA board of governors
meeting.The IAEA assessed that as of October 26, Iran had 182.3
kilograms (401.9 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, an increase of
17.6 kilograms (38.8 pounds) since the last report in August.The IAEA
also estimated in its quarterly report that as of October 26, Iran’s
overall stockpile of enriched uranium stands at 6,604.4 kilograms
(14,560 pounds), which represents an increase of 852.6 kilograms
(1,879.6 pounds) since the last report in August.That puts the stockpile
at more than 32 times the limit set in the 2015 accord between Iran and
world powers to limit its nuclear program. That agreement, which the US
pulled out of in 2017, allowed Iran to maintain a stockpile of up to
300 grams (661 pounds), but only enriched to 3.67%.Under the IAEA’s
definition, creating a single atomic weapon requires 42 kilograms (92.5
pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, assuming the material is
enriched further to 90%.Iran maintains its nuclear program is for
peaceful purposes, despite moving toward military-grade enrichment
levels.Grossi has in the past warned that Tehran has enough uranium
enriched to near-weapons-grade levels to make “several” nuclear bombs if
it chose to do so. He has also acknowledged the UN agency cannot
guarantee that none of Iran’s centrifuges may have been peeled away for
clandestine enrichment.According to the IAEA report, Iran has failed to
take concrete steps to improve cooperation, despite pleas by Grossi, who
last week traveled to Tehran for talks with Mohammad Eslami of the
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas
Araghchi and Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian.The report
said that during Grossi’s visit, Iran agreed to consider accepting the
appointments of four new inspectors, after booting “several experienced
Agency inspectors.”In September 2023, Iran barred some of the
Vienna-based agency’s most experienced inspectors.The report noted that
no progress had been made in getting Iran to allow the reinstallation of
monitoring equipment, including cameras, removed in June 2022, which
also has “detrimental implications for the Agency’s ability to provide
assurances of the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.”Since then,
the only recorded data is that of IAEA cameras installed at a
centrifuge workshop in Isfahan in May 2023 — although Iran has not
provided the IAEA with access to this data, and inspectors have not been
able to service the cameras.The report came on the eve of the IAEA
board of governors meeting, where European powers — backed by the United
States — will seek to censure Iran for its poor cooperation with the UN
nuclear watchdog.Diplomats told AFP that the planned censure is driven
by a need to raise diplomatic pressure on Iran to come back into
compliance and address the IAEA’s long-standing concerns.Last week,
Eslami warned that Iran could retaliate if taken to task at the upcoming
IAEA board meeting. Grossi acknowledged some nations were considering
taking action against Iran.A senior diplomat said Iran could renege on
some of the commitments made to Grossi in response to a resolution
against the country being passed.
Israeli troops kill three
Islamic Jihad gunmen in West Bank gunbattle-Border Police officers
surround building in Qabatiya, near Jenin, after coming under fire
during arrest raid; troops find rifles, bombs, other combat equipment-By
Emanuel Fabian-Today, 8:20 pm-NOV 19,24
Three gunmen from the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group were killed by Israeli forces
during a firefight in the northern West Bank, the army said Tuesday.No
Israeli soldiers were injured in the Tuesday morning exchange, which
came as troops raided the Jenin area as part of an ongoing anti-terror
operation.Border police troops had entered the town of Qabatiya south of
Jenin to arrest Raed Hanaysha, 24, a PIJ operative previously
imprisoned for terrorism. Hanshaya is suspected of being involved in
shooting and bombing attacks against soldiers in the West Bank that did
not cause casualties, according to a joint statement from the Israel
Defense Forces, Israel Police, and Shin Bet security service.Officers
laid siege to the building where Hanaysha was holed up after coming
under fire from two other gunmen in the building, using a tactic known
as a “pressure cooker,” which involves escalating the volume of fire
against a building to flush suspects out.Both Hanaysha and the two
gunmen were killed, with Islamic Jihad later confirming that the three
had been members of the terror group.The other two men were identified
by PIJ as Anwar Saba’neh, 25, and Suleiman Tazazaa, 32. — Asrawi
(@Asrawithethird) November 19, 2024-Three assault rifles and other
military equipment were found on the bodies of the terrorists.In
addition, the Israeli troops found three more weapons and destroyed two
bomb-making labs, as well as several bombs that had been placed under
roads to harm soldiers.Since October 7, 2023, when the Hamas terror
group attacked Israel, starting the ongoing war in Gaza, troops have
arrested some 5,250 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including
more than 2,050 affiliated with Hamas.According to the Palestinian
Authority health ministry, more than 716 West Bank Palestinians have
been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were
gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or
terrorists killed while carrying out attacks.During the same period, 41
people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror
attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another six members of the
security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the
West Bank.Since October 7, 2023, the IDF has carried out more than 70
airstrikes in the West Bank, using drones, attack helicopters, and
fighter jets.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Record-breaking
rains swamp northern coast, with more showers on the way-High school in
Ma’agan Michael closes early after drainage fails, flooding area with
knee-high water; nearly 200mm of rain recorded in Zichron Yaacov over
just 4 hours-By ToI Staff Today, 7:19 pm-NOV 19,24
Record rains
lashed northern Israel and the Haifa region Tuesday, inundating roads
and prompting flash flood warnings for the Judean Desert and Dead Sea
areas as the weather system moves south overnight.In Ma’agan Michael,
pouring rains swamped drainage channels, leading to flooding in parts of
the coastal kibbutz. The Hof HaCarmel High School, located in the
community, sent students home early due to the flooding.Video footage
posted online showed students wading through knee-high water next to
half-submerged cars in the school’s parking lot.In a statement, the Hof
HaCarmel regional council explained that the “large quantity [of rain]
put a burden on the drainage system, which had been clean and in working
condition, but it could not withstand the unusually large amounts of
water.”The Israel Meteorological Service said in a tweet that 196
millimeters (7.7 inches) of rainfall were recorded over a four-hour
period in nearby Zichron Yaacov, setting a new record for the country.
The figure represented some 60% of the area’s average yearly rain
total.The record for a single day is 255 millimeters (10 inches), set in
Kafr Qassem in November 1955.Flooding fears led authorities to close a
portion of Route 2, the busy coastal highway linking Tel Aviv to Haifa,
for several hours Tuesday, with traffic redirected further inland.The
rain tapered off toward the evening, but was expected to pick up again
across the north later on Tuesday night and continuing into Wednesday
before clearing up on Thursday. Other parts of the country, including
Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea region, were also expected to see
heavy rains Wednesday.The IMS said there was a slight risk of flooding
in the Judean Desert and around the Dead Sea, as well as along the coast
and in the Shfela region due to the rain.Tami Ganot, deputy director of
environmental advocacy organization Adam Teva V’Din, said Tuesday’s
flooding was proof of “Israel’s complete lack of preparedness” for
changes to the climate that experts say are exacerbating extreme weather
events.Noting that normally arid Israel had an interest in ensuring the
rain enters the natural water system, Ganot took aim at the
“climate-denying government” for pushing a climate change bill she
termed “meaningless.”Critics say the legislation will allow the
government to change emissions targets and give undue influence to
industry interests.The law “will allow government ministries and local
authorities to fail to prepare,” Granot said. “And this is nothing short
of recklessness.”Sue Surkes contributed to this report.
Qatar
confirms departure of Hamas leaders, says group’s Doha mission may
remain-Terror group’s political bureau serves no purpose in absence of
negotiations, Qatari foreign ministry spokesman tells reporters, but no
decision yet on shutting it down permanently-By Jacob Magid,ToI Staff
and Agencies Today, 4:59 pm-NOV 19,24
A Hamas office in the
Qatari capital has not yet been shut down, but negotiators for the
terror group are no longer in the country, Qatar said on Tuesday,
indicating that the decision could still be reversed.On Sunday, an Arab
diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity told The Times of Israel
that senior members of Hamas’s political arm had decamped for Turkey,
apparently after the US pressured Doha to stop hosting the group.“The
leaders of Hamas that are within the negotiating team are now not in
Doha,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said
Tuesday.On November 8, the Biden administration revealed that it had
asked Qatar to oust Hamas leaders amid Washington’s frustration with the
terror group rejecting repeated hostage deal proposals.Qatar later
confirmed asking Hamas to leave but insisted that it made the decision
on its own due to frustration with both sides’ refusal to engage
constructively in negotiations. Moreover, it framed the move as
reversible, insisting that it is prepared to resume its role as mediator
if Israel and Hamas change their approach to the talks.But he added
that Hamas’s mission in Qatar, opened in 2012, could still remain open
in the future.Al-Ansari said during a press conference that the Hamas
political office in Doha has not been closed permanently. If such a
decision is made, it will be announced by Qatar and not through other
means, he added, in an apparent shot at Biden administration officials,
who had announced the move on November 8.Qatar, along with the United
States and Egypt, had led months of fruitless negotiations for a truce
in the Gaza war but the Gulf state said earlier this month it was
pausing its mediation efforts.“The mediation process right now… is
suspended unless we take a decision to reverse that which is based on
the positions of both sides,” Ansari said on Tuesday.“The office of
Hamas in Doha was created for the sake of the mediation process.
Obviously, when there is no mediation process, the office itself doesn’t
have any function,” he added, declining to confirm whether Qatar had
asked the Hamas officials to leave, as has been reported.A senior Hamas
leader told AFP on Monday that “no one has asked us to leave” and
rebuffed reports that members had relocated to Turkey, where many of
them have families and already spend significant time, according to the
Arab diplomat.“Leaders from different levels in the political echelon in
Hamas make coordinated visits to Turkey from time to time,” the Hamas
official said.Turkey confirmed on Monday that Hamas’s key foreign
leaders are in Ankara while insisting that it has not opened an office
for them — an apparent effort to avoid the ire of the Biden
administration. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller still
cautioned Turkey yesterday against hosting Hamas officials at all.For
its part, Israel has begun engaging more intensively with Turkish
officials in order to jumpstart hostage negotiations. Shin Bet chief
Ronen Bar traveled to Ankara over the weekend to meet with his Turkish
counterpart on the matter, the Arab diplomat said.The development may
call into question the purpose of ousting Hamas from Doha, with the
sides apparently planning to conduct negotiations in a similar manner in
Ankara.After Israel killed Hamas’s Gaza-based leader Yayha Sinwar in
mid-October, the US voiced optimism that it would mark a step forward in
efforts to end the war and return the hostages, framing Sinwar as the
main obstacle to a deal.But successive rounds of negotiations have made
little headway since a one-week pause in fighting last year brokered by
Qatar, during which 105 hostages were released in exchange for hundreds
of Palestinian prisoners.Hamas earlier this month rejected a proposal
from Egypt and Qatar for a short-term truce in exchange for a small
number of hostages, demanding an open-ended ceasefire instead.Israel has
repeatedly vowed it will not stop fighting until it achieves its war
objectives — to eliminate Hamas and bring the hostages home.In April,
Qatar said it was re-evaluating its mediation role during an impasse in
negotiations, prompting several group members to leave for Turkey — only
to return two weeks later at the request of the United States and
Israel.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with government
ministers and top defense officials Sunday night to discuss the hostage
crisis. Security chiefs were reportedly expected to warn that Israel
would need to show more flexibility in talks to free the hostages, who
are facing dire conditions.According to a poll aired by Channel 12 news
last week, 69 percent of Israelis said they support a hostage deal that
would end the war compared to 20% who prefer continuing fighting.It is
believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7
remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by
the IDF.Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the
Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who
were killed in 2014.
ZOA fetes Trump victory, ‘most pro-Israel
cabinet’ in US history at annual gala-Attendees brush off concerns over
US president-elect’s picks for AG and defense secretary, stressing their
pro-Israel stances, remain unbothered by anti-Israel protesters
outside-By Joseph Strauss Today, 1:44 pm-NOV 19,24
New York
Jewish Week via JTA — There were plenty of people Morton Klein was eager
to praise as he ascended the stage at Cipriani 42nd Street on Sunday
night to address a room dense with black ties, cocktail dresses, and
kippot, some red and emblazoned with the word “TRUMP.”Over the course of
a 30-minute speech, Klein lavished compliments not only on the US
president-elect — “the greatest friend we Jews have ever had in the
White House” — or his incoming foreign policy team, which he called “the
most pro-Israel cabinet in the history of the United States.”Klein also
praised some of Trump’s most controversial appointees, including his
designated attorney general, Matt Gaetz, who has drawn backlash for,
among other things, inviting a Holocaust denier to the State of the
Union address in 2018.While Klein did express reservations about Gaetz
following the dinner, his address was unequivocally supportive.“I find
it remarkable that Jewish leaders are now condemning Gaetz, potential
Attorney General Gaetz, for being antisemitic, for being hostile to
Jews,” Klein declared. “Nonsense, I know him, he is very pro-Israel.”The
event was the annual gala of the Zionist Organization of America, which
Klein has led for decades, and the mood was festive. Unlike in many
other Jewish spaces, where attendees have mourned the election result or
fretted over what the next four years might bring, the gala felt like a
deferred victory party for November 5’s result.The crowd at Cipriani
radiated joy about both Trump and the crew he is assembling.“It’s really
an incredible miracle,” said Joe Frager, a physician and former senior
official at the National Council of Young Israel, an Orthodox synagogue
association that is also vocally pro-Trump.Regarding the
president-elect, Frager added, “I’m sure he feels that God saved him a
number of times from assassination, and I think he felt that He was
going to help him in the election – and I think He did.”Barbara Fix, an
attendee who lives in New York and has an apartment in Jerusalem, said,
“I’m a trillion percent optimistic that the world will be a better place
for these elections.”The lavish neo-Renaissance venue next to Grand
Central Station was filled with hundreds of attendees for the dinner,
and each table held a centerpiece with blue sequins, an American flag,
and an Israeli flag printed with the words “We stand with Israel.” Most
of the guests came in formalwear, but one man’s jacket was lined with
buttons featuring photos of Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and other
Trump allies, in addition to the famous photo of the candidate raising
his fist in the air after his assassination attempt.ZOA has been a home
for pro-Trump Jews for years — it once honored Trump adviser Steve
Bannon and in 2022 it awarded Trump a rare honor, the Theodor Herzl
Medal, for his contributions on behalf of Israel — and on Sunday night,
speakers presented his return to office as a chance to turn some of the
Israeli right’s dreams into reality.Gilad Erdan, the former Israel
ambassador to the United Nations, declared to roaring applause,
“Friends, the UN must be defunded!” ????** ISRAELI AMBASSADOR URGES U.S.
TO TEAM UP AND DEFUND THE UN! ????????????????Gilad Erdan, former
Israeli Ambassador to the UN, passionately called on Trump to join
forces with Israel and defund the United Nations ‼️ The audience erupted
in applause at the NYC event.“President Trump,…
pic.twitter.com/WaPGJfCX5H— Lenka Houskova White (@white_lenka) November
18, 2024-Retired IDF brigadier general Amir Avivi likewise drew loud
applause when he said, “We need to finish something that started when
President Trump was in office, but we didn’t finish — we need to bring
[Israeli] sovereignty to Judea and Samaria,” the biblical term for the
West Bank.Mike Huckabee, whom Trump has tapped as his ambassador to
Israel, also supports West Bank annexation. “Mike Huckabee is the only
person more pro-Israel than me,” Klein said in an interview.And Klein
lauded another Trump pick, Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth, for
wanting to rebuild the Jewish Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Klein brushed
off the myriad of concerns that have surrounded Hegseth, a Fox News
host.“‘We must establish a Temple, a Jewish Temple, and Temple Mount,’
said Peter Hegseth!” Klein said in his speech. “So don’t tell me about,
‘He’s a problem,’ in any way, shape or form — we Jews love Peter
Hegseth. We want him to be defense secretary.”Despite praising Gaetz
from the podium, following the dinner Klein said in an interview that he
“[doesn’t] know what is true” regarding the then-congressman’s
invitation of a Holocaust denier to the State of the Union. Although the
man, Charles Johnson, had suggested falsely that only 250,000 Jews had
died of illness during World War II, Gaetz had claimed at the time that
Johnson was not a Holocaust denier — though he said he regretted not
vetting Johnson better.Klein, who noted that he was the child of
Holocaust survivors, said Gaetz’s office told him the congressman
“didn’t know, and he doesn’t believe it’s true about this guy,”
Johnson.Klein added, “So I don’t know what’s true. But if in fact he
knowingly brought a Holocaust denier, this would be so deeply concerning
that it would make him unqualified to be attorney general. But they
assured me it wasn’t true.”Klein downplayed concerns about Gaetz’s
opposition to a bill that would codify a definition of antisemitism.
Gaetz had opposed the bill because it said the view that Jews killed
Jesus — which Gaetz endorsed — was antisemitic. Klein said Gaetz wasn’t
the only pro-Israel politician to oppose the bill, and that Gaetz only
did so “because of his religious beliefs, which are different from
mine.”Some attendees did express reservations about Gaetz. But Aaron,
26, who attended the gala with his family and declined to give his last
name due to concerns about privacy, said that Klein’s endorsement of
Gaetz during his speech made him feel more comfortable.“The only thing
I’ve heard about Gaetz over the years has been pretty negative
coverage,” he said. “I was a bit concerned about that, but honestly, I
have to look into it.”He added, “Morton Klein vouched for Gaetz — I
value his word, so that’s a good sign.”Jackie, a law student who
attended the gala with Students Supporting Israel and likewise declined
to share her last name, said she’s hopeful that Trump’s pro-Israel
policies would help reduce antisemitism in America.“I know that
antisemitism in our country is not just because of the current
administration, it’s also foreign events and everything altogether,”
Jackie said. “But I’m hoping there’s a change.”The only disruption at
the gala came when three protesters, who’d gotten through security and
had been sitting quietly at a table, got up during Erdan’s speech and
yelled “Free Palestine,” drawing loud boos. They were swiftly removed by
security.Dozens more protesters had gathered outside the gala, chanting
“Miriam Adelson’s inside, billionaires for genocide” and holding a
banner with a caricature of Adelson, the Republican pro-Israel megadonor
who was on the event program but did not attend. Next to the cartoon of
her face were the words “Zionism = Nazis.”“We are opposed to genocide,”
one protester, who refused to give their name, said by way of
explanation. “And Miriam Adelson is a big proponent of Zionism. So we’re
protesting.”But the attendees did not seem too disturbed.“They’re
yelling at me, calling me names — who cares, right? Who cares?” said
David Friedman, Trump’s former ambassador to Israel, during his speech.
“We know that what we’re doing is right. We’re on the side of God.”
