Iran could retaliate against Israel as soon as this week, White House says
The United States has prepared for what could be significant attacks on Israel by Iran or its proxies in the Middle East as soon as this week, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday.
Kirby told reporters that the U.S. had increased its regional force posture in recent days and shared Israel’s concerns about a possible Iranian-backed attack after Iran and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas accused Israel of carrying out the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran last month.
On Friday, the deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was quoted as saying by local news agencies that Iran was set to carry out an order by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to “harshly punish” Israel over the assassination on July 31 of Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday that Iran was making preparations for a large-scale military attack on Israel, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, citing a source with knowledge of the call.
In a statement on Monday, Gallant’s ministry confirmed the call took place overnight. It said Gallant and Austin discussed operational and strategic co-ordination and the Israeli military’s readiness in the face of Iranian threats.
Austin has ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East. The U.S. military had already said it would deploy additional fighter jets and navy warships to the region to bolster Israeli defences.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that there is a real risk of escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed, Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants, and he urged Canadians to leave Lebanon while it’s possible because Ottawa may not be able to extricate everyone if the situation worsens.
“We see that the risk of escalation is real, the challenges in the region are significant,” Trudeau told reporters in Ontario.
“We are making certain preparations to be able to support in the event that everything gets much, much worse, but the situation is so difficult that we may not be able to get all Canadians out.”
Published at Mon, 12 Aug 2024 18:15:01 +0000
Putin vows ‘worthy response’ after Ukraine says it controls large portion of Russia’s Kursk region
Russia on Monday evacuated civilians from parts of a second region next to Ukraine after Kyiv increased military activity near the border, just days after its biggest incursion into sovereign Russian territory since the start of the 2022 war.
Ukrainian forces rammed through the Russian border on Aug. 6 and swept across some western parts of Russia’s Kursk region, a surprise attack that may be aimed at gaining leverage in possible ceasefire talks after the U.S. election in November.
Apparently caught by surprise, Russia by Sunday had stabilized the front in the Kursk region, though Ukraine had carved out a sliver of Russian territory where battles were continuing on Monday, according to Russian war bloggers.
In the neighbouring Belgorod region to the south, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said evacuations had begun from the Krasnaya Yaruga district due to “enemy activity on the border.”
“I am sure that our servicemen will do everything to cope with the threat that has arisen,” Gladkov said. “We are starting to move people who live in the Krasnaya Yaruga district to safer places.”
Russia has imposed tight security in the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions, while its ally Belarus said it was bolstering its troop numbers at its border after Minsk said Ukraine had violated its airspace with drones.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Ukraine was trying to improve its negotiating position ahead of potential ceasefire talks in the future with its attack on Kursk. He also said Moscow would respond to Kyiv’s attack.
“The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces are increasing dramatically for them, including among the most combat-ready units, units that the enemy is transferring to our border,” Putin told a televised meeting with top security officials and regional governors.
“The enemy will certainly receive a worthy response, and all the goals facing us will, without a doubt, be achieved.”
A video circulated by Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Belgorod in Russia, shows people being evacuated from border areas with Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and now controls 18 per cent of Ukrainian territory. Russian forces, which have a vast numerical supremacy, have been advancing this year along the 1,000-kilometre front after the failure of Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive to make any major gains.
Kyiv broke its silence on the attacks on Saturday when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had launched an incursion into Russian territory to “restore justice” and pressure Moscow’s forces.
Ukraine’s army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Monday that Kyiv controls around 1,000 square kilometres of Kursk, in his first comments on the shock cross-border incursion.
Zelenskyy, who published a video excerpt of Syrskyi’s report on Telegram on Monday, said he ordered the preparation of a “humanitarian plan” for the area.
‘Reckless attacks’ on nuclear plant
At the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, in a part of Ukraine controlled by Russian forces, a major fire broke out. Russia and Ukraine accused each other of starting it, though both sides reported no sign of elevated radiation.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog said its staff had seen thick, dark smoke coming from the northern part of the vast six-reactor plant in southern Ukraine, currently in “cold shutdown” after multiple blasts.
“These reckless attacks endanger nuclear safety at the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident. They must stop now,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi warned in a separate statement, without attributing blame.
Moscow and Kyiv are accusing each other of starting a fire on the grounds of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, Russia has evacuated civilians from parts of a second region next to Ukraine after Kyiv increased military activity near the border.
Interfax news agency quoted Alexei Likhachev, head of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, as saying the fire had burned for about three hours and caused “very serious damage” to the cooling towers.
He said, without providing evidence, that it had been caused by two Ukrainian drone strikes. It was not clear whether the damage could be repaired or whether one of the towers might need to be replaced, he added.
Ukraine’s nuclear power company Energoatom said in a statement that one of the cooling towers and other equipment were damaged. Grossi said the IAEA had requested “immediate access” to the tower to assess the damage. There was no immediate response from Moscow or Kyiv to Grossi’s statement.
Russia captured the plant from Ukraine shortly after launching a full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour in February 2022.
Published at Mon, 12 Aug 2024 15:51:08 +0000
