Middle East live: USA sends missile defense system and military personnel to Israel | Israel-Gaza war

USA sends missile defense system to Israel

The US will send a missile defense system and a US military crew to Israel to operate the system.

In a statement released Sunday, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said:

At the President's direction, Secretary Austin authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and associated crew of U.S. military personnel to Israel to provide Israeli air defense following Iran's unprecedented attacks on Israel on April 13 and again to strengthen on October 1st.

The THAAD battery will expand Israel's integrated air defense system. This action underscores the United States' ironclad commitment to defending Israel and Americans in Israel from further ballistic missile attacks by Iran. It is part of broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months to support Israel’s defense and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iran-aligned militias.”

Sunday's announcement marks the third THAAD system to be deployed in the region. Following Hamas' attacks on Israel on October 7, Joe Biden approved the deployment of a THAAD battery in the region. In 2019, the US deployed a THAAD battery to Israel for training and an integrated air defense exercise, the Pentagon said.

In this image courtesy of DVIDS, a U.S. Air Force Airman unloads a THAAD launch vehicle from a C-17 Globe Master III at Nevatim Air Base, Israel, March 1, 2019. Photo: Robert Durr/DVIDS/AFP/Getty Images

Important events

Attacks on Lebanese peacekeepers could be 'war crimes' – UN chief

Antó, Secretary General of the United Nationsnio Guterres warned Sunday that any attacks against peacekeepers “could constitute a war crime.”his spokesman said after Israeli tanks breached the gates of a peacekeeping base in southern Lebanon.

Reuters reports that this is the latest allegation of Israeli violations and attacks against the UN peacekeeping mission Unifil in recent days.

In a statement, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said:

Unifil peacekeepers remain in all positions and the UN flag continues to fly.

The Secretary General reiterates that Unifil personnel and its premises must never be targeted.

Attacks on peacekeepers violate international law, including international humanitarian law. They could constitute a war crime.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call on Sunday to support a “general de-escalation” in the Middle East, the presidential office said.

Reuters reports that Macron reiterated this in a separate discussion Lebanon Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared the “absolute necessity” of reaching a ceasefire in Lebanon without further delay.

A top UN expert has warned that hunger in Lebanon could increase amid Israel's attack on the country.

The Guardian's Nina Lakhani reports:

Hunger and malnutrition rates in Lebanon could rise “exponentially” if Israel carries out its threats to escalate the current military operation, which has so far killed more than 2,000 people and displaced up to a million, according to a top UN expert.

“Israel has the ability to starve Lebanon – just as it starved the Palestinians in Gaza,” said Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food. “If you look at the geography of Lebanon, Israel has the power to have an absolute stranglehold on the food system. There is a great risk that hunger and malnutrition rates in Lebanon will skyrocket very quickly.”

The number of acute famines could rise very quickly as food security in Lebanon was precarious even before Israel launched its large-scale airstrikes in mid-September, as increasing hostilities with Hezbollah since October 7 had already displaced 40% of local farmers, which has disrupted local production According to the UN World Food Program, trade flows and access to markets are being disrupted.

For the full story click here:

16 dead in Israeli attack on Al Ma'asara in Lebanon

An Israeli raid on Al Ma'asara in Lebanon's Keserwan district killed 16 people.

In a post on Sunday updating the death toll from yesterday's attacks, Lebanon's Health Ministry said 21 people were injured in addition to the 16 people killed.

In recent weeks, Israel has killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon while displacing 1.2 million people across the country.

The head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, warned that Lebanon was experiencing a “major displacement crisis” due to Israel’s deadly attacks.

At least 39 injured in drone attack in northern Israel

According to Israeli media, at least 39 people were injured in a drone attack in northern Israel.

N12 News reports that of the 39 injured near Binyamina in the northern Haifa district, five were seriously injured.

The source added that an IDF spokesman confirmed that the drone was launched from Lebanese territory and that large medical forces had been called to the scene to treat the injured.

Hezbollah broadcasts a recording of Hassan Nasrallah

Hezbollah aired an audio recording of Hassan Nasrallah, its longtime leader, on Sunday, just over two weeks after he was killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon.

In the audio recorded by Reuters, Nasrallah could be heard saying:

“We count on you… to defend your people, your families, your nation, your values and your dignity, and to defend this holy and blessed land and this honorable people.”

According to Reuters, Nasrallah was photographed during a military exercise.

USA sends missile defense system to Israel

The US will send a missile defense system and a US military crew to Israel to operate the system.

In a statement released Sunday, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said:

At the President's direction, Secretary Austin authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and associated crew of U.S. military personnel to Israel to provide Israeli air defense following Iran's unprecedented attacks on Israel on April 13 and again to strengthen on October 1st.

The THAAD battery will expand Israel's integrated air defense system. This action underscores the United States' ironclad commitment to defending Israel and Americans in Israel from further ballistic missile attacks by Iran. It is part of broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months to support Israel’s defense and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iran-aligned militias.”

In this image courtesy of DVIDS, a U.S. Air Force Airman unloads a THAAD launch vehicle from a C-17 Globe Master III at Nevatim Air Base, Israel, March 1, 2019. Photo: Robert Durr/DVIDS/AFP/Getty Images

Palestinian civilians and aid workers in Gaza say “no one talks about the bloodshed there” and hopes for a ceasefire are fading as the world's attention turns to Lebanon.

The Guardian's Bethan McKernan reports:

When Israeli bombs began falling across Lebanon, the scenes of bloodshed and chaos were grimly familiar to the people of Gaza. Mai al-Afifa, 24, was holding a workshop on identifying unexploded ordnance at a school in the central Gaza Strip town of Deir al-Balah on Thursday when an Israeli rocket hit the nearest building on the site. According to paramedics on site, 28 people were killed and 54 injured.

Through the smoke and debris, Afifa saw the body parts of two women and a male helper as she stumbled to safety. The Israeli military said it used a targeted attack against Hamas militants and used the school as a command center.

“We are very sad about what is happening now in Lebanon… We have experienced this pain and loss,” Afifa said. “But we also fear that Gaza will be forgotten: the massacres have increased here and no one is talking about it. All TV channels are talking about the regional war, Iran, Israel and the events in Lebanon.”

For the full story click here:

The US plans to send a missile defense system to Israel, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials.

According to the medium, the US also plans to send “a total of almost 100 soldiers” to operate the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system.

The White House has not yet released an official statement.

Reuters reports that an Israeli airstrike killed five children in northern Gaza on Sunday.

Citing Palestinian news agency WAFA, Reuters reports that the children were playing near a cafe in the Al-Shati area when they were killed by a drone strike.

Since last October, Israel has killed more than 16,400 children in Gaza, making the occupied Palestinian territory the deadliest place in the world for children, according to Save the Children.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “like two days ago.”

Trump made these comments in an interview with Fox News that aired Sunday.

Related Posts

Bad Boys 4 ignores Mike's love interest. The franchise was founded three years ago

Eight takeaways as the Maye era begins with a loss to the Texans in Week 6

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 6: Zack Moss, Chase Brown

Leave a Reply Cancel reply