The head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defence Forces, Lt. General Igor Kirillov, was killed in an explosion outside a residential building on Ryazansky Avenue in Moscow on Tuesday, reported news agency AP. The Russian Investigative Committee reported that the blast was caused by an explosive device strategically planted on a scooter. Kirillov's assistant also died in the blast, which was triggered by an explosive device placed in a scooter, officials said, reported AP. Russian authorities have formally opened a criminal investigation into the incident. Svetlana Petrenko, the committee's spokesperson, confirmed that investigators, forensic experts, and operational services are actively working at the crime scene to determine the precise circumstances of the attack. “Investigative and search activities are being carried out to establish all the circumstances around this crime,” she said in a statement. The timing of the assassination is notable, as Kirillov was sentenced in absentia by a Ukrainian court on Monday for allegedly using banned chemical weapons during Russia's military operation in Ukraine that started in February 2022. The Ukrainian Security Service, the SBU, claims to have documented over 4,800 instances of chemical weapon usage on the battlefield since February 2022, with a particular focus on K-1 combat grenades. During the almost 3-year operation, Russia has made small but steady territorial gains to the nearly one-fifth of Ukraine it already controls, reported AP. Russia targets Ukrainian infra with massive attack by cruise missiles, drones In another news, Russia on Friday had launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine, which involved dozens of cruise missiles and drones. To cripple the country’s electricity system, this was the latest such strike. Ukraine’s energy minister Herman Halushchenko wrote on his Facebook page that the Russian military targeted the Ukrainian power grid. “The enemy continues its terror,” he said. Halushchenko said energy workers do everything necessary to “minimise negative consequences for the energy system,” promising to release more details on damages once the security situation allows it. Multiple strike drones launched at Ukraine overnight followed by swarms of cruise missiles in the country’s air space, reported Ukraine’s air force. (With agency inputs)
17 December,2024 02:36 PM IST | Moscow | mid-day online correspondentCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces the biggest test of his political career after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, long one of his most powerful and loyal ministers, announced Monday that she was resigning from the Cabinet. It was a move that stunned the country and raised questions about how much longer the unpopular Trudeau can stay in his job. Freeland, who was also deputy prime minister, said that Trudeau had told her Friday that he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister and that he offered her another role in the Cabinet. But she said in her resignation letter to the prime minister that the only "honest and viable path" was to leave the Cabinet. "For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada," Freeland said. Freeland and Trudeau disagreed about a two-month sales tax holiday and $250 Canadian ($175) checks to Canadians that were recently announced. Freeland said that Canada is dealing with US President-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose sweeping 25% tariffs and should eschew "costly political gimmicks" it can "ill afford". "Our country is facing a grave challenge," Freeland said in the letter. "That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war." The resignation comes as Freeland, who chaired a Cabinet committee on US relations, was set to deliver the fall economic statement and likely announce border security measures designed to help Canada avoid Trump's tariffs. The US president-elect has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the US from Canada and Mexico unless they stem the numbers of migrants and drugs. Trudeau has said that he plans on leading the Liberal Party into the next election, but there are some party members who don't want him to run for a fourth term. It wasn't immediately clear what Freeland's resignation from the Cabinet means for Trudeau's immediate future. "This news has hit me really hard," a shocked Transport Minister Anita Anand said. She added that she needed to digest it before commenting further. Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said that the government is losing control at the worst possible time. "Justin Trudeau has lost control, but he's hanging onto power," Poilievre said. "All this chaos, all this division, all this weakness is happening as our largest neighbour and closet ally is imposing 25% tariffs under a recently elected Trump with a strong mandate, a man who knows how to identify weakness." No Canadian prime minister in more than a century has won four straight terms. The federal election has to be held before October. The Liberals must rely on the support of at least one major party in Parliament, because they don't hold an outright majority themselves. If the opposition New Democratic Party, or NDP, pulls support, an election can be held at any time. Trudeau channelled the star power of his father in 2015, when he reasserted the country's liberal identity after almost a decade of Conservative Party rule. But the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is now in big trouble. Canadians have been frustrated by the rising cost of living and other issues like immigration increases following the country's emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic. "As a country we have to project strength," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said. "It's chaos right now up in Ottawa." Trudeau's legacy includes opening the doors wide to immigration. He also legalised cannabis and brought in a carbon tax intended to fight climate change. Freeland said in the resignation letter that Canadians "know when we are working for them, and they equally know when we are focused on ourselves. Inevitably, our time in government will come to an end." Freeland's resignation comes as Trudeau has been trying to recruit Mark Carney to join his government. Carney is the former head of the Bank of England and Bank of Canada. He was so well regarded after helping Canada dodge the worst of the global economic crisis that the UK named him the first foreigner to serve as governor of the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694. Carney has long been interested in entering politics and becoming the leader of the Liberal Party. It wasn't immediately clear if Carney has agreed to join Trudeau's Cabinet. "This is quite a bombshell," said Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. "Freeland was not only finance minister but also deputy prime minister and, until a couple of years ago, was seen as Trudeau's heir as Liberal leader and prime minister." Wiseman said that leaks from the prime minister's office suggest that she was a poor communicator and made Freeland's status questionable. "There was talk about her becoming foreign minister again and that would have been a good fit for her, but the stab in the back from the prime minister's office cast the die," Wiseman said. Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, also called it a political earthquake and not just because Freeland was the second most powerful official in government. "Also because of how she resigned: by publishing a letter on social media that clearly criticizes the prime minister only hours before she was supposed to present the government's fall economic statement," Béland said. "This is clearly a minority government on life support but, until now, the (opposition) NDP has rejected calls to pull the plug on it. It's hard to know whether this resignation will force the NDP to rethink its strategy." NDP leader Jagmeet Singh released a statement, but didn't say whether his party would vote to topple the government. "While the Liberals fight with each other, I believe we should be fighting for Canadians jobs at risk from Donald Trump's tariffs," Singh said in a statement. "People deserve a government that fights for you for a change." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 December,2024 08:35 AM IST | Toronto | AP | PTIPresident-elect Donald Trump on Monday suggested that he may reverse President Joe Biden's recent decision to allow Ukrainian forces to use American long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory. Trump called the decision made by Biden last month "stupid." He also expressed anger that his incoming administration was not consulted before Biden made the move. With the loosening of the restrictions, Biden gave Ukraine long-sought permission to use the Army Tactical Missile System provided by the U.S. to strike Russian positions hundreds miles from its border. "I don't think that should have been allowed, not when there's a possibility " certainly not just weeks before I take over," Trump said during at a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort. "Why would they do that without asking me what I thought? I wouldn't have had him do that. I think it was a big mistake." Trump's withering criticism of the Biden administration's move comes as the Democratic administration aims to push every last dollar already designated for Ukraine out the door to help repel Russia's invasion before Trump takes office on Jan. 20, with future aid uncertain. But even as Biden tries to surge weaponry and other aid to Ukraine in his final five weeks in office, the moment underscored that it's Trump who holds the most significant influence over how Ukraine can use its U.S.-provided arsenal in the long run. It's a critical piece of leverage he could use to try to follow through on his campaign pledge to bring about a swift end to the conflict. Asked if he would consider reversing the Biden administration decision, Trump responded: "I might. I think it was a very stupid thing to do." The White House pushed back on Trump's criticism, noting that the decision was made after months of deliberations that started before last month's election. "All I can assure you is that in the conversations we've had with them since the election, and we've had at various levels, we have articulated to them the logic behind it, the thinking behind it, why we were doing it," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said of the current administration's coordination with the outgoing administration. Trump's relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been scrutinised since his 2016 campaign for president, when he called on Russia to find and make public missing emails deleted by Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent. Trump publicly sided with Putin over U.S. intelligence officials on whether Russia had interfered in the 2016 election to help him, and Trump has praised the Russian leader and even called him "pretty smart" for invading Ukraine. Vice President-elect JD Vance has said that while the U.S. has differences with Russia, it was counterproductive to approach Moscow as an enemy. Trump on Monday reiterated his call on both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war, calling the death and despair caused by the conflict "carnage." But Trump also appeared to acknowledge that finding an immediate endgame to the war " something he has previously said he could get done within 24 hours of taking office " could be difficult. "I think the Middle East will be in a good place," Trump said, referring to the conflict in Gaza and an unsettled Syria following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. "I think actually more difficult is going to be the Russia-Ukraine situation." Trump declined to say whether he has spoken with Putin since the election. Zelenskyy met with Trump in Paris earlier this month, while the president-elect was visiting France for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have been making a forceful effort to get Trump to maintain support for Ukraine. But the situation on the ground in Ukraine continues to remain complicated as both sides wrestle for a battlefield advantage that will give them leverage in any negotiations to end the nearly three-year war. The Pentagon last week unveiled U.S. intelligence that predicts Russia could again launch its lethal new intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine soon. Putin deployed the missile for the first time last month days after Biden loosened the restrictions on Ukraine. Putin warned the West that Russia's next use could be against Ukraine's NATO allies who allowed Kyiv to use their longer-range missiles to strike inside Russia. Biden agreed to loosen the restrictions after Zelenskyy and many of his Western supporters had pressed Biden for months. They argued that the U.S. ban had made it impossible for Ukraine to try to stop Russian attacks on its cities and electrical grids. The outgoing president ultimately made the decision last month amid concerns about Russia deploying thousands of North Korean troops to help it claw back land in the Kursk border region that Ukraine seized this year. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 December,2024 08:34 AM IST | Palm Beach | AP | PTIA teenage student opened fire with a handgun Monday at a private Christian school in Wisconsin, killing a teacher and another teenager during the final week before Christmas break. The shooter also died, police said. The shooter also wounded six others at Abundant Life Christian School, including two students who were in critical condition, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said. A teacher and three students had been taken to a hospital with less serious injuries, and two of them had been released by Monday evening. "I'm feeling a little dismayed now, so close to Christmas," Barnes said. "Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. ... We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened." The shooter was a 17-year-old female student, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorised to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. Police said the shooter was dead by apparent suicide when officers arrived. Barnes declined to give details about the shooter, partly out of respect for the family. With a few rare exceptions, a 17-year-old can't legally possess a gun in Wisconsin. Barnes said investigators may have enough information to release more detail about the shooter in another press conference later Monday. He also warned people against sharing unconfirmed reports on social media about the shooter's identity. "What that does is it helps erode the trust in this process," he said. Abundant Life is a nondenominational Christian school " kindergarten through high school " with approximately 400 students in Madison, the state capital. Barbara Wiers, director of elementary and school relations, said the school does not have metal detectors but uses other security measures including cameras. She said the school had done a safety retraining with the Madison Police Department just before the school year, so it was "very fresh for faculty." When the school practices safety routines, leaders always announce that it is a drill. That didn't happen Monday. "When they heard lockdown, lockdown,' they knew it was real," she said of the students, who she said "handled themselves magnificently." Children and families were reunited at a medical building about a mile away. Parents pressed children against their chests while others squeezed hands and shoulders as they walked side by side. One girl was comforted with an adult-size coat around her shoulders as she moved to a parking lot teeming with police vehicles. A motive for the shooting was not immediately known, but Barnes said they're talking with the parents of the suspected shooter and they are cooperating. He also said he didn't know if the people shot had been targeted. "I don't know why, and I feel like if we did know why, we could stop these things from happening," he told reporters. Someone from the school called 911 to report an active shooter shortly before 11 a.m. First responders who were in training just 3 miles (5 kilometers) away dashed to the school for an actual emergency, Barnes said. Investigators believe the shooter used a 9mm pistol, a law enforcement official told the AP. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation. Police blocked off roads around the school, and federal agents were at the scene to assist local law enforcement. No shots were fired by police. Abundant Life asked for prayers in a brief Facebook post. Bethany Highman, the mother of a student, rushed to the school and learned over FaceTime that her daughter was OK. "As soon as it happened, your world stops for a minute. Nothing else matters," Highman said. "There's nobody around you. You just bolt for the door and try to do everything you can as a parent to be with your kids." In a statement, President Joe Biden cited the tragedy in calling on Congress to pass universal background checks, a national red flag law and certain gun restrictions. "We can never accept senseless violence that traumatizes children, their families, and tears entire communities apart," Biden said. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said it's "unthinkable" that a child or teacher would go to school and never return home. Wiers said their goal is to get the school's staff together early in the week and then try to have some community opportunities for our students to reconnect. The school shooting was the latest among dozens across the U.S. in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut; Parkland, Florida; and Uvalde, Texas. The shootings have set off fervent debates about gun control and frayed the nerves of parents whose children are growing up accustomed to doing active shooter drills in their classrooms. But school shootings have done little to move the needle on national gun laws. Firearms were the leading cause of death among children in 2020 and 2021, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues. Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said the country needs to do more to prevent gun violence. "I hoped that this day would never come to Madison," she said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 December,2024 08:34 AM IST | Madison | AP | PTIFrance was rushing help by ship and military aircraft to its poor overseas territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean on Monday after the island was shattered by its worst storm in nearly a century. Authorities in Mayotte fear hundreds and possibly thousands of people have died in Cyclone Chido, although the official death toll on Monday morning stood at 14. Rescue teams and medical personnel have been sent to the island off the east coast of Africa from France and from the nearby French territory of Reunion, as well as tons of supplies. French television station TF1 reported on Monday morning that Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau had arrived in Mamoudzou, the capital of Mayotte. “It will take days and days to establish the human toll,” he told French media. Over 800 more personnel are expected to arrive in the coming days as rescuers comb through the devastation caused by Chido when it hit the densely populated archipelago of around 300,000 people on Saturday. Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville, the top French government official in Mayotte, said on Sunday that the death toll could even be in the thousands. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 December,2024 07:59 AM IST | Cape Town | AgenciesPopeye can punch without permission and Tintin can roam freely starting in 2025. The two classic comic characters who first appeared in 1929 are among the intellectual properties becoming public domain in the US on January 1. That means they can be used and repurposed without permission or payment to copyright holders. This year’s crop lacks the landmark vibes of last year’s entrance of Mickey Mouse into the public domain. But it includes a deep well of canonical works whose 95-year copyright maximums will expire. And the Disney icon’s public domain presence expands. “It’s a trove! There are a dozen new Mickey cartoons—he speaks for the first time and dons his white gloves,” said Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain. “There are masterpieces from Faulkner and Hemingway, the first sound films from Alfred Hitchcock, Cecil B DeMille, and John Ford, and amazing music from Fats Waller, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin. Pretty exciting!” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 December,2024 07:59 AM IST | North Carolina | AgenciesThe death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 14-month war between Israel and Hamas militants has topped 45,000 people, Palestinian health officials said on Monday, with 52 dead arriving at hospitals across the bombed-out strip over the past 24 hours. The Israeli military says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The Gaza Health Ministry said 45,028 people have been killed and 106,962 have been wounded since the start of the war. It said the real toll is higher because thousands of bodies are still buried under rubble. Missile warehouses in Syria hit by Israel A UK-based war monitor says Israeli airstrikes early Monday hit missile warehouses in Syria and called it the “most violent strikes” since 2012. Israel has been pounding what it says are military sites in Syria after the collapse of President Bashar Assad’s rule, wiping out air defences and most of the arsenal of the former Syrian army. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 December,2024 07:59 AM IST | Deir Al-Balah | AgenciesThe 54th Vijay Diwas (victory day) celebrations in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka started with a 31 gun salute at sunrise. Six guns of an artillery regiment of the Bangladesh Army saluted the bravehearts who sacrificed their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War by firing 31 cannon rounds. Vijay Diwas for the 1971 Liberation War is celebrated on December 16, to commemorate India’s victory against Pakistan in the 13-day war, which ended with Pakistan signing the instrument of surrender in Dhaka and the subsequent liberation of Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan). On December 16, 1971, Pakistan’s Armed Forces Chief General Amir Abdullah Niazi surrendered along with 93,000 soldiers before the Indian Army and the Mukti Bahini of Bangladesh. India and Bangladesh jointly commemorate the event. War veterans’ exchange visit Eight Indian war veterans and two serving officers of the Indian Armed Forces have arrived in Dhaka for the celebrations. Similarly, eight distinguished Muktijoddhas (freedom fighters) and two serving officers of the Bangladesh Armed Forces also reached India to participate in the Vijay Diwas celebrations in Kolkata, with a joint wreath-laying ceremony at Vijay Smarak. ‘This year extra significant’ Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus led the celebrations, calling this year’s event extra significant after the ouster of what he referred to as the “world’s worst autocratic government”. In his speech to mark the occasion, he made no mention of the political leadership in 1971 or the country’s founding leader, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman—the father of deposed premier Sheikh Hasina. Yunus and President Mohammed Shahabuddin also paid tributes to Liberation War martyrs and the National Memorial at Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka. 1971Year of Bangladeshi liberation ‘Election in late 2025 or first half of 2026’ Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Monday said the next general election in the country could take place by the end of 2025 or the first half of 2026. He, however, said the timing of the election will largely depend upon the political consensus and the extent of the reforms that must be carried out prior to it. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 December,2024 07:58 AM IST | Dhaka | AgenciesPakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said that the announcement of the 'civil disobedience movement' was made by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan and not him, ARY News reported. Gandapur said that their demands include the release of the party founder, restoration of their mandate, and reversal of unconstitutional amendments. "There is no clarity on this matter yet. We will act on 'civil disobedience' once clarity emerges," ARY News quoted Gandapur as saying. Regarding the civil disobedience movement, Gandapur reiterated that the decision rested with Imran Khan, and whatever action he announces will be followed. Meanwhile, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza said that the strategy of the proposed 'civil disobedience movement' has been devised, claiming it would be "more successful" than the 2014 one. He added that they want to negotiate and it is their top priority. "We are ready to talk with the government if it has powers, but it has to show its authority", he added. Earlier on December 6, incarcerated former PM Imran Khan said that if the PTI's demands are not met, a 'civil disobedience movement' will follow. He said, "We have two demands- A commission should be formed under the senior most judges of the Supreme Court to conduct an independent inquiry into the events of May 9 and November 26. -Unjustly imprisoned political prisoners should be released A committee headed by Umar Ayub has been formed for negotiations. If the demands are not met, civil disobedience, reduction of remittances and boycott movement will be initiated." Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub on Monday expressed the party's willingness to engage in negotiations with anyone, "whether human or angel," to resolve ongoing political issues, The Express Tribune reported. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 December,2024 08:31 AM IST | Peshawar | ANISri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday and held talks on strengthening economic cooperation between the two nations. Dissanayake said that they discussed strengthening Indo-Sri Lanka economic cooperation, enhancing investment opportunities and fostering regional security. In a post on X, Dissanayake said, "During my official visit to India, I had the privilege of engaging in productive discussions with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and National Security Advisor Shri Ajit Doval. Our conversations focused on strengthening Indo-Sri Lanka economic cooperation, enhancing investment opportunities, fostering regional security, and advancing key sectors such as tourism and energy. These engagements reaffirm the commitment to deepening the partnership between our two nations." Earlier on Sunday, Dissanayake also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Jaishankar, during his meeting with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday, highlighted the island nation's prominent role in India's Neighborhood First policy and SAGAR Outlook. He further affirmed confidence that President Dissanayake's talks with Prime Minister Modi today will lead to greater cooperation between New Delhi and Colombo. "Pleased to call on President Anura Kumara Disanayake at the start of his first State Visit to India. Sri Lanka is key to both India's Neighborhood First policy and SAGAR Outlook. Confident that the talks with PM Narendra Modi tomorrow will lead to greater trust and deeper cooperation," the EAM stated in a post on X. Dissanayake said he held "fruitful discussions on the matters of mutual interest" during his meetings with EAM Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Earlier in the day, the Sri Lankan President was received by Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan in Delhi. This is the first bilateral visit of Dissanayake to India after assuming office in September. The Sri Lankan President is on a day State visit to India from December 15 to December 17. Dissanayake will meet President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 December,2024 08:30 AM IST | New Delhi | ANIIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed holding a phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump, during which he reaffirmed his country's 'determination' to continue acting against Iran and its armed proxies, CNN reported. Netanyahu said in the video message that he had a "very friendly, very warm, and very important conversation" on Saturday (local time) and told about the need for Israel to "complete its victory." The leaders also spoke of the need to bring home the remaining hostages in Gaza. Hamas carried out a massive terror attack on Israel on October 7 killing over 1200 people and holding over 250 as hostages. Around 100 of them are still believed to be in captivity in Gaza. Israel launched a strong counter-offensive targeting Hamas units in Gaza in an operation that has killed over 45,000 Palestinians. "I discussed all of this again last night with my friend, US President-elect Donald Trump," Netanyahu said in a statement. "It was a very friendly, very warm and very important conversation. We spoke about the need to complete Israel's victory, and we also spoke at length about the efforts we are making to free our hostages," he said as quoted by CNN. Netanyahu said that Israel continues to "work tirelessly to bring our hostages home, both the living and the dead. And I add, the less we talk about it, the better, and so with God's help, we will succeed." On Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister took to social media platform X and strongly affirmed that they would "change" the Middle East. "I said we would change the Middle East and this is what is happening. Syria is not the same Syria. Lebanon is not the same Lebanon. Gaza is not the same Gaza. Iran is not the same Iran," Netanyahu said in a post on X. "We are committed to preventing Hezbollah from rearming," he said. "This is an ongoing test for Israel, we must meet it - and we will meet it. I say to Hezbollah and Iran in no uncertain terms - to prevent you from harming us, we will continue to act against you as much as necessary, in every arena and at all times," as per Times of Israel. Since the rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the over two-decades-long Bashar al-Assad regime on December 8, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes across Syria and carried out a land incursion that stretches past the occupied Golan Heights into a previously demilitarized buffer zone, as reported by The Washington Post. The Israeli army swiftly took control of the abandoned army positions, and air attacks have decimated most of Syria's military capabilities. Netanyahu reiterated that recent airstrikes against Syrian military sites were carried out to ensure that the weapons would not be used against Israel in the future. Israel also hit arms supply routes to Hezbollah, he said, acording to Times of Israel. "We have no interest in a conflict with Syria," Netanyahu said. "We will determine Israel's policy toward Syria according to the emerging reality on the ground." Netanyahu has said that Israel has "no intention of interfering" in Syria's internal affairs, but also warned to take "necessary" measures if the current regime allows Iran to re-establish itself in Syria or transfers weapons to Hezbollah. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 December,2024 08:22 AM IST | Tel Aviv | ANIADVERTISEMENT
