edited by Vittorio Nuti
After almost a month, US President Joe Biden spoke again with Benyamin Netanyahu, to reiterate that the United States continues to focus on the creation of a Palestinian state despite the Israeli prime minister having ruled it out just yesterday. And that Israel must reduce the damage suffered by civilians in Gaza. The creation of a state for the Palestinians is not impossible under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “No, it is not,” Biden replied to those who asked him if a two-state solution with Netanyahu was impossible. The Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades, allies of Hamas, have released a video showing an Israeli hostage who they say was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Iran announces satellite launch, fears over ballistic missile development
Iran said it had launched a satellite, the latest in a program that the West fears will improve Tehran’s ballistic missiles. Iranian state television reported that the launch was part of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ space program. The United States has already said Iranian satellite launches defy a United Nations Security Council resolution and has asked Tehran not to engage in any activity involving ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. UN sanctions related to Iran’s ballistic missile program expired last October.
The US intelligence community’s global threat assessment for 2023 said the development of satellite launch vehicles “shortens the timeline” for Iran’s development of an intercontinental ballistic missile, as it uses similar technology.
Wafa, “dozens dead in Gaza due to Israeli bombings”
The Wafa news agency reported that “dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, were killed and others injured in a salvo of Israeli artillery attacks on Gaza.” According to the same source, “a series of houses, residential buildings and apartments, and public and private properties were hit and seriously damaged.” The areas are those near Khan Yunis, in the south of the Strip.
Israeli air raid in Damascus, 5 Pasdaran officers killed
Syrian state media reported that a residential building in Damascus was hit by what appears to have been an Israeli airstrike. In a video released on social media, a large plume of smoke can be seen rising into the air in the Mezzah neighborhood. The Times of Israel said there was no confirmation from Israel at this time. A local source told Reuters that the Israeli attack resulted in the deaths of five Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers and officials. The source said the multi-storey building was used by Iranian advisers who supported the Syrian government and was entirely razed.
Ukraine, Podolyak calls for more weapons, “Putin will not settle for less”
Ukraine is asking allies for more weapons almost two years after the start of the Russian invasion. “At this stage of the war the problem is that the number of weapons, drones, grenades or artillery shells is not distributed homogeneously,” said the advisor to the Ukrainian presidency, Mykhailo Podolyak, in an interview with Bild , convinced of the need to maximize the strengthening of Ukraine’s defenses with high-tech weapons. Investments in military production are needed, he insisted, citing “long-range missiles, drones, grenades or artillery rounds” and insisting on a “large number of weapons”. “The entire front line is 1,300 kilometers long – remarked Podolyak, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – and the fighting takes place over 600-800 kilometres”. Podolyak spoke of a situation defined as difficult from a military point of view because the intensity of the clashes does not decrease, even if – he said – no significant Russian advances have been recorded in a year. “Russia is fighting en masse, a secret mobilization has been carried out, a lot of manpower has been sent to the front, a lot of equipment has been concentrated and everything must be destroyed,” he said, adding that he believes that according to the ideas of Russian leader Vladimir Putin the war should continue “until it conquers the entire territory of Ukraine, achieves dominance in Europe, conquers other territories of the post-Soviet space”. “No one – he stated – starts a big war after destroying his reputation and relationships if he wants to settle for little”.
Microsoft accuses hackers linked to Russia, company emails targeted
Hackers with ties to the Russian government gained access to emails of Microsoft executives. Microsoft made this known in the last few hours, explaining that the attack began at the end of November and was discovered on January 12th. The hackers also downloaded documents attached to emails. ‘Intrusions’, as disclosed, also in company emails from cybersecurity staff and the legal team. Microsoft identified the perpetrator of the attack “as Midnight Blizzard, the Russian state-sponsored actor also known as Nobelium”, says the company which had around 221,000 employees as of last June. It is not clear how many accounts are involved, Microsoft speaks of a “very small percentage”. It all started with a “password spraying attack”, which the company specifies was not the result of product or service vulnerabilities. At the moment, there is “no evidence” of “access to customer environments, production systems, source code or Ai systems”.
After a week-long stoppage in Gaza, telephone and internet services are resuming
Telephone and internet services are gradually returning to the Strip. The Paltel company made this known. What appears to be resolving was the longest communications blackout in Gaza since the war began: about a week in total.
China; fire in elementary school dormitory, 13 students killed
Chinese state media reports that 13 students have died following a fire that broke out in the dormitories of a boarding school for elementary students in the central province of Henan. A teacher told state news outlet Zonglan that all 13 who died in the fire were third-graders. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV says one person rescued from the scene has been taken to hospital. According to CCTV, the fire broke out on Friday evening and was put out shortly before midnight at Yingcai school, in a rural district of central Henan. The college is mainly aimed at elementary school students, although it has a kindergarten attached. Local authorities said they were investigating the cause of the fire.
Israel, army operations in Gaza against rocket emplacements
The Israeli army – supported by the air force and navy – is continuing to strike and destroy “terrorist infrastructure and weapons throughout the Strip”. The military spokesman said this, citing operations in both the north and south of the Palestinian enclave. In the north – he explained – “a series of rocket launch stations used to shoot towards Israeli territory” have been located. Posts – he underlined – that “were destroyed”. In the city of Khan Yunis – in the south of the Strip – the soldiers carried out “a raid on a military compound, neutralizing six launch positions ready for shooting. Furthermore, a tunnel and explosive devices were discovered in the area.”
UN, women and children main victims of the war in Gaza
Women and children are the main victims of the Gaza war, with around 16,000 dead and around two mothers losing their lives every hour since Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, the UN agency that promotes equality has said of gender. Due to the more than 100 days of conflict, UN Women added, at least 3,000 women may have been widowed and at least 10,000 children may have lost their fathers. The agency highlighted gender inequality and the burden placed on women who flee fighting with children and who are repeatedly displaced. Of the 2.3 million inhabitants of the territory, we read, 1.9 million are displaced and “almost a million are women and girls” seeking refuge and safety.
Moscow, “Ukrainian drone shot down over the Russian region of Bryansk”
Russia says a Ukrainian drone was intercepted and shot down in the skies over Bryansk province, on the border with Ukraine. According to Moscow’s Defense Ministry, this morning “around 6.30 local time an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out” what is described as “a terrorist attack using a drone against structures within the territory was foiled of the Russian Federation”. A statement relaunched by the Russian Tass agency adds that “the air defense destroyed the drone over the Bryansk region”. The governor of the region, Alexander Bogomaz, announced via Telegram that there were no casualties or damage.
Biden, two-state solution not impossible with Netanyahu in office
The creation of a state for the Palestinians is not impossible under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “No, it’s not,” Biden responded when asked if a two-state solution with Netanyahu was impossible. The President then explained that the Prime Minister of Israel is not against all two-state solutions and there are different types of them: “There are numerous types of two-state solutions. There are countries that are members of the UN and do not have their own armed forces. I think there are ways it could work,” Biden highlighted.
CNN, US State Department confirms death of American citizen in West Bank
The US State Department confirmed the death of an American citizen in the West Bank yesterday and asked the Israeli government for information. The confirmation came to CNN from a spokesperson, who offered “condolences to the family” but did not provide details on the identity of the deceased. Yesterday the Palestinian agency Wafa reported the shooting death of 17-year-old Tawfiq Hafiz Ajjaq in Al-Mazraa Al-Sharqiya, east of Ramallah. The IDF and the Israeli police told CNN they had received a report that an off-duty policeman and an Israeli civilian had opened fire on “a Palestinian subject suspected of throwing stones in the Al-Mazra’a ash area”. Sharqiya”.
CNN, Israeli army has desecrated at least 16 cemeteries in Gaza
The Israeli army has desecrated at least 16 cemeteries in its offensive in Gaza, leaving broken gravestones, piles of earth and, in some cases, exhumed bodies: this is what emerges from a CNN investigation published today on the broadcaster’s website. In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where fighting intensified earlier this week, Israeli forces destroyed a cemetery and removed some bodies, telling CNN that the operation was part of the search for the remains of the kidnapped hostages by Hamas during the October 7 terrorist attacks. “The hostage identification process, conducted in a safe and alternative location, guarantees optimal professional conditions and respect for the deceased,” an IDF spokesperson told CNN, adding that unidentified bodies such as those of the hostages are “ returned with dignity and respect.” The spokesman was unable to explain the destruction of the 16 cemeteries for which CNN provided the coordinates, the US broadcaster added, but said that the army sometimes “has no other choice” other than to target the cemeteries that in his opinion are used by Hamas for military purposes. The intentional destruction of religious sites, such as cemeteries, violates international law, except in limited circumstances, namely when such a site becomes a military target, CNN writes. According to legal experts consulted by the broadcaster, Israel’s actions could amount to war crimes.