Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of spying and arrested in Russia stands inside a defendants’ cage during a hearing at a court in Moscow on Aug. 23, 2019. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Russia and the United States have agreed to swap prisoners in an extraordinary multipart deal, according to senior Biden administration official.
The swap will allow the two wrongfully detained American citizens held by Moscow, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, to return home.
Gershkovich, 32, was arrested by Russian authorities in March 2023 for espionage, a charge he and U.S. officials flatly deny, with President Joe Biden saying Gershkovich was targeted for being a journalist and an American.
After an unusually hasty trial that played out behind closed doors, Gershkovich was found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in a high-security penal colony.
Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Irish and Canadian citizenship, was arrested in December 2018 while traveling on an American passport in Russia and also accused of espionage.
Both the Biden and Trump administrations denied the allegation against Whelan. He was convicted on the charges in June 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison, ultimately serving five.
(LONDON) — Israel’s military has conducted at least eight airstrikes in recent months in an area it designated as an expanded humanitarian zone, an ABC News investigation has found using verified videos, photos and personal testimonies.
Israeli officials confirmed the strikes to ABC News, but maintained they were efforts to destroy Hamas militants, commanders and infrastructure hidden within Palestinian neighborhoods. The strikes examined by ABC News all together killed at least 110 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, and hit hospitals in the safe zone that treated victims.
International observers said the strikes, which occurred over a period of weeks, raised questions about whether Israel had intentionally targeted areas where they directed civilians to take refuge. Doing so could be a war crime, according to international law experts.
Muntaha Zaqzouq, 20, moved to this expanded humanitarian area from the southern Gaza city of Rafah after the Israel Defense Forces warned civilians to go there.
At least 800,000 people fled Rafah in May, the majority of whom found shelter in the expanded humanitarian area, according to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, which works with Palestinian refugees.
Zaqzouq and her two siblings were in their tent in the courtyard of a school when a bomb fell nearby, on July 3, she told ABC News in an interview. The siblings rushed to each other’s side, huddling together inside the tent, before a second bomb ripped apart their tent, she said.
“When the dust started to clear, I looked and found my brother full of blood. I looked at myself and found that I was full of blood, my T-shirt, and my legs had blood on them,” she said.
Zaqzouq’s brother needed 35 stitches to his head, and she herself needed stitches to her leg, she said.
Satellite images and ABC News video corroborate Zaqzouq’s story, showing two strikes north of the school where she was living with her siblings, and her tent shredded.
She and her family had moved six times before settling in the safe zone in Khan Younis, near Nasser hospital, she told ABC News. She said the IDF did not warn them before the bombings.
“No one warned us, no one said that there would be a strike, and they did not call anyone. The strike happened suddenly and the square was full of people sitting outside,” she said.
The IDF told ABC News it “struck a terrorist infrastructure at the provided coordinates.”
As the IDF launched its ground operation in Rafah in May, the Israeli military announced the expansion of an official humanitarian area where the city’s residents could go to be safe.
In a May 6 post on social platform X, the IDF spokesperson for Arabic Media released a map of the designated humanitarian area, which had been expanded to include not just Al-Mawasi, a small area in the southwest of Gaza, but also the western parts of the nearby city of Khan Younis and the entire city of Deir al-Balah to the north.
“For your safety, the IDF calls on you to evacuate immediately to the expanded humanitarian zone,” the post said.
Confirming the borders of the humanitarian area, the IDF in June referred ABC News to their website which has an interactive map of Gaza with the humanitarian zone outlined. Text on the page, referring to following IDF instructions related to the map, reads, “Residents of Gaza! It is a safe way to preserve your safety, your lives, and the lives of your families.”
The IDF amended the boundaries of the humanitarian area on July 22 and again on July 27, removing portions to the east of the “safe zone,” because of what it said was “significant terrorist activity and rocket fire toward the State of Israel from the eastern part of the Humanitarian Area in the Gaza Strip.” None of the IDF airstrikes examined by ABC News occurred in these areas.
ABC News asked the IDF about eight specific airstrikes in the humanitarian area.
“The IDF does not aim to strike humanitarian areas as such,” the IDF told ABC News in June, saying that Palestinian militants use civilian infrastructure for military purposes, but that, “Nevertheless, and on account of the concentrated presence of civilians in these areas, the approval process for these strikes is more stringent.”
In another statement to ABC News in July, the IDF accused Hamas of increasing “its military presence and operations from humanitarian zones,” including firing rockets toward Israel.
The rules around strikes on safe zones are clear, according to David Crane, an American international law expert who has prosecuted war crimes for the United Nations.
“There’s no gray area, it’s black and white,” he told ABC News. “If you intentionally target a safe zone where there are civilians, that’s a war crime.”
Janina Dill, co-director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law, and Armed Conflict, said that there are strict legal rules under international humanitarian law, which is based on rules laid out in the Geneva Conventions, for what is considered a safe zone. She said she believes “Israel’s so-called safe zones do not easily meet the criteria of any of these legally recognized areas.” Thus, strikes in this area would not alone be enough to designate a war crime, she said.
She said that when Israel creates “safe zones” it can be seen as the military attempting to fulfill its legal obligations to warn civilians before attacks in combat areas.
Dill said that attacks in areas designated by Israel as safe “that kill a lot of civilians weaken the legal framing of the evacuation orders as improving the safety of the civilian population.”
Dill also said that when “reasonably foreseeable” civilian casualties are greater than the military advantage of an attack, the attack is prohibited under international law. This is called the “principle of proportionality,” and Dill said when civilians are displaced to an area Israel designated as safe, civilian casualties from attacks in that area are necessarily “reasonably foreseeable.”
She said that “it is very possible that some of these attacks in safe zones are war crimes because they are clearly disproportionate, or they could also be indiscriminate. However, generally, criminality can definitively only be established in and by a court of law.”
Palestinian journalists and Gaza residents who were near three of the strike sites in the humanitarian zone told ABC News they had received messages from the IDF warning them to evacuate the building before an imminent strike. Within a few hours, videos verified by ABC News show the buildings were destroyed by IDF airstrikes.
The IDF told ABC News they were targeting military infrastructure belonging to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad at each of the three sites where prior warning was given.
An IDF airstrike in northwest Rafah killed at least 45 people on May 26, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. The IDF said it had not conducted that strike within the borders of the humanitarian area.
“Contrary to circulating reports, we carried out the aforementioned strike outside the area considered a humanitarian zone to which we invited residents to move,” an IDF spokesperson wrote in Arabic on X on May 26.
But two days before, on May 24, the IDF dropped a bomb on a tent camp in Al Mawasi, in the center of the humanitarian area.
A journalist within a few hundred yards at the time of the strike told ABC News people received warning to evacuate before the strike and that no one was killed as a result.
Verified video filmed in the aftermath of the strike shows the massive crater left behind, and people attempting to dig up destroyed tents and belongings.
A woman who witnessed a strike in Khan Younis on June 20, who did not want to share her name for fear for her safety, told the ABC News team in Gaza, “People here came to the Khan Younis area and Nasser Hospital on the basis that it is a safe area. Schools for displaced people have been evacuated.”
Two of the strikes where warnings were given were within 100 feet of schools housing displaced people. Videos from Khan Younis show destruction at the nearby school, with parts of the walls missing and debris covering beds.
Other strikes, including five that ABC News has studied, were not preceded by IDF warnings, witnesses and victims said. ABC News provided the IDF with the details of deadly strikes for which there were no public warnings, but the IDF declined to specify whether precautions were taken to minimize civilian harm in those cases.
Several explosions followed by clouds of smoke sent people running in the Al Mawasi area of Gaza on July 13, as seen in social media videos from the scene, that were verified as authentic.
First responders in ambulances and fire trucks rushed toward the scene. As they arrived, another explosion rang out, video shows, this one on the street where medics had stopped, north of the first strike.
ABC News’ cameras captured dozens of people, including women, children and first responders, rushing into the nearby Nasser Hospital. Ninety people were killed and 300 injured in this attack, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said.
The IDF said the strike was targeting Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’ military wing and a key figure behind the Oct. 7 attack. An Israeli official also told ABC News that they believe “that many of the casualties were also terrorists.”
The strike was one of the deadliest single events of the war.
“There is no ‘safe’ or ‘humanitarian’ zone in Gaza. These ‘designations’ were misleading and deceiving,” the commissioner general of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said following the strike.
An earlier IDF airstrike on July 2 hit a home in Deir al-Balah, killing 13 people, including four children and two women, according to the nearby Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the bodies were taken.
Video from the scene shows rescuers digging through the rubble of the upper floors of the house, where the walls appear to have been blown out.
The IDF told ABC News that it “struck a terrorist operative in a military building” but did not comment on the deaths of the women and children also in the building or whether specific measures to avoid harming civilians were taken in this strike.
Another strike on June 14 hit another home in Deir al-Balah not far from the Al Aqsa hospital, videos show. Two people were killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
Verified videos filmed by local journalists show at least four children being rescued from the building. People are seen digging through rubble to free two of them. Once one girl is freed, the footage shows her taken to an ambulance, where a young boy, blood covering his face, is already on a stretcher.
One video also shows an unconscious woman being rushed to a waiting ambulance, and medical responders attending to an elderly woman emerging from the building.
Asked about this strike, the IDF told ABC News that it “struck a military infrastructure at the coordinate provided.”
The IDF told ABC News that Palestinian militant groups “embed their military objects strategically in, near, and under civilian infrastructure including humanitarian zones.” The IDF also claims Hamas members routinely use Palestinian civilians as human shields.
Dill, the Oxford international law expert, said that civilian casualties must still be taken into account in these situations.
“If an attack against this Hamas member would be disproportionate – due to the use of civilians as human shields in a safe zone – this attack would still be prohibited,” Dill said. “The violation of international law by one party to a conflict does not release the other party from its own obligations neither does it – generally – weaken these obligations.”
Crane, the former UN prosecutor, said safe zones should always be protected.
“If you have safe zones and you have civilians moving into the safe zones, with the understanding that they will not be targeted, that’s important,” he said. “If Israel or Hamas or any, any party to the conflict, if they violate that, then they are in fact committing war crimes.”
(NEW YORK) — UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis sat down with ABC News’ Linsey Davis to talk about the dangers to global stability, from conflicts to climate change.
Since 1945, the United Nations has addressed issues that transcend borders, with the world’s problems being debated at the General Assembly Building in New York.
Francis, a diplomat from the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, has served as his country’s permanent representative to the United Nations since 2021. He was elected to serve as the UN General Assembly’s 78th president in 2023.
ABC News talked to Francis at the General Assembly Building’s iconic hall about Israel and Palestine, Ukraine and Russia, climate change, South Sudan and his message to the next president of the United States.
ABC NEWS: Every president probably has had their own tumult.
FRANCIS: Yes.
ABC NEWS: But it just feels like on your watch, it’s especially busy. But do you feel that?
FRANCIS: Yes, I do. Folks who have been here for quite some time say they’ve never really seen it quite like this before. So many challenges emerging at the same time; peace and stability is under increased duress. I think there are 55 conflict situations in the world. 55.
ABC NEWS: The UN Security Council approved a ceasefire plan that was backed by the United States. And in the meantime, we’ve seen no change from Hamas or Israel. Does the Security Council have sufficient power?
FRANCIS: The question is power over whom? As critical as Hamas is as a player in the Middle East crisis, Hamas is not a state. The General Assembly, for example, had called long ago, in October of 2023, for a complete ceasefire in Gaza. We cannot police the world. The UN doesn’t have a police force. The UN speaks and tries to change behavior through its positions and principles, its values.
I would like to see, and I think the only one that is really credible, a two-state solution. Where Israel and the Palestinians live side by side in peace and security.
We’ve had wars in the Middle East, between the two sides, repeatedly. Are we going to continue this cycle of death, degradation, pain, suffering indefinitely?
ABC NEWS: UN-backed groups believe that maybe as many as 500,000 Palestinians are on the verge of famine. Do you think enough is being done to provide relief and aid to the Palestinians?
FRANCIS: We, as the UN, have a concern that more can and ought to be done. We’ve watched the people of Palestine suffer in the most heartrending way. And the hope is that those who have the capacity and the power to make a difference, in terms of the delivery of aid and support to those people, will step up and do the honorable thing, consistent with the requirements of international human rights and humanitarian law.
ABC NEWS: You mentioned that there are currently 55 conflicts going on globally.
FRANCIS: Yes.
ABC NEWS: Of course, top of mind: the war in Ukraine, which is now in excess of two years. What do you see as the likely outcome there and the responsibility of the UN?
FRANCIS: What really needs to happen is that the Russian forces need to pull back and remove themselves from the territory of Ukraine. That is the only credible outcome insofar as we at the United Nations are concerned.
ABC NEWS: Do you feel that Russia should have a permanent spot on the UN Security Council with veto power?
FRANCIS: That’s not a decision for me. That’s a decision for the membership of the United Nations.
ABC NEWS: But if it were up to you?
FRANCIS: It isn’t up to me because the president does not have those powers
ABC NEWS: I know you recently returned from Namibia. Namibia and Africa, in general, both extremely vulnerable to climate change.
FRANCIS: Yes.
ABC NEWS: And I’m wondering if you are concerned, with regard to the UN secretary general has described this as a highway to hell, that this is a moment of truth.
FRANCIS: I normally wear a pin, and for some reason today I forgot it. It’s a 1.5 degree pin. That’s the temperature at which we need to keep the increase in global temperature above pre-industrial levels. That is important, because for a number of countries in the global south, particularly small island developing states, low lying coastal areas, anything above that would be utterly cataclysmic.
ABC NEWS: Let’s talk about South Sudan. There are reports that 25 million people are in need of aid, famine is looming, 8 million people have been displaced from their homes. Do you feel that the world is paying enough attention to the atrocities going on there?
FRANCIS: No.
ABC NEWS: And why do you think that is?
FRANCIS: Insufficient attention has been paid to the conflicts in Africa and, in particular, what’s going on in South Sudan. It is in a very desperate situation. And I would urge, I would urge the international development community to pay greater attention and to be more forthcoming in the context of humanitarian aid. Not just for South Sudan, but there are other places as well, for Somalia, Mali, other places, because human suffering is going on at an alarming rate. And those of us who have the capacity to do something about it need to act.
ABC NEWS: How do you feel that the outcome of America’s presidential election in November will impact the UN?
FRANCIS: The UN does not have a political preference for governments. So whomsoever occupies the Oval Office come November, I’m sure the UN will be in a position to interact with, discuss policy with, and come to decisions that are in the best interests of the world in general.
ABC NEWS: Do you have a message for the future president of the United States?
FRANCIS: Let’s join together and take some bold decisions, bold decisions to begin in earnest to repair some of the problems that are daunting us in the international society – climate change, sea level rise, antimicrobial resistance, artificial intelligence. Ensuring that we harvest the best benefits that can advance science and advance human society without necessarily importing the risks and threats that could unravel the social fabric of society.
Ukrainian servicemen of the Shkval special battalion, 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade, ex-convicts, take part in military exercises at an unspecified location in the Donetsk region, July 26, 2024. (Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images)
(SOLOTVYNSKA, Ukraine) — The barbed wire fence stretches along the bank of the river that marks Ukraine’s western border. Across the water, lie Romania and the European Union.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, there was no fence here at this stretch of the Tisza River. But in the two and a half years since then, Ukraine has tightened security — not to keep Russians out, but Ukrainian men in.
Since 2022, Ukraine has barred most military-age men from leaving the country. As a result, the number seeking to cross the border illegally has soared, according to Ukraine’s border service. Aided by smugglers, some buy counterfeit paperwork to try to pass by official crossings. But others try a more desperate route, trying to sneak out on foot, taking their chances swimming across the river. Fast-flowing and cold, it is dangerous — at least two dozen men have died trying to make the crossing since 2022, according to the border service.
The flow of men and the reinforced security at the border reflect two hard truths Ukraine faces: its military is short on soldiers and it is struggling to find volunteers willing to fight.
Two and a half years of devastating fighting has severely depleted Ukraine’s forces, leaving them in some places heavily outnumbered by Russian troops. The shortage of troops means units are often unable to rotate off the frontline, leaving them exhausted. The issue is one of the key reasons why in recent weeks Russia has been creeping forward in the Donbas region.
In the early months of the war, a vast wave of Ukrainians volunteered to fight. But that wave is now largely exhausted and most of those eager to volunteer have already done so. As the war has become bogged down, with tens of thousands killed and wounded while the lines barely move, enthusiasm to join up has faded.
In recent months, Ukraine’s government has finally taken steps to address the manpower shortage. In late spring a law was passed to lower the conscription age and tightening draft rules. Conscription officers now patrol the streets looking for military-age men, checking their papers and sometimes taking away those who are subject to the draft. That has sent many young men into hiding, rarely venturing outside. Others have gone abroad.
One man, who ABC News is calling Ihor, left Ukraine late last year to avoid being drafted. ABC News is disguising his identity over fears he could face repercussions for speaking.
“When the war had only just started, then there was more patriotism. And then I also wanted to go to the army,” said Ihor.
But Ihor’s brother returned from the war with a spine injury, telling him not to join up. Ihor said his family began to beg him to leave before he could be drafted. He started to worry if he were disabled in fighting it would fall on his family to care for him, with little support from the state.
“I know people who are already dead, who were there two days and that was it, they died,’ said Ihor. “And it’s just, I understand that even if I go to war and become an invalid, then no one will care for me except for my relatives.”
Ihor said the decision to leave Ukraine was wrenching, wracking him with guilt.
“I have this feeling that my family are there, under missile strikes, under constant air raid alerts, and I am here in safety. I am torturing myself. Why I am here and not there? I already thought about going back,” he said.
For months, Ukraine’s government avoided passing a new mobilization law, fearful it would be unpopular, and also concerned to preserve its younger men crucial for the country’s economic future. Many of those illegally crossing the border are looking to go abroad to find work or see their families, a spokeswoman for Ukraine’s Border Service told ABC News.
The issue of who should fight has opened a painful divide in Ukraine. Videos showing draft officers sometimes grabbing men off the street that circulate online have sparked outrage. In some incidents, scuffles have broken out as people try to prevent officers from taking men. Police insist such incidents are rare.
Public anger has also flared over videos showing young men drinking on the street in Kyiv and other cities, fueling complaints that the draft disproportionately targets poorer, rural areas, where people cannot afford to pay bribes to evade it.
As the war has dragged out, Ukrainian men have been confronted with anguishing dilemmas, asking themselves if their duty is to their family or to their country.
Others say they worry about being sent to the frontline with inadequate training, fearful of finding themselves in units still following Soviet-style tactics.
“You have to have been trained for many years to be an efficient soldier, not just cannon fodder,” another man, who ABC is calling Denys, told ABC News. “I think I will be killed the next 5 minutes.”
Denys left Ukraine in early 2023 with his family. He said he would be more willing to join the military if he could choose to be in a non-frontline role, such as a supply officer.
He said he worried for Ukraine and continued to pay taxes there and make monthly donations to the war effort.
“Of course I worry,” he said. “But I’m not sure that I will be a good soldier. And I’m not sure if I die, as I said, in the first 5 minutes, it can help my country, for my country to win. Maybe. Maybe. But I’m not sure about that.”
Ukraine has begun trying to reform its recruitment practices to give people more scope to choose their roles. Recruitment campaigns highlight technical specialists who can use their skills in the military, rather than being thrown into the frontline as infantry.
The expanded draft is also starting to have effects, according to independent military analysts. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are answering the draft notices and are now undergoing basic training and should begin refilling the ranks this summer.
Some Ukrainians are also choosing to sign up for volunteer battalions to the side of the regular army and that have a better reputation for training and command.
Denys, a 26-year-old video game designer and graphic artist, in February joined the Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, one of the best-known volunteer formations.
“We each have to muster the courage,” Denys told ABC News as he waited to board a train in Kyiv with a group of other men bound for three months of basic training. “It took me about 2 years from the beginning to master my own. But I guess more to follow.”
Nearby Lyudmyla stood saying goodbye to her husband Pavlo, who was also embarking. She wiped away tears as the train began to move off.
Pavlo had decided he needed to join now in part so that their 20-year-old son would not have to fight in the future, she said.
“He told our son, ‘I’m going now so you don’t go there later. But get ready.’ Unfortunately, life is such that everyone has to be ready,” she said.
(SEOUL, South Korea) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is conducting successor programs with implications that he has his 11-year-old daughter Kim Ju Ae in mind “as of now” to be his successor, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a closed-door briefing to the members of the National Assembly on Monday.
Curiosity over Kim Jong Un’s preteen daughter has been accumulating since she first accompanied him holding hands to the ICBM test launch site in November 2022 wearing a white padded jacket and bright red flat shoes.
She appeared again three months later at the military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the army. She walked the red carpet with Kim while dressed in a formal long black coat highlighted by a fur scarf and beret. The father-daughter duo proudly received military salutes while more than a dozen high-level North Korean officials in full uniforms tagged behind.
“Dressing up in dark, extravagant clothes makes her look like a mini version of Kim Jong Un, and that is exactly what the regime wants people to see of her,” Professor Jeon Young Sun of Konkuk University told ABC News. “The regime is deliberately differentiating her from other kids her age, to show that her ancestry is of the revered Kim leadership.”
Since her first appearance in 2022, Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s state newspaper, reported her whereabouts at least 28 times. Kim Ju Ae was spotted at missile launch sites, military parades and drills most of the time, including rare tag-along to factories and city construction sites.
“Important to note that she was never depicted at a place that was child-like, never somewhere an ordinary father would take his 10-year-old daughter to,” Professor Andrei Lankov of Kukmin University told ABC News. “The regime doesn’t want her to look like a child, she should look like an emerging boss. Although it is a bit early to say for sure, if she is to become the leader, she could say that she spent all her childhood visiting military facilities.”
Until now, analysts in Seoul have been skeptical of the speculation that Kim’s 11-year-old daughter may become the next North Korean leader, given that North Korea is a strongly male-centered society. Kim Ju Ae’s frequent public appearances have not only got analysts scratching their heads but also the public inside the hermit kingdom. A North Korean defector who fled to the South last October told ABC News that the public opinion was not favorable to the young fancy daughter where he came from.
“When I first saw Kim Ju Ae in the news, from head to toe she was what we call ‘impure element’ to the society,” Mincheol Lee told ABC News referring to Kim Ju Ae’s imported designer clothes and long hair when she appeared in the papers. “I was angry to see that she could dress up like she wanted to because she was the leader’s daughter while a farmer’s son like myself had to follow the strict suppression from the People’s Party,” referring to North Korea’s strict social policies on people’s outfits and hairstyles especially imposed upon the younger generations.
According to the NIS, the North Korean regime is adjusting how often the young Kim Ju Ae appears in public in certain events — mostly at sensitive militaristic occasions and less at economy-related matter — and to what degree she should be propagandized to the people. Based on updated intelligence the spy agency confirmed that they now see Pyongyang as planning the succession program for real.
“Kim Jong Un had a difficult time consolidating his power and position due to his father the late leader Kim Jong Il’s early passing and consequently getting hasty successor lessons,” Cheong Seong Chang, director of Center for Korean Peninsula Strategy at Seoul-based Sejong Institute, whose analysis pointed to Kim Ju Ae to be the successor from her first appearance, told to ABC News. “Kim Jong Un’s unfavorable health conditions may be the background for beginning the successor program so early.”
The spy agency has not completely ruled out the possibility of a change in successor, based on the fact that North Korea did not finalize their announcement on the successor and the chance of having another undisclosed sibling.
“South Korean authorities have speculated for a long time that there is an elder son among Kim Jong Un’s children, but they found no existing evidence to back the guess, and have recently turned prudent,” Cheong said.
The spy agency also updated on Kim Jong Un’s health. Kim is estimated to weigh about 300 pounds and is believed to be at high risk for heart disease, the agency said. The agency estimates that his body mass index is in the mid-40s, far exceeding the normal standard of 25.
It is understood that this is due to stress, cigarettes and alcohol, the agency said. If his current health condition is not improved, the possibility of cardiovascular disease, which is a family history, is being closely monitored, the agency said. Seoul’s NIS also reported that they have detected indications that North Korean officials are looking for new drugs to treat Kim.
(LONDON) — A 17-year-old male has been charged with the murders of three young girls in a knife attack in Southport, England, and 10 counts of attempted murder, officials said Wednesday night.
Police said the accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, would face Liverpool Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, Aug. 1. He is also charged with possession of a bladed article.
Three children were killed and nine others injured in the stabbing incident on Monday, police said. Two adults were also injured while trying to protect the children, police said.
Bebe King, 6, and 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe were killed in the attack. A third girl, 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, died on Tuesday morning in the hospital, police said.
Merseyside police said the children were attending a Taylor Swift-themed event at a dance school at the time.
Officers responded just before noon on Monday to reports of a stabbing at a property in Southport, a seaside town about 20 miles north of Liverpool, according to Merseyside police.
Police had previously said a 17-year-old boy from Banks, a coastal village in Lancashire, just outside Southport, had been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. The suspect was born in Cardiff, Wales, police said.
Palestinian top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, leads Muslims in the Eid al-Adha in Gaza City, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — As leaders in the Middle East and the United States await Iran’s response to the Israeli assassination Wednesday of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, an expert on the situation said it could mean all-out war in the volatile region or lead to a quick resolution of the conflict in Gaza.
Israel is not only facing retaliation from Iran but also from Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israeli forces on Tuesday killed top Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in a precision missile strike in Beirut similar to one that took out Haniyeh, said retired Marine Col. Stephen Ganyard, a former Deputy Assistant U.S. Secretary of State.
Ganyard said the back-to-back assassinations of Haniyeh and Shukr could lead to an “all-out” war in the region or could be part of a larger plan by Israel to escalate tensions with Hezbollah and Iran to the point where they decide to settle the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“There’s an old Russian, even Soviet strategic ploy, which is called ‘escalate to de-escalate,'” said Ganyard, an ABC News contributor. “So what the Israelis appear to be doing here is ramping things up very quickly, perhaps to reset the discussions with Hamas and Gaza, to have Hezbollah calm down and to put Iran on greater notice that they are in fact going to be a target in the future if their attacks continue, and that their proxies are very vulnerable to Israeli attacks.”
Haniyeh was killed Wednesday when a long-range missile fired from an Israeli aircraft struck a guest quarters in Tehran where Haniyeh was staying as he attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, Iranian officials said.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for “revenge.”
Ganyard said a number of elements had to come together to make this strike possible.
“What’s interesting about this is first they [Israel] had to have intelligence to know exactly which room that this leader was staying in and then they would have had to have the precision to hit just that room. And they do have these long-range weapons that have the ability to pick individual windows if needed,” Ganyard said.
He said Israel likely chose Tehran to kill Haniyeh because it has an “amazing amount of on-the-ground intelligence there.”
Ganyard said the assassination of Haniyeh was an embarrassment to Iran.
“Now will Iran go to war over a Hamas leader that was killed on its soil? There’s at least a hope that they won’t,” Ganyard said. “They will have to retaliate in some way because, obviously, they’re humiliated by Israel’s ability to take out a leader on their own soil.”
He said the real challenge for Iran is how far it is going to go because Haniyeh was not “one of its guys,” noting that Hamas is a Sunni organization and the leadership of Iran is Shia.
“So are you really going to start an all-out war with Israel based on somebody from one of your proxies, but not even a co-religious [person]?” Ganyard said.
Iran’s response could be similar to one it took against Israel in April when it launched 300 drones and missiles toward targets in Israel in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike in Damascus, Syria, that killed seven people, including a top Iranian commander. Israel said 99% of the drones and missiles fired by Iran were intercepted by the country’s “Iron Dome” defense system.
“So the response back in April was quite muted. It was like, ‘Okay, you got revenge. It didn’t do anything to us. Let’s call it off, at least simmer things down,'” Ganyard said. “So, that’ll be interesting to see what happens. How far does Iran retaliate? What does ‘revenge’ truly mean? How far are they willing to walk up to that line without going to outright war with the Israelis?”
Ganyard said he believes Israel’s bigger threat is Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“Hezbollah has somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 ground-to-surface missiles that they can attack Israel with, some of which are precision weapons, which means that all of Israel’s infrastructure is at risk,” Ganyard said. “So the northern threat, Hezbollah, is really what’s going to concern Israel and what the response is from Hezbollah. And is Hezbollah willing to start that war?”
Israeli officials said it took out Shukr, the Hezbollah military commander in Beirut, because it believed he was responsible for a rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday which killed 12 people, mostly children. Shukr was also wanted in connection to a 1983 bombing in Beirut of a U.S. Marine Corps barracks that killed 300 American and French soldiers.
Ganyard said the alleged Hezbollah strike in the Golan Heights pushed the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah “over the red line.” Hezbollah has denied any involvement in Saturday’s Golan Heights attack.
“How far it goes from here is really going to be a question for the Hezbollah and Iranian leadership,” Ganyard said.
(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war continues, efforts to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization are ongoing, and Israeli forces have launched an assault in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Crowds mourn slain Hamas leader in Tehran funeral procession
Throngs of people flooded the streets of Tehran on Thursday for the funeral procession of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader who was assassinated early Wednesday.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led funeral prayers over the bodies of Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard, who was also killed.
Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, the Iranian capital. His remains are expected to be transferred to Qatar, where he had lived in exile since 2019, for burial on Thursday.
No country or organization has yet taken credit for the assassination, but Khamenei appeared on Tuesday to place the blame on Israel. He said it was Iran’s “duty to take revenge.”
Israel says it killed Hamas military leader last month
Israeli officials said Thursday they had killed Mohammed Deif, commander of Hamas’ military wing.
Deif was killed in “precise, targeted strike” in Khan Yunis on July 13, according to a joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Securities Authority.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the death in a post on social media, calling Deif the “Osama bin Laden of Gaza.”
Gallant said his killing was “a significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza, and in the achievement of the goals of this war.”
Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted the airstrike on a compound in the southern Gazan city, the joint statement said. The strike also killed Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’ Khan Yunis Brigade, the military said.
“Over the years, Deif directed, planned, and carried out numerous terrorist attacks against the State of Israel,” the joint statement said.
The statement continued, “Deif operated side-by-side with Yahya Sinwar, and during the war, he commanded Hamas’ terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip by issuing commands and instructions to senior members of Hamas’ Military Wing.”
Gaza’s Ministry of Health said last month that at least 90 people, half of whom were children and women, were killed and 300 others were injured in the attack.
Hamas officials have not confirmed Deif’s death.
Delta suspends flights to Tel Aviv
Delta Air lines has suspended all flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Tel Aviv through Friday, Aug. 2, due to ongoing conflict in the region.
“Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports and will communicate any updates as needed,” Delta said in a statement.
CPJ ‘dismayed’ by deaths of Al Jazeera journalists in ‘direct strike’ on vehicle near Gaza city
Al Jazeera Arabic journalists Ismail Al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami Al-Refee have been killed in whilst reporting in Gaza, the network has announced.
The journalists were reporting on the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. Al-Ghoul’s last post on social media was of him at the ruins of the Hamas leader’s home in Gaza.
A vehicle carrying the two journalists was targeted by what the CPJ says appears to be a “direct strike” in Al Shafi camp, west of Gaza city.
“Ismail was known for his professionalism and dedication, highlighting the suffering and atrocities in Gaza, particularly at Al-Shifa Hospital and in the northern region. He was detained and tortured by Israel while covering the Al Shifa Hospital siege, yet he continued reporting after his release,” Al Jazeera said in a statement.
Without Ismail, the harrowing images of these massacres would remain unseen. He was a resolute journalist who overcame hunger, illness, and the death of his brother. He tirelessly reported on Gaza’s events through Al Jazeera, fulfilling his mission for his people and homeland. May they rest in peace,” Al Jazeera said.
United cancels Tel Aviv flights
As tensions continue to rise after Israel assassinated top Hamas and Hezbollah officials, United Airlines has canceled its daily flights to Tel Aviv.
“Beginning with this evening’s flight from Newark Liberty to Tel Aviv, we are suspending for security reasons our daily Tel Aviv service as we evaluate our next steps. We continue to closely monitor the situation and will make decisions on resuming service with a focus on the safety of our customers and crews,” United said in a statement to ABC News.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
US raises Lebanon travel advisory to highest warning level
In the wake of recent escalations in the Middle East, the U.S. State Department has raised its advisory for Lebanon to level four: “Do Not Travel,” up from a level three: “reconsider travel.”
“Do Not Travel to Lebanon due to rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. If you are in Lebanon, be prepared to shelter in place should the situation deteriorate. The U.S. Embassy strongly encourages U.S. citizens who are already in Southern Lebanon, near the borders with Syria, and/or in refugee settlements to depart,” the updated advisory reads.
“U.S. citizens in Lebanon should be aware that consular officers from the U.S. Embassy are not always able to travel to assist them. The Department of State considers the threat to U.S. government personnel in Beirut serious enough to require them to live and work under strict security. The internal security policies of the U.S. Embassy may be adjusted at any time and without advance notice,” it said.
Even before Tuesday’s strike in Beirut, State Department officials have been advising Americans in Lebanon to put together a “crisis plan of action” and “leave before a crisis begins.” Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Reena Bitter said in a video message earlier this week that those remaining in Lebanon should be prepared to shelter in place “for a long period of time.”
While some commercial flights from Lebanon have been disrupted, an official said earlier Wednesday that the State Department assesses that the transportation situation for U.S. citizens is still tenable enough that the department is not considering launching any evacuation efforts at this time, but that those plans are constantly being augmented in case they become necessary.
Level four is the State Department’s most severe classification. Other countries at that rank include North Korea, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Syria and South Sudan.
US officials warn Israeli assassinations are not good for cease-fire negotiations
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other officials have held back from publicly speculating whether the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh will derail cease-fire negotiations, but several U.S. officials familiar with the talks say it certainly isn’t good for the prospects of a deal.
The two assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in the last 24 hours could have a chilling effect on the mediators, and what appears to be a recommitment to wartime mentality from both Israel and Hamas.
Blinken and others have recently said that an agreement is close, but always with the important caveat that the final gaps are the hardest to bridge.
Israel has also hardened some of its positions in recent weeks and the U.S. has never had full confidence in Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s desire to achieve a cease-fire or its insight into his thinking, officials say.
At the State Department briefing Wednesday, its deputy spokesperson, Vedant Patel, declined to speculate whether the assassinations would impact the talks and asserted that the department did not anticipate even a temporary pause in negotiations at this point.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
Hezbollah confirms Fouad Shukr was killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
Hezbollah has confirmed that military commander Fouad Shukr, also known as Hajj Mohsen, was killed in an Israeli strike on a building in Beirut, calling it a “heinous attack and the major crime.”
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah will speak about the attack at a funeral procession on Thursday, according to Hezbollah.
Netanyahu issues warning after Israel kills top Hamas, Hezbollah officials
In his first public statements since Israel killed top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned it would retaliate strongly “against any aggression.”
“Challenging days are ahead of us. Since the attack in the Beirut, threats have been heard from all sides. We are ready for any scenario and will stand united and determined against any threat. Israel will charge a price, a very heavy price, for any aggression against us from any arena,” Netanyahu said Wednesday.
Hamas says talks with Israel ‘meaningless’ and a ‘deal was close’
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said Tuesday that the talks with Israel are “meaningless” and that they were “close” to a deal but that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t want one.
“The negotiation is meaningless despite the bloodshed. We had a paper [agreement] and the deal was close. They do not want to stop being usurper. Netanyahu does not want a deal. Hence, we had dedicated all we could. Our path is not the path of surrendering,” al-Hayya said during a press conference Wednesday.
Egypt also warned that the Israeli assassinations undermine truce talks and warned against dangerous security consequences.
Egypt condemned the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military leader Fouad Shukr in Beirut as a “dangerous escalation” by Israel that could fuel conflict in the region, according to a statement issued Wednesday.
The Egyptian foreign ministry said the assassinations “undermine the strenuous efforts made by Egypt and its partners to stop the war in the Gaza Strip” and “indicate the absence of Israeli political will to calm the situation.”
-ABC News’ Hami Hamedi and Ayat Al-Tawy
Hamas claims Haniyeh was assassinated by rocket that entered his room
Hamas claimed that its political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a rocket that entered the room where he was staying, Khalil al-Hayya, a high ranking Hamas official said in a press conference Wednesday. He warned that Israel will pay the price for Haniyeh’s death
Al-Hayya also slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for hampering cease-fire talks.
-ABC News’ Hami Hamedi
Blinken calls Jordanian counterpart, discusses hostage deal and preventing escalation
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called his Jordanian counterpart Wednesday to discuss “the urgency of efforts to reach a ceasefire to the conflict in Gaza” and “the importance of preventing further escalation of the conflict,” according to a statement from the State Department.
The statement doesn’t specifically mention the Israeli strike in Lebanon or the killing of Hamas’ political leader, but Jordan is viewed as a key strategic partner for maintaining stability in the Middle East by U.S. officials.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
‘Time for a deal,’ families of hostages say
A group representing the families of hostages held in the war-torn Gaza Strip, who were abducted from southern Israel during the Oct. 7 attacks, released a statement on Wednesday urging “the Israeli government and global leaders to decisively advance negotiations.”
“This is the time for a deal,” the statement said.
The statement comes amid rising tensions in the region after Hamas’ political leader was killed by a predawn airstrike in the Iranian capital Tehran — and only hours after Israel targeted a top commander for Iran’s ally Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Iran has ‘duty to take revenge,’ supreme leader says
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said his country had a “duty to take revenge” after Hamas’ political leader was killed in Tehran.
“However, following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, we believe it is our duty to take revenge,” Khamenei said Wednesday.
No country or organization has yet taken credit for the assassination, but Khamenei appeared in his statement to blame Israel, saying the “criminal, terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our territory.”
Global reactions rolling in following Haniyeh killing
As news of the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, begins to spread on Wednesday morning, global leaders have started to react, condemning his death and calling it a “heinous assassination.”
In a statement, Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “condemned in the strongest terms Israel’s assassination of the head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine (Hamas), Ismail Haniyeh, may God have mercy on him, in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in violation of international law and international humanitarian law, and an escalatory crime that will push towards more tension and chaos in the region.”
Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned Haniyeh’s death, calling it a “heinous assassination” and reiterated the need to stop Israel from escalating regional tensions.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told state-owned RIA news agency that the killing of Haniyeh “is an absolutely unacceptable political murder, and it will lead to further escalation of tensions.”
The Israeli Government Press Office posted a photo of Ismail Haniyeh with the word “eliminated” over the Hamas political leader’s head. The post, which had been live for more than an hour, was then removed Wednesday morning.
“Eliminated: Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas highest- ranking leader, was killed in a precise strike in Tehran, Iran,” the office said in a post on its official Facebook page.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the assassination.
Killing will strengthen Iranian-Palestinian bond, minister says
The death of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader, in Iran “will strengthen the deep and unbreakable bond between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the beloved Palestine and the resistance,” an Iranian state spokesperson said.
“The pure blood of Martyr Haniyeh will never be wasted,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said, according to Iranian state media.
Iranian authorities were investigating the assassination, he said.
Kanaani praised Haniyeh for spending his life in the “honorable struggle against the usurping Zionist regime” and for seeking the “the liberation of the oppressed Palestinian nation.”
Hamas, allies react to Haniyeh killing, calling it a ‘cowardly act’
Reaction from Hamas and its allies was swift, with Musa Abu Marzouq, a member of the Hamas political office, saying in a statement, “The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, is a cowardly act and will certainly not go unanswered.”
Islamic Jihad also issued a statement, saying the death of Haniyeh will not deter them.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the state of Palestine, said he strongly condemned the assassination of Haniyeh, calling the attack “a cowardly act.”
Political leader of Hamas has been killed in Tehran, Iran says
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, has been killed in Tehran along with his bodyguard, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said in a statement.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack at this stage.
Haniyeh was killed in his home in Tehran after participating in the inauguration of the new Iranian president, according to Hamas.
IDF says it targeted senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut
The Israel Defense Forces said it targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut, Lebanon. The IDF said the commander is responsible for Saturday’s strike that killed children playing soccer in Majdal Shams in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on social media that Hezbollah “crossed the red line.”
The Lebanese Red Cross said the strike hit a residential building, killing at least two and injuring 20.
The target of Israel’s strike was Fouad Shukr, also known as Al-Hajj Mohsen, according to three security sources familiar with the operation.
The United States was given advanced notice ahead of Israel’s strike, according to a U.S. official familiar with matter. The message was communicated via security channels and limited operational detail was shared, the official said. It’s not clear whether the strike successfully eliminated its target.
Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday that “Israel has the right to defend itself against a terrorist organization, which is exactly what Hezbollah is.”
“But all of that being said, we still must work on a diplomatic solution to end these attacks and we will continue to do that work,” she added.
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters he didn’t have “any updates on any specific activity,” but added, “We have been in continuous discussions with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts since the incident over the weekend, and the United States is going to continue to support efforts to reach a diplomatic solution along the blue line.”
“Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad, and it’s unwavering, especially as it defends itself against Iran-backed threats, including threats from Hezbollah,” Patel said.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir and Shannon Kingston
85 sick and injured evacuated from Gaza in largest medical evacuation in 9 months
Eighty-five sick and severely injured people, including 35 children, have been evacuated from Gaza to get care in Abu Dhabi, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization.
This was Gaza’s largest medical evacuation since October 2023, according to the WHO.
The evacuees’ illnesses include cancer, neurological conditions, cardiac disease and liver disease, Tedros said.
Sixty-three family members and caregivers accompanied the patients, the WHO said.
“We hope this paves the way for the establishment of evacuation corridors via all possible routes. Thousands of sick people are suffering needlessly,” Tedros said. “Above all, and as always, we call for a cease-fire.”
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
IDF says it targeted senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut
The Israel Defense Forces said it targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut, Lebanon. The IDF said the commander is responsible for Saturday’s strike that killed children playing soccer in Majdal Shams in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on social media that Hezbollah “crossed the red line.”
The target of Israel’s strike was Fouad Shukr, also known as Al-Hajj Mohsen, according to three security sources familiar with the operation.
The United States was given advanced notice ahead of Israel’s strike, according to a U.S. official familiar with matter. The message was communicated via security channels and limited operational detail was shared, the official said.
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters he didn’t have “any updates on any specific activity,” but added, “We have been in continuous discussions with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts since the incident over the weekend, and the United States is going to continue to support efforts to reach a diplomatic solution along the blue line.”
“Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad, and it’s unwavering, especially as it defends itself against Iran-backed threats, including threats from Hezbollah,” Patel said.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir and Shannon Kingston
IDF withdraws from Khan Younis after weeklong raid killing 226
The Israel Defense Forces announced that it has “completed operational activity in the area of Khan Younis” in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning, more than a week after it began bombarding the eastern part of the city — a designated humanitarian zone.
At least 226 people have been killed by Israeli forces in and around Khan Younis since the IDF raid began early on July 22, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
-ABC News’ Diaa Ostaz, Jordana Miller and Samy Zyara
One dead in Israel, one dead in Lebanon amid rising tensions
At least one person is dead in northern Israel following a rocket salvo from Lebanon this afternoon, according to Israel’s national emergency service. One person was also killed in southern Lebanon following a drone strike targeting a house in the town of Beit Lif early Tuesday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
The Israel Defense Forces said its fighter jets conducted strikes in southern Lebanon earlier Tuesday.
Approximately 10 projectiles crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with the majority of the projectiles being intercepted, according to the IDF. A direct hit was identified in the area of HaGoshrim in northern Israel.
12:34 PM EDT US meetings with Netanyahu were ‘very constructive,’ Kirby says
U.S. officials’ meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Washington, D.C., last week were “very constructive and certainly nothing that discouraged us in terms of trying to close the remaining gaps” while trying to secure the hostage deal, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.
“We still believe those gaps can be narrowed … and we can move forward. But obviously, as I said earlier, it’s going to take compromise, it’s going to take leadership,” he said.
“There’s no indication that we see, at this point in time, the weekend strike by Hezbollah into the Golan [Heights] area is going to negatively affect those discussions,” Kirby added.
Kirby also pushed back on the suggestion that Vice President Kamala Harris had a different message for Netanyahu from President Joe Biden, saying there was “no daylight” between their messages, and that reporting suggesting otherwise was “unfortunate and inaccurate.”
“There was no daylight between anything, the president, the vice president told the prime minister. Same points, same emphasis — the commitment and reaffirmation to help Israel continue to defend itself against these threats. Same reaffirmation by both the president and the vice president, that we want to see the cease-fire deal get enacted because of what it can do to improve the humanitarian situation. And of course, getting those hostages home with their families,” Kirby said.
Pressed on why Harris had her own meeting if their message was the same, Kirby defended Harris.
“The vice president couldn’t be in town for the meeting in the Oval [Office], and as she has been a full partner in all our foreign policy, but certainly in particular, the policy that this administration has pursued with respect to the Middle East, she felt it was important to also sit down with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Kirby said.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
12:21 PM EDT White House condemns ‘horrific’ attack on Golan Heights
The United States “absolutely condemn this weekend’s horrific attack” that killed children playing soccer in Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.
At least 12 people were killed, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Hezbollah has denied involvement in the rocket attack but Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that “every indication” points to Hezbollah as responsible for the strike.
Kirby also assigned blame to Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying “it was their rocket launched from an area that they control.”
“The United States will continue to support efforts to reach a diplomatic solution along that blue line that will, No. 1, end these terrible attacks once and for all, and No. 2, allow Israeli and Lebanese citizens on both sides of the border to safely return to their homes,” Kirby said.
Kirby stressed that U.S. support for Israeli security remains “ironclad” against all Iran-backed threats, adding, “We believe that there is still time and space for a diplomatic solution.”
Asked if the administration was urging Israel to show restraint in any response, Kirby said that Hezbollah made the first strike on Israel back in October and that “Israel has every right to respond,” but he said he was confident that a broader conflict could be avoided.
“Nobody wants a broader war and I’m confident that we’ll be able to avoid such an outcome. I’ll let the Israelis really speak to whatever their response is going to be,” Kirby said.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
4:43 PM EDT Netanyahu and Gallant to decide how to retaliate for Golan Heights attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were granted the authority Sunday to decide the manner and timing of a response to the alleged attack by Hezbollah on the town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, according to the prime minister’s office.
During a meeting in Tel Aviv, members of Israel’s political-security cabinet gave Netanyahu and Gallant the authority to devise a plan to retaliate for the strike that killed 12 people, including children playing soccer, according to the statement from the prime minister’s office.
“The members of the cabinet authorized the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense to decide on the manner of response against the terrorist organization Hezbollah, and when,” according to the statement.
Hezbollah has denied involvement in the rocket attack. The Israel Defense Forces and the White House both blamed Hezbollah for the attack.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
1:41 PM EDT White House blames Hezbollah for deadly rocket attack on Golan Heights
The White House on Sunday blamed Hezbollah for the rocket strike Saturday on Golan Heights that it said killed children playing soccer.
At least 12 people were killed in the weekend attack in Majdal Shams, a town in the Golan Heights, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
“We have been in continuous discussions with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts since the horrific attack yesterday in northern Israel that killed a number of children playing soccer,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “This attack was conducted by Lebanese Hezbollah. It was their rocket, and launched from an area they control. It should be universally condemned.”
Hezbollah has denied involvement in the rocket attack in Majdal Shams. But the IDF said a Hezbollah rocket was used in the attack, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier Sunday that “every indication” points to Hezbollah as responsible for the strike.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
July 28, 2024, 12:35 PM EDT Middle East Airlines delays flights following Israeli strike on Lebanon
Lebanon’s flagship air carrier, Middle East Airlines, delayed departures of several inbound flights to Beirut on Sunday, the airline announced.
The decision by Middle East Airlines came after the Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday that the military struck targets “deep inside” Lebonnon overnight. The IDF attack in Lebanon unfolded a day after a rocket strike killed 12 people in Majdal Shams, a town in Golan Heights.
Hezbollah denied involvement in the rocket attack in Majdal Shams, but IDF officials claim it was a Hezbollah rocket that hit a sports field, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “every indication” points to Hezbollah as being responsible for the strike.
Middle East Airlines said it delayed the departures of six inbound flights to Beruit that would normally land at night. The flights are now scheduled to land during the day on Monday, the airline said.
Meanwhile, Royal Jordanian Airlines also told ABC News it is considering rescheduling a flight from Amman to Beirut to early Monday morning.
A red giant star and white dwarf orbit each other in this animation of a nova similar to T Coronae Borealis. (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center)
(NEW YORK) — Stargazers should have their eyes fixed on the skies, as astronomers say a “once-in-a-lifetime” view of an astronomical explosion is expected any night.
T Coronae Borealis, also known as the “Blaze Star,” is actually a pair of stars located 3,000 light-years away. The star system is a recurring nova, with Earth-visible explosions every 79 to 80 years, according to NASA.
The last recorded outburst from T Coronae Borealis — which includes a hot, red giant star and a cool, white dwarf star — was in 1946, according to the space agency, which forecasts it will do so again before September 2024.
The star system is located in the Northern Crown, a horseshoe-shaped curve of stars west of the Hercules constellation, according to NASA, which reports viewers can look for it in between the bright stars of Vega and Arcturus.
When the explosion comes into Earth’s view, “it’s going to be one of the brightest stars in the sky,” Louisiana State University physics and astronomy professor Bradley Schaefer, told ABC News, encouraging the public to go outside and view the explosion as soon as it’s in view.
The exact day and time of the explosion are “unknown,” according to Schaefer, but looking at the star system’s historical behavior and current “pre-eruption dip” indicate the view of the explosion is imminent.
A pre-eruption dip is a sudden decrease in brightness that some celestial objects experience about a year before erupting, according to the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), which announced T Coronae Borealis had faded in March 2023.
T Coronae Borealis, which is normally located at magnitude +10, which NASA reports is “far too dim to see with the unaided eye,” will jump to magnitude +2 during the explosion.
Schaefer has been studying T Coronae Borealis for decades, saying the chance to see the explosion from Earth with the naked eye will be “magnificent.”
“It’s a way of humbling ourselves for the titanic forces that are happening, fortunately, very far away, that’s happening above our heads,” he said, likening the power of the explosion to a hydrogen bomb.
“It really actually is a hydrogen-fusion bomb just like in the movie Oppenheimer,” Schaefer said.
The difference between nova and supernova events, according to NASA, is in a recurring nova, the dwarf star stays intact during the explosion. In contrast, a supernova occurs when a dying star is destroyed in one final eruption.
“There are a few recurrent novas with very short cycles, but typically, we don’t often see a repeated outburst in a human lifetime, and rarely one so relatively close to our own system,” Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a June press release.
T Coronae Borealis is one of just 10 recurring novas known in the Milky Way that erupt on time scales of less than a century, according to NASA.
“It’s incredibly exciting to have this front-row seat,” Hounsell added.
The agency says during the event, the star system will be similar in brightness to the North Star, Polaris, and may shine this bright for days or a week after first appearing.
“Typically, nova events are so faint and far away that it’s hard to clearly identify where the erupting energy is concentrated,” Dr. Elizabeth Hays, chief of the Astroparticle Physics Laboratory at NASA Goddard said in the press release. “This one will be really close, with a lot of eyes on it, studying the various wavelengths and hopefully giving us data to start unlocking the structure and specific processes involved. We can’t wait to get the full picture of what’s going on.”
The exact date and time of the astronomical explosion is unknown, but once it happens, Hounsell says the once-in-a-lifetime event is sure to inspire the next generation of skywatchers.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create a lot of new astronomers out there, giving young people a cosmic event they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions, and collect their own data,” Dr. Hounsell said in the release, adding, “It’ll fuel the next generation of scientists.”
(LONDON) — Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Sudan’s army chief, was the target of a drone attack that killed five people, officials said Wednesday.
Al-Burhan had been attending a ceremony for military graduates in Jebeit, a small town in eastern Sudan, when the strike took place.
In April 2023, a civil conflict broke out between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group following months of tensions linked to a planned transition to civilian rule. The conflict has led to at least 16,000 deaths, according to the United Nations. Local groups, however, warn the true toll is likely much higher.
“Today, our ground anti-aircraft missiles responded to two hostile marches that targeted the site of the celebration of the graduation of batches from the Military, Air and Naval Colleges after its conclusion in Jebeit,” the Sudanese Army said in a statement.
At least five people were killed in Wednesday’s drone attack, the Sudanese Army announced.
Army officials also said the incident led to “minor injuries.”
The United States has invited warring parties to begin cease-fire talks in Switzerland next month.
“A few things have changed: One is the acuteness of the horrors, and two is the greater alignment across the region among our African and Gulf counterparts that this is an unacceptable situation, and that nobody wins from the continued destabilization,” a senior U.S. official told ABC News last week.
In a statement, RSF chief Mohammed Daglo — commonly known as Hemedti — welcomed the talks, saying the RSF is “ready to deal with these talks constructively.”
Al-Burhan said he is open to talks “only on the condition” that RSF and allied militias vacate civilian homes.
“We appreciate the initiatives from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and other countries. However, these efforts must be coordinated with the Sudanese government, and Sudan should be involved in every detail of the discussions, including the participants and the negotiation agenda,” he said.
The RSF has yet to publicly comment on the drone attack.
