logo
Zelenskyy said the US redirected 20,000 anti-drone missiles intended for Ukraine to the Middle East

Zelenskyy said the US redirected 20,000 anti-drone missiles intended for Ukraine to the Middle East

Yahoo6 hours ago

Ukraine's president said the US redirected 20,000 missiles to the Middle East.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News the Biden administration agreed to send it the anti-drone weapons.
Ukraine is facing intensifying aerial attacks from Russia.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the US has redirected specialized anti-drone weapons intended for Ukraine to the Middle East.
Speaking to ABC News in an interview broadcast Sunday, Zelenskyy said that the Biden administration had agreed to send Ukraine the weapons, to help take out Russia's Shahed drones that have been used to target Ukraine's cities and infrastructure.
"This morning, my defense minister informed me that the United States has sent those missiles to the Middle East," he said.
Zelenskyy added: "We were counting on that project — 20,000 missiles specifically designed to intercept Shaheds. It is not expensive, but it is special technology."
The Wall Street Journal reported that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued the order to redirect anti-drone weapons about two weeks ago, and that the equipment being redirected are fuses that can be fitted to rockets to make them more effective at targeting drones.
In the Middle East, the US has been helping ally Israel defend itself from drone attacks by militant groups aligned with Iran in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, including the Houthi in Yemen.
The Houthis have also targeted international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the US Navy vessels defending them, often using drones.
In recent months, Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukraine, including launching its largest aerial attack since 2022.
Overnight on Sunday, it launched 499 missiles and drones, including 277 Shaheds, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The attacks are not all one-way. Last week, Ukraine launched an audacious drone attack on Russia's bomber fleet.
Ukraine's SBU, its internal security agency, said it used small drones to hit 41 Russian aircraft. Those aircraft include A-50 airborne early warning and control planes, An-12 transporters, Il-78 refueling tankers, and Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers.
The ongoing attacks come amid faltering attempts by US President Donald Trump to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. Trump has cast doubt on future US military support for Ukraine unless it agrees to a quick resolution to the conflict.
Ukraine has leaned heavily on US support, and Zelenskyy said in the interview with ABC News that his country needs more air defense systems, including missiles for its US-made Patriot air defense systems.
"Without US support, there will be more casualties. Many more," he said.
Read the original article on Business Insider

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Freedom Flotillas: The Deadly History as Greta Thunberg Detained by Israel
Freedom Flotillas: The Deadly History as Greta Thunberg Detained by Israel

Newsweek

time22 minutes ago

  • Newsweek

Freedom Flotillas: The Deadly History as Greta Thunberg Detained by Israel

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Israel announced on Monday the interception of a "freedom flotilla" carrying activist Greta Thunberg, the latest attempt by pro-Palestinian activists to bring aid into the Gaza Strip amid Israel's restrictions on humanitarian aid entering the territory. Newsweek reached out to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition for comment via email. Why It Matters The vessel, named Madleen and operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was stopped in international waters on its way to a port in Gaza amid Israel's naval blockade. The FFC said that the group was attempting to deliver humanitarian aid, including food, baby formula and medical supplies. Activists have led these missions to try to bring in aid and food to Gaza, where citizens have faced starvation amid the war between Israel and Hamas. The World Health Organization (WHO) said 2.1 million people in Gaza are "facing prolonged food shortages, with nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death." On October 7, 2023, Hamas led an attack against Israel, killing 1,200 and abducting 251 people. Today, around 58 people remain captive. Israel has since launched an offensive on Gaza, killing more than 54,000 people, according to the Associated Press, citing Gaza's Health Ministry. What To Know The decades-long conflict between Israel and Hamas has seen several attempts at breaking through the naval blockade of Gaza, and these efforts have at times turned deadly, such as in 2010. That year, the Turkish vessel Mavi Marmara aimed to deliver aid to Gaza and raise awareness about the conditions in the territory. In May 2010, the ship was intercepted by Israel, whose soldiers raided the boat. The raid ended with nine Turkish activists being killed by Israeli naval commandos. Main: The Madleen "freedom flotilla" approaches the Israeli southern port of Ashdod on June 9, 2025. Inset: Greta Thunberg speaks at a press conference in Catania, Italy, on June 1, 2025. Main: The Madleen "freedom flotilla" approaches the Israeli southern port of Ashdod on June 9, 2025. Inset: Greta Thunberg speaks at a press conference in Catania, Italy, on June 1, 2025. JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images;Israel said those on board attacked soldiers using knives and iron bars during the interception. Israel faced outrage over its handling of the first flotilla mission, with former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon being among the global leaders who condemned their response. The International Criminal Court, however, declined to prosecute Israel for the raid. Another "freedom flotilla" was planned for the following year, in 2011, from Athens; however, the Greek government banned Gaza-bound ships from using their ports. Additional flotillas were intercepted in 2015, about 100 miles off the Gaza Coast, and in 2018. Last month, another ship, the Conscience, was allegedly attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off the coast of Malta, reported the Associated Press. There have been a few successful attempts at reaching Gaza, such as in 2008, when two boats carrying 46 activists successfully broke through the naval blockage. The ships carried cargo, including hearing aids, into the territory despite Israel's restrictions, according to a report from The Guardian at the time. Ship Carrying Greta Thunberg, Other Activists Seized Thunberg and other activists were on board the Madleen—named after Gaza fisherwoman Madleen Kulab, according to Al Jazeera—as part of the latest effort to break through Israel's naval blockade, but were intercepted on Monday about 120 miles off the coast of Gaza. Israel said the activists would be returned to their home countries and that aid would be distributed to Gaza. In total, there were 12 other individuals aboard the ship, including Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament and Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Omar Faiad. Huwaida Arraf, a human rights attorney and Freedom Flotilla organizer, said in a press release that the interception "blatantly violates international law and defies the ICJ's binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza." "These volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade—their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately," Arraf said. What People Are Saying Greta Thunberg said in a pre-recorded video released Monday: "If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel." Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, on X (formerly Twitter): "To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas-propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back—because you will not reach Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organizations—at sea, in the air, and on land." Freedom Flotilla organizer Tan Safi, in a press release: "The world's governments remained silent when Conscience was bombed. Now Israel is testing that silence again. Every hour without consequences emboldens Israel to escalate its attacks on civilians, aid workers, and the very foundations of international law." What Happens Next Israeli authorities have indicated that the detained activists will be processed and repatriated. As of Monday, they were being transported to Ashdod.

The Hate Behind the Chants Heralds Violence
The Hate Behind the Chants Heralds Violence

Wall Street Journal

time26 minutes ago

  • Wall Street Journal

The Hate Behind the Chants Heralds Violence

Cynthia Ozick recalls the rhythmic bellowing of hatred against Israel that has resounded in the U.S. since Oct. 7, 2023 ('Antisemitism and the Politics of the Chant,' op-ed, June 4). As the murders in Washington and the attack in Boulder, Colo., illustrate, words of hatred have now inspired terrorist deeds. In April 2024, a group of people gathered to chant near Columbia University. There was a vile clarity and frankness to the hatred and support for Hamas evident among them. The chants Ms. Ozick recalls are themselves a call for war to destroy Israel. On the margins of the movement of the past decade there have been even more radical voices. With masks and keffiyehs, the assembled chanted the following:

Soldiers return home after years in captivity as Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap begins
Soldiers return home after years in captivity as Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap begins

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Soldiers return home after years in captivity as Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap begins

A new prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia has begun, officials in both countries said Monday, with Ukrainian soldiers who have spent nearly the entire duration of the war in captivity among those returning home. The exchange, agreed last week during talks in Turkey, involves detained people under the age of 25, as well as those who are seriously wounded, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Telegram. It follows a dispute at the weekend during which Moscow accused Ukraine of holding up the exchange — a claim that Kyiv denied. 'Our people are home,' Zelensky wrote. 'Ukrainians are returning home from Russian captivity. The exchange began today and will continue in several stages over the next few days.' Among those being released are Ukrainian soldiers who defended the city of Mariupol, which suffered a brutal Russian assault in the first few weeks of the war, the Ukraine Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said. The vast majority of those being released have been in captivity since 2022, according to Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's parliamentary commissioner for human rights. Russia's Ministry of Defense also confirmed that the exchange is underway. 'The Russian servicemen are currently in the Republic of Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance,' the ministry said. Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia's delegation for peace talks with Ukraine, said last week that the exchange would be the largest since the start of the three-year war. He said Russia would transfer the bodies of more than 6,000 killed Ukrainian troops, plus an unspecified number of wounded servicemen. Monday's news comes after a weekend of accusations being hurled between both Moscow and Kyiv in relation to the exchange. Russia accused Ukraine of unexpectedly postponing the transfer of dead Ukrainian soldiers' bodies, leaving hundreds of body bags inside refrigerated trucks waiting at an exchange point it said Kyiv had agreed to. Ukrainian officials rejected Russia's account of events, saying that the two sides had agreed to exchange seriously wounded and young troops on Saturday, but a date had not yet been set for the repatriation of soldiers' remains. The prisoner swap was a result of a second set of direct peace negotiations that took place last Monday in Istanbul. Though the exchange was agreed upon, there were no major breakthroughs, with talks lasting a little over an hour. As the prisoner exchange will last multiple days, and is 'quite complex,' negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will 'continue virtually every day,' Zelensky said Monday. 'We count on the full implementation of the humanitarian agreements reached during the meeting in Istanbul. We are doing everything possible to bring back every single person. We are working toward this at every level,' he added.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store