
US envoy Witkoff to enter Gaza, inspect aid distribution: White House
'Tomorrow, Special Envoy Witkoff and Ambassador Huckabee will be traveling into Gaza to inspect the current (aid) distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists.
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Saudi Gazette
3 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Kyiv mourns as Russian attack kills 31, including 5 children, in deadliest strike in a year
KYIV — Kyiv observed a day of mourning Friday after a Russian missile and drone barrage killed 31 people, including five children, and injured more than 150 in the Ukrainian capital. Officials said it was the deadliest attack on the city since July last year and the highest single-day toll of child casualties since Russian aerial strikes on Kyiv began in October 2022. The youngest victim was 2 years old. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 16 children were among the wounded. The assault destroyed part of a nine-story residential building and damaged more than 100 other structures, including schools, medical facilities, and universities. Emergency crews continued digging through rubble overnight as the death toll climbed. Authorities said Russia's escalating campaign of strikes on urban centers ignores Western calls, including from U.S. President Donald Trump, to stop targeting civilians after more than three years of said Russia fired more than 5,100 glide bombs, 3,800 Shahed drones, and nearly 260 missiles — 128 of them ballistic — in July urged stronger economic sanctions on Moscow, arguing they work despite Kremlin denials. His comments followed Trump's remark Thursday that he wasn't sure sanctions 'bother' Russian President Vladimir on Friday reaffirmed that Moscow's ceasefire conditions remain unchanged and said recent prisoner-exchange talks in Istanbul were 'valuable' despite no broader also announced production had begun on Russia's newest hypersonic missile, the Oreshnik, capable of carrying multiple warheads at speeds up to Mach has called for an urgent U.N. Security Council meeting to press for 'a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.'On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces are under pressure in the strategic eastern city of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk, where Russia is pushing to break through after 18 months of rejected Russian claims the city had fallen, though the Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine's hold is weakening and warned the loss could open multiple routes for Russian advances into Ukraine's defensive fortress Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 60 Ukrainian drones overnight, more than half over the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine. Ukraine's air force reported downing 44 of 72 Russian drones launched overnight. — Agencies

Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Italy to begin Gaza air drops: foreign minister
Italy said Friday it would begin air drops over Gaza, which UN-backed experts say is slipping into famine — the latest European country to do so. 'I have given the green light to a mission involving Army and Air Force assets for the transport and airdrop of basic necessities to civilians in Gaza, who have been severely affected by the ongoing conflict,' Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a statement. Italy's air force will work with Jordan's military to air drop special containers containing essential goods, he said. The first drops could come on August 9, he added. Spain on Friday said it had air-dropped 12 tonnes of food into Gaza, joining Britain and France, which have partnered with Middle Eastern nations to deliver sorely needed humanitarian supplies by air to the Palestinian enclave.

Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump deploys nuclear submarines in row with Russia
US President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines Friday in an extraordinary escalation of what had been an online war of words with a Russian official over Ukraine and tariffs. Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, have been sparring on social media for days. Trump's post on his Truth Social platform abruptly took that spat into the very real — and rarely publicized — sphere of nuclear forces. 'Based on the highly provocative statements,' Trump said he had 'ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.' 'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances,' the 79-year-old Republican posted. Trump did not say whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the deployment locations, which are typically kept secret by the US military. But in an interview with Newsmax that aired Friday night, Trump said the submarines were 'closer to Russia.' 'We always want to be ready. And so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines,' he said. 'I just want to make sure that his words are only words and nothing more than that.' Trump's remarks came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had started mass-producing its hypersonic nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile and could deploy them to Belarus — a close Russian ally neighboring Ukraine — by year-end. The nuclear saber-rattling came against the backdrop of a deadline set by Trump for the end of next week for Russia to take steps toward ending the Ukraine war or face unspecified new sanctions. Despite the pressure from Washington, Russia's onslaught against its pro-Western neighbor continues. An AFP analysis Friday showed that Russian forces had launched a record number of drones at Ukraine in July. Russian attacks have killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians since June. A combined missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Thursday killed 31 people, rescuers said. Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly three-and-a-half-year invasion were 'unchanged.' Those demands include that Ukraine abandon territory and end its ambitions to join NATO. Putin, speaking alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, said Belarusian and Russian specialists 'have chosen a place for future positions' of the Oreshnik missiles. 'Work is now underway to prepare these positions. So, most likely, we will close this issue by the end of the year,' he added. Insults, nuclear rhetoric The United States and Russia control the vast majority of the world's nuclear weaponry, and Washington keeps nuclear-armed submarines on permanent patrol as part of its so-called nuclear triad of land, sea and air-launched weapons. Trump told Newsmax that Medvedev's 'nuclear' reference prompted him to reposition US nuclear submarines. 'When you mention the word 'nuclear'... my eyes light up. And I say, we better be careful, because it's the ultimate threat,' Trump said in the interview. Medvedev had criticized Trump on his Telegram account Thursday and alluded to the 'fabled 'Dead Hand'' — a reference to a highly secret automated system put in place during the Cold War to control Russia's nuclear arsenal. This came after Trump lashed out at what he called the 'dead economies' of Russia and India. Medvedev also harshly criticized Trump's threat of new sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. Accusing Trump of 'playing the ultimatum game,' he posted Monday on X that Trump 'should remember' that Russia is a formidable force. Trump responded by calling Medvedev 'the failed former president of Russia, who thinks he's still president.' Medvedev should 'watch his words,' Trump posted at midnight in Washington on Wednesday. 'He's entering very dangerous territory!' Medvedev is a vocal proponent of Russia's war — and generally antagonistic to relations with the West. He served as president between 2008 and 2012, effectively acting as a placeholder for Putin, who was able to circumvent constitutional term limits and remain in de facto power. The one-time reformer has rebranded over the years as an avid online troll, touting often extreme versions of official Kremlin nationalist messaging. But his influence within the Russian political system remains limited. In Kyiv on Friday, residents held a day of mourning for the 31 people — including five children — killed the day before, most of whom were in a nine-story apartment block torn open by a missile. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said only Putin could end the war and renewed his call for a meeting between the two leaders. 'The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia's readiness,' he wrote on X.