Latest news with #militaryactions
The Australian
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Australian
Trump slams Russia's 'disgusting' Kyiv strikes, threatens new sanctions
Donald Trump has threatened fresh sanctions on Russia while slamming Moscow's military actions in Ukraine as 'disgusting,' after strikes on Kyiv killed at least 26 people, including a six year old boy. 'Russia – I think it's disgusting what they're doing. I think it's disgusting,' Trump told reporters. Trump also said he would send his special envoy Steve Witkoff, currently in Israel, to visit Russia next. More than 130 people were injured in Russia's strike, with a 5-month-old girl among 14 children wounded. It was the highest number of children injured in a single attack on Kyiv since the start of Russia's invasion three years ago, according to public records consulted by The Associated Press. 'Today, the world once again saw Russia's answer to our desire for peace with America and Europe,' Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. 'New demonstrative killings. That is why peace without strength is impossible.' He called on Ukraine's allies to follow through on defence commitments and pressure Moscow toward real negotiations. Yana Zhabborova, 35, a resident of the damaged building, woke up to the sound of thundering explosions, which blew off the doors and windows of her home. 'It is just stress and shock that there is nothing left,' said Ms Zhabborova, a mother of a 5-month-old infant and a 5-year-old child. Russia fired 309 Shahed and decoy drones, and eight Iskander-K cruise missiles overnight, the Ukrainian air force said. Ukrainian air defences intercepted and jammed 288 strike drones and three missiles. Five missiles and 21 drones struck targets. Russian troops also struck a residential 5-story building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, according to the head of Donetsk regional military administration Vadym Filashkin. He said one person was killed and at least 11 more injured. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already met Witkoff multiple times in Moscow, before Trump's efforts to mend ties with the Kremlin came to a grinding halt. Washington has given Moscow until the end of next week to cease hostilities in Ukraine, under threat of severe economic sanctions. Trump reiterated the deadline on Thursday. 'We're going to put sanctions. I don't know that sanctions bother him,' the US president said, referring to Putin. The Kremlin shrugged the threats, with Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, claiming Russia's economy had 'acquired immunity' from the sanctions. Trump has previously threatened that new measures could mean 'secondary tariffs' targeting Russia's remaining trade partners, such as China and India. This would further stifle Russia, but would risk significant international disruption. The US president began his second term with his own rosy predictions that the war in Ukraine – raging since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022 – would soon end. In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly voiced frustration with Putin over Moscow's unrelenting offensive. The Times Rather than formal recognition, the EU is more concerned – and divided – over sanctions on Israel. Nation Australia has escaped further US tariff hikes after Donald Trump left the nation on his baseline rate of 10 per cent, in a move lauded by the Albanese government as a win for Australian exporters.
Al Arabiya
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Trump calls Russia's actions in Ukraine ‘disgusting,' threatens new sanctions
US President Donald Trump threatened fresh sanctions Thursday while slamming Russia's military actions in Ukraine as 'disgusting,' as strikes on Kyiv killed at least 16 people. 'Russia — I think it's disgusting what they're doing. I think it's disgusting,' Trump told reporters. Trump also said he would send his special envoy Steve Witkoff, currently in Israel, to visit Russia next. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already met Witkoff multiple times in Moscow, before Trump's efforts to mend ties with the Kremlin came to a grinding halt. Washington has given Moscow until the end of next week to cease hostilities in Ukraine, under threat of severe economic sanctions. Trump reiterated the deadline on Thursday. 'We're going to put sanctions. I don't know that sanctions bother him,' the US president said, referring to Putin. Trump has previously threatened that new measures could mean 'secondary tariffs' targeting Russia's remaining trade partners, such as China and India. This would further stifle Russia, but would risk significant international disruption. The US president began his second term with his own rosy predictions that the war in Ukraine — raging since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022 — would soon end. In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly voiced frustration with Putin over Moscow's unrelenting offensive.
CBC
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
York Region paramedic speaks out after being fired for criticizing Israel's military actions
A York Region paramedic who says she was fired over a social media comment that criticized Israel's military actions in Gaza says her post was mischaracterized to silence her political opinions. CBC's Dale Manucdoc explains.
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
US support for Israel's actions in Gaza drops, as Democratic opposition grows and MAGA movement splits
Americans' support for Israel's military actions in Gaza is dropping rapidly, prompting pro-Israel Democrats and some of President Donald Trump's long-time allies to warn that the country could permanently damage its standing in the United States. A Gallup poll released this week found that just 32% of US adults support Israel's military actions in Gaza — a record low since the war was launched in response to Hamas' October 7, 2023, terror attack. The poll also found the strongest partisan split yet: Support among those who identify themselves as Republicans remained strong, at 71%. But just 8% of Democrats and 25% of independents say they back Israel's military actions. In perhaps the most ominous long-term sign for backers of Israel, the poll found just 9% support for its actions among those age 18-34 of all political parties. The shift in public opinion has crucial implications for both parties: Some key members of Trump's MAGA movement are vocally questioning whether the United States should keep supporting Israel, while plummeting backing for the country among Democrats will likely impact the party's primaries in key races in 2026 and 2028. The collapse in American support for Israel is part of a global trend. The United Kingdom said this week it would recognize a Palestinian state before the United Nations General Assembly unless Israel takes major steps to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The announcement followed France's decision to do so. United Nations agencies are warning that 'time is running out to mount a full-scale humanitarian response' in the besieged Gaza Strip. Data show that more than one in three people (39%) are now going days at a time without eating, the UN's World Food Programme said in a statement Wednesday, adding that over 500,000 people — almost a quarter of Gaza's population — 'are enduring famine-like conditions.' Rep. Brad Sherman, a California Democrat who co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Israel Allies Caucus, told CNN that Israel is losing the battle for worldwide public opinion. He said Israel's military faces serious challenges in Gaza, where Hamas is willing to incur massive civilian casualties 'to undermine Israel's position in the world,' but said its objectives 'have to be balanced against each other.' 'Israel has to determine, what are its military objectives, and what casualties is it willing to incur to realize that national security includes your image around the world,' Sherman said. 'You can't get everything you want, and your worldwide image is important.' Within the GOP, fissures over Israel's actions came into public view after Trump on Monday disputed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's weekend assertion that there is 'no starvation in Gaza.' 'That's real starvation stuff,' Trump said. 'I see it, and you can't fake that. So, we're going to be even more involved.' Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a prominent figure in Trump's 'Make America Great Again' movement, appeared to become the first Republican in Congress to describe the crisis in Gaza as a 'genocide' with a Monday night social media post. 'It's the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct 7th in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza,' Greene said. Her comment came in a longer post criticizing Florida GOP Rep. Randy Fine, a staunch supporter of Israel. Fine told CNN that 'those who claim that Israel is engaged in genocide are either antisemites or idiots or both.' 'If Israel had wanted to commit a genocide in Gaza, they had the ability to do it. And it would have been done 18 months ago, and it would have been over in two days,' he said. 'Israel has the capability to kill everyone in Gaza, but they haven't. … Hundreds and hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died in order to minimize the deaths of Gaza Arabs.' He argued that Israel should stop putting its own soldiers at risk 'to minimize the deaths of the enemy.' Fine added: 'Israel needs to stop worrying about what the rest of the world thinks and take care of business. Political opinion does not win wars.' While many Republicans still agree with Fine, Steve Bannon, the former Trump chief strategist, said Tuesday on his podcast that there is 'very little support for Israel' within Trump's MAGA movement among those under age 30. 'And now, even people who support Israel are sitting there going, what in the hell's going on here?' Bannon said. Inside the Democratic Party, the issue of support for Israel proved to be a difficult one in 2024 for President Joe Biden and then his replacement atop the ballot, Vice President Kamala Harris, particularly in the battleground state of Michigan. That state, with its large Arab-American population, will host a competitive Senate contest in 2026. And Democrats who hope to run for president in 2028 will surely be pushed on their Israel policies in primaries across the country. Progressive Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee, who was one of six members of Congress to support a recent Greene amendment to strip $500 million in funding for Israel's missile defense systems from a defense appropriations bill, said in a statement that, 'The United States has a responsibility to demand a permanent ceasefire, stop funding and supplying the bombs being dropped, and call for unconditional humanitarian aid to enter Gaza immediately. It is good policy, good politics, and the right thing to do.' More establishment figures in liberal media have also sharpened their criticism of Israel in recent days — offering a preview of what could become a significant long-term shift in the party. The former aides to President Barack Obama who host the 'Pod Save America' podcast argued this week that Democratic candidates should stop supporting military aid for Israel. 'There has to be a total mindset change in the Democratic Party,' co-host Tommy Vietor, a former Obama National Security Council staffer, said. 'When the war ends, we are not going back to the pre-October 7 status quo. It's not where the party is. It's not where the world is.' Eric Fingerhut, the president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federations of North America and a former Ohio Democratic congressman, said the Gallup findings numbers reflect 'overwhelmingly negative media coverage of the war.' 'There's no question that we are in a very partisan moment in America, and that that is an overlay on how people react to the situation in Israel and in the war in Gaza,' Fingerhut said. CNN's Nadeen Ebrahim and Ibrahim Dahman contributed to this report.
Arab News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan condemns Israel's ongoing military actions against Syria
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has condemned Israel's ongoing military actions in Syria, calling them 'dangerous and deliberately destabilizing,' state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Friday. Israel has ramped up airstrikes over the past week against military and strategic sites in Damascus and southern Syria. According to Syrian and regional monitoring groups, these strikes have resulted in civilian casualties and extensive infrastructure damage. The intensifying campaign has prompted rebukes from Syria's government and other UN Security Council members. 'Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad called for the immediate cessation of all violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity,' Radio Pakistan reported after he addressed a national statement during the UN Security Council briefing on the situation in Syria, Violence in Syria pitting the Islamist-led government against members of the Druze community has put a spotlight on the small but influential minority. Straddling Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Druze occupy a special niche in the region's complex politics. Israel has cited protecting the Druze as a reason for attacking Syrian government forces this week. Ahmad described the strikes as 'repeated violations' that 'must be unequivocally condemned,' warning that they threatened regional peace . Israel bombed Syria frequently when President Bashar Assad was in power, seeking to roll back the influence established by Iran and Iran-backed groups that were deployed there to help him fight rebels. Israel has painted the new Syrian government as a jihadist threat, saying it won't allow it to deploy forces into southern Syria. Israel has said it wants to avoid any hostile build-up at its border, whilst also vowing to protect the Druze minority. Israeli troops have also seized Syrian territory adjoining the occupied Golan Heights since December. Syria's interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Thursday said Israel was promoting division among Syrians, accusing it of seeking to 'dismantle the unity of our people,' saying it had 'consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime' in December. With inputs from Reuters
