❗️US aircraft carrier Gerald Ford and its strike group have arrived in the eastern Mediterranean Sea - US military central command

What is Israel’s Merkava IV tank that Ukraine wanted and Hamas destroyed?

During its recent counteroffensive, Hamas, the Palestinian militant group based in Gaza, reportedly used drones to destroy approximately six Merkava IV tanks and captured 14 more.

The Merkava IV tank had also gained attention when Ukraine sought to acquire some for potential use against Russian forces, in addition to armor from NATO countries.

While the Merkava tank is highly effective in Israel's small desert terrain, its advantages may not translate well to other battlefields, such as the Pontic Steppe in Ukraine, where it was considered for deployment, an expert said.

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Footage of destruction in the Gaza Strip after an airstrike

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The United States will ensure that Israel has everything it needs in its response to the attacks by Hamas, US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.

The US is sending additional military systems to Israel, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish its Iron Dome air defense system, the president stated.

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A group of US lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill to provide $2 billion in security aid for Israel to help the country replenish its Iron Dome air defense system amid the escalation in fighting with the Hamas movement, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney’s office said in a release on Tuesday.

"Congresswoman Claudia Tenney today introduced the ‘Operation Swords of Iron’ Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act alongside Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Max Miller (R-OH), and Brad Schneider (D-IL) to appropriate $2 billion for Israel’s Iron Dome defense system," the statement read.

Additional 15 members of Congress from both major political parties have become the co-sponsors of the bill, the release added.

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Hurricane Lidia intensified into a Category 4 cyclone late Tuesday as it barreled toward Mexico, bringing with it strong winds and heavy rains forecasted to possibly trigger mudslides and severe flooding.

The storm is headed for a landfall near Mexico's Puerto Vallarta, a coastal resort in Jalisco state, with authorities already canceling classes in anticipation of the severe weather.

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📹 Crews of the Russian Solntsepek heavy flamethrower systems destroy the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the zone of a special military operation

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The environmental damage caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant could be exceeding 400 billion rubles ($4 billion), according to a preliminary estimate, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko stated on Tuesday.

The deputy prime minister stressed that the hostilities in the region prevent experts from carrying out a more accurate assessment on the ground.

"There have been various estimates, including figures exceeding 400 billion rubles. And this is only environmental damage, flooded areas, certainly excluding the assessment of damage done to the affected communities and economic facilities," Abramchenko told reporters on the sidelines of the Russian Energy Week forum, which will officially kick off in Moscow on Wednesday.

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🇺🇸 US risks undermining own military by arming Ukraine and Israel

In the aftermath of Hamas' surprise attack, Israel requested military support from the US, primarily Iron Dome missile interceptors to strengthen the nation's air defenses.

The Pentagon also deployed the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean and moved to deploy additional US Air Force fighter aircraft squadrons in the region. Some military supplies have already been provided to Tel Aviv under the 2018 Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Israel for security assistance.

Does it mean the US will supply its rockets and shells to Israel instead of Ukraine?

Find out here

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An earthquake with magnitude 6.4 has been registered in Afghanistan, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center reported.

The epicenter was located at a distance of 34 km northwest of the city of Herat.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 The "One Belt, One Road" forum, which will see negotiations between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, will be held in Beijing on October 17-18 - Chinese Foreign Ministry

❗️ Two additional earthquakes measuring at magnitudes 5.0 and 4.1 struck western Afghanistan, seismologists have reported

❗️ The IDF attacked the house of the commander of the military wing of the Hamas al-Qassam Brigades al-Deif in the Gaza Strip, killing his immediate family, media reports

🇺🇸 The US House of Representatives remains engulfed in an unprecedented leadership crisis, but acting Speaker Patrick McHenry (R-NC) said Tuesday the legislative body would still approve aid to Israel if they feel it is necessary.

The announcement appeared to contradict previous statements from members of the body’s majority party, as well as varying interpretations of McHenry’s lawful power.

Democrats on the chamber’s rules committee have insisted McHenry has “no authority other than taking steps necessary and appropriate to further the election of a new speaker.”

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🇮🇷 The Iranian Space Agency (ISA) is planning to launch into orbit its first satellite system, which is named after the deceased commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, within the next two years, the agency's head, Hassan Salarieh, said on Tuesday.

"In line with efforts to provide space station communications services ... the [Iranian] Space Agency has developed technical specifications for the first domestic narrowband telecommunications satellite, named after the deceased Qasem Soleimani ... Research companies from the space industry held a tender for the implementation of this project," Salarieh was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

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❗️ Russian air defense destroyed 2 Ukrainian drones in the Bryansk region, there were no casualties or destruction, the governor said

📊 Trump leads Biden 45% to 41% in a 2024 rematch, while 14% of voters are unsure, a new poll showed. 42% of independent voters back Trump and 36% back Biden.

Both Trump and Biden maintain the support of the majority of their parties’ voters, receiving 86% and 81% support, respectively.

However, a majority of voters believe that neither man should run for president. More than two-thirds of voters, 69%, think that Biden should not run for reelection, and 59% feel the same way about Trump.

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🇵🇸🇮🇱 Israeli army strikes Hamas naval facilities used for attacking Israeli coastline

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🇺🇸 Republican lawmakers refuse to link US aid to Israel and that to Ukraine into one package, US media report

💬 “One’s an argument that’s in process. The other is an acute need, and we need to tend to that first,” Rep. Michael Burgess said, referring to Ukraine and Israel, respectively.

💬 “Our government’s funding Ukraine’s government, funding the proxy war with Russia. Israel has their own government. Israel defends themselves. Two separate issues,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene added.

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🇵🇸🇮🇱 Israeli army says it attacked two bank branches used by Hamas in Gaza Strip

The IDF added it struck the headquarters of the commander of Hamas' northern brigade. An airplane detection system over the Gaza strip used by Hamas was also destroyed, the IDF said in a statement.

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🇪🇺🇵🇸🇮🇱 Elon Musk comments on EU regulator's complaint that X (Twitter) spreads “illegal content and disinformation” about Palestine-Israel conflict

Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for the internal market, said in a letter to Musk that his office has received "indications" that groups are spreading misinformation and "violent and terrorist" content on X, and urged Musk to respond within 24 hours.

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