🇮🇱 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered troops to "prepare to operate" in Rafah in southern Gaza, promising a "total victory" by Israel over Hamas in just months.

His disclosure came after a meeting with US Secretary Antony Blinken over a proposed deal by Hamas to pause fighting in the four-month-old war, which the Israeli leader called "bizarre".

"We are on the path to complete victory, and it is close. We are talking about months, not years or decades. The Israel Defense Forces is doing miracles," Netanyahu said.

Meanwhile the Hamas delegation will head to Cairo to continue negotiations on the Gaza ceasefire agreement, according to a political office member.

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Hamas 3-stage plan hanging in balance because of Israel

Hamas has reportedly proposed a three-stage 135-day truce and hostage deal, as well as Israel's' withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

"Everyone except for Israel appears to have an incentive for a cessation of hostilities," Mehran Kamrava, professor of government at Georgetown University, Qatar, told Sputnik.

Some Israeli officials deem that Hamas' proposals are unacceptable: "What Hamas' proposal is basically, after the horrific massacre that they carried out against Israel on October 7th, is that they would be given, in fact, immunity if not even reward," Prof. Meir Litvak, a leading Israeli expert on Hamas, told Sputnik, commenting on Tel Aviv hard-liners' stance.

Palestinian militant group Hamas views a ceasefire as the only way out of the ongoing bloodshed in the Gaza Strip which has seen over 27,000 Palestinians killed. Qatar and Egypt are seeking to stop hostilities with the backing of their Arab allies.

For its part, the Biden administration understands that it is getting bogged down in the MidEast conflict which could backfire during the 2024 elections, according to Ayman Yousef, professor in political sciences and international relations at the Arab-American University in Palestine.

"At this stage, the United States is really more involved now in the Middle East affairs, they are in direct confrontation with Iran, whether it is in Iraq, in Syria, in Yemen," Yousef told Sputnik. The White House is running out of time as the election nears and Joe Biden is rapidly losing support of his Democratic base, including youths, non-whites, Arabs and Muslim Americans.

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❗️ The United States and the United Kingdom on Wednesday launched two new strikes targeting north of Yemen’s Hudaydah province, a source in the local authorities told Sputnik.

"US and UK fighter jets carried out two raids on the Ras Isa district in the As-Salif area in the north of the coastal province of Hudaydah on the Red Sea," the source said.

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💵 The US national debt is estimated to increase to a record 116% of the gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of 2034 and will continue to grow afterward, according to a new Budget and Economic Outlook report published by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Wednesday.

"Debt held by the public increases from 99 percent of GDP at the end of 2024 to 116 percent of GDP - the highest level ever recorded - by the end of 2034. After 2034, debt would continue to grow if current laws generally remained unchanged," the report said.

The US deficit is expected to grow from $1.6 trillion in 2024 to $2.6 trillion in 2034, according to the report.

“The deficit totals $1.6 trillion in fiscal year 2024, grows to $1.8 trillion in 2025, and then returns to $1.6 trillion by 2027. Thereafter, deficits steadily mount, reaching $2.6 trillion in 2034.,” the report read.

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❗️ Three people killed, two injured after presumably a drone hit a civilian car in Baghdad, an Iraqi security source told Sputnik.

“According to preliminary data, a civilian car was blown up by a drone in the east of Baghdad, killing three and wounding two people,” the source said.

People who were killed in the explosion could have been linked to Iraq's Shiite militias affiliated with the Islamic Resistance group, namely the Kataib Hezbollah militant group, the source added.

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❗️ Iraq’s major militant group Kataib Hezbollah confirmed that a car explosion in Baghdad killed one if its leaders on Wednesday.

"We announce that one of the leaders of Kataib Hezbollah, Abu Baqir al-Saadi, also known as Abu Baqir Diyala, was martyred as a result of a car attack in eastern Baghdad," the group wrote on its Telegram channel.

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💸🚫 The US Senate on Wednesday blocked a $118 billion supplemental funding bill with aid for Ukraine and Israel, as well as immigration reforms and national security measures.

A motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the legislation failed to receive the 60 required votes, although voting continues.

On Sunday, Senate negotiators released a bill text for the $118 billion supplemental funding legislation, following months of bipartisan talks on the matter. The Biden administration initially requested supplemental funding from the US Congress in October.

The Senate is now set to consider a revised version of the legislation, which includes Ukraine and Israel aid but not immigration reforms. The revised bill provides $95.34 billion in funding, including more than $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel.

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Ukrainian forces are beginning to become concerned about potential ammunition shortages amid a lack of action by Congress to approve additional security assistance, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday.

"Battlefield commanders are making some really tough decisions right now," Kirby told reporters. "We know that in some units they are marshalling their ammunition very, very closely because they're beginning to get worried about running out."

Kirby added that Ukrainian forces are also assessing the availability of their longer range systems that they are using on the battlefield.

In December, the Biden administration ran out of funding to provide security assistance to Ukraine and Congress has yet to approve more funding.

Congress has been involved in a weeks-long debacle over the bipartisan deal reached on a national security supplemental package that includes some $60 billion for Ukraine.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected Hamas' proposals for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of the hostages, saying only military actions could help bring the captives home.

"Giving in to Hamas' outrageous demands will not only fail to bring about the release of the hostages, but will lead to another massacre and a disaster for Israel," Netanyahu was quoted as saying by Israeli news portal Ynet.

The prime minister added that, during his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, he had announced Israel's intention to achieve the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu's remarks come amid continued negotiations on a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt and Qatar.

The release of hostages still held in Gaza has become one of the key issues in social and political debate in Israel in recent months.

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🇷🇺 Russia is doing everything to help people that were taken hostage since the recent escalation of the Palestine-Israel conflict, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Putin held a meeting with Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar and President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia Alexander Boroda in the Kremlin.

"You know that after the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East, Russia is doing everything to help the people who are being held hostage. It is known that our Foreign Ministry is working with the political wing of Hamas, and in general there are certain results," Putin said, adding that it is necessary to continue work to help hostages.

When helping hostages in the Middle East, Moscow does not focus only on Russian citizens but also on foreigners — especially Holocaust survivors, Putin added.

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The US military carried out a unilateral strike in Baghdad that killed the Kataib Hezbollah commander who reportedly was behind the militant attacks on US forces across the Middle East, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a press release.

"At 9:30 p.m. February 7, US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on US service members, killing a Kata’ib Hezbollah commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on US forces in the region," the release said on Wednesday.

CENTCOM added that there are no indications of collateral damage or civilian casualties at this time.

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🤝 BRICS Alliance strengthens ties with African countries

"[It's been] about two years, [that] we've been working with the Central African Republic, and for the past year, we've been working a lot with Burkina Faso. Today, we proceed with Equatorial Guinea and also with Niger," Vice President of the BRICS Alliance NPO, Ahoua Don Mello told Sputnik Africa.

A representative of the BRICS Alliance has been appointed in Burkina Faso, Mello added. His mission will be to identify joint projects and find partners to implement them.

As for Niger, several files are being examined to find ways to ensure trade after it left ECOWAS and lost access to maritime routes, he added.

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❗️ A US base at an oil field in eastern Syria was shelled, explosions were heard from there, a source told Sputnik.

The base of the United States at the Al-Omar oil field in the Syrian eastern governorate of Deir ez-Zor has come under rocket fire, with sounds of explosions having been heard coming from there, a local source told Sputnik.

"The American base at the Al-Omar oil field has been shelled with four rockets," the source said, adding that explosions at the base have been heard after the shelling.

US helicopters have been scrambled after the shelling, the source said.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday urged Israel to expedite the flow of humanitarian assistance from Jordan to the Gaza Strip while emphasizing the need to strengthen deconfliction and improve coordination with humanitarian providers.

"Israel should expedite the flow humanitarian assistance from Jordan, it should strengthen deconfliction and improve coordination with the humanitarian providers," Blinken said during a press briefing.

Nevertheless, the official claimed that clear non-starters exist in Hamas' response to the proposed hostages deal but the United States will continue in its efforts to reach an agreement.

"What I can tell you about these discussions is that while there are some clear non-starters in minister's response, we do think it creates space for agreement to be reached. And we will work at that relentlessly until we get there, " Blinken said during a press briefing.

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How Hillary Clinton kicked off years of anti-Russia hysteria before Tucker Carlon’s interview with Vladimir Putin.

Security analyst Mark Sleboda joined Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Wednesday to examine the media response to Tucker Carlson’s interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and host Jamarl Thomas noted the special influence of Hillary Clinton in fueling anti-Russia hysteria.

“This all goes back to Hillary Clinton if I'm being honest… The Democratic position [was that] it was Vladimir Putin who took Donald Trump under his wing and carried him, like the footprints thing, where Jesus carried the person when they only saw one set of footprints and that Putin is the reason that Trump got in office,” noted Thomas.

Democrats have increasingly favored accusing their political opponents of ties to Russia since 2016, when members of the Clinton campaign devised the tactic as a way to explain the candidate’s unanticipated loss to Trump in the presidential election.

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US capability to move the troops and logistics support it needs across the oceans in any conflict with Russia or China is woefully inadequate and suffering critical shortages and "screaming vulnerabilities," House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mike Gallagher warned on Wednesday.

"Almost 90% of all Army and Marine Corps equipment supporting large-scale overseas operations will be transported by ship," Gallagher wrote in a letter to Transportation Command Chief General Jacqueline Van Ovost and Department of Commerce Marine Administration head Ann Phillips.

A senior official responsible for US military sealift capability described the current situation as a “screaming national security vulnerability," Gallagher wrote.

The situation has now led to "a perfect storm" in which the United States appears unprepared to carry out major sealift operations during a crisis, Gallagher cautioned.

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Special Counsel Robert Hur completed his investigation into US President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified materials, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a letter to lawmakers.

“In accordance with [federal law], I write to inform you that Special Counsel Robert K. Hur has concluded his investigation,” the letter, sent Wednesday, said.

Hur submitted his final report to the US Justice Department on February 5, the letter said. The White House continues to review the report for executive privilege consistent with constitutional prerogatives, the letter said.

On Tuesday, US media reported that the Justice Department will not pursue any criminal charges in connection with the case, despite Hur’s report being critical of Biden’s handling of classified materials.

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🇮🇱🇸🇾 Nine people were killed and 13 were wounded in an overnight Israeli attack on the Syrian city of Homs on Wednesday, a medical source told Sputnik.

Overnight into Wednesday, Syrian state broadcaster Al Akhbar reported that Syrian air defenses had repelled an Israeli missile attack on the province of Homs. Several civilians were killed and some injured, the Syrian Defense Ministry said later in the day.

"Nine civilians were killed and 13 injured in the Israeli attacks on Homs and the province last night," the source said, adding that the casualty figures were final.

Last week, Israel launched several strikes on southern Damascus, which were repelled by Syrian air defenses and caused no casualties.

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❗️EXCLUSIVE: No legal lawyer in US history has ever worked on a case like that of former President Donald Trump, his ex-attorney Joe Tacopina told Sputnik.

Tacopina withdrew from Trump’s legal team on January 15.

"There has been no case like this, not only for me but for any other in the history of this country," Tacopina said in an interview.

The opportunity to work on a case this big was a once in a lifetime opportunity, he stated, adding that it was exciting to work on something so "historical and groundbreaking."

"We have never seen cases with political ramifications like this case, that were so politically motivated," the attorney stressed.

Tacopina said that the political base in Trump's cases changes the whole standard process of normal legal steps or scenarios he was used to.

Trump faces a total of 91 charges in four criminal cases in what the Republican politician calls an attempt by the Democratic establishment to prevent him from returning to the White House.

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❗️ US journalist Tucker Carlson announced on Wednesday that his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin will be made available from 6:00 p.m. EST (23:00 GMT) on February 8.

Carlson announced on Tuesday that he organized an interview with Putin in Moscow out of a journalistic obligation to inform Americans about the realities of the conflict in Ukraine and its consequences.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Wednesday that Carlson interviewed Putin on February 6.

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