Israel allegedly abandoned major invasion of Rafah in favor of targeted raids

Israel has allegedly abandoned its plans for a major invasion of Rafah in the Gaza Strip in favor of targeted incursions after talks with the United States, The Telegraph has reported, citing a senior US official.

The report cited the official as saying that Israel had taken concerns of the US into account, which had for weeks warned Israel against full-scale operation in Rafah.

"It’s fair to say, I think, the Israelis have updated their plans. They’ve incorporated many of the concerns that we have expressed ... This is an ongoing discussion, ongoing conversation. It’s been constructive," the official said, referring to a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Jerusalem last week.

Last week, Sullivan traveled to the Middle East and visited Saudi Arabia and Israel, where he met with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Israeli leadership.

Earlier in May, the Pentagon confirmed media reports that the Biden administration halted deliveries of 1800 2000-pound bombs and 1700 500-pound bombs to Israel after the country began its allegedly limited military operation in Rafah while making public its plans to proceed with a major ground operation.

In early May, US President Joe Biden said during an interview with CNN that Washington would not supply weapons to Israel if the Jewish state's military went into Rafah.

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The US House Armed Services Committee adopted an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to ban Russian and Chinese nationals from national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production sites.

The panel adopted the amendment to the legislation during a markup hearing for the FY25 NDAA.

The amendment was offered by US Congressman Doug Lamborn.

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Palestine doesn't expect EU states' recognition to influence position of US

Palestine does not expect the decision of European countries to recognize it as a state to have any effect on the position of the United States, Palestinian Ambassador to Austria and permanent observer to the UN in Vienna Salah Abdel Shafi has told Sputnik.

"No. But in any case, international pressure will grow. For example, we have already seen during the vote in the [United Nations] General Assembly that the US is becoming more and more isolated internationally. Let me remind you that there were only nine states, including the US, who voted against Palestinian membership in the UN," the ambassador said when asked whether he expected European countries' recognition of Palestine to have an impact on the position of the US.

On Wednesday, Norway and Spain said they would formally recognize Palestine as a state on May 28. Later in the day, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris announced his country's recognition of Palestine.

Until Wednesday, Palestine was recognized by nine EU member states. Eight countries — Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia — recognized it in 1988 before joining the European Union, and Sweden in 2014.

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President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in New Caledonia amid pro-independence protests triggered by a controversial electoral reform which gives voting rights to people who became citizens after 1998, thus making the indigenous population a minority.

“My purpose here is to stand with the ministers and the whole government to support the people ... I came here with great respect, humility and the thought of the victims with the determination to do everything to restore calm,” he said.

With the island in a state of emergency, Macron said additional security totaling 3,000 personnel would remain, even during the Paris Olympics if required.

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China's large-scale military drills in areas around Taiwan: what's known so far

The exercises, codenamed Joint Sword 2024A, will be conducted from May 23 to 24, and involve military services including the army, navy, air force, and rocket force, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced.

Specifically, the drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait, north, south, and east of Taiwan, as well as areas around the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin, as per the command’s statement.

The exercises serve as a "strong punishment" against the separatist acts of the "Taiwan independence" forces and a "stern warning" to interference and provocation by “external forces,” Li Xi, spokesperson for the theater command, said in a statement. The maneuvers will focus on practicing joint maritime and aerial combat readiness in areas around the island of Taiwan to test joint real combat capabilities, Li said.

The show of strength comes just days after US-backed Taiwan’s new regional leader, William Lai Ching-te, took his oath of office. In response to that, China's Taiwan Affairs Office chief Chen Binhua declared that Beijing “will adhere to the 1992 consensus, which embodies the One China principle, and firmly oppose separatist actions aimed at achieving Taiwan's independence, as well as interference by external forces."

The drills also come as the US has been further stoking tensions in the region with a swathe of joint drills. The expansive US-Philippines Balikatan war games in April were held near the South China Sea, where both Beijing and Manila have territorial claims, with Beijing slamming the drills as exacerbating regional tensions.

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▪️ Israel allegedly abandons major invasion of Rafah in favor of targeted raids

▪️ French President Macron arrives in New Caledonia amid civil unrest triggered by Paris-backed changes to local voting rights

▪️ WATCH: Farewell ceremonies for the late Iranian President Raisi continue in the city of Birjand

▪️ Will European countries’ decision to recognize Palestine influence the position of the US?

▪️ The danger of Srebrenica resolution explained ahead of upcoming vote on it at UNGA

▪️ Neocon Nikki Haley endorses Trump, referring to Biden as a 'catastrophe'

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❗️ General Vadim Shamarin, head of the main communications directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, has been arrested in a case of receiving a particularly large bribe, Sputnik was told in court. Shamarin faces up to 15 years in prison, the court said.

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Russian artillerymen support the army's offensive near Avdeyevka

Crews of 2S19 Msta-S SAUs fired 152 mm shells to suppress Ukrainian firing points and strongholds. Orlan-30 UAVs carried out fire correction and target engagement control.

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❗️LIVE: Funeral ceremony for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi takes place in Mashhad

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Interest in the adoption of a law noscriptd On Transparency of Foreign Influence in Georgia and the criticism of it are caused, in particular, by the fact that it has been demanded that Tbilisi to open a “second front” since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said.

According to him, a “global war party” which has influence over various countries is involved. Kobakhidze did not specify which powers are meant by this term, noting that “in the end, coordination is carried out by one hand.” In his opinion, the EU and US need “deoligarchization.”

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🗣 'Butcher of Gaza': a crowd reminded Blinken again that people know and remember the terrible US-backed events in Gaza

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❗️ Other statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov at his briefing:

▪️ No armaments pumped into Ukraine can change the course of the special operation, it continues, and the Russian Armed Forces know their business.

▪️ Moscow is interested in developing mutually beneficial relations with all African countries, including Chad, where a new president is taking office.

▪️ Contacts on the issue of prisoner exchange should be carried out in complete silence, this is the only way they will be effective.

▪️ Putin and the King of Bahrain will hold talks on Thursday, first in a small group, then with delegations in a formal breakfast format.

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"Russia does not expect relations with Britain to change after the country's snap general election." Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during the briefing that all political forces in the kingdom are Russophobic.

According to the Kremlin spokesman, changes in relations between the two countries are unlikely: "Now it is almost impossible to see in the political landscape of Great Britain any forces characterised by a sober approach."

"All political forces have plunged into the abyss of dormant Russophobia, a hostile attitude towards our country. That is why no election will change anything in relations with us," Peskov added.

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