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People flee eastern Khan Yunis after Israeli warnings of upcoming strikes

Earlier, the Israeli military launched an operation in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip after reportedly receiving intelligence indicating the presence of Hamas in the area, the army's press service reported.

In addition, "The Israeli Air Force struck 30 Hamas sites in Khan Yunis," the press service continued, mentioning "weapons depots" and "terrorist gathering places" among the targets attacked.

Video from social media.

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❗️Russia's Defense Ministry says build-up of forces engaged in active clashes against Ukraine's units in Sudzha district of the Russian Kursk region is underway

In columns heading to the districts of the Kursk region, there are Grad MLRS, towed artillery guns, tanks transported on trawls, and heavy tracked vehicles being transported.

There is a build-up of forces conducting active hostilities with Ukrainian formations in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region, the Russian MoD informed.

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❗️Ukraine’s attempted incursion into Russia’s Kursk region: What’s known so far

The operation to destroy Ukrainian forces that attempted to invade Russia’s Kursk region continues, with Russian forces thwarting attempts by Ukrainian troops to move deeper into the territory, Russia's Ministry of Defense said.

▪️Сolumns with Grad MLRS, towed artillery guns, tanks transported on trawls, and heavy tracked vehicles are heading to the Kursk region to build up the forces currently engaged in fighting against Ukraine's units in the Sudzha district.

▪️Earlier in the day, Russian soldiers destroyed Ukrainian troops and equipment in the areas of Darino, Gogolevka, Melovoy, Nikolsky settlements, and the western outskirts of Sudzha.

▪️In the past 24 hours, Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 280 militants and 27 armored vehicles, including four tanks.

▪️In total, during the fighting in the Kursk region, Ukraine has lost up to 945 military personnel and 102 armored vehicles, including 12 tanks, 17 armored personnel carriers, six infantry fighting vehicles, 67 armored combat vehicles, as well as two self-propelled fire launchers of the Buk M1 anti-aircraft missile system, plus three field artillery guns.

▪️The situation in the Kursk region has been recognized as an emergency at the federal level due to the attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the press office of the Russian Ministry of Emergencies told Sputnik.

▪️The operational situation in the region remained complicated, with local authorities taking additional security measures to evacuate people from hostilities-hit areas, Acting Kursk region Governor Alexei Smirnov wrote on Telegram.

▪️Heavy fighting persists near the city of Kurchatov, where a nuclear power plant is located, Mayor Igor Korpunkov pointed out, adding that the city administration is working as usual.

The Kursk region, which borders Ukraine in Russia’s western part, was attacked by about 1,000 Ukrainian troops and scores of armed vehicles on August 6. Russian troops swiftly retaliated by stopping the Ukrainian military from penetrating deep into Russian territory.

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📹 Russian Su-34 crews attacked Ukrainian personnel and military equipment in the border area of the Kursk region, Russia's Defense Ministry showed in a video.

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📹The Russian Su-34 aircraft struck a cluster of Ukrainian militants and equipment with a FAB-3000 bomb in the Sumy region bordering Russia's Kursk region, the Russian Defense Ministry shared.

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❗️Russian air defense forces shot down three Ukrainian fighter jets and 72 HIMARS rockets, as well as Vampire and Olkha missiles and 668 drones.

🇷🇺🪖 More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry’s weekly briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️On the front lines, 55 Ukrainian militants surrendered

▪️The Russian Yug Battlegroup hit formations from 13 Ukrainian brigades and repelled seven enemy counterattacks, with Ukrainian losses totaling up to 4,240 soldiers.

▪️The Vostok Battlegroup repelled four Ukrainian counterattacks, with enemy losses reaching up to 760 militants

▪️In the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone, Ukrainian forces lost up to 3,260 troops and two Leopard tanks

▪️Units of the Russian Zapad Battlegroup occupied more advantageous positions and struck formations from 11 Ukrainian brigades

▪️In the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's combat zone in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Ukrainian losses reached up to 2,520 militants and 17 armored vehicles

▪️The Sever Battlegroup hit formations from eight Ukrainian brigades in the Volchansk and Liptsev directions, repelling seven enemy counterattacks

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Wife of Harris' VP pick slammed by netizens for her comments on 2020 BLM riots

"I could smell the burning tires, and that was a very real thing. And I kept the windows open as long as I could because I felt like that was such a touchstone of what was happening," said Gwen Walz, the wife of Tim Walz, Kamal Harris' running mate and Minnesota governor, in an interview to KSTP in 2020. 

Her words have caused a wave of discontent online, as Tim Walz is accused of being slow to call the National Guard to stop violent Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots in 2020 which left many businesses in Minneapolis in ruins and put the lives of police officials in jeopardy.

"Her [Walz's] daughter also coordinated with rioters to let them know that the National Guard would not be activated one night," said Dustin Grage, the president of a conservative Minnesota-based consulting firm.

Trump's running mate, JD Vance, has also criticized the Minnesota governor:  

"If we remember the rioting in the summer of 2020, Tim Walz was the guy who let rioters burn down Minneapolis... And then Kamala Harris was the one who bailed the rioters out of jail," he said.

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Gaza ceasefire talks: Why does Israel want to sit down despite looming Iran attack?

It’s unlikely that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “basic guidelines have changed dramatically” when it comes to his decision to send an Israeli delegation to Cairo or Doha to attend next week’s talks on a Gaza ceasefire deal, Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official and regional analyst, tells Sputnik.

“I don't think that what we see here is a shift of 180 degrees. But I do think that Netanyahu also is aware of the fact that at the end of the day the maneuvering space is narrowing, and he needs to move forward, both for domestic as well as for regional and international reasons,” Melamed points out.

It seems Netanyahu is advancing to “some sort of a breakthrough in this whole situation,” the analyst says, warning at the same time that “the whole thing is obviously hanging by a thread.”

“If there was going to be a Hezbollah/Iranian attack [on Israel], it is going to result in severe outcomes,” the ex-Israeli intelligence official cautions, in a nod to the two’s possible retaliation against the Jewish state over the recent assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.

On the other hand, Israel’s desire to take part in the Gaza talks amid growing regional tensions “may have to do with the fact that, at the end of the day, when you put aside the whole issue of the retaliation, the basic interest of major players in wars like Israel, Iran, Hezbollah is to avoid a wider escalation,” the pundit argues. In other words, “each side has in this point some interesting conjunction of interests,” Melamed concludes.

The US, Qatar and Egypt earlier urged Israel and Hamas to resume urgent discussions on August 15 "to close all remaining gaps" and start implementing a ceasefire agreement in Gaza without "further delay."

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