Weakening Iran and Hezbollah part of broader Israeli-US project - analyst

Commenting on Israel’s recently announced start of its “limited raids” in southern Lebanon, Dr Lorenzo Trombetta, Rome-based senior analyst and UN consultant on the Middle East, told Sputnik that those attacks are just preparatory measures before a broader military offensive on the ground. 

“In this sense, Israel is serving US purposes. That's why all the Israeli operations on the ground are influencing the balance of power in Lebanon, and trying to change the equation of power there. Weakening not only Iran, but Hezbollah mainly, is part of the broader Israeli-US project,” Trombetta pointed out.

 
The White House National Security Council earlier said that President Joe Biden had directed the US military to help Israel shoot down Iranian missiles targeting the Jewish state. 

“The US military presence increased in the Middle East, mainly towards Iran, in order to threaten it and send a clear message to Tehran and its allies,” the analyst said. He suggested that the US won’t change their Middle Eastern policy and will continue “to manage the balance of power from their side, by being on the backseat and clearly supporting Israel and their other allies.”  

The Israeli military has meanwhile resumed air strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, hours after Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel in response to its “aggressive acts” against Tehran’s allies, including the assassination of Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

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Iran's strike on Israel: view from plane

The flying missiles were filmed by a British Airways pilot flying to Dubai at the time of the attack.

On the evening of October 1, Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israeli territory.

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❗️Russian soldiers liberated the settlement of Verkhnekamenskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry announced.

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🇷🇺🇱🇧 Russia has informed Lebanon of its plans to send a humanitarian aid mission to the country on Thursday, the Lebanese ambassador told Sputnik.

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🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:

◻️ Ukrainian losses amounted to 385 soldiers in the area of responsibility of the Russian Zapad Battlegroup;

◻️ The losses of the Ukrainian forces in the area of responsibility of the Russian Tsentr combat group amounted to 630 militants;

◻️ Ukrainian forces lost up to 110 militants in the area of responsibility of the Russian Vostok Battlegroup;

◻️ The Russian Yug Battlegroup struck a Ukrainian warehouse. The enemy lost up to 855 servicemen;

◻️ Russian air defense systems shot down a controlled Hammer aerial bomb and 32 drones of the Ukrainian armed forces.

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Polish Defense Minister complained that Ukraine had forgotten about Polish military assistance

"We were the first to send military assistance. It was a very big help. Germany sent helmets, and we sent tanks. But it has come to a situation where there is no longer any memory on the part of Ukraine about this assistance," Wladyslaw Kosinyak-Kamysh said.

The statement was made against the background of the aggravation of the problem between Poland and Ukraine with the exhumation of the victims of the Volyn massacre. Earlier, Kosinyak-Kamysh said that Ukraine would not be able to become a member of the European Union without resolving this issue.

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🇷🇺The Russian flag was installed on the administration building of Ugledar

"Our military is already in Ugledar, the Russian flag is installed on the building of the local administration," Yan Gagin, adviser to the head of the DPR, said, adding that Ukrainian scattered units still remained there.

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💬Pompeo to Russian pranksters: We need Russia back in Western economy

Former director of the CIA and the US State Department, Mike Pompeo, in a conversation with Vovan and Lexus, Russian pranksters who introduced themselves as an African official, said that Russia should return to the West economically instead of (pivoting towards) Asia and China.

"We need to pull the Russians back into a European model, not an Asian model... We need to prevent it from happening... If this war stops, you begin to bring Russia back in and convince them that they're in a better place with us than them," Pompeo said.

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Israeli ex-PM urges to 'change the face of the Middle East'

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet believes that Israel can and must change the current balance of power in the region.

"We have the justification. We have the tools. Now that Hezbollah and Hamas are paralyzed, Iran stands exposed," Bennet wrote on his X account.

Earlier Russian Foreign Ministry called to search for peaceful ways to resolve the Middle East conflict.

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❗️Hezbollah reports that it is clashing with Israeli soldiers who ‘infiltrated’ the border village of Maroun al-Ras

Earlier this morning, Hezbollah claimed to have pushed back Israeli troops from another border town – Adaisseh.

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Erdogan warns Israel might attack Turkiye after Palestine and Gaza

💬 "Driven by the delusion of ‘promised land,’ after Palestine and Lebanon, the Israeli government will set its sights on our [Turkish] homeland. Occupation, terror, and aggression are right next to us. We're not facing a state bound by law, but a horde of killers that thrives on blood and feeds off occupation," Turkish President Erdogan stressed out.

Erdogan condemns Israel's actions, accusing it of years of 'genocide' in Gaza and recent 'terrorist attacks' in Lebanon, and says the Israeli government is pushing regional countries into conflict.

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The first anniversary of our 24-hour radio in Lebanon!

Hundreds of exclusive reports, dozens of interviews with senior officials. And even now, working literally under fire, they are not slowing down.

Congratulations, colleagues! Keep up the good work and take care! 🤝

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Four soldiers have already been killed and some 35 wounded in fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon so far, Israeli media reports.

Militants from the Israeli army's elite Egoz special forces were ambushed at dawn and retreated.

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The Israeli foreign minister declared the UN secretary general persona non grata and banned him from entering the country.

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IDF confirms first officer casualty in ground war against Hezbollah.

Captain Eitan Olster of the IDF’s elite 'Egoz Unit', which specializes in anti-guerilla warfare, was killed in action.

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Georgian president refuses to sign bill banning LGBT propaganda

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili didn't sign a law banning LGBT* propaganda, the administration told reporters.

"President Zurabishvili refused to sign the bill and returned it to parliament without vetoing it," presidency spokeswoman explained.

In such cases, according to Georgian law, the Speaker of the Parliament can sign the bill into law instead within 5 days.

Earlier, the Parliament of Georgia has adopted a bill on the prohibition of LGBT propaganda.

*The LGBT movement is recognized as extremist in Russia and is prohibited

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British McDonald's hired people as 'slaves'

The Czech mafia has been transporting Czech citizens to Britain for several years, forcing them to work for next to nothing. People have had their passports confiscated, been subjected to total surveillance and been banned from using mobile phones and the internet.

“I do feel partially exploited by McDonald’s because they didn’t act. I thought if I was working for McDonalds, that they would be a little bit more cautious, that they will notice it,” said one of the victims named Pavel.

It emerged that McDonald's had overlooked or deliberately ignored well-known signs of slavery, including the payment of wages to several people into a single bank account.

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