‘Israeli’ Patriot missiles for Ukraine is actually US diplomatic ploy – analyst

💬 “To say that Israel supplies weapons to Ukraine would be incorrect. It is the US who supplies weapons to Ukraine, from depots located in Israel”, Tel Aviv-based international relations expert Dr. Simon Tsipis tells Sputnik.

🔸 These Patriot missiles were originally stored in Israel by the US as part of a scheme that involves Washington maintaining weapon stockpiles in several Middle Eastern states in case of a major war in the region, the analyst notes.

🔸 This transfer of munitions was largely intended as a diplomatic gesture meant to accomplish two goals: show Russia that the US hasn’t completely abandoned Ukraine, and at the same time remind Ukraine how much it depends on US aid, the expert believes.

🔸 Shipping missiles to Ukraine from Israel also allows Trump to circumvent his own 90-day ban on foreign aid, by pretending that this shipment is being delivered by Israel rather than by the US, the analyst said.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Ex-Sen. Bob Menendez, architect of ‘the mother of all sanctions’ against Russia, sentenced to 11 years in prison for corruption – reports

Prosecutors revealed that Menendez accepted bribes in exchange for leveraging his political influence to assist the Qatari government and benefit Egypt, according to The Wall Street Journal. Menendez’s wife, Nadine, was also implicated in a scheme to return alleged bribe money under the guise of loan repayments, the report added.

In July, a jury found Menendez and two co-defendants guilty on all 16 counts, including bribery, wire fraud, acting as a foreign agent, and obstruction of justice.

Menendez, who built his career on sanctioning countries like Cuba, Russia, and China while condemning others as "foreign agents," now faces prison time for essentially becoming one himself.

Ironic, isn't it?

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹 Israeli Air Force targets town of Tamoun in northern West Bank, KILLS NINE – Palestinian Ministry of Health

Footage from social media

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚠️ WARNING! GRAPHIC CONTENT

A video of an Israeli soldier reportedly shooting a Palestinian child in the town of Tulkarem, West Bank, has gone viral on social media

According to local reports, the child was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

A small plane crash near Santa Barbara Airport, California, leaves two critically injured – reports

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Small aircraft crashes in Potomac River in Washington D.C. - DC Fire and EMS Department

All takeoffs and landings have been halted at Washington's Reagan National Airport following an aircraft incident on the airfield, according to airport officials.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️WATCH: Plane from Wichita, Kansas allegedly collides with helicopter in Washington, D.C. – reports

The explosion was caught on video by a webcam at the Kennedy Center. The number of people on board both aircraft remains unknown.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Military helicopter collides with regional flight near Reagan National Airport – White House

US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Anonymous Congressman off record claims at least 60 fatalities in Reagan Airport Crash in Washington, D.C. - Fox’s Sean Hannity

There is currently no official information about fatalities.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Four people recovered from aircraft collision site near Washington's Airport – reports

The recovered people have been rushed to hospitals, the NBC News reported, adding that the plane had some 60 passengers onboard.

CNN reported that the plane carried 60 passengers and 4 crew members on board.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt