🇮🇱🇺🇸🇵🇸 Israel wants to use American security contractors to throttle Gaza humanitarian aid: report

The “take-it-or-leave-it” proposal, put forward by the IDF to aid agencies and the UN as a condition of lifting its blockade, reportedly stipulates:

🔸 60 truckloads of supplies entering Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing after inspection by the IDF

🔸 Six initial Israel-designated distribution hubs secured by contractors from two US private security companies, the ex-CIA-run SRS and ex-military UG Solutions.

Hubs to be equipped with facial recognition monitoring, and serve 5,000-6,000 households apiece.

🔸 Distribution of 20 kg food and hygiene packages weekly/biweekly by aid workers. Fuel and water distributed separately.

💬 “We did the entire operational planning of how we can deliver the aid needed – the exact amount needed and not an ounce more,” an ex-IDF official involved in planning told WaPo.

Critics fear the starvation rations would trigger violence around hubs. “Yes, I’ll starve Gazans, yes, this is our obligation,” Likud lawmaker Moshe Saada said last month.

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‘He is completely crazy!’

Florian Philippot, leader of the French Patriots party, reacts to Zelensky’s threats to politicians who will attend the Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9.

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🇮🇱 ‘There will be many bangs’, Netanyahu warns after Houthi missile strikes airport

💬 “I can’t describe anything in detail, but we will start responding to them,” Netanyahu said in a tense address during which he furrowed his brows, raised his voice and banged his hand on the table.

💬 “We’re acting against them in coordination with the US. We’ve acted against them in the past, and will act against them in the future. It’s not ‘bang and we’re done’. There will be many bangs,” he said.

🟠Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Katz threatened to “hit back sevenfold at anyone who hurts us.”

🟠Houthi politburo member Hazam al-Assad warned in a Hebrew-language tweet that “just as the port of Eilat has been closed, Ben Gurion Airport will also be closed, until the aggression stops and the siege of Gaza is lifted.”

🟠Multiple US and European airliners have already canceled their flights to Israel.

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🇷🇺🇵🇰 Lavrov and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discuss growing tensions between India and Pakistan.

Russia has expressed readiness to assist in normalization of relations.

💬 "The Russian side emphasized its readiness to facilitate a political settlement of the situation that arose as a result of the terrorist attack on April 22 in the Pahalgam area, if there is a mutual desire on the part of Islamabad and New Delhi," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

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🇮🇱 IDF’s morale collapsing due to battle fatigue, loss of faith in the government: Israeli media

The Israeli military can now only dream about the kind of surge in enthusiasm it enjoyed in October 2023, when 20-30% more soldiers showed up for duty than were called up.

A JPost analysis says today, the Army would be “fortunate” if 60-70% of those called up actually showed up, attributing waning enthusiasm to:

◻️ Battle fatigue: “sheer exhaustion,” physically and emotionally, among troops called up 3-6 times in the last 19 months, having to again leave their families, work, or school.

◻️ Loss of faith in Netanyahu, and the perception that his government has prolonged the war for political reasons, plus criticism of how the conflict has been handled, and lack of clear objections or end game.

◻️ Haredim: exemptions for ultra-Orthodox believers from service, sapping reservists’ morale and perceived as unfair.

◻️ The sense that troops are “a convenient, low-cost labor force that can be mobilized at a moment’s notice.”

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🇷🇴 Romanian authorities report almost 50 violations in presidential elections

Ten are under investigation by the Interior Ministry, with eight others forwarded to the Central Election Bureau, Romanian media reported.

Really, Romania? Less than 50? No big scandals or anything? Like BARRING the leading candidate from running after he WON the first round of elections which were then canceled?

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🇮🇷 Iran unveils new missile with a 1,200 km range that can defeat US’s best defenses

The Qassem Basir is a solid fuel ballistic missile with the ability to maneuver, and can evade top US and Israeli air and missile defense systems including THAAD and Patriot, Defense Minister Nasirzadeh said.

◻️ The missile was successfully test-fired on April 17, with footage of the test airing on Iranian television for the first time on Sunday.

◻️ Nasirzadeh said development of Qassem Basir incorporated experience gained during Iran’s True Promise series of retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Israel in 2024.

◻️ He warned that Iran will not hesitate to target American bases in the region in the event of US aggression.

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🔸 ‘I think about it all the time’ – Putin on his successor

🔸 Putin explains why Russia did not start its special op in Ukraine earlier

🔸 What is Trump’s red line in Ukraine peace push?

🔸 ‘There will be many bangs’, Netanyahu warns after Houthi missile strikes airport

🔸 Barely afloat? UK Navy's SHRINKING fleet amid Russia's naval surge

🔸 US’ Indo-Pacific playbook: Muscle-flexing on China's doorstep amid regional tensions

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💥 The IDF admits a technical problem with the interceptor caused the missile strike on Ben Gurion Airport.

Meanwhile, major airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France, Delta, Air India suspend flights to Tel Aviv.

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🇷🇴🗳 George Simion leads in Romania's preliminary election results

According to CEC data, with 80.01% of the votes counted, the leader of the opposition party Alliance for the Unification of Romania (AUR) has 40.78% of the votes, while the candidate of the ruling coalition, Crin Antonescu, has 21.32% of the votes.

One of them will become president based on the results of the second round to be held on May 18, unless the authorities cancel the vote again.

UPD. Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan overtook ruling coalition candidate Crin Antonescu in the race for second place with 98.90% of the votes counted.

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🚨 Houthis impose AIR BLOCKADE on Israel

Yemen's Ansar Allah movement called on all international airlines to comply and cancel their flights to Israel in order to "ensure the safety of their planes and passengers."

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❗️ Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan overtook ruling coalition candidate Crin Antonescu in the race for second place with 98.90% of the votes counted.

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🚨 Trump reveals goal of US-Iran talks

"Total dismantlement. That's all I would accept," said the US president on the issue of Iran's nuclear program.

"I just don't want them to have nuclear weapon. Because the world will be destroyed," he added.

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❗️Russian air defenses shot down four Ukrainian drones approaching Moscow, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated.

Specialists are working at the site of the debris, no damage or casualties, he added.

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🔥 WSJ reporter: Are there any updates in talks with Vladimir Putin?

Donald Trump: "I wouldn't tell the Wall Street Journal because it'd be WASTING MY TIME."

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🎬 Trump announces 100% tariffs on movies

"Hollywood, and many other areas within the USA, are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other nations and, therefore, a national security threat," he wrote on Truth Social.

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🚨 New Zealand plans to modernize navy amid 'global tensions'

Defense Minister Judith Collins announced plans to replace navy helicopters and invest in missiles, cybersecurity and drones over 10 years.

This will more than double New Zealand's defense spending, she emphasized.

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🇲🇽 Trump doubles down on US troops in Mexico

"If Mexico wanted help with the cartels, we would be honored to go in and do it," the US president told reporters.

He added that President Sheinbaum rejected the proposal because "she is so afraid of the cartels, she cannot think straight."

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😈 White House portrays Trump as a bad guy?

The White House's X account made a post celebrating Star Wars Day, apparently asking the AI to depict the US president as a movie character.

Little did they know that red lightsabers are used by villains in the film's universe.

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