President Joe Biden on Wednesday publicly warned Israel for the first time that the US would stop supplying it weapons if Israeli forces make a major invasion of Rafah, a refugee-packed city in southern Gaza.
“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah ..., I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem,” Biden said in an interview with CNN.
Biden’s comments represent his strongest public language to date in his effort to deter an Israeli assault on Rafah while underscoring a growing rift between the US and its strongest ally in the Middle East.
Biden acknowledged US weapons have been used by Israel to kill civilians in Gaza, where Israel has mounted a seven-month-old offensive aimed at annihilating Hamas. Israel’s campaign has so far killed 34,789 Palestinians, mostly civilians, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” he said when asked about 2,000-pound bombs sent to Israel.
Israel this week attacked Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians have sought refuge, but Biden said he did not consider Israel’s strikes a full-scale invasion because they have not struck “population centers.”
A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington had carefully reviewed the delivery of weapons that might be used in Rafah and as a result paused a shipment consisting of 1,800 2,000-pound (907-kg) bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs.
The interview was released hours after Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III acknowledged publicly Biden’s decision last week to hold up the delivery of thousands of heavy bombs was taken out of concern for Rafah, where Washington opposes a major Israeli invasion without civilian safeguards.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza was triggered by Hamas ‘ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. That killed about 1,200 people with about 250 others abducted, of whom 133 are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Biden said the US would continue to provide defensive weapons to Israel, including for its Iron Dome air defense system.
“We’re going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently,” he said. “But it’s, it’s just wrong. We’re not going to – we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells.”
Biden says US will withhold weapons from Israel if it invades Rafah
https://arab.news/nurcr
Biden says US will withhold weapons from Israel if it invades Rafah
- US president admits Israel used American weapons to kill civilians
Mother and son killed in flash floods in southern Jordan
- The Belgian pair went missing as heavy rain caused flash floods across the country
JORDAN: The bodies were evacuated from the area, and an official investigation into the incident has been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
A major search and rescue operation had been launched in Jordan after flash floods ripped through vast parts of the country at the weekend.
Hundreds of tourists were evacuated on Sunday as the floodwaters continued to rise.
The Petra Development of Tourism and Region Authority said heavy rain triggered flash floods in the city on Sunday.
A Public Security Directorate spokesman said specialized teams of personnel from Civil Defense, local police directorates, and the Gendarmerie Forces, conducted extensive search operations under what they described as “challenging weather conditions and difficult terrain”.
“Their efforts extended over many hours before the two victims were found deceased”, the report added.
Yazan Mahadin, commissioner of Petra Archaeology Park and Tourism at PDTRA said most of 1,785 tourists that visited on Sunday had been evacuated.
A further 14 who were trapped by floodwaters in the Western Ma’an Police Directorate were rescued uninjured.
Meanwhile a separate team was sent to Tafileh to search for a teenager who went missing while herding sheep in the Hasa area.
The areas evacuated by the civil defense were Al-Khazneh, the Siq, the Roman Soldier’s Tomb, the Monastery, and the slopes of Prophet Harun.
Ticket sales to all major tourist attractions were suspended as a safety precaution, and the PDTRA is encouraging people to avoid flood paths and low-lying areas.
Lebanese army seizes Captagon pills, equipment at Syrian border
CAIRO: The Lebanese Army seized large quantities of Captagon pills in a raid on a manufacturing plant on the Lebanese-Syrian border, the Lebanese News Agency reported on Monday.
An army unit, supported by a patrol from the Directorate of Intelligence, seized large quantities of pills in addition to equipment for producing Captagon, along with raw materials used in drug manufacturing.
Israel approves Gaza ‘conquest’ plan, eyes expanded offensive and civilian relocation
- Netanyahu continues to promotes Trump’s plan for the voluntary departure of Gazans
- Israel already controls about half of Gaza, including a border buffer zone and key corridors, forcing Palestinians into increasingly crowded area
- Earlier on Monday, Gaza’s civil defense agency said two Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 people
- Israel’s security cabinet approved the possibility of humanitarian distribution in Gaza
TEL AVIV/GAZA STRIP: Israeli ministers on Monday agreed to ramp up the war against Hamas in Gaza, an official said, with plans to capture more territory in the beleaguered Palestinian enclave and call up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.
An Israeli political source told AFP that Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan that includes the “conquest” of the Gaza Strip and continued promotion of emigration for Gazans. The source said the plan entails "the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection," adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “continues to promote” US President Donald Trump’s plan for the voluntary departure of Gazans.
The plan, which the official said would be gradual, could mark a significant escalation in the fighting, which resumed in mid-March after Israel and Hamas failed to agree on extending an eight-week truce. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
An Israeli campaign group said Monday that the plan adopted by Israel's security cabinet is “sacrificing” hostages held in the Palestinian territory.
“The plan approved by the cabinet deserves to be called the 'Smotrich-Netanyahu Plan' for sacrificing the hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement, in a reference to far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Netanyahu.
On Sunday, Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers and would “operate in additional areas” in Gaza while continuing to strike militant infrastructure.
Israel already controls roughly half of Gaza’s territory, including a buffer zone along the border and three east-west corridors across the Strip, squeezing war-weary Palestinians into ever smaller and more densely populated pockets of land.
For weeks, Israel has sought to pressure Hamas into showing greater flexibility in ceasefire negotiations. In early March, it halted the entry of humanitarian aid — a ban that remains in place and has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis. Hunger is widespread, and desperation has fueled looting and civil unrest.
Israeli Airstrikes
Earlier on Monday, Gaza’s civil defense agency said two Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 people in the territory’s north. “Our teams found 15 martyrs and 10 wounded, mostly children and women, after an Israeli strike on three apartments” northwest of Gaza City, said agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal. Four more were killed in a strike on a house in Beit Lahiya, he added.
Since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, more than 2,600 people — many women and children — have been killed, according to local health officials. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Israel says 59 captives remain in Gaza, though roughly 35 are believed to be dead.
The war has displaced more than 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and turned large swaths of the enclave into a devastated moonscape. According to Palestinian health officials, over 52,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive, though their count does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Humanitarian Distribution
Later in the day, Israel’s security cabinet also approved the “possibility of humanitarian distribution” in Gaza, which has been under Israeli blockade for over two months. “The cabinet approved by a large majority the possibility of a humanitarian distribution, if necessary, to prevent Hamas from taking control of the supplies and to destroy its governance capabilities,” the political source told AFP. “During the cabinet discussion, it was mentioned that there is currently enough food in Gaza,” the source added.
The previous ceasefire had been expected to lead to negotiations toward ending the war, but those talks have repeatedly broken down over disagreements about the final outcome. Israel insists the war will continue until Hamas is defeated, while Hamas has demanded a permanent ceasefire as part of any deal.
Yemen’s Houthis blame US for fresh strikes
- The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, saying they act in solidarity with Palestinians
SANAA: Yemen’s Houthis on Monday blamed Washington for around 10 strikes in and around the capital Sanaa, as the United States pursues its campaign against the Iran-backed force.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency said two US strikes had targeted Arbaeen street in the capital, another the airport road, having earlier reported two strikes it blamed on “American aggression” and a series of prior bombardments on Sanaa.
The Houthi administration’s health ministry said 14 people were wounded in the Sawan neighborhood, according to Saba.
An AFP journalist heard loud explosions in the capital, which has been controlled by the Houthis since 2014.
The bombardment follows a Houthi strike against Washington’s ally Israel, which hit the perimeter of the country’s main airport on Sunday.
Eight people were wounded in US strikes on Sanaa in late April, according to the Houthis, who also reported strikes in other parts of the country, including their stronghold Saada in the north.
The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, saying they act in solidarity with Palestinians.
The Houthis had paused their attacks during a recent two-month ceasefire in the Gaza war.
But in March, they threatened to resume attacks on international shipping over Israel’s aid blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The move triggered a response from the US military, which began hammering the Houthis with near-daily air strikes starting March 15 in a bid to keep them from threatening shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
US strikes on the Houthis began under former president Joe Biden, but intensified under his successor Donald Trump.
Since March, the United States says it has struck more than 1,000 targets in Yemen.
Sultan of Oman reaffirms strong ties during visit to Algeria
- The Omani leader is on a 2-day visit to Algeria
- Delegation includes foreign, defense ministers
LONDON: Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik met Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Sunday to discuss fraternal ties between their nations.
At the sultan’s residence in the capital, Algiers, the leaders affirmed their commitment to enhancing relations to benefit their countries, the Oman News Agency reported.
The Omani leader is on a two-day visit to Algeria. On Sunday, Tebboune received him at Houari Boumediene International Airport amid an official reception.
Several ministers and officials in the Omani delegation include Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al-Said, deputy prime minister for defense affairs, and Sayyid Badr Hamad Al-Busaidi, minister of foreign affairs.
