The crown prince stressed the Kingdom’s continuous stand by the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate rights. (SPA/AFP)
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed the military escalation in Gaza and its surroundings and the deteriorating situation that threatens the lives of civilians and the security and stability of the region.
In a phone call, the crown prince reiterated that Saudi Arabia, in communication with all international and regional parties, is exerting all efforts to stop the ongoing escalation and prevent its expansion in the region, emphasizing the necessity of adhering to international humanitarian law and not targeting civilians.
He also stressed the Kingdom’s continuous stand by the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate rights to a decent life, realize their hopes and aspirations, and achieve just and lasting peace, the Saudi Press Agency said Monday.
Abbas extended his thanks to the Kingdom’s leadership, appreciating its firm positions and efforts to stand with the Palestinian people and their just cause.
Arab foreign ministers to meet Wednesday on Gaza: Arab League
Arab League foreign ministers will meet Wednesday to discuss “Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip” following a surprise assault by Hamas on Israel, the regional bloc announced.
The “extraordinary meeting” in Cairo will seek to find “avenues of political action at the Arab and international level,” as Israel keeps pounding targets in Gaza following Saturday’s attack, Arab League deputy chief Hossam Zaki said in a statement.
The “extraordinary meeting” in Cairo will seek to find “avenues of political action at the Arab and international level,” as Israel keeps pounding targets in Gaza following Saturday’s attack, Arab League deputy chief Hossam Zaki said in a statement.
The head of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, who visited Russia, after the Palestinian group Hamas launched a massive surprise attack, met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday.
Lavrov said that creating a Palestinian state was the “most reliable” solution for peace in Israel and that fighting terrorism alone would not ensure security.
The meeting will be held at the request of Palestine and headed by Morocco, the current president of the AL Council at the ministerial level, the pan-Arab body said in a statement.
Participants of the meeting are scheduled to discuss political action at the Arab and international levels to tackle the conflict, according to the AL.
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Saturday launched a surprise attack on Israeli towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip, prompting Israel to launch retaliatory strikes on Gaza.
Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported on Monday that the death toll from Hamas' attack on southern Israel rose to more than 900.
The death toll and injuries from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have risen to 687 and 3,726, respectively, according to the latest update by the Palestinian Health Ministry on Monday.
Ukraine launched its much-touted counteroffensive in early June, promising a quick victory on the battlefield. However, Kiev's troops ran into Russian defenses and minefields, suffering tremendous losses. In September, Vladimir Putin said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had failed.
Russia's Ministry of Defense has published footage that depicts the destruction of Ukraine's S-300 missile system. Earlier, the MoD reported that Russian air defense systems intercepted Tochka-U tactical missiles and two enemy S-200 anti-aircraft missiles. The latter were adjusted to destroy terrestrial targets.
In addition, the Russian Armed Forces took out a drone command center located in the Donetsk Republic and suppressed 25 Ukrainian drones through electronic warfare.
After an over-four-month-long stalling counteroffensive, Ukraine failed to achieve any meaningful goals on the battlefield and suffered tremendous losses.
Sputnik has obtained footage showing Russia's military decimating a building that served as a hub for Ukrainian militants outside Donetsk. The destruction of the foothold thwarted another counterattack by the enemy.
The Kiev regime launched its counteroffensive more than four months ago. The effort was endlessly touted by Ukrainian politicians, who promised to turn the tide on the battlefield with the help of Western military equipment.
Nonetheless, the ill-trained Ukrainian recruits came up against Russia's solid defenses and well-laid minefields, suffering tremendous losses in manpower and equipment.
Ukraine's Statement About Attempted Attacks on Zaporozhye Nuclear Plant a 'Cold Shower to UN'
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has previously pointed out that the Kiev regime seeks to set up a supposed nuclear hazard by continuing to target the Zaporozhye NPP.
"The confession made by a Ukrainian high-ranking official will be a cold shower for the UN," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview with Russian media.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that the Zelensky regime sees the NPP as a "dirty bomb" and a kind of blackmail against Europe. The Russian Federation has provided comprehensive data about the Ukrainian shelling of the NPP on all nuclear security-focused platforms. Everything we have talked about will further be conclusively confirmed," she said.
Zakharova also stressed that UN representatives have repeatedly failed to identify where the strikes were coming from.
Earlier, it was reported that Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, acknowledged that Ukraine had indeed made several attempts to shell the Zaporozhye NPP. He was quoted by Ukrainian media as saying that ''Kiev had tried to capture the Zaporozhye NPP three times. However, their attempts proved futile as Russian troops repelled all attacks.''
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that a Ukrainian landing force unit had been destroyed while attempting to seize the Zaporozhye NPP on October 19, 2022. At the time, Ukrainian forces had deployed up to two companies of military personnel and 37 vessels. Russian warplanes eliminated 90 servicemen and 14 boats. Meanwhile, Ukraine used artillery to scatter the remaining soldiers through the Kakhovka dam.
The Russian Minister of Defense has repeatedly stressed that the Kiev regime was trying to create a supposed nuclear threat by continuing to target the Zaporozhye NPP. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has consistently emphasized the importance of creating a secure zone around the facility.
Russian MFA points to repeated calls about weapons supplied to Kiev going to black market
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has posted evidence on her Telegram channel of the Russian side's repeated appeals to the international community about weapons supplied by the West to Kiev showing up on the black market.
The diplomat posted excerpts from statements made at briefings from last March to the present day.
"For a year and a half, I have talked at official briefings at the Russian Foreign Ministry about how NATO, primarily US weapons supplied to [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky, are spreading to the black market," Zakharova pointed out. "I also mentioned the reason - corruption in Ukraine and the corruption scheme between Washington and Kiev. I spoke, I warned, I asked the world media to pay attention."
"Ask Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, as well as The Associated Press, the BBC and others how many times they have quoted our data or conducted investigations based on it. I tell you: none," the spokeswoman said. "I am publishing evidence that Russia has addressed to the international community repeatedly and openly."
The Russian foreign ministry explained that Maria Zakharova has repeatedly sounded the alarm and cited facts about the uncontrolled spread of weapons supplied by the West to Ukraine during her briefings. The diplomat drew attention to the spread of these weapons across all continents and the fact that they were falling into the hands of organized crime and radicals.
The Lebanon-based Shiite militant group Hezbollah said on Monday that it would “respond” to Israeli strikes targeting its facilities amid a recent escalation, local media outlets have reported. The militants also confirmed the death of at least one of their fighters in the attacks.
The group told Lebanon’s al-Jadeed TV that it would respond to the shelling of the Ayt al-Shaab area in the south of the country “in accordance with the rules of deterrence that it has imposed,” without clarifying what exact measures it planned to take.
Several local news outlets have reported that Israel is continuing to strike southern Lebanon, adding that two Hezbollah fighters might have been killed in the attacks. According to the Israeli media, a number of rockets were fired from Lebanon at Israel on Monday evening, but they resulted in no injuries. West Jerusalem has confirmed what it called a fire exchange at the border with Lebanon and issued restrictions to the residents of towns in northern Israel, the local media reported.
Businesses in the area can only remain open if they have immediate access to bomb shelters and gatherings are restricted to 30 people outdoors and 300 people indoors, the Israeli military’s Home Front Command said, adding that public beaches are closed altogether. The measures are to stay in place until Tuesday evening, the media reported, adding that they are likely to be extended.
The Hezbollah statement comes amid the biggest conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group controlling the Gaza Strip in recent years. Over the weekend, Hamas launched a massive attack on Israel, breaching the border and briefly overrunning nearby Israeli settlements. It has also launched thousands of rockets at Israel over the past few days.
According to Israeli officials, the death toll linked to the Hamas attacks has reached at least 900. Israel responded by launching massive air strikes at the Gaza Strip and announcing a “complete siege” of the area.
Washington had earlier issued a warning to Hezbollah, urging the group to refrain from interfering in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken specifically mentioned the Lebanon-based group in a talk with CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.
The Lebanon-based Shiite militant group Hezbollah has confirmed the death of at least one of their fighters in the Israeli strikes targeting its facilities amid a recent escalation. The group told Lebanon’s al-Jadeed TV that it would respond to the shelling of the Ayt al-Shaab area in the south of the country “in accordance with the rules of deterrence that it has imposed,” without clarifying what exact measures it planned to take.
Hezbollah strikes back after Israel kills ‘number of armed suspects’ who infiltrated from Lebanon
Three Hezbollah members were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon Monday, the Iran-backed group said, as tensions surged after Palestinian militants tried to infiltrate into Israel from Lebanon.
Israel’s army said its soldiers had “killed a number of armed suspects” who had crossed the frontier from Lebanon and that its helicopters were striking the area.
The escalation on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon comes two days after Hamas militants launched a massive attack on Israel’s southern flank from the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah issued three separate statements confirming the death of its members, all of them “martyred as a result of the Zionist aggression on south Lebanon Monday afternoon,” the group said.
A Hezbollah source had earlier told AFP a member was killed “in an Israeli strike on a watchtower in south Lebanon” near Aita Al-Shaab village, with a spokesperson for the group confirming the death.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group’s armed wing, which claims to be fighting Israel alongside Hamas, said earlier it was behind a thwarted bid to infiltrate Israel from Lebanon.
“The Al-Quds Brigades claim responsibility for the afternoon operation on the south Lebanon border,” the group said in a statement.
The mayor of the Lebanese border village of Dhayra said Israel was shelling the area.
“Fields on the outskirts of the village were subjected to intense Israeli artillery shelling, preceded by intermittent gunfire,” the mayor, Abdullah Al-Gharib, told AFP.
Hezbollah, whose arch-foe is Israel, had earlier denied any involvement in the border clashes.
An AFP photographer at the scene said he saw dozens of Lebanese and Syrian families fleeing as the outskirts of Aita Al-Shaab village came under heavy bombardment.
The Lebanese army in a statement said the periphery of “Dhayra, Aita Al-Shaab and other border areas were subjected to air and artillery bombardment by the Israeli enemy.”
It urged citizens “to take the utmost caution” and avoid border areas.
Andrea Tenenti, the spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which acts as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel, said UNIFIL commander Aroldo Lazaro was “in contact with the involved parties.”
He said Lazaro had urged them to exercise “maximum restraint” to prevent “further escalation and loss of life.”
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israel had expanded bombardment on the same border area with “enemy warplanes intensifying their flights and launching incendiary bombs.”
The clash comes a day after Hezbollah said it had fired artillery shells and guided missiles at Israel, “in solidarity” with attacks launched from Gaza by its ally Hamas.
Israel’s army said it hit back on Sunday with artillery into southern Lebanon.
In 2006 Hezbollah and Israel fought a 34-day war that left more than 1,200 dead in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 in Israel, mostly soldiers. The two countries remain technically at war.
Israel has warned Hezbollah against involvement in the war with Gaza.
At least 800 people in Israel and 560 in Gaza have been killed since the conflict erupted on Saturday, according to tolls from officials on both sides.
Hamas ready to discuss ceasefire but not hostages, Israel promises war
The radical Palestinian movement Hamas has announced its readiness to discuss a ceasefire with Israel, but has no intention of negotiating the fate of hostages while hostilities continue. It said the hostages included "dozens of people with dual citizenship".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an address to the nation, compared Hamas members with Islamic State (IS or ISIS, an organization banned in Russia) terrorists and vowed to defeat them "just like the enlightened world defeated ISIS."
TASS has gathered the main information about the conflict so far.
What conflicting sides say
Hamas representatives are "open to discussing a ceasefire with Israel," the movement said in a statement quoted by Al Hadath TV. At the same time, Hamas said it would not "negotiate prisoners under fire."
In an address to the nation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared Hamas to the Islamic State, insisting: "This enemy wanted war and this this is what they will get." Earlier, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Hayat said his country would not hold negotiations with Hamas and considered them impossible because of the declared state of war.
Combat operations
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are completing the clearing of areas along the border with the Gaza Strip, Israeli Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi said.
Casualties, fate of hostages
Since the beginning of the conflict, according to the latest official data, more than 700 Palestinians have died (mainly in the Gaza Strip, which was subjected to Israeli bombardment), and more than 3,700 have been injured.
The Israeli side reported about 800 dead and more than 2,700 wounded. Washington said that at least 11 American citizens were among the dead.
The Russian Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Russian citizen on Monday evening. Earlier, diplomats reported four missing, citing lists provided by the Israeli side.
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Hamas militants have taken more than 100 people hostage. The movement threatened to execute captured Israelis in case of attacks on homes and civilian objects in the Gaza Strip.
Situation at Israel-Lebanon border
The Israeli side reported shelling from Lebanon and the elimination of several people with weapons who infiltrated into Israel. The military said that it hit three roadblocks of the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah formation.
Responsibility for the attack on the Lebanese-Israeli border was claimed by members of Al-Quds Brigades (the Jerusalem Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad group, which also operates in the Gaza Strip). The attack on Israeli positions was later claimed by Hezbollah.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry, commenting on the situation on the border with Lebanon, said that the neighboring country and Hezbollah should not "test the patience" of the country.
International reaction
The Russian Foreign Ministry advised Russians to refrain from visiting Israel and Palestine. The ministry pointed out that Russian airlines have been instructed to return and exchange tickets without penalty.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov received Palestinian Ambassador Abdel Hafiz Nofal on Monday. According to the ambassador, preparations are underway for a visit to Moscow by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that he was concerned by Israel's intention to impose a complete blockade on Gaza and called for international law to be respected in the conduct of military operations. He said that peace in the Middle East is only possible through negotiations and a "two-state solution."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an address to the nation, said that he was willing to mediate. He said that he had held telephone conversations with the leaders of several countries, including Abbas and Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Erdogan also criticized Israeli policy toward Palestine and called for the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.
Situation in Israel
Netanyahu called on opposition leaders to form a national unity government "without preconditions" as they did "before the Six-Day War" in 1967.
Israeli authorities advised residents to stock up on water, food and medical supplies, saying they would need to spend up to three days in bomb shelters.
Moscow has repeatedly said that it wants explanations from Kiev and Washington on their military bio laboratories in Ukrainian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has published a new list of representatives of government agencies and companies of the US and Ukraine involved in the implementation of the dual-use bioresearch, Commander of the Russian Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov said at a news briefing on Monday.
He recalled that the MoD had previously cited participants in the American military-biological programs, among them US Department of Defense officials, biotechnology corporations and Pentagon contractors.
“Today we would like to supplement this list with representatives of government agencies and private companies in the US and Ukraine,” the general said.
According to him, the new list includes Thomas Wohl, vice president and official representative of the Kansas-headquartered Black & Veatch engineering company in Ukraine, who oversaw the implementation of the PAX electronic system for managing and monitoring biological agents and materials. Also on the list is Kevin Olival of the US-based EcoHealth Alliance non-profit organization, who was directly involved in the implementation of Pentagon projects to study zoonotic diseases spread by bats.
Additionally, the list comprises Mikhail Usaty, deputy head of the sanitary and epidemiological department of the Ukrainian Armed Force (UAF), who has overseen the organization of work within the framework of DITRA projects in Ukraine since 2018.
New participants also include Tatyana Kiryazova, the executive director of the Ukrainian Institute of Public Health Policy, who oversaw a Kiev-Washington study on pathogens in the Odessa-based Mechnikov Research Anti-Plague Institute.
Kirillov stressed that the information about the organizers and participants in the US military-biological program will be handed to the Russian Investigative Committee.
He said that more questions had emerged in connection with the military and biological activities by Kiev and Washington. The general exposed that “since the Russian side convened a consultative meeting on Article 5 of the Biological Weapons Convention, Moscow has got no answers on these questions, which could clarify the situation.”
Article 5, in particular, stipulates that signatories must consult and cooperate with each other in resolving any questions that may arise in relation with the implementation of the provisions of the convention.
Separately, Kirillov told reporters that “Russia’s efforts to expose the US’ illegal military and biological activities as well as the deterioration of the epidemic situation in Europe-based biological facilities prodded the Biden administration to relocate the dual-use research to African countries.”
According to Kirillov, the documents obtained by the Russian side confirm “the activities of key Pentagon contractors on the African continent, namely, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Uganda and South Africa.”
“The US government-related customers include DTRA [Defense Threat Reduction Agency], the National Security Agency and the US State Department,” the general added.
According to Kirillov, refusing to work on a verification protocol under the Biological Weapons Convention, the US “establishes administrative and technical structures that can be involved in the dual-use research, including for offensive purposes.”
The Russian MoD earlier revealed that the US had spent more than $200 million to establish biological laboratories in Ukraine, which participated in the American military program. According to Moscow, Rosemont Seneca, the investment fund of Hunter Biden, took part in the financing of the projects. With Washington vehemently denying the existence of any compounds, Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland told lawmakers last year that "biological research facilities" linked to the US were in fact operating in Ukraine.
According to the document made public by the Russian military, the bio labs were engaged in various research projects, such as the possible proliferation of typhus and hepatitis in the region, and the possible use of wild migratory birds for the transmission of a highly pathogenic form of avian influenza.
The violence in Israel will likely prompt a move into safe-haven assets as investors closely watch events in the Middle East to gauge geopolitical risk to markets.
Gunmen from the Palestinian group Hamas entered Israel in an unprecedented attack on Saturday. Western countries, led by the United States, denounced the attack and pledged support for Israel.
Rising geopolitical risk could see buying in assets like gold and the dollar, and potentially boost demand for U.S. Treasuries, which have been sold off aggressively, analysts said.
"This is a good example of why people need gold in their portfolios. It is a perfect hedge against international turmoil," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities, who predicted that the dollar would also benefit.
"Anytime there is international turmoil, the dollar strengthens," Cardillo said.
Markets have been reacting in recent weeks to an expectation that U.S. interest rates will stay higher for longer. Bond yields have soared while the U.S. dollar has been on a streak of gains. Stocks meanwhile had sharp losses for the third quarter but stabilized in the last week.
"It seems Wall Street has a new geopolitical risk after Israel declared war with Hamas," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda in New York, although he said the immediate impact for financial markets appeared to be limited to safe-haven flows.
Analysts were focused on the impact on energy prices as they tried to assess the ripple effects.
"Whether this is a massive market moment or not depends on how long it lasts and whether others are sucked into the conflict," said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management, of the situation in Israel. Jacobsen questioned how much impact it would have on the oil price despite Iran having been boosting output.
"Iranian oil production has been increasing, but any progress they’ve been making behind the scenes with the U.S. will be dramatically undermined by Iran’s celebrating Hamas’ actions," said Jacobsen, adding that "the possible output loss matters, but it won’t be earth shattering."
"It’s most critical to see how Saudi Arabia reacts," Jacobsen said. Washington has been trying to strike a deal that would normalise ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
David Kotok, chair and chief investment officer at Cumberland Advisors in Sarasota, Florida, said that the situation was concerning as the United States is weakened by dysfunction in Washington. Republicans are looking for a successor to ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy of the House of Representatives, and a budget showdown looms.
"I am very worried about more explosive situations that require U.S. determination and U.S. defense capability which is being injured," by the situation in Washington, Kotok said.
