Israel Widens Offensive Across Gaza as Houthis Claim Attack on Commercial Warships |
Israel widened its evacuation order (NYT) in the southern Gaza Strip over the weekend in what appears to be preparation for a ground invasion. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue (AFP) the war against Palestinian militant group Hamas until Israel “achieve[s] all its aims.” Israel also pulled its negotiators (CNN) from hostage talks in Qatar, casting doubt over the possibility of a return to a previous cease-fire that lasted seven days before collapsing on Friday. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed two attacks (AP) on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea yesterday; during the assault, U.S. forces fired at drones in the area.
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said yesterday that the United States continued to urge both Israel and Hamas to return to a pause in hostilities that could enable further hostage releases. The same day, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that Israel risks “strategic defeat” (Bloomberg) if it fails to protect civilians, saying such protection is crucial to winning urban warfare.
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“The evacuation order appeared to signal preparations for an Israeli offensive against Hamas in and around Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city and now the largest population centre in the south,” the Financial Times’s Chloe Cornish, Mehul Srivastava, and Neri Zilber write.
“The ongoing war is an opportunity for Arab countries to go beyond pragmatic de-escalation with Iran and to push for the United States to develop a strategy that addresses Iran’s destabilization of the Middle East,” SOAS University of London’s Lina Khatib writes for Foreign Affairs.
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.
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White House Warns Funds for Kyiv Risk Running Out by Year’s End |
Without congressional action, the United States will run out of funding (FT) to contribute more weapons and equipment for Ukraine, the White House budget director warned lawmakers in a letter today. She said a lack of new U.S. support would “kneecap” Kyiv. The warning comes as the European Union (EU) is also struggling to reach its own deal on more than $54 billion in new aid.
In this article, CFR’s Jonathan Masters and Will Merrow visualize U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Russia: President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s army (AP) to increase its troop size by nearly 170,000 people, which would bring it to a total of more than 1.3 million. The increase will occur by boosting volunteer recruitment rather than significantly expanding conscription, Russia’s defense ministry said.
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Oil Companies Pledge to Slash Their Methane Emissions by 2030 |
Several of the world’s largest private and state-owned oil companies said on Saturday that they would reduce methane emissions (WaPo) from their wells and drilling by more than 80 percent by the end of the decade. The same day, U.S. officials announced new rules designed to reduce methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas industry by nearly 80 percent in the next fifteen years.
Colombia became the largest oil-producing country to join a coalition (The Guardian) calling for a fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty that would manage a global transition away from fossil fuel production. The coalition includes several small island nations and countries that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
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Self-Declared Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Philippines Bombing |
The explosion Sunday killed four people (WaPo) at a Catholic Mass being held inside a university gymnasium. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. blamed the attack on “foreign terrorists” and the self-declared Islamic State claimed responsibility on the messaging app Telegram.
Canada/Hong Kong: Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Agnes Chow announced in a social media post yesterday that she departed Hong Kong for Canada (Nikkei) in September and might never return. She had previously been arrested in relation to Hong Kong’s 2019 anti-government protests and was then released on bail in 2021. Hong Kong’s National Security Department said she might become a fugitive “for the rest of her life.”
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India’s Ruling Party Wins Three of Four State Elections |
The Bharatiya Janata Party took power (India Today) in twelve of India’s twenty-eight states and is part of the ruling coalition in four others. The opposition Congress party now rules only three states.
India/Maldives: India has agreed to withdraw (Indian Express, Reuters) its soldiers from the Maldives, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu said yesterday after talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The two leaders also agreed to set up a committee to discuss development projects.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Iran Says Israeli Air Strike Killed Two of Its Personnel in Syria |
An Israeli air strike on Saturday killed two members (AP) of the Iranian paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Guard announced. Israel did not immediately comment (AFP). Iran’s military presence in Syria has been a top concern for Israel, which has vowed to stall Iranian entrenchment along its northern border.
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East African Force Begins Withdrawal From DRC |
The East African Community regional bloc started pulling out its troops (AFP) yesterday morning following Kinshasa’s refusal to renew its mandate. The bloc first sent troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in November 2022 in response to the resurgence of the M23 rebel group. This timeline traces the legacy of intervention and conflict in the Eastern Congo.
Guinea-Bissau: President Umaro Sissoco Embaló said Saturday that gunfire and clashes between two army factions in the capital, Bissau, last week amounted to a coup attempt (Reuters) that was ultimately foiled by authorities.
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Venezuelan Voters Back Claim to Portion of Neighboring Guyana in Referendum |
A majority of Venezuelans voted yesterday (AP) that the government should turn a large portion of oil-rich neighboring Guyana into a Venezuelan state. Turnout at the referendum appeared low, however, and it was unclear how the Venezuelan government would enforce the results of the vote. The International Court of Justice ruled on Friday that Venezuela should not take action that would alter Guyana’s control of the region.
Brazil/EU: The EU’s top trade negotiator canceled a planned trip (FT) to Brazil this week to negotiate the final details of a draft trade agreement between the bloc and South American customs union Mercosur. French President Emmanuel Macron criticized the prospect of the deal on Saturday, saying he had concerns about its environmental impacts.
This Backgrounder explains Mercosur, South America’s fractious trade bloc.
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Supreme Court Hears Case on Whether Pharma Billionaires Can Be Protected From Lawsuits |
The case will decide (CNN) whether members of the Sackler family, former owners of the pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma, can be protected from personal liability in current and future opioid-related lawsuits as part of a previous settlement in which they agreed to pay billions of dollars to victims of the opioid epidemic. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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