The #Biden admin paused the shipment of thousands of weapons to #Israel, including controversial 2k-pound bombs, amid mounting concern about the country’s plan to expand a military operation in southern #Gaza that could dramatically increase the conflict’s death toll, U.S. ofcls said Tues.
The disclosure marks the 1st known instance of a pause in #US#arms transfers since the #Oct7#Hamas-led attack into #Israel…. Since then, the #UnitedStates has sent tens of thousands of #bombs & #missiles to its #ally as huge swaths of #Gaza have been turned to rubble & the death toll among #Palestinians has ballooned to >34k, many of them women & children…. #POTUS#Biden described the bombing as “indiscriminate,” but has been reluctant to leverage weapons transfers to…change…Israel’s behavior.
Interesting web comic about nuclear technology and regulation. Especially in the context of current events (AFIK only 3 countries that have had nuclear weapons and ICBMs have ever disarmed... One of them is now being invaded).
Before the U.S. president signed a long-awaited weapons package this morning, the Biden administration secretly sent long-range missiles to Ukraine in March. Kyiv has already used the Army Tactical Missile Systems twice, striking targets deep beyond Russian enemy lines. The U.S. is sending more long-range ATACMS as part of the new $1 billion aid package. Politico has more on the weapons, and why Ukraine had been requesting them for years.
Israel’s military spending—the second largest in the region after Saudi Arabia—grew by 24 percent to reach $27.5bn in 2023. The spending increase was mainly driven by its war on Gaza.
The Israeli military has conducted missile strikes against Iran, a snr #UnitedStates#military ofcl told NPR Thurs. There are also reports of explosions in #Iraq & #Syria.
Iran's Fars News Agency says explosions were heard in the central city of #Isfahan, according to the Reuters News Agency.
The extent of Israel's strikes & the weapons used weren't clear.
Flights to #Tehran, #Isfahan & #Shiraz have been suspended following reports an explosion was heard in the city of #Qahjavaristan, Iranian state media reported.