US State Department Spokesperson, Vedant Patel has stressed that the US believes that an agreement is within reach to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that includes a Palestinian prisoner-Israeli captive exchange.
“We fully expect Gaza peace talks to move forward as planned,” he told journalists at a briefing.
Also, Patel said that the Israeli attack on the al-Tabin school in Gaza City was because of an alleged group of Hamas fighters using the “civilian infrastructure” as a hideout.
Israel’s attack on the school killed dozens of Palestinians sheltering there.
“We have been clear … to our partners in Israel that every possible effort needs to be taken to minimise the impact of civilian casualties,” Patel told reporters at a briefing.
However, he said, sites such as schools may lose their protected status under international law when “used by combatants.”
He added, “there is a clear, provable track record of Hamas using human civilians as human shields, locating itself amongst civilian infrastructure.”
Hamas has rejected such allegations, while rights organisations have accused Israel of war crimes for its attacks against Palestinians and civilian infrastructure including hospitals, schools, as well as tent camps sheltering thousands of displaced families.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin disclosed in a post on X that he had a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he also “noted the strengthening of US military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East.”
“We also discussed Israel’s operations in Gaza and the importance of mitigating civilian harm, progress towards securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza, and our efforts to deter aggression by Iran, Lebanese Hizballah [Hezbollah], and other Iran-aligned groups across the region.”
Lloyd Austin
Austin has already ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the region.
US Warns Of Severe Response If Iran Transfers Missiles To Russia
Moreover, US State Department spokesman, Vedant Patel told reporters that Washington is prepared to deliver “a swift and severe response if Iran were to move forward with the transfer of ballistic missiles.”
He said such a move would represent “a dramatic escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”
A news agency quoted two European intelligence sources in a report that said dozens of Russian military personnel are being trained in Iran to use the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system.
They added that they expected the imminent delivery of hundreds of the satellite-guided weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Also, Iran’s official news agency reported that Iran had put its long-range Mohajer-10 drones on show at a defence exhibit in Russia.
The news agency said that the advanced system was on display at the Army 2024 International Military-Technical Forum, which runs from August 12 to 14, 2024, near Russia’s capital.
The show comes at a time when Iran and Hezbollah are expected to retaliate for the Israeli assassinations of Hamas’s Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran, and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, who was assassinated in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Iran released details of the Mohajer-10 system in August last year, saying it had an enhanced flight range, duration and payload.
A video accompanying that report showed the drone alongside other military hardware, with text saying “prepare your shelters” in Hebrew and Persian.
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