The United States exposes rare actions!
This morning, there was a big news in the Middle East, with CCTV News citing foreign media reports that the US government has suspended the shipment of US made ammunition to Israel. This is the first time since the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian Israeli conflict that the United States has stopped shipping weapons to the Israeli military.
Previously, the Israeli Defense Forces issued a statement stating that earlier on the 5th, about 40 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into Israeli territory. Subsequently, the Israeli army launched airstrikes on multiple areas in southern Lebanon. On that day, the Israeli army also heavily bombed multiple areas in the Gaza Strip, resulting in 18 deaths.
Take a look at the detailed report!
USA: Pause!
CCTV News quoted the US news website AXIOS as reporting that on May 5th local time, two Israeli officials told the media that the US government had recently suspended the shipment of US made ammunition to Israel. According to reports, this is the first time since the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian Israeli conflict on October 7th last year that the United States has stopped transporting weapons to the Israeli military.
According to reports, Israeli officials have stated that this incident has raised serious concerns within the Israeli government, and Israeli officials are currently investigating the detailed reasons. At present, the White House, Department of Defense, State Department and other departments of the United States have not responded.
Subsequently, CNN also followed up on this matter. The media reported that according to an insider, the Biden administration has suspended the shipment of US made ammunition to Israel, but he did not disclose the reason for this decision. However, according to sources, the suspension of ammunition transportation is not related to Israel's potential actions in Rafah, nor does it affect the transportation of other goods.
When asked about the suspension of shipments, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council cited ongoing security assistance to Israel. The spokesperson said, "Since the October 7 attacks, the United States has provided billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel, passed the largest emergency aid replenishment in history, led an unprecedented alliance to protect Israel from Iran's attacks, and will continue to take necessary measures to ensure that Israel can protect itself from the threats it faces."
However, CNN also mentioned that US officials are still concerned about Israel's potential actions in Rafah, where over one million Palestinians are seeking refuge. The United States is currently engaged in intensive negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage agreement in the Israel Hamas war.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has issued several statements in recent days, stating his intention to order a large-scale military operation against Rafah, regardless of whether Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on the release of hostages held in Gaza and a ceasefire. According to reports, Netanyahu hinted at tense relations with the Biden administration in his statement released on Sunday.
Netanyahu stated on the 5th that "no pressure" from the international community will prevent Israel from "defending itself". According to Agence France Presse, Netanyahu said at the commemoration ceremony held at the Yadh Vashem Massacre Memorial Hall in Jerusalem, "I want to tell world leaders that no pressure or decision from international institutions will prevent Israel from acting in self-defense." Netanyahu said, "If Israel must fight alone, then Israel will fight alone."
On May 5th, the Gaza Strip ceasefire negotiations held in Cairo ended without any progress.
AXIOS reported that two insiders said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel last Wednesday and had a "difficult" dialogue with Netanyahu on possible Israeli actions in Rafah. Antony Blinken told Netanyahu during the meeting that the "major military action" in Rafah would lead to the public opposition of the United States and would have a negative impact on the US Israel relations. One day later, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Israeli leaders understood that US President Biden was "sincere" when talking about the possibility of changing US policy towards the Gaza war, "if they were to engage in some ground action in Rafah that does not consider refugees.".
White House National Security Advisor Sullivan stated at a meeting of the Financial Times in Washington last Saturday that the Biden administration has made it clear to Israel that the way it operates in Rafah will affect US policy towards the Gaza War.
Israeli military intensive bombing
On May 5th local time, the Ashkor Regional Committee in southern Israel stated that Hamas had fired at least 10 rockets from Rafah that day. The rocket hit an open space near a military position, causing casualties among Israeli personnel.
Hamas stated in a statement that it is responsible for the rocket attacks in the Kerem Shalom area near the Gaza Strip border, and stated that its target is a gathering Israeli army.
Subsequently, the Israeli military launched air strikes in multiple areas of Rafah in retaliation. According to a report by the Palestinian news agency cited by CCTV News, on the evening of May 5th, Israeli warplanes bombed a house in the community of Rafah Salaam in southern Gaza, resulting in multiple casualties. In addition, Israeli warplanes also carried out an air raid on a school owned by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNHCR) in the Nusairait refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip that night, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries.
Since the morning of the 5th local time, 18 people have died in Israeli military attacks targeting multiple areas in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Israel Times, on May 5th local time, the Israeli Defense Forces reported that Lebanon had fired about 40 rockets into the Upper Galilee area in northern Israel that day, with some of the rockets intercepted. There are currently no reports of casualties. On the same day, Hezbollah militants in Lebanon announced that in response to Israel's earlier attack on the town of Mes Jabar in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah militants fired dozens of rockets and shells at the city of Shimona in northern Israel. According to the Israeli military, rocket attacks have caused power supply disruptions and damage to urban facilities in the city of Shimona.
Subsequently, the Israeli army retaliated against the rocket launch site. On the same day, the Israeli military also dispatched fighter jets to attack military buildings and infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, including Myrqeba, Kafakira, and Adessa.
Why attack Rafa?
It is worth noting that the recent news of Israel's attack on Rafah has attracted international attention.
According to CCTV News, since the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian Israeli conflict on October 7th last year, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly emphasized that the Israeli military will launch a ground attack on Rafah and stated that destroying Hamas military capabilities is the core goal of Israel. According to the Israeli military, Israel believes that Rafah is the last major stronghold of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and previous actions in other parts of the Gaza Strip have cleared 18 out of 24 Hamas camps. Israel claims that Hamas has four camps in Rafah, and some high-level armed personnel may also be hiding in Rafah.
In addition, analysis suggests that the attack on Rafa has significant political implications for Netanyahu. If this plan is not implemented, the government led by Netanyahu may find it difficult to sustain. If he signs a ceasefire agreement and calls for a halt to the attack, some conservative political partners may withdraw from the ruling coalition. Critics say that Netanyahu is more concerned with maintaining the integrity of his government and continuing to hold power, rather than national interests. Netanyahu denied this.
Currently, over 1.2 million people are seeking refuge in Rafah, the southernmost point of the Gaza Strip. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Health Organization have issued warnings that Israel's repeated claims of military action against Rafah will lead to further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Laike, stated on May 3 that the Israeli military's large-scale military operation against Rafah "will cause a large number of civilian casualties and an incredible blow to humanitarian operations throughout the Gaza Strip.".
The representative of the World Health Organization in the occupied Palestinian territories, Pipperkorn, stated that although the organization has developed an emergency plan for the Rafah situation, including the construction of a new field hospital, the plan is not sufficient to prevent a significant increase in the number of deaths. If the Israeli military insists on launching a large-scale military operation against Rafah, it will further cause more civilians to be displaced and the situation of material supply will deteriorate.