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The Israeli armed forces announced early on Sunday morning that they would launch attacks on Lebanon due to “large-scale” attacks planned by the extremist organization Hezbollah.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has declared a 48-hour national emergency in the country.

– We are determined to do everything possible to defend our country. Whoever harms us, we harm him, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Sunday morning.

On the messaging service Telegram, the Israeli army warned the residents of southern Lebanon of future attacks early Sunday morning.

– Anyone who is close to Hezbollah’s operational areas should leave immediately to protect themselves and their families, the message published on Telegram said.

In a separate statement, Israel’s military said it had struck Lebanon with jets to prevent an “imminent threat”. Later on Sunday morning, the army announced that it had repelled thousands of projectiles from Hezbollah rocket launchers.

Hezbollah announced the operation

The Iranian-backed extremist organization Hezbollah announced a large-scale operation shortly after Israel.

Hezbollah announced on Sunday that it would launch an attack on Israel with aerial and rocket attacks in response to the killing of its leader.

There have been weeks of tension between the two sides since Israel killed a high-ranking Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukrin in Lebanon in July.

Israeli artillery shells hit an area near the village of Khiam in southern Lebanon. EPA / AOP

Hezbollah said it fired more than 320 rockets into Israel overnight, targeting a number of Israeli army bases. At the same time, Israel had announced pre-emptive strikes on Lebanon.

The Israel Aviation Authority announced on Sunday morning that previously suspended flights will now resume at Ben Gurion Airport.

The US supports Israel

The US says it supports Israel’s defense against Hezbollah attacks.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has spoken with Israel’s Yoav Gallant about Israel’s defense.

-Secretary Austin has reaffirmed the ironclad commitment of the United States to Israel’s defense against attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

According to the statement of the Israeli army, Gallant had informed Austin about the situation and the attacks on Lebanon.

Sources: AFP, Reuters

Russia declares a state of emergency in the Kursk region

Russia declares a state of emergency in the Kursk region due to the Ukrainian attack, says the governor Aleksei Smirnov on Wednesday on Telegram. The news agency Reuters and the Russian news agency Tass reported on the matter, among others.

Smirnov says that he is personally responsible for the crisis management center until the situation calms down.

Tass: Russian-American woman pleaded guilty to “treason” in Russia – accused of charity

Russian-American Ksenia Karelina has pleaded guilty to treason in Russia, his lawyer told news agency Tassi on Wednesday. Karelina is accused of donating around 50 euros to a Ukrainian charity in the United States, her employer says. This is reported by, among others, CNN.

Karelina was arrested while visiting her grandparents in Yekaterinburg in January 2024. Karelina, a native of Los Angeles, became a US citizen in 2021.

The Russian security service FSB has accused Karelina of publicly supporting Kyiv. The New York-based organization Razom for Ukraine, to which Karelina is said to have donated money, has said that it is “dismayed” by Karelina’s arrest.

Ukraine orders evacuation in Kursk’s vicinity

Ukraine orders a mandatory evacuation in the vicinity of Kursk, which affects about 6,000 people and 425 children. The news agency AFP reports on the matter, among others.

– I have just signed the order for the mandatory evacuation of 23 settlements in the Sumy region, the governor of the region Volodymyr Artyuh says.

Gerasimov: Ukrainian offensive in Kursk has stopped

Commander of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov according to the Ukrainian attack on Kursk has been stopped. This is reported by the news agency Reuters, among others.

Gerasimov said Russian forces continue to “destroy the enemy” in the immediate area.

Commander of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov AOP

The Ukrainian attack on Kursk is one of the biggest since the start of the Ukrainian war.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin told members of the Russian government that the Kursk offensive was a large-scale provocation by the Kiev regime.

Ukraine had the opportunity to destroy dozens of Russian super fighters – the US refused, and now it’s too late

For months, Ukraine has been begging the West for permission to use the weapons it received from its allies for attacks on Russian soil.

The Western allies, led by the United States, have repeatedly refused to give permission.

Ukraine would be very willing to carry out missile strikes on airports from which Russia conducts devastating aerial bomb attacks. So far, Ukraine has been forced to use Ukrainian-made weapons for these attacks.

On Saturday, Ukrainian drones attacked the Morozovsky air base in southern Russia. One Suhoi Su-34 attack bomber was destroyed in the attack and two others were damaged.

Russia is using Su-34 planes for devastating flying bomb attacks.

Earlier this summer, a very rare opportunity opened up for Ukraine to destroy dozens of Su-34 planes at once, writes Forbes.

The Russian 47th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment parked dozens of fighters at the Malshevo Air Base in southern Russia, just 160 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Malshevo is a well-defended base, so the Ukrainians begged permission to fire at the base with their best weapons available, the US-made Atacms missiles, which are almost impossible to stop.

The United States did not give permission. Ukraine would be allowed to use Atacms missiles only within its country’s borders. The Russians soon realized what was going on and pulled their fighters further away.

With its attack, Ukraine could have ended Russia’s aerial bombing campaign, but Russia learned from its mistake.

The unclear situation in the Russian border region continues

Ukraine’s ground attack on Russia seems to be continuing.

The Ukrainian sabotage and intelligence group, supported by heavy equipment, penetrated the Kursk region on Tuesday morning. Around 5 p.m., the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that up to 300 Ukrainian soldiers stormed across the border.

Neither the local authorities nor the Ministry of Defense will comment on the details of the situation. According to the governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, the region is “heroically resisting the attack of the Ukrainian Nazis”.

According to the governor, all emergency services in the region have been placed on heightened emergency status. Citizens are encouraged to donate blood.

According to Russian war bloggers, the Ukrainian armed forces have gained a foothold in the border zone and captured three villages.

According to the Russian authorities, three civilians have been killed and 28 injured in the Ukrainian drone and missile strikes in the Kursk region.

Already another African country cut off diplomatic relations with Ukraine

Niger severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine.

Niger government representative Amadou Abdramanin according to which Ukraine supports terrorist groups.

Ukraine’s military intelligence coordinated an attack in Niger’s neighboring country Mali, in which separatists led by Tuareg rebels killed a total of 84 members of the Russian mercenary group Wagner and 47 Malian soldiers.

Mali severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine on August 5.

The Malian authorities emphasized that they have previously maintained a neutral position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but now consider the character of the Kiev authorities to be “neo-Nazi and thug-like”.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is currently on a tour of Africa. He will visit Malawi, Zambia and Mauritius.

During the talks, Kuleba plans to discuss the participation of African states in “global efforts to restore a just peace to Ukraine and the whole world.”