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"In my opinion, we have achieved nuclear weapons, but we do not announce it. It means our policy is to possess nuclear bombs, but our declared policy is currently within the framework of the JCPOA. The reason is that when countries want to confront others, their capabilities must be compatible, and Iran's compatibility with America and Israel means that Iran must have nuclear weapons."Clearly putting Iran in the same trench as Russia, Ardestani added:
"In a climate where Russia has attacked Ukraine and Israel has attacked Gaza, and Iran is a staunch supporter of the Resistance Front, it is natural for the containment system to require that Iran possess nuclear bombs. However, whether Iran declares it is another matter."
"We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people or squash dissent. But order must prevail."One small problem went unmentioned: Biden was not a disinterested party. In fact, his conflict of interest was so gigantic it could, like the damage to Gaza, be seen from outer space.
During his appearance on the CBS TV news program Face the Nation on Sunday, Blinken was asked if Washington agreed with the recent claim by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the attacks on Gaza have so far resulted in the death of 14,000 "terrorists" and 16,000 civilians."Yes, we do. Israel has processes, procedures, rules and regulations to try to minimize civilian harm. They have not been applied consistently and effectively. There's a gap between the stated intent and some of the results we've seen."Blinken stressed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are fighting "an enemy that hides in civilian infrastructure, hides behind civilians," which makes it problematic to determine what actually happened in each of the individual incidents.
However, the Secretary of State added that it was only an assessment, and that more investigating was needed for the administration of US President Joe Biden to come up with definitive conclusions.
Last week, the State Department released a report that criticized Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza, but didn't single out any specific violations that would necessitate a ban on US military aid to its ally.
At least, 35,034 people have been killed and 78,755 others wounded in the IDF's attacks on Gaza, according to the latest data from the Palestinian enclave's health ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and militants in its reports.
The UN's Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said last week that there were 14,500 children and 9,500 women among those who were killed in Gaza. The Jerusalem Post reported on Saturday that the UN has since then halved its estimated number of fatalities among minors and females.
A video purporting to show the moment a Ukrainian shell hit the residential building in Belgorod has been shared on social media.The reason the building collapsed is in part because the foundation was hit, as seen in the video.
The Russian Defense Ministry has said the apartment block was damaged by fragments of an intercepted Tochka-U missile.
10:29 GMTWhen they claim in the article that the apartment building was hit by a fragment of a Tochka U, was it something else, considering the following:
A second collapse has occurred during the search-and-rescue operation at the site of a Ukrainian attack that hit a residential building, the Russian emergencies Ministry has reported.
A video purportedly showing further destruction of the apartment bloc has appeared on social media. In the footage, people - apparently rescuers and volunteers - can be seen running from the scene, as parts of the building fall to the ground.
13:53 GMTOne TG channel wrote in the summary of events the following day:
The shelling of "peaceful neighborhoods" in Belgorod on Sunday morning was carried out with the use of weapons supplied to Kiev by NATO countries, Russia's Permanent Mission to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has stated.
Moscow demands that the organization's leadership "condemn the criminal actions in strongest possible terms," the statement on Telegram reads.
"It is unacceptable to blatantly ignore civilian victims among Russian citizens," in Belgorod, Donbass or elsewhere, the mission added. "There must be no double standards and political 'filters' in the OSCE when it comes to the Kiev regime's obvious brutal violations of international humanitarian law."
The Nazis are striking at the peaceful population of the #Belgorod region in response to the advance of Russian troops, . Yesterday, an AFU strike destroyed the entrance of a residential building in #Belgorod, most likely using a French AASM HAMMER aerial bomb. 15 civilians were killed. The AFU is hitting with MLRS, artillery and drones. At night, Novaya Tavolzhanka and #Cheremoshnoye were shelled.Against the above claim of French ammunition, it can be argued that the TG channel is not official, and besides we have it from the French President himself, pronounced just the day before the attack: Macron 'hopes' France won't go to war with Russia:
"We have to be dissuasive and credible towards our adversaries sometimes by telling them: 'If you go too far and if you threaten our interests, my own security, then I do not rule out intervening'," he said.But even if it was not, the 50 sent per month, probably can create a similar amount of damage. The precision is between one and ten meters. About the French AASM HAMMER aerial bomb, the English Wiki has:
On 16 January 2024, French president Emmanuel Macron announced France would be providing several hundred AASM Hammer precision-guided weapons to Ukraine, at a rate of 50 units per month in 2024.[34][35][36][37] The first reported use of the AASM by Ukraine took place on 5 March 2024.[38]These bombs can be fired from MIG 29, and F-16, (coming soon) and have an operational range of over 70 km. The standard version weighs 340 kg with a warhead of 250 kg, though the largest are close to three times as heavy.
11:47 GMTNotice above that windows in adjacent buildings have been blown out by the shock wave.
The search-and-rescue operation at the scene of the building collapse has been interrupted twice due to "missile danger" alerts in Belgorod, the Emergencies Ministry has said.Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has confirmed that warning sirens are sounding in Belgorod Region."If you are at home, do not go near the windows. Take shelter in rooms without windows with solid walls (hallway, bathroom, toilet). If you are outside, go to a shelter or other safe place," the official warned locals.
00:04 GMTOther articles:
The recovery operation has stretched into the night, as rescue teams continue searching through rubble and debris, according to videos from the scene.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine attacked residential areas of Belgorod, using a Tochka-U tactical missile system, as well as Olkha, and RM-70 Vampire multiple launch rocket systems. The ministry further asserted that Russian air defenses intercepted six Soviet-era Tochka-U missiles, four Vampire rockets, and two Olkha projectiles. It was mentioned that fragments of one of the downed Tochka-U missiles had caused damage to a residential building in Belgorod.2) Notes on the weapons reported, though we suspect there were western weapons too. This may appear a bit tedious, but these weapons are for the war what big expensive cars are for the road, though it is not so about a fancy look, price, and comfort, but their power to destroy.
'Tochka' (GRAU index - 9K79, according to NATO classification - SS-21 Scarab A - 'Scarab', according to the INF Treaty - OTR-21) - a Soviet tactical missile systemThe English Wiki has:
The improved Tochka-U, NATO reporting name Scarab B, passed state tests from 1986 to 1988, and was introduced in 1989.And:
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, as of April 2022, Ukraine possessed 38-90 Tochka missile launchers and several hundred missiles.[68]The Russian Wiki for the Olkha MLRS, see below, has a comparison of systems. For the Tochka-U, the diameter is 610 mm, the length, 6407 mm. the mass, 2010 kg of which the warhead is 482 kg while the range is 120 km. It reaches an altitude of 6-26 km. When the article says: "fragments of one of the downed Tochka-U missiles had caused damage to a residential building in Belgorod" it could mean that at least the explosive part made a hit, considering the damage. They also do not say how many they did not hit. One reason for firing a lot of missiles and rockets at the same time is that it offers a better change of penetrating the anti missile defence systems.
Ukrainian multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) with new adjustable ammunition, created using some elements of the Soviet 9K58 Smerch MLRS [1][2][3].The diameter is 300 mm, length 7600mm, the mass 800 kg of which the explosive part is 170 or 250 kg. The range of the standard rocket is up to 130 km, with special rockets up to 202 km. It reaches altitudes of 20-40 km.
The RM-70 [...] is a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) manufactured in Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakian version of the Soviet MLRS BM-21 'Grad'. NATO classification: M1972.This is a small 122.4 mm rocket. The maximum range is listed as between 8 and 42 km. Considering that the distance to the Ukrainian border is 35 km, it would have be be fired from near the border, while the others could be, and probably were further away. Ukraine should have eight of those launchers as of 2024.
"The reaction of American officials to the deadly strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on residential areas, or rather the absence of even a hint of condolences, is very telling," Anatoly Antonov told reporters on Sunday.In the above list of weapons, only the RM-70 is of foreign manufacture, the rest are Soviet or Ukrainian, but if there were ten attacks on the same day, the Russian MOD may have chosen not to reveal all that happened.
[...]
"It emphasizes Washington's readiness to do everything to absolve the Kiev puppets of responsibility for their atrocities," he added, while accusing the "independent" international media of ignoring the fact that the city was struck at least ten times in a single day.
"Children, women, and old people are being killed with Western weapons. Some promises by Kiev not to use weapons it received from America on targets in our country are not worth a penny," he claimed, blasting the "ostrich" policy adopted by the West and the reluctance to restrain Ukraine.
"Covering up terrorists is monstrous and inhumane," Antonov stressed. He insisted that the only way to prevent further attacks on civilian infrastructure is to ramp up military operations to push Ukrainian forces away from the Russian border.
In recent months, Belgorod has become the main target of Kiev's attacks, with continued shelling and attempts to break through to Russian territory. A bombardment on New Year's Eve killed 25 people - all civilians - when a rocket hit a festive fair.
Comment: On the world stage and damned politely, Israel has been given notice.