Month: June 2022

US hypersonic missile test fails – Bloomberg

An American hypersonic missile test flight ended in a failure in Hawaii on Wednesday, Bloomberg has reported citing the Pentagon.

The US Department of Defense offered few details of what happened, stating only that “an anomaly occurred following ignition of the test asset.”

“While the Department was unable to collect data on the entirety of the planned flight profile, the information gathered from this event will provide vital insights,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Lieutenant Commander Tim Gorman was quoted as saying by the news agency.

The botched test was part of the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) program, under which Lockheed Martin is trying to develop weapons capable of flying at speeds of Mach 5 and above, for the use of submarines and surface ships.

• It suffered another setback in October 2021, when a booster rocket failed to deliver its hypersonic glide vehicle during a test at the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska. The booster was not part of the weapon system, defense officials stressed at the time.

Despite the failure of both tests, the Pentagon said it remains confident that it is on track to field offensive hypersonic capabilities in the early 2020s.

The US has been struggling to keep up with China and Russia in the development of hypersonic weapons.

There have been a number of successful tests under various American programs, but the country is yet to have a modern system in service.

Source: RT

Vladimir Putin hits back at G7 leaders’ topless photo jibes

Vladimir Putin has hit back at Western leaders who mocked his macho image this week, saying it would be “disgusting” to see them strip off.

• It comes after leaders at the G7 summit poked fun at the Russian president’s tendency to pose for topless photos.

But Mr. Putin suggested his counterparts needed to cut out alcohol and do more sport.

• He also rejected comments from the UK’s Boris Johnson that he wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if he were a woman.

At a press conference, Mr Putin said this was “not correct” – arguing Margaret Thatcher had “decided to start hostilities” in the Falklands War.

• Mr. Putin has been pictured shirtless several times in Russian state media, including whilst riding a horse, carrying a hunting rifle, and going fishing.

The pictures have been widely interpreted as the Russian president seeking to project a sense of masculinity that appeals to many Russians.

At the G7 summit in Germany earlier this week, Mr/ Johnson took a swipe at him, joking the leaders should take their clothes off to “show that we’re tougher than Putin”.

• The British prime minister also suggested the leaders “show them our pecs”, whilst Canada’s Justin Trudeau suggested “bare-chested horseback riding.”
• Asked about the comments during a news conference in Turkmenistan, Mr. Putin replied:

“I don’t know whether they wanted to strip down to the waist or below the waist, but I think that it would be a disgusting sight in any case.”

Referencing the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, he added:

“You can be a smart person and think about the beauty of your nails.”

He continued:

“I certainly agree with this: everything in a person should be harmoniously developed, both soul and body.”

“But in order for everything to be so harmonious, you need to give up alcohol abuse, other bad habits, work out, do sport”.

• “The colleagues you mentioned, I know all of them personally – we are not having the best period in our relations, this is understandable.”
• “But nevertheless, they are all leaders, which means they have character. And if they want, they will certainly achieve the desired progress.”
• “But you need to work on yourself. And the fact that they are talking about it is already good, I will praise them for this,” he added.”

When Mr. Putin’s comments were relayed to him at a NATO press conference on Thursday, Mr. Johnson did not respond directly, but pointed to the way Western nations had unified in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Mr. Putin was also asked about Mr Johnson’s remarks this week that the Russian president would not have invaded Ukraine if he were female.

In an interview with German broadcaster ZDF, Mr. Johnson said the “crazy, macho” invasion was a “perfect example of toxic masculinity” – and also called for “more women in positions of power”.

Citing the 1982 conflict between the UK and Argentina over the Falkland islands, the Russian president said: “I just want to recall the events of recent history, when Margaret Thatcher decided to start military hostilities against Argentina for the Falkland Islands.”

“So a woman decided to start hostilities. Where are those Falkland Islands and where is Britain? And this was dictated by nothing else than imperial ambitions, confirmation of their imperial status.”

“Therefore, I think that this is not a very correct allusion to what is happening today, not from the current prime minister of Great Britain anyway.”

The 10-week Falklands conflict began in April 1982, when troops from Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a British colony in the south Atlantic ocean.

Argentina said it had inherited the islands from Spain in the 1800s and wanted to reclaim them.

• The British had ruled the islands for 150 years, and sent armed forces by sea to take the islands back. Argentina’s troops surrendered on 14 June, 1982.

Source: BBC

Netanyahu to Edelstein: ‘We’ll work together for a Likud victory’

Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulates MK Yuli Edelstein, who decided not to run against him in the Likud leadership primaries.

“I am sure that we will work together, as we have done in the past, together with all party members for the victory of the Likud and for a great victory for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said.

Source: Arutz Sheva

Trump: ‘Netanyahu disappointed me – but overall I liked him’

“I was disappointed with him in certain ways, but overall, I liked him very much,” said fmr. President Donald Trump of fmr. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when asked if he would support Netanyahu running again in upcoming elections. #WakeUpAmeica @RobFinnertyUSA pic.twitter.com/0YOIa8aWKN

— Newsmax (@newsmax) June 30, 2022

Former President Donald Trump expressed mixed feelings about former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he would have to consider if he would support him in this fall’s Knesset election.

Speaking with Newsmax TV in an interview aired Thursday, Trump was asked whether he would give his backing to Israeli Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s bid to return to power in the November 1st election.

• “I was disappointed with him in certain ways but overall I liked him very much,” Trump said.

“If he ran, I would certainly give it some thought. We’ll see what happens. I don’t know that that’s going to happen. He disappointed me in certain ways but he also did a very good job in other ways.”

Trump also addressed a possible presidential run in 2024, saying that his wife, Melania, and youngest son, Barron would be prepared to “do what has to be done” if he decides to enter the race.

Trump also took credit for the rise of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has often been mentioned as another possible 2024 Republican candidate for the presidential nomination.

“I was very responsible for his success. I endorsed him and he went up like a rocket ship. Just like I endorsed Mary Miller [in Illinois] the other day, who supposedly was not going to win and she won, just like [gubernatorial candidate], Darren Bailey is doing great. I think he’s going to beat Pritzker, one of the worst governors in the country.”

Source: Arutz Sheva

Header: U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on September 15, 2020 in Washington, DC. Netanyahu was in Washington to participate in the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords. Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images/AFP

Russia Wins in Lisichansk, Loses on Zmeiny

In the end of June, Russian-led forces accelerated their advance in the strategic area of Severodonetsk-Lisichansk.

• So far, the Ukrainian military command has lost the last chances to evacuate the remaining units from the city of Lisichansk. All the roads leading to it are under fire control of Russian artillery. Some separate groups of Ukrainian servicemen are attempting to flee towards Seversk by the fields.
• Meanwhile, the assault units of Russian forces entered Lisichansk and fighting broke out on the streets. According to the Ambassador of the Luhansk People’s Republic to the Russian Federation, the forces of the LPR and Russia already control 50% of the city of Lisichansk.
• Russian units are advancing from Volcheyarovka along the Oktyabrskaya avenue and from the village of the Matrosskaya mine along the Heroes of Stalingrad.

At the same time, the trap around the city is closing.

• To the north, Russian-led forces took control of the town of Privolie located on the north-western outskirts of the Severodonetsk area. The advancing units crossed the Seversky Donets River and established a foothold on the right bank on June 28th. Then, launched a mop up operation in the town, which fell in a day.
• On June 29th, Russian forces took control of the entire industrial area of the Lisichansk Oil Refinery located to the west of the city of Lisichansk. This was one of the main military bases of Ukrainian units in the area. As a result of several days of clashes, Ukrainian ranks suffered heavy losses.

Suffering strategic losses in the Donbass region, Ukrainian forces attempt to achieve any gains in the Black sea area.

After several attempts to repel Russian forces from the Zmeiny Island, the Ukrainian military reportedly succeeded on June 29th.

• Satellite imagery showed that military assets of Russian forces on the island were shelled. The pier was damaged.

The Russian military withdrew the garrison stationed on the island.

The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed this was a step of goodwill aimed at demonstrating to the world community that Moscow does not hinder the efforts of the UN to organize a humanitarian corridor for the export of grain from the territory of Ukraine.

On the same day, in the Zaporozie region, the largest exchange of prisoners of war since the beginning of the Russian operations took place near the town of Kamenskoye.

• 144 Ukranian prisoners of war were exchanged for 144 Russian servicemen. Despite the claims of the Russian military that members of the Ukrainian nationalist battalions would not be exchanged but would face trial, among those exchanged from the Ukrainian side were 43 wounded Azov militants including those from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.

Source: SOUTHFRONT

Madrid summit proved that NATO expects unconditional obedience from all states – Lavrov

The NATO summit in Madrid once again indicated that NATO member states expect unconditional obedience to their will from all states, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei Thursday.

“I believe that it is obvious to everyone what they expect. They do not shy away from talking about it, and they said it once again yesterday during the NATO summit in Madrid. They expect unconditional obedience from all states to their will, which reflects their egoistic interests – primarily, the US’ interests,” Lavrov said.

He underscored that the modern Europe, represented by the EU, is losing its independence or those signs of independence that it used to have, and completely submits to the positions, imposed by the US.

• “Including in the area of economic sanctions, by rejecting Russian import, and by destroying logistical and financial chains that took decades to establish,” Lavrov added.
• “If we look at the existing list of sanctions – it’s an interesting analysis, I recommend doing it – if you compare the sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus by European states and those imposed by the US, the US, basically, try to go easy on themselves and remain not too active in the areas that will seriously damage their economy,” the Foreign Minister said.
• “Still, they also get a negative effect from their actions, but Europe suffers much more.”

According to Lavrov, Washington seeks “not only to weaken Russia, but to also weaken the EU as a competitor to the US”.

Source: TASS

Bennett, Lapid, hold modest handover ceremony

Outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and incoming Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday held a modest handover ceremony at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.

The ceremony follows the dissolution of the Knesset on Thursday morning.

• Senior officials from their bureaus and members of the Bennett and Lapid families also attended the ceremony.

An orderly and in-depth transition meeting was then held between outgoing Prime Minister Bennett and incoming Prime Minister Lapid, in which the former outlined the main security and diplomatic issues of the State of Israel.

Bennett remarked:

“This very special position, and this country, do not belong to any one person. They belong to the entire people of Israel. I hand over to you the responsibility for the State of Israel. I wish that you guard it well and may G-d watch over you.”

“Lihi, I want to say that it is not easy to be the Prime Minister’s wife. But the stability is at home, the warmth is at home, the place that you are familiar with. Everyone will be there for you, without outside interests, without anything. This is the cornerstone for Yair’s success.”

“Gilat, you are amazing, you are something special. The children, I know that it was not an easy year but what I told you at the outset, we are all together for the country. Together, you have paid a price for the country.”

• “Yair, every Shabbat we bless the children: ‘May G-d make you like Efraim and Menashe. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you. May He lift up His face to you and grant you peace.’ Good luck my brother!”
• Lapid said, “Amazingly, my mother said the same blessing to me 25 minutes ago. I will yet say what I have to say.”
• “I have worked under prime ministers. I am familiar with prime ministers. You are a good man and an excellent prime minister. You are also a good friend. This is not a farewell ceremony because there is no intention to take leave of you.”

Source: Arutz Sheva

Dr. Anthony Fauci, ‘America’s doctor,’ feeling ‘really poorly’ after COVID rebound

Dr. Anthony Fauci, sometimes dubbed “America’s doctor,” is reportedly feeling extremely unwell after contracting COVID-19 earlier this month.

Fauci has received both initial doses of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine as well as two booster shots, as he advises for people of his age — Fauci is 81.

• Fauci has also taken Paxlovid, Pfizer’s antiviral treatment for COVID, and experienced a rebound, following which he decided to take another course of the treatment, even though this is not officially recommended, with the FDA stating that, “There is no evidence of benefit at this time for a longer course of treatment … or repeating a treatment course of Paxlovid in patients with recurrent COVID-19 symptoms following completion of a treatment course.”

Initially, Fauci described his symptoms as “minimal” and expressed his relief at being double-boostered. Speaking during a Foreign Policy global health summit on Tuesday, Fauci said he tested negative for three days in a row after he finished taking Paxlovid but that on the fourth day, he tested positive again, a phenomenon that’s referred to as a “Paxlovid rebound,” and now has said he feels “really poorly.”

Source: Y.Rabinovitz – Arutz Sheva

Russia and Ukraine hold major POW exchange

Russia and Ukraine held a new prisoner of war exchange on Wednesday.

The swap has become the largest exchange since the beginning of the ongoing conflict, with each side handing over 144 prisoners.

Ukraine’s military intelligence service was the first to announce the deal, releasing photos of the swap.

• The batch included 43 fighters from the notorious Azov regiment, Kiev noted. Hundreds of fighters of the neo-Nazi unit ended up in Russia’s custody after surrendering at the Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol, last month.

While Moscow has remained silent on the swap so far, the exchange was confirmed by the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin.

“Today, 144 fighters of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Russian Federation, captured by the enemy, we are returning home,” Pushilin wrote in a social media post.

• “We gave Kiev the same number of prisoners from the armed forces of Ukraine, most of whom were wounded. Several of them are privates of nationalist battalions, their condition is deplorable: the wounds are severe, with amputation of limbs and other complications,” he added.

Both Russia and Ukraine claim to have captured scores of each others’ soldiers since Moscow launched its military campaign in the neighboring country in late February.

Early in June, Moscow said it was holding nearly 6,500 Ukrainian fighters in custody.

Ukrainian officials previously reported that 11 rounds of exchanges had taken place, with dozens of prisoners swapped.

Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”

In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbass republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc.

Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked.

Source; RT