"Threat to Russia"
The Russian president says Ukraine's military development with Western support is a threat to his country. Vladimir Putin also described the US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin’s visit to Ukraine as a move that facilitates Ukraine’s NATO membership bid and threatens Russia’s interests. During his Tuesday visit to Kiev, Austin said no third country has the right to stop Ukraine from becoming a NATO member. Tensions are running high between Moscow and the western military alliance.
Palestinian prisoners plight
Palestinian resistance movement, Islamic Jihad, says its prisoners in Israeli jails will not halt their hunger strike unless their demands are met. According to the Islamic Jihad, 250 prisoners affiliated with the movement are already on hunger strike. The group said it expects more inmates to join the strike. The prisoners are protesting a series of repressive measures imposed on them following the escape of six inmates from a high-security Israeli jail last month. Five of the escapees, who were recaptured days later, are Islamic Jihad members. Some Islamic Jihad prisoners have been put in solitary confinement since the prison break. Israel has also intensified its clampdown on Palestinians across the occupied West Bank with more attacks and arbitrary detentions.
Saudi war on Yemen
Saudi warplanes have pounded the Yemeni capital Sana’a, killing at least one person and injuring three others. Yemeni media say the strikes targeted medicine storage units. A spokesman for Yemen’s Ansarullah Movement condemned the bombing. Mohammed Abdulsalam also criticized as one-sided a recent UN Security Council statement that calls for de-escalation of violence in Yemen. He accused the world body of continuing its support for Saudi Arabia, saying such statements embolden Riyadh to intensify its onslaught and siege against Yemen. The remarks came after the 15-member Security Council called for an end to the Yemeni Army’s battle for Ma’rib, the last stronghold of Saudi-backed forces. The army has made significant gains there over the past months.