DThe USA is moving further weapons systems to the Eastern Mediterranean in view of the threat of escalation in the Middle East conflict. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced in a statement on Saturday (local time) that he had ordered the deployment of a battery of the state-of-the-art missile defense system THAAD as well as units of the powerful Patriot air defense system in the region.
The USA had previously relocated several warships to the eastern Mediterranean as a deterrent, including the aircraft carriers “USS Dwight D. Eisenhower” and “USS Gerald R. Ford”. Air force squadrons have also already been sent to the region.
The USA absolutely wants to avoid a further escalation of the conflict in the region. After discussions with US President Joe Biden about the “recent escalations by Iran and its proxies” across the Middle East region, he ordered the deployment of additional weapons systems, Austin wrote. They served as a deterrent, to increase the protection of US forces in the region and to support the defense of Israel, it said. Austin did not say how many additional US troops would be stationed in the region.
All developments in the live ticker:
10:17 a.m. – Wegner: Jews in Berlin must be able to feel safe
According to Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU), glorification of violence and the trivialization of terror are not acceptable in Berlin. “We will do everything we can to ensure that Jews feel safe in Berlin again,” said the CDU politician to the “Berliner Morgenpost” (Sunday), referring to the rally against anti-Semitism at the Brandenburg Gate announced for Sunday afternoon. “I’ll say this again very clearly: Anyone who glorifies violence, who justifies, trivializes and relativizes terror does not belong in our Berlin.”
“Berlin, with its diverse Jewish life, must not become a place of fear for Jews. This is not our Berlin,” emphasized Wegner. “We want a Berlin of freedom, diversity and security.”
At the Brandenburg Gate, a broad alliance of organizations wants to send a signal against anti-Semitism and for solidarity with Israel. Parties and religious communities as well as trade unions and employers’ associations are taking part in the rally on the initiative of the German-Israeli Society. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is scheduled to open the rally with a speech.
9:20 a.m. – Summary of the pro-Palestinian demo in Düsseldorf
Several thousand people gathered in Düsseldorf on Saturday for a pro-Palestinian demonstration. The police said on Saturday evening that the meeting with around 7,000 participants was largely peaceful except for the impact on road traffic. However, the police have issued several criminal charges, including for incitement to hatred, incitement to crime, violation of the assembly law and insulting police officers.
Significantly more participants came to the demonstration than previously stated, the police said. The Düsseldorf police officers were also supported by emergency services from other authorities. There had previously been smaller demonstrations for Israel and the Palestinian territories on Saturday afternoon, which, according to the police, were peaceful.
Demonstrations were also announced in other cities in North Rhine-Westphalia at the weekend, including Cologne, Münster and Bielefeld. At the rallies it is forbidden to deny Israel’s right to exist or to call for violence or hatred against Jewish people.
9:10 a.m. – At least 210 Israeli hostages are held
According to the Israeli army, the number of hostages in the Gaza Strip is at least 210. This is the number of families that have been informed so far, a military spokesman confirmed on Sunday. Germans were among those kidnapped on October 7th by terrorists on behalf of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. Two hostages were released on Friday. Hundreds of Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7th and carried out a massacre in the border area. Israel suffered more than 1,400 deaths during and in the days that followed, the majority of them civilians. The identification of the bodies is still ongoing.
9:08 a.m. – Alarm in the Tel Aviv area
Rocket attacks on Israel by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip continue despite heavy Israeli airstrikes in the Palestinian territory. There was another rocket alarm in the Tel Aviv area on Sunday morning, the Israeli army announced. The Magen David Adom emergency service said there had been no reports of injuries so far. According to the Israeli army, around 7,000 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel since the war began two weeks ago. More than 550 struck the Palestinian territory itself and caused fatalities there.
08:02 – Two Syrian airports out of service
Syrian state media reports Israeli rocket attacks on the international airports in Damascus and Aleppo. A civilian airport employee was killed and another injured at the international airports in Damascus and Aleppo early Sunday morning, the Syrian state news agency Sana quoted security sources as saying. “Significant damage to the runways” had led to the suspension of flight operations at both airports, it said. According to the Ministry of Transport, scheduled flights are being diverted to Latakia.
5:41 a.m. – Army spokesman: “We are increasing the attacks”
Israel now wants to expand military action against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip after two weeks of bombardment. “We are increasing the attacks and minimizing the danger,” Israeli media quoted army spokesman Daniel Hagari as saying. “We must enter the next phase of the war under the best conditions.” It is unclear whether this refers to the expected ground offensive.
3:32 a.m. – US urges UN Security Council to support Israel
The USA has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on the Middle East. It states that Israel has the right to defend itself. Iran is called on to stop supplying weapons to “militias and terrorist groups that threaten peace and security in the region”. The draft text also calls for the protection of civilians – including those who tried to escape to safety.
The draft resolution also states that states must comply with international law when responding to attacks. The draft also urges continuous, sufficient and unimpeded delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip. It is still unclear whether or when the USA wants to put the draft resolution to a vote.
2:54 a.m. – Israel attacks extremist stronghold in the West Bank
Israel says it has killed “terrorists” from Hamas and Islamic Jihad in an airstrike on a mosque in the West Bank. The Al-Ansa Mosque in Jenin was used “by the terrorists as a command center for planning attacks and as a base for their implementation,” the Israeli military said.
12:57 a.m. – Israel and Hezbollah report renewed fighting on the border with Lebanon
Israeli warplanes have hit Hezbollah militia positions in Lebanon. This is reported by the Israeli military. There were also exchanges of fire with Hezbollah fighters in at least four different areas along the border on Saturday. An Israeli soldier was hit by an anti-tank missile.
Hezbollah had recently announced that six of its members had been killed in cross-border fighting. The Islamist extremist group Islamic Jihad, which also has a presence in southern Lebanon, said separately that one of its fighters had also died.
00:05 a.m. – Conference in Cairo ended without result
A Middle East conference called at short notice in Cairo ended without any results. The participants did not agree on a joint statement. Arab countries strongly condemned the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip. Jordan’s King Abdullah called for a more balanced approach to the conflict. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the Palestinians will not allow themselves to be driven from their land.
At the meeting, Germany, Great Britain and France urged Israel to show consideration for civilians in the Gaza Strip. “The fight against Hamas must be waged with the greatest possible humanitarian consideration for the innocent men, women and children in Gaza,” said Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.