WASHINGTON, 30 January 2023, (TON): Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis said the West sending tanks to Ukraine to provide additional aid in its war with Russia “creates real problems” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin is trying to scare the West with the Kremlin’s comments that NATO countries’ move to send tanks to Ukraine increases their “direct involvement” in the conflict, Stavridis told talk show host John Catsimatidis on his WABC 770 morning show “The Cats Roundtable.”

He rejected the idea that the West has escalated the situation but added that the Abrams tanks coming from the United States, Leopard 2 tanks coming from Germany and other countries, and Challenger tanks from the United Kingdom will play a key role in supporting Ukraine’s defenses.

DUBAI, 30 January 2023, (TON): Israel appears to have been behind an overnight drone attack on a military factory in Iran, a US official said.

Iran claimed to have intercepted drones that struck a military industry target near the central city of Isfahan, and said there were no casualties or serious damage.

The extent of damage could not be independently ascertained. Iranian state media released footage showing a flash in the sky and emergency vehicles at the scene.

A spokesperson for the Israeli military declined to comment. Arch-foe Israel has long said it is willing to strike Iranian targets if diplomacy fails to curb Tehran’s nuclear or missile programs, but it has a policy of withholding comment on specific incidents.

FRANKFURT, 30 January 2023, (TON): European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said ahead of an EU-Ukraine summit next week that Ukraine had unconditional support from the bloc and that the country needed to prevail against Russian attacks to defend European values.

“We stand by Ukraine’s side without any ifs and buts,” von der Leyen said in a speech at an event of her party, the Christian Democrat CDU, in Duesseldorf, Germany.

Ukraine “is fighting for our shared values, it is fighting for the respect of international law and for the principles of democracy and that is why Ukraine has to win this war,” she said.

Von der Leyen and her fellow EU commissioners plan an EU-Ukraine summit on Feb. 3.

CAIRO, 30 January 2023, (TON): The US has affirmed its support for Egypt’s economic, social and political development, according to a report issued by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and published it on its website.

This comes amid the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Egypt as part of a three-day tour of the Middle East.

The report titled “The US-Egypt Relationship” outlines America’s policies towards various challenges in Africa and the Middle East.

The visit takes place as the security situation deteriorates in Israel and Palestine.

CAIRO, 30 January 2023, (TON): Egypt has condemned the attack that claimed the lives of seven Israelis in a shooting incident that targeted worshippers at a synagogue in East Jerusalem.

The country expressed its total rejection and strong condemnation of Friday’s attack in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was critical of all operations that target civilians.

The country offered its sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.

It also warned of the dangers of the ongoing escalation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

WASHINGTON, 26 Jauary 2023, (TON): A gunman who shot dead three people in what police say was a random attack was being hunted in the western US state of Washington.

The attack came on the heels of two mass shootings in California that have left 18 people dead and as the United States grapples yet again with the horror of spiraling gun violence.

Police in the city of Yakima say a man killed three people at a convenience store overnight in an apparently unprovoked attack.

AMMAN, 26 Jauary 2023, (TON): Jordan’s King Abdullah II hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Amman in a rare meeting after years of strained relations between the two leaders.

The royal palace said they discussed the situation in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound and “the importance of respecting the historical and legal status quo”.

Netanyahu, who previously served as prime minister from 2009 to 2021, returned to power last month at the head of a coalition that includes extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.

The newly appointed national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, on January 3 visited the sensitive Jordanian-administered Jerusalem holy site, sparking a wave of international condemnation.

NEW DELHI, 26 Jauary 2023, (TON): India and Egypt agreed Wednesday to boost trade between their countries during a visit by the Egyptian president that underscores Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to fortify ties with other emerging economies.

Modi and President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi agreed on measures to increase two-way trade within five years to $12 billion. Trade totaled $7.3 billion in 2021-22.

The two countries also signed agreements on expanding cooperation in cyber security, information technology, culture and broadcasting.

Modi and El-Sissi expressed concern over disruptions to food supplies and other critical resources due to the war in Ukraine. Modi sought Egypt’s cooperation in fighting cross-border terrorism, extremism, and cyber threats.

BEIRUT, 26 Jauary 2023, (TON): The United States is rerouting $72 million of America’s assistance to Lebanon to help the country’s cash-strapped government boost wages of its soldiers and police officers, the US ambassador said.

Washington is a key donor of the Lebanese Army and its 80,000 members, providing over $3 billion in military aid since 2006. The announcement Wednesday is the first time the US is allocating funds for wages of security personnel in Lebanon.

Lebanon is struggling with an unprecedented economic crisis, one that the World Bank says is among the worst worldwide since the 1850s.

Three-quarters of the population live in poverty, while the Lebanese pound has lost over 90 percent of its value against the dollar.

MADRID, 26 Jauary 2023, (TON): Spanish police have arrested a man suspected of being behind a recent letter bombing campaign that targeted the prime minister and the Ukrainian embassy, the interior ministry said.

A 74-year-old Spanish citizen was arrested in Miranda de Ebro in northern Spain and the ministry said police were searching the man’s home.

Nobody was killed by the six letter bombs sent in late November and early December to various sites in Spain, but an employee of the Ukrainian embassy was lightly injured while opening one of the packages.

Among the sites targeted was the official residence of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Spain’s defense ministry and an air base near Madrid from where weapons donated by Spain are sent to Ukraine.