Russian Foreign Ministry

The elimination of Hezbollah’s leader by an Israeli military strike near Beirut is “an act of justice” for his many victims, including thousands of American, Israeli, and Lebanese citizens, said U.S. President Joe Biden today.

“The U.S. fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself,” Biden reiterated in his statement.

Russia today warned the West and Ukraine of “catastrophic consequences” if Kiev moves against Russia’s close ally Belarus, making clear it will intervene to defend a country in which it has regularly deployed nuclear weapons.

The Kremlin announced on Wednesday that Russia is revising its nuclear doctrine in response to perceived threats from the United States and its Western allies, who, according to Moscow, have escalated the conflict in Ukraine and disregarded Russia's security concerns.

Five people were killed and 46 wounded in a Ukrainian attack on the southwestern Russian city of Belgorod, according to local authorities quoted by Reuters. The governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, stated that many of those injured in the attack were hospitalized.

Russia has imposed entry bans on 92 US nationals, including more than two dozen journalists, as announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday. The sanctions come in response to what Moscow describes as the Biden administration's "Russophobic policy" aimed at inflicting a "strategic defeat" on Russia, according to state media TASS.

Ukraine's naval forces have confirmed the destruction of a ferry carrying tank wagons in the Russian port of Kavkaz on the Kerch Strait. The attack resulted in injuries to 13 crew members, with four hospitalized and one person still missing. The fire, which spread over approximately 500 square meters, has been contained.

Russian forces are now positioned just 10 kilometers from the outskirts of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. This advancement comes amid ongoing conflicts in the region, where Ukrainian forces have been engaged in various operations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has emphasized that the primary objective of the Ministry of Defense is to drive enemy forces out of Russian territories and ensure robust border security.

Active hostilities continue in Russia's Kursk region, following a cross-border incursion by Ukrainian forces. Reports indicate that Ukrainian troops have advanced up to 30 kilometers into Russian territory, marking the deepest penetration by Kyiv since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

An Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza City, which the Israeli military claimed was a “command center” for Hamas “terrorists,” resulted in nearly one hundred deaths and sparked intense reactions worldwide.

Last night, the Israeli military asserted that the strike eliminated “at least 19 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists,” releasing a list of names.