Israel may gain full control of Rafah; terror threat increases due to fighting in Gaza Strip

Israel-Hamas conflict

Increased international terrorist threat due to fighting in Gaza. US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas stated that the war in Gaza has led to an increase in international terrorist threats against the United States.

“ The foreign terrorist threat continues to be a serious concern for us, even more so than it was last year,” Mayorkas said in an interview with Bloomberg. “The war in the Middle East following the October 7 attacks has broadened the threat landscape .”

According to Mr. Mayorkas, the US Department of Homeland Security has seen “renewed recruitment” by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, as well as increased efforts to encourage division in the United States.

Israel could take control of Rafah in two weeks , Jerusalem Post reports. The Israeli army could take full control of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip within two weeks.

Accordingly, 60-70% of the city's territory is currently under operational control by Israel. The Israeli army predicts that they can establish full control over Rafah within a few weeks. Currently, in the districts of Rafah, fighting has begun with two battalions of the Israeli army.

“ In the fighting in Rafah, the Israeli army destroyed half of the Hama s armed forces and at least 550 armed Palestinian extremists were killed ,” the Jerusalem Post reported.

In addition, during the fighting, the Israeli army destroyed about 200 tunnels and eliminated a large Hamas rocket arsenal.

Israel dissolves war cabinet . Israeli government spokesman David Mencer announced that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the war cabinet - a body established shortly after the conflict between Tel Aviv and the Hamas Islamist movement broke out in October 2023.

The disintegration of the war cabinet was expected after Benny Gantz - Netanyahu's biggest political rival in Israel - and his ally Gadi Eisenkot both announced their resignations from the cabinet on June 13.

Both said the decision was made because the Netanyahu-led cabinet had failed to come up with a clear plan on the Gaza Strip.

Mr Mencer said the formation of a war cabinet had been a “prerequisite” for Mr Gantz to join a unity government.

" However, with the departure of Mr. Gantz, this cabinet is no longer needed. Its tasks will be transferred to the security cabinet ," the Israeli government spokesman affirmed.

Israel claims to have taken out half of Hamas's forces in Rafah . The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its military operations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah have inflicted heavy losses on the Hamas movement there.

“ This force neutralized half of the Hamas Movement's forces stationed in the city of Rafah, during the operation there ,” the IDF announced.

“ The IDF 162nd Division has been fighting for more than 40 days in the city of Rafah. In the first phase, the IDF controlled the eastern edge of the city and the border area between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. In the second phase of the operation, the 162nd Division took control of the Brazilian neighborhood. At least 550 Hamas militants were neutralized during the Rafah operation. However, it is unclear how many of the enemy militants have left the city ,” the IDF said.

Israel could take control of Rafah in two weeks. Photo: AP

British-American coalition conducts airstrikes on Yemen territory . Al-Masirah, a pro-Houthi media channel, reported that on June 17, the British-American coalition carried out four airstrikes on Kamaran Island in Yemen.

“ In addition, the British and American air forces also carried out six airstrikes on Hodeidah International Airport. These airstrikes are a violation of Yemen’s sovereignty, as an attempt to prevent Yemen from blocking Israeli ships from passing through the Red Sea. We will not stop these retaliatory attacks. The sea raids have forced many shipping companies and cargo ships to suspend their voyages to Israeli ports ,” Al-Masirah said.

World news

Malaysia has publicly announced its intention to apply to join BRICS . Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that his country has decided to apply to join the group of leading emerging economies in the world (BRICS) and will soon submit an official application.

Mr. Ibrahim mentioned the decision in a new interview with China's Guancha newspaper.

“ We have made our policy clear and we have made our decision. We will soon start the formal process of applying for BRICS membership. We are waiting for the final outcome and response from the South African government ,” the Malaysian Prime Minister said. He also revealed that he raised the subject during a recent meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

South Korea orders doctors back to work after strike . The South Korean government has ordered doctors to return to work today (June 18) after a growing number of doctors, including medical professors, joined a months-long strike to protest increased medical school admissions.

South Korean President Yun Yoon Suk-yeol called the doctors' strike "regrettable and disappointing." He stressed that "the government has no choice but to deal severely with illegal acts of neglecting patients."

More than half of medical professors at Seoul National University hospitals went on an indefinite strike yesterday (June 17), Yonhap news agency reported. The Korean Medical Association, a leading critic of the government's reforms, announced a strike today. The group is also expected to hold a rally in Seoul to call for a review of the increased medical school admissions.

At least 9 people have died in floods in China . Recent torrential rains have killed at least 4 people in Fujian province and 5 in Guangdong province in southern China. So far, the country has activated emergency flood response measures in 7 provinces.

As of the morning of June 17, torrential rains in Wuping County, Fujian Province, Southeast China, have caused landslides in many places, killing at least 4 people and leaving 2 missing.

According to the Fujian Meteorological Bureau, the rainfall range, daily maximum rainfall, peak rainfall and overall intensity of this rainfall have all reached extreme levels, forcing the county to activate a level 1 heavy rainfall emergency response, the highest level. Preliminary statistics show that 47,800 people have been affected, 378 houses have collapsed, and direct economic losses have reached 415 million yuan (US$57.2 million).

Source: https://congthuong.vn/israel-co-the-gianh-toan-quyen-kiem-soat-rafah-gia-tang-moi-de-dan-khung-bo-do-giao-tranh-o-dai-gaza-326790.html