US Senator Bernie Sanders bids to halt some weapons sales to Israel
The independent politician has said he would file legislation seeking to block the sale of offensive US weapons to Israel, citing the toll on civilians of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, said he intended to file joint resolutions of disapproval next week.
The US Arms Export Control Act gives Congress the right to stop a major foreign weapons sale by passing a resolution of disapproval.
Although no such resolution has both passed Congress and survived a presidential veto, the law requires the Senate to vote if a resolution is filed. At times, such moves have led to angry debates embarrassing to past presidents.
“Providing more offensive weapons to continue this disastrous war would violate U.S. and international law,” Sanders said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden has faced calls from his fellow Democrats throughout Israel’s war on Gaza to press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to ease the devastating humanitarian crisis in the besieged coastal enclave.
In his announcement, Sanders noted that the Biden administration last month approved arms sales to Israel totaling more than $20bn that included systems tied to tens of thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza.
He said exporting such weapons would violate human rights provisions in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and Arms Export Control Act of 1976.
Iran condemns attacks in Lebanon: ‘Terrorism of the Zionist regime’
Iran has denounced the deadly explosions in Lebanon and offered to help treat some of the thousands of wounded, hundreds of whom are in critical condition.
“The terrorism of the Zionist regime causes aversion and disgust. Iran strongly condemns yesterday’s criminal explosion of communication devices and today’s criminal explosion of walkie-talkies, which resulted in the death and injury of hundreds of Lebanese civilians,” government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said.
Earlier in the day, according to state media, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said: “The incident in Lebanon shows once again that Western countries and the United States – despite claiming to seek a ceasefire – fully support the crimes, massacres and blind terrorism of the Zionist regime in practice.”
Iranian Minister of Health Mohammadreza Zafarqandi said a team of Iranian ophthalmologists and nurses were dispatched to Lebanon, and injured Lebanese would be transferred to hospitals in Tehran.
Iran to follow up attack targeting ambassador in Lebanon, says UN envoy
Iran will follow up on an attack targeting its ambassador in Lebanon, the Iranian envoy to the United Nations has said in a letter, adding that it “reserves its rights under international law to take required measures deemed necessary to respond”.
Israel moves 98th elite force from Gaza to Lebanon front
The Israeli army has announced it’s transferring the 98th Division from the Gaza Strip to the northern border with Lebanon as tensions continue to escalate there.
With about 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers, the paratroopers and commandos will now join the 36th Division under the Northern Command.
“With peak readiness on the northern front, the Israeli army decided to move the elite 98th brigade there,” according to Israeli Army Radio. “The brigade was originally scheduled to continue fighting in Gaza, but it was decided in recent days to transfer it north.”
Kan, the Israeli state-run broadcasting authority, noted the force left Khan Younis in southern Gaza three weeks ago to an unspecified location in the war-battered enclave.
Fears have grown about a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah after a wave of blasts in Lebanon on Tuesday and today.
