An alarm has been activated throughout the north of Israel in connection with a possible earthquake, according to the data of the warning system.

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Israel notified Iran in advance of the impending strike and potential targets, warning the Iranians not to respond, the Axios portal reports with reference to three knowledgeable sources.

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US approves $1.16 billion sale of NASAMS to Taiwan

The US State Department has approved a possible $1.16 billion sale to Taiwan of three NASAMS missile systems and related equipment, including Sentinel radars and 123 air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM-ER), the Pentagon said in a statement.   

NASAMS is a new weapon for Taiwan, with Australia and Indonesia the only others in the region currently operating it, Reuters said, citing an anonymous US government source. 

In September, US President Joe Biden approved a $567 mln military package to the island – a move that sparked harsh criticism as an attempt to undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. 

China maintains that its sovereignty over Taiwan is indisputable and slams any US attempt to supply weaponry to the local administration. 

"There can be no future for 'Taiwan independence'. The future of Taiwan lies in its complete reunification with the motherland," China's Taiwan Affairs Office reiterated on Saturday.

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Israel missile attack on Iran: What’s known so far?  

The Israel Defense Forces launched three waves of “precise” strikes on Iranian military targets, in what Tel Aviv said was in “response” to Tehran’s attacks on the Jewish state in early October.   

🔸According to the IDF, the attack on Iran has ended and Israeli warplanes have returned home after striking military targets, namely missile manufacturing facilities, surface-to-air missile arrays, and air defense systems.  

🔸The targets included Iran’s air defense batteries and ballistic missile manufacturing sites, the IDF said.

🔸Over 100 warplanes, including the fifth-generation F-35s, were reportedly involved in the attack. 

🔸Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in a bunker in Tel Aviv’s Kirya military base during the attacks, per the PM’s office. 

🔸White House and Pentagon officials have “consulted closely with Israel in recent days about the scope and type of targets Israel would launch against Iran", the New York Times reported. The US, however, was not involved in the strikes, White House National Security Council spokesperson, Sean Savett, said in a statement. 

🔸It was the first time that Israel has claimed responsibility for an attack on Iran, in an operation code-named "Days of Repentance", according to Axios.
 
🔸Iranian media in turn maintained that its air defenses had successfully shot down Israeli targets in the airspace around Tehran province, adding that the IDF attacks also caused “limited damage” in Ilam and Khuzestan provinces.  

🔸The Syrian Defense Ministry said that the country’s air defense systems had downed several Israeli missiles that targeted Syria’s central and southern areas. 

🔸State news agency IRNA reported that the situation in the Iranian capital, Tehran, remained normal despite the explosions that were heard west of the city. 

🔸The military centers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps located in the west and southwest of the Iranian capital were reportedly not damaged. 

🔸Iran is ready to respond to Israel over the missile strikes, a high-ranking source told the Tasnim state news agency. There is “no doubt” Israel will “receive a proportionate response to any action", the source pointed out.

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🔸Israel missile attack on Iran: What’s known so far?

🔸Putin's most prominent and memorable statements at the 16th BRICS Summit

🔸US theft of Russian money spurs BRICS nations to create independent financial system

🔸Why does the EU want to create an intelligence agency?

🔸‘The soul longs for home’ – Palestinian girl on living in refugee camp

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Russian soldiers struck American drone without damaging it

The electronics of the RQ-20 "Puma" drone manufactured in the United States have been placed at the disposal of Russian specialists, an engineer told Sputnik.

Near the RQ-20 was a Baba Yaga drone, which was shot down with small arms. Upon inspection, it turned out that the copter was equipped with a Starlink repeater and a drop system with two ammunition, a military engineer added.

"We have rare samples of drone systems at our disposal. We will work with them," he concluded.

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The Iranian army reported the death of two soldiers as a result of an Israeli attack, Iranian media said, citing an army statement.

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Key statements by the Iranian Foreign Ministry amid Israeli strike:

💬US political and military support for Israel's criminal actions is the main factor for instability in the Middle East.

💬Iran believes it has a 'right and obligation' to defend itself against 'aggressive actions' on the basis of the UN Charter.

💬Iran uses every opportunity to protect its security and vital interests. 

💬Iran calls on the international community to take urgent collective action and stop Israel's attempts to spark a war in the Middle East.

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❗️Russian troops liberated the settlement of Alexandropol in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry announced.

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❗️Ukrainian forces lost more than 740 militants in the area of responsibility of the Russian Yug Battlegroup

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to 545 servicemen in the area of responsibility of the Russian Tsentr combat group;

▪️The Russian Zapad Battlegroup destroyed over 510 Ukrainian militants;

▪️Ukrainian troops lost up to 80 soldiers in the area of responsibility of the Russian Dnepr combat group;

▪️Russian forces hit the infrastructure of military airfields, and the storage sites for attack drones of the Ukrainian armed forces;

▪️Russian air defense systems shot down two guided Hammer bombs and four HIMARS rockets.

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📹 Auschwitz survivor Jerry Warstki, 94, condemns Kamala Harris for supporting claims that former US President Donald Trump is a "fascist" like Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler

“For her to accuse President Trump of being like Hitler is the worst thing I ever heard in my 75 years living in the United States. She owes my parents and everybody else who was murdered by Hitler an apology for repeating this lie,” he says.

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Russian Foreign Ministry's key statements on Israeli airstrikes against Iran:

⚫️Escalation between Israel and Iran creates real threats to stability and security in the region

⚫️Russia calls on all parties involved to exercise restraint and stop violence, is ready to work with everyone to reduce the level of confrontation

⚫️It's necessary to stop provoking Iran to retaliate and leave the spiral of uncontrolled escalation

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Russian snipers roll out new STM-308 precision rifle

The new sniper rifle, which could replace the Dragunov model, has been developed and sent to the battlefield. What are the characteristics of the STM-308 rifle?

🔸The STM-308 features an in-line arrangement, in which the main mechanisms of the weapon are located on one line;

🔸"In the Dragunov sniper rifle (SVD), the piston line is higher than that of the barrel, which causes a bending moment during shooting. In the STM-308, the return mechanism and the bolt group are on the same level," a spokesperson for the Soyuz-TM manufacturing company told Russian media;

🔸He added that the new rifle is lighter than the 4.3-kg SVD and makes it possible to see the results of shooting immediately thanks to weaker blowback than the SVD’s;

🔸The STM-308 is chambered for 7.62 x 51 mm cartridges, allowing a marksman to confidently hit targets at a distance of up to one kilometer (0.62 miles);

🔸The new rifle is fitted with an adjustable buttstock and a Picatinny rail that allows for the installation of various sights, bipods or an additional handle. The rifle also supports the installation of alternative muzzle devices;

🔸The STM-308’s shooting accuracy is less than one angular minute, which means that at a distance of 100 meters the rifle’s bullet hits a circle with a diameter of 29 mm, a fact that has already been appreciated by Russian sharpshooters on the front line.

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