This is ‘Global Today’, which brings you important news from different countries around the world.
Host) What news is there today?
Reporter) The United States sent the ATACMS, a long-range surface-to-surface missile, to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense announced an additional $1 billion aid plan for Ukraine. Hamas has released a video of one hostage amid reports that an Israeli military attack on Rafah, Gaza Strip, is imminent.
Host) This is the first news from the global village today. The United States sent long-range surface-to-surface missiles to Ukraine?
Reporter) Yes. The US government announced on the 24th that the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) arrived in Ukraine this month. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel explained, “At the request of the Ukrainian side, we did not announce this earlier in order to maintain operational security.” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also confirmed that ATACMS would be introduced on the 24th.
Host) But didn’t the US already send ATACMS to Ukraine last year?
Reporter) That’s right. The White House announced last year that it had sent ATACMS, which has a range of 165 km, to Ukraine. However, the newly introduced ATACMS has a range of 300 km. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government has continued to request the provision of this long-term ATACMS.
Host) The American media explained that the ATAXS delivered to Ukraine this time is an important weapon for the Ukrainian army, which has been struggling on the front line recently.
Reporter) Yes. This is because the Ukrainian army was able to attack deep into Ukrainian areas occupied by the Russian army, including the Crimean Peninsula, with the new ATACMS. Now, by launching this missile, it is possible to hit Russian air force and army bases and supply centers that were previously impossible to attack due to their long distances. An unnamed senior US government official told the New York Times that Ukrainian forces actually attacked Verdyansk, a port city on the Sea of Azov, this week using newly arrived ATACMS.
Host) So far, the US has been hesitant to provide long-range ATAS to Ukraine, correct?
Reporter) That’s right. There were concerns that Ukraine would attack Russian territory with ATAX and that the war would expand. There was also concern that if the ATACMS inventory were to decrease rapidly, there would be problems with US military readiness. However, Assistant Secretary Sullivan explained on the 24th that they had changed their previous position because the new ATACMS was being deployed in Ukraine and an adequate inventory had been secured by increasing missile production.
Host) Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense announced that it would provide $1 billion worth of weapons to Ukraine?
Reporter) Yes. This is in line with the additional $61 billion aid plan for Ukraine signed by President Joe Biden on the 24th. The new weapons provided by the United States this time include various surface-to-air missiles, anti-tank missiles, 155mm and 105mm artillery shells, and armored vehicles.
Host) Can the military support provided by the United States this time completely turn the tide of the war, with the Ukrainian army on the defensive?
Reporter) No. Many media analyzed that it was not clear whether additional support could be a complete game changer. Sullivan emphasized that the White House believes that this military aid to Ukraine on this issue should be enough to support the Kremlin’s opposition to Russia by the end of the year.
Host) But is the US government providing military aid to Ukraine for the first time this year?
Reporter) No. Last March, a $300 million aid plan was announced. This support was made possible not with funding approved by Congress, but with savings from elsewhere in the Department of Defense.
Host) Even as the US Congress delayed approving additional military aid to Ukraine, the Russian military offensive continued, right?
Reporter) That’s right. Recently, Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. There has also been progress on the ground by the Russian army. In the last few days, Russian troops have entered several villages in eastern Ukraine. Earlier, the Russian army quickly moved to the outskirts of Chasiu Yar, which is very important in the defense of the Donbas region. Also, last February, they occupied villages northwest of Audiuka one after the other.
Host) Meanwhile, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister was recently indicted?
Reporter) That’s right. Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov has been detained by court order after he was recently indicted on charges of accepting large bribes. Deputy Minister Ivanov was appointed to his current post in 2016. He was responsible for Russia’s military infrastructure projects.
Host) Where was Deputy Minister Ivanov accused of accepting bribes?
Reporter) Yes. There is an organization called the ‘Anti-Corruption Organization’ founded in 2022 by the leader of the Russian opposition, Alexei Navalny, who died in prison recently. According to the group, Deputy Minister Ivanov benefited from a construction project in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Mariupol was largely destroyed by Russian attacks that continued for several months after the war began.
Hold) Deputy Minister Ivanov is known to have a close relationship with current Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, correct?
Reporter) That’s right. I worked with Minister Shoigu for a long time. In the past, he served as Deputy Prime Minister of Moscow Oblast, where Minister Shoigu was governor for a short time. Currently, Deputy Minister Ivanov is denying the accusations. If convicted, you could face up to 15 years in prison.
A poster with a photo of Israeli hostage Hershey Goldberg-Pauline captured by Hamas (file photo)
Host) This is the next news from Global Village Today. Rumors continue that an Israeli military attack targeting Rafah in southern Gaza is imminent?
Reporter) That’s right. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced on the 24th that Israel is proceeding with its plan to operate the Rafah land as planned. However, no timetable was provided for the operation. An unnamed Israeli Defense Ministry official told Reuters that Israel was ready to evacuate residents ahead of the Rafah attack and had secured 40,000 tents for 10 to 12 people. The official also said that all that remains now is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s order.
Cynnal) Western countries have continued to dissuade Rafa’s attack, right?
Reporter) Yes. Western countries, including the United States, Israel’s closest ally, have called for restraint in the Rafah attack. Currently, more than half of the Gaza Strip’s population of 2.3 million people are located in Rafah.
Host) Are you saying that the US is currently in continuous contact with Israel regarding the Rafah attack?
Reporter) That’s right. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on the 24th that the US government is still talking to Israel about Rafa and that officials from both countries are due to meet again soon. They also discussed in great detail America’s concerns as well as America’s view that there are other ways to deal with the Hamas threat in Rafah, Sullivan said.
Host) Hasn’t Israel been insisting that it must attack Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip?
Reporter) That’s right. Since the leadership and remnants of Hamas, a Palestinian armed organization designated by the United States as a terrorist organization, are hiding in Rafah, it has been emphasized that ground warfare in Rafah is essential to hunt them down.
Host) Meanwhile, a video showing hostages being held by Hamas has been released?
Reporter) That’s right. Hamas released a video of 23-year-old Hershey Goldberg-Paulin on the 24th. In the video, Goldberg-Polin accused the Israeli government of abandoning the hostages being held by Hamas and said that around 70 hostages had been killed in Israeli airstrikes. It has not been confirmed whether this is true.
Host) How many hostages are left now?
Reporter) Yes. According to the Associated Press, on October 7 last year, Hamas and other rebels kidnapped about 250 people. Of these, around 100 are alive, and the remains of around 30 are believed to be in the possession of Hamas.
Host) In addition to the hostage problem, the food situation in Gaza is also serious. Has a new warning been issued regarding this issue?
Reporter) That’s right. Gian Carlo Chiri, head of the Geneva office of the World Food Program (WFP), said on the 24th that the Gaza Strip is getting closer to a famine situation by the day, and that there is reasonable evidence that the three thresholds of famine, including food insecurity, lack nutrition, and death, are crossed within six weeks.
Host) The UN had already warned that famine would soon hit the Gaza Strip, right?
Reporter) Yes. A UN-backed report came out last March. The report predicted that famine would likely occur in northern Gaza by May and spread throughout the Gaza Strip by July. A US government official also pointed out on the 23rd that the threat of famine is very high in the Gaza Strip, especially in the north.
Host) On the other hand, there was news that many bodies buried in groups were found in southern Gaza?
Reporter) Yes. Local authorities said recently that 334 bodies were found in a mass grave in the Nasser hospital complex in southern Gaza. Local residents claimed that the Israeli army buried the bodies with a bulldozer to cover up the crime. However, the Israeli army denied this claim.
Host) Today was in the global village.
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