Taiwan Reports Second Large-Scale China Air Force Incursion This Week

A Taiwanese soldier holds a Taiwan national flag near a group of soldiers with red markings on their helmets to play the role of an enemy during the annual Han Kuang military exercises simulating an attack on an airfield at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Northern Taiwan, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP)
A Taiwanese soldier holds a Taiwan national flag near a group of soldiers with red markings on their helmets to play the role of an enemy during the annual Han Kuang military exercises simulating an attack on an airfield at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Northern Taiwan, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP)
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Taiwan Reports Second Large-Scale China Air Force Incursion This Week

A Taiwanese soldier holds a Taiwan national flag near a group of soldiers with red markings on their helmets to play the role of an enemy during the annual Han Kuang military exercises simulating an attack on an airfield at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Northern Taiwan, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP)
A Taiwanese soldier holds a Taiwan national flag near a group of soldiers with red markings on their helmets to play the role of an enemy during the annual Han Kuang military exercises simulating an attack on an airfield at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Northern Taiwan, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP)

Ten Chinese air force aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense zone on Wednesday accompanying five Chinese warships engaged in "combat readiness" patrols, the island's defense ministry said, the second such incursion this week.

Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, has repeatedly complained of Chinese military activity near it over the past three years, as Beijing steps up pressure to try to force the island to accept its sovereignty.

Taiwan's defense ministry said that starting at around 9 a.m. (0100 GMT), it detected a total of 25 Chinese aircraft engaging in operations out at sea, including J-10 and J-16 fighters, as well as H-6 bombers.

Of those aircraft, the ministry said 10 had either crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides, or entered the southwestern part of Taiwan's air defense identification zone, or ADIZ.

Those aircraft were acting in coordination with five Chinese warships engaging in "combat readiness" patrols, it said.

Taiwan's military dispatched ships and aircraft to keep watch, the ministry said.

The ADIZ is a broad area Taiwan monitors and patrols to give its forces more time to respond to threats, and Chinese aircraft have not entered territorial Taiwanese air space.

On Sunday, Taiwan reported a similar level of activity by Chinese warplanes and warships near the island.

China staged war games around Taiwan in April after President Tsai Ing-wen returned home from a visit to the United States where she met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Last August, it also held war games around Taiwan to protest against a trip to Taipei by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Taiwan Vice President William Lai leaves for the United States this week on his way to Paraguay on what is officially only a transit but which has angered China.

It was China's "priority" to stop Lai from visiting the United States, Beijing's ambassador to the US said last month.

Taiwan's democratically elected government rejects China's sovereignty claim and says only the island's people can decide their future.



US Official: US Plans $8 Billion Arms Sale to Israel

A young Palestinian stands amid the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on January 3, 2025, as the war between Israel and Hamas continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
A young Palestinian stands amid the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on January 3, 2025, as the war between Israel and Hamas continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
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US Official: US Plans $8 Billion Arms Sale to Israel

A young Palestinian stands amid the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on January 3, 2025, as the war between Israel and Hamas continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
A young Palestinian stands amid the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on January 3, 2025, as the war between Israel and Hamas continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

The administration of President Joe Biden has notified Congress of a proposed $8 billion arms sale to Israel, a US official said on Friday, with Washington maintaining support for its ally whose war in Gaza has killed tens of thousands.
The deal would need approval from the House of Representatives and Senate committees and includes munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters as well as artillery shells, Axios reported earlier. The package also includes small-diameter bombs and warheads, according to Axios.
The State Department did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Protesters have for months demanded an arms embargo against Israel, but US policy has largely remained unchanged. In August, the United States approved the sale of $20 billion in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.
The Biden administration says it is helping its ally defend against Iran-backed militant groups like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
Facing international criticism, Washington has stood by Israel during its assault on Gaza that has displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million population, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide accusations that Israel denies.
The Gaza health ministry puts the death toll at over 45,000 people, with many additional feared buried under rubble.
Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to end the 15-month-old Israeli war in Gaza.