IRGC Commander Sees 'War of Attrition' in Gaza

Iran Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salam during a march in Tehran (AFP)
Iran Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salam during a march in Tehran (AFP)
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IRGC Commander Sees 'War of Attrition' in Gaza

Iran Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salam during a march in Tehran (AFP)
Iran Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salam during a march in Tehran (AFP)

Thousands of Iranians took part in state-sponsored marches on Saturday to protest against the deaths of children and other civilians in the Gaza war.

Iran Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salam said Israel was going towards its doom in a war of attrition.

"Palestine stands on the path of a war of attrition...Israel will face a definitive defeat and end up in the dustbin of history," Salami told a rally in the capital, Tehran, which was aired live on state TV.

"The battle is not over. The Islamic world will do whatever it has to do. There are still great (unused) capacities left," Salami said, without referring to any possible moves by Iran to join the conflict, according to Reuters.

Salami stated that the al-Aqsa Flood operation demonstrated that foreign aid and governments such as the US cannot save Israel from collapse because before they arrive to the rescue, Muslims and Palestinians can end this entity, according to the official Iranian News Agency (IRNA).

State television showed some protesters carrying bundled white shrouds symbolizing the children killed in Gaza during the nationwide marches held ahead of World Children's Day on Monday.

Tensions in the region have flared since a deadly attack by Iran-backed Hamas militants who burst through the border from Gaza into Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostages, including children, according to Israeli tallies.

On Saturday, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs appealed to the international community to help stop the "killing machine and organized terrorism of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people and hold Zionist criminals accountable to justice and international law."



Biden Reaffirms Support for Weapons Surge to Ukraine after Russia’s Christmas Attack

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, US, December 10, 2024. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, US, December 10, 2024. (Reuters)
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Biden Reaffirms Support for Weapons Surge to Ukraine after Russia’s Christmas Attack

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, US, December 10, 2024. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, US, December 10, 2024. (Reuters)

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he had asked the Defense Department to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, after condemning Russia's Christmas Day attack on Ukraine's energy system and some of its cities.

Russia attacked Ukraine on Wednesday with cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as drones, Ukraine said. The strikes wounded at least six people in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and killed one in the region of Dnipropetrovsk, the governors there said.

Nearly three years into the war, Washington has committed $175 billion in aid for Ukraine, but it is uncertain if the aid will continue at that pace under Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who replaces Biden on Jan. 20. Trump has said he wants to bring the war to a swift end.

"The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people's access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid," Biden, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Keith Kellogg, Trump's pick for special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, also criticized Wednesday's attack.

"Christmas should be a time of peace, yet Ukraine was brutally attacked on Christmas Day," Kellogg said. "The US is more resolved than ever to bring peace to the region."

During the presidential election campaign, Trump questioned the level of US involvement in the conflict, suggesting European allies should bear more of the financial burden. Some of his fellow Republicans - who will control both the House of Representatives and Senate starting next month - have also cooled on sending more aid to Kyiv.

This stance - despite previous strong support in the US Congress for sustained or expanded support for Ukraine - has raised concerns among Ukraine's supporters about the future of US assistance under Trump.