The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague canceled his visit to Israel shortly before the motion to issue arrest warrants for the country’s prime minister and defense minister: the United States believes this calls into question the legitimacy of the ‘investigation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s trip to Israel was scheduled for next week: Khan was expected to speak with Israeli government officials about the progress of the investigation and hear their side of events. The delegation was due to arrive in Israel on Monday to prepare for the visit.
The Israeli government learned that the delegation had not boarded the plane only after it was announced on television that the prosecutor had filed a motion to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant and the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Mohammed al-Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. “These and other circumstances call into question the legitimacy and credibility of this investigation,” Blinken said in a statement.
France and Belgium have released statements in support of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Even before the ruling, Israel considered the issuing of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister of the Jewish state Yoav Galant a shameful and hypocritical step, the channel reported 13 on Israeli television, citing a diplomatic source close to Netanyahu.
Negotiations on the exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hamas have been suspended due to disagreements between the parties, reports Kan television and radio. According to Kan’s interlocutors involved in the negotiations, the main condition posed by the mediators – Egypt and Qatar – was the end of the war in exchange for the release of the Israeli hostages. At the same time, the parties’ positions differ markedly regarding the term “end of the war” and Israel’s demand to veto the names of men whose release Hamas might seek.
A Houthi military spokesperson confirms that it has shot down another US MQ-9 Reaper drone, the sixth shot down by the Houthis in Yemen since the war began. The drone was conducting reconnaissance over Al-Bayda province. The vehicle would have been hit by an Iranian missile known as Missile 358. Since the start of the war against Yemen, the United States has already lost 6 drones of this type.
The United States continues to seek channels to persuade the Houthis to stop attacks on ships off the coast of Yemen in exchange for a partial lifting of sanctions and another removal of the Houthis from the list of “terrorist organizations.”
According to an Iranian source, within a few days, after having expanded the attacks in Rafah, the resistance axis managed to increase the pace of escalation and widen the circle of fire in an unprecedented way, and this time all eyes are on Hezbollah and there is no longer calm in the north nor limited fighting. According to the Alma Research Center in Israel, the government evacuated 43 communities located up to five kilometers from the Lebanese border. A total of approximately 61,000 citizens. They were joined by several thousand people who decided to evacuate independently.
And now a look at the front line updated at 18:00 on May 21st.
Israeli Defense Minister Gallant told US National Security Advisor Sullivan: “We are committed to expanding the ground operation in Rafah to eliminate Hamas.”
Hezbollah claims attacks on the Zabdin site in the Lebanese Shebaa. The Islamic resistance in Iraq claims drone attack on an Israeli drone base in the Golan Heights.
Sirens sounded south of Ashkelon in Kibbutz Zikim. In response, Israeli planes raised their jets in the direction of Al-Jabayn, south of Lebanon.
From the West Bank Saraya Al-Quds – Jenin Brigade claim to have countered the incursion of Israeli forces into Jenin camp and the surrounding area with heavy shells.
In Northern Gaza the Qassams return to strike in the Tal Al-Zaatar area, targeting 5 Israeli soldiers with a hand grenade near the Omar bin Al-Khattab Mosque battlefield. The same ones always say they avFollowing an ambush against Israeli soldiers, there were deaths or injuries in the vicinity of Al-Bashir Mosque. Clashes between Qassam and Israeli soldiers also near the Omar bin Al-Khattab mosque.
Tension also remains high in the Jabalia camp, in the north of the Gaza Strip. The Qassams reported targeting 3 Zionist “Merkvah” tanks with “Al-Yassin 105” shells. They also reported destroying an Israeli command headquarters southwest of Gaza City with mortar fire.
Clashes continue between Al-Quds Brigades and Israeli soldiers in Jabalia. The IDF spoke of using missiles and rocket launchers in a mosque; soldiers of the 460th Armored Brigade carried out raids against Hamas infrastructure in the agricultural areas of Jabaliya. During the raids, soldiers found many weapons including vests, an FN MAG machine gun, hand grenades, explosives and intelligence materials. “During extensive, intelligence-led searches, troops arrived at a mosque where they located missiles and rocket launchers, which were destroyed.”
The IDF also reported that the 401st Brigade continues its operation in Rafah: soldiers of the 932nd Battalion carried out a targeted raid against Hamas infrastructure and located many weapons.
“During this activity, soldiers eliminated dozens of Hamas men in eastern Rafah who were trying to approach our forces.” “Soldiers of the 932nd Battalion carried out an operation to destroy Hamas infrastructure. During the operation, soldiers searched a building and found many weapons including protective equipment, explosives, weapons, anti-tank missiles, equipment and tools intended to break through fences.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
