WORLD BRIEFING: January 31, 2024
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is planning to replace top Ukrainian commander General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, according to a report, after months of reported conflict between the pair. Rumours had swirled online yesterday that General Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, had either been dismissed or stepped down from his role. Mr Zelenskyy's office denied the reports. However, the Financial Times is now reporting that the Ukrainian president is preparing to replace General Zaluzhnyi in what would be the most significant shake-up of military command since Russia's invasion nearly two years ago. According to the FT, which cited four people familiar with the matter, Mr Zelenskyy yesterday offered the general a new role, but he refused - Sky News
Air defenses shot down 14 out of the 20 drones that Russia's military launched at targets inside Ukraine early on January 31, Ukraine's air defense said, as EU leaders continued to call for more arms for Kyiv. Meanwhile, Zelenskiy has said Russia has launched nearly 1,000 missiles and drones at Ukraine since the start of the year as Kyiv maintained a missile-threat alert for several regions on January 30, hours after Russian strikes killed at least three civilians - RFE/RL
Israel alleges that 13 employees of the United Nations’ main relief agency in Gaza were associated with Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and took part in varying capacities, ranging from involvement in kidnapping hostages to being told to set up an operations room, according to the summary of the intelligence shared with CNN by an Israeli official. The Israeli official shared with CNN information and allegations Israel had gathered on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which employs around 13,000 people in Gaza and provides humanitarian support including education, healthcare and food relief, to the enclave’s population. Of the 13 UNRWA employees alleged to have been associated with the attack, the Israeli document alleges 10 were Hamas operatives, two were Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives and one is unidentified - CNN
Since October 7, the death toll in Gaza has risen to 26,422 with 65,087 people injured, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, which says the majority of the dead are women and children.
Both the U.S. and Iran say they don’t want an all-out war. But after months of attacks and spiraling tensions in the Middle East — culminating in the killing of three American soldiers in a drone strike by Tehran-backed militants — former officials and analysts from the West warn the two countries may be sleepwalking toward conflict. Sunday’s attack in Jordan was the first time American personnel have been killed in strikes from Iran’s proxies fired in response to Israel’s war in Gaza. President Joe Biden has vowed retaliation — but who the U.S. targets is as yet unclear. More hawkish voices are concerned that a response that’s too weak could fail to stop the mounting threat to American interests; other regional observers fear that a stronger retaliation could be the spark that sets off a wider war. “The U.S. is in danger of slow-walking itself into a war with Iran,” said Thomas Shannon, former U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, the third-highest role in the State Department - NBC News
Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to 14 years in prison, a day after the former Pakistan prime minister was jailed for 10 years. Khan, who was ousted as PM by his opponents in 2022, is already serving a three-year jail term after being convicted of corruption. On Tuesday he was sentenced for leaking state secrets, and on Wednesday given 14 years in another corruption case - BBC
A Russian anti-war rock band could be deported home from Thailand after being arrested for working without a permit, officials have said. There are fears the self-exiled band Bi-2 could face harsh punishment if they are returned to Moscow, after previously condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Band members were arrested after they played a gig in Phuket on 24 January, according to an online petition against their deportation. “This usually results in deportation to their country of origin but there is some discretion [about the destination]," said Kriangkrai Ariyaying, the superintendent of Phuket's Immigration Bureau - Sky News
Canada is sending another $40 million in aid to organizations that are helping people in the Gaza Strip after pausing funding to the UN's relief agency for Palestinians — even as one MP warns the UN agency is the only one capable of delivering the aid Gaza needs. The bulk of the new funding will go to the World Food Program, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the UN Population Fund, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - CBC News
