WORLD BRIEFING: April 6, 2024
An aid organisation has called for an independent investigation into the killing of seven of its workers by Israeli drone strikes in Gaza. It comes after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said "grave mistakes" led to the fatal targeting of staff from charity World Central Kitchen (WCK). An Israeli military inquiry led to two senior officers being dismissed. However, the CEO of the aid group said the Israeli military "cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza". In a statement, Erin Gore continued: "[The IDF's] apologies for the outrageous killing of our colleagues represent cold comfort. It's cold comfort for the victims' families and WCK's global family." - BBC
Israel and the U.S. are convinced Iran is preparing to retaliate for the Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria, U.S. officials say. Israel on Monday struck an Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, and killed a number of senior leaders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the Pentagon. The U.S. has picked up intelligence that Iran is planning a retaliatory attack that would include a swarm of Shahed loitering drones and cruise missiles. Officials say the timing and target are unknown, but a proportional response to the Damascus attack would be to hit an Israeli diplomatic facility. The attack is likely to come between now and the end of Ramadan next week - CBS News
The IDF, in response to a possible retaliatory strike from Iran, activated a technology-based plan which makes any GPS based program in Israel ineffective. Waze and Moovit have become completely useless, much to the chagrin of every day commuters, and bus routes have been disrupted all over the country. The Army Spokesman explained in the press conference that this strategy has been used since 2003, and has saved Israel from being attacked more than once. The Home Front Command also issued a statement explaining that Israelis do not have to gear up for the Apocalypse (ie toilet paper, cooking oil, canned goods, bottled waters, batteries and external generators). Regardless, the evening news featured various reporters standing in various supermarkets, asking random shoppers if their baskets were overflowing because of the threat of an Iranian attack, or stocking up for Passover - Leora Lider Blog
Russian-backed separatists in Moldova claimed on April 5 that a drone hit a military base about 6 kilometers from the border with Ukraine but caused no injuries or major damage. A statement from separatist Transdniester's self-styled state security ministry said the drone struck the military base around 2:35 p.m. local time. "The target was a radar station that suffered minor damage. A group of investigators is on-site," the statement added. An unauthenticated video purportedly filmed by a witness was broadcast by pro-Russian media. The Moldovan government said authorities were analyzing "all the images and information" related to the purported attack - RFE/RL
It’s been violent night in Ukraine: in Kharkiv, 6 people killed & 10 injured from Russian rocket and drone strikes. At least 9 high-rise buildings & other structures hit. Nationwide 3 cruise missiles & 28 drones destroyed over several hours - officials. Kyiv & Odesa were also targeted. “We had one of the largest attacks by Shahed drones on the city of Kharkiv and the oblast yesterday, with energy facilities being targeted. The energy supply situation has deteriorated. There is a shortage of electricity. We are currently reviewing the schedules of outages and taking the necessary measures to stabilise the situation,” said Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration
Rescuers were planning to bring in heavy equipment on Saturday to try to recover two bodies buried under boulders on a hiking trail, three days after Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years. Four more people remain missing on the same Shakadang Trail in Taroko National Park, famed for its rugged mountainous terrain. Search and recovery work was set to resume, after being called off Friday afternoon because of aftershocks. At least 12 people were killed by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Wednesday morning off Taiwan’s east coast, and 10 others were still missing. More than 600 people, including about 450 at a hotel in the Taroko park, remained stranded in various locations cut off by rockslides and other damage - AP
