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Added on the 16/02/2023 21:08:42 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller says a "full-scale invasion" of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip by Israeli forces "would be a mistake." SOUNDBITE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Foreign Affairs Minister Yair Lapid at the State Department in Washington, DC. Lapid and Emirati Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan are in Washington for three-way talks, as President Joe Biden's administration embraces and looks to expand a normalization drive. IMAGES
Dr. Deborah Birx one of the White House's most senior coronavirus advisers, issued a dire warning on November 2. Dr. Birx her warned the Covid-19 pandemic is going to get much, much worse before it gets any better. Birx said: "We are entering the most concerning and most deadly phase of this pandemic". Dr. Birx went on to warn that the coming weeks and months could lead to an increased mortality rate from the virus. Dr, Birx warned that the US could see more than 100,000 new cases per day this week. Birx cautions that as hospitals fill up, we could see a return to hospitals operating at capacity and rationing ventilators.
Russia and China veto a US-backed draft resolution at the Security Council on a ceasefire in Gaza, with Moscow accusing Washington of a "hypocritical spectacle" that does not pressure Israel. IMAGES
The United States warns Israel that staging a military push into the southern Gaza city of Rafah without proper planning would run the risk of becoming a "disaster." State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel says Washington has "yet to see any evidence of serious planning for such an operation," adding: "To conduct such an operation right now with no planning and little thought in an area" where one million people are sheltering "would be a disaster." SOUNDBITE