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Added on the 03/08/2016 17:03:28 - Copyright : Reuters EN
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewes US opposition to an Israeli offensive on Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, ahead of his trip to Israel. SOUNDBITE
Thousands of Huthi supporters chant slogans against Israel and the United States during a mass rally marking Quds (Jerusalem) Day. The Jerusalem Day, an initiative started by the late founder of the Islamic republic in Iran, is held annually on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in support of the Palestinian people. IMAGES
Protecting and aiding civilians must be "job number one" for Israel in the war-battered Gaza Strip, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says. "We look to the government of Israel to make sure that this is a priority. Protecting civilians, getting people the assistance they need, that has to be job number one, even as they do what is necessary to defend the country to deal with the threat posed by Hamas," Blinken tells reporters during a press conference in Washington, DC. SOUNDBITE
The United States says it does not consider Israel's deadly hostage rescue operation in Rafah to be a full-scale operation and still opposes an offensive without a plan to protect civilians. "Without such a plan that is credible, and that they can execute, we do not support a full-scale military operation," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller tells reporters. SOUNDBITE
Antony Blinken called Wednesday on Israel to prioritise civilians in Gaza's Rafah, but stopped short of urging against military action in the packed Palestinian city. The US Secretary of State also warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government against actions and talk that raise tensions. "I also raised our profound concerns about actions and rhetoric, including from government officials, that inflame tensions that undercut international support and place greater restraints on Israel's security," Blinken told reporters at a press conference in Tel Aviv. SOUNDBITE
U.S. President Barack Obama attends an outdoor arrival ceremony in heavy rain, as the first sitting U.S. president to visit Laos. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).
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