UN warns of ‘full-scale WAR’ as Israeli air strike fells Gaza tower block & Hamas returns fire

THE UN has warned the Israeli-Palestinian violence is heading for a "full-scale war" after Hamas fired 1,000 rockets and riots erupted near Tel Aviv.

Rockets streamed out of Gaza and Israel pounded the territory with airstrikes this morning in the most deadly outbreak of violence since the 2014 war - with no endgame in sight.

As the UN Security Council readied for another emergency meeting on the bloody crisis, the UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland warned that "we're escalating towards a full-scale war".

"Leaders on all sides have to take the responsibility of de-escalation," he said.

Today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Israel and the Palestinians to "step back from the brink and for both sides to show restraint".

"The UK is deeply concerned by the growing violence and civilian casualties and we want to see an urgent de-escalation of tensions," he said.

More than 1,000 rockets have been fired towards Israel by Palestinian militants since Monday evening, the Israeli army said.

Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas said it launched an offensive last night after a 13-storey residential block in the Gaza Strip collapsed following an Israeli airstrike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnvc4tNT0Eo

Fresh BOOMage

Live: Gaza skyline as Israel and Hamas escalate bombardments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxVLf4OMIO0

Decision on Minuteman to shape US nuclear policy for decades

For 50 years the Minuteman missile has been armed and ready, day and night, for nuclear war on a moment’s notice. It has never been launched into combat from its underground silo, but this year it became the prime target in a wider political battle over the condition and cost of the nation’s nuclear arsenal.

Minuteman was not intended to last half a century, so it’s overdue to be replaced or refurbished. Some see this as a moment to push for scrapping it altogether, abandoning one leg of the traditional nuclear “triad” — weapons that can be launched from land, sea and air. Most in Congress favor keeping the land-based leg by replacing Minuteman with a new missile; President Joe Biden’s position is not yet clear.

The outcome of the fight likely will steer nuclear policy and strategy for decades to come. It could influence how U.S. allies in Europe and Asia view the reliability of America’s nuclear “umbrella” — the security net that has allowed most of them to forgo developing nuclear weapons of their own. Some argue that it could make the difference between war and peace in an era of rising Chinese military power.

Navy Adm. Charles Richard, who as head of U.S. Strategic Command is in charge of nuclear warfighting plans, says Minuteman is so old that Air Force technicians have had to perform magic to keep it fully functional while coping with severely limited spares for components such as missile launch switches.

“I’m afraid there’s a point where they won’t be able to pull the rabbit out of the hat and the system won’t work,” he told a House hearing April 21. Asked later by a reporter if he meant Minuteman had become unreliable, Richard said it’s safe and dependable for now but with “no more margin” for delay in replacing it.

Stephen Schwartz, a nonresident senior fellow at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, says Richard’s statements are reminiscent of alarming claims made during the Cold War about needing new weapons.

“Time and again, officials have warned us ‘the sky is falling,’ and it is never true,” Schwartz said. “Congress should critically examine the historical record and apply some healthy skepticism to such testimony.”

moar…

https://www.fox44news.com/news/national-world-news/decision-on-minuteman-to-shape-us-nuclear-policy-for-decades/

>>13643238

Original source: AP News

https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-415bef8de782dabc12520c9047ff5865

>>13643415

She actually said "I will do everything I can to ensure that the former President never again gets anywhere near the oval office."