https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/leak-reported-at-german-isar-ii-nuclear-plant—environment

Leak reported at German Isar II nuclear plant - Environment Ministry

The operator of the Isar II nuclear power plant in southern Germany has informed the Ministry of Environment of a leak at the site, which does not jeopardize security but could need to be repaired, the ministry said on Monday.

It would be necessary to carry out a week-long repair in October, during which operations would stop, if the plant is to operate beyond December 31 as part of the country's reserve plan for nuclear power, the ministry added.

The Isar II is located in the southern state of Bavaria and had been scheduled to go offline at the end of the year; however, the war in Ukraine and the following plunge in energy imports from Russia required a change in policy, with the government currently planning to keep two of the three remaining nuclear power plants on standby into next year.

The economy and environment ministries were both "examining the new situation and its implications for the design and implementation of the standby reserve," as per the Ministry of Environment.

Nuclear power is becoming more popular as countries look for alternatives with the cost of importing energy growing globally and climate crises causing devastation.

With rising gas and power prices and limited resources likely to result in widespread hardship this winter, governments have difficult decisions to make.

Some experts contend that nuclear power should not be a viable alternative, while others contend that given the prevalence of crises, it must continue to be a component of the global energy mix.

Although 32 countries presently use nuclear energy to produce 10% of the world's electricity, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) boosted its predictions for the first time since the 2011 tragedy in September. The IAEA now expects installed capacity to double by 2050 under the most favorable scenario.

Even in Germany, the largest economy in Europe, the topic of continuing with nuclear energy is no longer a taboo as the energy crisis reignites discussion over closing the nation's final three nuclear power reactors by the end of 2022.

Greenpeace Germany's climate and energy expert, Gerald Neubauer, said turning to nuclear was "not a solution to the energy crisis."

He claimed that since Russian gas is primarily "used for heating" in Germany rather than for the generation of electricity, so nuclear energy would only have "limited" efficacy in replacing it.

At the end of August, France's Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced that her country will desperately need to restart its nuclear reactors, which were shut down previously, to avoid electricity shortages in winter.

Borne stressed that if there is no immediate alternative to gas supplies from Russia, this measure is necessary.

On August 25, EDF, a French energy company, launched 4 out of 12 nuclear reactors that were previously shut down for maintenance over corrosion which was detected in May by the French Nuclear Safety Authority.

As Europe struggles with unaffordable energy prices, it is reported that 32 out of 56 French nuclear reactors remain dormant for different reasons.

France is facing a crisis in energy production, described as "unprecedently difficult" in late July by government spokesperson Olivier Veran. France has taken rationing measures, such as banning illumination and air conditioners in stores at night time.

Due to the possibility of catastrophic accidents and the ongoing debate over how to adequately dispose of radioactive waste, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) experts acknowledge that the use of nuclear energy "can be constrained by societal preferences."

Some countries, like New Zealand, oppose nuclear, and the issue has also been hotly debated in the European Union over whether it should be listed as "green" energy.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/leak-reported-at-german-isar-ii-nuclear-plant—environment

Leak reported at German Isar II nuclear plant - Environment Ministry

The operator of the Isar II nuclear power plant in southern Germany has informed the Ministry of Environment of a leak at the site, which does not jeopardize security but could need to be repaired, the ministry said on Monday.

It would be necessary to carry out a week-long repair in October, during which operations would stop, if the plant is to operate beyond December 31 as part of the country's reserve plan for nuclear power, the ministry added.

The Isar II is located in the southern state of Bavaria and had been scheduled to go offline at the end of the year; however, the war in Ukraine and the following plunge in energy imports from Russia required a change in policy, with the government currently planning to keep two of the three remaining nuclear power plants on standby into next year.

The economy and environment ministries were both "examining the new situation and its implications for the design and implementation of the standby reserve," as per the Ministry of Environment.

Nuclear power is becoming more popular as countries look for alternatives with the cost of importing energy growing globally and climate crises causing devastation.

With rising gas and power prices and limited resources likely to result in widespread hardship this winter, governments have difficult decisions to make.

Some experts contend that nuclear power should not be a viable alternative, while others contend that given the prevalence of crises, it must continue to be a component of the global energy mix.

Although 32 countries presently use nuclear energy to produce 10% of the world's electricity, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) boosted its predictions for the first time since the 2011 tragedy in September. The IAEA now expects installed capacity to double by 2050 under the most favorable scenario.

Even in Germany, the largest economy in Europe, the topic of continuing with nuclear energy is no longer a taboo as the energy crisis reignites discussion over closing the nation's final three nuclear power reactors by the end of 2022.

Greenpeace Germany's climate and energy expert, Gerald Neubauer, said turning to nuclear was "not a solution to the energy crisis."

He claimed that since Russian gas is primarily "used for heating" in Germany rather than for the generation of electricity, so nuclear energy would only have "limited" efficacy in replacing it.

At the end of August, France's Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced that her country will desperately need to restart its nuclear reactors, which were shut down previously, to avoid electricity shortages in winter.

Borne stressed that if there is no immediate alternative to gas supplies from Russia, this measure is necessary.

On August 25, EDF, a French energy company, launched 4 out of 12 nuclear reactors that were previously shut down for maintenance over corrosion which was detected in May by the French Nuclear Safety Authority.

As Europe struggles with unaffordable energy prices, it is reported that 32 out of 56 French nuclear reactors remain dormant for different reasons.

France is facing a crisis in energy production, described as "unprecedently difficult" in late July by government spokesperson Olivier Veran. France has taken rationing measures, such as banning illumination and air conditioners in stores at night time.

Due to the possibility of catastrophic accidents and the ongoing debate over how to adequately dispose of radioactive waste, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) experts acknowledge that the use of nuclear energy "can be constrained by societal preferences."

Some countries, like New Zealand, oppose nuclear, and the issue has also been hotly debated in the European Union over whether it should be listed as "green" energy.

>>17544094

>>17544154

Target locked

>>17544166

Nice brooch. When does a bird sing?

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/eritrea-mobilizes-armed-forces-after-ethiopia-clashes:-uk-ca

Eritrea mobilizes armed forces after Ethiopia clashes: UK, Canada

Following the renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia, Eritrean authorities have called on their armed forces to mobilize, Canadian and British governments claimed.

Last month's return to fighting broke a March truce and destroyed hopes of a peaceful solution to the almost two-year war between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian authorities.

Tigrayan authorities have since shown a preparedness to hold talks led by the African Union, but the Ethiopian government has not given any public response to the overtures yet, but only said it remains "committed" to the AU-led peace process.

The two parties have blamed each other for firing the first shots, and fighting has spread from around southern Tigray to more fronts farther north and west, while also bringing Eritrean troops who supported Ethiopian forces during the early stage of the war.

The Canadian and British governments warned last Friday that their nationals in Eritrea should limit their movements following the mobilization call.

"Local authorities have issued a general call for mobilization of armed forces in response to the conflict in northern Ethiopia," the Canadian government said, adding, "Additional security measures could be imposed on short notice across the country."

Eritrea has not commented on the reports though.

Tigray has been bombed several times since the latest clashes broke out, and an official at Ayder Referral Hospital reported the death of 16 people due to the air strikes.

On August 24, fighting commenced between the TPLF and Addis Ababa, after nearly a 5-month-truce since march.

Fighting has escalated in northern Tigray, where the Ethiopian army, supported by forces from neighboring Eritrea, is attacking rebel positions, according to diplomatic and foreign sources who requested anonymity.

Tigray, in northern Ethiopia, is cut off from the rest of the country and without power, telecommunications networks, banking services, or petrol.

The delivery of humanitarian aid by road and air has also been completely interrupted since the fighting resumed. This return to hostilities "is already affecting the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable people, including the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance" in Afar, Amhara, and Tigray, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on September 9.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/russia-presents-evidence-of-us-biological-activity-in-ukrain

Russia presents evidence of US biological activity in Ukraine

The Russian ministry of defense presented evidence in Geneva proving that the US has military-biological activity in Ukraine, radiation, chemical, and biological defense of the Russian armed forces chief Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov said Monday.

Kirillov noted that on Russia's initiative, a conference of the Biological Weapons Convention was held in Geneva between September 5-9 in response to the US and Ukrainian violations of Articles I and IV.

"The participants of the meeting received copies of real documents previously mentioned by the Ministry of Defense of Russia, as well as material evidence confirming the implementation of work on military-biological programs in Ukraine, for consideration," the Russian official revealed.

According to the Russian defense official, members of other delegations had no doubts about the authenticity of the submitted documents.

The United States defended last week once again its biosecurity cooperation with Ukraine, claiming that their activities were in support of the Biological Weapons Convention.

Russia sent in late July a formal request for a consultation meeting of the party states to the Biological Weapons Convention after it provided the states with documents proving how the US was funding a network of biological laboratories in Ukraine.

Russia's Ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said during a UN Security Council meeting that Moscow would activate Articles 5 and 6 of the Biological Weapons Convention BWC to investigate the Biolabs in Ukraine.

Article 5 of the BWC stipulates that "The states, parties to this Convention, undertake to consult one another and to co-operate in solving any problems which may arise in relation to the objective of, or in the application of the provisions of, the Convention. Consultation and co-operation pursuant to this Article may also be undertaken through appropriate international procedures within the framework of the United Nations and in accordance with its Charter."

Article 6 states that "any state party to this Convention, which finds that any other state party is acting in breach of obligations deriving from the provisions of the Convention, may lodge a complaint with the Security Council of the United Nations. Such a complaint should include all possible evidence confirming its validity, as well as a request for its consideration by the Security Council."

The head of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing said there are more than 300 US-funded civilian and military biological laboratories in the world, hinting that they are particularly concentrated in Ukraine.

Kirillov recently said the United States was planning on transferring its programs of biological research from Ukraine to post-Soviet republics, as well as Eastern European and Baltic states.

The US had been denying the existence of the Biolabs for months before confirming Russia's accusations, with Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland saying Washington had what she referred to as "biological research facilities" in Ukraine.

Data on biological laboratories found in Ukraine does not help the case of the US against claims regarding its compliance with the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova had said.

Moscow also exhibited documents confirming the organization of military-biological work by the Pentagon represented by the US Department of Defense Threat Reduction Department.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iaea-politicizing-znpp-crisis:-russia-nuclear-chief

IAEA politicizing ZNPP crisis: Russia nuclear chief

UN nuclear watchdog IAEA has faced criticism from the head of the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom over politicizing its narrative on Ukraine and allowing politics to shape its reports on Kiev.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors passed on Thursday a resolution demanding Moscow to "immediately cease all actions against, and at, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant."

The accusations from the West come as Russia stresses that Kiev is behind the attacks on the nuclear facility that has been under its control since March.

The IAEA board passed a resolution on Thursday calling on Russia to withdraw its forces from the ZNPP without making any mention of the systematic Ukrainain shelling of the nuclear power plant.

Earlier that day, the Russian Permanent Mission to International Organizations in Vienna said: "Western countries voted through the IAEA Board of Governors to drag an anti-Russian resolution on the Ukrainian issue."

"They know full well what is happening there and where [attacks] are coming from… They definitely share this information online with [the headquarters in] Vienna and a political component is added at some stage," Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev said in an interview that aired Sunday.

On September 1, the IAEA sent a 14-person team to the site, including its Director General Rafael Grossi, to assess the situation at the plant. At least two members of the team were to remain there on a permanent basis to ensure the facility's safety.

On September 7, the IAEA issued a report in light of the attacks launched by Kiev's forces on the ZNPP, in which it called for the immediate establishment of a protective zone at its premises and vicinities.

Russia regretted that the IAEA did not name the source of the shelling at the ZNPP, Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said.

Grossi said last Sunday that he was negotiating a safe zone around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.

His statement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned his French counterpart during a phone call over the potential "catastrophic consequences" of Ukrainian attacks on the ZNPP in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine.

The situation at ZNPP remained "precarious" after the shelling damaged the nuclear site’s vital infrastructure, Grossi said.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/sayyed-nasrallah-greatest-threat-to-israeli-military:-iof-ge

Sayyed Nasrallah greatest threat to Israeli military: IOF Gen. ret.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah constitutes the biggest threat to the Israeli security and military establishment since the collapse of regular armies in the region, Israeli media said Sunday, quoting a retired Israeli brigadier general.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is "mostly constitute the most major threat to the army and the military and security establishments since the collapse of the regional regular armies, therefore monitoring him, his character, and his behavior have long been among the priorities of major officers, and of course, for me personally," Israeli Channel 12 broadcaster quoted the head of the Israeli occupation forces' Operations Directorate, Israeli Ziv.

"It is an utmost priority that Nasrallah always be taken seriously. In general, he sticks to his words. You will never understand his intentions, but this person in general, his nature and his actions go hand in hand," Ziv said, as quoted by the Israeli broadcaster.

On another hand, Channel 12's Palestinian affairs commentator touched on Sayyed Nasrallah's Saturday speech, saying his words were nothing new. "In fact, these have been his words for months, and it peaked over the past few weeks; threats, an offensive line against Israel that Nasrallah has been embarking on for weeks."

"The words we are hearing from Hezbollah means that Hezbollah has submitted. Why? Because in Israel, or Energean that was supposed to extract the gas from the sea, said for weeks that the gas would be extracted in September, and now the extraction has been postponed until October," he added.

"Media outlets that are regarded as pro-Hezbollah, such as Al Mayadeen and Al-Manar, say that Israel has lost ground against Hezbollah and is not postponing the extraction of gas," the commentator noted.

"At the end of the day, they will reach an agreement, and I assess that Lebanon and Israel will reach a good agreement regarding the issue of gas, and Hezbollah will come and say: 'the terms of the agreement are good due to my threats'," he asserted.

"Lebanon is facing a golden opportunity that may reoccur by the possibility of extracting gas to address its crisis," Sayyed Nasrallah said during a speech on Saturday, stressing that oil and gas extraction from the Karish field could not be allowed before Lebanon obtains its full rights, a red line for the Lebanese Resistance group.

Regarding the file of border demarcation with occupied Palestine, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed in late August that the Israeli threats were worthless, adding that Hezbollah's decision and approach are clear and "we are waiting for the coming days to act accordingly."

The US envoy for the demarcation of the maritime borders, Amos Hochstein arrived in Lebanon last week to hold a lightning round of talks with senior officials, and after his meeting with President Michel Aoun, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab, and the Director-General of the Lebanese General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, he spoke about "very good progress" in the negotiations.

The US administration's energy security official only expressed his "optimism about progress in the negotiation process", after meeting with the three Lebanese presidents.

In conjunction with these statements, US President Joe Biden had stressed to the Israeli occupation Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, the importance of completing negotiations to demarcate the maritime borders with Lebanon in the coming weeks.

Axios quoted a White House official as saying that resolving the maritime issue between "Israel" and Lebanon is a major priority for the Biden administration.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/uk-may-agree-with-eu-on-northern-ireland-protocol

UK may agree with EU on Northern Ireland Protocol

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss and her Irish counterpart, Micheal Martin, according to a Sunday report by Irish broadcaster RTE, think that the European Union and the United Kingdom may come to an agreement on the Northern Ireland Protocol, signed as part of the Brexit agreement on customs borders.

Truss and Martin reportedly met on Sunday in 10 Downing Street, reportedly discussing the "depth and breadth" of connections between the UK and Ireland, along with the importance of joint cooperation to find solutions to pressing problems.

RTE said Truss and Martin concurred that Brussels and London had a chance to resolve the difficulties relating to the Northern Ireland Protocol through negotiation.

The visit of the Irish Prime Minister did not see the two parties issuing an official bilateral meeting and no press release followed.

In January 2021, as a trade and cooperation agreement between the parties went into force, the UK and the EU finished their Brexit transition. The UK exited the EU's single market and customs union in accordance with the provisions of the agreement, and despite being a part of the UK, Northern Ireland continued participating in the European single market and customs unions.

All commodities and animal-based products arriving in Northern Ireland under the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol must be examined upon arrival to make sure they comply with EU sanitary regulations.

The UK government introduced in June a bill unilaterally revising the provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol, arguing that the deal was not working, as it causes delays and interruptions to the supply chain between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. This incensed the EU, prompting Brussels to take legal action against the UK.

The British bill stipulates the establishment of a "green channel" for goods transported from the UK to Northern Ireland, as well as amending tax regulations, stripping the European Court of its role as the sole arbiter of disputes.

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss received a communication from the Biden administration on Wednesday, September 7, in office cautioning her against "efforts to dismantle the Northern Ireland protocol."

The message was delivered at the White House when spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about the first phone conversation between Biden and Truss. Despite the fact that Jean-Pierre was never asked about the Northern Ireland Protocol, she brought it into discussion nevertheless.

Although Washington applauds Truss' steadfast support for Ukraine, her stance on the protocol is viewed as the main source of friction in the two countries' ties.

When Truss announced in May that the government would move on with legislation that would modify portions of the protocol, a move largely seen as a violation of international law, it caught the White House off guard. At the time, she was the foreign secretary. The Biden campaign received assurances from Boris Johnson that no decision in that regard had been made.

The European Commission raised in May the prospect of a trade war with the United Kingdom, promising to retaliate with "all measures at its disposal" if Truss goes forward with her plan to alter the Northern Ireland protocol.

On Tuesday, the foreign secretary announced intentions to introduce legislation to amend the protocol, including the elimination of all inspections on goods traveling from the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland that are not headed for the Republic of Ireland.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/trumps-border-wall-construction-back-on-track-under-joe-bide

Trump's border wall construction back on track under Joe Biden

Myles Traphagen, the borderlands coordinator for the Wildlands Network, reported to The Intercept that he had witnessed the resumption of "Trump's wall" construction on a recent visit to the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and the Coronado National Forest, near the town of Sasabe in southern Arizona.

Part of his frequent visits to the area, the site was among many cited in an extensive report published in July that documents the environmental damages caused by the construction of the border wall expansion under President Donald Trump.

On one of his most recent visits, he saw a new area and water-holding tanks under construction. Fixed to the wall were new signs citing an Arizona trespassing law. A security guard at the scene told him construction was resuming. Later, a Border Patrol agent ordered him to leave the area.

“It’s feeling like it felt during border wall construction with Trump,” Traphagen told The Intercept. “I hadn’t felt that on the border in a year and a half, and now it’s like, oh, shit, here we go again.”

Six days after his visit, US Customs and Border Protection confirmed that work on the border wall that began under Trump is being resumed under Biden.

In an online presentation last Wednesday, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detailed plans to address environmental damage brought on by the former President’s signature campaign promise and confirmed that the wall will remain a permanent fixture of the Southwest for generations to come.

The operations include repairing gates and roads to filling gaps in the wall that were left following the pause in construction.

The environmental damages have been particularly severe in southern Arizona, where CBP used explosives to blast through large swaths of protected land — including sacred Native American burial grounds and wildlife habitats.

According to CBP officials, contractors are scheduled to return to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona in the month of October to resume construction on the wall.

When the pause began in January 2021, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas approved several so-called remediation projects related to the border wall.

The first plan that CBP presented for public comment was in the Tucson sector, the Border Patrol’s largest area of operations and the site of Trump’s most dramatic and controversial border wall construction.

In early 2020, the press watched as Border Patrol and the Department of Defense blew apart chunks of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, south of Tucson, to make space for the Trump wall.

Months of protests ensued after the display as the administration tapped into a rare desert aquifer that feeds Quitobaquito Springs, an oasis that the Hia-Ced O’odham people have held sacred for thousands of years.

Two Hia-Ced O’odham women were later arrested, strip-searched, and held incommunicado after praying and protesting at the construction site.

Earlier this year, one of the two women, Amber Ortega, was found not guilty of the charges after a federal judge ruled that the prosecution violated her rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The controversial work, which included construction on federally designated wilderness, was permitted under the Real ID Act.

Created in the wake of the September 11 attacks, the act grants DHS the authority to waive any law, including bedrock statutes meant to safeguard the environment and areas of cultural significance, to build border barriers under the pretext of maintaining national security.

Part 1

>>17544466

When CBP collected public comments on its proposed plans earlier this year, the vast majority were focused on Arizona, with most addressing the wall’s impact on wildlife migration and its exacerbation of flooding dangers.

“Many comments specifically noted impacts to the Mexican gray wolf, jaguar, Sonoran Desert pronghorn, bighorn sheep, ocelot, javelina, mountain lion, bear, and other wildlife,” CBP noted in a summary report on its Tucson Sector feedback.

“Some commenters suggested removing barriers and leaving flood gates open to address potential impacts.”

In the plans laid out last week, CBP said it would finish drainages and low-water crossings in southern Arizona and in some cases re-engineer border wall designs to allow for water flow.

Two contracts have already been awarded for work in the state, the agency said, adding that the work in Arizona would include filling “small gaps” in the border wall that remained following Biden’s pause. CBP described similar operations along the border in other states.

When asked if CBP envisioned a day when the barriers might be removed, the agency said it did not.

“At this point in time,” said Shelly Barnes, the environmental planning lead for the Border Patrol’s infrastructure portfolio, “there are no current plans to remove sections of the barrier.”

Part 2 - End

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-does-not-allow-israeli-air-security-system-sale-to-german

US does not allow Israeli air security system sale to Germany

"Israel" Today reported on September 18 that US President Joe Biden's administration has blocked the sale of an advanced Israeli air security system to Germany.

The details revealed that "Israel" failed to sell its exo-atmospheric hypersonic anti-ballistic missile system, Arrow 3, to Germany, despite its numerous attempts to get US approval.

The air security system is an "Israel" Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Boeing joint US-Israeli security project funded by the annual foreign aid to "Israel".

On March 11, the US Upper house approved $3.8 billion in military aid for "Israel" in line with the Memorandum of Understanding signed by former president Barack Obama in 2015, including $1 billion in supplemental funding for "Israel’s" failed Iron Dome missile system.

The US aid to the occupation, taken from US citizens' pockets, aids in the brutal and violent Israeli attacks against Palestinians and promotes Israeli projects to expel and ethnically cleanse Palestinians.

It is worth noting that in May last year, during the Israeli aggression on occupied Al-Quds and the Gaza Strip in the battle of Seif Al-Quds, US President Joe Biden approved a deal to send $735 million worth of precision-guided weapons to “Israel".

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz officially expressed in early March an interest in purchasing the system during his meeting with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Following the meeting, Israeli Security Minister Benny Gantz phoned the US administration to request that the sale be approved. Despite multiple efforts, the request was refused.

As normalization deals surge in the #Arab world, so does the Israeli arms sales, the same arms used to murder, suppress, and occupy #Palestinian people every single day. pic.twitter.com/WLDqWmDfKR

US approval is required since US taxpayers pay 80% of the project's budget, investing up to $2.2 billion in IAI alleged research and development.

The US government literally takes the money out of its people's pockets to aid "Israel" through their taxes, which is clear proof of the US government's dedication to funding the Israeli occupation and its role in the region, contrary to all their human rights claims.

Scholz expressed increased interest in the system during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on September 12 in Berlin.

“We are very keen to work with Israel, including in the area of air defense where Israel has a very effective product with the Arrow 3 system,” Scholz said in a joint press conference with Lapid.

The public remarks surprised Lapid because "Israel" frequently goes out of its way to keep the facts of potential arms shipments hidden.

Lapid was taken aback by Scholz's clear allusion to "Israeli missiles" and refused to furnish him with any technical details, according to "Israel" Today's Ariel Kahane.

Bloomberg reported later that Germany has chosen the Israeli security system over its rival, the US-manufactured Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) by Lockheed Martin Corp.

Scholz aims to integrate the Israeli system “within the framework of NATO,” despite the Arrow 3 system being relatively new, with no proven efficiency beyond control tests.

Unlike THAAD, the Arrow series of air systems' usefulness is still debatable, given its repeated failures over the years.

"Israel" admitted in April 2021 that it had failed to fire down stray missiles that had crossed into "Israel" on many occasions, detonating in the air or falling in open regions.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-mediator-made-new-proposal-to-lebanese-israeli-maritime-i

US mediator made new proposal to Lebanese-Israeli maritime issue

The United States made an offer to the Israeli occupation and Lebanon to solve the maritime border issue, Israeli media said on Monday. The proposal is reportedly linked to the path the Lebanese-Israeli maritime borders will follow.

"The US mediator in the maritime borders talks, Amos Hochstein, during his regional visit last week, made a settlement proposal regarding the outstanding issues between Israel and Lebanon regarding the demarcation of the borders along line 23 and the Qana field," Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

The newspaper said that following the new US proposal, political and security figures in "Israel" seemed optimistic about reaching a final settlement to the dispute over the borders.

The settlement proposal, Haaretz said, asked to change and adjust line 23 toward Lebanon instead of near the coast in order to allow for a "bigger defensive area against possible threats from the sea, near the coastline."

The Israeli outlet clarified that the political leadership in "Tel Aviv" was ready to make concessions with regard to Qana and believed that the main achievement would be the stabilization of ties between the two parties in the sea, as well as preventing an escalation related to this issue in the future.

Lebanon and the Israeli occupation have been participating in indirect, US-mediated talks to draw a line between the two parties' maritime areas, which would determine who has ownership over which oil and gas resources.

Israeli media quoted earlier this month a senior Israeli official in the gas sector as saying that the maritime border demarcation agreement that is taking shape with Lebanon is a complete surrender by "Israel", noting that "Israel's" submission is a great victory for Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Last month, Sayyed Nasrallah threatened the Israeli occupation over its attempts to forcibly extract gas from the contested region, warning, "If Lebanon does not obtain the rights demanded by the Lebanese state, we are heading toward an escalation whether or not the nuclear agreement is signed."

An informed source told Al Mayadeen that Hochstein handed Lebanon on September 11 the coordinates of the line of maritime buoys.

The source explained that these coordinates constitute the "last point that is being negotiated", in preparation for sending his [Hochstein's] "full offer".

Hochstein had arrived in Lebanon to hold a lightning round of talks with senior officials, and after his meeting with President Michel Aoun, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab, and the Director-General of the Lebanese General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, he spoke about "very good progress" in the negotiations.

The mediator said he believes that "it will be beneficial to all parties", expressing his optimism. He added that "more efforts must be done, and the United States is committed to resolving the outstanding issues to reach an agreement that is in the interest of the Lebanese people."

In conjunction with these statements, US President Joe Biden had stressed to the Israeli occupation Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, the importance of completing negotiations to demarcate the maritime borders with Lebanon in the coming weeks.

Sayyed Nasrallah reiterated his threats during a speech on Saturday, saying: "Lebanon is facing a golden opportunity that may reoccur by the possibility of extracting gas to address its crisis." He also stressed that oil and gas extraction from the Karish field could not be allowed before Lebanon obtains its full rights, a red line for the Lebanese Resistance group.

Axios quoted a White House official as saying that resolving the maritime issue between "Israel" and Lebanon is a major priority for the administration of US President Joe Biden.