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Ukraine receives major update on when first F-16s may arrive

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Ukraine receives major update on when first F-16s may arrive

Denmark Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen said Wednesday that his country plans to make the first delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in the spring of 2024.

According to a report by the Danish broadcaster TV2, Poulsen said that he expects the first six out of the 19 F-16s promised to Ukraine to arrive in March or April of next year. The news comes at the same time the Danish Ministry of Defense announced a new coalition spearheaded by the U.S., Denmark and the Netherlands to support Ukraine in establishing a future air force based on the F-16 jets.

“Denmark has throughout the war, played a key role through substantial military donations to Ukraine, not least in regards to the donation of F-16 fighter jets,” Poulsen said in a release from the Danish defense ministry. “The responsibility as co-lead in this new coalition thus falls naturally in Danish hands.”

The U.S. State Department promised back in August that U.S.-made fighter jets would be made available to Ukraine once Kyiv’s pilots proved to be fully trained and ready to operate the aircraft. Although Denmark and the Netherlands have promised to offer up their own F-16s, the deliveries of the U.S.-made jets must be approved by Washington.

The Netherlands has 42 American-made F-16s but has yet to announce how many they plan to donate to Ukraine’s defense against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously claimed that Kyiv is poised to receive 42 jets in total between the Dutch and Denmark.

Ukraine, whose pilots are currently operating Soviet-era MiG-29s and Su-27s jets, have made several pleas for F-16s, and experts have previously told Newsweek that it could only take a dozen or so of the aircraft to make a true difference in the war in Ukraine. Western-made jets like the F-16s also hold an edge over their Russian counterparts that the Kremlin has long deployed, including advanced radar and guidance systems and the ability to be armed with precision-guided missiles and bombs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously warned that providing Ukraine with the advanced aircraft would not change the tide of the war, “This simply prolongs the conflict.”

Belgium Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder also announced Wednesday that the country will begin sending F-16s to Ukraine in 2025, according to a report from Beglium media company RTL. The announcement followed a surprise visit by Zelensky to Brussels, where the Ukrainian leader met with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, reported Politico.

The Biden Administration also declared an additional $200 million in military aid for Kyiv, which will include additional air defense capabilities and anti-tank weapons.

Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon for comment via email Wednesday afternoon.

NATO allies advance Europe-wide air defense plan in response to Russia

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NATO allies advance Europe-wide air defense plan in response to Russia

A handful of NATO members took further steps Wednesday in developing the European Sky Shield Initiative, roughly one year after the air and missile defense system was introduced.

The initiative, led by Germany, intends to bolster Europe’s air defense capabilities in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Defense ministers from 10 NATO countries signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday to further develop the Sky Shield, according to a press release.

“European Sky Shield Initiative, under Germany’s leadership, shows the value of Allies stepping up to meet NATO’s requirements, while ensuring interoperability and integration,” NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană said in the release. “This initiative therefore, helps translate Allied commitments on defense spending into tangible capabilities available for our collective defense. It demonstrates the clear commitment of European Allies to fair burden sharing as well.”

The countries that signed the memorandum include Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Slovenia, per NATO’s release. Five NATO countries that signed a letter of intent for the development of the initiative last year—Bulgaria, Finland, Slovakia, Romania and the United Kingdom—did not sign Wednesday’s agreement.

When reached for comment, NATO’s press office directed Newsweek to a statement made by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg earlier this year, who said that while each country a part of the Sky Shield initiative will make a decision on what systems their defense teams want to invest in, all allies agree that investing in air defense is a priority.

“The war in Ukraine has demonstrated how important it is to have modern multi-layered air defense systems,” Stoltenberg said during a press conference in January. “What matters for NATO, as pointed out, is that allies invest quite different capabilities, but also that, when we do that, we ensure that this is fully interoperable with other NATO countries, because we need to work together.”

NATO allies in eastern Europe have been on high alert since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Last month, Reuters reported that Romania was working to fortify its villages along the Danube River, which sits just across the border from Ukrainian grain facilities subjected to ceaseless Russian drone attacks. The measures included the deployment of four additional U.S. F-16 fighter jets and an expanded no-fly zone.

Estonia and Latvia, which share a border with Russia, also signed a joint purchase on September 11 for a $1.1 billion German medium-range air defense missile system, reported the Associated Press (AP). And Lithuania announced on September 29 that it plans to build a barrier along its border with Russia and Russia’s close ally, Belarus.

The Russian Ministry of Defense recently showed signs of preparing for a standoff with Finland, the newest member of NATO, and the Baltic States by transferring four constituent regions in northwestern Russia to the Leningrad Military District. The Institute for the Study of War previously assessed that the decision indicates that Moscow sees a need to restructure its forces closest to its Finnish border.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has also recently declared that Moscow appears to be ready to engage in “direct conflict with NATO.”

Update 10/12/23 10:33 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information from NATO’s press office.

Congressman quits Democratic Socialists party over pro-Palestinian rally

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Congressman quits Democratic Socialists party over pro-Palestinian rally

Michigan Representative Shri Thanedar is renouncing his membership in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) after the New York City chapter of the party backed a pro-Palestinian rally over the weekend.

The rally, held on Sunday in Times Square, was attended by over 1,000 supporters of Palestinians a day after Hamas militants launched a deadly attack against Israel, sparking a war that has led to more than 2,200 deaths in four days, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The NYC-DSA has said that it did not organize the rally, adding in a statement Tuesday that the chapter promoted the event “in anticipation of escalatory violence to come” in light of Saturday’s attacks. But the rally has led to a rift among progressive members of Congress seeking to distance themselves from the demonstration, where crowds chanted, “Resistance is justified when people are occupied.”

“Today, I am officially renouncing my membership in the Democratic Socialists of America,” Thanedar wrote in a statement shared to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.

“After the brutal terrorist attacks on Israel, which included the indiscriminate murder, rape, and kidnapping of innocent men, women, and children, I can no longer associate with an organization unwilling to call out terrorism in its forms,” he added. “Sunday’s hate-filled and antisemitic rally in New York City, promoted by the NYC-DSA, makes it impossible for me to continue my affiliation.”

The escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has thrown several Democratic lawmakers into the spotlight who have long criticized Israel’s actions on the Gaza Strip. Some mainstream Democrats have condemned their fellow party members who have called on the U.S. to strip aid to Israel.

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez broke her silence about Sunday’s rally in a statement to Politico on Monday, telling the outlet, “It should not be hard to shut down hatred and antisemitism where we see it. That is a core tenet of solidarity.”

“The bigotry and callousness expressed in Times Square on Sunday were unacceptable and harmful in this devastating moment,” Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the DSA, added. “It also did not speak for the thousands of New Yorkers who are capable of rejecting both Hamas’ horrifying attacks against innocent civilians as well as the grave injustices and violence Palestinians face under occupation.”

Congressman Jamaal Bowman, a fellow New York lawmaker and DSA member, also condemned the rally in a statement to X on Tuesday, writing that Hamas’ actions “are unequivocally abhorrent and must be strongly and clearly condemned.”

“We must remember that Palestinian civilians are not responsible for Hamas’s actions,” read Bowman’s statement. “We must ensure we center human rights and be clear-eyed about the loss of life that will unnecessarily be inflicted upon all innocent civilians.”

Since Saturday’s attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza and promised that his country’s response would be remembered “for decades to come.”

Palestinian civilians told AP that the bombardment of airstrikes from the Israeli military over the past several days is the most severe attack in recent memory. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that at least 1,100 people have been killed in Gaza and 5,339 others wounded since Saturday, according to a report by CNN.

Newsweek reached out to DSA’s press team for comment via email Wednesday evening.

Putin breaks silence on Israel-Hamas war

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Putin breaks silence on Israel-Hamas war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed U.S. foreign policy for the war between Israel and Hamas.

In his first public statement on the conflict, which has seen Israeli strikes on Gaza after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel at the weekend, Putin accused Washington of a pro-Israel policy that worked against the interests of the Palestinian people.

“I think many will agree with me that this is a clear example of the failure of U.S. policy in the Middle East,” Putin said at a Kremlin meeting on Tuesday with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani.

Putin said that the U.S. had tried “to monopolize” the conflict, but was “unfortunately unconcerned with finding compromises acceptable for both sides,” according to a transcript on the Kremlin website.

He said that the U.S. was not “taking into account the fundamental interests of the Palestinian people,” such as “the need to implement the decision of the U.N. Security Council on the creation of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state.”

When contacted by Newsweek, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said in a statement: “This is yet again another of Russia’s attempts to cause confusion and divert attention away from its own malign influence and destabilizing behavior. The United States unequivocally condemns the attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israel.”

Putin’s comments, made more than three days after the conflict started, have echoed sentiments by Russian officials and media figures that it was the West that failed to secure peace and security in the region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the creation of a Palestinian state was the “most reliable” solution for peace in Israel and the Kremlin said that it was in contact with both sides to end the conflict.

U.S. President Joe Biden has described the Palestinian militant group’s surprise assault on Israel as “sheer evil” and issued a warning apparently aimed at its Iranian backers. The U.S. is increasing military aid to Israel, with the first plane carrying American weapons arriving in southern Israel on Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes bombed Gaza repeatedly overnight Tuesday, striking more than 200 targets in a neighborhood of Gaza City that it said had been used by Hamas to launch its attacks, Reuters reported.

Israeli troops have killed at least 1,000 Palestinian gunmen, according to the outlet, which also reported Gaza’s health ministry death toll of at least 950 people in the Palestinian enclave.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Jonathan Conricus said that the Israeli military had rebuilt the barrier around Gaza that had been breached and that infantry, armored soldiers, artillery corps, plus 300,000 reservists, have been sent close to the Gaza border.

Update 10/11/23, 9:12 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the U.S. State Department.

Infighting engulfs one of Ukraine’s top brigades amid heavy losses

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Infighting engulfs one of Ukraine’s top brigades amid heavy losses

A Ukrainian military formation that has been central to Kyiv’s counteroffensive is in disarray because of problems with leadership and command on the battlefield, it has been reported.

In September, Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne said that Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Sak had been removed from his post as commander of Ukraine’s 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

Ukrainian military officials have not commented on the reasons, but the website Military Land, which reports on Ukraine’s armed forces, said that there were rumors that Sak’s dismissal was “connected to the brigade’s performance on the battlefield.”

His unit, alongside Ukraine’s 82nd Air Assault Brigade, helped break through Russian lines in southern Ukraine during the summer counter-offensive aimed at recapturing Moscow-occupied territory.

Fighting on the Tokmak front near the city of Orikhiv in the summer, the 47th Brigade was one of the first to take part in a counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia region. In a boost for Kyiv’s efforts, under Sak’s command, it entered the village of Robotyne on 22 August, from which residents were evacuated.

But Military Land said that the liberation had come at a “serious cost.” It also said that Sak’s replacement, Oleksandr Pavliy, had “failed to understand the brigade structure.”

The website said orders were not being carried out, which included sending snipers, mortar and artillery crews to the front as assault infantry.

The brigade which is also named Magura, after a goddess in Slavic mythology, was formed in April 2022 and has faced other setbacks in recent months, most notably on July 22, when Dimytro Rybakov, the-then brigade commander, was killed.

Valerii Markus, a sergeant-major in the brigade, complained in July about the decisions of the unit’s command and said there was lack of interest regarding soldiers’ morale. He asked to be demoted because of an ongoing disagreement with the unit’s commanders.

Markus, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky to discuss his concerns, posted on Facebook that he was “totally opposed” to the decisions on the brigade’s deployment and development.

“We haven’t been allowed to develop the military unit in line with the values we have stated at the time it was being created,” he said in comments reported by Ukrainian media. “I no longer have opportunities to influence or rectify the situation.”

However, Rustam Mustafaiev, sergeant major of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade’s strike company, accused Markus of “trying to promote himself on the back of other people’s blood.”

He also rejected Markus’ criticism of the brigade’s command, saying that it worked hard to “ensure the most favorable conditions.”

Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian Armed Forces for comment.

Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted on Israeli TV: "We will never forgive you"

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Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted on Israeli TV: "We will never forgive you"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing growing condemnation for the security lapses preceding the brutal Hamas attack in southern Israel, with the family member of one casualty telling a TV broadcast “we will never forgive you.”

Israeli troops are massing at the border of Gaza four days after Hamas militants stormed southern Israel, killing hundreds of civilians and seizing hostages in an attack that took the country by surprise.

During an emotional interview on Israel’s Channel 14 on Tuesday, Shirel Hogeg weighed in with his view of Netanyahu from a medical center where his family members were being treated for burns after their house was set on fire. They were among the casualties in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz where horrific reports have emerged of victims being massacred.

“Mr. Prime Minister, step outside, face the media, and apologize,” Hogeg said. “A thousand people were murdered on your watch, sir!”

“And where are you Ben-Gvir?!” he said, referring to the right-wing national security minister. “You’re the world champion of bulls*******. Where are you?! Mr. Handgun on Twitter!…We will never forgive you. Never.”

“There are heroes here, the only heroes,” Hogeg said. “But personally, I promise, I will deal with all of you one by one—the 120 Knesset members, the government, Benjamin Netanyahu, all of you.”

As the TV anchor, Amir Ivgi tried to calm his guest down, saying that he wanted to “conduct this discussion in a respectful manner,” an undeterred Hogeg continued with his invective.

Questions remain over how the combined efforts of Israel’s internal security service Shin Bet, its external spy agency, Mossad, and all the assets of the Israel Defense Forces, did not see the attack coming. An Egyptian intelligence official said that Israel had ignored repeated warnings from Cairo, although this has been denied by Netanyahu.

Hogeg said that along with other residents in southern Israel, he had fought for his country and that the current crisis was not matter of political persuasion.

“If one of you dares to call someone from the right or left side, a traitor, there will be tit for tat, we will not forgive you. We will not forgive you because look at what’s happening now.” Hogeg said.

He called for Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir to be held accountable because they “caused my sister to burn in her house.”

Israeli newspapers and social media users have blamed the intelligence shortcomings on the prime minister, which led to the biggest attack on Israel since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and have called for his resignation. The left-leaning newspaper Haaretz, which has been critical of Netanyahu’s premiership, has run pieces holding Netanyahu directly responsible.

“I feel and I hear the anger of people, even from the people who voted for him,” Emmanuel Navon, CEO of the NGO ELNET-Israel, told Newsweek.

“At the end of the day, he is the elected prime minister and he was elected not too long ago,” he said. “On the one hand, I think he should be leading the war Cabinet, but he should also pay the political price for the disaster the moment the war is over.”

“I do not share the opinion…that he should resign now—I think this would send a terrible message to our enemy,” Navon said. “My preference of course would be for a national unity government with the security Cabinet with the same people who are there in the current government.”

“But he should definitely pay the full price for the failure.” Navon said. “The failure is his and the responsibility for this catastrophe is his.”

Newsweek has contacted Benjamin Netanyahu’s office for comment.

Is US preparing nuclear tests in Nevada? What we know

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Is US preparing nuclear tests in Nevada? What we know

Russia has said the United States is looking to restart a nuclear testing program in Nevada but despite Moscow’s rhetoric, any atomic weapons experiments will be a far cry from the desert explosions of the Cold War.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russia’s parliament, the Duma that “if Washington follows the destructive path of nuclear testing” then “we will be forced to mirror this too,” the state news agency Tass reported on Tuesday.

Ryabkov’s comments come amid the backdrop of Russia’s nuclear threats surrounding its invasion of Ukraine and as Russian lawmakers discuss revoking Moscow’s ratification of the landmark Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

However, U.S. scientists will be looking to test the country’s aging nuclear weapons stock by studying an implosion without any nuclear explosion.

The $1.8 billion Scorpius project will give scientists a more detailed look at whether the nuclear weapons are fit for purpose than is possible via theoretical computer modeling, the Associated Press reported.

It marks a further step in the evolution of nuclear weapons testing, which during the 1950s and 1960s involved explosions that left mushroom clouds above the deserts of New Mexico and Nevada. Testing then shifted to underground explosions, which ended in 1992 in line with the CTBT.

The U.S, Russia and China conduct what are called sub-critical tests involving nuclear material, which do not involve a sustained chain reaction, said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association.

“There are different kinds of experiments the nuclear weapon states conduct to better understand the properties of, particularly plutonium, that is in the nuclear warheads in their existing arsenal,” he told Newsweek.

These include computer simulations using data from historic nuclear test explosions, which are designed to try to predict how the existing warheads in the arsenal will behave over time.

“For the last 30 years, that strategy has successfully allowed Russia, the United States, France, even China, to maintain their arsenals without nuclear explosive testing,” he said.

But a new era of testing known as “tickling the dragon’s tail,” will involve a high-energy electron beam injector the length of a football field placed 1,000 feet below ground at the Nevada National Security Site.

Its beam will collide with a metal target generating X-rays that penetrate test objects. As plutonium is compressed with high explosives, a detector will convert the X-rays into images recorded by a sensitive camera.

Currently being assembled at the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, components for the project are being shipped to the Nevada desert.

Dave Funk, Vice-President for Enhanced Capabilities for Subcritical Experiments at the Nevada National Security Site told the AP: “We are looking forward to establishing this capability in 2027, conducting the first subcritical experiments using these new capabilities.”

However, Kimball from the Arms Control Association said the way that Russia was framing the new testing was of concern.

“When we hear from Vladimir Putin or anybody else from the Russian government, suggesting the U.S. is preparing to conduct a nuclear explosive test, I consider that to be a worrying sign of Russia trying to find an unjustified, cynical excuse to do so itself,” he said.

Putin said last week that Russia’s nuclear doctrine did not need updating but he was not yet ready to say whether Moscow needed to resume nuclear tests.

His view that Russia could consider de-ratification of the CTBT was seen by security experts as showing that Moscow, which has the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, was ready to resume nuclear testing.

Jill Hruby, head of the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, said in June that the United States is open to having international observers monitor the subcritical experiments in Nevada, Reuters reported.

Kimball said that Russian legislators concerned about the Nevada test site “should encourage their government to engage in good faith discussions with the United States on confidence building measures.”

“It’s a pretty straightforward logic,” he added.

US diplomat fights back tears at site of Hamas attack on Israel: Video

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US diplomat fights back tears at site of Hamas attack on Israel: Video

A senior U.S. diplomat fought back tears as she stood by a site where Palestinian militants stormed Israel from Gaza and allegedly targeted civilians.

In a video shared exclusively with Newsweek, Stephanie Hallett, the charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Israel, stood alongside senior defense official and defense attaché Captain Frank Schlereth during what she said was a visit Wednesday “along the Gaza periphery to bear witness to the atrocities that were committed here on Saturday,” when Hamas launched its deadliest-ever assault on Israel in a surprise land, air and sea operation.

“It’s really unbelievable,” Hallett said, beginning to choke up. “As a mother and just as a human being, to see and to know what happened here is really important, to say that we’ve been here, we’ve seen it and it is evil, and we stand with Israel, all of us.”

On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden also used the term “evil” to describe the attack that has so far killed more than 1,200 people in Israel, including at least 14 U.S. citizens. The U.S. leader pledged his stalwart support for Israel in resolving ongoing hostage situations and asserted he would call on Congress to increase aid to the U.S. ally.

Both the U.S. and Israel consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization, while the group views itself to be a national liberation force.

Hamas took aim at Biden’s speech, saying in a statement shared with Newsweekthat his support for Israel was “giving full cover to continue its massacres against defenseless children, women and the elderly” as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bombs the Gaza Strip, where Hamas and other groups, such as Islamic Jihad, are based. The Gaza-based Palestinian Health Ministry has reported on the deaths of at least 1,087 people in the effectively blockaded coastal Palestinian enclave.

In a follow-up statement shared with Newsweek on Wednesday, Hamas “strongly dismissed the false claims promoted by some Western media outlets, such as Palestinian freedom fighters killing children and targeting civilians.”

IDF personnel on the ground have described scenes of systemic killings and abductions committed by Hamas fighters as they swarmed a music festival and entered homes in southern Israeli villages. Meanwhile, reports and images of widespread destruction continue to emerge from Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes.

The latest episode in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the bloodiest in decades and has the potential to have wide-ranging consequences for both peoples and the region as a whole.

This is a developing news story. More information will be added as it becomes available.

Hamas coordinated with Iran "before, during" Israel attack, official says

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Hamas coordinated with Iran "before, during" Israel attack, official says

Hamas was in active coordination with Iran before, during and after the attack against Israel over the weekend, a senior Hamas official said.

Ahmed Abdulhadi, Hamas’s representative in Lebanon, said in response to a Newsweek question in an audio conversation on X that Hamas had also coordinated with Iran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah and with other factions of a so-called “Axis of Resistance” before the assault, the deadliest Palestinian militant attack in Israel’s history.

Tehran has denied any role in the operation, though the Iranian Mission to the United Nations told Newsweek earlier Wednesday that the Islamic Republic had provided Palestinian fighters with “skills” to help them launch such an assault.

Abdulhadi said on X that “we coordinated with Hezbollah and with Iran and the Axis before, during and after this battle at the highest level.” He said this coordination “has many dimensions—political, military and others.”

While Hamas has long fostered ties with Iran, the Palestinian movement has denied that any other entity played a role in planning the surprise land, sea and air attack. Abdulhadi did not say that anyone other than Hamas itself had planned the attack.

U.S. and Israeli officials, while accusing Iran of having a long history of supporting Hamas militarily, financially and otherwise, have not identified any clear connection between Tehran and the operation.

More than 1,200 people in Israel were killed after Hamas launched what it referred to as Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” in reference to the revered site in the disputed holy city of Jerusalem. The attack involved a mass breach of the Gaza security fence into southern Israel along with a naval landing and the firing of thousands of rockets.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) subsequently launched its largest-ever bombing campaign against the Gaza Strip in what has been titled Operation “Swords of Iron.” The Gaza-based Palestinian Health Ministry has reported on the deaths of at least 1,100 people in the effectively blockaded Palestinian enclave since Saturday.

In an interview published Sunday by Russia’s state-run RT outlet, another leading Hamas official in Lebanon, Ali Baraka, said Hamas had planned the attack for two years and did not inform any other factions or allies, including Iran and Hezbollah, of the “zero hour.” Information was divulged half an hour after the operation had already begun, according to Baraka.

He said that Iran “gives us money and weapons, also Hezbollah.”

The fighting has fanned fears of a wider escalation amid hostilities on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. Hezbollah has fired volleys of rockets and Israeli forces have conducted a series of strikes in ongoing tit-for-tat clashes, with reports of attempted infiltrations from the Lebanese side into Israel as well.

Newsweek has reached out to Hezbollah for comment.

Hezbollah issued a statement Wednesday blasting President Joe Biden for a speech the previous day in which he affirmed his support for Israel and pledged to increase aid to the U.S. ally in the wake of an attack he referred to as “sheer evil.” The IDF have described scenes of atrocities said to have been committed by Palestinian fighters in Israel, while Hamas and Hezbollah have pointed to reports of alleged Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

“We consider the United States to be a full partner in the Zionist aggression and hold it fully responsible for the murder, criminality, siege, destruction of homes and horrific massacres of defenseless civilians, including children, women and the elderly,” the Hezbollah statement said.

A Hamas spokesperson shared with Newsweek a similar message a day earlier in the immediate wake of Biden’s remarks, which the Palestinian group said was aimed at giving Israel “full cover to continue its massacres against defenseless children, women and the elderly.”

As Israel continues to contend with the ongoing crisis, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed an emergency wartime government Wednesday with political rival Benny Gantz. The Israeli premier vowed to “crush and destroy” Hamas as the world did the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in statement posted to X.

Toys top list of 10 most common types of electric waste

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Toys top list of 10 most common types of electric waste

Every year, 7.3 billion electronic toys are thrown out around the world, collectively weighing 10 times the mass of New York City’s Empire State Building.

LED sneakers, power tools, cables and e-cigarettes are just some examples of the millions of electronic items discarded every year that most consumers do not consider “e-waste.” But throwing them into normal landfill is potentially hazardous and a waste of valuable raw materials.

In a new study, commissioned by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum, researchers from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research analyzed this so-called “invisible” e-waste to determine how much was being produced every year, and which items were the worst offenders.

In total, they estimated that over 9 billion kilograms—or 9 million tons—of invisible e-waste was tossed annually, over 380 times the weight of the Titanic. And over a third of this came from a rather surprising source.

Coming in at No. 1, with over 7294 million pieces thrown away annually, was electronic toys. Things like racing cars, music toys, drones and electric trains. In second place was household monitoring and control equipment, like heat and smoke alarms, and third was household tools, like drills, saws and lawn mowers.

“Toys is the most surprising source of ‘invisible e-waste’ as it’s the biggest number, but also tools, small IT cables, and also vapes,” Pascal Leroy, director-general of the WEEE Forum, told Newsweek.

The full list is as follows:

Item Million kilograms Million pieces
Personal care equipment, e.g. toothbrushes, hairdryers, razors 391 711
Small IT equipment, e.g. routers, keyboards, external drives 763 1891
Small consumer electronics, e.g. headphones, remote controls 347 910
Speakers 620 280
Small lighting equipment, e.g. LED lamps 365 4118
Household tools, e.g. drills, saws, lawn mowers 1047 421
Toys, e.g. car racing sets, electric trains, drones, musical toys 3234 7294
Household medical equipment 3 14
Household monitoring, e.g. heat and smoke alarms 1336 5476
Cables 950 n/a
Total Invisible E-waste 9055

Other than filling up global landfills, why is throwing out this invisible e-waste such an issue? Firstly, e-waste represents a rich source of rare metals and materials that vary between products. “Batteries typically contain cobalt, lithium, while all cables contain copper,” Leroy said. “Smartphones contain almost all elements in the periodic table. [If these products are thrown out,] these materials cannot be tapped into and recycled into new products, so they need to be mined instead to satisfy demand. Mining is a much more ecologically damaging activity compared to urban mining [i.e., recovering and using a city’s waste materials.]”

In total, nearly $57 billion of rare metals and raw materials get thrown out every year in the form of electronic waste. One sixth of this, amounting to roughly $10 billion, is invisible e-waste.

These products may also contain hazardous substances that can leach into their environment. “Lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, cadmium, PBDE are hazardous substances and while their use in new products has been restricted, they still come back as waste and sit in many products,” Leroy said. “If not properly treated, substances like lead, mercury or cadmium can leach into and contaminate the soil and water.”

This study highlights the importance of correct disposal of these products and clearer messaging over what constitutes electronic waste. “People should be told to dispose of e-waste responsibly, by returning it to the shop or to an official collection point,” Leroy said.

Invisible e-waste will be the focus of this year’s International E-Waste Day, held by the WEEE on Saturday.

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