Israel and Hamas are making progress in cease-fire and hostage-release talks, officials say

Israel and Hamas are making progress toward another cease-fire and hostage-release deal, officials said Tuesday, as negotiations went on and Israel threatened to expand its offensive to Gaza’s southern edge, where some 1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge.

The talks continued in Egypt a day after Israeli forces rescued two captives in Rafah, the packed southern town along the Egyptian border, in a raid that killed at least 74 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and caused heavy destruction. The operation offered a glimpse of what a full-blown ground advance might look like.

A cease-fire deal, on the other hand, would give people in Gaza a desperately needed respite from the war, now in its fifth month, and offer freedom for at least some of the estimated 100 people still held captive in Gaza. Qatar, the United States and Egypt have sought to broker a deal in the face of starkly disparate positions expressed publicly by both Israel and Hamas.

Israel has made destroying Hamas’ governing and military capabilities and freeing the hostages the main goals of its war, which was launched after thousands of Hamas-led militants rampaged through southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking roughly 250 people captive. Tens of thousands of Israelis were displaced from destroyed communities.

The war has brought unprecedented destruction to the Gaza Strip, with more than 28,000 people killed, more than 70% of them women and minors, according to local health officials. Vast swaths of the territory have been flattened by Israel’s offensive, around 80% of the population has been displaced and a humanitarian catastrophe has pushed more than a quarter of the population toward starvation.

In other developments, South Africa, which has lodged genocide allegations against Israel at the International Court of Justice, said Tuesday that it filed an “urgent request” with the court to consider whether Israel’s military operations in Rafah constitute a breach of provisional orders handed down by the justices last month. Those orders called on Israel to take greater measures to spare civilians.

Israel has adamantly denied the genocide allegations and says it is carrying out operations in accordance with international law. It blames Hamas for the high death toll because the militants operate in dense residential areas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press on until “total victory,” and has insisted that military pressure will help free the hostages. But the rescued hostages, 60-year-old Fernando Marman and 70-year-old Louis Har, were just the second and third captives to be freed by the military since the war erupted.

Other Israeli officials have said only a deal can bring about the release of large numbers of hostages.

Over 100 were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel during a weeklong truce last year. Three hostages were killed erroneously by Israeli forces in December and one female Israeli soldier was freed in a rescue mission in the early weeks of the war. Israeli officials say around 30 hostages taken on Oct. 7 have died, either during the initial attack or in captivity.

BRIDGING THE GAPS

A senior Egyptian official said mediators have achieved “relatively significant” progress ahead of a meeting Tuesday in Cairo of representatives from Qatar, the U.S. and Israel. The official said the meeting would focus on “crafting a final draft” of a six-week cease-fire deal, with guarantees that the parties would continue negotiations toward a permanent cease-fire.

CIA chief William Burns and David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, attended the Cairo talks. Both men played a key role in brokering the previous cease-fire.

A Western diplomat in the Egyptian capital also said a six-week deal was on the table but cautioned that more work is still needed to reach an agreement. The diplomat said the meeting Tuesday would be crucial in bridging the remaining gaps.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive talks with the media.

While the officials did not disclose the precise details of the emerging deal, the sides have been discussing varying proposals for weeks.

Israel has proposed a two-month cease-fire in which hostages would be freed in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, and top Hamas leaders in Gaza would be allowed to relocate to other countries.

Hamas rejected those terms. It laid out a three-phase plan of 45 days each in which the hostages would be released in stages, Israel would free hundreds of imprisoned Palestinians, including senior militants, and the war would wind down, with Israel withdrawing its troops. That was viewed as a non-starter for Israel, which wants to topple Hamas before ending the war.

But President Joe Biden signaled Monday that a deal might be within reach.

“The key elements of the deal are on the table,” Biden said alongside visiting Jordanian King Abdullah II, adding, “there are gaps that remain.” He said the U.S. would do “everything possible” to make an agreement happen.

DEATH TOLL MOUNTS

The signs of progress came despite ongoing fighting.

Palestinians were still counting the dead after Israel’s hostage rescue mission as the death toll climbed Tuesday to 74. Residents and displaced Palestinians in Gaza were searching through the rubble from Israeli airstrikes that provided cover for the rescue mission.

Al Jazeera, the pan-Arab broadcaster funded by Qatar, said an Israeli airstrike in Rafah wounded two of its journalists, with one having to undergo an amputation. It identified the wounded as cameraman Ahmad Matar and reporter Ismail Abu Omar. It was unclear when the strike took place, and the Israeli military had no immediate comment.

While concerns have grown over Rafah because it is sheltering such a large number of Palestinians, fighting continued throughout the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said troops were battling militants in Gaza’s second-largest city, Khan Younis, and in central Gaza. It said Tuesday that three soldiers were killed in combat, raising the death toll among troops since the Gaza ground operation began in late October to 232.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the bodies of 133 people killed in Israeli strikes were brought to hospitals over the past day. The fatalities brought the death toll in Gaza to 28,473 since the war began on Oct. 7, according to the ministry, which says more than 68,000 people have been wounded.

AP

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

‘No way in hell’ Russia will lose Ukraine conflict – Musk

There is “no way in hell” that Russia will suffer defeat in its conflict with Ukraine, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said.

Musk, one of the world’s richest men, made the comment on Monday during a discussion about a Senate bill aimed at providing additional US aid to Kiev on X Spaces – part of his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter).

He was joined by a number of other people opposed to further funding for Ukraine, including Republican lawmakers Ron Johnson, JD Vance and Mike Lee, former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and entrepreneur David Sacks.

”This spending doesn’t help Ukraine. Prolonging the war doesn’t help Ukraine,” the Tesla and SpaceX chief said, as quoted by Bloomberg.

He urged Americans to contact their elected representatives about the $95 billion emergency spending proposal, which includes $60 billion for Ukraine, as well as funding for Israel and Taiwan.

The bill passed the Senate on Tuesday, but it’s expected to have a hard time in the House of Representatives, where opposition to further funding for Kiev is much stronger among Republicans. They are demanding increased spending on security at the US-Mexico border.

Musk has been calling for a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and has criticized US military assistance to Kiev on many occasions during the two years of the fighting. He said that accusing him of being an apologist for Russian President Vladimir Putin over those statements was “absurd.”

His companies “have probably done more to undermine Russia than anything,” the entrepreneur claimed, noting that SpaceX had provided its Starlink internet service to Ukraine.

Musk said what he really desires is for deaths to stop on both the Ukrainian and Russian sides.

He also addressed some Western politicians who “want regime change in Russia,” saying “they should think about who is the person that could take out Putin, and is that person likely to be a peacenik? Probably not.” That person would likely be “even more hardcore than Putin,” he added.

The Russian leader spoke about Musk in his interview with independent US journalist Tucker Carlson last week, calling the entrepreneur “a smart person.”

“I think there’s no stopping Elon Musk, he will do as he sees fit,” Putin said, adding that his activities still need to be “formalized and subjected to certain rules.”

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine defence minister, new armed forces chief inform Western generals of Kyiv's plans

Ukraine Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and newly appointed armed forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi discussed Kyiv's military plans for 2024 with the supreme commander of the NATO Armed Forces in Europe and the commander of the Security Assistance Group Ukraine, Umerov said on Facebook on Tuesday.

Colonel-General Syrskyi, who has led Ukraine's ground forces since 2019, was promoted to commander of the armed forces last week as the war with Russia nears its third year. He replaced Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.

Umerov in his Facebook posting said he and Syrskyi had "a clear and substantive conversation" with General Christopher Cavoli and Lieutenant General Antonio Aguto.

"We discussed our military plans for 2024," Umerov said. "The Commander-in-Chief announced the priorities. Among them are the optimization of the structure of the Armed Forces, improvement of the quality of training of our military, additional staffing of existing brigades and creation of new ones, supplying of regular needs in weapons and equipment."

The parties also discussed Ukraine's need for more electronic warfare equipment to combat Russian drones and the importance of rotating the fighters on the front lines, Umerov said without providing any details.

** Russia's airstrikes hit hospital, injuring several in east Ukraine, governor says

Russia launched several missile attacks on the town of Selydove in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, damaging a hospital, destroying a dozen residential flats and injuring several people, Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Wednesday.

"Reportedly, three people, including a child, are under the rubble (of the hospital)," Filashkin said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that 100 patients were evacuated to hospitals in nearby towns.

The 1 a.m. Wednesday strike (2300 GMT Tuesday) damaged a wing of the hospital, Filashkin said. He posted a video of windows blown out, walls torn and rubble inside what it seemed like a medical facility, with patients sitting or lying in beds.

The attack followed a strike on Selydove late on Tuesday that destroyed 12 apartments in a five-storey residential building and injured at least four people, including two children, Filashkin said.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the reports. There was no immediate response from Russia's defence ministry to a request for comment.

Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in strikes on each other's territories. Both sides say their air attacks, often away from the front line, have a goal to destroy critical energy, military and transport infrastructure.

The town of Selydove, which had a pre-war population of around 24,000, has come under increased Russian airstrikes in recent weeks, Ukrainian officials have said.

The Donetsk region, 57% of which is now occupied by Russia, has been at the forefront of war since 2014, when Russian-backed proxies seized the region's capital city, also called Donetsk, as well as many other large towns.

RT/Reuters

Your marketing money is precious and spending it to promote another organization may not seem worthwhile. But think again.  

Indeed defines cause marketing as a "type of campaign in which a for-profit business seeks to advocate for a social cause while increasing profits."

In this way, cause marketing is different from charitable giving, says Lauren Reed, CEO of Reed Public Relations, a Nashville-based public relations and marketing agency that offers cause marketing services: "It's truly a marketing function that drives sales and awareness for your organization while also benefiting your nonprofit or community partner."  

Pulling together a top-tier cause marketing campaign could be a key differentiator for your business, particularly now, as CEOs across the globe put a greater emphasis on social issues. Here's how to stand out in the saturated market and get cause marketing right: 

Vet your partners  

Most of the success of your cause marketing campaign is determined before you even pick up the phone to call a potential partner, Reed says. Due diligence is crucial to determine that the charitable organization you want to work with is a worthy partner and resonates with both your target audience and your employees, Reed adds. 

Reed recommends asking yourself several key questions to vet a potential partner: Do your core values align with this potential partner? What is their reputation? Are they efficient with their funding? Could your company make a real difference in their efforts? Is the organization open to a true partnership?  

"If you don't take that really thoughtful step – that vetting and knowing your audience and what they're looking for – all of the tools aren't going to matter," Reed says.  

Consider: Is it executable? 

For a cause marketing campaign, you are looking for a "turnkey" solution, Reed says – not something that's going to create undue headaches or work for your already strapped team. 

Tiff's Treats learned this the hard way. When the Austin, Texas-based cookie delivery company opened its second location in the city and third overall in 2008, it partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for the grand opening and committed to donating at least $5,000 through cookie sales.

But with the day's low price point of $2 per dozen cookies, the team quickly realized how difficult it would be to reach that goal – and how hard they'd have to work to make it happen, says Tiffany Chen, chief creative officer and co-founder of Tiff's Treats.  

"We set ourselves up for a pretty rough day," she says. Since then, the company has had approximately 90 more grand openings successfully supporting community causes, Chen says.

But she cautions that business owners should carefully consider the achievability of their initial goals. To do this, Reed suggests starting small with a pilot program: "See what the result is, and then tweak it."  

Focus on the cause first, then marketing   

The very definition of cause marketing emphasizes the both-sides benefit and that shouldn't be taken lightly in planning a cause marketing campaign, Reed says.

"Most of our clients are taking their cause-related marketing out of their marketing budgets. So there still needs to be a marketing ROI [return on investment]."   

And yet, customers can sniff out campaigns that aren't genuine, says Leon Chen, CEO, co-founder and chairman of Tiff's Treats.

"You've got to think of it as cause first and marketing later. If the worst thing that happens is we help this charity out, that's pretty awesome, too." 

Reed saw the power of a cause-led campaign in 2020, when her team worked with the furniture maker Good Wood Nashville.

After a tornado ripped through the Nashville area, the Good Wood team created and sold "Nashville Strong" signs to support small businesses in the area, including a number of local restaurants.

The signs started at a $25-$50 price point, depending on the type, and 50 percent of sales (more than $25,000 in total) was donated to neighborhood businesses.

The move generated goodwill from the community and helped Good Wood reach restaurant owners, a target market for their high-end woodwork – but the true power of the campaign came from the team's commitment to the cause, Reed says.

"The most impactful cause marketing campaigns I've seen have been when the owners or the team are truly passionate and engaged." 

Inc

Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday, restated their position on state policing, as the solution to the country’s worsening security situation.

The opposition governors also decried the free fall of the naira and its attendant consequences, and asked that the Federal Government’s economic team should find appropriate solutions to the challenge.

Chairman of the Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State briefed journalists after a meeting of the governors in Abuja.

He decried the high cost of living in the country, and the value of the naira, saying, “We are almost on the road to Venezuela”, a country facing extreme economic and security hardship.

He said, “The meeting reviewed the state of the nation and noted the hardship being faced by Nigerians as a result of economic and security challenges facing the nation.

“The Forum consequently urges the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, embark on initiatives involving all the subnational governments to bring a lasting solution to the crisis.

“We reiterate our call for the state police with appropriate safeguards to avoid any abuse or overreach by any chair of government.

“The Forum decried the falling value of the naira and requested the monetary and fiscal authorities to find appropriate solutions.

“We have been partnering even as opposition to make sure that we don’t bring any distraction but certainly the monetary policies and the economic policies rest here and we know the majority of Nigerians live in the state and so we are doing so much across party lines on a bi-personal basis within the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and with the National Economic Council to make sure that we cushion the effect of some of these policies that have far-reaching consequences on our people.

“We supported the removal of subsidy, we thought there were safeguards; we believe that if we took collective decision we should go by it but certainly we have seen that it is a free fall for the naira. The cost of living is going high, we are almost on the road to Venezuela.”

Governors Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers State); Seyi Makinde (Oyo State); Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa State); Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau State); Dauda Lawal (Zamfara State); Kefas Agbu (Taraba State); Godwin Obaseki (Edo State) were in attendance. Also, the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Monday John Onyeme was present at the meeting.

CTV

Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, has urged Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, to convey the message of the teeming populace about the hunger and starvation in the country to the President, saying the hardship is more alarming.

The Emir made the call when the first lady paid him a courtesy visit at his palace on Monday.

Mrs Tinubu visited Kano to attend the opening of a Faculty of Law building at Maryam Abacha American University named after her.

The emir said, “Although we have several means of communicating to the government on our needs and request, your way and means are the surest way that you would tell the President the actual happenings in the country.

“The hunger and starvation, though didn’t start with this government, the situation has become more alarming and needs urgent attention.”

In the same vein, Bayero, explained that, “the issues of insecurity is another serious problem we are facing. I know your government inherited it, but something more seriously should be done to take care of the threats.

“We are receiving series of messages from our people. One of such message is the much talks about relocation of CBN and FAAN to Lagos, I think the Government should come out clean on this matter and talk to Nigerians in the languages they would understand.

“Do more enlightenment on this matter. I for one cannot tell the actual intentions of the government, we should be made to actually understand why the relocation of the CBN and FAAN offices are now moved to Lagos.”

Bayero, while commending the first lady for her care on the wellbeing and welfare of children, advised her to actualize her Renewed Hope Initiative Pet Programme, adding that the programme, if fully achieved, would free the underprivileged people from the shackles of problems.

Expressing worries about girl child education, the emir urged Mrs Tinubu to look at the issue critically and make sure that the issue is tackled without any problems.

He commended her for supporting people of Plateau during the crisis in the state, urging that a similar gesture should be extended to all and sundry.

In her entourage on the courtesy visit were the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, FCT Minister of State, Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure, among others.

Daily Trust

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has jacked up the exchange rate payable on importation six times in the last eight months.

This has created tension among importers as their imports, especially vehicles, are now stuck at the ports.

The exchange rate rose from N422.30 per $1 in June 2023 to N1,413 per 1$ in February 2024, rising by 234.8 percent in the period under review.

The first shock came in June 2023 when CBN adjusted the exchange rate from N422.30 per $1 to N589 per $1.

But as importers were trying to adjust to the reality on ground, the apex bank, about a month later, precisely on July 6, 2023, adjusted it for the second time from N589 per $1 to N770.88 per $1.

The fresh adjustment has generated a lot of outcry from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) whose members are the major importers of large consignments.

Again, on November 14, 2023, the CBN slammed another adjustment on exchange rate rising from N770.88/$1 to N783.174/$1.

In December 2023, another adjustment was implemented as the exchange rate rose from N783.174/$1 to N951.941/$1 and on February 2, 2024, while importers were just settling down, the CBN implemented the fifth increment, rising from N951.941/$1 to N1,356.883/$1.

Barely 24 hours later the exchange rate saw a another increase, reaching an all-time high, rising to N1,413/$1.

The Sea Empowerment Research Center at the recently concluded World Economic Forum (WEF), raised concerns around the drop in the global trade volumes as witnessed in 2022/2023 period.

Eugene Nweke, Head Of Research at Sea Empowerment Research Center and a former president of the Nigerian Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), stated that it is against the backdrop of the overwhelming consequences of the recent increment that the centre requested the Coordinating Minister to direct the CBN to desist from the act of incessant increment of exchange rate for customs duty assessment for the interest of the over-stretched and suffering Nigerian populace.

Daily Trust

Access Holdings Plc on Monday announced the appointment of Ms. Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer.

This follows the death of its former Group Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe.

Wigwe died in a helicopter crash alongside his wife, son, and a former chairman of the Nigeria Exchange Group, Abimboloa Ogunbanjo on Friday

A statement made by the company’s Board of Directors and dated February 12, 2024, stated that the appointment was subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria

“Further to its announcement dated February 11, 2024, the Board of Directors of Access Holdings Plc (‘the Company’) has today announced the appointment of Ms Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer of the Company following the unfortunate demise of its former Group Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe, on February 9, 2024.

“The appointment is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria,” the statement read in part.

Agbede who joined Access Bank in 2003 as an Assistant General, has nearly three decades of professional experience cutting across banking and business consultancy services.

She served in different roles at the bank including, Head, Group Human Resources between 2010 and 2022 before she was appointed the company’s founding Executive Director, Business Support in 2022, a role she held until her new appointment

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos and a Masters of Business Administration Degree from Cranfield University UK in 2002.

She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Management UK and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.

Punch

At least seven inmates of the Okigwe Correctional Service farm settlement in Okigwe LGA escaped from the facility during an attack by some gunmen on Monday.

In a statement issued after the attack, Henry Okoye, police spokesperson in Imo, said the attackers also killed a police inspector.

Okoye said Aboki Danjuma, the commissioner of police, has deployed a special tactical squad to go after the attackers.

He added that the gunmen were suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

“The commissioner of police Imo state command, Aboki Danjuma has deployed the command’s special tactical squad and equipped them with the available resources to go all out in synergy with the military and other sister security agencies to hunt down suspected IPOB/ESN disgruntled elements, allegedly responsible for the attacks on correctional service farm settlements, in Umualomoke Okigwe LGA of Imo state in the early hours of 12/02/2024, which resulted in the release of seven (7) inmates, and abduction of the officer in charge of the farm settlement, and the death of a Police Inspector respectively,” the statement reads.

“The CP visited the said correctional service for on-the-spot assessment of the ugly incidents wherein he mandated the special tactical squad operatives to intensify efforts in ensuring that the officer in charge of the farm settlement is rescued unhurt and the fleeing inmates arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.”

The commisioner urged residents of the state to provide security operatives will useful information that will assist in arresting the perpetrators of the fatal attack.

The Cable

Biden says 'key elements' of a Gaza deal are on the table as he meets with Jordan's King Abdullah

Declaring that “every innocent life lost in Gaza is a tragedy,” President Joe Biden welcomed Jordan’s King Abdullah II to the White House Monday for talks on how to end the months-long war and plan for what comes afterward.

The meeting with Abdullah comes as Biden and his aides are working to broker another pause in Israel’s war against Hamas in order to send humanitarian aid and supplies into the region and get hostages out. The White House faces growing criticism from Arab Americans over the administration’s continued support for Israel in the face of rising casualties in Gaza since Hamas launched its Oct 7 attack on Israel.

“The key elements of the deal are on the table,” Biden said alongside the king, though “there are gaps that remain.” He said the U.S. would do “everything possible” to make an agreement happen: a pause to fighting for at least six weeks and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.

A senior U.S. administration official said Sunday that after weeks of shuttle diplomacy and phone conversations, a framework was essentially in place for a deal. The official said Israeli military pressure on Hamas in Khan Younis over the last several week s has helped bring the militant group closer to accepting an agreement.

Abdullah said Biden’s leadership was “key to addressing this conflict,” as he raised the plight of the tens of thousands of civilians killed and wounded in the fighting.

“We need a lasting cease-fire now,” the king said. “This war must end.”

Jordan and other Arab states have been highly critical of Israel’s actions and have eschewed public support for long-term planning over what happens next, arguing that the fighting must end before such discussions can begin. They have been demanding a cease-fire since mid-October as civilian casualties began to skyrocket.

Biden’s stance marks a subtle but notable break for the president, who has continued to oppose a permanent cease-fire. His administration has insisted that Hamas not retain political or military control over Gaza after the war — a key objective of the Israeli operation to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 attack that killed more than 1,200 Israelis and saw about 250 taken hostage.

Israel’s offensive has killed more than 28,000 Palestinians in the territory, displaced over 80% of the population and set off a massive humanitarian crisis. Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, has said the majority of those killed are women and children. Israel claims to have killed about 10,000 Hamas fighters but has not provided evidence.

Biden repeated his warning that Israel must not launch a full-scale attack on Rafah, the last major holdout of Hamas where more than 1.3 million people are sheltering unless it devises plans to safeguard the civilians there from harm’s way. Earlier Monday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby acknowledged there were “legitimate military targets” for Israel in Rafah, but said the Israelis must ensure their operations are designed to protect the lives of innocent civilians. Officials have said the U.S. is not sure there is a feasible plan to relocate civilians out of Rafah to allow military operations to take place.

Biden, who has held out hope for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, added that he and the king discussed the need for the Palestinian Authority, which has some control over parts of the West Bank, to “urgently reform” to be ready to assume some authorities in Gaza if Hamas is removed from power. “They must prepare to build a state that accepts peace, does not harbor terrorist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad,” Biden said.

Abdullah insisted that “Separation of the West Bank and Gaza cannot be accepted.”

Earlier Monday, Biden, joined by his wife, Jill, welcomed the king, Queen Rania, and crown prince Hussein at the White House before the leaders met.

It was the first meeting between the allies since three American troops were killed last month in a drone strike against a U.S. base in Jordan. Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the deaths, the first for the U.S. after months of strikes by such groups against American forces across the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Biden had planned to visit Jordan during his trip to Israel in October shortly after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, but the trip was scrapped. On his way home from Israel, Biden announced he’d helped broker the first deal to pause fighting temporarily and to open the crossing in Rafah to humanitarian aid.

In the months since, members of his administration have made repeated trips to the region to engage with leaders there.

AP

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia uses Zircon hypersonic missile in Ukraine for first time, researchers say

A preliminary analysis concluded that Russia hit Kyiv last week with the hypersonic Zircon missile, its first use in the nearly two-year-old war, the head of a Kyiv research institute said on Monday, presenting a new challenge to Ukraine's air defences.

Oleksandr Ruvin, director of the Kyiv Scientific-Research Institute for Forensic Examinations, said on his Telegram channel that his institute completed a preliminary analysis of missile fragments from a Russian attack on Feb. 7.

He included a video of alleged missile wreckage showing specific markings. "In this case, we see elements that are characteristic of the 3M22 Zircon missile. Parts and fragments of the engine and steering mechanisms have specific markings," he wrote.

The Russian defence ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The Zircon has a range of 1,000 km (625 miles) and travels at nine times the speed of sound, according to Russia. Military analysts have said its hypersonic speed could mean greatly reduced reaction time for air defences and a capability to attack large, deep and hardened targets.

Russia previously said it completed testing of the Zircon missile in June 2022, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the Zircon as part of a new generation of unrivalled arms systems.

If its use in Ukraine is confirmed, the weapon could pose an additional challenge for the embattled country's air defences, amid uncertainty over future Western military aid.

Russia conducts regular air strikes on Ukraine using an array of different long-range missiles and drones. The Zircon was initially designed as a sea-launched weapon and a ground-launched version was developed later.

Ruvin's statement did not say whether the weapon had been fired from land or from sea. The markings recovered from the wreckage indicated the weapon had been assembled recently, he said.

The Feb. 7 attack killed at least five people and damaged residential buildings and energy infrastructure, officials said.

** Ukraine says Russia strikes Dnipro with drones, missiles

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched a missile and drone attack on Monday on the central city of Dnipro and the mayor said infrastructure had been hit.

Dnipro came under attack from a missile and four groups of drones approaching from the south, east and north, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app.

Air raid alerts were subsequently lifted.

Mayor Borys Filatov said infrastructure had been hit, but gave no further details.

Suspilne public television quoted the water authority as saying power cuts had closed a pumping station and supplies were cut to certain districts.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian forces lose up to 240 troops in Donetsk area in 24 hours — Defense Ministry

Russian forces destroyed two munitions depots of the Ukrainian army and neutralized up to 240 Ukrainian soldiers in the Donetsk area over the past day, the Russian defense Ministry said.

Here are the details of this and other combat actions that happened over the past 24 hours, according to the Ministry report.

Donetsk Area

"The enemy lost up to 240 soldiers, a tank, three cars, two US-made M777 artillery systems, and a D-20 howitzer. Apart from that, two field munitions depots were destroyed," the Ministry said.

The Russian army has taken more favorable positions near Donetsk in one day and also repelled 13 attacks by Ukrainian assault groups.

"In the Donetsk area, units of the southern group of forces have taken more favorable lines and positions, and also repelled 13 attacks by assault groups of Ukraine’s 42nd mechanized, 79th airborne assault, and 81st airmobile brigades and the 112th territorial defense brigade in the areas of Bogdanovka and Georgiyevka in the Donetsk People's Republic and Belogorovka of the Lugansk People's Republic," the news release reads.

Southern Donetsk Area

Russian forces repelled three Ukrainian army attacks in the south Donetsk area over the past 24 hours eliminating over 165 enemy’s troops.

"In the south Donetsk direction, units of the battlegroup East with the aviation fire support repelled three attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 72nd mechanized and 127th territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Vodyanoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic [DPR] and Priyutnoye in the Zaporozhye Region," the Ministry stated.

The enemy’s losses totaled over 165 personnel, three motor vehicles and a D-30 howitzer, the Ministry specified.

Krasny Liman Area

Russian forces improved their positions in the Krasny Liman area and repelled 2 attacks by Ukrainian troops during the past day.

"In the Krasny Liman area, units of the Battlegroup Center improves their frontline positions and repelled two attacks by assault groups of the 60th and 63rd mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian army near the settlements of Yampolovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the Ministry said.

According to the Ministry, Ukraine’s losses amounted up to 290 soldiers, four armored combat vehicles and nine cars.

Kupyansk Area

Russian forces repulsed three Ukrainian army attacks in the Kupyansk area, eliminating up to 60 enemy troops over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Defense Ministry reported.

"In the Kupyansk direction, units of Russia’s battlegroup West repelled three attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 43rd mechanized and 25th airborne brigades near the settlements of Timkovka and Sinkova in the Kharkov Region," the Ministry stated.

"The enemy’s losses totaled up to 60 personnel, two pickup trucks and a Gvozdika motorized artillery system," the Ministry specified.

Kherson Area

The Russian forces hit Ukrainian brigades in the Kherson Region, wiping out up to 70 enemy servicemen.

"In the Kherson area, Russian units defeated the 35th Ukrainian marine brigade and 121st territorial defense brigade near Tokarevka and Mikhailovka in the Kherson Region. The enemy lost up to 70 servicemen and three vehicles," the Ministry said, adding that Russian forces also destroyed a Ukrainian Gvozdika howitzer, a Hyacinth-B gun and a D-30 howitzer.

Destroyed equipment tally

Russian air defense forces shot down 33 Ukrainian drones during the past day, the Defense Ministry said.

"Air defense systems destroyed 33 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near the settlements of Novaya Kakhovka, Obryvka, Raiskoye, and Peschanovka in the Kherson Region," it said.

The Russian forces hit the Ukrainian manpower and equipment in 109 areas over the past 24 hours.

"Russia’s operational-tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery hit the manpower and military equipment of the Ukrainian armed forces in 109 areas," the statement said.

Reuters/Tass