All articles tagged with #counter attack
The IDF eliminated a terrorist force attempting an ambush in Gaza through a combined ground and air counter-attack, also identifying and eliminating another squad of terrorists in a separate incident.
Germany has given Israel permission to use two Heron TP combat drones in its counter-attack against Hamas, according to a defense source. Germany had leased five of these drones from Israel's arms maker IAI, with two still being used for training German drone pilots. Israel has also requested flak jackets, medical equipment, and treatment for wounded individuals in German hospitals. The death toll in Israel has risen to 1,200, with over 2,700 wounded, while Israeli reprisal strikes on Gaza have killed 1,100 people and wounded 5,339, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Satellite images analyzed by BBC Verify reveal extensive defences built by Russia in southern Ukraine, including trenches, bunkers, anti-tank ditches, and dragon's teeth. The build-up of defences is in preparation for a major Ukrainian counter-attack, which is expected to be a crucial test for Ukraine as it seeks to prove it can achieve significant battlefield gains with the weapons it has received from the West. The defences are likely to be a precaution, rather than a sign that Russia expects to defend a seaborne assault, since Ukraine has little naval capacity.
Russia has denied claims by pro-Moscow bloggers and the head of the Wagner mercenary group that Ukrainian troops had made a breakthrough in the flashpoint city of Bakhmut. The Defense Ministry said that the individual declarations on Telegram about a "breakthrough" on several points on the front line do not correspond to reality. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that mentally they are ready for a counter-offensive against Russian forces, but they need more time as not all equipment has arrived yet.
The battle for Bakhmut, the Ukrainian city which Russia has spent months trying to capture, is "stabilising", says Ukraine's commander in chief. Despite Western officials estimating between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops had been killed or injured in Bakhmut since last summer, Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian troops' "tremendous efforts" were holding back Russia. Military analysts believe Bakhmut has little strategic value, with the city's importance now symbolic. Ukrainian officials have given positive signals about the long battle for Bakhmut, and a Ukrainian counter-attack to the west of Bakhmut is likely to relieve pressure on a supply route to the city.
The Ukrainian military is planning a counter-attack against Russian forces in Bakhmut, as the Russian Wagner Group mercenaries are losing strength and running out of steam. Despite their forces dwindling, Russia has not been deterred. The weakened attack on Bakhmut may also be a result of troops and resources being sent to other areas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops defending Bakhmut earlier this week before touring the frontline provinces in the Kherson region on Thursday.