The White House has said that Donald Trump will decide if the US gets directly involved in the Iran-Israel conflict within the next two weeks.
Speaking to reporters, Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary said, “I have a message directly from the President, and I quote, based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.”
This comes after Israel on Thursday bombed nuclear targets in Iran even as Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel after hitting an Israeli hospital overnight.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking to a public broadcaster doubled down and said “I said we will change the face of the Middle East. And now I'm telling you and our viewers, we are changing the face of the world.”
Furthermore, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel has the power to remove all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, whether Trump decides to join in or not. Netanyahu’s comments came before the White House’s statement on Trump’s decision.
Shifting focus to Europe now. Spain has reportedly asked to opt out of NATO’s proposed defence spending target of 5% of GDP.
In a letter addressed to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Thursday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged the alliance to adopt a more flexible framework that would either make the target optional or allow Spain to opt out.
Sánchez wrote that “Committing to a 5% target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive”, warning that it would undermine efforts by the European Union to build its own security and defence base.
And in Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have signed a provisional agreement aimed at stopping the conflict in eastern DRC.
This according to a joint statement by the two countries and the US Department of State.
The draft agreement contains provisions on issues including disarmament, the integration of non-state armed groups and the return of refugees and internally displaced people.
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