International

The US Congress forces Biden to send a shipment of weapons to Israel

The U.S. House of Representatives approved on Thursday a bill that forces the White House to send to Israel the shipment of weapons that Joe Biden’s government paralyzed last week.

The bill was approved with 224 votes in favor and 187 against. Sixteen Democratic congressmen supported the bill that seeks to override Biden’s criteria despite the fact that the party’s leadership had promoted the contrary vote.

Biden has already announced that in the event that the text goes beyond the legislative procedure – which also requires the approval of the Senate, with a Democratic majority – he will use his veto power to stop it.

“We strongly oppose attempts to restrict the president’s ability to deploy U.S. security assistance in accordance with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives,” the White House said.

It is most likely that Biden will not have to use that power since the leader of the majority in the Senate, Democrat Chuck Schumer, said that he has no intention of submitting the text to a vote.

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In a press conference before the vote, the president of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, said that “it is clear that Biden and Schumer have turned their backs on Israel.”

“We want the president to hear this loud and clear: This is a catastrophic decision with global implications. Obviously, it is being done by political calculations,” Johnson said, accusing Biden of “defying the will of Congress.”

The Republicans, who control the Lower House, presented this project after it was known last week that the White House had stopped a shipment of weapons to Israel in order to avoid a military incursion into the enclave of Rafah.

The retained shipment consists of 3,500 bombs, mostly 2,000 pounds (907 kilos) and great destructive power. In an interview after the announcement, Biden admitted that civilians have died in Gaza as a result of the use of American weapons.

The measure was highly criticized by Republicans, questioning Biden’s commitment to Israel, but also by sectors of the Democratic Party aligned with the Israeli state.

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In addition to forcing the Government to “promptly” deliver the weapons to Israel, the bill approved in the Lower House also provides for freezing the budgets of the Pentagon, the State Department or the National Security Council until the shipment becomes effective.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”