Headline News 26/05/2021

Headlines:

Pilots Bombed Palestinian Buildings to 'Vent Frustration'

US Lifts Restrictions on South Korea’s Missile Development

Bangladesh Recognises Zionist Entity

Details:

Pilots bombed Palestinian buildings to 'vent frustration'

‘Israeli’ air force pilots’ bombing and flattening of Palestinian residential towers in the besieged Gaza Strip was a way to vent their frustration for failing to stop Palestinian armed factions from firing rockets into Israeli towns, according to an Israeli TV report.A number of ‘Israeli’ pilots spoke anonymously to Israel's Channel 12 last week about their experience flying warplanes over the Palestinian enclave during an 11-day military campaign that ended with a ceasefire. Nine high-rise buildings were flattened to the ground by ‘Israeli’ air strikes, including al-Jalaa Tower, which housed the offices of numerous media production companies and news agencies, drawing condemnation from media and human rights organisations. "I went on a mission to carry out air strikes with a feeling that destroying the towers is a way to vent frustration over what is happening to us and over the success of the groups in Gaza,” one Israeli pilot told Channel 12. The pilot, identified as Major D in the report, added: “We failed to stop the rocket fire and to harm the leadership of these groups, so we destroyed the towers.”

US Lifts Restrictions on South Korea’s Missile Development

The US has lifted restrictions on South Korea’s ability to develop and possess long-range missiles, South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced the change in policy after a meeting with President Biden. South Korea could not develop missiles with a range greater than 500 miles, but now without the restriction, Seoul can develop any type of long-range ballistic missile, potentially putting China in range of a US ally’s weapons. “We are pleased to announce the end of the missile guidelines. This is a symbolic and practical measure to externally show the solidity of the ROK-US alliance along with the conclusion of the ROK-US defense cost agreement in the early days of the Biden administration’s inauguration,” Moon said. Washington and Seoul recently agreed to a new cost-sharing deal for the approximately 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea. Seoul agreed to a 13.9 percent increase in the cost to house US troops, totaling about $1.03 billion for 2021.

Bangladesh Recognises Zionist Entity

Bangladeshi passports will no longer bear the text “valid for all countries of the world except Israel,” officials confirmed. The Bangladeshi passports earlier had a note written on them that said: “This passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel”. But, just a few months ago, Bangladesh dropped two words, "except Israel", from the new electronic passports. Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Imtiaz Ahmed, a professor of International Relations at Dhaka University, said that the timing of disclosing this development was a major factor that caused confusion among citizens of the country. “Recently, when some Muslim countries forged relations with Israel, Bangladesh expressed its support to the Palestinian cause. So I don’t think that withdrawing two words from the passports will shake Bangladesh’s long-standing moral position on the Israel-Palestine conflict,” Ahmed said.