The arrest warrant issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court throws a potential wrench into diplomacy and ramps up tensions over his country’s conduct of the military campaign against Hamas. Israel rejected the warrants and has vehemently denied the war crimes charges, saying its operations adhere to international law. It’s up to individual governments to enforce it and there’s little chance that Netanyahu will face trial. Many of Israel’s Western allies, including the UK, France, Germany and Canada, are ICC signatories, which could complicate travel by Netanyahu. The Netherlands, for example, has said it will respect ICC warrants, but Hungary called the move “shameful.” The court also issued warrants for former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, who Israel says is dead. Meanwhile, in Israel’s other military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, it’s enjoying a new operational freedom.
US officials believe Russia launched an experimental medium-range ballistic missile at the city of Dnipro. Earlier, Ukrainian officials had feared that Moscow deployed a longer-range intercontinental ballistic missile, which would have been a dramatic escalation. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy decried Russia for using Ukraine as a “testing ground.” The strike was still another escalation as both sides jockey for an advantage in the long-running war. In recent days, Ukraine has fired US and UK long-range missiles into Russian territory. Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s circle have criticized the Biden administration’s recent steps, including allowing Ukraine to use its weapons inside Russia, as leading to a spiral of worsening attacks.
