JERUSALEM, Nov. 21– Israel expects Washington to preserve its access to more advanced U.S. weaponry, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday, commenting on U.S. plans to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

Israel is currently the only Middle Eastern country operating the advanced stealth aircraft, and U.S. law requires that any arms sales in the region do not erode Israel’s “qualitative military edge” over its neighbors.

“The United States and Israel have a long-standing understanding, which is that Israel maintains the qualitative edge when it comes to its defense,” spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told reporters.

“That has been true yesterday, that has been true today, and the Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) believes that will be true tomorrow and in the future,” she added.

The remarks were the first official comment from the Israeli government on the planned sale, announced on Monday by U.S. President Donald Trump during a White House meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.

The proposed deal involves up to 48 F-35s, marking a shift after years of U.S. hesitation under previous administrations.

Israel and Saudi Arabia have not established formal diplomatic relations. During his visit to Washington, the Saudi crown prince said his kingdom wishes to normalize ties with Israel but wants to ensure “a clear path toward a two-state solution” that includes Palestinian statehood.

Netanyahu and his far-right government have been firmly opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state. (Xinhua)

MOSCOW, Nov. 21 — Russian forces have taken control of the strategic city of Kupyansk in the Kharkov region in eastern Ukraine, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said Thursday.

Units of the Zapad (West) group have seized the city of Kupyansk and are continuing to destroy Ukrainian forces encircled on the left bank of the Oskol River, Gerasimov reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Gerasimov said that advances are underway in Krasnoarmeysk, another strategic city in eastern Ukraine, adding that over 75 percent of the city’s territory is now under Russian control.

Russian troops have taken 13 villages since the beginning of November — six in the Dnipropetrovsk region and seven in the Zaporizhzhia region, he said.

Kupyansk is a key logistics hub and defense stronghold for Ukrainian forces in the Kharkov region. Russia previously controlled the city from February to September 2022, during which time it served as the region’s administrative center. (Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 — U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll was “very optimistic” after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Thursday to discuss a new U.S. peace plan, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Leavitt said at a briefing that U.S. President Donald Trump supports the emerging plan. “It’s a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine, and we believe that it should be acceptable to both sides.

And we’re working very hard to get it done,” she said. She said U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and State Secretary Marco Rubio have spent the past month quietly drafting the framework and “engaging with both sides, Russia and Ukraine equally, to understand what these countries would commit to in order to see a lasting and durable peace.”

Zelensky’s office said in a statement Thursday that the Ukrainian president would speak with Trump in the coming days to discuss “diplomatic opportunities and the key points required to achieve peace,” according to reports. U.S. media reports say the current draft plan contains 28 points, including major territorial concessions by Ukraine and sharp reductions in its armed forces, as well as limits on access to long-range weapon types.

The plan may also rule out the deployment of European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine after a ceasefire. The disclosures have drawn sharp reactions in Europe, where officials fear being sidelined in the negotiating process and view aspects of the draft as favoring Russia.

It was reported that EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stressed Thursday that any viable peace plan requires the support of Ukraine and Europe. Russia-Ukraine talks have stalled since the Trump-Putin meeting in August in the U.S. state of Alaska. (Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 21– UN humanitarians said Thursday they are alarmed by escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that local humanitarian partners and community leaders reported that more than 45 people have been killed in North Kivu since Friday, following attacks on several villages in the Lubero territory.

In one particularly “horrific incident,” a health center attack left at least 17 people dead, including patients, OCHA cited local civil society, adding that “partners also report that two health workers were kidnapped, medicine looted, and the facility set on fire.”

The office said the Lubero violence surge has forced more than 30,000 people to leave their homes in less than a week, and families continued to flee on Thursday amid fears of further attacks.

OCHA partners are assessing response needs and delivering assistance where possible, although continuing insecurity is hindering humanitarian access, it said.

In North Kivu’s neighboring Ituri province, the office said that two attempted armed attacks on the Lolwa hospital in Mambasa territory were reportedly thwarted.

More than 240 civilians have been killed and over 114,500 people displaced since the start of the year. OCHA condemned in the strongest terms the attacks on civilians and health facilities.

“Once again, OCHA calls on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure,” it said.

“Attacks on civilians and health facilities are unacceptable and must stop immediately.” The violence is blamed on scores of militia groups operating in the eastern DRC, mainly in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, which include the M23 Movement, the Cooperative for the Development of Congo, and the Allied Democratic Forces. (Xinhua)