Headlines:
• Russia Launches Missile Strikes Across Ukraine
• Belarus to Open Front against Ukraine
• Lebanon-‘Israel’ Sign Border Deal

Russia Launches Missile Strikes Across Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian forces had conducted a mass strike with long-range, high-precision weapons targeting Ukraine’s energy, decision-making and communications facilities, on Oct. 10, after suffering a number of setbacks in the 8th month war. The strikes have had the impact of shock and awe but change little on the battlefield. Ground. The strikes no doubt will help placate far-right Russian commentators calling for escalation against Ukraine. Russia did not utilise such widescale bombing campaign when it invaded over 8 months ago and since then its bene bogged down with numerous challenges sin Ukraine.

Belarus to Open Front against Ukraine

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he agreed to deploy a joint contingent of Russian and Belarusian forces to the Ukrainian border in response to alleged threats from Ukraine. The joint contingent will likely be deployed along the Belarus-Ukraine border, forcing Ukraine to deploy a significant part of its reserves toward Belarus rather than along the front in southern Ukraine. This diversion of Ukrainian resources may help Russian forces seize the initiative in the south. Putin recently agreed to a $1.5 billion of import replacement loans to Belarus, which would indicate the finance was based on Belarus joining Russia’s war effort.

Lebanon- Jewish Entity Sign Border Deal

The Jewish entity’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said their countries struck a U.S.-mediated maritime deal after last-minute negotiations to satisfy Lebanese concerns. Under the deal, the Karish natural gas field will likely go to ‘Israel’ and the Qana natural gas field to Lebanon, with minor modifications to the maritime border and some compensation for the Jewish entity because the Qana gas field will still partially lie in the waters of the jewish entity. Hezbollah has reportedly accepted the deal, but the Jewish entity’s and Lebanon’s governments must still formally accept it. The discovery of gas fields in their disputed waters in the 2000s increased the Jewish entity and Lebanon’s interest in establishing a final maritime border so energy exploration can take place.