Canada designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist entity; Netanyahu accuses Biden of withholding weapons

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said President Joe Biden was withholding weapons amid the war against Hamas as his country was “fighting for its life”, an accusation the White House denied.

A prominent Senate Democrat criticised the decision to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the US Congress, saying it risked signalling that the US endorsed his war strategy when it should be using leverage to demand more protections for Palestinian civilians.

Canada designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist entity

The Canadian government has listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity, which bars thousands of Iranian officials from entering Canada and makes it a criminal offence to provide financial support to the group.

The IRGC is a branch of Iran’s military that reports directly to the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has long said it was looking at such a move, but had resisted doing so because of concerns it could capture thousands of low-level IRGC officials instead of being targeted at senior members of the regime.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc told reporters on Wednesday the government decided to move forward after careful deliberation with its security agencies and lawyers.

“Our government will ensure that there is no immunity for Iran’s unlawful actions and its support of terrorism,” he said.

The move comes months after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and abducting more than 250. Iran has supported the terrorist group in its war with Israel and conducted its own aerial bombardment of the country on 13 April.

Canada’s action also comes more than four years after the IRGC shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 shortly after it took off from Tehran. All 176 passengers on board were killed, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.

However, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre — Trudeau’s chief rival — accused the government of only making the announcement now because of a key byelection vote next week in a Toronto district where about 10% of the population is Jewish. The riding has been a Liberal stronghold for decades but there is speculation the party could lose the vote given Trudeau’s general unpopularity.

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly warned Canadians not to travel to Iran in the wake of the announcement. She pointed to the fact Canada has not had an embassy in the country since diplomatic ties were cut in 2012.

Netanyahu accuses Biden of withholding weapons

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said President Joe Biden was withholding weapons amid the war against Hamas as his country was “fighting for its life”, an accusation the White House denied.

In an English-language video released on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to Israel last week that he appreciated Washington’s support but that it was “inconceivable” that weapons or ammunition have been held back in the past few months.

That video angered the White House and prompted the Biden administration to cancel a high-level meeting with Israel about Iran that was scheduled for Thursday, Axios reported, citing two US officials. US envoy Amos Hochstein delivered the administration’s frustration directly in a meeting with Netanyahu, according to the report.

US officials didn’t immediately respond to a question about the meeting. Earlier, the White House denied that any weapons were being withheld beyond a previous decision to hold back on the delivery of some bombs. “We genuinely do not know what he’s talking about,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “We just don’t.”

The Biden administration has become increasingly critical of Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip to root out Hamas, the group designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union that killed more than 1,200 Israelis and abducted more than 250 on 7 October, triggering the ongoing war. More than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between combatants and civilians.

Biden previously held back a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to signal his frustration and said last month that he would halt additional shipments of offensive weapons if the country launched a full-scale ground invasion of Rafah. Israeli tanks were reported to have reached the centre of the town on 28 May, in what the military called a limited and precise set of operations.

Blinken told reporters on Tuesday that aside from that one shipment, “everything else is moving as it normally would move”.

Netanyahu didn’t specify which weapons or ammunition supposedly had been withheld by the US, Israel’s biggest arms supplier. The Israeli leader added that Blinken assured him the administration was working “day and night” to remove any bottlenecks. His office didn’t respond to follow-up questions.

Senate Democrat calls Netanyahu invitation to address Congress a mistake

A prominent Senate Democrat criticised the decision to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the US Congress, saying it risked signalling that the US endorsed his war strategy when it should be using leverage to demand more protections for Palestinian civilians.

Senate and House leaders from both parties have invited Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress scheduled for 24 July. They did so despite criticism over the civilian death toll in the war in Gaza, which has caused divisions among US legislators, led to public disagreements with President Joe Biden and sparked protests around the country.

“I’m not sure why the United States would want to reward a prime minister who has repeatedly flaunted the requests of the president of the United States,” Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said in an interview in his office in Washington. “Netanyahu wants to come here and pretend he’s Winston Churchill — and he is no Winston Churchill.”

Van Hollen’s stance has drawn attention because he’s closer to the centre of his party than other critics of Israel’s handling of the war, such as independent Senator Bernie Sanders and Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Van Hollen repeated his call to pause the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel until the US received assurances the ally would adhere to certain conditions.

Israel should be required to allow better delivery of food and medicine to Gaza, stop the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank and allow funds to reach the Palestinian Authority that governs there, Van Hollen said.

Ship hit by Yemen’s Houthis in Red Sea has sunk, says UK Navy

A vessel hit by a sea drone in the Red Sea last week has sunk, the UK Navy said, the second confirmed to go down since Yemen’s Houthi rebels began attacks on shipping in the region.

The bulk commodity carrier Tutor was the first to be hit by a Houthi waterborne explosive device. After the attack last Wednesday the vessel was reportedly taking on water and its crew ultimately abandoned ship.

“Military authorities report maritime debris and oil sighted in the last reported location,” the UK Navy said in a notice. “The vessel is believed to have sunk.”

It was the second confirmed sinking of a ship after the Rubymar was struck and submerged in March. Another vessel that was hit last week has also been abandoned and its current status is unclear.

The Houthis have been persistently attacking ships sailing through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since late last year in protest against Israel’s war with Hamas. The incidents have upended global shipping, prompting many vessels to sail thousands of miles around Africa. DM

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