tons with the u. s, which is helping to stabilize the economy and has a military presence in the country. now if it fights any search by the so called islamic states. so with this attack on others in syria and d. m and easily united states now effective for instability as claimed by the iraqi military. i'm so go invalid and this is the day the united states does not desire more conflict to the region when we are actively working to contain into the escalate conflict in jobs. and we believe the presence of the americans in iraq, syria, afghanistan, and the region in no way create security. it disrupts the security of the reach of the whole security situation in iraq and scary iraq. indeed, the why to region remain on the knife edge with the tiniest misconception

threatening a major of consecration, tax and american forces will not be tolerated. and we will continue to take all necessary actions to defend the united states, our forces and our interest. also coming up israel prepared to expand its operations in gaza. palestinians in rafa have been under bon bonded for months now they're bracing for a possible ground defensive products and a 3 missiles hit this same place where i'm standing. there's not much to say about the victims, children, the women and the elderly. i wish we could have collected their whole bodies. instead, we have bits and pieces. we're all hearing that there will be a ground incursion into rafa. i imagine things will be extremely bad. welcome to the day, iraq has been out in so united states for a drug and strike on its capital bank that was about as far as the photographs prime ministers that'd be attack was pushing his government to end. the mission of the us led coalition in the country discuss having the mission as

a source of instability. the strike kills 3 members of a possible iran back to the nation, including its leader was conducted without private consultation with the rescue. thursdays the us believes the group can tell you, has blah carried out the drug striking jordan the claimed the lives of 3 us soldiers. is us national security spokesman john cub big responding to iraqi protest? i would tell you that we fully respect iraq sovereignty and our troops are there at the invitation of the iraqi government to continue to advise and assist their military, their security forces as they continue to battle against a still viable isis threat. but look, if there were no attacks on our troops, were there at the invitation of iraqi government, there would be no need for retaliatory strikes. we, united states has frequently target safety around backed groups. that age says that behind me, so having drug strikes on its troops in iraq and syria, the rest has new, the 900 troops and syria. i'm 2500 in iraq as part of an international coalition.

okay, so circled is lot. make state group. it's basis of co invest. sporadic are sold from around back munitions for years. of the attacks have increased sense of how much the tire attacks of october 7th is considered a sam with bradley bowman who's senior director of essential and military and political power of the foundation for the defense of democracies. he served more than 15 years on active duty as a us army officer, joins us from washington. welcome back to d w. so the u. s. think is any rock guys supposed to be helping to stabilize the country and help fight this iris and search and see how does that square with attacking back capital associated with drugs? i think it uh squares quite easily. uh, i think god will kirby has it exactly right in its factually unassailable. the us

military is there in rock at the invitation. the government of iraq, primarily for the purpose of keeping the isis caliphate, the feed. and when you invite someone in your home, you have responsibility to protect them. the rocky government has consistently failed to do so. and as you and i have discussed before, the numbers now a 168 more than a 168 attacks on us forces in iraq and syria combined with roughly half of those happening in iraq. and us has responded to about $10.00 to $12.00 times. and so the us unlikely as lama composed of wrong supports iraq, the sovereignty. but there's also something we also support, and that is our troops not getting killed and blown up. so this is a repeated play bucks moran. they encourage their proxies to attack our forces, they know sooner or later, despite our restraint will respond and will respond. you get protests and pushes for the us military to depart, which would be a gift to roll and increasing its power and control over baghdad. increased the

chances, we'll see a resurgence of the eyes kalsich. so what do you think then, all the chances of the us remaining in iraq with this having happened i think this will increase the already underway momentum in some quarters in baghdad to push us forces out. and a process is underway. americans participating as you'd expect us to and we'll see what the sovereign government of baghdad heavily influenced by his long pug around the sides. and i suspect that by the restoration will respect that. it'd be interesting if they asked all the codes for as members of islamic revolution in cardboard to leave. something tells me they wouldn't leave, but if they ask united states to leave, i think the volume is racial on or that, and will leave. and not really demonstrates the fundamental difference in the 2 approaches. it does and it's, and it's interesting and obviously we'll see how it plays out. but how does that vary for then play into why the us interest in the region is one thing saying,

all right, we'll talk about in bold. but then, is that necessarily in america's interests to leave iraq? no, i think it would be directly contrary to american interest. i think we have an interest in keeping isis caliphate defeated. the cal face defeated the tears organization is not in the ology. my goodness, certainly is not. and if we leave, as i just said, you're going to have a further undermining of a rocky sovereignty. you're going to have growing concerned among sunnier rockies about she i, predominance in baghdad, which will create fertile radicalization, recruiting ground for isis increase the chances of its resurgence. and just like after the us, we've seen this movie before, the military withdrew in 2011 and it, it catalyzed a sequence of events that led to forced us to return in 2014 once you have the ices calculate on the mark. so yeah, sometimes it's good to look at the, the pre qual,

uh, because you know what the sequel is going to be. okay? and so it will preset knots to one side, and i'm to try and look at the sort of how we should re god the presence of these people on a rock, a rocky soil because you have a rack and the us supposed to be on friendly terms. yet a rack a p is ivan knowing legal knots to be harboring these people on each temperature. the whole thing just looks. i'm big use. ambiguous sir, is a polite word. it's an absolute mess. a rock is a chessboard for, uh, the uh, competition between uh a ron and um, in the united states. uh there, there's long standing. she has so many issues there. there's hers an error of issues there. don't forget the iran iraq war. don't forget the kurds in the north. don't forget turkey. it's an absolute mess. it's an absolute mess and you know what? who likes to take advantage of massachusetts terrace organizations?

we've seen that without tied up. we've seen that with ice us. we've seen that with others. and so the but us wants a rock to be sovereign capable, peaceful, and prosperous. and frankly, a lot of americans have given their lives and didn't return home, their families in pursuit of that goal. you know, we respect their sovereignty, but we also respect the wellbeing of our troops too. and they're really putting us in a tough dilemma by inviting someone in your home and then not protecting them while you're in your home is the stuff that is it. because for us, calculus has to be about retaliation. now against the likelihood that us interest in the region will be badly affected at some point in the future. so it's, we take out button bull, how i know. but in a year, 2 years time i'm, we're going to be back because, oh, how is broken loose or? yeah, you're exactly right. you put your finger on the dilemma and that's what a run loves iran loves this dilemma. it plays to their advantage. as i said

a couple of times now, and it's real tough, you know, 81 is just this foreign policy stuff is easy and clear. doesn't know what they're, they're talking about. this is tough. we want to solve unstable rock that's in the american interest. we don't want to undermine their solver to want a peaceful and independent and not a puppet regime of these long repub of wrong. that's the key difference, as i've said already. but we are going to protect our troops and anyone who's critical of this strike. i would ask them if you've been hitting the face a 168 times. how would you respond? what do you expect us to do? we can't leave our adversaries with the impression that they can kill our troops and have no consequences, but i will see how this plays out. so neither thank you so much for to history probably bowman from the central and the administrative political time. thank you. the us secretary of states on to the blinking, the left is rel, empty, hands it. yeah. he was on a tour of the middle east to push for

a humanitarian pause into fighting to allow desperately needed aid into gaza. israel's prime minister rejected bahamas proposal for a cease by describing the terms as delusional. and claiming that the absolute to victory is just months away. we've never ceased far inside. he's right. the forces of preparing for another portion to gaza. israel says it's offensive as it's offensive. he's moving into the southern gauze and safety of rafa. by much of the protest palestinian population as fled. smoke rises over the crowded city of rafa is really bombardments and preparation for our ground assault and to what it says is a strong hold for him. us, which is classified as a terrorist organization by many countries, but for hundreds of thousands of thousands who have fled to the southern end of the strip. after being told by the is really army to leave their homes further north. rafa is the last refuge. it's also home to one of the biggest border crossings for

aid and supplies. israel says rafa also house has multiple tunnels that have mouse uses to supply itself with arms. the shelling has already taken its toll here. even before soldiers arrive by the 3 missiles hit this same place where i'm standing, there's not much to say about the victims, children, the women and the elderly. i wish we could have collected their whole bodies. instead we have bits and pieces. we're all hearing that there will be a ground incursion into rafa. i imagine things will be extremely bad, but is really prime minister benjamin netanyahu insists there is no alternative to the military collapse of i'm us. let me look a show that there is no solution. other than total victory, lucky to on if i'm us, survives and gaza, so will get is only a matter of time and for the next massacre. and the axis of evil they run and its proxy is, will continue with their campaign, but not you a little bit in the,

for you. when struck the, the army to repair, to operate, also in rough, awesome, and into the camps in the center. the last remaining strong holes of, i'm us, i'm using a whole nation with peace making efforts, apparently stalled for the time being. the people of rafa will pay the price for both sides on willingness to come to a deal. let's pick this up with marina. i may run a ministry, i'm based with the worst studies department of kings college in london. she joins us for the drum unit. i welcome back to d, w. a marina. i'm. what does east male hope to achieve with this? push into rafa a good evening sale. well, this is the last phase of the whole campaign because the miller trade, the is rarely military manage to clear some of the biggest cities in golf as it goes to city for one. they're still tied down in san eunice. and now rafa is the

last important location as we have for this will be the last major strong to hold for from us. another important factor here is of course the cost for their operations. so the idea is to cut off how moss is supplied to market and then to defeated in detail. rough uh, of course, massively densely populated city suffering from a humanitarian situation. a described by the u. n. as a business of more civilian casualties. same inevitable. oh absolutely, and it will be probably the most difficult operation or phase of say, operation for the idea because they have to have good intelligence in order not to target civilians or at least to minimize civilian casualties. given that there are 5 times more civilians and the city used to have. um,

on the other hand you have those civilians track there. the egypt has said that it will not accept any refugees from gaza. israel is saying that these people should leave somewhere safe error is a question. and so for the idea of that, it will be a huge challenge because it will be important to destroy a home off and rough uh, at the same time, to keep the civilian casualties at a minimum, meaning a very slow and painful progress. yeah, i wanted to ask you about that. what sort of tactics do you anticipate israel using in rafa as i think they will try to targets of tunnels which are connecting egypt and gaza in order to cut off all the supply routes for home us. and obviously you will have urban battles from us might be

using civilians as shields. they will be using their tunnels again to surprise the idea of so the idea of who have to go house by house and literally fight for every one of them. and it will be a huge effort as i sat in orange enough to have civilians in the way. so it might be similar to what i've seen in gauze and city. right now. i'd like to apply you a clear person, mr. nelson yahoo speaking and get your reaction the this evening i want to tell you one thing. we are on the path of total victory. victory is within reach. well, that's good. yeah. it's not a matter of years or decades. it's a matter of months. then you're answering for the she ran model and how do you assess that play minutes fairly well. i think militarily id f has the capability to destroy from us. the problem here is,

what will happen after and yes, and as a problem is, what will also prove, such as has blood do in response to that? because as we remember, a hassle of sad that if it sees that from us is losing this war, they will stop and say if we focus just on, on how much it is possible. and the fact that from us wanted a complete ceasefire shows that it doesn't see a lot of prospect for a military victory. and just to look at the, the why the picture is rails a has the most sophisticated on the, in the region. what if we learned since october a 7 about is arouse prosecution of war? in particular, it's, it's ground defensive may have we have seen from what israel hillstone and sundays a lot. um,

what has happened during the battle of multiple so this complex urban warfare operations that the idea of has undertaken, combined of course was an era strikes. so they have not only use our ground components, it was used in the quarter. the needed matter together was their error and also naval assets. it is quite a complex operation, but i must say is that also it, you'll graphically speaking in favor of israel because um, how mos, quote, not flee from gaza. and i, i think that they have performed except for several cases, obviously of a civilian casualties and friendly fire. they have done the best they could in the given time processing as ever. thank you so much for that, but i think those are that. so i'm ready to meet on from the board studies department, kings company fund. thank you for having me. the

cause of the war in ukraine and president savanski has dismissed his talk ministry come on, the general validity is allusion. a hot bank commander in chief of ukraine's um forces presents the landscapes at the time, had come for changes in the ministry leadership. but the general would remain on his team. general civil, his name is regarded by many ukrainians as a national here of overseeing the countries where there's rushes full scale invasion and february 2022. the president says he will be replaced by the commander of the frames of ground forces. alexander c. escape peasants. the legs can shed faced the video after meeting with general zillow's navigation and that i am grateful to general's allusion aid for 2 years of defense. i am grateful for every victory we achieve together. and i think all the ukrainian soldiers who, who rightly contribute to our successes in this war, we talked frankly today about what needs to be changed in the army version changes . i suggested the generals illusion,

they continue to work together with us in the ukraine and government aluminum. i would appreciate his agreement. finds you greens good. the problem you able to have jasmine is a whole. let's bring in a correspondence that nick had come late in chief. welcome nick. so this is 10 days after this, this happened after 10 days of speculation. what reason did present? so ask again of the we are still waiting for a real clear explanation. we probably would ever get it. there was lots of very general talk about a need for fresh thoughts and new management strategies, new approaches. but what exactly that means is especially given this illusion e a in his late stucco for cnn. i'm a lot suggestions of things that needs to be changed or improved, isn't clear. i think the kind of charged explanation that you'd may probably hear from some of the zalinski supports would be that the present company to specific for operational reasons. for 60 reasons about the lives needs, filings and potential. you know, things that he's done that haven't worked out that to councils that be more

personal, more direct, full fear of dividing psyche way. so there's a, has a lot of support. i think the more kind of cynical kind of negative interpretation will, this is that simply is illusion. he was too popular. lots of putting showed him to have more trust in this country than the president. and there is certainly the fear and the kind of landscape is go camp, that this is a man who could have a future political career ahead of him. he's never expressed any political ambitions, besetti about something most people do. he has that is really a difficult moment here in cuba tonight. right. and does this dismissal bring any political risk for the present? well, i think it's important to kind of particular the pictures look at the statements that come out as a really both putting on a brave face. this has been kind of presented as a kind of compromise or a kind of consensual decision without slamming of doors, without any recriminations in public, at least directly. we have as allusion,

heels are putting out a post, saying that it is easy expressing thanks to his team, the all me and stuff everyone. then that kind of consider it to offer from the present, saying that he wants to lose his day on his team. will be, i guess, in a less a role at the motion of thoughts. but certainly, there is a real danger, and there's worry here that this could undermine ukraine's credibility right now, remember where it's test prefer instructional aid needs to show us and european partners that it is a good bet. this is a country worth investing in. but for now, it does seem like the disney is not going to go out and create, publish the present. he has basically implied the hills report, whoever comes in his place now, certificate and a new team. so for now we'll wait and see what it goes on. but certainly this was basically just by a 1000 cuts to something that has been ruined about, spoken about speculation about for the past 10 days. and this certainly is a sense of maybe that was probably the stress you will along to rent this being such a shock. to prevent this taking people by surprise. so instead we've now had what basically we've been expecting for a good time now. so that they've got to be comfortable in that nit conway and keep

the german chancellor hold off shelves. who's heading to the united states for tulsa with president bye, and the 2 leaders are expected to discuss the situation in gaza, add more military age for ukraine on wednesday. republicans status has blocked a financial aid package that included $16000000000.00 administrator assistance for k. as in 5 and had been urging them to approve extra funding for your training which has been stolen and congress for months. republican lawmakers about further a tied to strict a security on the border with mexico. the rejection of the package has not been received well in your follows. prime minister, i don't know, toes got to ex phone. the notice to bridget defend cease frustration. he wrote the republican statuses of america. little reagan who helped millions of us to win back off. freedom and independence must be turning in his grave. today. shame on you.

the german chancellor. this response was more measured at speaking to be processed before board and his play. oh, life show said you cranes defense can just on more ministry supplies as if it's invested in quite a new crane is defending itself with everything it has tied is a but it needs support to ensure to continue to do so. you will do that. so the what is mean paid, so followed by europe and the us congress is still not enough to because the so we need to find a way for us all to do more together. the hyphen via alex was on mid to well d, w as chief political correspondent became a customer on the washington bureau chief and his polk. i've known that one what's at stake from the chancellor meets the president of when u. s. presidential biden and german chancellor, or not shots, meat, and washington, the stakes can hardly be higher. the danger of the conflict in the middle east escalating into a conflagration seems to be increasing every day. the russian aggression against 2

grain shows no sign of stopping a fight in coal salts when he wants to talk to europe, particularly on the 2 big crises ukraine and the middle east sold just helped get a 50000000000 euro aid package for key for cross the political finishing line as an e. u summit in brussels. and just like the united states, germany is the one see at israel side. the us president and the german chancellor will come together to reaffirm their strong support for ukraine. renewed off shorts . we will be meeting joe biden here in the oval office right behind me. he will not only be meeting a president who is unable to get any further funding for ukraine through congress. but also the president was just at the beginning of an election cycle on which end we might see another president in the white house who promised to cut off funding for you create. if donald trump wins this visit or for german chancellor at the

white house might be the last one for quite some time. and the former president cas little about the trans atlantic relationship and even less about a good relationship with germany. putting the future of us german cooperation on the phone, he is global issues very much in doubt to and that's today. you can follow that same on social media at dw news and resilience headlines you're looking for. there's always dw, don't come close to d, w a good the,

to the point. strong opinions, clear positions. international perspective. vladimir putin has his eye on the upcoming presidential election that has been drumming up russian support for the war. a new frame with the old soviet slogan, everything for victory. but how far is he willing to go join us this week on to the point? to the point? next, on d, w. is china using the food and agriculture organization to pursue its own interest?

insiders are making serious accusations against the chinese director general. the claim that being support under developed countries is just a smoke screen to implement. it's a global ambitions. china power in 45 minutes on d w the this, the star suits we started to understand clearly and watching the 2013 system for democracy protest in ukraine. 2022 invaded the country release. it responds to you guys to see if the freedom to west have recognized the james bonds with us who really understand

this or easily file. uh, we will lose our concepts, euro my done jobs february 17th on t w. the, as americans argue amongst themselves about continued aid for ukraine, russia is pressing ahead with it's offensive. now, while it's made some tactical gains and the don boss region that has come at the cost of many lives. and now some russian women have been protesting the deployment of their sons and husbands. but ahead of russia's presidential elections next month, waterproofed and has been drumming up support for the war and ukraine using an old soviet slogan. everything for victory. but how far is pretty willing to go? welcome to this week's edition of to the points.