Reuters World News - Schumer v Netanyahu, Hezbollah’s resolve and Russians in LatAm

Episode Date: March 15, 2024

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer faces backlash after calling for new Israeli elections to push out prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu who he says, “has lost his way.” Hezbollah tells its backer Iran, that it can fight alone in the event of an Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon. And Russians who have settled in Central and South America keep track of Vladimir Putin’s certain win in the presidential election. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Senator Schumer calls for Netanyahu to go as the US weighs a red line in Rafa. Hezbollah tries to shield Iran from a regional war. Why Russians are finding a new home in Latin America. It's Friday, March 15th. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes every weekday. I'm Kim Vinal in London. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a longtime supporter of Israel and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S.,

calling for new elections in Israel. The Democrat criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an obstacle to peace. It has become clear to me, Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7th. Netanyahu's Lakud Party swiftly redacted. rejected Schumer's proposal, but his speech reflects the growing frustration in Washington with Netanyahu. Now, if Prime Minister Netanyahu's current coalition remains in power after the war begins

to wind down and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing U.S. standards for assistance, then the United States will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course. Netanyahu's vow to push into the southern city of Rafa has only increased tensions with Washington. Matt Spitalnik covers U.S. foreign policy in Washington, D.C. So Matt, we just heard Senator Schumer talk about leverage. If Israeli forces push into Rafa, how might the U.S. respond? Well, first and most importantly, President Biden and his aides have very starkly warned Israel against invading Rafa, which is sheltering more than half of Gaza's population at this point,

unless they come up with a plan for protecting civilians and keeping the flow of aid going in some fashion. So the U.S. does have some leverage if they want to use it. Up to this point, Biden has resisted using one of the main pressure points, the main pressure point, in fact, which is the U.S. supply of weapons to Israel, which relies very heavily on U.S. equipment. He has been very reluctant to do that. Another would be diplomatically. The U.S. provides Israel with a shield at the United Nations against security counsel resolutions using its veto often or discouraging others from going ahead with different resolutions that are anti-Israel. And the U.S. could decide under certain circumstances that it might allow something to go through. That, too, carries great risks

for this administration. While Israel warns of a military push into southern Gaza, the danger of an all-out conflict along Israel's northern border has regional players concerned. And as Hezbollah and its back as Iran planned for a possible all-out Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah is telling Iran that it can fight this alone. The message came from Hezbollah's leader,

Sayyad Hassan Nasrallah, during a previously unreported meeting with the head of Iran's Al-Quds force. Samya Nakul is Reuters' global foreign policy editor. Samya, why is Hezbollah saying this? Because they feel that Iran is going to be under attack if it helps Hamas or if it unleashes its proxies to attack U.S. interests and Israeli interests. You know, there is a kind of escalation going on, but everybody is trying to prevent an all-out war in the region.

It will be a huge regional war if it starts. It gets Hamas. It's already fighting there. It gets Hezbollah and it gets Iraqi militia. It gets the United States and, of course, Iran. So actually, Hezbollah is starting to take the brunt and to shield Iran in a way from an attack. What does this tell us about the strain Iran is under? Iran is coming under enormous pressure from all sides.

You have the Saudi-Israel agreement that is under works. then you have the U.S. defense pact between Saudi Arabia and the United States, which is a kind of NATO-like agreement. So you have a new realignment, you have new dynamics that are play. Plus, Iran fears that if the proxies carry an escalation and all-out confrontation, this time Israel might attack its nuclear program. And this is something that they really have concerned about because it will set their program back in time. So they want to take a backseat at this stage and to avoid a wide-scale confrontation or a full out war. Hamas has put forward a ceasefire plan to mediators and the US. It includes a first stage release of Israeli hostages in exchange for up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners,

according to the proposal seen by Reuters. Israel said the offer was based on, quote, unrealistic demands. Meanwhile, Gaza's health ministry says at least 29 Palestinians were killed waiting for aid in two separate Israeli strikes. Israel's military denies attacking aid centers, describing the reports as false. That when we talk about a clinic such as this, it is absolutely about health care and reproductive health care. Kamala Harris touring a Minnesota abortion clinic in an historic first. It's thought to be the first such visit made by a president or vice president and is part of the administration's efforts to put reproductive rights front and center

ahead of November's election. SpaceX's Starship rocket made its third test flight, a flight which took it further than it's ever been before, but it disintegrated on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Hotter than expected US inflation data has markets around the world sinking, as in investors adjust to the prospect of later and fewer Fed rate cuts. Tech shares are driving the biggest losses in Hong Kong and South Korea and European markets are trading flat. Bitcoin has pulled back from all-time highs too.

Vladimir Putin is certain to win in Russia's presidential elections this weekend. And across Latin America, a small but growing community of Russian transplants will likely be watching the results closely. Since the invasion into Ukraine, more and more Russians have been putting down roots in Central and South America. Lucinda Elliott takes us to Buenos Aires, where one couple is hoping to introduce a little bit of Russian culture to Argentina. Elia Nadia Gafferov are a couple from the port city of Vladivostok. They come from the very far eastern corner of Russia, a port city near the border with China and North Korea. and they have arrived about nine months ago to the city of Buenos Aires

where they're planning to open a Russian-style sauna or banya. And there are others who have opened bars and cafes and beauty salons. And there's a really kind of thriving community. And what we found is that not only are they coming, but they're coming to stay. Residency data from Argentina shows that nearly 4,000 Russians were issued residency in 2020. That's up tenfold since 2019 before the pandemic disrupted international travel. So Ilya told me that he felt that the Russian community had grown quite substantially since they arrived and that more and more people were on their way.

What I found from speaking to many different exiles is that the economic situation in Russia was a big driver, but also that changes to Russia's conscription system last year has made it harder to avoid being called up for military service. Why are Russian immigrants choosing places like Argentina, Brazil or Mexico to find a new home? Generally, Russian sea, Latin American societies is fairly liberal, diverse and democratic. Then you have the ease of coming here and applying for residency. Most countries you can come in for 90 days without a visa. And after a few years, then you can apply for a passport. And these passports are much more attractive at the moment than a Russian document.

You can read Lucinda's full story on Reuters.com or on the Reuters app this weekend. And for live coverage of the Russian election, Reuters.com will have a dedicated live page on Sunday. That's it for today's episode. Make sure you tune in on Saturday for a deep dive into Northern Ireland. As St Patrick's Day celebrations get underway, we speak to Yen's. young musicians there about what they want for the future. And we'll be back on Monday with our daily headline show. If you want to stay ahead on the big news from around the world,

listen in for 10 minutes every weekday. And don't forget to subscribe on your favourite podcast player or download the Reuters app.