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Deputy head of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev delivers a speech during a session of the educational marathon “Knowledge. First” in Moscow, Russia, on April 29, 2025.
What We’re Watching: US-Russia tensions mushroom, Israeli minister prays by al-Aqsa mosque, Milei vetoes pension boost
US-Russia tensions escalate
Are the 1960s calling? A US president is repositioning nuclear submarines while Russia is carrying out previously scheduled anti-submarine drills – with China’s help – in the Sea of Japan. Donald Trump made the move on Friday after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is now deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, called the threat of US sanctions, “a step towards war.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio played down Medvedev’s words on Sunday, but the tensions remain. US special envoy Steve Witkoff visits Russia this week ahead of the deadline that Trump imposed on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war or face expanded sanctions.
Israeli minister’s provocative prayers in Jerusalem
In a move that is sure to ignite fury across the Arab world, far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Sunday visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, known to Muslims as the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, and prayed there. The move breaks a decades-long arrangement under which Jews can visit the compound, the third-holiest Islamic site that also sits on the same plot as the first and second Jewish temples, but not pray there. Ben-Gvir’s move came after Hamas released videos Friday of emaciated hostages held in Gaza. The move recalls then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to the mount in 2000, a provocation that touched off the Second Intifada.
Argentina’s president vetos pension boost
The chainsaw stops for no one. Argentina’s ultra-libertarian President Javier Milei, who has already slashed billions from the federal budget, vetoed a proposal to increase pensions on Monday. “There is no money,” he said. It’s a risky move. Milei, elected in 2023, faces his first mid-term elections this fall. His cost-cutting has helped to tame Argentina’s notoriously high inflation, but the economy has struggled lately – the peso just posted its worst month since 2023 – and his cuts have generated some social backlash.Muslim worshippers participate in the evening 'Tarawih' prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at the Al-Aqsa compound, known to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem on March 10, 2024.
Will tensions burst at Al-Aqsa Mosque?
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Monday that the restrictions Israel is imposing on access to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, which Jews call the Temple Mount, during Ramadan could lead to an “explosion.” Israeli police reportedly stopped thousands of Palestinians from praying at Islam’s third-holiest site on the first night of Ramadan, occasionally using batons to beat back crowds.
Israeli police said the unrest was an isolated incident, and thousands of Muslims were able to attend Ramadan prayers at the mosque last night.
The compound has long been a flashpoint for violence, and Safadi said the West Bank is already “boiling.” Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, some 400 Palestinians in the West Bank have died in clashes with Israeli forces and armed settlers. Should tensions boil over into an uprising, even more bloodshed is likely.
The question hinges, in part, on Rafah. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he was still planning to go forward with a ground offensive — but nothing has happened yet, and the Ramadan deadline set by Israel’s war cabinet has passed. Amid growing international pressure to relieve civilian suffering, Netanyahu knows an invasion risks anger at home and abroad.
An invasion is also complicated by increasing international efforts to provide aid to Gaza, as foreign personnel — soon including US military on the promised floating pier — caught in the crossfire could further isolate Israel.
One example: On Tuesday, a ship carrying 200 tons of food set off for Gaza from a Cyprus port. The ship, the Open Arms, belongs to a Spanish charity and is part of a pilot mission funded largely by the United Arab Emirates and organized by the US World Central Kitchen organization.
For more on Israel’s impasse, watch Ian Bremmer’s Quick Take for GZERO here.