US State Department

Israel announced that its troops were in the "heart of Khan Younis" - the main city in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Yesterday was reportedly the most intense day of fighting since the start of the war with Hamas, which began with a surprise and bloody attack by the radical Palestinian movement on October 7 in Israel.

The Minister of Defense Todor Tagarev participated in the conference "Countering hybrid threats from unconventional weapons in the Black Sea region", which was held today, November 28, in Sofia. The forum is organized by the Center for the Study of Democracy and the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation at the US State Department.

In a significant move to bolster its defense capabilities, Romania has received approval from the US State Department for the acquisition of dozens of M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks. The deal, valued at around .53 billion, is pending final approval from Congress, marking a substantial step in Romania's efforts to enhance its military capabilities.

In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the United States has called on the Israeli government to make a clear distinction between Hamas terrorists and innocent Palestinian civilians. This request came as Israel escalated its response after a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Türkiye for two days from Sunday as part of a Middle East tour amid the Hamas-Israel war, the State Department said.

Blinken was meeting with Arab counterparts in the Jordanian capital Amman on Saturday after visiting Israel the day before.

The US State Department is donating a 900,000-dollar grant to help Bulgarian society acquire skills to distinguish between false information and disinformation. The project was presented yesterday afternoon in Sofia. The event coincided with the visit of the Deputy Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the US State Department, Elizabeth Allen.

Bulgaria and the USA stand firm in their support for Ukraine. This is stated in a joint statement published by the US State Department after the second session of the Strategic Dialogue between Bulgaria and the US. The delegations, led by Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel and Senior Political Adviser Derek Chollet, held talks in Washington.

This proposed sale would support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the security of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally.

A senior US State Department official on Friday voiced hope that North Macedonia will be able to approve politically difficult constitutional changes that would help its bid to join the European Union.

Gabriel Escobar, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Balkan policy, said during talks in the capital Skopje that the US strongly backs the country's EU accession bid.

Kiev on Aug. 18 welcomed a US decision to let Denmark and the Netherlands hand F-16 fighter jets over to Ukraine once its pilots are trained to use them.

In Russia, the authorities shut down respected rights group the Sakharov Center and announced fresh international sanctions against its critics abroad.