The Times of Israel is liveblogging Sunday’s events as they happen.
Nikki Haley vows ‘not giving up this fight’ after losing to Trump in South Carolina
CHARLESTON, South Carolina — Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley vows to fight after an emphatic primary defeat to Donald Trump in her home state, underlining the steep climb she faces to capture the Republican presidential nomination.
“I said earlier this week that no matter what happens in South Carolina, I would continue to run… I’m a woman of my word. I’m not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” she says.
Yemen’s Houthis say they targeted US oil tanker in Gulf of Aden
CAIRO — Yemen’s Houthis targeted MV Torm Thor, a US-flagged, owned, and operated oil tanker, in the Gulf of Aden, the Iran-aligned group’s military spokesman Yahya Sarea says, as the militants continue to attack shipping lanes in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The group targeted the tanker with “a number of appropriate naval missiles,” Sarea adds in a televised speech.
The US Central Command says the USS Mason, a guided missile destroyer, shot down one anti-ship ballistic missile launched into the Gulf of Aden from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen that was likely targeting the tanker.
Neither the USS Mason nor MV Torm Thor were damaged and there were no injuries, CENTCOM adds in a statement.
Lapid slams police for ‘antidemocratic’ violence in Tel Aviv clashes with protesters
Opposition leader Yair Lapid issues a statement denouncing police after officers violently clashed with protesters in Tel Aviv.
“The police violence this evening toward protesters, among them the families of hostages, is dangerous, antidemocratic and cannot continue,” he says. “The right to protest is a fundamental right, and it cannot be taken from protesters with batons and water cannons.”
Trump declared winner of South Carolina primary, beating Nikki Haley in her home state
CHARLESTON, South Carolina — Donald Trump wins South Carolina’s Republican primary, beating former UN ambassador Nikki Haley in her home state and further consolidating his path to a third straight GOP nomination.
Trump has now swept every contest that counted for Republican delegates, with wins already in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the US Virgin Islands. The former US president’s latest victory will likely increase pressure on Haley, who was Trump’s former representative to the UN and South Carolina governor from 2011 to 2017, to leave the race.
A 2020 general rematch between Trump and US President Joe Biden is becoming increasingly inevitable. Haley has vowed to stay in the race through at least the batch of primaries on March 5, known as Super Tuesday, but was unable to dent Trump’s momentum in her home state despite holding far more campaign events and arguing that the indictments against Trump will hamstring him against Biden.
South Carolina’s first-in-the-South primary has historically been a reliable bellwether for Republicans. In all but one primary since 1980, the Republican winner in South Carolina has gone on to be the party’s nominee. The lone exception was Newt Gingrich in 2012.
Haley said in recent days that she would head straight to Michigan for its Tuesday primary, the last major contest before Super Tuesday. She faces questions about where she might be able to win a contest or be competitive.
Mounted officer in Tel Aviv uses horse reins to strike protester on the head
Video from the demonstrations in Tel Aviv shows a mounted officer using the reins of his horse to strike a protester across the head.
The demonstrator then falls to the ground while clutching his head, as the officer rides on.
שוטר במשטרת ישראל, מכה בראש אדם מבוגר, לא מסוכן, ולא מסכן אף אחד!
שוטר במשטרת ישראל, מכה בראש אדם מבוגר, ומפיל אותו לרצפה תוך שהוא מאבד הכרה.
שוטר במשטרת ישראל, זה התפקיד שלך? זה מה שאתה אמור לעשות?
זו הפגנה, במדינה דמוקרטית. זה מה שאתה אמור לעשות? להכות בראש מפגין?
למה? pic.twitter.com/MvQV4fBrdu
— A.R.S : Arik Rozen Srur (@Arik_RozenSrur) February 24, 2024
Other protesters rush over to check on the man and help him stand, and a police officer then comes up to ask if he’s alright. It’s not immediately clear if he required medical attention.
תיעוד מהמחאה בקפלן: פרש מצליף במפגין שנופל לקרקע@AnnaPines_
(צילום: ג'רמי פורטנוי) pic.twitter.com/tPSPBnSPi0— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) February 24, 2024
Pentagon chief warns Yemen’s Houthis ‘will bear the consequences’ after joint US-UK strikes
WASHINGTON — Yemen’s Houthi rebels will continue to face retaliatory action for their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waters, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin says following joint US-UK strikes on 18 targets.
“The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways,” Austin says in a statement.
“We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks, which harm Middle Eastern economies, cause environmental damage, and disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries.”