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☆ A UK destroyer scored the Royal Navy's first missile kill since the Gulf War, when one of its warships pulled off another historic first
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA UK warship on Wednesday shot down a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in Yemen, marking the Royal Navy's first such kill since the Gulf War more than 30 years ago. AdvertisementA view shows HMS Diamond in the Red Sea on Operation Prosperity Guardian, in this handout image taken on January 6, 2024. Related storiesDuring the Gulf War, the Type 42 destroyer HMS Gloucester used Sea Dart missiles to destroy an Iraqi silkworm anti-ship missile that was targeting an American warship. That engagement marked the first time anti-air missiles successfully destroyed an enemy missile threat during a battle at sea. The HMS Diamond, a UK warship, responds to a Houthi attack on Jan. 9, 2023.

Persons: —, CENTCOM, Diamond, Chris Sellars, Handout, Grant Shapps Organizations: Service, Royal, Viper, Business, US Central Command, Prosperity, REUTERS, The Times, Royal Navy, UK Ministry of Defense, US Navy Locations: Yemen, Gulf, Aden, Gloucester, Iraqi, American, Gulf of Aden

Israel welcomed a U.S. aid package signed by President Biden on Wednesday that will send about $15 billion in military aid to Israel, increasing American support for its closest Middle East ally despite strains in their relationship over Israel’s prosecution of the war in the Gaza Strip. “Our alliance is ironclad,” Israel Katz, the country’s foreign minister, said in a statement thanking Mr. Biden for signing the legislation. It was part of a long-stalled $95.3 billion in aid that had faced vehement opposition from some Republicans over its support for Ukraine, which is also part of the legislation, as is Taiwan. The aid for Israel includes more than $5 billion to replenish three of the country’s defense systems: Iron Dome, which intercepts rockets that fly in high arcs; David’s Sling, which shoots down drones, missiles and rockets; and Iron Beam, which was designed to use laser beams to destroy incoming projectiles. It also includes $1 billion to enhance the production and development of artillery and munitions and $2.4 billion for American military operations in the U.S. Central Command region, which includes the Middle East as well as parts of South Asia and East Africa.

Persons: Israel, Biden, ” Israel Katz, Mr Organizations: Ukraine, U.S . Central Command Locations: Israel, East, Gaza, Taiwan, South Asia, East Africa

☆ Kabul airport attack exclusive: New evidence challenges the Pentagon’s official account of a horrific incident as the US withdrew from Afghanistan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | Mick Krever | Mark Baron | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

One told CNN he heard the first large burst of shooting come from where US Marines were standing, near the blast site. This is significantly more than the three “near simultaneous” bursts of gunfire that the Pentagon investigations have claimed occurred. The Supplemental Review found no new evidence of a complex attack, and uncovered no new assertions of outgoing fire post-blast. “They were targeting people,” another, Nazir, 16, told CNN. CNN spoke with about ten Marines anonymously, many of whom described hearing gunfire and feeling under attack from it.

Persons: Hamid, Akhter Gulfam, –, Wakil Koshar, Robert Maher, Sarah Morris, Morris, Maher, Rob Lodewick, ”, “, ” Shogofa Hamidi, Morsal, Nazir, ” Noorullah Zakhel, Read, Sayeed Ahmadi, ” Ahmadi, Ahmadi, Lodewick, Marcus Yam, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, “ You’ve, they’ve, It’s, Taylor Crul, Romel Finley, Finley, Barber, ‘, ” Finley, Christian Sanchez, Sanchez, Staff Mark Milley, Kenneth “ Frank ” McKenzie, Darrell Issa, Nick Paton Walsh, Sandi Sidhu, Julia Hollingsworth, Masoud Popalzai, Sitara Zamani, Abdul Basir Bina, Katie Polglase, Gianluca Mezzofiore Organizations: CNN, United, Pentagon, US, Airport, NATO, US Army Central Command, Getty, Montana State University, University of Southampton, Marines, British Ministry of Defense, U.S . Central Command, AP CNN, “, Los Angeles Times, Marine, ” Marines, Navy, US Air Force, . Air Force, Reuters, US Marines, YouTube, Investigators, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Central Command Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, United States, airport’s, American, British, AFP, Bozeman, England, US, Kabul airport's, U.S, Finland, ”

☆ Fmr. Commander of U.S. Central Command talks rising geopolitical tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFmr. Commander of U.S. Central Command talks rising geopolitical tensionsGeneral Kenneth McKenzie, Former Commander of the United States Central Command, joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to talk rising geopolitical tensions.

Persons: Kenneth McKenzie Organizations: U.S . Central Command, United States Central Command Locations: U.S

☆ Washington wrestles with ‘new equation’ of direct attacks between Iran and Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Alex Marquardt | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Throughout the week, US officials had urged Israel not to retaliate for Iran’s unprecedented attack five days prior, when hundreds of missiles and drones were fired from inside Iran at Israel. US intelligence has long assessed that neither Iran nor Israel has any appetite for an outright war. Iranian officials have stated publicly that Iran’s policy toward Israel has changed. Then, on April 1, an Israeli strike on what Iran claims was an embassy in Syria killed seven officials, including two senior Iranian commanders. “Israel and Iran are going to be starting higher on the escalatory ladder for every future moment of conflict and that is incredibly dangerous,” said Panikoff.

Persons: Biden, ”, Hossein, Israel’s, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Israel, Bill Burns, George W, “, Frank McKenzie, ” McKenzie, Maher Al Mounes, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Jonathan Panikoff, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Karim Sadjadpour, Qassem Soleimani, Iran —, Iran messaged, Donald Trump, stridently, —, McKenzie Organizations: CNN, Israel, Iran, US, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, CIA, Bush Presidential Center, Iranian, US Central Command, Getty, Lebanese Hezbollah, Iran’s, Carnegie Endowmernt Locations: Washington, Israel, Iran, Tehran, ” Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Dallas, Syria, Syria's, Damascus, AFP, Lebanese, Iran’s, Iraq

☆ Iran and Israel dragged their shadow war out of the dark, and it's much more dangerous now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Iran and Israel have fought a deadly shadow war for decades. The two enemies have relied on proxy forces, assassinations, and strikes abroad to hit each other. AdvertisementA decades-long shadow war between Iran and Israel has been thrust into broad daylight. Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel last weekend has notably changed the dynamics of this conflict, and it's now more dangerous. Any Israeli military response to the attack risks an all-out confrontation with Iran and could plunge the region into even more violence.

Persons: —, Alma al, KAWNAT HAJU, Jonathan Lord, Israel, MAHER, MOUNES, Israel —, Joseph Votel, Votel, Christophe Van Der Perre Israel, Josep Borrell, Maj, Hossein, Lord Organizations: Service, Hezbollah, Getty Images Israel, Pentagon, Business, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Getty, US Central Command, REUTERS Locations: Iran, Israel, Tehran, Lebanon, Hamas, Gaza, Lebanese, Alma, AFP, Iraq, Syria, Israel's, Hormuz, Iranian, Damascus, Syria's, Arad, Spanish

☆ 'Iran is in for the long haul' with oil tanker hijacks, expert says, as U.S. considers more sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Before this weekend's tanker seizure, the last vessel Iran hijacked was the St. Nikolas on January 1. A Planet Labs satellite image of the location of the MSC Aries and other tankers recently hijacked by Iran. Planet Labs PBCAs the U.S. considers more sanctions against Iran in response to its recent attack on Israel, Iran has been using the hijacked ships as a means of sanctions retaliation. Iran chose to do this as a way to compensate for sanctions," Madani said. In a note to clients, ClearView highlighted that the House of Representatives added several Iran sanctions bills to its calendar for consideration this week, under suspension rules, including new sanctions on Iranian oil exports to China.

Persons: Nikolas, Houthis, Samir Madani, Eyal Ofer's, Madani, Janet Yellen, Helima Croft, Andy Lipow, Brent, Lipow, Kevin Book, Book Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, MSC Aries, U.S . Naval Forces Central Command, Galaxy Leader, MSC, Planet Labs, U.S . Energy Information Agency, United Arab, JPMorgan, CNBC, Lipow Oil Associates, ClearView Energy Partners, US, UN Locations: Gulf of Oman, Hormuz, Anadolu, Iran, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Iranian, Khuran, China, Russia, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Strait, Tehran, East, North Africa, India, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, France, Germany

☆ US Navy warships shot down Iranian missiles with a weapon they've never used in combat before
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US Navy warships fired SM-3s to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles last weekend. AdvertisementUS Navy warships used a missile interceptor for the first time in combat over the weekend as they defended Israel from an unprecedented Iranian attack. AdvertisementA developmental Standard Missile-3, designed to intercept short to medium-ranged ballistic missile threats, is launched from the Pearl Harbor-based Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie. There are multiple SM-3 variants, which can be fired from a Navy warship's vertical launching system, and the Block I interceptors were first fielded nearly 20 years ago. US Central Command said American forces, specifically, destroyed more than 80 drones and at least six ballistic missiles.

Persons: Navy Carlos Del Toro, —, Del Toro, Arleigh Burke, Carney, Del Toro's, Thomas Hudner, Kerri Kline, CENTCOM, Iran's Organizations: Navy, Service, Aegis, Getty, Combat, for Strategic, International Studies, Missile Defense, US Navy, Mass Communications, Central Command, American Locations: Israel, American, Tehran, Iran, Lake Erie, East

☆ America's F-35 stealth fighters are going to be flying less as costs soar, watchdog finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Theodore BerganThe Pentagon's planned future use of the F-35, as well as the stealth aircraft's overall availability over the past few years, have both decreased. The GAO said it has consistently found that the F-35 fleet is not meeting availability and performance goals, even as projected costs for the program go up. The Pentagon "has pursued cost savings efforts and continues to look for new ways to reduce costs," the GAO explained in its report. However, it cautioned, "officials generally agree that these efforts are not likely to fundamentally change the estimated costs to operate the aircraft."

Persons: —, Theodore Bergan, Duncan Bevan, Lockheed Martin Organizations: Service, Pentagon, Office, Business, Department of Defense, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Marine Corps Air, US Marine Corps, Staff, GAO, Force, US Central Command, US Air Force, Lockheed Locations: Point , North Carolina, Israel, Iranian

☆ U.S. military destroyed 80 drones, 6 missiles launched from Iran, Yemen, U.S. Centcom says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. forces, supported by U.S. European Command destroyers, on Saturday and Sunday destroyed more than 80 one-way attack drones and at least six ballistic missiles aimed at Israel from Iran and Yemen, the U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, said on Monday. U.S. forces, supported by U.S. European Command destroyers, on Saturday and Sunday destroyed more than 80 one-way attack drones and at least six ballistic missiles aimed at Israel from Iran and Yemen, the U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, said on Monday. The attack by more than 300 missiles and drones, mostly launched from inside Iran, caused only modest damage as most were shot down by Israel's Iron Dome defense system and with help from the United States, Britain, France and Jordan. "CENTCOM remains postured to support Israel's defense against these dangerous actions by Iran. We will continue to work with all our regional partners to increase regional security," the U.S. military said.

Persons: CENTCOM Organizations: U.S . European Command, U.S . Central Command, . U.S, Revolutionary Guards, Israel's Locations: Israel, Iran, Yemen, ., Syria, United States, Britain, France, Jordan

☆ Israel’s military chief says that Israel will respond to Iran’s weekend missile attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles at Israel in the attack. Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Monday that Israel is considering its next steps but that the Iranian strike "will be met with a response." Both men spoke at the Nevatim air base in southern Israel, which Hagari said suffered only light damage in the Iranian attack. The Iranian weapons also flew through Saudi skies, according to a map released by the Israeli military. Throughout the war, Israel has traded fire across its northern border with Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, while Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Yemen have also attacked Israel.

Persons: Herzi Halevi, Israel, Halevi, Daniel Hagari, Hagari, Benjamin Netanyahu, Steve Scalise, Netanyahu, Jordan —, Halevia, Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, John Kirby, Kirby, Antony Blinken Organizations: Staff, Palestinian, Hamas, U.S, Seven, U.S . Central Command, Islamic, Hezbollah, Washington , U.S . National Security Locations: Gaza, Syrian, Damascus, Iran, Israel, U.S, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Britain, American, France, Saudi, Iranian, Iraq, Yemen, British, Paris, Washington , U.S

☆ As Iran attacks Israel, Biden confronts an escalating Middle East crisis he had hoped to avoid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —For President Joe Biden, an attack on Israel launched from Iranian soil amounts to a scenario he’d greatly sought to avoid since the start of the current Middle East conflict. In the immediate aftermath of Iran’s attacks, American officials acknowledged they were entering uncharted territory, with the extent of Iran’s attacks initially unclear. One significant question mark is how proxies might potentially join Iranian efforts to target Israel and add a new layer of unpredictability. Administration officials saw Iran’s attacks on Israel Saturday as disproportionate to Israel’s strikes in Damascus that prompted the retaliation, a US official told CNN. As Iran’s plans to attack Israel grew clearer, American officials increasingly assessed that Tehran was not seeking direct conflict with the United States.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden —, Biden, areexpected, Benjamin Netanyahu, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu, Erik Kurilla, Israel, CNN’s Oren Liebermann Organizations: CNN, Israel, United, White, Israeli, Iran, US Central Command, US Locations: Israel, United States, Gaza, Delaware, Damascus, Syria, Iran, Tehran, Jordan

☆ A bloodthirsty ISIS branch is 'on the upswing' after the US left Afghanistan in a lurch, a former top commander says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementIn the years since the US and its NATO allies left Afghanistan, a particularly violent branch of the Islamic State terror group has grown stronger. During the first few years of its existence, ISIS-K attacks were mainly confined to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The first year under the Taliban's rule saw a sharp uptick in terror attacks inside Afghanistan. But that trend has changed in recent months; attacks inside the country declined while attacks beyond its borders have increased. Thus, the conditions inside Afghanistan have awarded the terror group space to develop a greater capacity to stage external attacks.

Persons: —, Joseph Votel, Hamid, Taylor Crul, Michael Kugelman, Kugelman, MARCUS YAM, Votel, that's, Doug Ellis, Qassem, STRINGER, Michael Kurilla, John Kirby, Biden, Kirby Organizations: Service, NATO, 82nd Airborne Division, U.S . Air Force, US Air Force, REUTERS ISIS, Islamic, ISIS, Department of Defense, Hamid, AP, South Asia Institute, Wilson, Kabul International Airport, ANGELES, US Central Command, Security Forces, Staff, Getty, White, National Security, Department, Defense Locations: Afghanistan, Moscow, Kabul, Handout, Khorasan Provence, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Washington, Darzab district, Jowzjan province, Mar, Iran, Central Asia, Iranian, Kerman, Europe, Russia, Islamic State, Crocus, American, Achin, Nangarhar Province

☆ White House says it is watching Iranian threat ‘very, very closely’ and is in ‘constant communication’ with Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —There remains a “real,” “credible” and “viable” threat of Iranian retaliatory strikes against Israel, the White House said Friday, as President Joe Biden receives constant updates on the situation from his national security team. “We’re watching this very, very closely,” said John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, who declined to provide information about the expected timing of the threat. “We are certainly mindful of a very public and what we consider to be a very credible threat made by Iran in terms of potential attacks on Israel,” Kirby said Friday. “He has made it clear to the entire national security team that that we will take seriously our commitments to the defense, the self-defense of Israel,” Kirby said. The US is also assessing its own posture in the region ahead of the potential retaliatory attack.

Persons: Joe Biden, “, ”, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Erik Kurilla, ” Biden, Kirby Organizations: CNN, Israel, National Security Council, US Central Command, IDF Locations: Israel, Iran

☆ 'Drone hunting drones' are already impacting Middle East conflicts
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Iran's 538 loitering missile is designed to intercept low-flying drones. The 358 missiles confiscated by the US Navy were powered by small gas turbine engines made by a Dutch company. "As air defense systems increase in power and effectiveness, it will mark a new challenge to drone systems that have long had command of the air," Rogers said. A US Central Command handout shows one of the Iranian-made 538 loitering missile seized by the USS Forrest Sherman in November 2019. CENTCOM'Drone hunting drones'A report in March speculates that Turkey's arch-foe, the Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK group, may have acquired Iranian Meraj loitering missiles.

Persons: —, James Patton Rogers, Rogers, Ryan Bohl, RANE, Bohl, USS Forrest Sherman Organizations: Service, US Navy, Cornell Brooks Tech, Institute, Cornell University, American Warfare, Saudi, US, Pentagon, East, Command, USS, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, Turkish Locations: Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Iran's, Dutch, Turkey, North Africa, Kurdistan, Iraq, Tehran

☆ The US snatched thousands of illegal Iranian guns and gave them to Ukraine to repel the Russians
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US has sent Ukraine guns and ammunition that were intercepted while being smuggled from Iran to Yemen. It's the second time Washington has given Kyiv weaponry that was bound for the Houthis. The haul is helpful for Ukraine, but its forces need more than small arms to fight Russia. AdvertisementThe US has sent Ukraine guns and ammunition that were intercepted over the past few years while being illegally smuggled from Iran to the Houthis in Yemen. AdvertisementIranian weaponry bound for Yemen after it was seized by US forces in January.

Persons: —, Biden, CENTCOM, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: US, Service, AK, US Central Command, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, United Nations Security, Coast Guard, Command, Russia, Republican, Washington, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russian Aerospace Forces Locations: Ukraine, Iran, Yemen, Washington, Russia, Tehran, Kyiv

☆ US transfers thousands of seized Iranian guns, rocket launchers and munitions to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The US transferred thousands of machine guns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition seized from Iran to Ukraine last week, US Central Command announced on Tuesday. CENTCOM said the materiel transferred to Ukraine is enough to equip one Ukrainian brigade — around 4,000 personnel — with small-arms rifles. It is not the first time the US has transferred seized Iranian military equipment to the Ukrainians. The US transferred over one million rounds of seized Iranian ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces in October, CNN previously reported. For the last year, the Biden administration has been working to legally send the seized weapons, which are stored in CENTCOM facilities across the Middle East, to the Ukrainians.

Persons: CENTCOM, ” CENTCOM, Biden Organizations: CNN, US Central Command, Russia, Congress, Justice, Iranian, US Navy Locations: Iran, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Yemen

☆ Middle East Crisis As Ramadan Nears Its End, Relief Remains Elusive in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Israeli airstrikes a week ago killed seven aid workers who had been delivering food in Gaza, renewing the international focus on the hunger crisis there. But UNRWA, the primary United Nations agency aiding Palestinians, said that 103 aid trucks crossed into Gaza on Sunday. Until now, almost all aid for Gaza has entered through two southern border crossings, at Rafah and Kerem Shalom. Before the conflict, around 500 commercial and aid trucks entered Gaza each day. Juliette Touma, a spokeswoman for UNRWA, said that Gaza needs 500 trucks of aid each day, for weeks and months, to remedy the crisis.

Persons: Israel, Biden, COGAT, Matthew Miller, Miller, Benjamin Netanyahu, Juliette Touma, Michael Crowley Organizations: UNRWA, United, State Department, Israel, Food, United States Central Command Locations: Gaza, COGAT, United Nations, Rafah, Kerem Shalom, Israel, Ashdod, United States

☆ NATO helicopters are shooting down and eliminating enemy drones in a rarer kind of Red Sea battle
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Houthi attack drones have mostly been intercepted by US and allied warships in the Red Sea. Air-to-air combat has been much less common, but last month, a French helicopter shot down a drone. One recent interception, however, was credited to a French helicopter crew, which blasted a Houthi attack drone out of the sky in air-to-air combat. AdvertisementPilots are 'well-trained'And the US hasn't been the only naval force to destroy Houthi threats in the Red Sea with embarked helicopters. A Germany Navy Sea Lynx helicopter flies over the corvette Oldenburg in the Baltic Sea on June 05, 2023 near Rostock, Germany.

Persons: —, FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI, Brynn Tannehill, Hawk, Tannehill, Damon Coulter, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Sean Gallup, You've, you've Organizations: US, Red Sea, Service, Helicopters, Getty Images, US Navy, Navy, UH, US Army Black, US Navy Sikorsky, Helicopter Maritime, Naval Air Facility, Getty, aircraft, Command, Germany Navy Sea Lynx, German Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command, BI, Lynx Locations: Red, French, France, Sissonne, AFP, Getty Images France, Iran, Yemen, Kanagawa, American, Hessen, Baltic, Rostock, Germany

☆ Exclusive: State Department officials told House investigators they created Afghanistan withdrawal plans from scratch
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Kylie Atwood | Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The State Department has continued to publicly defend its decision making around the NEO as well as the ending of the war. Milley and retired Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, who were in charge of the US military during the withdrawal, blamed the State Department for not ordering a NEO sooner. The State Department officials did not weigh in on whether calling a NEO sooner would have had a substantial impact, as this would have preceded their arrival in Afghanistan. Although the State Department has faced sharp criticism from the Defense Department – most recently in a congressional hearing with retired Gens. Coordination with the militaryAnd on the ground, as they grappled with the frenzied and fluid situation, State Department officials and service members at Hamid Karzai International Airport were regularly coordinating.

Persons: John Bass, Jim DeHart, Jayne Howell, Michael McCaul’s, McCaul, Biden, ”, Mark Milley, ” Howell, DeHart, ” Bass, Hamid, Bass, Wendy Sherman, Washington . Howell, I’m, Howell, “, Trump, Anna Moneymaker, Milley, Kenneth McKenzie, McKenzie, Vedant Patel, “ It’s, Defense Department –, Gens, Kenneth McKenzie –, ” DeHart, didn’t Organizations: CNN, State Department, House Foreign Affairs, Republican, Department, Foreign Affairs, Chiefs, House Foreign, ”, DC, State, Department of Defense, Airport, Foreign Service Institute, Pentagon, Biden, Joint Chiefs, Staff, US, US Central Command, ” State Department, Defense Department, Hamid Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghan, Ukraine, Kabul Afghanistan, Washington ., Turkey, Rayburn, Washington , DC, extremis

☆ How ISIS has Europe and the US in sights after deadly Moscow attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

ISIS claimed responsibility for the Moscow attack. Maxim Shemetov/ReutersHe regards the Moscow attack as a “breakthrough success” for the group, demonstrating a level of planning not previously seen beyond south Asia. Russia’s support for authoritarian regimes in central Asia – which ISIS-K has described as Russia’s “puppets” – has deepened the animus. The attitude of the Russian government, both pre- and post- the Moscow attack, may not help it confront the threat. For ISIS-K, the Moscow attack is a coup.

Persons: Erik Kurilla, “, Sanaullah Ghafari, Edmund Fitton, Brown, Fitton, Amira Jadoon, ” Jadoon, Hans, Jakob Schindler, Christine Abizaid, ” Fitton, Maxim Shemetov, –, Gabriel Attal, ”, Jadoon, Putin, Abu Bakr al, Sinai, Vladimir Putin, Assad, Shamsidin, Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Muhammadsobir Fayzov, Yulia Morozova, Shamil Hukumatov, ” Putin, ” Schindler, Alexander Bortnikov, they’ll, Rita Katz Organizations: CNN, Analysts, ISIS, Islamic, US Central Command, UN, Taliban, Russian, Clemson University, Counter, ”, K, US National Counterterrorism Center, –, Crocus City, US Defense Department, Paris, Central, Crocus City Hall, St, City, Tajik, Kyiv, SITE Intelligence Locations: State, Ukraine, Gaza, Moscow, Khorasan, Afghanistan, Europe, Asia, Russia, ‘, Islamic State, Pakistan, Iran, Crocus, United States, West, New York, Tajik, Kabul, Afghan, Kandahar, Central Asia, Baujur, Pakistani, Baluchistan, Iranian, Kerman, Germany, al Qaeda, Turkey, France, America, Russian, Sharm el, St . Petersburg, Syria, Kaluga, St Petersburg, Istanbul, Washington

☆ Who are ISIS-K, the group that claimed it carried out the Moscow terror attack?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It is a branch of ISIS, the terror group that emerged in Syria and Iraq and, at its peak, controlled a huge stretch of territory. By 2018, ISIS-K was ranked the world’s fourth-deadliest terror group, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace, which monitors global terrorism. Video Ad Feedback What we know about ISIS group claiming responsibility for Moscow terror attack 04:16 - Source: CNNWhat do they want? Russian state media reported on March 7 that the FSB, Russia’s security service, prevented an ISIS attack on a synagogue in Moscow, according to Reuters. It is the most active terror group in the country, responsible for 73 deaths in 2023, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace.

Persons: Kamala Harris, –, Joe Biden, Putin, ”, Daniel Byman, ” Byman, John Miller, Wakil Kohsar, Washington, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Islamic, ISIS, Sunday, US, Institute for Economics, The United Nations, Sharia, “, RIA Novosti, RIA, Reuters, Kabul University, CSIS, National Legal Training, US Central Command, National Intelligence, UN, Manchester Arena, State Department, Kyiv Locations: Moscow, Soviet, Tajikistan, Khorasan, Asia, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Africa, East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Kabul, Afghanistan’s Kunar, Nangarhar, United States, Britain, Europe, “ Russia, Georgetown, Caucasus, Pakistan –, Mastung, AFP, Germany, Paris, Ariana Grande, England, Orlando , Florida, Russian, Ukraine, Crocus

☆ Iran-backed Houthis attacked a Chinese ship with missiles after promising to leave them alone
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Houthis reportedly said they would avoid attacking Chinese ships off the coast of Yemen. AdvertisementThe Houthis said they would refrain from attacking Chinese ships off the coast of Yemen, but this past weekend, the Iran-backed rebels did exactly what they said they wouldn't. "The Houthis attacked the M/V Huang despite previously stating they would not attack Chinese vessels," CENTCOM said. The M/V Huang Pu is Chinese owned and operated, but it was sailing under the flag of Panama when it was attacked. "It was determined these UAVs presented an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region," CENTCOM said.

Persons: —, Huang Pu, CENTCOM, Huang, Michael Kurilla, Kurilla, Fawaz Salman Organizations: Service, US Central Command, AP, United Nations, Bloomberg, House Armed Services, REUTERS, Ambrey Locations: Yemen, Iran, Beijing, China, Russia, Chinese, Gaza, Sanaa, Gulf of Aden, Tehran, Ukraine, PRC, Aden, Red, Panama

The group got a dramatic second wind soon after the Taliban toppled the Afghan government that year. The attack raised ISIS-K’s international profile, positioning it as a major threat to the Taliban’s ability to govern. Counterterrorism officials in Europe say that in recent months they have snuffed out several nascent ISIS-K plots to attack targets there. And now the group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Moscow. “ISIS-K accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood in its hands, referencing Moscow’s interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria.”

Persons: Biden, Michael E, “, Qassim Suleimani, Vladimir V, Putin, Colin P, Clarke, ” Organizations: Taliban, U.S, Islamic State, ISIS, military’s, Command, Counterterrorism, Soufan, Kremlin Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, Moscow, State Khorasan Province, U.S, United States, Persian, Europe, Kerman, Iran, Gen, Iranian, Russia, New York, Chechnya, Syria

☆ US Military Says It Destroyed Houthi Drone Over Red Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) -The U.S. military said it destroyed a drone fired by the Yemeni Houthis on Saturday, with another presumed to have crashed into the Red Sea. CETNCOM also said it destroyed five unmanned surface vessels and one UAV in self-defence, in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. "It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region," the statement read. Months of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around Southern Africa, and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to destabilise the wider Middle East. The U.S. and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.

Persons: CETNCOM, Hatem Maher, David Gregorio Organizations: Reuters, U.S, US Central Command, U.S . Navy Locations: Houthi, Yemen, U.S, Southern Africa, Israel, The U.S, Britain

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