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Instead, the Israel Defense Forces will partner with the US military to anchor the causeway to the shore in Gaza “on day one,” the military official said. Dire humanitarian situationThe pier’s construction comes as the humanitarian situation in Gaza has become dire, a senior administration official said Thursday. The official confirmed that USAID will be working with the UN to distribute the aid once it reaches Gaza. Two command and control cells have been set up to facilitate the delivery of the aid via the pier, the military official said. The US role in the effort has been complex, with the military carrying out a high-stakes construction mission in a warzone and diplomats helping to organize a dangerous and highly politicized aid distribution operation.

Persons: ”, Patrick Ryder, Joe Biden, Biden, “ Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, USNS, Israel Defense Forces, US Army, IDF, US Navy, USAID, UN, United Locations: United States, Gaza, ”, Cyprus, Cypriot, Israel, Hatzor, Ashdod, American, Cardigan

Biden secretly approved the transfer of the long-range ATACMS missiles in February for use inside Ukrainian territory. The Biden administration had resisted sending the long-range missiles in part because of readiness concerns. Lockheed Martin, which manufactures the ATACMS missiles, is in full-rate production and produces approximately 500 missiles per year, a spokesman for the company said in September. The US worked behind the scenes to address the readiness concerns, which included buying more ATACMS missiles and filling US military stocks. Ukrainian officials have been asking the US in private and in public for the long-range missiles to target deeper behind Russian lines.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden, Garron, ” Garn, Lockheed Martin, ”, Charlie Dietz, “, ” Dietz Organizations: CNN, US, Pentagon, Lockheed, North Korean Locations: Ukraine, Korean, Russia, ”, Moscow

☆ New US military aid package to Ukraine expected to be worth around $1 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Biden administration is preparing a new aid package for Ukraine that is expected to be worth around $1 billion, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN, and is set to be approved by President Joe Biden after the Senate passes a new foreign aid funding bill as soon as Tuesday afternoon. In briefings to Congress in recent weeks, administration officials have indicated that the US will likely send Ukraine long-range ATACMS, or Army Tactical Missile Systems, for the first time as part of the new aid package, three of the sources said. Ukrainian officials have been asking the US both in private and in public for the long-range missile to target deeper behind Russian lines. Broadly, Russia has maintained a “significant quantitative advantage” over Ukraine in terms of munitions, manpower and equipment, a NATO official said earlier this month. The military aid will be sourced from the US’ own stockpiles through a funding mechanism known as presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, and will be the first PDA package for Ukraine since March.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Joe Biden, Bill Burns, Chris Cavoli, Sen, Mark Warner, we’ve, ” Warner, Bradley, ” Celeste Wallander Organizations: CNN, Senate, Army Tactical Missile Systems, US, CIA, NATO, Senate Intelligence, CBS, Pentagon, White, Command Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, Russia

☆ US sailor found guilty at court martial on attempted espionage charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Shania Shelton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A US sailor who served in Japan was found guilty on Friday at a general court martial for attempted espionage, failure to obey a lawful order and attempted violation of a lawful general order. The sailor, Chief Petty Officer Bryce S. Pedicini, will be sentenced on May 7, according to a statement from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Navy prosecutors said that included photographs of a classified computer screen that he attempted to transfer to a foreign government. The charge sheet does not specify which foreign government. Originally from Tennessee, Pedicini enlisted in the Navy in 2008, according to his Navy record.

Persons: Bryce S, Pedicini, Omar Lopez, ” Pedicini, Higgins, Curtis Wilbur, controlman, CNN’s Natasha Bertrand, Oren Liebermann Organizations: CNN, Naval, Investigative Service, Navy, National Defense Service Locations: Japan, United States, Norfolk , Virginia, Tennessee

The World Food Programme (WFP) will support distribution of aid from the pier following weeks of diplomatic wrangling, the organization said Saturday. The US role in the effort has been complex, with the military carrying out a high-stakes construction mission in a warzone and diplomats helping to organize a dangerous and highly politicized aid distribution operation. US military and commercial ships will be able to transport aid to the US military pier, a defense official said, but only the US military will be allowed access to the causeway. “Everyone is wary of being too close to the IDF” for both security and political reasons, one humanitarian official told CNN. Fogbow is willing to use the US military pier to get aid onto shore, the sources said, but also won’t need to use it in order to carry out its operations.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, CNN –, ”, Joe Biden, “, Bashar al Masri, Masri, Scott Paul, ” Paul, Kerem Shalom, ” Fogbow, Cameron Hume, Fogbow, Paul Organizations: CNN, UN, Food Programme, US, Israel Defense Forces, WFP, United Nations, Food, Palestinian, Palestine Development, Investment Company, IDF, Oxfam, Maritime Humanitarian Aid Foundation, Qatari, Fogbow Locations: Gaza, American, Israel, Cyprus, Israel’s, Palestinian, Rafah, Kerem, Geneva, Algeria, South Africa, Indonesia, Qatar, Gaza’s

The exact number of US troops in the country is not clear but one US official said there are fewer than 100 troops there. But the official said Chad’s threat to terminate the SOFA agreement blindsided US officials. The move comes at a critical time for US interests in Africa, as American officials have warned that Russian influence is expanding across the continent. While in the country, Langley met with Chadian military leaders including Gen. Abakar Abdelkerim Daoud, Chad’s Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, according to an AFRICOM press release at the time. Langley said in the release that AFRICOM “remains dedicated to building enduring partnerships with Chad and other African nations.”

Persons: Chad’s, Michael Langley, ” “, ” Langley, Langley, ”, AFRICOM’s, Michael Woods, Abakar Abdelkerim Daoud Organizations: CNN, Forces Agreement, Operations Task Force, US Special Operations Forces, Marine Corps, US Africa Command, Senate Armed Services Committee, Russian Federation, House Armed, Committee, Central, Chadian, Staff, Armed Forces Locations: Chad, Russia, N’Djamena, Niger, Africa, Russian, Libya, Maghreb, Morocco, ”, China, Chad’s

A view across the demarcation into Metula, Israel as seen from the Lebanese side of the demarcation line. But a Lebanese source familiar with the matter ruled this out. Hezbollah may only be compelled to join an Iranian war effort if the strike leads to further escalation, the same Lebanese source said. It provided a glimpse of how Hezbollah might attempt to overwhelm Israel’s defensive systems as Iran conducts its expected attack. From one of Spain’s bases near the demarcation line, there is a clear view of a microcosm of Lebanon’s long-standing border issues with Israel.

Persons: Kafr, Lebanon CNN —, ”, Juan Garcia Martinez, Charbel Mallo, —, Mohammad Reza Zahidi, “, Ali Khamenei, Sina Toosi, Yemen’s Houthis, ” Nasrallah, Israel –, Mallo, CNN Hezbollah’s, Hector Alonso, CNN’s MJ Lee, Natasha Bertrand, Zeena Saifi, Oren Liebermann Organizations: Lebanon CNN, CNN, UN, United Nations, Iran’s, Center for International, Hezbollah, Spanish UNIFIL, Israel Locations: Kafr Kila, Lebanon, Galilee, Spanish, Israel, Metula, Lebanese, Iran, Damascus, UNIFIL, Iranian, Gaza, Ghajar, Syrian, al

☆ Biden administration officials believe Netanyahu’s claim a Rafah invasion date has been set is bluster
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Mj Lee | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Biden administration is dismissing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pronouncement that a date has been set for a ground offensive into Rafah as bluster that is in no small part fueled by the Israeli prime minister’s tenuous political standing at home, senior administration officials told CNN. Privately, multiple senior administration officials chalked up Netanyahu’s pronouncement – which was followed Tuesday by a declaration that that“no force in the world” will stop Israeli troops from entering Rafah – to bravado. Israeli officials argue that four Hamas battalions remain in Rafah that must be taken out. Israeli officials did not provide comprehensive answers to the questions in the meeting, the sources said. Hamas would rebuild from the remaining battalions there, the officials told their US counterparts.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu’s, Israel, chalked, Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, ”, Joe Biden’s, Jake Sullivan, Defense Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Austin, –, ” Biden, Ron Dermer, Tzachi Hanegbi, Blinken, CNN’s Natasha Bertrand, Oren Liebermann Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Biden, Defense, “, Israel Defense Forces, US Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Washington

☆ 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

☆ Western officials warn munition shortages could be catastrophic for Ukraine as US stalls on providing more aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Ukrainian military is “experiencing shortages in air defense munitions, mostly in the medium to long range,” a NATO official said on Wednesday. Last fall, the administration asked Congress for more than $60 billion in additional funds to help support Ukraine, but more than 6 months later the funding has not passed amid opposition from Republican lawmakers. And the separate shortages of artillery ammunition could be “potentially catastrophic” for Ukraine in the short term, the official added. The NATO official said that as of now, Russia appears to lack the necessary maneuver units to mount such a large-scale, successful attack. That is why they believe it is critical for the west to continue to support Ukraine through this period of attrition.

Persons: “ It’s, Jens Stoltenberg, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s, Olha Stefanishyna, Stoltenberg, Donald Trump, ” Stoltenberg, Kylie Atwood Organizations: CNN, NATO, Patriots, Republican, ” Energy, “, Pentagon, Ukraine Contact Defense, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Brussels, Avdiivka, Russian, Belarus

☆ US recently authorized more bombs for Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Biden administration recently authorized the transfer of over 1,000 500-pound bombs and over 1,000 small-diameter bombs to Israel, according to three people familiar with the matter, adding to its arsenal despite US concerns over the country’s conduct in the war in Gaza. The transfer authorization of the MK82 bombs and small-diameter bombs, more than 2,000 munitions in total, occurred on Monday, according to two of the people familiar. CNN has previously linked the MK84 bombs to mass casualty events in Gaza, including Israeli strikes on refugee camps there last year. More than 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October, according to the enclave’s ministry of health. Israel declared war on Hamas in response to the militant group’s terror attack on October 7 that killed over 1,200 Israelis.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Josh Paul, you’d, Joe Biden, ”, Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: CNN, State Department, Democratic, West Bank, State Department’s Bureau, Political, Military Affairs, “ State Department, US, Congress, Pentagon, Federal Register Locations: Israel, Gaza, State, “, Paris

CNN —The Biden administration is close to approving the sale of as many as 50 American-made F-15 fighter jets to Israel, in a deal expected to be worth more than $18 billion, according to three people familiar with the matter. Since Hamas’ attack on Israel in October, which killed over 1,200 Israelis, the US has made more than 100 foreign military sales to Israel. Most of those have fallen under the specific dollar amount that requires a notification to Congress, an official familiar with the matter previously told CNN. A congressional aide told CNN that House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul has also approved the transaction to proceed to formal congressional notification. “What you hear about the frustrations within the administration over the Israel policy, it is real,” one US diplomat told CNN on condition of anonymity.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Sen, James Risch, Michael McCaul, Ben Cardin, Greg Meeks, Biden administration’s, Joe Biden’s, “, ”, Israel won’t, Josh Paul, Matthew Miller, Israel what’s, Pat Ryder, ” Steven Katz, Katz Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Biden, Democratic, House Foreign Affairs, Foreign, State Department, Republican, Senate Foreign Relations, House Foreign, Congressional Research Service, UN, The State Department, State Department’s Bureau, Political, Military Affairs, ”, Pentagon, Army, Defense, U.S, National Intelligence Locations: Israel, Gaza, State, Washington , DC, United States, “ Israel, Iran

☆ UK judge denies Trump’s appeal in suit related to Steel dossier
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Kaanita Iyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A London appellate justice refused former President Donald Trump’s request to appeal the dismissal of his case against retired British spy Christopher Steele’s company over his controversial 2016 dossier. Steyn also ordered Trump to pay £300,000 in legal fees to Steele’s company, Orbis Business Intelligence, which Trump requested to be stayed. In his order Wednesday, Lord Justice Mark Warby said Trump’s “appeal would have no real prospect of success,” finding that some of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s arguments were contradictory and his appeal attempted to offer new points that he didn’t present before Steyn. The dossier claimed that Trump conspired with the Kremlin to win the 2016 election and that Russia had compromising information on him. While the dossier was initially seen as credible due to Steele’s reputation, a series of US government investigations and lawsuits over the years discredited many of the claims.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Christopher Steele’s, Karen Steyn’s, Steele, —, Steyn, Trump, Mark Warby, Trump’s, Jean Carroll, ”, ” Steele, “, Donald Trump, CNN’s Kate Sullivan, Natasha Bertrand, Zahid Mahmood, Marshall Cohen, Catherine Nicholls Organizations: CNN, Orbis Business Intelligence, Republican, Trump, ” CNN, Kremlin Locations: London, British, York, Russia

☆ Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks are ‘stuck but ongoing,’ sources tell CNN
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Alex Marquardt | Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Talks over a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas have reached another stalemate but are not over, according to three people familiar with the negotiations. Burns put forward a proposal that was accepted by Israel and sent back to Hamas, the second person and an Israeli official told CNN. “The negotiations are not only centric around the prisoner exchange deal,” Hamas senior official Basem Naeim told CNN on Monday. Those releases would take place during the first phase of a ceasefire, which would be expected to last around six weeks. The senior US officials and Gallant did not reach any agreements on how Israel will move forward with an operation in Rafah in southern Gaza, US and Israeli officials told CNN.

Persons: “, ”, Bill Burns, Burns, Israel, David Barnea, Basem Naeim, “ Israel, Amir Levy, Yahya Sinwar, Matthew Miller, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, William Burns, Anna Moneymaker, ” Miller, Biden, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, CNN’s Natasha Bertrand Organizations: Hamas, CIA, Doha, Qatari, CNN, Hamas didn’t, National Security, United Nations Security, Central Intelligence Agency, House Intelligence, Cannon, US, Biden Locations: Gaza, Israel, Doha, Qatar, Tel Aviv, Washington , DC, Rafah, Washington, US

☆ Israel defense minister’s meeting with Lloyd Austin comes at a delicate moment in push for US weaponry
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Gallant will be told that the various cases of weapons sales are being worked on, a senior administration official told CNN. “There is scrutiny, but no policy decision to deny” the provision of additional weapons to Israel, the official told CNN. But the defense secretary’s position on providing weapons to Israel has not shifted much since the war began, officials said. “If there is one, that would be something we would want to hear,” said the senior administration official who added that consequences for ignoring US urgings are increasingly being considered. Austin also told Gallant last week that Israel needs “to consider alternatives to a major ground operation in Rafah,” according to a Pentagon readout of their call.

Persons: Yoav Gallant, Lloyd Austin, Gallant, —, Joe Biden’s, Austin, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, We’re, John Kirby, Israel, “, Patrick Ryder, ”, ” Gallant, Biden, Netanyahu, ” Kirby, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, ” CNN’s Oren Liebermann Organizations: US, Israel, Pentagon, UN, ” National Security, CNN, Austin, Israel Defense Forces, Foreign, State Department, Congress, Democratic Locations: Gaza, Israeli, Washington, Rafah, Israel, Lebanon, ”

The intensifying military cooperation between Russia and Niger is central to the dispute between the US and the Nigerien junta, officials said. Russia and Niger agreed to strengthen their military ties in January, Russia’s Defense Ministry said at the time. If the US were forced to withdraw, counterterrorism efforts across the region could take a hit, officials said. In return, Russia is profiting off the region’s natural resources, another official said, including the gold mines in Niger. Several European countries shared this goal, offering a measure of support to the junta, the official noted.

Persons: Michael Langley, Celeste Wallander, Col, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, Langley, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, what’s, Nusrat al, “ Organizations: CNN, US Africa Command, Air Base, American, Nigerien, Russia’s Defense, EU, Pentagon, Kremlin, West, Russian Federation, National Council, Wagner, US Locations: Africa, Russia, Africa . Niger, Niger, United States, America, Nigerien, Sahel, stoking, China, Russian, Central Africa, ”, Niamey, US, Agadez, Mali, Burkina Faso, Abdramane, Western Africa, Northwest Africa

But the Pentagon was reluctant to use that funding, because there was no replenishment money left to refill the US inventories. The second official gave one example of being able to buy 25mm ammunition at a cheaper cost than originally expected after contract negotiations with the vendor. And we certainly can’t count on this as a way of doing business.”“We weren’t broke at the time, but now we are.”The last Ukraine aid package from the US was announced in late December. Last year, the Defense Department announced that it had discovered an accounting error that led to DoD overvaluing the amount of aid it was providing to Ukraine by $6.2 billion. “We believe that the support is still there if the House is allowed to vote,” said the second defense official.

Persons: CNN —, “, ”, Defense Department “, Biden, “ You’ve Organizations: CNN, Biden, Defense Department, Pentagon, Ukraine, DoD, Republican Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Avdiivka

“What we are in now is a production war,” a senior NATO official told CNN. “The number one issue that we’re watching right now is the munitions,” the NATO official said. There is also a limit to Russian production capacity, officials say: Russian factories will likely hit a peak sometime in the next year. “If we were talking about this last fall, we would have talked about how they were targeting critical infrastructure,” the NATO official said. “In the short term — say, the next 18 months or so — it may be unsophisticated, but it’s a durable economy,” the NATO official said.

Persons: ”, Abrams, “, — “, Joe Biden, Inna Varenytsia, it’s, Putin’s, Steven Basham, “ It’s, Maxym, Russia’s ‘, Basham Organizations: CNN, Army, NATO, ”, Reuters, Ukraine, European Command, US Army, ” Intelligence, US European Command, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Europe, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, that’s, Iran, North Korea, Kreminna, Germany, Pennsylvania , Iowa, Texas, Moscow, Tehran, Bohorodychne, Donetsk, Russian

Ryder also said the construction of the pier and causeway will likely require as many as 1,000 US military personnel to complete. The initiative will aim to augment a maritime corridor that the US, the European Commission, the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, and the UK, have been working to open to deliver assistance directly. The pier will allow ships to offload aid, which will then be transported across a causeway into Gaza that will also be constructed by the US military, officials said. “We are committed to supporting the maritime corridor which is planned by Fogbow,” the official said. The US president and vice president each said Israel had “no excuses” not to ramp up the aid allowed into Gaza.

Persons: Patrick Ryder, Ryder, Biden, Joe Biden, Sigrid Kaag, “ We’re, ” Ryder, Fogbow, “ I’m, ” Biden, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, ” Kaag, ” Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, European Commission, United Arab, US, United Nations, United States Air Force, UN, Navy, Army, military’s, 7th Transportation Brigade Expeditionary, Base Langley, USAID, CIA, Blue, Qatari, European Union, Administration, “ Locations: Gaza, United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, United, Base Langley Eustis, Virginia, American, Qatar, Israel

☆ Crew members killed for first time in Houthi attack on commercial ship in Red Sea, US official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A Houthi ballistic missile attack on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden resulted in at least two fatalities among the crew members, two US officials told CNN, marking the first time that the Iran-backed militant group has killed anyone as part of their ongoing attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea. The attack struck the M/V True Confidence, a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier, the officials said. The ship has since been abandoned and coalition warships are now in the area assessing the situation, the officials said. The strike marks a significant escalation of the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, which began in October in response to Israel’s war in Gaza. The passage links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea, allowing ships to cut thousands of miles off shipping routes instead of sailing around Africa.

Persons: Pete Nguyen, Nguyen, Biden, Sabrina Singh, ”, “, Dwight D Organizations: CNN, Liberian, Naval, US, Defense Department, US Central Command, Houthi, Pentagon, Eisenhower, United Nations Locations: Gulf, Aden, Iran, Barbados, Gaza, Red, Yemen, Suez, Africa

CNN —The Defense Department is analyzing a balloon discovered by fishermen off the coast of Alaska last week to determine whether it was a spy balloon, a spokesperson told CNN. Upon reviewing photographs taken by the fishermen, officials became concerned it could be another spy balloon, and FBI agents went to meet the boat when it returned to port. But the FBI determined that it was similar enough in appearance to a foreign government-owned surveillance balloon that it warranted further investigation. The existence of high-altitude surveillance balloons burst into US consciousness last year, when a Chinese spy balloon appeared to blow off course and transited across the continental US. The US assessed that the spy balloon was part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military, as CNN reported at the time.

Persons: Sue Gough, “, ” Gough, Biden Organizations: CNN, The Defense Department, Joint Base Elmendorf, Defense Department, FBI Locations: Alaska, Richardson, China, Taiwan, Beijing

☆ Pentagon considering tapping last source of Ukraine military funding as Congress stalls on additional aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Defense Department still has around $4 billion in presidential drawdown authority funds available for Ukraine, which allows the Pentagon to draw from its own stockpiles to send military equipment to Kyiv. But it would not be unprecedented for the Pentagon to find additional, unexpected sources of funding. Last year, the Defense Department announced that it had discovered an accounting error that led to DoD overvaluing the amount of aid it was providing to Ukraine by $6.2 billion. Asked on Tuesday whether the department was considering spending some of the remaining money, Pentagon press secretary Gen. Patrick Ryder said he had nothing to announce but that the Pentagon was continuing to explore ways to keep supporting Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN this week that Ukraine will not win the war without continued US support.

Persons: Garron Garn, Patrick Ryder, “ We’re, ” Ryder, Ryder, ”, “, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, The Defense Department, Pentagon, Defense, ”, Defense Department, DoD, Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, “ Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Avdiivka

CNN —A cargo ship that was struck by a Houthi ballistic missile on Monday has created an 18-mile long oil slick in the Red Sea as it continues to take on water, two US officials said Friday. It appeared to be the first time a crew has been forced to evacuate a ship after it was hit by the Houthis. The Houthis’ attacks have been ongoing for months, and despite several rounds of strikes by the US and UK on their capabilities, US officials told CNN it’s unclear how much weaponry the militia group still has. The Houthis’ attacks have increased in recent days; Singh said Thursday there has “certainly” been “an increase in attacks from the Houthis” over the last 72 hours. One other ship hit by the Houthis on Monday — the M/V Sea Champion, a US-owned, Greek-flagged bulk carrier — was carrying grain to Yemen.

Persons: Sabrina Singh, ” Singh, “, ”, Biden, Singh Organizations: CNN, Central Command, Command, US Central Command, Houthi, Pentagon, ” CNN, US Locations: Belize, Lebanese, Yemen, Red, Gulf, Aden, Israel, US

☆ Concern grows within Biden administration as Houthis continue attacks despite US strikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“They continue to surprise us,” said one senior defense official, referring to the Houthis. Officials also believe Iran instructed the groups to back off the attacks following the US strikes. The issue is becoming more acute, especially given the notable increase in Houthi attacks over the last two days. At the same time, the Houthis also crave international legitimacy, officials said, and want to be recognized as the official Yemeni government. Still, there are no signs yet that Iran is actively withholding support from the Houthis, officials said.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, “, Sabrina Singh, ”, —, Marc Miguez, Israel, Privately, Matthew Miller, Singh, ” Singh Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, Central Command, Carrier Strike, Yemeni, Saudi, State Department, US, Prosperity Locations: Iran, Yemen, Gulf, Aden, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Baghdad, Gaza, Israel, Red, Oman, Bahrain

☆ Report: North Korean missile fired by Russia against Ukraine contained US and European components
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A North Korean ballistic missile fired last month by the Russian military in Ukraine contained hundreds of components that trace back to companies in the US and Europe, according to a new report. Last year, as CNN previously reported, CAR determined that 82% of components inside Iranian-made attack drones fired by Russia inside Ukraine were made by US companies. Courtesy Conflict Armament ResearchThe research also shows that North Korea was able to produce the missile and ship it over to Russia quickly. More evidence of Russia, North Korea tiesThe White House confirmed last month that Russia has been firing North Korean missiles at Ukrainian cities. North Korea has also likely provided Russia with “millions of artillery rounds” over the last year, according to a report published last week by the Pentagon’s inspector general.

Persons: Biden, North Korea —, ”, Korea “, Kim Jong Un, John Kirby Organizations: CNN, Research, National Security Council, North, Congress, White House, Korean, Intelligence, CAR, North Korean, United Nations Security, “, National Security Locations: Korean, Russian, Ukraine, Europe, North Korea, Iran, Russia, Kharkiv, United States, Asia, US, China, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, American, Korea, Washington, Pyongyang

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