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A battle is playing out in the Red Sea as Yemen's Houthi militia attacks commercial shipping vessels headed to the Suez Canal using weapons supplied by Iran. Now a US-led task force is fighting back. We compare the weapons and tactics and tell you who holds the power in this global conflict.

Locations: Suez, Iran

A US Navy veteran compares the best multiple launcher rocket systems from the US and UK, detailing HIMARS and the BM-30 Smerch.

Organizations: US Navy, US

☆ Israel is looking to World War II in its Gaza fight, and it risks taking lessons from the wrong war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Sam Fellman | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

It's a critical question that will define whether Israel's war succeeds, experts on military strategy told Insider. Smoke and flame rise after Israeli air forces targeting a shopping center in Gaza Strip, Gaza on October 07, 2023. In the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, Israel has abandoned "mowing the grass" in favor of a much more far-reaching and deadly strategy. Marcus Yam/Getty ImagesIn this war, Israeli leaders have used heated rhetoric while their forces maintain a deadly bombing campaign. Not the destruction of Israel of course, but a state on the West Bank and in Gaza," Mansoor said.

Persons: it's, —, Israel, Raphel Cohen, Peter Mansoor, Israel —, — Israel, we've, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, " Cohen, Ashraf Amra, Cohen, Israel couldn't, Jalaa Marey, Colin Powell, George W, Bush, G.I.s, Aysar, Amer, Jawad Turki, Nasser Ishtayeh, David Petraeus, Mansoor, Mansoor —, They're, Marcus Yam, that's Organizations: RAND, Service, AIR FORCE, US Army, Israel Defense Forces, ABC News, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Hamas, Islamic State, of Health, Post, Manila . Ohio Army National Guard, Israel, US, Jihad, West Bank, National Force, Ohio State University, Royal Air Force Locations: Iraq, Afghanistan, United States, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Mosul, Iraqi, Fallujah, Intramuros, Manila, Philippines, Pearl, Jenin, Tel Aviv, al Qaeda, Geneva, Hiroshima, Nagasaki

☆ Zelenskyy slammed Ukrainian commanders for 'negligence' after Russian airstrike on an open-air ceremony left troops dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In a social media video, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused military commanders of "negligence." AdvertisementAdvertisementUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed military commanders for "negligence" after Ukrainian soldiers died in a Russian airstrike late last week. AdvertisementAdvertisementZelenskyy accused Ukrainian commanders of "negligence" and of failing to take the necessary precautions that could have stopped such a "tragedy." The Ukrainian president went on to say that changes would be made to avoid all future "negligence." This latest airstrike echoes an attack on Russian soldiers earlier this year.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rustem Umerov, Zelenskyy, —, Oleg Nemchinov, Sam Fellman Organizations: Service, 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, Ukrainska Pravda, Facebook, New York Times, Telegram, BBC News Locations: Zaporizhzhia oblast, Ukrainian, Soviet

☆ Nearly 5,000 Thai workers have fled Israel since the Hamas terror attacks that killed 33 of them
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A total of 4,771 Thai citizens have led Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist rampage. The Thai government said that 18 of its citizens remain hostages somewhere in Gaza. An estimated 30,000 Thai workers labored in Israel's food industry prior to the latest war. Many Thai workers, and some students, have opted to stay for now amid reports that some Israeli employers have increased their pay, according to the Bangkok Post. An estimated 30,000 Thai workers have labored in Israel's fields of crops like wheat and its fruit groves as part of an agreement between the countries.

Persons: —, Thais, Young, Sakchai Lalit Organizations: Service, Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hamas, Bangkok Post, Suvarnabhumi Locations: Israel, Gaza, Bangkok, Thailand, Samut Prakarn Province, Tehran

☆ Russia's massive exploding tank bombs make a big boom but don't do much damage, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is filling armored vehicles with explosives and directing them at Ukraine's troops, the UK MOD said. The MOD said there was a good chance Chechen forces were pioneering the use of the tactic. According to the UK MOD, most uses of this tactic have been recorded near Marinka, a city in eastern Ukraine that has been obliterated in the fighting. "There is a realistic possibility that Chechen forces are pioneering the tactic," the MOD said. Chechen forces have mostly been operating outside of Russia's military command during the conflict, but recently signed contracts with Russia's defense ministry to be brought under the ministry's control.

Persons: hasn't, Romanov_92, Mark Hertling, Sam Fellman Organizations: MOD, Service, UK Ministry of Defence, Twitter, Chechen Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Marinka, Ukraine

☆ Battlefield videos capture a tank explosion so massive it's likely it was one of Russia's new rolling bombs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A drone strike triggered a blast so large it swallowed a Russian tank, suggesting it was laden with explosives. It was so powerful that the explosives hidden inside were likely to be measured in tons. Russian troops are experimenting with repurposing their aging vehicles as rolling bombs. This triggered an explosion and fireball so massive that experts immediately saw it as confirmation of the latest brute force tactic by Russia troops: exploding tanks. The tank exploded in Marinka, a front line in Ukraine's east where the Russians have tried kamikaze tanks recently.

Persons: — Organizations: Service Locations: Western, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Russian flyers who disobeyed orders to attack Wagner forces may be caught up in Putin's dragnet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Suspicions of disloyalty seemingly extend far beyond senior officials and generals who had direct ties to Prigozhin. Some pilots and airmen are said to face questions for refusing orders to fire on the Wagner columns during their coup. Some Russian bloggers felt it was hypocritical to punish the aviators when the mutineers were let off. Russian warplanes fired on Wagner Group mercenaries to try to stop their advance over the weekend, but some pilots and airmen face questions for refusing orders to fire. Putin is said to have discussed assassinating Prigozhin and has indicated the Wagner founder is under investigation for stealing from the Russian government.

Persons: Wagner, —, Romanov, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Sergei Surovikin, Putin, Prigozhin Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Prigozhin Locations: Prigozhin, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Belarus

☆ How the 'masculine' talks that averted a siege on Moscow went down, according to Putin's negotiator
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Thousands of Wagner fighters led by Prigozhin threatened to advance on Moscow Saturday. That's when Russian leader Vladimir Putin purportedly came calling. The number of swear words was ten times higher than that of normal words. Certainly, he said he was sorry for using swear words." Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko at the Kremlin in Moscow on September 9, 2021.

Persons: Lukashenko, Wagner, Prigozhin, —, Alexander Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, wasn't, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, SHAMIL ZHUMATOV, Prigozhin's Organizations: Moscow, Service, Privacy, Wagner Group, Belarusian, Kremlin, Getty, Lukashenko's Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Independence, Minsk, Russia, Belarusian, Ukraine, Russian, Rostov

☆ After Prigozhin's mutiny, another Russian ultranationalist said that Putin must 'transfer' his war powers if he can't win in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

If Putin can't secure victory in Ukraine, one of them argued, "he needs to legally transfer his powers." "The whole current system is built on the irresponsibility of the elites," wrote Igor Girkin at the Angry Patriots Club meeting planned weeks before the Wagner Group armed rebellion. "If the president is not ready to take responsibility for the war, he needs to legally transfer his powers." "The Kremlin's continued careful response to the armed rebellion will likely prompt other Russian nationalists to test Russian official reactions to more explicitly critical rhetoric." Girkin — a former FSB security operative who goes by the nom de guerre Strelkov, Russian for "shooter" — had warned that Prigozhin's Wagner Group could be a threat to Putin.

Persons: ultranationalists, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Igor Girkin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, SERGEI ILNITSKY, Wagner, Prigozhin, Girkin —, Strelkov, Prigozhin's Wagner Organizations: Service, Angry Patriots Club, Wagner Group, Kremlin, for Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, milbloggers, Russian

☆ Russian troops are turning tanks into car bombs against Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The kamikaze tanks have similarities with the way ISIS militants used car bombs. "What a stupid way to conduct armored operations by the Russians," a retired US general said. On Saturday, Russian troops used a similar ploy — rigging a captured Ukrainian MT-LB armored fighting vehicle with five bombs and 3.5 tons of explosive. One video released by the Russian state-owned TASS news agency shows the compartment of a vehicle stuffed with a bomb and explosives. But Ukraine has effectively forced them to fly far from the battlefield, evening the odds on the ground.

Persons: —, Mark Hertling, couldn't, Hugo Kaaman Organizations: ISIS, Service, US Army, CNN, Twitter, Novosti, TASS Locations: US, Ukrainian, US Army Europe, Russian, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Russian soldiers really did stand still for 2 hours for their commander's speech, leaving them sitting ducks for a HIMARS strike, Ukrainian official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian soldiers stood still for two hours, making them sitting ducks, a Ukrainian official said. Russian bloggers were angry after reports said the soldiers stood in the open waiting for a speech. The Ukrainian official said it was more than enough time to transport HIMARS and "hit them." Rybar said the attack, which he said involved HIMARS and Ukraine's artillery, happened in the city of Kreminna, in Luhansk. Another Russian blogger, who goes by the name Two Majors, wrote: "Stand in a column for two hours in one place!

Persons: —, Rybar, Insider's Sam Fellman, Russian milbloggers, Matthew Loh, Russia's, Sam Fellman Organizations: Service, Ukraine's High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Kyiv, Arms Army, Moscow Times Locations: Kyiv, Russian, Kreminna, Luhansk, Ukraine

☆ Russian nationalists called for a general to be shot, arguing 'stupidity' exposed troops to deadly Ukrainian artillery
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian nationalists blamed military leaders after a shocking report said a large number of troops was killed. "We are at war with our own stupidity and sloppiness," a Russian blogger wrote. It wasn't clear if the latest casualties also included troops from the naval infantry that Akhmedov had led before commanding a Russian field army. Russian generals and colonels have previously been accused of incompetence that led to military disasters. A Ukrainian New Year's strike led to as many as 400 deaths and fueled outrage that Russian officers had bivouacked troops within range of the GPS-guided HIMARS rockets.

Persons: —, Sergey Kolyasnikov, Rob Lee, Zurab Akhmedov, milbloggers, Akhmedov Organizations: Service, Armed Forces, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Defense Locations: Russian, Kreminna, Ukraine, Luhansk, Ukrainian

☆ The new star in Congress is quite fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Capitol Hill staffers encountered an outsized attraction in an institution increasingly known for them. Loading Something is loading. The stuffed animal is now the main attraction, of sorts, for a celebration of New Hampshire alongside maple syrup and the state's entrepreneurial spirit. Aides guided Marty through the Hart Senate office building. Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesThe aides rolled him into Shaheen's office in Hart Senate office building where he was planted in a prominent spot near staffers' desks.

Persons: Marty, —, Hampshire's Sen, Jeanne Shaheen, Kevin Dietsch, Marty isn't, Shaheen, He's Organizations: Capitol Hill, Service, Hart Senate, Granite, New, Kodak Locations: New Hampshire, Hart

☆ The US is sending Ukraine more explosives to blast obstacles like these in Russian defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

They're layered with treacherous obstacles like mines, ditches, and anti-tank dragons teeth. Close up of Russian trenches, fortifications, and tank obstacles in the Kherson region on November 15, 2022. Dragons teeth obstacles can be seen in the three rows of gray dots before the trenches and fortified positions. Nazi Germany's defenses, like the Siegfried Line built to defend its west, also featured dragon's teeth, machine-gun pillboxes, razor wire and mines. As Insider's Jake Epstein has reported, Russian positions may be vulnerable to attack from assaults that cross open terrain and steer clear of roads.

Persons: —, Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds, Brady Africk, Siegfried, Jake Epstein Organizations: Service, Technologies, UK's Royal United Services Institute, American Enterprise Institute, US Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kherson, Dnipro, Nazi

☆ Draining reservoir from Ukraine's destroyed dam is revealing World War II weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The draining reservoir is revealing weapons that date back to World War II. The lurking dangers are also a reminder of the heavy fighting Ukraine saw in World War II. "The water area of the reservoir is contaminated with ammunition. S-300s are Russian-made surface-to-air missiles, and Smerch rockets are heavy rockets fired from mobile launchers. The older dangers lurking in the area are a reminder of the heavy fighting Ukraine saw in World War II.

Persons: —, Oleksandr Chechko, Julian Borger Organizations: Authorities, Service, Soviet, Nazi, Ministry, Internal Affairs, Ukrainian, Nazi Wehrmacht, Red Army Locations: Ukraine, Russia

☆ Trump kept 8 documents so sensitive even their access codes are secret, indictment shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some 31 classified documents are at the epicenter of the Trump indictment. We can glean a lot about what Trump kept from the prosecutor's descriptions and the classification marks. There are 31 classified documents recovered by FBI agents that are at the epicenter of the case. But right after the TOP SECRET classification level, two other access codes were redacted by prosecutors. Federal prosecutors listed 31 highly sensitive documents they recovered via an FBI search of Mar-a-Lago in August, 2022.

Persons: Trump, —, Donald Trump didn't, wasn't Organizations: Service, FBI, Trump, Records, US, of Justice, Prosecutors, Mar, Justice Locations: Lago, Florida

☆ Reports of Russian casualties as they 'withdraw through their own minefields' driven back by Ukraine's counteroffensive, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Reports of Russian casualties as they 'withdraw through their own minefields,' per UK intel. Military progress on both sides of the conflict has been mixed in the last two days, the UK MoD said. "In some areas, Ukrainian forces have likely made good progress and penetrated the first line of Russian defenses. In others, Ukrainian progress has been slower," Britain's MoD said in a statement. "Russian performance has been mixed: some units are likely conducting credible maneuver defense operations while others have pulled back in some disorder, amid increased reports of Russian casualties as they withdraw through their own minefields," the ministry added.

Persons: —, Mykhalchuk, Sam Fellman, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Insider's Ryan Pickrell Organizations: intel, MoD, Service, UK's Ministry of Defence, Russian Airforce, CNN, US, Mine Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk Oblast, Russia, Russian, Azov

☆ Russian Optimism Over Defeat of Western-Made Tanks May Be Premature
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A terrifying video captures a Russian drone's attack on a German-made Leopard tank below. Some believe they are signs Ukraine's counter-offensive is a failure. Ukraine's counter-offensive has just begun. One terrifying video captures a Russian loitering drone's attack on a German-made Leopard 2 tank below. The Leopard is among the more advanced weapons Ukraine has received from its Western backers to aid in retaking its land from Russian invaders.

Persons: Ukraine's, —, couldn't, Russian ultranationalists, Insider's Ryan Pickrell Organizations: Service, Ukraine, Institute for, Zaporizhia — Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Zaporizhia, Russia

☆ Indictment alleges Trump hoarded classified documents on 'vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He kept records about "potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack," per the indictment. Their indictment unsealed Friday alleges that the former president had kept government records at Mar-a-Lago that pertained to "defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack." The records about nuclear programs are likely to also be highly sensitive files — especially if they describe nuclear weapon capabilities, plans or launch protocols. But Trump apparently didn't keep it a secret that he'd kept these secret files; the FBI recovered 17 documents with top-secret markings, according to the indictment. In announcing his indictment Thursday on his Truth Social network, Trump declared: "I AM AN INNOCENT MAN."

Persons: Trump, —, Donald Trump, he'd, that's, Mark Milley Organizations: Service, GOP, Mar, Defense Department, NATO, FBI, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Trump Locations: United States, Trump's, Iran

☆ Special counsel probe continues into Biden's mishandling of government secrets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Biden faces his own special counsel investigation over mishandled secret documents. Like Trump, Biden has faced his own drip, drip, drip of revelations in the case, and questions about his role. Like Trump, Biden has faced his own drip, drip, drip of revelations in the case, and questions about his role. It's unusual for the Justice Department to prosecute someone for mishandling classified records without evidence of so-called aggravating factors, such as obstruction of justice or willful violation, Insider's Sonam Sheth has reported. And in the unlikely event the special counsel does seek charges, Biden as the current president would be shielded from a criminal prosecution until when he's left office.

Persons: Biden, —, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, hasn't, Robert Hur, Trump's, Trump, he'd, Sonam Sheth, he's Organizations: Trump, Service, Miami, NBC, FBI, Trump's, National Archives, Records Administration, Justice Department Locations: Delaware, Lago, Iran

☆ Russian forces battling Ukraine's assault are discovering a nasty danger behind them, courtesy of the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine is firing an artillery shell that lays mines built to destroy tanks. The US has sent Ukraine over 10,000 of these rounds along with the 155mm howitzers that fire them. Sladkov wrote that Ukraine is firing the Remote Anti-Armor Mine System (RAAMS), a US-made artillery round that lays anti-tank mines in flight. Vehicles must run a gauntlet laid with mines to deliver fresh troops, ammunition, fuel, and food to front-line positions. Whether it's as easy as this pro-Russian voice argues is debatable as this community has a tendency to downplay threats while overselling Russian capabilities.

Persons: —, Alexander Sladkov, Sladkov Organizations: US, Service, Telegram Locations: Ukraine, Russian, US, Russia

☆ Ukraine's dam break disaster likely won't stop the big counter-offensive that has Russian troops on edge
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The humanitarian disaster of the burst dam may only amount to a setback for Ukraine's military. Even before the dam break, the Dnipro River was a formidable obstacle for Ukrainian forces. Ukraine might have chosen to avoid a risky river crossing anyway for their counter-offensive. Ukraine accused Russian forces last October of mining the Russian-controlled dam. Instead of crossing the Dnipro, another option for Ukraine is to attack east of the river entirely.

Persons: —, Michael Kofman, Kofman Organizations: Service, Institute for, Russia, CNA, Twitter, Russian Locations: Dnipro, Ukraine, Nova, Kherson, Russia, Ukrainian, Zaporizhia, Ukraine's, Russian, Crimea

☆ Russia's military falsely claimed to have shredded a Leopard tank. It looks more like abandoned farm equipment.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's military claimed a prize hit in Ukraine: the German-made Leopard 2 main battle tank. But the video Russian officials released to prove it doesn't show a Leopard tank. Russia's Ministry of Defense then released a video compiling two views of the hit and claimed a major prize: a first strike on a German-made Leopard tank. Beyond the visuals, the video also offers another indication this wasn't a Leopard tank. We're not sure yet, but the Russian video offers clues.

Persons: —, Samuel Bendett, That's, Russia's Organizations: Service, Ministry of Defense, CNA, Russian Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia

☆ Russian TV airs apparent deepfake video of Putin ordering martial law amid reports Ukraine is on the attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A fake Putin declared in a video address that Ukraine's army invaded Russia and he's ordering martial law. The fake video was aired, due to a reported hacking, in border areas where anxiety is already high. Russian sources reported increased Ukrainian attacks at positions along the front lines on Monday. The message delivered by fake Putin via television and radio seemed to play to these anxieties. The timing of the fake broadcast is also notable because Russian sources reported increased Ukrainian attacks at multiple positions along the long front lines on Monday.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Service, Radio Mir, Putin Russian, NATO, New York Times Locations: Russia, Russia's, Ukrainian, Washington, Kursk, Belgorod, Bryansk

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