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☆ Why Hezbollah is threatening this tiny European country
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

An island in the Eastern Mediterranean located on a geopolitical fault line between the Middle East and southern Europe, Cyprus is geographically much closer to the conflicts in the Middle East than it is to European power centers. The island has previously been caught in the crossfire of regional conflicts, a reminder of its proximity to the volatile Middle East. It would mean that an EU country is, for the first time, directly involved in an expanded Gaza war. “It is normal for both Israel and Hezbollah to have military plans in place for handling a potential escalation. “The US also does not want to find itself in another Middle East quagmire, especially with presidential elections looming.”

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, ”, Nikos Christodoulides, Israel, Constantinos Kombos, Eli Cohen, Stavros Ioannides, PIO, Christodoulides, “, Yiannis Kourtoglou, ” Mohammad Ali Shabani, Amwaj.media, ” Lina Khatib, ” Khatib, Biden Organizations: CNN, Lebanese, Union, Israel, The, NATO, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Cypriot, Reuters, Spanish, European Union, North Africa, Chatham House Locations: Cyprus, Israel, “ Cyprus, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, East, Europe, European, Delaware, Republic of Cyprus, Turkish, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, The Republic of Cyprus, Nicosia, Tel Aviv, Larnaca, ”, EU, UAE, Russian, Syria, London, Haifa, “

☆ Israel-Hamas war: Why Hezbollah is threatening Cyprus
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

While experts say war between Israel and Hezbollah remains unlikely, the very mention of Cyprus adds a new dimension to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Stavros Ioannides/PIO/ReutersWhat has Cyprus’ role been in the Gaza war? Cyprus has been keen to dispel any suggestions that it is implicated in the Gaza war, noting its humanitarian efforts that helped bring some aid into Gaza. It would mean that an EU country is, for the first time, directly involved in an expanded Gaza war. “The US also does not want to find itself in another Middle East quagmire, especially with presidential elections looming.”

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, ”, Nikos Christodoulides, ” Peter Stano, Abdallah Bou Habib, Constantinos Kombos, Lebanon’s, Israel, “, Eli Cohen, Stavros Ioannides, PIO, Christodoulides, Yiannis Kourtoglou, ” Mohammad Ali Shabani, Amwaj.media, ” Lina Khatib, ” Khatib, Biden Organizations: CNN, Lebanese, European Union, EU, United Nations, Lebanon’s, Cypriot, Israel, The, NATO, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Reuters, Spanish, North Africa, Chatham House Locations: Cyprus, Israel, “ Cyprus, Iran, Lebanon, EU, Greece, Gaza, East, Europe, European, Delaware, Republic of Cyprus, Turkish, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Turkey, The Republic of Cyprus, Nicosia, Tel Aviv, Larnaca, ”, UAE, Russian, Syria, London, Haifa, “

☆ Iran President Raisi: Days of funeral ceremonies begin as investigators probe helicopter crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Funeral ceremonies are set to begin on Tuesday for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi following his death in a helicopter crash, as authorities probe what caused the aircraft to smash into the side of a remote mountainside during foggy weather on Sunday morning. A helicopter carrying Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi takes off on May 19, 2024, before the crash took place. There is no indication what might have caused the crash – and why so many senior Iranian government officials were traveling in a single, decades-old helicopter. A high-ranking delegation will go to the crash site in Eastern Azerbaijan, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. Inside Iran, where many of the country’s restive youth population have grown tired of rule by conservative clerics, Raisi had a much more polarizing legacy.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Khamenei, Mohsen Mansouri, Ali Hamed Haghdoust, Mansouri, Reza, Khamenei, “, ”, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Uraloglu, Iran’s, ’, Ayatollah Khamenei —, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong, Kim, Xi, Raisi’s, Azin, ” Xi, Putin, Russia, ” Raisi, Raisi Organizations: CNN, Wana News Agency, Reuters, Mehr, Iranian, Turkish Transportation, Infrastructure, TRT, Moj News Agency, AP, Kremlin, US Locations: Tabriz, Iran, Qom, Tehran, Mashhad, Turkey, Turkish, Eastern Azerbaijan, Israel, Korean, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, China, North Korea, Russia, Iranian

The National Security Agency collected the intelligence that gave US officials insights into China and Iran’s capabilities in producing deepfakes, one of the sources said. At a briefing last week, FBI officials warned that AI increases the ability of foreign states to spread election disinformation. US officials have maintained a high level of visibility into the AI and deepfake advancements made by countries including China, Iran and Russia since the 2020 election. Nearly 70% of Republicans and Republican-leaners said that President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win was not legitimate, according to a CNN poll released in August. The 2024 US election will present new opportunities for foreign influence operations.

Persons: “, ”, Lee Foster, Foster, ” Foster, leaners, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN, National Security Agency, NSA, Intelligence, US, Labs, “, Republican, Pew Research Center, FBI, Kyiv Locations: China, Iran, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Ukraine –

☆ Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof flees to Europe after prison and flogging sentence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Artemis Moshtaghian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof says he has fled his home country to an undisclosed location in Europe after a court in Iran sentenced him to prison on national security charges. In a separate statement dated May 12, Rasoulof said he had decided to escape Iran after his lawyers told him his prison sentence would be implemented on short notice. Rasoulof didn’t specify how he escaped Iran, saying only that he did it secretly with the help of friends and acquaintances. In 2022, an Iranian court sentenced Rasoulof to one year in prison and banned him from making films for two years on the charge of “propaganda against the system,” according to Human Rights Watch. Iranian authorities have previously arrested him multiple times and confiscated his passport because of his work, HRW said.

Persons: Mohammad Rasoulof, Rasoulof, ”, “, Babak Paknia, Mahsa Amini, Mohammad, Jean, Christophe Simon, ” Rasoulof, HRW, Michael Rios Organizations: CNN, Cannes Film, Cannes, Human Rights Watch Locations: Europe, Iran, Abadan, France

☆ Mohammad Rasoulof: Iran sentences renowned director to 8 years in prison and flogging, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Hande Atay Alam | Artemis Moshtaghian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A court in Iran has sentenced acclaimed movie director Mohammad Rasoulof to eight years in prison and flogging for national security crimes, his lawyer said on Wednesday. The writer-director’s latest work, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is due to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France next week. According to Paknia, some also alleged they were asked by officials to tell Rasoulof to withdraw the film from the festival. “Once again, the judiciary’s verdict against Mohammad Rasoulof proved that the law is only a playground for stubbornness and revenge in the legal system contaminated by government jurisprudence,” it said. “Independent and freedom-loving cinematographers condemn the invalid judgment of the judiciary against Mohammad Rasoulof and stand by him and all the artists who make fun of government censorship.”

Persons: CNN —, Mohammad Rasoulof, Babak Paknia, Paknia, Rasoulof, ”, HRW, “ Organizations: CNN, Cannes, Cannes Film, Human Rights Watch, Association Locations: Iran, France, Cannes

☆ Ahmad Vahidi: Argentina seeks arrest of Iranian minister over 1994 bombing of Jewish community center
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Abel Alvarado | Mauricio Torres | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Argentina is seeking the arrest of Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi for allegedly being one of the perpetrators of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in the capital Buenos Aires. The Argentine Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that, at its request, Interpol had issued a red notice for Vahidi’s arrest over the bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA). The aftermath of the bomb attack at the AMIA center in Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994. Diego Levy/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesThe 1994 attack – the worst in Argentina’s history – killed 85 people and injured about 300. “Thank you to President (Javier) Milei and Foreign Minister Diana Mondino for the request to issue an order for his arrest for the attack against the Jewish community,” he wrote.

Persons: Ahmad Vahidi, Vahidi, Diego Levy, –, Nasser Kanaani, ”, Israel Katz, Argentina’s, Javier, Milei, Diana Mondino, “, Ayatollah Ali, Khamenei Organizations: CNN —, Argentine Foreign Ministry, Interpol, Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, CNN, Español, Bloomberg, Getty, Iran’s Foreign, ” Israel’s Locations: CNN — Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Iran

☆ 4 Iranians charged in scheme to hack US agencies and defense contractors
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —US prosecutors on Tuesday announced charges against four Iranian men for a sprawling hacking campaign that targeted US federal agencies and sensitive data held by American defense contractors. It was not immediately clear whether the departments of State or Treasury networks were successfully hacked in the campaign. In the indictment unsealed Tuesday, Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Alireza Shafie Nasab and Komeil Baradaran Salmani were charged with wire and computer fraud, among other charges. Nasab had been charged in a previous indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York in February. Prosecutors accused three of the men of working for a front company in Iran that purported to offer cybersecurity services.

Persons: ” Damian Williams, Hacking, Christopher Wray, Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Shafie, Baradaran Salmani, Nasab, General Merrick Garland Organizations: CNN, US State, Treasury, Pentagon, of, Southern, State, Boston Children’s Hospital, Justice Department, Prosecutors, Treasury Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, State Department, Iranian, United Nations Locations: Southern, of New York, US, Iran, Boston, Tehran

☆ Crackdowns, Attacks and Threat of War Put Iranians on Edge
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the early hours of Friday, Mehrdad, an engineer in Isfahan, Iran, woke to the sound of explosions rattling the windows and shaking the ground. In Tehran, passengers about to board flights were abruptly told the airspace was closed. As booms and gunfire went off in the distance, Mehrdad, 43, came to realize that the Israelis’ target was a military base on the outskirts of the city. He and his pregnant wife remained fearful that war would break out, he said in an interview by phone. Facing deep economic troubles and a restive population, the government seems to have adopted a two-track policy, analysts say, declaring victory over Israel and cracking down at home.

Persons: Israel, ”, Mehrdad Locations: Isfahan, Iran, Tehran, Israel

☆ 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

☆ U.S. and Allies Penalize Iran for Striking Israel, and Try to Avert War
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Michael D. Shear | Michael Levenson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States and European allies joined together on Thursday to impose new sanctions on Iranian military leaders and weapon makers, seeking to punish Iran for its missile and drone attack on Israel last weekend, while imploring Israel not to retaliate so strongly as to risk a wider war. White House officials said the sanctions targeted leaders and entities connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Iran’s Defense Ministry and the Iranian government’s missile and drone programs. The sanctions also seek to block exports by Iran’s steel industry that bring Tehran billions of dollars in revenue, they said. “I’ve directed my team, including the Department of the Treasury, to continue to impose sanctions that further degrade Iran’s military industries,” President Biden said in a statement. “Let it be clear to all those who enable or support Iran’s attacks: The United States is committed to Israel’s security.”Britain said it had imposed sanctions on seven people and six entities linked to Iran’s regional military activity and its attack on Israel, which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a “reckless act and a dangerous escalation.”“These sanctions — announced with the U.S. — show we unequivocally condemn this behavior, and they will further limit Iran’s ability to destabilize the region,” Mr. Sunak said in a statement.

Persons: imploring, “ I’ve, Biden, Rishi Sunak, —, Mr, Sunak Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Iran’s Defense Ministry, Department of, Treasury, ”, U.S Locations: States, Iran, Israel, imploring Israel, Iranian, Tehran, United States, Britain

☆ 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

☆ John Bolton calls for a 'far stronger' response from Israel after Iran's missile and drone attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewFormer national security advisor John Bolton called for a "far stronger" response from Israel after Iran launched a missile and drone attack against the country. "A 200 ballistic missile, cruise missile, drone failure." Related story"I think that means by definition, Israel's response — and there should be a response — should not be proportionate," he told Blitzer. Bolton said on NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday," however, that the Iranian government looked "weak" after its attack.

Persons: —, John Bolton, George W, Bush, Donald Trump's, Wolf Blitzer, Bolton, Blitzer, Biden, John Kirby, Joe Biden, Kirby, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Service, Bolton, UN, CNN, Business, Trump, White House Locations: Israel, Iran, United States

☆ Iran announces record low election turnout despite calls on voters to participate
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

It is unclear if the announced 41% turnout will sink further in the coming days, with some candidates in the parliamentary election going to a runoff. Iran’s last parliamentary election in 2020 saw a turnout of 42.57%, and its last presidential election in 2021 had a turnout of 48.8% – both were the lowest since the establishment of the Islamic Republic. Some 15,000 candidates competed last week for the 290-seat parliamentary election, and 144 ran for the 88 seats of the Assembly of Experts. Some 25 million people cast their ballots out of Iran's 61 million eligible voters. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and former Revolutionary Guards air force commander, seemed to lose some votes, coming fourth in this year’s election after his popularity peaked in the 2020 parliamentary election.

Persons: IRNA, ”, Alex Vatanka, Mahsa, Iran’s, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Beris, Mohammad Khatami, Azar Mansouri, “, Khatami, Khamenei, ” Vatanka, watchdogs, –, Hassan Rouhani, Atta Kenare, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Ghalibaf’s, ” Sanam Vakil, Vakil, ” Vakil Organizations: CNN, Middle East Institute, “, Saturday, Experts, Getty, Iran’s Guardian, Revolutionary Guards, North Africa, Chatham House Locations: Iran, Washington , DC, Fars, Islamic Republic, Iranian, Tehran, AFP, East, London

☆ Iran holds first elections since Mahsa Amini protests, with low turnout and boycott expected
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Iranian women cast their ballots at a polling station during elections to select members of parliament and a key clerical body, in Tehran on March 1, 2024. Iran holds its parliamentary elections on Friday, in the first vote for Iranians since a nationwide protest movement for women's rights rocked the country in 2022. "Transition from the despotic religious regime is a national demand and the only way for the survival of Iran, Iranians, and our humanity," Mohammadi added. "And providing the political system with overt legitimacy, after the very system has disregarded and abused people and civil rights, is just too much." Country analysts expect a nationwide turnout of between 30% and 50%, while state polling center ISPA estimated the turnout in Tehran at just 23.5% and 38.5% nationally.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Mehdi, Narges Mohammadi, Mohammadi, Sanam Vakil Organizations: Islamic, Assembly, Experts, CNBC, Iranian, Chatham House Locations: Tehran, Iran, Iran's, East, North Africa

☆ US sees signs Iran is worried about escalating proxy attacks amid heightened tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Officials cautioned that there is no sense that Tehran’s growing wariness is likely to change its broader strategy of supporting proxy attacks on US and Western targets — although it could signal adjustments around the margins. But officials do believe that Iran is pursuing a calibrated approach to the conflict that is designed to avoid sparking all-out war. But some current and former US officials are skeptical that Iran will substantively change its tactics. ‘Varying degress of loyalty’The escalations also underscore the varying degrees of control that Iran actually has over its proxy groups. Among the groups, Iran has the least amount of operational control over the Houthis in Yemen, multiple officials told CNN.

Persons: Biden, Bill Burns, Norm Roule, Roule, “, Fadel, Ahmad Al, Jonathan Lord, ”, ” Lord, Israel “, Hossein, Mohammed Hamoud, Wang Yi, Jake Sullivan, Iran ”, we’re Organizations: Militant, Iranian, CNN, White, CIA, Foreign Affairs, Getty, Middle East Security, Center, New, US Navy, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, US, Anadolu Agency, Command, UN, Chinese Foreign, White House Locations: Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, United States, Tehran, China, India, Gaza, Europe, Baghdad, AFP, New American, Israel, Africa, Beijing, Bani, Sanaa, Red, Somalia, Bangkok, “ Beijing

The US has in recent months carried out several strikes targeting Iranian proxies’ weapons depots in Iraq and Syria. To date, none of those strikes have deterred the militants, whose 165 attacks have injured over 120 US service members across the region since October. ‘We don’t seek a war with Iran’Still, striking Iran is one of the least likely options at this point, officials said. We’re not looking for a wider conflict in the Middle East,” John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, told CNN on Monday. Tehran has watched as anti-US and anti-Israel protests swept across the Middle East after the Israel-Hamas war started.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Mark Hertling, “, Antony Blinken, Blinken, ”, Harakat, “ We’re, We’re, ” John Kirby, they’ve, ” Sabrina Singh, Jon Alterman, ” Alterman Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, National Security Council, Middle East, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Iran’s, American, Lebanon, Yemen, Tehran, United States, “, Israel, Russia, China

☆ US secretly warned Iran before ISIS terror attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US secretly warned Iran that ISIS was planning a potential terror attack inside Iran’s borders before the group carried out a deadly attack near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani on January 3, according to a US official. The private warning was based on intelligence the US had obtained about ISIS’ plans and was given to Iran based on the US government’s “duty to warn” policy, the official said. “Prior to ISIS’ terrorist attack on January 3, 2024, in Kerman, Iran, the US government provided Iran with a private warning that there was a terrorist threat within Iranian borders,” the official said. “The US government followed a longstanding ‘duty to warn’ policy that has been implemented across administrations to warn governments against potential lethal threats. We provide these warnings in part because we do not want to see innocent lives lost in terror attacks.”The Iranian government was ultimately unable to stop the ISIS attack, which was the deadliest in Iran since its 1979 revolution.

Persons: Qasem Soleimani, “, ” Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Wall Street, UN, National Intelligence Locations: Iran, Kerman

☆ Iran extends Nobel Prize winner Narges Mohammadi’s prison sentence
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jomana Karadsheh | Adam Pourahmadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been sentenced to an additional 15 months in prison, Mohammadi’s family said in a written statement sent to CNN on Monday. On top of the extra 15 months in prison, the new sentence orders Mohammadi to “two years of exile outside Tehran and neighboring provinces,” according to her family. Mohammadi was also given a two-year travel ban, “a two-year ban on membership in social-political groups, and a two-year ban on using a smartphone,” the statement added. Mohammadi was already serving a sentence of ten years and nine months, accused of actions against national security and propaganda against the state. She was also sentenced to 154 lashes, a punishment rights groups believe has not been inflicted so far, along with restrictions on travel.

Persons: Narges Mohammadi, Mohammadi’s, “, Mohammadi, ’, ”, Mahsa, Niloofar Hamedi, IRNA, Hamedi Organizations: CNN, Peace, Islamic Locations: Islamic Republic, Iran, Tehran, ”

CNN —Two journalists imprisoned in Iran following their coverage of the death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked nationwide protests in 2022, have been temporarily released on bail, according to state-run media. Convicted in October, Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi are currently awaiting a verdict on their appeals, according to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA. But the women were allowed to leave their Tehran jail on Sunday with a bail of 10 billion tomans each (nearly $200,000 each), IRNA reported. Mohammadi was arrested after reporting on Amini’s funeral, according to RSF and the United Nations. “UNESCO welcomed the release on bail today of Iranian journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, two of the three laureates of the 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize.

Persons: Mahsa, Niloofar, IRNA, Hamedi, Mohammadi, Amini, ”, Hamedi’s, Mohamad Hosein Ajoroloo –, –, Amini’s, Amjad, “, Sherif Mansour, Guillermo Cano, Elaheh Mohammadi, —, Niloofar Hamedi Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Committee, Protect Journalists, UNESCO, TIME, Sunday, “ UNESCO Locations: Iran, Tehran, United States, Islamic Republic of Iran, IRNA, East, North Africa

☆ Opinion: How did we get to this point in Yemen?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

(Not a great time to have had an initially incommunicado, and still-hospitalized, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who authorized the strikes in Yemen from his hospital bed on Thursday.) The Houthis, who were once a ragtag militia with the purely local aim of trying to overthrow the Yemen government, are now projecting Iranian power, not only in the Red Sea but across the region. In other words, just as Hezbollah in Lebanon, 1,500 miles to the north of Yemen, is effectively an arm of the Iranian government, so too now are the Houthis. Those weapons have also been used to attack oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Saudi-allied United Arab Emirates, and, more recently, have targeted Israel as well. Yet, Saudi Arabia is a key reason that the Houthis are now so closely allied to Iran and so well armed.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, Joe Biden, Defense Lloyd Austin, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, “, Biden Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Defense, United Nations, United Locations: New America, Yemen, Israel, Red, Suez, Lebanon, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Riyadh, Gaza, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iranian

☆ Found document suggests Iran sought to help Hamas make its own weapons ahead of attack, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Jake Tapper | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Israeli government declined to comment on the document, though sources in the government confirmed its authenticity on background. Israeli officials say this is the first known instance of Iran attempting to fund this kind of university-hosted training for Hamas operatives, a claim US officials said they could not confirm. Current and former US officials say the program is part of a well-known training program Iran provides to students from allied countries and groups to project soft-power influence across the region. As of now, Israeli intelligence has identified only a few Hamas military operatives who have already arrived in Iran. One candidate is marked to study “technologies,” one to study “physics,” one to study engineering,” one to study “programming,” one to study “law” and two to study “management.”

Persons: Jonathan Panikoff, ”, Panikoff, ” Panikoff Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Hamas, Lebanese, United Nations, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: Gaza, Iran, Israel, East, Tehran, “

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 leaders' summit in Bali, Indonesia, November 14, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss strengthening communication and managing competition when they meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit this week. Biden and Xi have known each other for more than a decade and have shared hours of conversation over six interactions since Biden's 2021 inauguration. However, they have met only once in person since then and Xi has not visited the United States since 2017. Sullivan said that at APEC Biden would put forward his economic vision for the region and speak about "how the United States is the preeminent driver of inclusive, sustainable economic growth in the Asia Pacific."

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Kevin Lamarque, President Joe Biden, Xi, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Sullivan, Nancy Pelosi, we've, Matt Murray, Steve Holland, Nandita Bose, David Brunnstrom, Alistair Bell Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, President, Economic Cooperation, San Francisco Bay Area, Biden, House, U.S ., United, U.S, APEC, Wednesday, APEC Biden, Thomson Locations: Bali , Indonesia, Asia, San Francisco Bay, U.S, People's Republic of China, United States, Washington, China, Taiwan, San Francisco, Israel, Ukraine, North, Russia, Beijing, Iran, East

☆ Iran envoy says Tehran had no direct role in Hamas’ Israel rampage, or proxy attacks on US forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Jennifer Deaton | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Iravani said there was cooperation and collaboration, but that Iran was not directing any of those operations. He likened Iran’s role to that of the US in providing assistance to Israel. Tehran has long been accused of arming Hamas and other Iran-aligned groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, as regional attacks by its proxies have escalated and become increasingly frequent. CNN pressed Iravani as to whether Iran supported Hamas’ murder of women and children and its hostage-taking on October 7. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shi’a movement based in Lebanon with one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East, has also said that Hamas’ attack was kept secret from them.

Persons: Amir Saeid Iravani, Iravani, “, ”, Defense Lloyd Austin, General Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah Organizations: CNN, Republic’s United Nations, UN, United States, Pentagon, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Defense, Quds Force, US, Hamas, Israel Locations: Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Houthis, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, IRGC, UN, Tehran, Gaza, East

[1/2] A view shows smoke in the Gaza Strip as seen from Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel October 18, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON/BAGHDAD, Nov 9 (Reuters) - A defective drone in Iraq may have helped keep America from being dragged deeper into a widening Middle East conflict. The possibility of a major strike that draws America into a conflict is "a very realistic concern," he said. "I think they are calibrating the attacks to harass rather than kill en masse U.S. troops," he said of Iraqi and Syrian militias. "We had rocket attacks, mortar attacks, before we got hit with the big bomb," he said.

Persons: Amir Cohen, David Schenker, Joe Biden, Biden, Antony Blinken, Mohammed Shia Al, Sudani, Ali Turki, Arif al, didn't, Saddam Hussein, it's, Blinken, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, isn't, Biden's, Lloyd Austin, hasn't, Tom Cotton, Austin, Lindsey Graham, Austin demurred, Graham, David Madaras, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Ahmed Rasheed, Amina Ismail, Parisa, Michael Georgy, Pravin Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Israel, Pentagon, Washington Institute for Near, Sunday, Haq, IRAN Iraq's, U.S . Navy, Wednesday, U.S . Defense, Democrat, Senate Armed Services Committee, Republican, United, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, WASHINGTON, BAGHDAD, Iraq, America, Erbil, Iranian, Syria, U.S, Iran, Syrian, Sudani's, Baghdad, IRAQ, IRAN, Tehran, Iraqi, Lebanon, Russian, Washington, TEHRAN, Yemen, Ukraine, China, pullout, Afghanistan, Ohio, Beirut, United States

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