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A day before the U.S. embassy in Moscow put out a rare public alert this month about a possible extremist attack at a Russian concert venue, the local C.I.A. station delivered a private warning to Russian officials that included at least one additional detail: The plot in question involved an offshoot of the Islamic State known as ISIS-K.American intelligence had been tracking the group closely and believed the threat credible. Within days, however, President Vladimir V. Putin was disparaging the warnings, calling them “outright blackmail” and attempts to “intimidate and destabilize our society.”Three days after he spoke, gunmen stormed Crocus City Hall outside Moscow last Friday night and killed at least 143 people in the deadliest attack in Russia in nearly two decades. ISIS quickly claimed responsibility for the massacre with statements, a photo and a propaganda video. What made the security lapse seemingly even more notable was that in the days before the massacre Russia’s own security establishment had also acknowledged the domestic threat posed by the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, called Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, ” Organizations: Crocus City Hall, Moscow, ISIS, Islamic State Locations: U.S, Moscow, Russian, Islamic, Crocus, Russia, Afghanistan, State Khorasan Province

☆ Middle East Crisis Israeli and U.S. Defense Ministers to Meet in Washington With Tensions High
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

For the increasingly tense U.S.-Israel relationship, the fallout from passage of the U.N. cease-fire resolution was immediate, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he would not send a planned high-level delegation to Washington for meetings with U.S. officials. But on Monday, when the Security Council took up a less strongly worded resolution, calling for a cease-fire for the holy month of Ramadan, the U.S. representative abstained, allowing the measure to pass. Mr. Gallant, before meeting with Mr. Sullivan, gave no sign Israel would agree to a cease-fire. He reiterated the administration’s position that before going into Rafah, Israel must have a detailed plan to protect, shelter and feed the civilians there. The U.N. resolution and the American role in it drew angry responses from far-right elements of Israel’s government.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu, “, Mr, Israel’s, John F, Kirby, ”, ” Mr, Yoav Gallant, Jake Sullivan, Antony J, Blinken, Lloyd J, Austin III, Gallant, Sullivan, Austin, Patrick Ryder, General Ryder, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Eric Schmitt, David E, Sanger, Cassandra Vinograd Organizations: United, Security, U.S, White, National Security Council, Pentagon, . Security, Palestinian, Security Council Locations: Israel, Washington, Rafah, Gaza, United States, ”

☆ ISIS Affiliate Linked to Moscow Attack Has Global Ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Five years ago this month, an American-backed Kurdish and Arab militia ousted Islamic State fighters from a village in eastern Syria, the group’s last sliver of territory. Since then, the organization that once staked out a self-proclaimed caliphate across Iraq and Syria has metastasized into a more traditional terrorist group — a clandestine network of cells from West Africa to Southeast Asia engaged in guerrilla attacks, bombings and targeted assassinations. None of the group’s affiliates have been as relentless as the Islamic State in Khorasan, which is active in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran and has set its sights on attacking Europe and beyond. U.S. officials say the group carried out the attack near Moscow on Friday, killing scores of people and wounding many others. In January, Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, carried out twin bombings in Iran that killed scores and wounded hundreds of others at a memorial service for Iran’s former top general, Qassim Suleimani, who was targeted in a U.S. drone strike four years earlier.

Persons: Qassim Suleimani Organizations: Islamic Locations: American, Syria, Iraq, West Africa, Southeast Asia, Khorasan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Europe, U.S, Moscow, State Khorasan

is a national security correspondent for The Times, focusing on U.S. military affairs and counterterrorism issues overseas, topics he has reported on for more than three decades.

Organizations: The Times

☆ What We Know About ISIS-K, the Group That Claimed Responsibility for the Moscow Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The group that claimed credit for the deadly terrorist attack in Moscow on Friday is the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan called Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K.ISIS-K was founded in 2015 by disaffected members of the Pakistani Taliban, who then embraced a more violent version of Islam. The group saw its ranks cut roughly in half, to about 1,500 to 2,000 fighters, by 2021 from a combination of American airstrikes and Afghan commando raids that killed many of its leaders. The group got a dramatic second wind soon after the Taliban toppled the Afghan government that year. During the U.S. military withdrawal from the country, ISIS-K carried out a suicide bombing at the international airport in Kabul in August 2021 that killed 13 U.S. troops and as many as 170 civilians. The attack raised ISIS-K’s international profile, positioning it as a major threat to the Taliban’s ability to govern.

Organizations: Islamic State, Taliban Locations: Moscow, Afghanistan, State Khorasan Province, Kabul, U.S

The United States collected intelligence in March that Islamic State-Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, the branch of the group based in Afghanistan, had been planning an attack on Moscow, according to officials. In addition to publicly warning on March 7 about a possible attack, U.S. officials said they had privately told Russian officials about the intelligence pointing to an impending attack. It is not clear how much information the United States gave Russian officials beyond what was in the public warning. Western intelligence agencies had collected intelligence about possible planning by ISIS-K to bomb the service. As in Russia, ISIS-K claimed responsibility for that attack.

Persons: ”, Vladimir V, Putin, Colin P, Clarke, Qassim Suleimani Organizations: Islamic State, United, ISIS, Soufan, Kremlin, United States Locations: Moscow, United States, State, Khorasan, Afghanistan, Russia, Europe, New York, Chechnya, Syria, Iran, U.S, United

☆ Niger Orders American Troops to Leave Its Territory
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Ruth Maclean | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Niger said it is revoking its military cooperation deal with the United States, ordering 1,000 American armed forces personnel to leave the country and throwing the United States’ strategy in the region into disarray. The announcement by the West African nation’s military junta on Saturday came after meetings last week with a delegation from Washington and the top U.S. commander for Africa, Gen. Michael E. Langley. The move is in keeping with a recent pattern by countries in the Sahel region, an arid area south of the Sahara, of breaking ties with Western countries. American officials also voiced alarm in the meetings about several other issues, including whether Niger’s military government was nearing a deal to give Iran access to Niger’s vast uranium reserves, a concern that was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal. Niger’s rejection of military ties with the United States follows the withdrawal from Niger of troops from France, the former colonial power that, for the past decade, has led foreign counterterrorism efforts against jihadist groups in West Africa, but which has lately been perceived as a pariah in the region.

Persons: Michael E Organizations: West African, Wall Street Locations: Niger, United States, States, Washington, Africa, Sahel, Russia, Iran, France, West Africa

☆ Iran and U.S. Held Secret Talks on Proxy Attacks and Cease-Fire
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Iran and the United States held secret, indirect talks in Oman in January, addressing the escalating threat posed to Red Sea shipping by the Houthis in Yemen, as well as the attacks on American bases by Iran-backed militias in Iraq, according to Iranian and U.S. officials familiar with the discussions. The secret talks were held on Jan. 10 in Muscat, the capital of Oman, with Omani officials shuffling messages back and forth between delegations of Iranians and Americans sitting in separate rooms. The meeting, first reported by The Financial Times this week, was the first time Iranian and American officials had held in-person negotiations — albeit indirectly — in nearly eight months. American officials said Iran requested the meeting in January and the Omanis strongly recommended that the United States accept. Since the beginning of the war in Gaza after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, the United States and Iran have reassured each other that neither was seeking a direct confrontation, a stance conveyed in messages they passed through intermediaries.

Persons: Ali Bagheri Kani, Brett McGurk Organizations: The Financial Locations: Iran, United States, Oman, Yemen, Iraq, Muscat, Gaza, Israel

The Yemen-based branch of Al Qaeda said on Sunday that its leader, Khaled Batarfi, had died. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, known as A.Q.A.P., released a video announcing Mr. Batarfi’s death, showing images of him wrapped in a white funeral shroud overlaid with a black Al Qaeda flag. The United States government once considered Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to be one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist organizations. The United States previously offered a $6 million reward for information about Mr. al-Awlaki, and $5 million for tips about Mr. Batarfi. Born in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Batarfi traveled in the 1990s to Afghanistan and fought alongside the Taliban before joining Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, according to a U.S. informational sheet about him.

Persons: Al Qaeda, Khaled Batarfi, Batarfi’s, ”, Gregory D, Johnsen, “, Ibrahim Al, Batarfi, Saad bin Atef, Awlaki Organizations: Al, United, Gulf States Institute Locations: Yemen, Al, Al Qaeda, United States, American, Washington, Sudanese, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda’s

☆ U.S. Military Enters a New Phase With Gaza Aid Operations
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Helene Cooper | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States has a history of using its military to get food, water and other humanitarian relief to civilians during wars or natural disasters. But it is rare for the United States to try to provide such services for people who are being bombed with tacit U.S. support. President Biden’s decision to order the U.S. military to build a floating pier off the Gaza Strip that would allow aid to be delivered by sea puts American service members in a new phase of their humanitarian aid history. The floating pier idea came a week after Mr. Biden authorized humanitarian airdrops for Gaza, which relief experts criticized as inadequate. Even the floating pier, aid experts say, will not do enough to alleviate the suffering in the territory, where residents are on the brink of starvation.

Persons: Biden’s, Biden Organizations: Pentagon Locations: States, Haiti, Liberia, Indonesia, United States, Gaza, Israel

☆ Kyrsten Sinema’s exit puts the spotlight on the Senate’s shrinking pool of dealmakers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Lauren Fox | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

For months, the two of them had worked tirelessly alongside Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma to craft a bipartisan deal on immigration. “The base of each party wants individuals who will fight, but not individuals who will reach across the aisle to get things done,” Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said. “I’ve seen a shift towards basically really not wanting to do anything,” West Virginia Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said. Last cycle alone saw the retirement of Ohio Republican Sen. Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt, another GOP pragmatist, retired after the 2022 election, replaced by Sen. Eric Schmitt.

Persons: Sen, Kyrsten, Democratic Sen, Chris Murphy, Republican Sen, James Lankford of, Sinema, Murphy, ” Murphy, “, ” Sinema, Donald Trump, Mitt Romney, Joe Manchin, he’d, Romney, Trump, ” Romney, I’ve, ” West Virginia Republican Sen, Shelley Moore Capito, Ohio Republican Sen, Rob Portman, J.D, Vance, Trump . Missouri Republican Sen, Roy Blunt, GOP pragmatist, Eric Schmitt, appropriator Sen, Richard Shelby of, Richard Burr of, Bob Corker, Marsha Blackburn, Anna Moneymaker, we’ve, Lamar Alexander, ”, Tim Kaine, “ We’re, Kari Lake, –, Mark Kelly, ” Corker, Kaine, Todd Young, Thom Tillis, It’s, Brian Schatz, ” Sen, Mark Warner, Nathan Howard, Manchin, John Cornyn of, John Thune of, isn’t Organizations: Democratic, Connecticut, Republican, CNN, Senate, ” West Virginia Republican, Ohio Republican, GOP, Trump . Missouri Republican, Intelligence, Senate Foreign Relations, 118th, Democrat, North Carolina Republican, Getty, America Locations: Arizona, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, Ohio, Richard Shelby of Alabama, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Hawaii, Washington , DC, John Cornyn of Texas, John Thune of South Dakota, America

☆ Super Tuesday may underline Trump’s transformation of the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Ron Brownstein | Analysis Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

His performance so far reflects his success at transforming the Republican Party in his image. The most important message from the primaries is the most straightforward: Trump’s coalition is the dominant faction in the GOP. Like McConnell’s announcement, the choices by GOP elected officials in the primary contest signal their acknowledgement of the party’s direction. The share of GOP elected officials who have endorsed Haley isn’t anywhere near as large as her share of the total vote. But a deeper factor also explains the imbalance in support among GOP elected officials.

Persons: Donald Trump, He’s, Ronald Reagan, Nikki Haley, –, Trump, Reagan, Bob Dole, George W, Bush, Mitt Romney, Whit Ayres, Democrat Grover Cleveland, Republican Benjamin Harrison, ” Ayres, Ayres, Grover Cleveland, ” Chris Wilson, Ron DeSantis, “, ”, Gary Langer, he’s, Kyle Kondik, “ It’s, William Mayer, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Democrat Al Gore, Haley, Dwight Eisenhower, Sen, Robert Taft, Mitch McConnell, Haley isn’t, Chris Sununu, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Liz Cheney, Wilson, Mike Johnson, McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, Jennifer Horn, Biden, William Galston, Galston, ’, ‘, Kristen Soltis Anderson, isn’t, Eisenhower, “ Trump, ” Galston, ” Trump, Missouri GOP Sen, Eric Schmitt, wouldn’t, he’d Organizations: CNN, Republican, Republican Party, South Carolina Gov, GOP, Washington, Trump, Veteran GOP, White, Democrat, Democratic, Florida Gov, ”, ABC, University of Virginia’s Center, Politics, Northeastern University, Republican internationalists, Republicans, Chicago Council, Global Affairs, Trump’s GOP, New Hampshire Gov, South, Brookings Institution, Biden, Republican National Committee, Missouri GOP Locations: Sunday’s, Iowa , New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan, George H.W ., Southern, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oakland, Washtenaw, Kent, Ukraine, Trump’s, Missouri

Surprisingly Weak Ukrainian Defenses Help Russian AdvanceUkrainian trenches Ukrainian trenches Rudimentary Ukrainian trench lines outside Avdiivka, in an area claimed by Russia. But there’s another reason the Kremlin’s troops are advancing in the area: poor Ukrainian defenses. These trench lines lack many of the additional fortifications that could help slow Russian tanks and help defend major roads and important terrain. 2 miles Pavlivs’ke Novofedorivka Robotyne Russian fortifications Russian-claimed control Verbove Russian defenses shown below Held by Russia Novoprokopivka Romanivs’ke 2 miles Pavlivs’ke Novofedorivka Russian-claimed control Russian fortifications Verbove Russian defenses shown below Held by Russia Romanivs’ke Russian-claimed control Pavlivs’ke Novofedorivka Russian fortifications Verbove Russian defenses shown below Held by Russia Romanivs’ke 2 miles Sources: Satellite image from Planet Labs; Russian-controlled territory (as of Feb. 29, 2024) from the Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project; Russian fortifications based on data from Brady Africk. Satellite imagery from February shows the multilayered Russian defenses to the west of Verbove, with thousands of shell craters visible in the surrounding fields.

Persons: Avdiivka, Soloviove, Berdychi Stepove, Krasnohorivka, Russia Berdychi, Kyiv’s, Russia Novoprokopivka, Pavlivs’ke, Brady Africk, Verbove, “, ”, Serhiy Hrabskyi, They’d, Denys Shmyhal, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky’s, Paroinen, Mr, Hrabskyi, ” Mr, Oleksandra Mykolyshyn Organizations: Planet Labs, The New York Times Russian, Ukrainian Army, Russia Berdychi Stepove, Institute for, American, The New York Times, Black Bird Group, Russian Army Locations: Avdiivka, Russia, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia Russian, Verbove, Russian, U.S, Moscow, Donetsk, Ivano, Frankivsk, shoring

☆ Pentagon Weighs New Plan to Ship Weapons to Ukraine Quickly
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration is considering whether to provide Ukraine with badly needed arms and ammunition from Pentagon stockpiles even though the government has run out of money to replace those munitions, according to two U.S. officials and a senior lawmaker. Such a move would be a short-term measure to help tide over Ukraine’s armed forces until Congress breaks a monthslong impasse and approves a larger military aid package to the country, the officials said. But in considering whether to tap into the Pentagon stockpiles again, the administration is weighing both the political risks and questions about American military readiness. “It’s something that I know is on the table,” Senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat who leads the Armed Services Committee, said in an interview. Mr. Reed, who recently returned from a trip to Ukraine, said he would support such a stopgap measure in “incremental uses to buy time.”

Persons: Biden, Jack Reed, Reed, ” Organizations: Rhode Island, Armed Services Committee Locations: Ukraine

Iran has made a concerted effort to rein in militias in Iraq and Syria after the United States retaliated with a series of airstrikes for the killing of three U.S. Army reservists this month. Initially, there were regional concerns that the tit-for-tat violence would lead to an escalation of the Middle East conflict. But since the Feb. 2 U.S. strikes, American officials say, there have been no attacks by Iran-backed militias on American bases in Iraq and only two minor ones in Syria. Before then, the U.S. military logged at least 170 attacks against American troops in four months, Pentagon officials said. The relative quiet reflects decisions by both sides and suggests that Iran does have some level of control over the militias.

Organizations: U.S . Army, U.S, Pentagon Locations: Iran, Iraq, Syria

☆ U.S. and Britain Strike 18 Houthi Targets in Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Helene Cooper | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Houthi militants have launched attack drones and cruise and ballistic missiles at vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The United States and Britain carried out another round of large-scale military strikes Saturday against multiple sites in Yemen controlled by Houthi militants, U.S. officials said. On Monday, Houthi militants fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a cargo ship, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The ship, called the Sea Champion, continued on to its destination at the port of Aden in Yemen, the statement added. The American-led retaliatory air and naval strikes against Houthi targets began last month.

Persons: ”, Houthi, Mason, Lloyd J, Austin III Organizations: Houthi, British, Defense Department, Associated Press, “, Yemeni Armed Forces, U.S ., U.S . Central Command, Central Command, Command, Iranian Locations: Aden, The United States, Britain, Yemen, Iran, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, “ U.S, U.S, Red Sea, Palau, Gaza, Israel, United States, Africa, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia

☆ U.S. and British Warplanes Again Strike Houthi-Linked Targets in Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Helene Cooper | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States and Britain carried out another round of large-scale military strikes Saturday against multiple sites in Yemen controlled by Houthi militants, U.S. officials said. The strikes were intended to degrade the Iran-backed militants’ ability to attack ships in sea lanes that are critical for global trade, a campaign they have carried out for almost four months. American and British warplanes hit missile systems and launchers and other targets, the officials said. Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand provided support for the operation, according to a joint statement from the countries involved that was emailed to reporters by the Defense Department. The strikes, which the statement called “necessary and proportionate,” hit 18 targets across eight locations in Yemen associated with Houthi underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars and a helicopter.

Persons: ” Organizations: Houthi, British, Defense Department Locations: States, Britain, Yemen, Iran, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand

☆ Anti-Ukraine rhetoric has saturated right-wing media. Now it is helping to deliver actual war victories to Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Vladimir Putin’s information war in U.S. media paid off this weekend with a key victory halfway around the world. A CNN poll conducted last summer found that a staggering 71% of Republicans do not support additional aid to thwart Putin’s war on Ukraine. Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty ImagesMuch of the GOP’s softening toward Russia is owed to a near-total reversal in rhetoric from right-wing media personalities and outlets, prompted in large part by Donald Trump’s ascension to power in GOP politics. While the biggest players in right-wing media once fervently championed the foreign policy doctrines of the neo-conservatives, they now follow in the footsteps of Trump and vehemently reject the views once held by the George W. Bush administration. The rhetoric has had a considerable impact on the views of the party, which is now being reflected by its elected leaders.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Julian E, Barnes, Thomas Gibbons, Neff, Eric Schmitt, CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Mitt Romney, ”, Kostiantyn, Donald Trump’s, Trump, George W, Bush, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Matt Gertz, “ Tucker Carlson, ” “, ” Gertz Organizations: New York CNN, U.S . Congress, Eastern, Congress, GOP, Senate, Republican, Republican Party, CNN, Chemical Plant, Fox News, U.S, Ukraine, Republicans, Media Locations: New York, Washington, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Europe, Russia, Avdiivka district, Moscow, U.S

The GOP has been softening its stance on Russia ever since Trump won the 2016 election following Russian hacking of his Democratic opponents. Now the GOP's ambivalence on Russia has stalled additional aid to Ukraine at a pivotal time in the war. Things are changing just not fast enough.”Those who oppose additional Ukraine aid bristle at charges that they are doing Putin's handiwork. Even before Trump, Republican voters were signaling discontent with overseas conflicts, said Douglas Kriner, a political scientist at Cornell University. Skeptics of Ukraine aid argue the war has already decimated the Russian military and that Putin won't be able to target other European countries.

Persons: Republican Sen, Ron Johnson of, Vladimir Putin, “, Johnson, “ Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Putin, Mike Johnson, ”, “ Putin, ” Republican Sen, Thom Tillis, Mitch McConnell of, Alexei Navalny, Joe Biden, Tillis, ” Johnson, Missouri Sen, Eric Schmitt, ” Alabama Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Tucker Carlson’s, Matt Gaetz, Trump, Douglas Kriner, ” Kriner, ” Trump, didn’t, Olga Kamenchuk, ” Kamenchuk, That’s, “ He's, he's, ” Henry Hale, Russell Vought, Sergey Radchenko, Joey Cappelletti, Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro Organizations: Republican, GOP, Trump, Democratic, Republicans, NATO, ” Republican, Republican Party, ”, Cornell University, Northwestern University, Ukraine, Pew Research, George Washington University, Management, Center, Johns Hopkins ’ School, International Studies, Associated Press Locations: Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Europe, U.S, North Carolina, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, America, Missouri, ” Alabama, Waterford Township , Michigan, ” Russia, “, Moscow, Soviet Union, Putin's U.S, Israel, Taiwan, Western Europe, Soviet, Lithuania, Estonia, Washington

☆ U.S. Conducted Cyberattack Against Iranian Military Ship, an Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Eric Schmitt | More About Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The United States recently carried out a cyberattack against an Iranian military vessel that the Pentagon says was gathering intelligence on merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and relaying that information to Houthi fighters, a U.S. military official said on Thursday. The Houthis, who control northern Yemen, have been firing missiles and drones at vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The cyberattack was intended to disrupt the Iranian ship’s ability to share that information with the Houthis, according to the U.S. military, who did not elaborate on the clandestine mission. The New York Times previously reported that the United States had conducted a cyberattack against Iranian targets as part of the response to avenge the deaths of the three soldiers in Jordan. That response also included retaliatory strikes against Iranian forces and the militias they support in seven sites in Syria and Iraq.

Persons: Sabrina Singh Organizations: United, Pentagon, Biden, ., New York Times, Iranian, NBC News Locations: United States, Iranian, Gulf of Aden, U.S, Iraq, Jordan, Djibouti, Yemen, Iran, Gaza, Syria

The United States has informed Congress and its allies in Europe of new intelligence about Russian nuclear capabilities that could pose an international threat, according to officials briefed on the matter. Consequently, it did not pose an urgent threat to the United States, Ukraine or America’s European allies, they said. A current and a former U.S. official said the new intelligence was related to Russia’s attempts to develop a space-based antisatellite nuclear weapon. Current and former officials said the nuclear weapon was not in orbit. Mr. Turner’s statement, and his decision to share the information with others in Congress, set Washington abuzz about what the intelligence was.

Persons: Michael R, Turner, Biden Organizations: ABC News, Republican, House Intelligence, Washington Locations: States, Europe, Russia, United States, Ukraine, U.S, Ohio

☆ Ukraine Has a New Military Commander but the Problems Haven’t Changed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Marc Santora | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian forces are razing the already battered city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine to the ground and sending waves of assault units to overwhelm outgunned Ukrainian troops. After months of brutal fighting, the Russian military is threatening to cut off a vital supply line to the city, which could render further defense impossible. It is a bloody equation that General Syrsky has had to try to work out many times as the commander of ground forces in eastern Ukraine, and it is one that critics — including American military officials — contend he has not always gotten right, particularly in the battle for Bakhmut. Assessing that strategy will be only part of the “renewal” that President Volodymyr Zelensky said was necessary when he dismissed his commanding general, Valery Zaluzhny, on Thursday and named General Syrsky to replace him. Mr. Zelensky also named five generals and two colonels he intends to promote as part of the sweeping overhaul.

Persons: Oleksandr Syrsky, —, Syrsky, Volodymyr Zelensky, Valery Zaluzhny, Zelensky Organizations: Bakhmut Locations: Avdiivka, Ukraine

☆ U.S. Strikes Hit Most of Targets in Iraq and Syria, Pentagon Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

American warplanes destroyed or severely damaged most of the Iranian and militia targets they struck in Syria and Iraq on Friday, according to the Pentagon, the first major salvos in what President Biden and his aides have said will be a sustained campaign. Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said on Monday that “more than 80” of some 85 targets in Syria and Iraq were destroyed or rendered inoperable. The targets, he said, included command hubs; intelligence centers; depots for rockets, missiles and attack drones; as well as logistics and ammunition bunkers. “This is the start of our response, and there will be additional actions taken,” General Ryder told reporters without elaborating. “We do not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else, but attacks on American forces will not be tolerated.”

Persons: Biden, Patrick S, Ryder, General Ryder, ” Organizations: Pentagon Locations: Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Iran

☆ McConnell staked his legacy on a border-Ukraine deal. He may be too out of step with the GOP to save it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

He also joined with other top House Republicans Monday afternoon to implore Senate Republicans to kill it. McConnell is already facing one key defection: Sen. Steve Daines, who leads the Senate GOP's campaign arm, is lined up against the bipartisan deal. "This bill unites Senate Democrats and sharply divides Senate Republicans," Lee said in another post. Since then, a group of Senate Republicans has continued to be vocal about the difficulties of having a GOP leader who has an at best icy relationship with Trump. As of this writing, there's a chance a majority of Senate Republicans will stand against their leader.

Persons: —, Mitch McConnell, He's, Donald Trump's, McConnell, Mike Johnson, Trump, Sen, Steve Daines, doesn't, Jeff Flake, Bob Corker, Ben Sasse, Rob Portman, Roy Blunt, Joe Biden, Mitt Romney, Sens, JD Vance, Ohio, Josh Hawley, Kari Lake, Mike Lee of, Lee, McConnell's, Chuck Schumer, Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Jon Snow, Hawley, Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden, Rick Scott of, There's, Joe Biden's, there's Organizations: Service, Republican, Business, Democratic, Republicans, implore, Republican Party, Senate, Punchbowl News, Trump, GOP, Capitol Hill, Homeland Security, Senate Republicans, Capitol Locations: Ukraine, America, Asia, Sens, Utah, Missouri, Trump, Mike Lee of Utah, Washington, Rick Scott of Florida

☆ U.S. and U.K. Launch Heavy Strikes on Houthi Sites in Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Eric Schmitt | Helene Cooper | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States and Britain carried out large-scale military strikes on Saturday against multiple sites in Yemen controlled by Houthi militants, according to a statement from the two countries and six allies, as the Biden administration continued its reprisal campaign in the Middle East targeting Iran-backed militias. The attacks against 36 Houthi targets at 13 sites in northern Yemen came barely 24 hours after the United States carried out a series of military strikes against Iranian forces and the militias they support at seven sites in Syria and Iraq. American and British warplanes, as well as Navy Tomahawk cruise missiles, hit deeply buried weapons storage facilities; missile systems and launchers; air defense systems; and radars in Yemen, the statement said. Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand provided support, which officials said included intelligence and logistics assistance. “These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners, and are in response to a series of illegal, dangerous and destabilizing Houthi actions since previous coalition strikes,” the statement said, referring to major attacks by the United States and Britain last month.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Houthi, Iranian, British, Navy Locations: States, Britain, Yemen, Iran, United States, Syria, Iraq, Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand

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