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☆ Israel Faced a Sophisticated Attack From Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Jin Yu Young | More About Jin Yu Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The weapons Iran used on Saturday can travel much farther, and some of them can travel much faster. Still, Israel said that nearly all of the missiles and drones that Iran fired were intercepted, many with help from U.S. forces. In Saturday’s attack, 185 drones, 36 cruise missiles and 110 surface-to-surface missiles were fired toward Israel, according to Israeli military officials. It has a range of more than 1,200 miles — plenty to reach Israel from Iran. In recent decades, Iran has largely been focused on deterrence, long-range missiles, drones and air defenses.

Persons: Israel, Fabian Hinz, Jeffrey Lewis Organizations: Hamas, Islamic, Fajr, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, International Security, U.S . State Department Locations: Iran, Israel, U.S, Iraq, Yemen, Berlin, United States, Vietnam

☆ Opinion: What does Iran really want?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“A modern, strong, peaceful Iran could become a pillar of stability and progress in the region,” former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger wrote in 2006. Iran introduced into the Iraqi war zone highly effective roadside bombs known as EFPs – Explosively Formed Penetrators – that wounded and killed hundreds of American soldiers. The official US Army history of the Iraq War concluded that Iran was the only winner of that war. Iran’s ‘cookie-cutter approach’Norman Roule was the top US intelligence official on Iran from 2008 to 2017. The withdrawal of the US troops from neighboring Iraq is a key goal of Iran, which exerts considerable influence over some Iraqi politicians.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, Shah, Henry Kissinger, Iran’s ayatollahs, Karim Sadjadpour, Sadjadpour, Reagan, bin Laden, bin, al, Saddam Hussein, –, Noam Chomsky, Iran’s, Norman Roule, Roule, propping, Bashar al, Assad, Christine Abizaid, ”, Trump, Obama, Donald Trump, ‘, Benjamin Netanyahu, hasn’t, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, hadn’t, Biden, Abizaid, Mohammed Shia Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Saturday, East, CIA, US Army, Israel, US National Counterterrorism Center, US Treasury Department, ‘ Deemed, United Nations, Israel’s, Hamas, Iran, White, ISIS Locations: New America, Israel, Iranian, Damascus, Iran, United States, Palestine, ”, Lebanon, Beirut, Saudi, al Qaeda, Iraqi, Saddam, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Red, Suez, Gaza, New York, Damascus ”, Jordan

☆ Live Updates: Israel Says Confrontation With Iran ‘Is Not Over’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Mike Ives | Isabel Kershner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

The Iranian armed forces are among the biggest in the Middle East, with 580,000 soldiers and officers and also 200,000 reservists. The start of a direct military confrontation between Iran and Israel has brought renewed attention to Iran’s armed forces. Instead, Israel and Iran have been engaged in a long shadow war via air, sea, land and cyberattacks, and Israel has covertly targeted military and nuclear facilities inside Iran and killed commanders and scientists. It’s that they realize any war against Iran is a very serious war.”What sort of military threat does Iran pose? The commander in chief of Iran’s armed forces is the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word on all major decisions.

Persons: ”, Afshon Ostovar, “ It’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Fabian Hinz, “, Atta Kenare, Ostovar, Ayatollah Khamenei, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Will Israel’s Organizations: Naval Postgraduate School, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Guards, General Staff of, Armed Forces, Quds Force, Agence France, Phantoms, Iranian Army, Associated Press Locations: Tehran, Iranian, Iran, Israel, Damascus, United States, Washington, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Jihad, Gaza, Berlin, speedboats, Persian, Hormuz, Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, North Korea

☆ Iranian navy seizes Israel-linked container ship amid escalating tensions in Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Adam Pourahmadi | Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has confirmed the seizure, saying there are 25 crew on board. Portugal’s government said that it was in touch with the Iranian authorities. The Strait of Hormuz, at the northern end of the Gulf of Oman, is the biggest oil chokepoint in the world. The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, wrote on social media platform X that he had spoken with Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz. The two discussed their “shared concerns about Iranian threats to attack Israel,” Cameron wrote, adding that “further escalation in the region is in no-one’s interest and risks further loss of civilian life.”

Persons: CNN —, IRNA, “, Eyal Ofer, Joe Biden, Daniel Hagari, Israel, David Cameron, Benny Gantz, ” Cameron, ” Organizations: CNN, CNN — Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Navy, Zodiac, Mediterranean Shipping Company, United, Israel Defense Forces, United Kingdom’s Locations: Israeli, Hormuz, Iran, Syria, Portuguese, Gulf of Oman, Tehran, Iranian, United States, Damascus, Gaza, The Iran, Yemen, Red, Israel

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

☆ Iran has launched drone attacks at Israel, U.S. officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Office of the Iranian SupremeIran on Saturday launched attacks against Israel, according to U.S. officials, escalating long-standing tensions between the two nations that have the potential to trigger a regional war. "Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a Saturday statement. Earlier on Saturday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard seized a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship with links to Israel in the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a Saturday statement that the missile and drone launches were "in response to the crimes by the Zionist Regime." "If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will react and attack in Iran," Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz wrote in a Wednesday post on X, tagging the Ayatollah's X account.

Persons: Ali Khamenei, Israel, Adrienne Watson, Daniel Hagari, Joe Biden, Lloyd Austin, Antony Blinken, perpetrating, Israel Katz Organizations: Iran's, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Saturday, Security, Israel Defense Forces, U.S, White, Defense, Iran's Revolutionary Guard, House, Zionist, Foreign Affairs Locations: Damascus, Tehran, Iran, Iranian, United States, Israel, Portuguese, Strait, Hormuz, Gaza

☆ A Look at Iran’s Military Capabilities as It Threatens Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The possibility of a direct military confrontation between Iran and Israel has brought renewed attention to Iran’s armed forces. Early this month, Israel attacked a building in Iran’s diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing seven of Iran’s senior commanders and military personnel. Here’s a look at Iran’s military and its capabilities. Why is Iran’s military relevant right now? After Israel attacked the Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus, Tehran responded with a threat to avenge the killings of its military personnel.

Persons: Israel, Donald J, Trump, Qassim Suleimani Locations: Iran, Israel, Damascus, Tehran, United States, Gen, Iraq

☆ IEA downgrades oil demand growth forecast as prices heat up on elevated Middle East tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The International Energy Agency on Friday downgraded its forecast for 2024 oil demand growth, citing "exceptionally weak" OECD deliveries, a largely complete post-Covid-19 rebound and an expanding electric vehicle fleet. In its latest monthly oil market report, the IEA said it had revised down its 2024 oil demand growth forecast by around 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.2 million bpd. The IEA's report comes amid a rebound in oil prices on elevated Middle East tensions, with energy market participants closely monitoring the prospect of supply disruptions from the oil-producing region. Asked about some of the main concerns relating to oil supply security, Bosoni replied, "We are watching, obviously, the Middle East very closely. "So, there are several tension points in the oil market today that we're watching very closely that could have major impacts ... if there would be any significant outages," she added.

Persons: CNBC's, Bosoni Organizations: The International Energy Agency, Organization of, Petroleum, Brent, U.S, West Texas Locations: Monahans , Texas, Iran, Israel, Syrian, Damascus, London, China, Europe, United States, Russia, Ukraine

American intelligence analysts and officials said on Friday that they expected Iran to strike multiple targets inside Israel within the next few days in retaliation for an Israeli bombing in the Syrian capital on April 1 that killed several senior Iranian commanders. The United States, Israel’s pre-eminent ally, has military forces in several places across the Middle East. Any Iranian strike inside Israel would be a watershed moment in the decades of hostilities between the two nations that would most likely open a volatile new chapter in the region. And an Iranian attack would heighten the risk of a wider conflict that could drag in multiple countries, including the United States. In remarks to reporters on Friday, President Biden said that he expected a military attack against Israel “sooner rather than later,” and that his message to Iran was “don’t.”

Persons: Israel’s, Biden, Israel “, “, ” Locations: Iran, Israel, United States

☆ Iran's Khamenei says Israel 'must be punished' for Syria embassy attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a graduation ceremony for armed forces officers at the Imam Ali academy in Tehran, Iran, on Oct. 10, 2023. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday that Israel "must be punished and it shall be" for attacking the Iranian embassy compound in Syria. "When they attack the consulate, it is as if they have attacked our soil," Khamenei said in a speech marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In an apparent response to Khamenei, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Israel will respond if Iran attacks Israel from its own soil. Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali, Iran's, Khamenei, Israel Katz, Katz Organizations: Iran's, Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah Locations: Tehran, Iran, Israel, Syria, Gaza, Hamas, Lebanese, U.S, Iraq, Yemen, Aden

☆ EU Parliament approves major reforms to migration policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The wide-ranging reforms are designed to ease the burden on countries that have historically taken the most asylum-seekers among the EU’s 27 member states. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, said: “We have delivered a robust legislative framework on how to deal with migration and asylum in the EU. In theory, the EU will now spread the burden across the 27 member states, either through relocation of people to other member states or through financial and practical assistance in processing refugee claims. In a number of EU countries – notably Italy, Hungary, Slovakia and Sweden – anti-immigrant Euroskeptic politicians are in power, either outright or through coalition. “And it will ultimately be up to the member states themselves to decide how these new measures are practically managed.

Persons: Roberta Metsola, Joelle Grogan, Grogan, ”, Alberto Neidhardt, Neidhardt Organizations: CNN, European, EU, European Policy, Ukraine Locations: Greece, Italy, Malta, East, North Africa, Dublin, Brussels, “, Hungary, Slovakia, Sweden, France, Germany, Ukraine, United States

☆ US preparing for significant Iran attack on US or Israeli assets in the region as soon as next week
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —The US is on high alert and actively preparing for a “significant” attack that could come as soon as within the next week by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region in response to Monday’s Israeli strike in Damascus that killed top Iranian commanders, a senior administration official tells CNN. Senior US officials currently believe that an attack by Iran is “inevitable” – a view shared by their Israeli counterparts, that official said. A forthcoming Iranian attack was a major topic of discussion on President Joe Biden’s phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. As of Friday, the two governments did not know when or how Iran planned to strike back, the official said. At least six Syrian citizens were also killed, Iranian state television reported on Tuesday.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Zahedi, Donald Trump, IRGC, Qassem Soleimani, ”, Sabrina Singh, Israel, it’s, ” Singh, Israel’s, CNN’s Helen Regan, Hamdi Alkhshali, Tamara Qiblawi Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Senior, Israeli, Revolutionary Guards, Foreign Ministry, US, National Security, United, US State Department, Hamas, Ministry of Health Locations: Iran, Damascus, Israel, Syria, Baghdad, United States, Tehran, Gaza

☆ Lirvana Labs developed an AI companion that it thinks will revolutionize the classroom. Here's the pitch deck the startup used to land $5.3 million.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewAI has been a boom for the education space, and one startup just raised millions by convincing investors that large language models and generative AI will supercharge kids' learning. The startup, Lirvana Labs, just raised $5.3 million in seed funding from Kapor Capital, Transcend Capital Partners, and Chingona Ventures, Business Insider has learned. Lirvana Labs is betting that AI can counteract these trends. The startup's tech is available via a mobile app, which costs $9.99 monthly or $69.99 annually. Check out the 13-slide pitch deck Lirvana Labs used to raise its seed-funding round.

Persons: —, Christie, Clement Pang, Pang, Christie Pang Organizations: Service, Lirvana Labs, Kapor, Partners, Chingona Ventures, Business, National Center for Education Studies, Nations Locations: Menlo Park , California, Lebanon

☆ Former Trump national security advisor John Bolton says Gaza war is still 'in the very early stages'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former U.S. national security advisor John Bolton believes Israel's war in Gaza is "still in the very early stages" and says it has been complicated by Iran's involvement. Framing the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas as "an Iranian war against Israel," Bolton told CNBC's Dan Murphy: "The fact that Iran has not yet been held to account for any of it, suggests that we're still in the very early stages of the war." "This is not a Gaza versus Israel war, or a Palestinian versus Israel war, or an Arab versus Israel war. This is an Iranian war against Israel, fought through terrorist proxies," he told CNBC on Wednesday. Bolton is a noted foreign policy hawk and has previously advocated for regime change by the U.S. in Iran.

Persons: John Bolton, Bolton, CNBC's Dan Murphy, we're, Israel Organizations: National Security, National Council of Resistance, U.S, Representative, Willard InterContinental Hotel, Washington , DC, Former U.S, Israel, Palestinian Islamist, CNBC, Wednesday, Bolton Locations: Iran, Washington ,, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Iranian, U.S, Syrian, Damascus, Tehran

☆ Back-to-Back Strikes by Israel Show Strengths and Limits of Accuracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Mark Landler | Adam Rasgon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

About 5 p.m. on Monday, Israeli warplanes streaked across the Syrian border, striking an embassy building in Damascus and killing a cadre of senior Iranian military commanders with the kind of pinpoint accuracy that has earned Israel’s military fear and respect across the Middle East. Several hours later, the same Israeli military rained missiles on an aid convoy on a coastal road in the Gaza Strip, a botched operation that left seven foreign aid workers dead and Israel’s reputation in tatters. Its leaders were forced to admit to a string of lethal mistakes and misjudgments. How one of the world’s best-equipped, best-trained militaries could pull off a dangerous strike on foreign soil and then stumble with such tragic consequences in Gaza raises a raft of hard questions — not least how the Israeli military enforces the rules of engagement in its war against Hamas.

Locations: Damascus, Gaza

☆ Middle East Crisis Iran Blames Israel for Deaths of Top Commanders in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

The covert war has previously included Israel’s targeted assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists, and Iran’s use of foreign proxies to strike Israeli interests. “For years, Israel and Iran have been engaged in what’s usually called a ‘shadow war,’” Ali Vaez, the Iran director for the International Crisis Group, said Monday in a social media post. Israel and Iran differed in their descriptions of the building that was hit. Iran described it as part of its diplomatic mission in Syria, but Israel said it was being used by the Revolutionary Guards, making it a legitimate military target. Mr. Akbari said among those killed were several Iranian military advisers deployed to Syria.

Persons: Israel, Israel’s, Mohamad Reza Zahedi, General Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haj Rahimi, Hossein Aman Allahi, ’ ” Ali Vaez, “, ” Nasser Kanaani, Mr, Kanaani, Daniel Hagari, ” Mr, Vaez, ”, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Hossein Akbari, Akbari, Iran’s, Peyman Syed Taheri, Taheri Organizations: Iranian Embassy, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Corps, Hamas, Quds Force, Quds Forces, Quds, Guards, International Crisis, Iran’s, Palestinian, Revolutionary Guards, CNN Locations: Damascus, Syria, Iranian, Syrian, Iran’s Quds, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Quds, “ Iran, Jihad, ”, Tehran

☆ Iran says Israel bombs its embassy in Syria, kills commanders
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Emergency and security personnel gather at the site of strikes which hit a building next to the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital Damascus, on April 1, 2024. Suspected Israeli warplanes bombed Iran's embassy in Syria on Monday in a strike that Iran said killed seven of its military advisers, including three senior commanders, and that marked a major escalation in Israel's war with its regional adversaries. Reuters reporters at the site in the Mezzeh district of Damascus saw emergency workers clambering atop rubble of a destroyed building inside the diplomatic compound, adjacent to the main Iranian embassy building. Iran's ambassador to Syria said the strike hit a consular building in the embassy compound and that his residence was on the top two floors. Israel has long targeted Iran's military installations in Syria and those of its proxies, but Monday's attack was the first time Israel hit the vast embassy compound itself.

Persons: Faisal Mekdad, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Israel Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, Syrian, Force, Hamas Locations: Syria's, Damascus, Iranian, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Mezzeh, Israel

The Israeli military told CNN it does not comment on foreign reports. CNN cannot verify the Times’ report, nor independently verify the claims from Iran, Syria and Israel. Increasing pressureAs the Middle East braces for a potential Iranian response, Tehran is under pressure to show strength in the wake of the consulate attack while not drawing the region into a wider war. The Lebanese Shia militant group has been embroiled in daily crossfire with Israeli forces for nearly six months. However, Israeli military spokesman Hagari blamed Iran for escalating tensions in the region.

Persons: Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Donald Trump, IRGC, Qassem Soleimani, ”, Israel, Daniel Hagari, “, Israel’s, Syria Hossein Akbari, Nasser Kanaani, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, d’affaires, Amir, ” Amir, Faisal Mekdad meanwhile, Houthi, Parsi, Zahedi, Bejamin Netanyahu, Hagari, I’m Organizations: CNN, Revolutionary Guards, Foreign Ministry, Israel Defense Forces, New York Times, Hamas, Ministry of Health, Zionist, Iranian Foreign Ministry, Israel, Syrian Foreign, Diplomatic Relations, US, Quincy Institute, Responsible Locations: Iran, Israel, Syria, Gaza, Damascus, Baghdad, Tehran, Lebanese, ” Iran, United States, Quds, Iranian Embassy, Iranian, Islamic Republic, Washington, Swiss, Switzerland, Syrian, Vienna, Iraq, Jordan, Red, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Yemen

☆ Oil prices climb to five-month high on escalating Middle East tensions and fresh supply threats
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A flare stack burns beyond oil storage tanks at the Taneco Oil Refining and Petrochemical complex, operated by Tatneft PJSC, in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, Russia, on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Oil prices on Tuesday rose to their highest level since October as investors closely monitored fresh supply threats amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East and a Ukrainian drone strike on a major Russian oil refinery. International benchmark Brent crude futures for June delivery traded at $88.58 per barrel at 1:15 p.m. London time, up $1.2 per barrel from the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures with May expiry stood at $84.97 per barrel, roughly $1.3 per barrel higher. PVM's Varga warned that the potential for direct Iranian involvement in the Israel-Hamas war could spark a "region-wide conflict with plausible impact on oil supply."

Persons: Tatneft PJSC, Brent, Tamas Varga, Israel, PVM's Varga, Rustam Minnikhanov, Minnikhanov, Russia —, — CNBC's Elliot Smith Organizations: Oil Refining, Petrochemical, Brent, . West Texas, Sky News, Organization of, Petroleum Locations: Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, Russia, Ukrainian, London, haven't, Iran, Syrian, Damascus, Tehran, Israel, Ukraine, Moscow, OPEC

☆ Iran and Israel Have a Long History of Clandestine Attacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For decades, Israel and Iran have fought a shadow war across the Middle East, trading attacks by land, sea, air and in cyberspace. Iran has largely used foreign proxies to strike Israeli interests, while targeted assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists have been a key part of Israel’s strategy. Israel’s strike in the Syrian capital, Damascus, that killed three top Iranian commanders on Monday was the most brazen attack in years, raising fears of a wider confrontation. That would be particularly dangerous in a region already in turmoil on multiple fronts, including Israel’s war in Gaza, cross-border skirmishes between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia against Western interests in the Red Sea. An escalation between Israel and Iran would also risk further entangling the United States, given the presence of American troops in the region.

Persons: Yemen’s Locations: Israel, Iran, Damascus, Gaza, Lebanese, Red, United States

At least three senior commanders and four officers overseeing Iran’s covert operations in the Middle East were killed on Monday when Israeli warplanes struck a building in Damascus that is part of the Iranian Embassy complex, according to Iranian and Syrian officials. The strike in Damascus, the Syrian capital, appeared to be among the deadliest attacks in a yearslong shadow war between Israel and Iran that has included the assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists. That covert war has moved into the open as tensions between the countries have intensified over Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, the Iranian-backed militia that led the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Four Israeli officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters, confirmed that Israel had been behind the strike in Damascus, but denied that the building had diplomatic status.

Persons: Israel Organizations: Iranian Embassy, Hamas, Israel . Locations: Damascus, Iranian, Israel, Iran, Gaza

CNN —A top commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was killed among several others in an airstrike on the country’s consulate building in Damascus, Syria, according to Iranian officials and state-affiliated media, which blamed Israel for the attack. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRCG) commander Mohammed Reza Zahedi was killed in the attack. Footage of the aftermath of the blast, published by Iranian state media Press TV, showed extensive damage, fire and smoke at the scene. Iranian embassy staff and military advisers were among the dead, he said. Zahedi, the slain commander, was previously the commander of IRGC’s ground forces, the commander of IRGC’s air force, and the deputy commander of the IRGC’s operations.

Persons: Israel, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Hossein Akbari, “, ” Akbari, Akbari, ”, Nasser Kanaani, ” Kanaani, Hossein Amir, Faisal Mekdad, Amir, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, we’re Organizations: CNN, Revolutionary Guard, Iran’s, Ministry, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, Press, Zionist, Israel Defense Forces, Fars News, Iranian, Syrian Foreign, Diplomatic Relations, United States State Department Locations: Damascus, Syria, Iranian, Islamic Republic, Iran, Fars, Syrian, Vienna

☆ Syria Blames Israel for Deadly Attack in Aleppo
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Israel’s military did not immediately comment on the strikes, but it has previously acknowledged carrying out hundreds of assaults on Iran-linked targets in Syria. Friday’s attack was at least the second deadly attack in Syria in less than a week. On Tuesday, airstrikes in eastern Syria killed several people. The Iranian state news media said that Israel was responsible, while the Syrian state news agency attributed it to American forces. The Tuesday strikes killed a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, according to Iranian state news media reports.

Persons: —, SANA, Ali Abdulhassan Naim, Yoav Gallant, “, ”, Firas Makdesi, Saleh al, Bashar al, Assad, al, Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir V, Putin, Israel, Johnatan Reiss Organizations: Syrian Observatory, Human Rights, —, Lebanese, Hezbollah, Reuters, United Nations, Pentagon, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, World Health Organization Locations: Syrian, Aleppo, Britain, Syria, Lebanese, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria’s, Israeli, Damascus, Beirut, United States, Russia

☆ Airstrikes Kill Soldiers in Syria in Apparent Israeli Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Raja Abdulrahim | Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Airstrikes killed a number of soldiers near the northern Syrian city of Aleppo early Friday, Syria’s state news media and an independent organization reported, in what appeared to be one of the heaviest Israeli attacks in the country in years. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that tracks Syria’s civil war, said that the dead included 36 Syrian soldiers, seven Hezbollah fighters and a Syrian from the pro-Iranian militias. The group said the attack appeared to have hit multiple targets, including a weapons depot belonging to Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia that Iran supports and has a presence in Syria. The airstrikes stoked fears that have unsettled Western officials for months: that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza could escalate into a broader conflict against Syria, Iran and its proxies across the region, which could entangle allies of those involved, like Russia and the United States. But fears of a wider conflict have persisted as Israel and Hezbollah have clashed for months along the border, and as Israel has carried out assaults on Iran-linked targets in Syria.

Organizations: Syrian Observatory, Human Rights, Lebanese, . Army Locations: Syrian, Aleppo, Britain, Iran, Syria, Gaza, Russia, United States, Israel

☆ Israeli airstrikes on Syria’s Aleppo result in civilian and military casualties – Syrian state media
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Eyad Kourdi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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