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Israeli airstrikes hit two refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing scores of people, health officials said. The strikes came as the U.S. keeps urging Israel to take a humanitarian pause from its relentless bombardment of Gaza and rising civilian deaths. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Ramallah in the West Bank for a previously unannounced meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Political Cartoons View All 1234 ImagesCurrently:— Gaza has lost telecom contact again, while Israel’s military announces it has surrounded Gaza City. — A U.N. official says the average Palestinian in Gaza is living on two pieces of bread a day.

Persons: Israel, Antony Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, Blinken, Mohammed Shia, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, evacuee Sara El, Masry, –, JORDAN, Jordan, King Abdullah II, ”, Michael Hertzog, ” Hertzog, OBAMA, Barack Obama, “, he’s, ” Obama, I’ve, Alp Toker, Juliette Touma, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ismail Haniyeh, IRNA, Khamenei, Haniyeh, JERUSALEM —, Jacob Lew, Biden, ” Lew, Isaac Herzog, Lew, Antony Blinken’s Organizations: West Bank, Iraqi, Hamas, Ministry, WHO, GAZA, SYDNEY AIRPORT SYDNEY, Nine, Sydney Airport, Australian, United Arab Emirates, Mideast, Central Command, FIRE, NATIONS, Inter, Agency, UNRWA, United Nations, Jordanian, Twitter, ISRAEL, CBS, JERUSALEM, Paltel, Associated Press, Hezbollah, U.S, Israel, Embassy, . Riot Locations: Gaza, Ramallah, Baghdad, Jordan, Israel, United States, Egypt, Qatar, Gaza City, —, U.S, Berlin, israel, Sydney, Rafah, DUBAI, United Arab, Suez, ., Ohio, America's, Iran, UN, Palestinian Territory, GAZA AMMAN, Jordanian, GAZA, Palestinian, IRAN, TEHRAN, Lebanon, GAZA JERUSALEM, Beit Hanoun, TURKEY, ISTANBUL –, Ankara, Turkish

☆ Yemen's Houthi rebels are using the Israel-Hamas war to show off their growing arsenal, and US warships are in the crossfire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The US Defense Department later confirmed that the Houthi missiles had a range of no less than 2,000 kilometers, or about 1,240 miles. AdvertisementAdvertisementUSS Carney fires on Houthi missiles and drones over the Red Sea on October 19. A third incident, on October 31, saw Israel's advanced Arrow air-defense system intercept a Houthi ballistic missile and an Israeli F-35 stealth fighter shoot down a cruise missile. Houthi ballistic missiles "have long proven" inaccurate, and the group likely doesn't have a very large stockpile of advanced long-range missiles and drones, Bey added. Sailors in USS Carney's Combat Information Center during an operation to defeat Houthi missiles and drones on October 19.

Persons: Yemen's Houthi, —, Carney, MCS2 Aaron Lau, Houthis, Khaled Abdullah The, Matthew Bey, RANE, Khaled Abdullah, Bey, wasn't, Mason, ANDREW CABALLERO, REYNOLDS, Bryan Clark, Clark, Paul Iddon Organizations: US Navy, Service, Hamas, US Defense Department, REUTERS, Saudi, Ballistic, Houthi, Tomahawk, Patriot, Getty, Hudson Institute Locations: Israel, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Taba, Nuweiba, Israeli, Gaza, Sanaa, Iran, Tehran, Riyadh, Yemeni, Mandeb

☆ Opinion: What’s Iran’s real plan in its proxy battle against Israel?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Henry Kissinger once observed that Iranian leaders must decide if Iran is a cause or a nation. But neither Iran nor Hezbollah seems to have had a plan for what to do following Hamas’s massacres last month in Israel. On Friday, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, spoke publicly for the first time about the war in Gaza. For the moment, both Hezbollah and Israel are exchanging tit-for-tat fire along Israel’s northern border that falls short of anything close to a full-blown war. The Iranians, in short, have enough problems of their own not to start a shooting war with Israel backed by its American ally.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, CNN — Henry Kissinger, propping, Bashar al, Assad, Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Israel —, Manu Brabo Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Hezbollah, Pentagon, Twitter, Facebook, US Locations: New America, Iran, East, Lebanon, Yemen, Iranian, Iraq, Hamas, Gaza, Lebanese, Israel, Tehran, Syria, Islam, Al Aqsa, Jerusalem, United States

☆ Israel’s cyber defense chief tells CNN he is concerned Iran could increase severity of its cyberattacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

So far, suspected Iranian hackers appear to have had minimal impact on their publicly claimed targets in Israel in the last month. But Portnoy said those hackers have been relatively quiet in the latest Israel-Hamas war (Israeli airstrikes have decimated internet infrastructure in Gaza.) “There is a gap between their [cyber] capabilities and their rhetoric,” the official told CNN, referring to Iran-backed hackers. “Even the successful, real cyberattacks are probably not going to be about the actual attack,” John Hultquist, Mandiant’s chief analyst, told CNN. This campaign is “maybe the most sophisticated we have seen from Iran on a technological level,” Sergey Shykevich, threat intelligence group manager at Check Point, told CNN.

Persons: “, ”, Gaby Portnoy, ” Portnoy, Portnoy, –, Christopher Wray, ” Wray, ” Eric Goldstein, CrowdStrike, ” John Hultquist, “ It’s, Solomon, Israel, Adam Meyers, CrowdStrike’s, ” Meyers, Sergey Shykevich Organizations: CNN, Israel National Cyber Directorate, Lebanese, Hezbollah, Palo Alto Networks, Hamas, Infrastructure Security Agency, FBI, Boston Children’s Hospital, ” CNN, Iranian, United Nations, “, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, East, Iranian, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, –, Palo, Gaza, Palestine, China, Russia

☆ Iran's Raisi to attend OIC talks in Riyadh on Gaza crisis - website
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will travel to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, the Etemadonline news website reported on Monday, the first visit by an Iranian head of state since Tehran and Riyadh ended years of hostility under a China-brokered deal in March. "President Raisi will attend the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation' (OIC) summit in Riyadh, where the issue of Palestine will be discussed," the Iranian website reported. Israel has since struck Hamas-controlled Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and launched a ground assault, stirring global alarm over humanitarian conditions in the enclave. At least 10,022 Palestinians, including 4,104 children, have been killed so far in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday. Reporting by Elwely Elwelly; Writing by Parisa Hafezi Editing by Hugh Lawson and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Elwely Elwelly, Parisa, Hugh Lawson, Gareth Jones Organizations: of Islamic Cooperation, . Regional, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Saudi Arabia, Iranian, Tehran, Riyadh, China, Palestine, Israel, Gaza, Gulf, East, Yemen, Syria

☆ Escalating Militia Attacks on U.S. Troops Risk Washington, Tehran Confrontation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder briefed reporters last week about a spate of militia attacks on U.S. forces. Photo: Sra Cesar Navarro/Dod/Zuma PressWhen a drone laden with explosives was found late last month lodged in the upper floors of U.S. barracks in Iraq, Pentagon officials quickly realized how close the suspected militia-launched weapon came to killing American personnel. In this case, the explosives failed to detonate, and there were no reports of injuries. But as the number of these attacks escalates, so too does the risk of a deadly incident that will demand a response from the U.S. military, edging it closer to direct confrontation with Iranian-backed groups it suspects are responsible.

Persons: Pat Ryder, Cesar Navarro, Dod Organizations: Pentagon, U.S . Locations: U.S, Iraq, Iranian

☆ Iranian state media confirm meeting between Khamenei, Hamas' Haniyeh in Tehran
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Palestinian group Hamas' top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, Iran June 21, 2023. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has met with the leader of Tehran-backed Palestinian group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, Iranian state media reported on Sunday, a day after a Hamas official said they held a meeting in recent days. The Islamic Republic says it supports Hamas but did not play any role in the militants' surprise attack on Israel last month. "Ayatollah Khamenei praised the steadfastness and resilience of the people of Gaza and expressed strong regret over the crimes of the Zionist regime, supported directly by Washington and some Western countries," Iran's state TV said. Iran's clerical establishment has warned Israel, which it refuses to recognise, of "harsh consequences" if attacks continue on the Gaza Strip.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Khamenei, Iran's, Israel, Parisa, David Evans Organizations: Iran's, Hamas, Iranian, Rights, Zionist, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, Rights DUBAI, Iranian, Qatar, Turkey, Gaza, Republic, Israel, Washington

☆ State-organised rallies in Iran mark 1979 US embassy seizure, support Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 4 (Reuters) - State-organised rallies were held across Iran on Saturday marking the 1979 seizure of the U.S. embassy with cries of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" in support of Palestinians under Israeli bombardment in Gaza. In Tehran, demonstrators marched on Saturday from Palestine Square in the heart of the capital to the former U.S. embassy a few kilometers away. State television showed demonstrators burning the Israeli flag and carrying pictures of dead Palestinian children from Israeli strikes in Gaza. Gaza health officials say more than 9,250 Palestinians have been killed and medical services are collapsing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a halt to fighting unless captives held by Hamas are freed.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: U.S, Iranian, Palestine, Hamas, Gaza, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Iran, America, Israel, Gaza ., U.S, Tehran, Gaza

The rally — which was called for by the state — came as the Israel-Hamas war entered its fourth week. About 1,400 people in Israel were killed and over 240 taken hostage after Hamas' surprise attack on Oct.7. People assembled outside the former U.S. embassy in Tehran, with some burning American and Israeli flags. “We consider the criminal U.S. a principal culprit in all these crimes,” in Gaza and against Palestinians, he said. On Wednesday Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized the U.S. for its support of Israel, saying Israel would have been paralyzed without American support.

Persons: America, Israel ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, “, Qalibaf, Palestine “, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Organizations: U.S, Hamas, Protesters, Wednesday, Islamic Locations: TEHRAN, Iran, Tehran, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Britain, France, Palestine, Palestinian, Lebanese

REUTERS/Jonathan... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreAMMAN, Nov 4 (Reuters) - U.S.-allied Arab states will press Secretary of State Antony Blinken for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza at a meeting of foreign ministers in Amman on Saturday, as Washington tries to persuade Israel to agree to temporary pauses to allow in aid. Health officials in Hamas-run Gaza say more than 9,250 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since then. Blinken is in Amman for meetings with Arab officials after visiting Tel Aviv on Friday. After meeting Blinken on Friday, Netanyahu said Israel refused a temporary ceasefire that did not include the release of hostages. Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza during a meeting with Blinken in Jordan on Saturday, Mikati's office said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Philippe Lazzarini, Jonathan, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken, Matthew Miller, Netanyahu, Blinken's, David Satterfield, Satterfield, King Abdullah of Jordan, Olaf Scholz, Najib Mikati, Mikati, Miller, Tom Perry, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Hamas, REUTERS, Washington, United, Israeli, Health, Tel, NATO, Saudi, State Department, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: East, Israel, Palestinian, Amman, Jordan, AMMAN, Gaza, United States, Food, Tel Aviv, Turkey, Jordanian, U.S, Middle East, Rafah, Iraqi, Iran, Tehran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon

☆ She was a Pan Am flight attendant, he was a pilot. Their inflight meeting sparked a 50-year romance
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

CNN —Flight attendant Ilona Zahn was less than impressed when she first met pilot Ian Duncan. Ilona was working the first class cabin on the Pan American Airlines flight from Rome to Tehran, traveling via Beirut and Damascus. It was, says Ilona, “a long, romantic embrace.”When their Pan Am flight returned to Rome, Ian and Ilona spent the evening walking around the city together. When their flights didn’t coincide, they’d leave letters for one another at Intercontinental Hotels frequented by Pan Am crew. Ilona DuncanWhile Ilona was enjoying her romance with Ian, she was also keen to hold onto her independence.

Persons: Ilona Zahn, Ian Duncan, Ilona, Ian, ” Ilona, “, haven’t, Ilona wasn’t, Ilona Duncan Ilona’s, ’, ‘, ”, Rome Here's Ilona, Ilona Duncan, warily, wouldn’t, he’d, –, she’d, who’d, John F, Here's Ian, He’d, They’d, Rome, ’ ”, Iona, Pan, She’d, ” Ian, Ilona weren’t, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, “ Ilona Zahn, Manhattan –, Pan Am, Duncan, Ilona Zahn Ilona, She’s, Ian’s, I’m Organizations: CNN, Pan American Airlines, CNN Travel, Boeing, Pan, Royal Tehran Hilton, John, Kennedy, Intercontinental Hotels, Pan Am, “, Playboy, Airbus, Hotel Metropole Locations: Rome, Tehran, Beirut, Damascus, Tabasco, Worcestershire, ”, Iran, Germany, London , New York, Paris, American, Trevi, New York, Sydney, Australia, London, Tokyo, Kenya, Bermuda, JFK, Pan, New Delhi, Bangkok, Hong Kong, West Hampton, Long Island, Manhattan, Long Island , New York, Las Vegas, Fiji, Samoa, France, China, Virginia, Chesapeake, “, Florida

Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza," Nasrallah said. Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces at the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since Oct. 8, with more than 55 of its fighters killed. The group, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, is the spearhead of a Tehran-backed alliance hostile to Israel and the United States. The White House said Hezbollah must not exploit the Hamas-Israel conflict, and the United States did not want to see the conflict expand into Lebanon. The United States holds Hezbollah responsible for the attacks.

Persons: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Mohamed Azakir, Nasrallah, Lebanon's, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Riham al, Nadine Awadalla, Michael Georgy, Angus MacSwan, Tomasz Janowski, Mark Heinrich, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, United, Lebanese, Iran's, Guards, House, Pentagon, . Marine, U.S ., group's, Gaza, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Israel, Beirut's, Lebanon, Gaza, United States, BEIRUT, Iran, Tehran, U.S, Iraq, Syria, Beirut, Hamas, Riham al Koussa, Maayan, Jerusalem

☆ US, Arab Leaders to Meet Over Gaza as Palestinian Deaths Mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Civilians in the area are repeatedly called upon to evacuate southwards for their own safety," the military said. Israel has accused Hamas of concealing command centres and tunnel entrances in al-Shifa, something Hamas and the hospital denies. Food is scarce, residents have resorted to drinking salty water, medical services are collapsing and Gaza health officials say more than 9,250 Palestinians have been killed. "Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza." Hezbollah and other state and non-state actors should not try to take advantage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the spokesperson said.

Persons: Nidal, Simon Lewis, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Ashraf al, Qidra, Izzat El Reshiq, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, Blinken, Washington, Jordan, Lebanon's, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Nidal al, Daphne Psaledakis, Rami Ayyub, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters, Israeli, Saudi, Israel, State Department, West Bank, Washington, White House National Security Council, Hamas Locations: Khalidi GAZA, AMMAN, Gaza, Jordan, Gaza's, Israel, al, Gaza City, U.S, Amman, Jordanian, Washington, Lebanon's Iran, United States, Iran, Lebanon, Tehran, Iraq, Syria, In Washington, Khalidi

☆ Sepahan: Iranian soccer club punished and fined $200,000 for displaying slain’s commander bust that forced cancelation of match against Saudi team
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Ben Morse | Mostafa Salem | Adam Pourahmadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Iranian soccer club Sepahan has been punished by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for displaying a bust of a divisive general, who was assassinated by the United States in 2020, which caused the cancelation of a game against a Saudi team. The Quds Force is an elite unit that handles Iran’s overseas operations – and one designated as a terrorist organization by the US and Saudi Arabia. He was killed in 2020 by a US drone strike ordered by then US President Donald Trump. A picture, obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim, showing Sepahan players leaving the pitch after the cancellation of the match in Isfahan, Iran. After playing three Asian Champions League Group C matches, Al-Ittihad tops the group with nine points after a trio of wins, with Sepahan in third place on four points.

Persons: Qasem Soleimani, ’ Al, Ittihad, ”, Soleimani, Donald Trump, Morteza Salehi, Mohammad Reza Saket Organizations: CNN, Iranian, Sepahan, Asian Football Confederation, AFC, Saudi, Al, Jahan, Asian Champions League, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Force, ” Sepahan, Sport, Quds Force, US, Saudi Press Agency, AFP, Getty, Asian Champions League Group Locations: United States, Ittihad, Naghsh, Isfahan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Tehran, Riyadh, AFP, Al

Palestinians pull an ambulance after a convoy of ambulances was hit, at the entrance of Shifa hospital in Gaza City, November 3, 2023. Israel has accused Hamas of concealing command centres and tunnel entrances in al-Shifa, something Hamas and the hospital denies. Blinken on Saturday will meet with the Saudi, Qatari, Emirati and Egyptian foreign ministers as well as Palestinian representatives in Amman, the Jordanian foreign ministry said. "Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza." Hezbollah and other state and non-state actors should not try to take advantage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the spokesperson said.

Persons: Anas, Israel, Antony Blinken, Jordan Lebanon's, Ashraf al, Qidra, Izzat El Reshiq, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Blinken, Washington, Jordan, Lebanon's, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Nidal al, Simon Lewis, Suleiman Al, Daphne Psaledakis, Rami Ayyub, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Saudi, U.S, Reuters, Israeli, Israel, State Department, West Bank, Washington, White House National Security Council, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, Jordan, Israel, GAZA, AMMAN, Gaza's, al, U.S, Amman, Jordanian, Washington, Lebanon's Iran, United States, Iran, Lebanon, Tehran, Iraq, Syria, In Washington, Khalidi

☆ US House Easily Passes Bill to Harden Sanctions on Iranian Oil
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives easily passed a bill on Friday to bolster sanctions on Iranian oil in a strong bipartisan vote. The Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) bill, which passed 342-69, would impose measures on foreign ports and refineries that process petroleum exported from Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. The bill must be passed by the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden before becoming law. While Congress can pass sanctions legislation, such measures often come with national security waivers that allow presidents discretion in applying the law. Despite U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil over its nuclear program, its exports of crude are soaring.

Persons: Mike Lawler, Jared Moskowitz, Joe Biden, Marco Rubio, John Kennedy, Maggie Hassan, Jacky Rosen, Vortexa, Timothy Gardner, Richard Cowan, David Gregorio Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . House, Iranian Petroleum, Republican, Senate, Democratic Locations: Iran, Israel, Tehran, China, Russia

☆ US House easily passes bill to harden sanctions on Iranian oil
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Iranian flag with stock graph and an oil pump jack miniature model are seen in this illustration taken October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives easily passed a bill on Friday to bolster sanctions on Iranian oil in a strong bipartisan vote. The Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) bill, which passed 342-69, would impose measures on foreign ports and refineries that process petroleum exported from Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. While Congress can pass sanctions legislation, such measures often come with national security waivers that allow presidents discretion in applying the law. Despite U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil over its nuclear program, its exports of crude are soaring.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Mike Lawler, Jared Moskowitz, Joe Biden, Marco Rubio, John Kennedy, Maggie Hassan, Jacky Rosen, Vortexa, Timothy Gardner, Richard Cowan, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . House, Iranian Petroleum, Republican, Senate, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Iran, Israel, Tehran, China, Russia

☆ Iran's appointment to chair UN rights meeting draws condemnation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The United States and rights groups complained on Thursday that it was "insulting" to allow Iran's envoy to chair a U.N. human rights council meeting in Geneva, citing violations by Iranian authorities, especially those against women. "Any discussion led by representatives of a regime that continually, and with impunity, infringes upon its own citizens’ human rights is not just fruitless, but an insult to our shared ideals," she added. The two-day meeting called the "social forum" is an annual meeting that aims to improve dialogue between governments and civil society groups, with this year's theme devoted to technology and human rights. Farideh Karimi, an Iranian woman who is president of Women's Human Rights International Association, said her organisation wrote to democratic countries asking them not to attend. Some non-governmental organisations took part, with Justice for Iran criticising Iran's ban on U.S. and UK COVID-19 vaccines.

Persons: Geneva Ali Bahreini, Michèle Taylor, Bahreini, Farideh, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Rights International Association, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, United States, Geneva, Islamic Republic, Iran, Asia, Pacific, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Iranian

☆ Video shows a US Navy drone boat firing off its own exploding drone in the Middle East, a first for the unmanned vessels
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US Navy said its drone boats fired lethal weaponry for the first time in the Middle East. Footage of one of the engagements shows Navy personnel operating the drone boat in the open waters. The USV then fires one of the munitions, which includes a first-person view of its trajectory into the simulated target, causing it to detonate on impact. Navy officials said the exercise was designed to advance the lethality and combat potential of drone boats, and future events could broaden the arsenal of these unmanned systems. Beyond drone boats, the Pentagon has taken other measures in recent months to boost deterrence in the region like dispatching an assortment of fighter jets and warships to the area.

Persons: —, Ray USV, Devil Ray, NAVCENT, Brad Cooper, Cmdr, Dre Johnson, Jonathan Nye, Justin Stumberg Organizations: US Navy, Navy, Service, US Naval Forces Central Command, . Naval Forces Central Command’s, Digital, Missile System, U.S . Naval Forces Central Command’s, Mass, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, Pentagon Locations: Arabian, U.S, Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Persian, Iran, American

☆ Opinion | Seeing the Big Picture in Two Big Wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Step back far enough, and you can see exactly what is driving so much geopolitics today: Ukraine is trying to join the West. Or they would have agreed to Lend-Lease assistance for the allies only if President Franklin Roosevelt would eliminate the I.R.S. That’s why today America must help Israel and Ukraine to blunt the Russia-Iran axis in their theaters. But the morning after their wars, Israel and Ukraine are going to have to face some very hard choices. Because while we may write big checks to both today, they will not be blank checks.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Biden, Johnson, Franklin Roosevelt, G.O.P, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Leon Aron, Vladimir Putin’s, “, ”, gunning, ” Aron, Israel, Donald Trump, —, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Internal Revenue, Lease, Fox News, NATO, European, Palestinian Authority, “, West Bank, Hamas, Putin, Iran’s, U.S, Patriot, Republicans, Palestinian, European Union Locations: Ukraine, West, Israel, Russia, Iran, cheaters, Europe, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Tehran, Moscow, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Belarus, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Gaza, It’s, Kyiv, Gaza City, U.S, Ramallah, America

☆ Mike Johnson tests his new power with risky gambit on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —New House Speaker Mike Johnson is already tying Washington in new partisan knots. Johnson surprises by picking Israel funding as his first test of credibilityJohnson’s hard ball play on Israel funding came as a surprise given that some of the urgency for ending the speakership impasse last week was to swiftly clear a funding package following the Hamas attacks. The Biden administration on Tuesday formally threatened to veto the House GOP’s standalone Israel aid bill. The inclusion of the offsets could indicate that Johnson needs to placate his most hardline members even to pass a measure as popular as Israel funding. Some other Senate conservatives are also at odds with their leader, backing the decoupling of Israel and Ukraine aid.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden’s, Mitch McConnell, McCarthy, McConnell, Johnson, ” Beth Sanner, “, Biden, ” Sanner, Johnson’s, ’, Jared Moskowitz, ”, “ I’m, Marjorie Taylor Greene of, Rashida, Greene, George Santos, McConnell –, Donald Trump, –, Vladimir Putin, don’t, Rand Paul, he’s, ” Paul, CNN’s Manu Raju, Chuck Schumer, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Putin, ‘ I’m Organizations: CNN, New, Washington, Republican, Republicans, stoke, Internal Revenue, GOP, Louisiana Republican, Democratic, Senate, National Intelligence, Central ”, White, Israel, National Republican, Extreme, Democrats, Jewish Democrat, “, GOP Rep, Democratic Rep, Democrat, New York Rep, titans, Taiwan, New York Democrat, US, NATO Locations: Israel, Louisiana, Ukraine, China, Russia, Washington, Gaza, Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Palestinian American, Michigan, Kyiv, Kentucky, United States, Moscow, Iran, Tehran, Baltic

☆ Qatar: How a small Arab state became indispensable in talks with Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But some have said that Qatar’s relationship with Hamas may become a liability. “(Qatar’s) relationship with Hamas has been a key component of the mediation strategy,” said Andreas Krieg, an associate professor at King’s College London who focuses on Gulf states. What is the nature of Qatar’s relationship with Hamas? That relationship has made Qatar an important mediator with Hamas during its conflicts with Israel. Despite its mediation efforts, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen last week accused Qatar of financing Hamas and harboring its leaders.

Persons: ”, Andreas Krieg, “, David Barnea, –, Israel, Tzachi Hanegbi, ” Hanegbi, Biden, ” Krieg, Majed Al, Ansari, Krieg, ” Hiltermann, Eli Cohen, ” Cohen, Antony Blinken, Joost R, Hiltermann, Qatar’s coziness, Hamas’s, “ You’ll, ” Israel, Becky Anderson, Ibrahim Dahman, Hamdi Alkhshali, Aimee Look, Abu Dhabi Organizations: UAE CNN, Qatar, King’s College London, Israel, CNN, National Security, United Arab, Reuters, NATO, Doha, Al, Hamas, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, US, UN, Washington Post, Qatari, “, Group Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Qatar, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, United States, Rafah, Al, Arish, Washington, Hamas, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Doha, Western, Arab, Al Jazeera, Tehran, Afghanistan, “ Qatar, North Africa, Brussels, “, Atlanta, Abu

☆ Israel's missile ships are joining US combat power in the Red Sea as more Iran-backed militants fire weapons its way
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Israel said it deployed missile ships to the Red Sea, where they'll join US Navy vessels in the area. AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter a series of attacks from Iran-backed militants, Israel has deployed several ships capable of launching missiles to the Red Sea, where they will join US Navy vessels already there. The IDF said "all aerial threats were intercepted outside of Israeli territory," with some of them downed by Israeli fighter jets around the Red Sea to the south. Israel Defense ForcesIsraeli Navy ship in the Red Sea. US Missile Defense AgencyThe Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) transits the Suez Canal, Oct. 18.

Persons: Israel, they'll, —, Yemen's, Carney, Arleigh Burke, we've, Pat Ryder, Aaron Lau, Hezbollah —, Lloyd Austin Organizations: US Navy, Service, Navy, Israel Defense Forces, US, IDF, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces Israeli Navy, IAF, Aerial Defense, Pentagon, Air Force, Interceptor, US Missile Defense Agency, Hezbollah, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, U.S Locations: Yemen, Israel, Iran, Israeli, Israel's, Eilat, Red Sea, Red, Suez, Saudi, Tehran, Iraq, Syria

☆ Iran's Khamenei urges Muslim countries to boycott Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with a group of students in Tehran, Iran November 2, 2022. Israel has launched an unprecedented bombardment of Gaza and imposed a siege of the enclave. Khamenei, Iran's top authority, said the United States was complicit in Israel's "recent crimes against Palestinians". Israel, which Tehran refuses to recognise, has long accused Iran's clerical rulers of stoking violence by supplying arms to Hamas. "One of the shameless acts of the West is accusing Palestinian fighters of terrorism," Khamenei said.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Parisa, Andrew Cawthorne, William Maclean Organizations: Iran's, Iranian, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Palestinian, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, Rights DUBAI, Israel, Gaza, Islamic Republic, United States, France, Britain, America

☆ After Years of Vowing to Destroy Israel, Iran Faces a Dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | More About Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For more than four decades, Iran’s rulers have pledged to destroy Israel. Iranian military commanders gloat over training and arming groups across the region that are enemies of Israel, including Hezbollah and Hamas. And when Hamas conducted the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel that killed 1,400 people, Iranian officials praised it as a momentous achievement, shattering the Jewish state’s sense of security. “I want to reiterate that we are not pursuing the spreading of this war,” Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said in a recent interview at Iran’s mission to the United Nations. But, he added, “The region is at a boiling point and any moment it may explode and this may be unavoidable.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ”, Nasser Imani, Hossein Amir Abdollahian Organizations: Hamas, United Nations Locations: Israel, Iran, Gaza, Tehran, “, New York

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