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☆ Who is El Deif, alleged mastermind of the Hamas’ attack?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Sam Kiley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

He’s now in charge of Hamas’ military wing, the Al Qassem Brigades. And on the ground, in private conversations, it’s been difficult to find people who are genuinely behind Hamas military campaigning. Men like El Deif, the bomb makers and decision takers, were hunted by Israel. Key to this change, too, was another major figure in Hamas’ military wing, Yahya Sinwar. I think this will spell the end of Hamas.”That may be a zero-sum option that not even the shadowy El Deif had guessed at.

Persons: Khan Younis, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin gasped, ”, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Eric Gaillard, —, ” Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, El Deif, He’s, Al Qassem, Mkhaimar Abusada, Yassir Arafat, Mahmud Hams, it’s, El, Israel, Dor Kedmi, Yahya Sinwar, Al, he’s, Karim von Hippel, “, hasn’t Organizations: CNN, British, Hamas, Reuters, Al Qassem Brigades, Al Azah University, Palestine Liberation Organization, Israel, Brigades, Getty, Palestinian Authority, Fatah, West Bank, Islamic, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Gaza, Deira, Israel, Gaza City, El, Oslo Accords, AFP, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Egypt, Aqsa, Iran, Tehran, Rehovot, Hamas, Back, Syria, Yom, Lebanon, London

Crude oil storage tanks are seen in an aerial photograph at the Cushing oil hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, U.S. April 21, 2020. The conflict in the Middle East has had little impact on global oil and gas supplies, and Israel is not a big producer. Iran's Oil Minister Javad Owji said on Friday oil prices are expected to reach $100 per barrel due to the current situation in the Middle East, according to the ministry's news agency SHANA. If the U.S. tightens enforcement of sanctions on Iran's oil exports due to any role it may have in the conflict, then Iran's oil supply could fall. On the U.S. supply front, drillers this week added four oil rigs in the biggest weekly rise since March, Baker Hughes said.

Persons: Brent, WTI, Israel, Javad Owji, SHANA, Iran's, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Andrew Lipow, Baker Hughes, Stephanie Kelly, Paul Carsten, Katya Golubkova, Andrew Hayley, Marguerita Choy, David Gregorio, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Companies, . West Texas, Iran's Oil, Hezbollah, U.S, Wall Street, Lipow Oil Associates, The, of, Petroleum, drillers, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Thomson Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, U.S, Gaza Saudi Arabia, Israel, Gaza, Tehran, Lebanese, Saudi Arabia, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, China, New York, London, Tokyo, Beijing

☆ Russia can gain from Middle East turmoil — but it could backfire if the war spirals out of control
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Putin likely wanted to show that Moscow is still important in the Middle East by visiting Iran, said John Drennan of the U.S. Institute of Peace. It could present an opportunity for them but also could present a very, very disastrous outcome for their influence in the Middle East too if the conflict spirals out of control," Ramani said. Analysts also believe Russia will use the war in Israel and Gaza to sow disinformation about Ukraine and discord among its allies. As such, the war between Israel and Hamas also provides Russia with an opportunity to flex its diplomatic muscles in the Middle East, after something of a hiatus from the global stage. So this shows that Russia is not isolated in the Middle East, and Russia still maintains the same array of diplomatic partnerships that it had before the war," he noted.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Ebrahim Raisi, Putin, John Drennan, Sergei Savostyanov, Samuel Ramani, Ramani, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden, Jim Watson, Volodymy Zelenskyy, Sergei Karpukhin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Maxim Shemetov, They've, they've, Bashar al, Assad Organizations: Getty, Palestinian, Hamas, U.S . Institute of Peace, AFP, Royal United Services Institute, CNBC, Kremlin, Ukraine, Analysts, White, U.S, Congress, NATO, Afp, International Energy Agency, Russia, Israeli, Iraqi Locations: Sochi, Russia, Israel, Gaza, Moscow, Iran, Ukraine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, U.S, Europe, Washington ,, Brussels, Russian, OPEC, Turkey, Egypt, Tehran

☆ Iran Holds State-Organised Rallies in Support of Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - State-organised rallies were held across Iran on Friday in support of Tehran's Palestinian Islamist ally Hamas and against the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the blockaded Gaza Strip, state TV reported. Israel has been pounding Gaza with air strikes and artillery fire since the deadliest ever Hamas attack on Israel last weekend. Tehran's state television described the Iranian rallies as "screams of a common pain ... However, the Islamic Republic's government's unwavering support for Hamas and other militant Palestinian and Lebanese groups does not have wide popular support in Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was in Beirut on Friday to discuss the Israel-Hamas war with Hezbollah.

Persons: Hamas, Israel, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters, Gaza, Hamas, Iranian Locations: Iran, Palestinian, Gaza City, Israel, Lebanese, Gaza, Tehran, Islamic Republic, Beirut

☆ How Hamas secretly built a 'mini-army' to fight Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Samia Nakhoul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

[1/2] Palestinian Hamas militants take part in a rally marking the 31st anniversary of Hamas' founding, in Gaza City December 16, 2018. In the 2008 Gaza war, Hamas rockets had a maximum range of 40 km (25 miles), but that had risen to 230 km by the 2021 conflict, he added. For Iran, Hamas has helped it realise a years-long ambition to encircle Israel with legions of paramilitaries, including other Palestinian factions and Lebanon's Hezbollah, according to Western officials. After Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Hamas began importing rockets, explosives and other equipment from Iran, Western intelligence sources have said. Iran seized the opportunity to co-opt Hamas in 1992 when Israel deported about 400 Hamas leaders to Lebanon, the source close to Hamas said.

Persons: Abu Mustafa, Ali Baraka, Baraka, Israel, Gazans, Ismail Haniyeh, SHEIKH YASSIN, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, It's, Jonathan Saul, John O'Donnell, William Maclean, Pravin Organizations: REUTERS, Israel, Hamas, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Jewish Institute for National Security of, European Union, Al Jazeera, U.S . State Department, Front, Liberation of Palestine, General Command, Brotherhood, Hezbollah, U.S, Thomson Locations: Gaza City, DUBAI, Gaza, Iran, Israel, Iranian, Lebanon, Jihad, U.S, United States, Canada, Egypt, Japan, Qatar, Tehran, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Yemen, Islam, Damascus, Lebanese, Al Aqsa, Britain, London

Unlike Russia, one of the world's top oil and gas producers, Israel has very modest energy production. But there is a risk the war could spread to major energy producers in the Middle East and affect oil and gas flows. Second, a deal being brokered by Washington to normalise relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which could see the kingdom increase oil output, could be derailed. Saudi Arabia told the White House it is willing to boost oil production early next year to help secure the deal, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak added on Thursday that current oil prices factored in the conflict and reflected the market's belief that risks posed by the clashes were not that high.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Brent, David Goldwyn, Rob Thummel, Janet Yellen, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji, Joe Biden, Helima Croft, Biden, Ben Cahill, Prince Abdulaziz, Alexander Novak, Vladimir Putin, Natalie Grover, Ahmad Ghaddar, Alex Lawler, Laura Sanicola, Kirsten Donovan, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Hamas, U.S . State Department, Tortoise, Iran, U.S, Treasury, Iranian Oil Minister, RBC Capital Markets, Macquarie, SAUDI, Israel, Wall Street, Washington, Strategic, International Studies, Saudi Arabia's Energy, CNBC, OPEC, Organization of, Petroleum, Thomson Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Russia, U.S, Iran, Hormuz, Washington, Saudi Arabia, Strait, Riyadh, Moscow, United States, Tehran, Washington . Saudi Arabia, Saudi, OPEC, London, New York

☆ Analysis-Hamas' Cash-To-Crypto Global Finance Maze in Israel's Sights
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

In the past, Hamas has said financial restrictions placed on its donors were an attempt to neutralise legitimate resistance against Israel. However, since last weekend's violence, prominent Hamas-linked support groups had moved just a few thousands dollars through crypto, TRM noted. Between Dec. 2021 and April this year, Israel seized almost 190 crypto accounts it said were linked to Hamas. SHIPS AND SHELLSWhether through crypto or other means, Hamas' allies have found ways to get money to Gaza. "Qatari aid to the Gaza Strip is fully coordinated with Israel, the UN and the U.S.," the Qatari government official said.

Persons: Al Sayegh, John O'Donnell, Elizabeth Howcroft, Matthew Levitt, Levitt, Tom Robinson, TRM, Israel, they've, Stephen Reimer, Saeed Azhar, Sinead Cruise, Tom Wilson, Tommy Wilkes, Andrew Mills, Frank Jack Daniel Organizations: Elizabeth Howcroft LONDON, Reuters, Hamas, Barclays, Islamic Resistance Movement, State Department, TRM Labs, The U.S . State Department, U.S . Treasury, UN, Qatari, Royal United Services Institute, Parisa Locations: DUBAI, Gaza, Israel, U.S, Iran, Qatar, United States, Britain, The, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Tehran, Islamic Republic, New York, London, Doha, Dubai

☆ Opinion: How to keep Iran from winning in the Israel-Hamas conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. And, to that end, is there a way to prevent Iran from emerging as the victor in this terrible war? The goals of terrorism are political, and the political ramifications of this conflict are global. Both Iran and the Palestinians have watched with alarm the growing ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Iran and Saudi Arabia recently established diplomatic relations, but the long-standing rivalry and mistrust between them, as the standard bearers of Islam’s two main divisions, Shiites and Sunnis, did not suddenly disappear.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, there’s, David Ben, Gurion, “, ”, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran —, Russia —, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia —, Mahmoud Abbas, Benjamin Netanyahu, Itamar Ben, Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, Benny Gantz Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Hamas, Frida Ghitis CNN, White, Iran’s, Iran, Saudi Arabia, West Bank, MBS, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian Locations: Iran, Israel, Egypt, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, States, Tehran, Lebanon, Syria, China, Russia, United States, Riyadh, Saudi, Ramallah

☆ Iran's foreign minister meets Hezbollah leader in Lebanon on Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday discussed Israel's war against Hamas with the head of the powerful Tehran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which has launched its own cross-border attacks on Israel. Amirabdollahian, who arrived in Beirut late on Thursday, said he had met Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as well as Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib. Local media outlet Al-Mayadeen said the Iranian minister and Nasrallah had discussed Hamas' attack on Israel. Iran also supports Hamas, and has lauded the group's attack on Israel but has denied any involvement. On Thursday, Amirabdollahian said Israel's actions against the Palestinians would receive a response from Iran's allies and that Israel would have to bear the consequences.

Persons: Hossein Amirabdollahian, Amirabdollahian, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Najib Mikati, Abdallah Bouhabib, Mayadeen, Nasrallah, Israel, Maya Gebeily, Alex Richardson, Miral Organizations: Iran's, Hezbollah, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Tehran, Lebanese, Israel, Beirut, Iranian, Iran, Gaza, Egypt, Gaza City, Amirabdollahian, Syria, Damascus, Aleppo

While a Hamas spokesman told the BBC that Iran did assist in the attack, officials in Tehran have denied responsibility while praising the outcome. "If you had a large end-of-year bonus payment coming your way, might you start spending more money in the meantime? “This money belongs to the Iranian people, the Iranian government, so the Islamic Republic of Iran will decide what to do with this money,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told NBC News. While the Biden administration renewed talks with Iran to reenter the pact, the discussions have led nowhere and U.S. negotiators publicly walked away. Though not believed to be directly connected, some analysts have speculated that the Biden administration move to free up the $6 billion could have been an incentive to continue talking even as Tehran slowed the pace of development of a nuclear weapon.

Persons: Trump, State Anthony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Richard Goldberg, Matthew Kroenig, Joe Biden, Nikki Haley, Ebrahim Raisi, ”, Biden, Adrienne Watson, Aaron David Miller, Obama, –, Donald Trump Organizations: White, Hamas, Biden, BBC, Treasury Department, “, ”, State, Israeli, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Wall, Georgetown University, GOP, NBC News, Former State Department, –, Trump, U.S Locations: Israel, Iran, Tehran, South Korea, Qatar, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Islamic Republic of Iran, Washington, U.S

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives U.S. President Joe Biden at Al Salman Palace upon his arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 15, 2022. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took his first phone call from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as Riyadh tries to prevent a broader surge in violence across the region. "Normalisation was already considered taboo (in the Arab world) ... this war only amplifies that," Saudi analyst Aziz Alghashian said. Asked about Raisi's call with the crown prince, a senior U.S. State Department official said Washington was in "constant contact with Saudi leaders". "The Saudis are still convinced the region, and Saudi Arabia itself, needs to shift toward regional cooperation and economic development.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Joe Biden, Ebrahim Raisi, Israel, Normalisation, Aziz Alghashian, Abraham, Jake Sullivan, Washington, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Antony Blinken, Alex Vatanka, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Matt Spetalnick, Humeyra Pamuk, Tom Perry, Michael Georgy, Edmund Blair Organizations: Al, Saudi Royal Court, REUTERS, U.S, Hamas, normalisation, Saudi, Abraham Accords, United Arab Emirates, U.S . National Security, White, Saudi Foreign, Reuters, U.S . State Department, Middle East Institute, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Bandar, Iran RIYADH, Israel, Palestinian, Iran, Riyadh, U.S, East, Gaza, Gulf, Iranian, Palestine, Yemen, Lebanese, Tehran, Washington

☆ Oil and natural gas prices are climbing again as risks multiply
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“The oil market is very sensitive to developments with the Israel-Hamas war,” he told CNN. Risks to natural gas supplyThe situation in Israel has also weighed heavily on the European natural gas market. Egypt produces a lot of its own natural gas in addition to imports and processes some of it into LNG for shipping abroad. “This has obviously created a lot of nervousness and heightened the geopolitical risk within the European gas market,” Tomas Marzec-Manser, head of gas analytics at ICIS, told CNN. And Marzec-Manser thinks Europe’s upcoming winter will be bearish for the gas market.

Persons: Edward Moya, ”, —, ” Moya, Brent, Price, ” Sophie Lund, Yates, Hargreaves Lansdown, Massimo Di Odoardo, Wood Mackenzie, Di Odoardo, Frederic J . Brown, ” Tomas Marzec Organizations: London CNN — Global, Brent, Texas, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, Hezbollah, Group, Chevron, Getty, Authorities Locations: Israel, Iran, Tehran, United States, Gaza, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Jordan, Europe, LNG, Finland, Estonia, Kern County , California, AFP, Baltic, Germany, Ukraine

☆ Fact Check: Video shows Iran lawmakers chanting ‘death to America’ in 2020, not 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A 2020 video of Iranian lawmakers chanting “death to America” in parliament has been falsely linked to a September 2023 prisoner swap deal worth $6 billion between the two countries. The video is part of a news broadcast, with a chyron that reads, “Lawmakers chant death to America in Iranian Parliament.” An Instagram post includes text on the video that says, “Iran Law Makers chant death to America...Didn’t Joe Biden just give Iran $6 BILLION?” The claim also surfaced on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter. The video is from a CNN news broadcast uploaded to YouTube on Jan. 5 2020, that credits the parliament footage to Reuters. The broadcast shows Iran’s lawmakers reacting to the death of Tehran’s most prominent military commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. air strike in Baghdad on Jan. 3, 2020, as reported by Reuters. A video showing Iranian lawmakers chanting “death to America” shows their response to the killing of Qassem Soleimani in January 2020.

Persons: Didn’t Joe Biden, Qassem Soleimani, Antony Blinken, Read Organizations: America ”, Hamas, Facebook, CNN, YouTube, Reuters, U.S . U.S, Thomson Locations: America, Iran, Israel, Iranian, ”, U.S, Baghdad, Jan, Tehran

☆ Biden Faces an Iran Reckoning
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Joe Biden speaks about the war between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas, Washington, Oct. 10. Photo: Evan Vucci/Associated PressPresident Biden on Tuesday showed appropriate outrage at the wanton slaughter by Hamas this weekend, and his pledge of support for Israel is welcome. But there was a crucial word missing from his remarks at the White House: Iran. Tehran is Hamas’s terror master, and its assault on Israel exposes the failure of his Iran strategy.

Persons: Joe Biden, Evan Vucci, Biden Organizations: Hamas, Associated Press, White Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Washington, Iran, Tehran

☆ Blinken tells Netanyahu in Israel: U.S. not going anywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu make statements to the media inside The Kirya, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defense, after their meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday Oct. 12, 2023. Blinken's trip also aims to send a deterrence message to Iran, which backs Hamas, to not get involved in the conflict. An hour after landing in Tel Aviv, Blinken shook hands with Netanyahu and told the prime minister: "We're here, we're not going anywhere," footage from Netanyahu's office showed. After Israel, Blinken will head to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel said on Thursday there would be no humanitarian break to its siege of the Gaza Strip until all hostages taken by Hamas were freed.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jacquelyn Martin, Benyamin Netanyahu, Blinken, Washington's, Netanyahu, we're, Israel, King Abdullah, Mahmoud Abbas, Washington, Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: Israel’s, Ministry of Defense, REUTERS Acquire, Israeli, Palestinian, State Department, Washington, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, TEL AVIV, Palestinian, Gaza, Iran, Jordan, Tehran, Washington, U.S

The funds were moved to Qatari accounts as part of a broad deal to secure the release of five Americans whom the US deemed had been wrongfully detained in Iran. There were bipartisan calls to freeze the funds in the wake of the deadly Hamas attacks in Israel this weekend. Still, the “quiet understanding” not to move the money right now appears to be largely symbolic, given the strict restrictions that were already tied to the funds. Blinken did not confirm that “a quiet understanding” had been reached but made clear the US is able to freeze the funds. The process for Iran to be able to spend the funds was expected to take months, if not years.

Persons: Wally Adeyemo, Adeyemo, Antony Blinken, Blinken, ”, ” Blinken, John Kirby, “ It’s, “, we’ve, Saturday’s, CNN’s Jim Sciutto, Max Organizations: CNN, Saturday, Democrats, Administration, National Security Council, White, State Department Locations: United States, Qatar, Iran, Israel, Tehran, Tel Aviv, Qatari

☆ Putin says he can be a peacemaker in Israel — but he has far more to gain from prolonging the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Kremlin says Putin wants to act as mediator in the Israel-Hamas war. But Putin has little to gain from bringing an end to the conflict. AdvertisementAdvertisementAs violence erupted between Israel and Hamas this week, the Kremlin sought to cast Russian President Vladimir Putin in the role of peace broker. They say Putin has more to gain, not by bringing a swift end to the conflict, but by prolonging it to further Russia's strategic goals, notably in Ukraine. Abbas Gallyamov, a former speechwriter for Putin, told CBC News that Russia had become an "Iran proxy" in the region, like Hamas or Hezbollah.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, We've, shouldn't, Ukraine Putin, Ukraine's, Robert Dover, Aleksandar Vucic, Benjamin Netanyahu, ALEXEY DRUZHININ, Ann Marie Dailey, Bashar al, Assad, Arkadi Doubnov, Le, Abbas Gallyamov, you've, Gallyamov Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Intelligence, National Security, University of Hull, Getty, Rand Corporation, Bloomberg, Hull University, Hamas, CBC News Locations: Israel, Russian, Russia, Gaza, Palestine, Ukraine, Dover, Serbian, Moscow, AFP, Saudi Arabia, Soviet Union, Iran, Israeli, India, South Africa, China, Tehran

☆ Syria state TV says Israeli attack targets Aleppo, Damascus airports
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAMASCUS, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Syria's state television said Israel launched attacks on the main airports in the capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo on Thursday. It said here had been damage but no casualties at the Aleppo airport, but did not give any information on the impact of the strike on Damascus Airport. The Israeli military does not usually comment on such incidents, and there was no immediate statement from it on Thursday. Israel has for years carried out strikes against what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, including against the Aleppo and Damascus airports. Reporting by Firas Makdesi; Writing by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Alex Richardson and Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Israel, Bashar al, Assad, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Firas Makdesi, Maya Gebeily, Alex Richardson, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Thomson Locations: DAMASCUS, Damascus, Aleppo, Iran, Syria

The American people must understand just how shocking and gruesome Hamas’ actions were, Biden told his aides. I think we can change the Middle East,” Biden told a group of Jewish American leaders on Wednesday. “If tomorrow Hezbollah started launching missiles into Israel, that would be seen as a real escalation,” according to a person close to the situation. In his private conversations with Netanyahu, Biden has not urged the Israeli leader to practice restraint in its counterattack against Hamas. “He has always approached Israel with moral clarity and full commitment,” a senior adviser to the president told CNN.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ” Biden, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, John Kirby, it’s, ”, Netanyahu, –, Biden’s, CNN’s Matthew Chance, I’m, Jake Sullivan, Netanyahu’s, ” Sullivan, Netanyahu “, Alexandria Ocasio, ” Ocasio, Cortez Organizations: CNN, White, Jewish, Israel, National Security Council, Senate Foreign Relations, Defense Department, Biden, Democratic Party, New, New York Democrat Locations: Israel, Europe, Tehran, Gaza, United States, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, “, Alexandria, Cortez, New York

They’re opportunistic and adaptive,” said former CIA analyst Yaya Fanusie, now an adjunct senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security. It’s unclear how much money Hamas has received in cryptocurrency, but there’s evidence they have amassed significant amounts. Another $94 million was allegedly held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant partner of Hamas, according to Elliptic, another analytics firm. Hamas additionally raises funds through informal taxes and smuggling, according to a Congressional Research Service report from May. Investigators were able to seize 150 cryptocurrency accounts “that laundered funds to and from” Hamas accounts, according to a DOJ news release.

Persons: launderers, European Union –, “ There’s, ”, Yaya Fanusie, –, Dmitry Machikhin, Arda Akartuna, Akartuna, Jake Sullivan, Iran “, Sullivan, Asher Perlin, Yitzchak Weinstock, Weinstock, “, al, Perlin Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Justice, Justice Department, European Union, Center, New, New American Security, Department of Homeland Security, ’, Reuters, Wall Street, Brigades, Palestine Islamic, US State Department, US Treasury Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Treasury, US Treasury, White, National, Congressional Research Service, US Justice Department, ”, Investigators, DOJ Locations: Iran, cryptocurrency, Israel, Washington ,, United States, New American, New Jersey, bitcoin, Jihad, Palestine, Turkey, Lebanon, Lebanese, Syria, Tehran, Jerusalem

☆ Biden's Saudi-Israel normalization plans appear distant as Israel pounds Gaza in offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A "big victim" of the escalating Israel-Hamas war "is efforts at Saudi and Israel normalization," Fred Kempe, CEO of the Atlantic Council, told CNBC. Iran's mission to the United Nations has denied Tehran's involvement in the militant group's attack on Israel on Saturaday. "More timely for Tehran is that it is looking to slow down Israeli Saudi normalization and through the attack, it might have achieved that," Vakil said. With the Hamas attack on Israel, "it's very clear that Saudi Arabia will take a more gradual approach to normalization," she said. And Iran is consistently messaging to its Gulf neighbors that any attack on Iran from Israel will lead to a domino attack on the Gulf.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Louiza Vradi, Biden, –, Joe Biden's, he'd, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jacquelyn Martin, Netanyahu, Fred Kempe, That's, Bashar Taleb, Sanam Vakil, Israel, Vakil, Ilia Yefimovich Organizations: Reuters, Saudi, Palestinian, Hamas, United Nations, Israel's, Israeli Defence Ministry, AFP, Getty Images, Bloomberg, Atlantic Council, CNBC, Afp, Getty, Saudi Foreign Ministry, Iran, Chatham House, . Locations: Saudi, Athens, Greece, Israel, Gaza, Israeli, Tel Aviv, Getty Images Saudi Arabia, Mecca, Medina, Saudi Arabia, Gaza City, Palestinian, Iran, East, North Africa, Tehran, Saturaday ., Be'eri

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference, in Tel Aviv, Israel October 12, 2023. The question of Iranian access to the funds has been in the spotlight since Iran-backed Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel on Saturday, killing more than 1,300 people and taking scores of hostages back to the Palestinian Gaza Strip. "Iran will not be able to access the funds for the foreseeable future," a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. Several U.S. media outlets reported on Thursday that the United States and Qatar had agreed to stop Iran from accessing the money. It did not respond to a request for comment on whether Iran had yet tried to access the funds.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Jacquelyn Martin, Blinken, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's U.N, Donald Trump, John Kirby, Kirby, Parisa Hafezi, Andrew Mills, Michelle Nichols, Howard Goller Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, TEL, United, Washington, Reuters, U.S, U.S . Treasury, U.S ., Government, United Nations, Qatar's, Media, White House, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, TEL AVIV, WASHINGTON, United States, Iran, Qatar, Palestinian, U.S, Tehran, South Korea, Seoul after Washington, Islamic Republic of Iran, New York, Qatari

☆ British warships, aircraft, and a force of Royal Marines are joining a US Navy carrier strike group in waters near Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

There, they will join a US Navy carrier strike group that recently deployed to waters near Israel. "Meanwhile, a Royal Navy task group will be moved to the eastern Mediterranean next week as a contingency measure to support humanitarian efforts." The government said that the military package will be on standby to deliver support to Israel and its partners, and provide deterrence. It includes P-8 patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, surveillance assets, three helicopters, a company of Royal Marines, and two Royal Navy ships — the landing ship RFA Lyme Bay and the casualty receiving ship RFA Argus. The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group includes the advanced, first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the guided missile cruiser USS Normandy, and guided missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt.

Persons: Israel's, —, Rishi Sunak, MARCOS MORENO, Sunak, Gerald R, Ford, Thomas Hudner, Ramage, USS Carney, MCS2 Jackson Adkins, Mustafa Hassona, Grant Shapps Organizations: US Navy, Service, Royal Marines, NATO, Royal Navy, Getty, Pentagon, Ford Carrier Strike, US Central Command, Ford, Saturday, Gaza, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Hezbollah, Anadolu Agency, Royal Navy Task Group, RAF Locations: Israel, Gibraltar, Normandy, Roosevelt, Gaza, Iran, Tehran, Lebanon

☆ Iran has organized celebrations of what it called the Palestinian victory after Hamas' attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailIran has organized celebrations of what it called the Palestinian victory after Hamas' attackIran's regime has organized celebrations of ‘Palestinian victory’ after Hamas' attack on Israel. NBC's Ali Arouzi reports from Tehran

Persons: NBC's Ali Arouzi Organizations: Iran Locations: Israel, Tehran

☆ Iran intelligence: Initial US intel suggests Tehran was surprised by the Hamas attack on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Zachary Cohen Katie Bo Lillis Natasha Bertrand Jeremy Herb | Zachary Cohen | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The United States has collected specific intelligence that suggests senior Iranian government officials were caught by surprise by Saturday’s bloody attack on Israel by Hamas, according to multiple sources familiar with the intelligence. The existence of the intelligence has cast doubt on the idea that Iran was directly involved in the planning, resourcing or approving of the operation, sources said. The sources stressed that the US intelligence community is not ready to reach a full conclusion about whether Tehran was directly involved in the run-up to the attack. They continue to look for evidence of Iranian involvement, which caught both Israel and the United States by surprise. “We’re looking to acquire further intelligence,” national security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

Persons: Mike McCaul, “, Tehran doesn’t, Jake Sullivan, ” Organizations: CNN, Capitol, Foreign, Texas Republican, Hamas, White Locations: United States, Israel, Iran, Tehran, Texas, Gaza

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