DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Why Zelensky’s plea will fall on many deaf Republican ears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —There is a simple reason why many Republicans will snub Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s desperate plea for billions of dollars in arms and ammunition. He told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in an interview in Kyiv Sunday that Republicans such as Trump ally Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance – who have been speaking out against more Ukraine aid – do not comprehend the stakes of the conflict. How Trump transformed the GOPThe Ukraine war funding showdown highlights how America’s domestic politics are already reverberating around the globe. The splits in the GOP over Ukraine were exposed last week when 26 Senate Republicans voted against the bill containing Israel and Ukraine aid while 22 backed it.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, It’s, Zelensky, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Ohio Sen, J.D, Vance –, –, ” Zelensky, Trump, Mitch McConnell, Vladimir Putin, Putin –, III, Biden –, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, Bush, Matt Gaetz, ” Trump, Mike Johnson –, Biden, Johnson, ” Jake Sullivan, CNN’s Dana, •, • There’s, Vance, ” Vance, ’ ”, ” Zelensky –, CNN’s Collins, Avdiivka –, he’s Organizations: CNN, America, Republican, Kyiv Sunday, Trump, Ohio, GOP, NATO, Party, Trump Republicans, Conservative Political, Florida, Ukraine, White, Ukraine –, Munich, Conference, Republicans Locations: Europe, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Kyiv, Soviet, Washington, America, Mexico, “ State, South Carolina, European, China, Taiwan, Avdiivka, Israel, There’s

☆ US Army under increasing pressure as it foots bill for Ukraine support
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Haley Britzky | Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“We’re basically taking it out of hide in the Army,” a senior Army official told CNN. That includes not only the operations related to Ukraine support — training and ferrying weapons and equipment to Poland and Ukraine — but other operations for the US command throughout Europe and Africa. Those operations include training exercises for Army forces in Europe and Africa and equipment moving into the theater. Last week, the Senate voted to advance a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill, including $60 billion in support for Ukraine. So far in fiscal year 2024, the Army has spent $39.7 million on ground transportation, the first senior Army official told CNN.

Persons: “ We’re, ”, hasn’t, Christine Wormuth —, —, Peter, Paul, I’m, ” Wormuth, Martin O’Donnell, Mike Johnson, it’s, Daniel Hokanson, that’s, ” Hokanson, Sabrina Singh, ” Singh, “ Organizations: CNN, Ukraine, US Army, Army, Africa Command, Congress, ”, Morris Air National Guard Base, Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, US, Lawmakers, Capitol, National Guard Bureau, Pentagon, DOD Locations: Russia, Europe, Ukraine, Poland, Africa, Army Europe, US Army Europe, Germany, Arizona

☆ Close US partners in the Middle East demand air defenses after Iranian drone attacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US Congress has already asked DoD to develop a plan to equip the Peshmerga with air defenses. Iraqi Kurdistan expects the US to appreciate such stances and provide air defenses, given the high stakes for the autonomous region. Ceng Sagnic, chief of analysis of the geopolitical consultancy firm TAM-C Solutions, said “several considerations” are involved in supplying the Peshmerga air defenses. Turkey may not object to an American air defense provision to Iraqi Kurdistan under certain conditions. Advertisement“Using recent clashes as a reason to request additional US air defenses is likely to be viewed negatively in Ankara,” Ali Bakir, a Turkey expert and non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East program, told BI.

Persons: —, America’s, Masrour Barzani, ” Mohammed Salih, ” Salih, Ceng Sagnic, ” Sagnic, Mazlum Kobane, ” Ali Bakir Organizations: DoD, Service, Kurdistan’s, NBC News, Foreign Policy Research Institute, TAM, C, ISIS, ”, Kurdistan Democratic Party, Patriotic Union of, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, Reuters, US Locations: Kurdish, Syria, Turkey, Iraq’s Iran, United States, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan, Iran, Iraqi, Erbil, Jan, Washington, Iraq, American, Baghdad, Ankara, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Kurdistan

☆ The US strikes on Iran-linked militants seem to be working, but that likely won't last long
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. But experts on the region say that Iran and its militant allies still have the arsenal and motivations to threaten the US. The US airstrikes on February 2 hit 85 targets in seven locations in Iraq and Syria, killing an estimated 40 militiamen . For militias like Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq, it’s to provoke US responses that increase opposition to the 2,500 US troops based in Iraq. “By responding to the attacks, the United States poisons its relationship with local allies and screws up its position in Iraq.

Persons: —, ” Michael Knights, Biden, Joe Biden, ” Joel Wing, Jesenia Landaverde, “, Aron Lund, they’re, They’re, ” Lund, “ They’ve, ” Nicholas Heras, ” Heras, it’s, ” Organizations: Service, Washington Institute, Business, Republican, Command, U.S . Air Force, 28th Bomb, Ellsworth Air Force Base, Staff, US Air Force, New Lines Institute, US, Coalition Locations: Iraq, Syria, Iran, U.S, S.D, United States, America, Baghdad, Lund, Gaza

☆ Special counsel feeds frenzy over Biden’s age
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Zachary Wolf | Analysis Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

An independent special counsel poured kerosene on concerns about Joe Biden’s age with pointed language about the president’s poor memory after concluding Biden had willfully mishandled classified documents – and that his failing memory makes him impossible to convict. ► He appears poised for a win at the Supreme Court. Feeding the frenzy about Biden’s ageIn concluding Biden should not be prosecuted, Special Counsel Robert Hur, a former Trump-appointed US Attorney in Maryland, offered a political indictment of the president’s fitness. Still, larger Trump-related questions loom for the Supreme Court, such as whether Trump enjoys absolute immunity from prosecution. Trump attorney Jonathan Mitchell speaks before the Supreme Court on February 8.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Biden, ” Biden, Trump, Nikki Haley’s, It’s, Robert Hur, Hur, Carolina Sen, Thom Tillis, “, ’, Beau, ”, Richard Sauber, Bob Bauer, Jamie Raskin, ” Raskin, CNN’s Wolf, General Merrick Garland, Biden’s, Lago, Hur’s, Barack Obama, Obama, –, Joe Biden's, Trump’s, Haley, Jonathan Mitchell, Bill Hennessy Trump’s Organizations: CNN, White House, Republican, Supreme, Trump, Oval, ”, Biden, Maryland Democrat, Democratic, House Democrats, National Archives, Mar, Department of Justice, Virgin Islands, South Locations: Nevada, Colorado, Maryland, Carolina, Virginia, Biden’s Delaware, Florida, Afghanistan, Joe Biden's Delaware, Virgin, South Carolina, Washington ,

☆ Biden kept classified documents to prove he was right and Obama was wrong about Afghanistan, special counsel says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewSpecial Counsel Robert Hur concluded that part of the reason President Joe Biden kept classified information after leaving the vice presidency was to prove that President Barack Obama was wrong about surging US troops in Afghanistan in 2009. But he always believed history would prove him right," Hur wrote in his nearly 400-page report. Ultimately, President Obama sent 30,000 more troops that left the country by 2012. According to Hur, Biden kept "a classified handwritten memo he sent President Obama over the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday, and related marked classified documents." AdvertisementHur wrote in his report that Afghanistan documents are likely the strongest evidence against Biden.

Persons: —, Robert Hur, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Obama, Hur, Richard Stauber, Bob Bauer, Biden, Bob Woodward Organizations: Service, Business, FBI Locations: Afghanistan, Biden's Delaware, Biden's

☆ Blinken holding crucial meetings in Israel as efforts to free hostages and halt Gaza fighting intensify
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel Wednesday for meetings with key government officials to press for a “humanitarian pause” as international and domestic US pressure to end the conflict in Gaza continues to mount. Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a little over an hour. He is meeting with Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Herzi Halevi and set to meet with other key officials. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and, indeed, essential. And we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it,” Blinken said at a news conference in Doha Tuesday.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Herzi Halevi, “ There’s, ” Blinken, Biden, Joe Biden, ”, Netanyahu, ’, “ We’re, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince, Israel, we’ll Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Doha Tuesday, State Department, Monday, Palestinian Authority, Saudi Crown, Doha Locations: Israel, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Iranian, Iraq, Syria, United States, Rafah, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, ”, Palestinian

BEIRUT (AP) — A drone attack on a base housing U.S. troops in eastern Syria killed six allied Kurdish fighters late Sunday, in the first significant attack in Syria or Iraq since the U.S. launched retaliatory strikes over the weekend against Iran-backed militias that have been targeting its forces in the region. The U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Monday the attack hit a training ground at al-Omar base in Syria’s eastern province of Deir el-Zour and accused “Syrian regime-backed mercenaries” of carrying out the attack. In late January, a drone attack by the same group killed three U.S. troops and wounded dozens more at a desert base in Jordan. The U.S. military launched dozens of retaliatory strikes targeting Iran-backed militant groups in western Iraq and eastern Syria and also struck the Houthis in Yemen. The attack late Sunday came two days after the U.S. military carried out strikes against militant targets linked to Iran in Syria and Iraq.

Persons: Omar, “, Sunday’s, Samy Magdy Organizations: Syrian Democratic Forces, Human Rights, SDF, Sunday, U.S, U.S . Central Command, U.S . Navy, Britain, Associated Press Locations: BEIRUT, Syria, Kurdish, Iraq, U.S, Iran, The U.S, al, Deir el, Jordan, Yemen, Israel, Britain, Red, Cairo

☆ Live updates: US airstrikes in Middle East, Israel-Hamas war, Gaza crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Heather Chen | Andrew Raine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

US-led coalition conducts airstrikes in Yemen in response to the Houthi aggression at the Red Sea on February 3. US Central CommandThe US and the United Kingdom have conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen from air and surface platforms — including F/A-18s — on over 30 targets across 13 locations, according to officials. The US and UK carried out the strikes with the support of several other countries, according to a joint statement on Saturday. The Houthis said US and UK warplanes struck multiple provinces in Yemen, including the capital of Sanaa. The USS Gravely and USS Carney fired the land-attack cruise missiles and F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier were also involved, officials said.

Persons: “, Carney, Dwight D, Joe Biden's, CNN's Eyad Kourdi Organizations: US Central Command, US, CNN, Eisenhower Locations: Yemen, United Kingdom, UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sanaa, Tehran, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Red

☆ Fact check: Trump makes false claims about Iraq, Iran and Nikki Haley in new Fox interview
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Remember I used to say: ‘Don’t do it, but if you do it, keep the oil.’”Facts First: Trump’s claim that he said “Don’t do it” is false; the claim was debunked eight years ago. In reality, Trump did not publicly express opposition to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq before it occurred. In his 2000 book, “The America We Deserve,” Trump argued a military strike on Iraq might be necessary; when radio host Howard Stern asked Trump in September 2002 whether he is “for invading Iraq,” Trump responded, “Yeah, I guess so. Trump claimed on Fox, as he has before, that Iran “called me” to let him know of its plan to deliberately miss. Trump has provided no substantiation for the claim that Iran called him to telegraph the strike and offer reassurance.

Persons: Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Mitch McConnell, Iraq Trump, “, Trump, ” Trump, Howard Stern, George W, Bush “, Qasem, Iran “, Asad, ”, Mark Milley, Haley, aren’t, That’s, We’ll, ” Haley, Olivia Perez, Cubas, … ” Mitch McConnell, McConnell, he’s, –, ” McConnell, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez Organizations: CNN, Republican, Fox News, Fox, Trump, Washington Post, Pentagon, ” CNN, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Post, New, Green, Green New, Deal, Democratic, US Customs Locations: Iraq, Here’s, Iran, Iranian, New Hampshire, New, Indiana, Great, “

☆ Lindsey Graham blasts the timing of the Biden administration's retaliatory strikes on Iran-linked targets: 'They're not afraid of us'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Lindsey Graham called out Biden's strategy to deter Iran-linked groups in the Middle East. "If the goal is to deter Iran, you're failing miserably," Graham told Fox News on Sunday. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementSen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday criticized the timing of the Biden administration's retaliatory strikes in response to a January drone attack that killed three US service members in Jordan. "If the goal is to deter Iran, you're failing miserably.

Persons: Lindsey Graham, Graham, —, Sen, Donald, Trump, Biden, Mississippi Sen, Roger Wicker, Mike Johnson, Joe Biden Organizations: Fox News, Reuters, Service, Sunday, Biden, Fox, South Carolina Republican Locations: Iran, Jordan, United States, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Israel, Mississippi, Louisiana, Gaza

☆ Sullivan vows ‘further action’ after US carries out retaliatory strikes on Iranian-linked militia targets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The US will take “further action” after conducting major airstrikes over the weekend against Iranian-backed militias who have carried out attacks on US troops in the Middle East, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday. On Friday, the US hit 85 targets across seven locations in Iraq and Syria. The US strikes killed at least 16 people in Iraq, including civilians, and injured 25 others, the Iraqi government said Friday. The attacks hit areas close to the border with Syria and targeted facilities used by Iranian-linked al Hashd al Shabi — or Popular Mobilization Units — in the Iraqi city of Al-Qaim, Iraqi officials said. The next day, the US and UK conducted strikes on at least 30 Houthi targets in Yemen from air and surface platforms, including fighter jets, with the support of several other countries.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, “, ” Sullivan, CNN’s Dana, “ I’m, ”, Biden Organizations: CNN, Union, US Locations: East, “ State, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Iraqi, Al, Yemen

The US said the attack lasted 30 minutes, hitting 85 targets across seven locations in Iraq and Syria. In 2016, the Iraqi parliament passed a bill recognizing the PMU as a government entity operating alongside the Iraqi military. A screengrab from a video, geolocated by CNN to the town of Qaim, Iraq, shows the aftermath of US military strikes in the area, according to the Iraqi Military. Iraq and Syria condemned the US attack as infringements on their sovereignty that risk fueling regional conflict. “The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world,” Biden said in a statement Friday, following the strikes on Iraq and Syria.

Persons: Joe Biden, –, Biden, Kennedy Ladon Sanders, Sanders, Matt Rourke, Qaim, Turki Al, John Kirby, Washington, ”, SANA, Kirby, Douglas Sims, “, Mike Johnson, ” Johnson, Jack Reed, Lloyd Austin, ” Biden, Charles Lister, ” Lister, Ebrahim Raisi Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Army, US Army, Dover Air Force Base, House, Hezbollah, Al, US National Security, Syrian, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iraq’s Armed Forces, United Nations Charter, Republican, Senate Armed, US, Coalition Forces, Austin, Middle East Institute, Iraq Locations: United States, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Iran, Gaza, Israel, Delaware, Iraqi, Al, ” Syria’s, Deir Ezzor, Gen, Qaim, ” Syria, Washington ,, Tehran

☆ US, UK carry out series of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Oren Liebermann | Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US and UK have conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen from air and surface platforms — including fighter jets. Earlier Saturday, the US struck six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles before they were launched toward the Red Sea, US Central Command said. Almost exactly 24 hours after the first US weapons hit their targets in Iraq and Syria, the US carried out more strikes in Yemen. Saturday’s strikes are the third time in recent weeks the US and UK attacked Houthi targets as part of a joint operation. Less than two weeks later, the US and UK struck another eight sites.

Persons: Biden, John Kirby, Lloyd Austin Organizations: CNN, Command, ” National Security, Defense, Pentagon, US Locations: Yemen, Sea, Tehran, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Red, Aden, UK

☆ Opinion: The problem with the US bombing strikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Biden administration has also repeatedly said it doesn’t want to go to war with Iran. To tamp down the possibility of a wider regional war, the US needs to focus its efforts on addressing the underlying cause of this roiling conflict: the continued war in Gaza. Previous US strikes have failed to deter Iran and its proxies. It’s possible that US cyber-attacks in Iran could damage key elements of Iranian military command and control structures, but these kinds of attacks can take many weeks to prepare. This article has been updated to reflect the strikes on Houthi targets on Saturday.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, Biden, Joe Biden, “, Houthis, Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Let’s, Sayf al, Carl von Clausewitz, Lloyd Austin Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, White House, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, US, United, Adl, Prussian, Hamas, UNRWA Locations: New America, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Jordan, Iran, Gaza, Yemen, Baghdad, Iran’s, Afghanistan, Tehran, United Nations, East, Lebanon, Israel

☆ Iran-backed militia in Iraq vows to continue attacks on US forces as White House mulls military action
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Mostafa Salem In Abu Dhabi | Aqeel Najim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Al-Kaabi said that attacks against the US won’t stop until American troops withdraw from Iraq, and Israeli military operations cease in Gaza, according to a statement on Friday. The US believes an umbrella group of Iran-backed militants called Islamic Resistance in Iraq was behind the strike on the Jordan base and is now preparing to respond. On Friday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said his country will not initiateany war but will “respond strongly” to bullies. The US has meanwhile carried out a series of strikes in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Yemen’s Houthis have also continued to attack US interests despite multiple airstrikes by US and UK forces.

Persons: Biden, Akram Al, Kaabi, ”, Ebrahim Raisi, “, Yemen’s Houthis Organizations: CNN, US, Al, American Locations: An Iran, Iraq, States, Jordan, Gaza, Iran, Israel, Syria, Yemen, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iranian Hormozgan

☆ Opinion: Kim Jong Un wants the world to take his threat seriously
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The world once again is trying to parse the stance of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. After North Korea was defeated, the fighting stopped with a 1953 armistice but a peace agreement was never reached. Kim has certainly been signaling that something fundamental has shifted and he clearly wants the world to take his threats seriously. For decades the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea or DPRK, has had two explicit goals. The warning about North Korea cannot be ignored, and the US, South Korea and Japan should update their planning.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Kim Jong, Kim, Donald Trump, Kim “, ”, Robert Carlin, Siegfried Hecker, Carlin, Hecker, North, Kim Il Sung, Yoon Suk Yeol, ” Carlin, Kim bluster, Trump, Biden, Vladimir Putin, what’s Kim, It’s, he’s, Putin Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, West, Democratic People’s, South, Ukraine, Korean, Politico Locations: Korean, Frida Ghitis CNN North Korea, Ukraine, North Korea, South Korea, North, Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea, DPRK, Seoul, United States, Korea, Russia, East Asia, Japan, China, Moscow, Pyongyang

The Bidens will attend a “dignified transfer” as the remains of the troops killed in the overnight assault Sunday return to U.S. soil. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will join the Bidens for the transfer in Dover, where such events take place when U.S. servicemembers are killed in action. Friday will be the second dignified transfer Biden attends as president. In August 2021, he took part in the ritual for the 13 servicemembers killed during the suicide bombing in Kabul. As vice president, Biden in 2016 attended a dignified transfer for two U.S. soldiers killed in a suicide blast at Bagram Airfield.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jill Biden, servicemembers, Lloyd Austin, William Jerome Rivers, Kennedy Sanders, Waycross, Breonna Moffett, Moffett, ” Biden, Biden, Rivers, Sanders, Jerome, Tara Copp Organizations: Dover Air Force Base, U.S, Defense, Sunday, Navy, Capitol, Army, Army Reserves, Army Reserve, Defense Department, Pentagon, Hezbollah, White, Press Locations: WILMINGTON, Del, Jordan, U.S, Dover, Georgia, William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Sgt, Savannah, Sanders, Iran, Israel, Yemen, Moffett, Rivers, Fort Moore, New Jersey, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kabul, airport’s, Syria

☆ US forces hammered dozens of IRGC and Iran-backed militia targets with 125 bombs in retaliation for the drone attack that killed American troops
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The military action comes days after a drone attack killed US troops in Jordan. AdvertisementThe US military on Friday began strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, a US defense official told Business Insider. AdvertisementThe White House immediately blamed Iran-backed militias for the deadly incident and vowed revenge. The recent drone attack could have been an attempt to undermine the US hold in eastern Syria and to open arms smuggling routes through Jordan to the West Bank. AdvertisementSome US lawmakers have called for the Biden administration to take aggressive military action in retaliation for the Jan. 28 drone attack, including conducting strikes inside Iran itself.

Persons: —, CENTCOM, Joe Biden, Defense Lloyd Austin, Washington, John Kirby, they're, Biden Organizations: Service, Business, US Central Command, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Quds Force, US, Coalition, Pentagon, Defense, National Security, Institute for, West Bank Locations: Iran, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, United States, Tehran, East, Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Hamas

On Wednesday the White House said it believes an umbrella group of militants called Islamic Resistance in Iraq was behind the drone attack in Jordan. He stopped short of assigning exact blame on Kata’ib Hezbollah, the most powerful Iran-backed militia in Iraq, saying it was not the only group responsible for previous attacks on US bases. On Friday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said his country will not initiate a war but will “respond strongly” to bullies. In a sign of a possible effort to quell the tensions, Kataib Hezbollah, announced on Tuesday the suspension of its military operations against US forces in the region. “We are announcing the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces (US troops) - in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government,” Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Lloyd Austin, ”, ” Austin, We’re, ” John Kirby, “, ” Kirby, Ebrahim Raisi, ” Kataib, Akram Al Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, National Security Council, White, Hezbollah, US, Free Hezbollah Brigades Locations: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Jordan, Israel, Gaza, Tehran, United States, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iranian Hormozgan province

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

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

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

☆ White House formally assigns blame for drone strike in Jordan that killed 3 American service members
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Michael Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —The US believes an umbrella group of militants called Islamic Resistance in Iraq was behind the drone attack in Jordan that killed three American service members, the White House said Wednesday, its first formal attribution for the incident. “We believe that the attack in Jordan was planned, resourced and facilitated by an umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which contains multiple groups including Kata’ib Hezbollah,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. He stopped short of assigning exact blame on Kata’ib Hezbollah, saying it was not the only group responsible for previous attacks on US bases. In addition to the three killed, more than 40 US troops were injured. Biden told reporters on Tuesday that he had decided how to respond to the strike, but remained vague on what exactly the response would be.

Persons: John Kirby, ”, servicemembers, William Rivers, Kennedy Sanders, Breonna Moffett, Sanders, Moffett, Biden, Kirby Organizations: Washington CNN, US, Hezbollah, ” National Security, Army Reserve, Dover Air Force Base Locations: Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Carrollton , Georgia, Waycross , Georgia, Savannah , Georgia, Germany

Kyiv CNN —Aid to Ukraine is frozen in US Congress, and Kyiv could be dealing with a Trump presidency more sympathetic to Moscow. “I don’t worry much about it,” Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s defense intelligence directorate, told CNN in an exclusive interview in Kyiv. His agency has claimed notable successes, including raids on the Russian-occupied Crimea and attacks on Russian airfields, inflicting embarrassing wounds on the Kremlin. Ukrainian social media is bursting with footage from frontline troops showing drones spying on, attacking and even capturing Russian troops, although Moscow uses many of the same tactics. But as Ukraine’s long-held hopes for F-16 jets come to fruition – with Kyiv’s pilots already training on the aircraft – Budanov echoed Ukraine’s newest request.

Persons: Ukraine’s, isn’t, Kyrylo Budanov, Trump, ” Budanov, “, ” Trump, Putin, Budanov, Zelensky, Valeriy Zaluzhny, Moscow, ” Organizations: CNN —, Trump, CNN, Ukraine, Republican Party, Russian Federation, Kremlin, Artillery, US Air Force’s Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Russian, Crimea, Russia, Ukrainian, North Korea

☆ Iran warns it will react decisively if attacked and won't 'leave any threat unanswered' as US plans response to American troops deaths
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewIranian military and diplomatic officials have warned the country will respond if attacked as the US readies for retaliatory action after American troop deaths. "We hear threatening words from American officials," Major General Salami said Thursday, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. "You have tested us and we know each other," he said, adding that "we will not leave any threat unanswered." In 2020, a US drone strike killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. "We are not looking for war, but we are not afraid of it either," the Iranian general said.

Persons: —, Hossein, Joe Biden, Biden, Amir Saeid Iravani, Biden's, Kata'ib, Abu Hussein al, Pat Ryder, Trump, Qassem, he's Organizations: Service, Islamic, Guards, Business, Islamic Republic News Agency, NBC, United Nations, Associated Press, Pentagon, US Locations: Iran, Jordan, Islamic Republic, Gaza, Qassem Soleimani

☆ Biden has to deal with a second war he didn’t want. His task is to contain it
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

— Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian group based in Lebanon, has been waging a low-grade war against Israel. — Iran has blamed Israel for an attack that killed a number of Revolutionary Guard officers in Damascus, Syria. Hawkish Republicans like South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham are demanding he attack Iran on Iranian soil. “The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East. And on a purely strategic level, risking a major Middle East war that could cause massive US casualties to avenge the deaths of three soldiers, as terrible as their deaths are, would not represent a sound equation.

Persons: they're, Joe Biden —, Jordan Sunday –, Biden, haven’t, —, Israel, it’s, Antony Blinken, ” Aaron David Miller, CNN’s Jim Acosta, “, ”, William Rivers, Kennedy Sanders, Breonna Moffett, South Carolina Sen, Lindsey Graham, Nikki Haley, Biden’s, Donald Trump, Jim Himes, what’s, CNN’s Oren Liebermann, Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Lillis, Blinken, CNN’s Alex Marquardt, Joe Biden, Arkansas Sen, Tom Cotton, Haley, Qasem Soleimani, Trump, John Kirby, It’s Biden Organizations: Republicans, White House CNN, Jordan Sunday, Hezbollah, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Britain, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Revolutionary Guard, ”, GOP, Rep, Intelligence, Islamic, United Nations, –, Iran Locations: Washington, Tehran, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Jordan, United States, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, —, Syria, Baghdad, Beirut, Lebanon –, Damascus, East, South Carolina, Connecticut, Hamas, Qatar, Egypt, Islamic Republic, Arkansas, There’s

Search resuls for: "US Troops"

25 mentions found