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☆ Opinion | Why Authoritarians Like Saddam Hussein Confound U.S. Presidents
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Steve Coll | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

America committed its worst foreign policy mistake of the post-Cold War era when it invaded Iraq in 2003 to disarm Saddam Hussein of his supposed weapons of mass destruction. Another central question has rarely been examined: Why did Mr. Hussein sacrifice his long reign in power — and ultimately his life — by creating an impression that he held dangerous weapons when he did not? Mr. Hussein recorded his private leadership conversations as assiduously as Richard Nixon. He left behind about 2,000 hours of tape recordings as well as a vast archive of meeting minutes and presidential records. And they clarify the complicated matter of why he could not persuade U.N. inspectors, multiple spy agencies and many world leaders that he did not possess weapons of mass destruction.

Persons: America, Saddam Hussein, Biden, George W, Hussein, Richard Nixon, Bush Locations: Iraq, Iran, Washington, United States, China, Russia

☆ ‘From the Ashes’ exhibition is helping Indigenous communities in the Amazon Rainforest
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Arya Jyothi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The rest of it goes to the Indigenous Xingu community, primarily for firefighting equipment,” he said. Aislan Pankararu, Courtesy of Migrate Art and Christie'sThe Amazon rainforest, which is crucial for trapping and storing carbon emissions, is facing a tipping point by 2050 that could have devastating consequences. According to the non-profit Amazon Aid, the primary driver of wildfires in the Amazon rainforest is deforestation for agriculture, logging, and other economic opportunities. Butler visited the Amazon rainforest and its Indigenous Xingu communities two years ago. The collection also includes works made by members of the Indigenous community, such as three paintings by Kamo Waurá, a village shaman.

Persons: CNN —, Sarah Ball, Simon Butler, ”, they’re, Aislan Pankararu, Takumã, Butler, Piers Secunda, Takumā, Christie's, Kamo Waurá, “, ” Secunda Organizations: CNN, London’s Truman, Amazon Aid Locations: British, Brazil, London’s, London, Northeast Brazil, Iraqi Kurdistan

☆ Opinion: Why Iran hates America
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Fareed Zakaria | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Iran, and particularly its hostile relationship with the US, is firmly at the center. The story is more complicated than that, as I lay out in my CNN special report “Why Iran Hates America,” airing Sunday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. But suffice it to say that America’s relationship with Iran has been hostile and confrontational for more than four decades. Washington has viewed the fall of the Shah’s Iran as a deep betrayal from which it has never really recovered. As Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif pointed out to me, the Iran nuclear deal was premised not on trust but on mistrust.

Persons: Fareed Zakaria, Fareed, Read, CNNi, Yemen’s Houthis, jihadism, Majid Saeedi, Iran’s, Shah, Jimmy Carter, It’s, Ronald Reagan, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Hassan Rouhani, Javad Zarif, premised, Donald Trump, Rouhani Organizations: CNN, Fareed’s, Sunday, US, Iranian, Washington Locations: Iran, Israel, Gaza, An Iran, Jordan, Washington, Tehran, Britain, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, —, Moscow, Roman, America, United States

☆ Julian Assange makes last-ditch attempt in UK court to avoid extradition to the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Claudia Rebaza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images Assange attends a seminar at the Swedish Trade Union Confederation in Stockholm on August 14, 2010. LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images Assange and his bodyguards are seen after a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 2010. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images Assange, on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, holds up a United Nations report in February 2016. Carl Court/Getty Images Assange speaks to the media in May 2017, after Swedish prosecutors had dropped their investigation of rape allegations against Assange. Jack Taylor/Getty Images Assange was seen for the first time in months during a hearing via teleconference in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2018.

Persons: London CNN — Julian Assange’s, Priti Patel, Assange, Julian Assange, Jack Taylor, LEON NEAL, BERTIL ERICSON, FABRICE COFFRINI, Carl Court, Geoff Caddick, Oli Scarff, CARL COURT, Leon Neal, Philip Toscano, Ricardo Patino, Frank Augstein, David Paul Morris, John Stillwell, Mike, Pompeo, Maria Sol Borja, Chelsea Manning, Alastair Grant, Daniel Leal, Elizabeth Cook, Assange’s, Edward Fitzgerald, ”, “, ” Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald, Assange “, ” Mark Summers, Stella, Julia Hall, Rebecca Vincent, ” Vincent, Nick Vamos, “ It’s, Vamos Organizations: London CNN, WikiLeaks, European, of Human Rights, Ecuadorian, Guardian, Getty, Swedish Trade Union Confederation, St, Paul's, Court, British, Ecuadorian Embassy, Oxford Union Society, Ecuadorian Foreign, Southwest Festival, Bloomberg, United Nations Human Rights, United, United Nations, CIA, CNN, Army, Ecuador, Southwark Crown, Metropolitan Police, US Justice Department, Eastern, of, Department, US, UK’s, Media, Foreign Press Association, Amnesty, International Campaigns, US Espionage, Peters & Peters, Prosecution Service Locations: United States, British, Belmarsh, Queensland, Australia, Westminster, London, Afghanistan, AFP, Stockholm, Iraq, Geneva, Switzerland, Sweden, Ecuador, Austin , Texas, Ecuadorian, United Nations, United Kingdom, Quito, Southwark, America, of Virginia, Guantanamo, Australian, Europe, UK’s

☆ 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

☆ Opinion: What Iran wants — and fears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Opinion Hussein Ibish | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Iran has backed Hezbollah’s efforts to avoid an all-out war with Israel despite consistent Israeli escalation and threats. Hezbollah doesn’t want a war with Israel and Iran agrees. The potential for such US or Israeli airstrikes is among the most significant reasons Iran wants to avoid a broader conflict. Tehran has already restrained its Iraqi proxies, is working to help Hezbollah climb down and avoid a devastating Israeli attack. And Iran is probably urging the Houthis to take great care not to kill Americans or otherwise go too far.

Persons: Hussein Ibish, Read, Hussein Ibish It’s, Biden, Israel, Kataib, Saleh Al, Wissam, Amos Hochstein, Ebrahim Raisi, Shannon Stapleton, It’s Organizations: Gulf States Institute, Israel, CNN, Washington, Radwan Force, Iranian Locations: Washington, Iranian, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Saudi, That’s, Israel, Jordan, Hezbollah’s, Beirut, Tehran, Yemeni, Suez, Strait, Hormuz, Bab, Mandab

☆ Italy donates 3D-printed replica of statue destroyed by ISIS to Iraq
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( James Imam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Italy has donated a reconstructed Assyrian statue to Iraq in a gesture former culture minister Francesco Rutelli described as a “miracle” of Italian cultural diplomacy. Constructed in the ninth century BC, the 5-meter-tall (16-foot) “Bull of Nimrud” was destroyed by ISIS fighters in 2015, before Italian artisans made a copy of the monument using 3D-printing technology. The replica, which was previously displayed at the Colosseum in Rome and the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, has now been permanently relocated outside the entrance to the Basrah Museum in the Iraqi city of Basra. "The Bull of Nimrud," a full-sized reconstruction of the bull figure from the ancient Assyrian city Nimrud, on display in the "Reborn from Destruction" exhibition at the Colosseum in October 2016. The “Bull of Nimrud,” which stood at the site and is a symbol of the Assyrian civilization, was among the destroyed monuments.

Persons: Francesco Rutelli, Nimrud, ” Gennaro Sangiuliano, ” Rutelli, Civiltà, meanwhile, Klaus Blume, Nicola Salvioli, ”, Shalmaneser III, Ashurnasirpal, Abdul Latif Rashid Organizations: The Art, CNN, CNN —, ISIS, UNESCO, Basrah Museum, Associazione, Facebook, of Bel Locations: CNN — Italy, Iraq, Rome, Paris, Iraqi, Basra, “ Italy, Nimrud, Mosul, Ashurnasirpal, Palmyra, Ebla, Italy

Both Iraq and the U.S. had agreed last August to enter into talks to transition U.S. forces from their long-standing role in assisting Iraq in combating IS. The resumed meetings will continue to chart a path to a new bilateral relationship “as long as nothing disturbs the peace of the talks," Iraq said in its statement. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesIraq has long struggled to balance its ties with the U.S. and Iran, both allies of the Iraqi government but regional archenemies. The Iraqi government has angrily condemned U.S. airstrikes against Kataib Hezbollah, which is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces. Notably, there have been no additional strikes against U.S. bases in Iraq since Feb. 4.

Persons: ” Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, U.S ., Iraq, Hamas, Kataib Hezbollah, Popular Mobilization Forces Locations: Islamic State, Iran, Jordan, U.S, Iraq, Syria, Israel

☆ 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

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, dashing hopes that a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip might be close, on Wednesday spurned a proposal from Hamas and said that Israel had directed its forces to prepare to operate in a Gazan city that has become a refuge for more than one million Palestinians. His comments came a day after Hamas delivered a plan to mediators that called for Israel to withdraw from Gaza, abide by a long-term cease-fire and free Palestinians held in Israeli jails in exchange for the release of Israelis being held hostage in Gaza. “Surrender to the ludicrous demands of Hamas — which we’ve just heard — won’t lead to the liberation of the hostages, and it will only invite another massacre,” Mr. Netanyahu said at a news conference in Jerusalem. Word that Israel was preparing a possible expansion of its operation came as American officials said they had killed a senior leader of an Iraqi-based militia they blame for recent attacks on American military personnel. The Pentagon said that a strike in Iraq had killed a commander of Kata’ib Hezbollah, the militia they say was responsible for a drone attack in Jordan last month that killed three American service members and injured more than 40.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, we’ve, —, ” Mr, Netanyahu, Antony J, Blinken, Kata’ib Organizations: Hamas, Mr, Pentagon, Kata’ib Hezbollah Locations: Gaza, Israel, Jerusalem, ”, Rafah, Egypt, Iraqi, Iraq, Jordan

☆ U.S. Strike in Baghdad Kills Iranian-Backed Militia Commander
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Helene Cooper | Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A U.S. retaliatory strike in the Iraqi capital on Wednesday killed a senior leader of a militia that U.S. officials blame for recent attacks on American personnel, the Pentagon said, following up on President Biden’s promise that the response to a slew of attacks by Shiite militias would continue. The Pentagon said the man was a leader of Kata’ib Hezbollah, the militia that officials have said was responsible for the drone attack in Jordan last month that killed three American service members and injured more than 40 more. A U.S. official said that the strike was a “dynamic” hit on the militia commander, whom American intelligence officials had been tracking for some time. A second official said the United States reserved the right to strike other Shiite militia leaders and commanders.

Persons: Biden’s, Kata’ib Organizations: Wednesday, Pentagon, Kata’ib Hezbollah, U.S Locations: Jordan, United States

Washington CNN —A US military strike on Wednesday in Baghdad killed a Kataib Hezbollah commander who was responsible for attacks on American forces in the region, according to US Central Command. A US official said the strike was part of the response President Joe Biden authorized last week in response to the Jordan attack. As of Tuesday, there had been at least 168 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq, Syria and Jordan. In addition to the three soldiers killed in the Jordan attack, three other service members were medically evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. The Iraqi government said the US’ strikes killed at least 16 people, including civilians.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jordan, Biden, –, Sabrina Singh, ”, “, CNN’s MJ Lee, Kevin Liptak Organizations: Washington CNN, US Central Command, Central Command, Command, Local, CNN, White, Iraqi Popular Mobilization, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pentagon, Regional Medical Center, Iraq’s, US, United Locations: Baghdad, Iran, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Germany, ”, United States, Anbar Governorate

☆ Iraq Hosts Both U.S. and Iranian-Backed Forces. It’s Getting Tense.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, Iraq has managed to pull off an unlikely balancing act, allowing armed forces tied to both the United States and Iran, an American nemesis, to operate on its soil. When Washington, Tehran and Baghdad all wanted the same thing — the defeat of the Islamic State terrorist group — the relationships were fairly tenable, but in recent months, as the war in the Gaza Strip sends ripples across the region, American and Iranian-backed forces have clashed repeatedly in Iraq and Syria. A U.S. strike on one of those militias last week killed 16 Iraqis, and Iraq is saying it has had enough. “Our land and sovereign authority is not the right place for rival forces to send messages and show their strength.” the office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement on Sunday. For many years, both Iran and the United States had their proponents within the Iraqi government, and the Iranian-backed armed groups and the American troops lived in a tolerable if uneasy balance.

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Sudani Organizations: Islamic State Locations: Iraq, United States, Iran, American, Washington, Tehran, Baghdad, Gaza, Syria, U.S

BAGHDAD (AP) — A drone strike hit a car in the Iraqi capital Wednesday night, killing three members of the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia including a high-ranking commander, militia officials said. The strike occurred on a main thoroughfare in the Mashtal neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. Two officials with Iranian-backed militias in Iraq said that one of those killed was Wissam Mohammed “Abu Bakr” al—Saadi, the commander in charge of Kataib Hezbollah’s operations in Syria. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to journalists. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesThere was no immediate comment from U.S. officials on Wednesday’s strike.

Persons: Wissam Mohammed “ Abu Bakr, al — Saadi, Kataib, Ali Jabar Organizations: U.S ., Iranian Revolutionary Guard, ___ Associated Press Locations: BAGHDAD, Mashtal, Baghdad, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Jordan, U.S, Iran, Israel, Yemen, Ras Issa, Salif district, Hodeida province, ___

☆ ‘We hold the US responsible,’ says brother of Iraqi student killed in airstrikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Mohammed Tawfeeq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The brother of an Iraqi student killed as a result of US airstrikes on Iraq and Syria on Friday says the family holds the United States responsible for his death. “My brother was killed instantly,” Anmar told CNN on the phone from Al Qaim on Tuesday. Security forces inspect a damaged car at the site of a US airstrike in Al Qaim, Iraq, February 3, 2024. Shell casings lie at the site of a US airstrike in Al Qaim, Iraq, February 3, 2024. A destroyed building at the site of a US airstrike in Al Qaim, Iraq, February 3, 2024.

Persons: Abdulrahman Khaled, Al Qaim, Anmar Khaled, “, Abdulrahman, ” Anmar, Stringer, –, ”, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Joe Biden, ” CNN’s Natasha Bertrand, Betsy Klein Organizations: CNN, White House, Security, Reuters, Al, General Hospital, Preparatory High School, ISIS, Department of Defense, Popular, National Security Locations: Iraq, Syria, States, Al, Iranian, Abdulrahman, Anbar, Al Qaim, Jordan, United States, Iran

CNN —US officials said Monday that Iraq was not notified ahead of a series of strikes on Iran-linked targets in the country, contradicting earlier statements that the Iraqi government was notified before the strikes occurred. We informed the Iraqis immediately after the strikes occurred,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a briefing on Monday. “Iraq, like every country in the region, understood that there would be a response after the deaths of our soldiers,” he noted. In a statement to CNN, Kirby said he “responded with information that I had been provided at the time” after the strikes on Friday. “For operational security reasons, we did not provide any kind of official pre-notification with specific details on these strikes,” the spokesperson said.

Persons: Vedant Patel, ”, John Kirby, Kirby, “, Pat Ryder, ” Ryder, we’ll Organizations: CNN, ” State Department, National Security, State Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, United, Pentagon Locations: Iraq, Iran, “ Iraq, Syria, Jordan, United States, Anbar Governorate, Iranian

The leading Democrat in the primary is George Whitesides, a former NASA chief of staff supported by the campaign arm of House Democrats. A STRONGLY DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT THAT VOTES REPUBLICANThe Central Valley farm belt is a political conundrum. Gray, who is backed by the campaign arm of House Democrats, argues that his party can’t reclaim the House majority without winning his district. Rollins, who is backed by the campaign arm of House Democrats, says it's time for new leadership and has depicted Calvert as an extremist. “House Democrats are ready to find common ground and a bipartisan path forward.”

Persons: Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, hasn’t, Joe Biden, —, Gavin Newsom, Donald Trump, Newsom, ” Newsom, Trump, Mike Garcia, Garcia, — Garcia, George Whitesides, He's, “, Katie Porter, Scott Baugh, Porter, Sen, David Min, Joanna Weiss, David Valadao, Democrat T.J, Cox, Rudy Salas, Valadao, Salas, Chris Mathys, Melissa Hurtado, Republican John Duarte, Democrat Adam Gray, Gray, Ken Calvert, Will Rollins, Calvert, Rollins, Michelle Steel, Kim Nguyen, Derek Tran, Steel, Mike Levin, Levin, ” Organizations: ANGELES, —, Republican, Democratic, GOP, White House, LA COUNTY, District, Navy, Trump, California’s, Los Angeles, NASA, Democrats, REAGAN, Orange, “ Reagan, U.S, Senate, Central, Republicans, Democrat, CENTRAL, ANGELES Rep, SOUTH, Republican Rep, Capitol, Steel, Democratic Party, Hamas, American, DEMOCRAT, DISTRICT, Biden, Marine, Base, Congress, “ Locations: California, Southern California, rematches, Washington, Democratic Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, Mexican, Central, Salas, Palm Springs, Korean, Capitol Hill, Orange County, Israel, Orange, San Diego, Coastal California, Pendleton

☆ Six US-Backed Kurdish Fighters Killed in Drone Attack on US Base in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

AMMAN (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces said on Monday that six of their fighters had been killed in an explosive drone attack by Iran-backed armed groups that came from areas of Syria's Deir al Zor under the control of the Syrian government. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq - an umbrella group of several Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups - on Monday claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Al-Omar field, saying it launched the attack on Feb. 4. Washington blames the group for a drone attack on a U.S. outpost in Jordan earlier this month that killed three U.S. forces. The U.S. launched dozens of strikes over the weekend against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, killing about 40 people, the vast majority reported to be militants. Iran-backed groups declaring support for the Palestinians have entered the fray across the region as the war between Israel and the militant Hamas group has intensified.

Persons: Syria's Deir al, Farhad Shami, Omar, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Timour, Gareth Jones, William Maclean Organizations: Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, Commando, Washington, Hamas, Lebanese Locations: AMMAN, Kurdish, Iran, Syria's Deir, Syria's Deir al Zor, U.S, Al, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Israel, Gaza, Red

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

☆ 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

☆ U.S. intends to take 'additional strikes' against Iran-backed groups, national security advisor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan answers questions during the daily briefing at the White House on November 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. "We intend to take additional strikes and additional action to continue to send a clear message that the United States will respond when our forces are attacked or our people are killed." "What I will say is that the president is determined to respond forcefully to attacks on our people. A day after those strikes, the U.S. and Britain led attacks against 36 Houthi targets in Yemen, in a second effort to further destabilize Iran-backed groups. When asked how worried he is that Iranian-backed forces could again retaliate against U.S. forces, Sullivan responded: "That's always a risk...if we see more attacks, you'll see more responses."

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, we've, I'm, Kristen Welker's, Biden Organizations: National, White House, NBC, Press, U.S ., Revolutionary Guard, U.S, CBS Locations: Washington , DC, United States, Iran, U.S, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, Red, Israel, Iranian

☆ 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, “

☆ Iraq Bans 8 Local Banks From US Dollar Transactions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Timour AzhariBAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has banned eight local commercial banks from engaging in U.S. dollar transactions, taking action to reduce fraud, money laundering and other illegal uses of U.S. currency days after a visit by a top U.S. Treasury official. The banks are banned from accessing the Iraqi central bank's daily dollar auction, a main source of hard currency in the import-dependent country that has become a focal point of a U.S. crackdown on currency smuggling to neighbouring Iran. A central bank document verified by an official at the bank listed the banned banks. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesThey are: Ahsur International Bank for Investment; Investment Bank of Iraq; Union Bank of Iraq; Kurdistan International Islamic Bank for Investment and Development; Al Huda Bank; Al Janoob Islamic Bank for Investment and Finance; Arabia Islamic Bank and Hammurabi Commercial Bank. Banks banned from dollar transactions are allowed to continue operating and are allowed to engage in transactions in other currencies, the central bank says.

Persons: Timour Azhari, Al Huda, Ashur, Hammurabi, ”, Banks, Brian Nelson, Mohammed Shia, Giles Elgood Organizations: Treasury, Ahsur, Bank for Investment, Investment Bank of Iraq, Union Bank of, Kurdistan International Islamic Bank for Investment, Development, Al, Al Huda Bank, Islamic Bank for Investment, Finance, Arabia Islamic Bank, Hammurabi Commercial Bank, Central Bank of, U.S . Treasury, Huda Bank, Reuters, Iraqi Locations: Timour, Timour Azhari BAGHDAD, Iraq, U.S, Iran, United States, Israel, Gaza, Union Bank of Iraq, Kurdistan, Central Bank of Iraq, Washington, Baghdad

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. US officials say the strikes hit four facilities in Syria and three in Iraq, where security officials reported damage in the city of Al-Qaim. The sites allegedly belonged to various Iran-backed militias, which the US blames for the strike in Jordan. The US does not plan to strike inside Iran: A senior official with the Biden administration told CNN the US will not strike inside Iran – only focusing on targets outside of the country. Striking inside Iran would have been a huge escalation, and officials have telegraphed that is unlikely to happen.

Persons: Joe Biden, Lloyd Austin, Biden, Jordan, Douglas Sims, Sims, John Kirby Organizations: CNN, White House, Pentagon, Defense, Air Force, National Security Locations: Qaim, Iraq, Iraqi, Jordan, Syria, Al, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Yemen, Gen

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that 23 people, all rank-and-file fighters, were killed. The air assault was the opening salvo of U.S. retaliation for a drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan last weekend. The U.S. has blamed that on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed militias. Iran, meanwhile, has attempted to distance itself from the attack, saying that the militias act independently of its direction. On Friday, the USS Carney shot down a drone over the Gulf of Aden and there were no injuries or damage.

Persons: Hussein, Washington “, ” Mosawi, Rami Abdurrahman, Bassim, Awadi, embassy’s, “, —, Yemen’s, Carney, Dwight D, Abby Sewell, Bassem, Jon Gambrell, Tara Copp Organizations: Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Associated Press, Human Rights, U.S, Population Mobilization Forces, Islamic, Popular Mobilization Forces, Israel, U.S . military’s Central Command, U.S . Navy, Eisenhower Locations: BAGHDAD, United States, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Baghdad, U.S, Britain, Jordan, Iran, Iraqi, Islamic State, Gaza, Aden, Red, Beirut, Jerusalem, Washington

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