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☆ Haniyeh’s Death Will Shake but Not Destroy Hamas, Analysts Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Adam Rasgon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ismail Haniyeh was the top figure managing Hamas’s international relations and one of the group’s most recognizable faces worldwide. From his base in Doha, Qatar, he helped lead Hamas in high-stakes negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza, and he delivered fiery speeches broadcast throughout the Arab world. But his killing in Iran, for which Tehran and Hamas blamed Israel, is unlikely to destabilize Hamas in the long term, analysts say, noting that the group has recovered from past assassinations of political and military leaders. “His assassination is a major blow,” Ibrahim Madhoun, an Istanbul-based analyst close to Hamas, said in an interview. But, he added, “Hamas has faced this situation in the past” and “came out of those scenarios stronger.”The long list of Hamas leaders killed by Israel includes Ahmed Yassin, Hamas’s founder and spiritual leader, in 2004; Salah Shehadeh, the founder of Hamas’s armed wing, in 2002; Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, in 2004; and Ahmed al-Jabari, a top commander, in 2012.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, “, ” Ibrahim Madhoun, Ahmed Yassin, Salah Shehadeh, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, Ahmed al Organizations: Hamas Locations: Doha, Qatar, Gaza, Iran, Tehran, Israel, Istanbul

☆ Iran says Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hamas said Haniyeh was killed "in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of Iran's new president." Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said early Wednesday, and Hamas blamed Israel for the attack. Hamas officials did not immediately respond to requests for further comment. In April, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed three of Haniyeh's sons and four of his grandchildren. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian's swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, along with other Hamas officials and officials from Hezbollah and allied groups.

Persons: Ismail Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Sinwar, Masoud Pezeshkian's, Fouad Shukur, Shukur, Biden, Bill Burns, Brett McGurk, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Organizations: Revolutionary Guard, Al, Israel, Guard, CIA, White, Hamas, Gaza Health Ministry Locations: Tehran, Israeli, Israel, Palestine, Gaza, Qatar, Al Jazeera, Iran, Beirut, Lebanese, U.S, Rome, East, North Africa

Washington CNN —The White House on Wednesday said reports of the assassination of a Hamas political leader in Iran “don’t help with the temperature going down,” while repeating calls for a ceasefire deal that would see the release of hostages held by Hamas. “These reports over the last 24-48 hours certainly don’t help with the temperature going down. I’m not going to be Pollyannaish about it; we’re obviously concerned about escalation,” White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters during the White House press briefing. In both conversations, according to the State Department, the officials emphasized the need for a ceasefire in Gaza. “It’s too soon to know what impact any of this is going to have on the ceasefire deal,” Kirby said at the briefing.

Persons: I’m, we’re, John Kirby, Kirby, Biden, Antony Blinken, Aaron David Miller, Haniyeh, “ Blinken, ” Miller, ”, “, Blinken, Israel, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Thani, “ It’s, ” Kirby, Hezbollah’s, Fu’ad Shukr, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Netanyahu’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, John Kirby’s, CNN’s Abeer Salman, Jennifer Handler, Niamh Kennedy Organizations: Washington CNN, House, White House, senior State Department, CNN, State Department, Qatari, Haniyeh, Hezbollah, Hamas, United, Zionist Locations: Iran, Tehran, Singapore, Israel, Qatar, Jordan, Gaza, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Egypt, United States, Golan, Beirut, Washington

☆ Two Al Jazeera Journalists Were Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Al Jazeera, the influential Arab news network, said that two of its journalists were killed on Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike on their car in Gaza City. The Qatar-based network said the reporter Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman, Rami al-Rifee, were killed in Shati camp in northern Gaza after reporting from or near the house of the deceased Hamas political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday. Mohammed Moawad, Al Jazeera’s managing editor, praised Mr. al-Ghoul’s courage in a post on social media. “Ismail was renowned for his professionalism and dedication, bringing the world’s attention to the suffering and atrocities committed in Gaza,” he said. The Committee to Protect Journalists has said the war in Gaza has led to the deadliest period for correspondents since it began gathering data in 1992, with at least 111 journalists and media workers among the more than 39,000 people killed in Gaza.

Persons: Al Jazeera, Ismail al, Rami al, Ismail Haniyeh, Ismail, Rami, ”, Mohammed Moawad, Al Jazeera’s, Mr, “ Ismail Organizations: ” Al Jazeera Media Network, Protect Journalists Locations: Al, Gaza City, Qatar, Gaza, Tehran

☆ Iran’s Leader Orders Attack on Israel for Haniyeh Killing, Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, in retaliation for the killing in Tehran of Hamas’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, according to three Iranian officials briefed on the order. Mr. Khamenei gave the order at an emergency meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday morning, shortly after Iran announced that Mr. Haniyeh had been killed, said the three Iranian officials, including two members of the Revolutionary Guards. Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of the assassination; Israel, which is at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, has neither acknowledged nor denied killing Mr. Haniyeh, who was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president. Israel has a long history of killing enemies abroad, including Iranian nuclear scientists and military commanders. But even that show of force was telegraphed well in advance, nearly all the weapons were shot down by Israel and its allies, and little damage was done.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ismail Haniyeh, Khamenei, Haniyeh, Israel Organizations: Iran’s, National Security, Revolutionary Guards, Hamas Locations: Iran, Israel, Tehran, Gaza, Damascus, Syria

☆ Middle East on knife-edge after killing of Hamas leader in Iran; Israel's opponents vow retaliation
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh attending an exclusive interview with Anadolu in Istanbul, Turkiye on April 20, 2024. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesThe Middle East is on edge after a dramatic escalation that saw top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in a strike in the Iranian capital of Tehran early Wednesday. Coming hours after the killing of Fuad Shukr in Beirut, the Middle East is on an absolute knife-edge now." Iran's leadership meanwhile has said that the alleged Israeli strike is grounds for "severe punishment" and that the country must "pay a heavy price." An all-out war between Israel and Iran — and Iran's proxies such as Hezbollah — would be devastating to all sides involved.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Charles Lister, Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah's, Haniyeh, Hamas, Torbjorn, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar, Victor Tricaud, Tricaud, Antony Blinken, Will, Yoav Gallant, Iran's, Atta Kenare Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Middle East Institute, Hezbollah, politburo, Verisk, Qatari, Foreign, CNBC, U.S . State Department, Israel, Israeli, Israel Defense Forces, AFP Locations: Istanbul, Turkiye, Tehran, Israel, Washington, Doha, Beirut, Golan, Iranian, Lebanese, Gaza, Iran, Qatar, Singapore, Palestine Square

Ismail Al-Ghoul and his cameraman, Rami Al-Rifi, who lived in the besieged enclave, were killed in an airstrike on their car in the al Shati refugee camp, according to the Qatar-based network. Al-Ghoul was wearing a press flak vest when he was killed, according to his colleague. Israel must stop killing journalists.”Khader Al-Za’anoun of Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, recalled his friendship with the Al Jazeera journalist. Al Jazeera reporters Yousef Al Saudi and Anas Al Sharif could be seen breaking down as they held Al-Ghoul’s bloodied flak jacket. “Our colleague Ismail was wearing this blood-stained vest,” fellow Al Jazeera journalist Yousef Al Saudi said, as he removed the “PRESS” sign from the jacket.

Persons: Al, Ismail Al, Ghoul, Rami Al, Rifi, Ismail Haniyeh, Zeina, ”, “ Zeina, …, ” Al Jazeera, Mohamed Moawad, Ismail, Al Jazeera, Rami, Ayman Abed, Israel, ‘, “, Jodie Ginsberg, ” Khader, Yousef Al Saudi, Anas Al Sharif, Al Sharif, Wadi, “ Ismail Organizations: CNN, ” CNN, Israel Defense Forces, Protect Journalists, Al, Ministry of Health, “ Journalists, International Federation of Journalists, Ahli Baptist, Hospital Locations: Al, Gaza, Qatar, Tehran, Israel, Egypt, ‘ Israel, Wafa, Al Jazeera, Ahli, Gaza City

☆ Ismail Haniyeh: Hamas political leader killed in Iran, group says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Kareem El Damanhoury | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh has been killed in the Iranian capital Tehran, according to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and Hamas on Wednesday. The new Iranian president was sworn in on Tuesday and Hamas released pictures the same day of Haniyeh meeting Iranian officials in Tehran. Haniyeh would be the second Hamas senior leader to be killed since the beginning of Israel’s war in Gaza. As Hamas grew in power, Haniyeh rose through the ranks – being appointed part of a secret “collective leadership” in 2004. In April, Israeli airstrikes killed three of Haniyeh’s sons and four of his grandchildren, according to Hamas.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, ”, Musa Abu Marzouk, “, Israel, Hezbollah’s, Fu’ad Shukr, Haniyeh, Saleh Al Arouri, Arouri, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, Barak Ravid, ” Ravid, –, Jimmy Carter, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, Wang Kejian, Haniyeh –, Qatar – Organizations: CNN, Revolutionary Guards Corps, ”, Hamas Locations: Tehran, Israel, Gaza, Beirut, Iran, Lebanese, Gaza City, United States, Qatar, Thani

☆ As U.S.-Iran Conflict Builds Across Mideast, Iraq Is Caught in Middle
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Iraq’s prime minister traveled to Washington in the spring, he hoped to negotiate a much-needed economic development package and discuss shared strategic interests with the United States, one of his country’s most important international allies. Both the United States and Iran have long held sway in Iraq. But since the war between the U.S. ally Israel and the Iran-backed Hamas broke out in Gaza almost 10 months ago, they are increasingly at odds. With regards to Iraq, one of the most contentious issues is the continued presence of 2,500 American troops on Iraqi soil. Over the past 20 months, Iran has used its considerable influence to try to persuade the Iraqis to push those forces out, and if it succeeds, it would give Tehran even more say over Iraqi policies.

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Israel Locations: Washington, United States, Iran, Israel, Tehran, Iraq, Gaza

☆ Israel Struck Beirut as ‘Axis of Resistance’ Leaders Attended Iran Inauguration
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel’s strike on Beirut on Tuesday came as senior leaders of the regional militant groups backed by Iran, known as the “axis of resistance,” were in Tehran for the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Even before the Israeli attack targeting a Hezbollah commander, Iranian military leaders were expected to meet with the militant leaders on the looming threat of war between Israel and Hezbollah. In a statement on Tuesday, Iran’s embassy in Beirut condemned “the cowardly and criminal attack,” according to Iranian media. The threat of a regional war could present Mr. Pezeshkian with the first major crisis of his presidency. Iran has maintained a dual policy of averting direct engagement in all-out war while supporting a network of militant groups that have opened fronts on Israel from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, “, Nasser Kanaani, ” Locations: Beirut, Iran, Tehran, Israel, Iran’s, Lebanon, U.S, Yemen, Iraq, Syria

☆ Fu’ad Shukr: Israeli strike targeting a top Hezbollah military leader takes region to the brink of all-out war
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Israel says it has killed Hezbollah’s most senior military official, Fu’ad Shukr, in a drone strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a populous neighborhood that is also the Iran-backed group’s stronghold. Fu'ad Shukr Rewards for JusticeWhatever the fate of Shukr, Wednesday’s strike is the most serious Israeli escalation since confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel began on October 8. The developments have raised the specter of an all-out war between Lebanon and Israel that could extend beyond the borders of both countries. Nasrallah has repeatedly threatened to hit Tel Aviv in response to any Israeli strike on Beirut, a move that would thrust the two countries, and the region, into uncharted waters. How long this highly calibrated tit-for-tat can go on for before the region spirals into an unprecedented war is anyone’s guess.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Hezbollah’s, Fu’ad Shukr, Mustafa Badreddine, General Hassan Nasrallah, Fu'ad, Shukr, Israel, Majdal Shams, Nasrallah, CNN’s Ben Wedeman, Abdullah Bou Habib, ” Organizations: CNN, group’s, Tel, Popular, Units, Lebanon’s Locations: Beirut, Iran, Syria, Majdal, Golan, Lebanon, Israel, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Yemen, Iraq, Tehran

☆ Iran using covert influence campaign to undermine Trump candidacy, US intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Iran is using covert social media activity and related influence operations in an effort to undercut the candidacy of former President Donald Trump, a US intelligence official said Monday in an updated assessment of threats to the November election. Iran’s preference for a US presidential candidate has not changed since 2020, the ODNI official said. In the 2020 election campaign, Iran “carried out a multi-pronged covert influence campaign intended to undercut former President Trump’s reelection prospects,” according to a declassified US intelligence report. The Russian government regularly denies US allegations of election influence. China “probably does not plan to influence the outcome” of the US presidential election, but US intelligence is monitoring the possibility that China-linked propagandists and influence actors could “denigrate down-ballot candidates,” the updated assessment says.

Persons: Donald Trump, ODNI, Iran “, Trump’s, haven’t, Joe Biden, “, Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Thomas Matthew Crooks, of National Intelligence Avril Haines, ” ODNI, China “, Xi Jinping, Biden Organizations: CNN, National Intelligence, Trump, United Nations, Service, stoke, of National Intelligence, Russian Embassy Locations: Iran, Tehran, United States, Moscow, U.S, Iranian, Pennsylvania, Israel, Gaza, Russia, Russian, Washington ,, China

“This will be the first Olympics, since Sydney, where the total costs are coming in under $10 billion,” said Victor Matheson, a College of the Holy Cross professor of economics who has researched the financial costs of the Olympics. Workmen adjust banners on the 3x3 basketball venue located at La Concorde, in Paris, ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games. Additionally, the Paris Olympic Village will be converted into offices and housing in a historically impoverished neighborhood. Still, economists say, it may take more drastic moves in the future for the Olympics to be truly sustainable and economically sound. “I love the Olympics, and I love sporting events, but I just really do not think that the way the Olympics works now is a viable business model,” Phalin said.

Persons: ”, Victor Matheson, “, “ It’s, David Gray, Andrew Zimbalist, ” Zimbalist, Michael Kappeler, it’ll, Fabrice Coffrini, Zimbalist, ‘, Amanda Phalin, Christian Petersen, I’m, ” Phalin, you’ve, it’s, Andrew Medichini, shuttlecocks, Matheson, Phalin Organizations: CNN, Olympic, Paralympic Games, Paris Games, of, IOC, La Concorde, Getty, Mexico City Games, Montreal Games, Smith College, Olympics, Oxford University, Audit Board, Tokyo, Eiffel, Paris, University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business, Games, of Investment, Development Authority, French, ” Workers, Palais, AP Paris Locations: Paris, Sydney, La, AFP, Mexico, Munich, ” Los Angeles, Tehran, Beijing, Sochi, France, “, Lake Placid , New York, Lake Placid, ”, Los Angeles, Oklahoma

☆ Fact-checking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Zeena Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —In his speech to Congress on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a defiant tone, pledging to carry on with the war in Gaza until Israeli hostages are released and Hamas is eliminated. He defended Israel’s actions, pushing back against criticism that the war has gone on for too long and resulted in too many civilian casualties. The incident Netanyahu appeared to refer to occurred in May and killed at least 45 people at a camp for displaced Palestinians. Israeli officials have been making the claim that Hamas was stealing aid since October. UN Humanitarian Coordinator Lynn Hastings told CNN then that Hamas wasn’t stealing aid because aid wasn’t coming in.

Persons: CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, ”, Jonathan Conricus, Seth Moulton, ” Conricus, “, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Haines, Yoav Gallant, Samantha Power, it’s, Lynn Hastings, wasn’t, David Satterfield, Biden, Matthew Miller Organizations: CNN, Gaza, Gaza Health Ministry, UN, House Armed Services Committee, Gaza’s Ministry, Health, Palestinian Ministry, National Intelligence, stoke, USAID, Rights Watch, Israeli, US State Department Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Palestinian, Israel, Iraq, Iran, America, Tehran, Gazans, Jordan

☆ What the West's foes may be learning from the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

AdvertisementShe explained that from a tactical perspective, Ukraine and Russia are learning much about each other, and in response, the cycles of adaptation and countermeasures are rapidly compressing. "Russia's allies and their partners are learning from them, and this is now a currency that Russia has to give to Iran, China, North Korea — that learning of our equipment." Iran and North Korea have collectively outfitted Russia with a bunch of lethal aid, including missiles, rockets, artillery shells, and drones. Photo by ANONYMOUS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty ImagesChina's support for Russia as it wages war in Ukraine has been more discreet. Experts and officials have also said that North Korea is likely learning about how its weapons perform in actual combat conditions.

Persons: —, Dara Massicot, Massicot, Baiba Braže, Alina Smutko, Tehran's, Abrams, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, It's, Luke Coffey, Iran's Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, Carnegie Endowment, International, Latvia's, Mechanized Brigade, REUTERS, Getty, CNN, Russian, Army Tactical Missile, West, Ukraine —, Hudson Institute, North, General Staff, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Institute for, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Washington, Iran, China, North Korea, Moscow, Iranian, Kermanshah, Beijing, Tehran, Pyongyang, AFP, Israel, Korea, Ukrainian, X

☆ Iran Pays You to Become Trans, but It Comes at a Cost — Your Dignity
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Joshua Nelken-Zitser | Additional Reporting Ida Reihani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

In 2007, The Guardian reported that Iran ranked second only to Thailand in the number of gender-affirming surgeries performed. Related stories"They told me I had two options," she told BI. Molkara, who died in 2012, was instrumental in securing the fatwa that legalized gender-affirming surgeries in Iran. Related stories"The questions were so graphic that my mom, at some point, left the room," she told BI. Homosexuality as a sinJavad Sadidi, a Mashhad surgeon who specializes in gender-affirming surgeries, told BI that the process takes a minimum of two years.

Persons: Varamini, He'd, Becca Kia, I'm, Ajoudani, she's, Vahid, Ruhollah Khomeini, Khomeini's, Maryam Khatoon Molkara, Molkara, Khomeini, Kaveh Kazemi, Legal Medicine Organization —, Pooya, Eugene Gologursky, it's, Sadidi, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, SPENCER PLATT, Elina, Shadi Sadr, who's, Soheil, he's Organizations: Business, Guardian, Eleos, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Revolutionary Guard Corps, State Welfare Organization of, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Legal Medicine Organization, BI, Columbia University, Justice, Tristar Media, United, Lancet, Global Surgery, State Welfare Organization of Iran, Mahtaa Institute Locations: Tehran, Shayan, Iran, Thailand, Tehran's, Islamic Republic, Iraq, London, State Welfare Organization of Iran, Iranian American, Mashhad, Shadi, Iranian, Shadi Sadr, United Nations, Karaj, Canada

☆ The US Navy's Red Sea fight is more intense than even the Tanker War in the 1980s, destroyer captain says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

One rare exception to this was the Tanker War that was a part of the larger Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. "And that's why I compare that more so to World War II than, I'd say, even outpacing what was seen during the Tanker War." Specifically from the perspective of the almost non-stop air-defense engagements, the Red Sea fight has definitely been more intense than anything the US Navy has seen since World War II, including the Tanker War, he said. AdvertisementThe Second World War was much more intense given the fleets that were facing off. "Certainly, it's the most intense air-defense challenge we've encountered in a long time," Macy said of the Red Sea fight.

Persons: —, Houthi, Mason, Dwight D, Cmdr, Justin Smith, Samantha Alaman, Carney, Smith, Eisenhower, Archer Macy, Mark Duncan, Macy, we've Organizations: Service, US Navy, Business, Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, Navy, Tanker, AP, Center for Strategic, Studies ' Missile Defense, US Locations: Gulf of Aden, Korea, Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Gulf, Aden, Persian Gulf, Tehran, Iraqi, Red, Persian, Salle, La Salle, Okinawa, Yemen

☆ Destroyer captain says the US Navy's Red Sea fight is more intense than even the Tanker War in the 1980s
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

☆ Houthi Drone Strike Highlights Dilemmas for Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel faces a strategic dilemma over how best to retaliate for the drone attack on Tel Aviv claimed by Yemen’s Houthi militia, which is based thousands of miles from Israel’s southern borders. The attack, which struck an apartment building early on Friday near the United States diplomatic compound, killing one person and wounded several others, has heightened concerns in Israel about the threat of Iran. Tehran funds and encourages militias opposed to Israel throughout the region, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in addition to the Houthis in Yemen. According to military experts, those factors make it harder for drones to be tracked by radar and intercepted by surface-to-air missiles. Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, has vowed revenge for the attack, but analysts said this weekend that Israel had few obvious options against a militia that shares no common border with Israel and has appeared undeterred by earlier displays of force by Western powers.

Persons: Yemen’s, Yoav Gallant Organizations: United Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, United States, Iran, Tehran, Gaza, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Yemen

☆ Blinken says Iran’s nuclear weapon breakout time is probably down to 1-2 weeks
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said that Iran’s breakout time – the amount of time needed to produce enough weapons grade material for a nuclear weapon – “is now probably one or two weeks” as Tehran has continued to develop its nuclear program. “Iran, because the nuclear agreement was thrown out, instead of being at least a year away from having the breakout capacity of producing fissile material for a nuclear weapon, is now probably one or two weeks away from doing that,” he said. Blinken said the policy of the US is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and that the administration would prefer to stop that from happening through diplomacy. The State Department also said that there is no anticipation that the recent election in Iran will change the country’s behavior. “We have no expectations that this election will lead to a fundamental change in Iran’s direction or its policies,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said earlier this month.

Persons: Antony Blinken, ”, “, Blinken, Biden, Trump, Matthew Miller, it’s, that’s Organizations: CNN, Aspen Security, US Defense Department, US, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, UN, State Department, The State Department, ”, “ Locations: Tehran, Iran, “ Iran, “

☆ Iranian president-elect ready to set relations with Europe ‘on the right path’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Fred Pleitgen | Manveena Suri | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Iran’s President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian said he looks forward to improving ties with Europe, despite accusing the continent of backtracking on commitments to alleviate the impact of US sanctions. “Despite these missteps, I look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with European countries to set our relations on the right path, based on principles of mutual respect and equal footing,” Pezeshkian wrote in the English-language Tehran Times newspaper. European countries made 11 commitments to Iran to “try to salvage the agreement and mitigate the impact of the United States’ unlawful and unilateral sanctions on our economy,” Pezeshikian said. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has the final say on all matters of state. Pezeshkian will ultimately defer to Khamenei, who has condemned those seeking improved relations with the West, on matters of foreign policy.

Persons: CNN —, Masoud Pezeshkian, ” Pezeshkian, Pezeshkian, Donald Trump, “, ” Pezeshikian, ”, Saeed Jalili, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Khamenei Organizations: CNN, CNN — Iran’s, Tehran Times, United, Iran’s Locations: Europe, EU, France, Germany, Iran, United States, Washington, Pezeshkian

☆ NATO allies call China a ‘decisive enabler’ of Russia in Ukraine war as bloc eyes Asia security threats
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —China is a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine, NATO leaders said Wednesday, as the defense alliance hardens its stance on Beijing and the “systemic challenges” they say it poses to their countries’ security. For the third consecutive year, leaders of New Zealand, Japan and South Korea attended the NATO leaders’ summit in another sign of closer ties between the bloc and those countries, as well as Australia. NATO’s increasing focus on AsiaThe NATO leaders’ declaration is the latest step in what has been the bloc’s gradual hardening of tone on China in recent years. NATO leaders first mentioned the need to jointly address “opportunities and challenges” posed by China in a 2019 declaration, before moving to refer to “systemic challenges” the country poses in 2021. “The Indo-Pacific is important for NATO, given that developments in that region directly affect Euro-Atlantic security,” the leaders said in their declaration.

Persons: ”, Joe Biden, China’s, “, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Bobylov, –, Putin, Kim Jong Un Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, NATO, US, ’, Getty Images China, Union, European Union, EU, Wednesday, North Locations: China, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Beijing, Washington, Russia, Moscow, North America, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Russian, ”, North Korea, Iran, Pyongyang, Tehran, North, Pacific

Mark Rutte rode off into the sunset on his bicycle last week, making a carefully choreographed exit from Dutch politics, which he has dominated as prime minister for nearly 14 years. Mr. Rutte, known as a flexible pragmatist, will bring his experience at conciliation to the 32-nation military alliance when he takes over as secretary general from Jens Stoltenberg on Oct. 1. Beyond that challenge, NATO faces a Russian government forging stronger ties with China and Iran, even as Beijing tries to dominate Asia and Tehran expands its nuclear program. Leading member states like France and Germany are dealing with the empowerment of far-right parties with clear sympathies for Moscow. And there are new demands to spend more money on the military.

Persons: Mark Rutte, Rutte, Jens Stoltenberg Organizations: NATO, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Russia’s Locations: Europe, Washington, China, Iran, Beijing, Asia, Tehran, France, Germany, Moscow, Hungary, Turkey

☆ Iran's new president may be a reformist, but change remains distant
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visits to the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran on July 06, 2024. Fatemeh Bahrami | Anadolu | Getty ImagesIran on Friday elected its first "reformist" president in 20 years, signaling many voters' rejection of hardline conservative policies amid low turnout of just 49%, according to official figures. Iran's sole reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili are set to go to runoffs after securing the highest number of votes in Iran's presidential election, the interior ministry said. "This is why many Iranians have lost hope in bringing about change through the ballot boxes and are boycotting elections." "The core structure of Iran's theocratic regime, where a Supreme Leader's authority eclipses that of any president, will remain steadfastly intact… In essence, Iran's theocracy is designed to resist meaningful change."

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, Ruhollah Khomeini, Fatemeh, Masoud, Ibrahim Raisi, Sina, Toossi, Massoud Pezeshkian, Majid Saeedi, Mohammad Khatami, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Nader Itayim, Khamenei, Itayim, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh, Hashemi Alireza Zakani, Saeed Jalili, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Iran's, ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, Atta Kenare, Ben Taleblu, Pezeshkhian, Mahsa Amini, Amini, Mahsa, Ozan Kose, Pezeshkian's Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Center for International, CNBC, Guardian Council, Argus Media, Vehicles, Afp, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, AFP, for Human Rights, Trump Locations: Tehran, Iran, Afrasiabi, Islamic Republic, Mideast, Washington, Pezeshkian, Kurdish Iranian, Iranian, Istanbul

☆ US intel chief says Iran is attempting to stoke Gaza protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Iran is attempting to covertly stoke protests in the United States related to the conflict in Gaza, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a statement on Tuesday, posing as activists online and, in some cases, providing financial support to protesters. “I want to be clear that I know Americans who participate in protests are, in good faith, expressing their views on the conflict in Gaza — this intelligence does not indicate otherwise,” Haines said. “Americans who are being targeted by this Iranian campaign may not be aware that they are interacting with or receiving support from a foreign government,” she said. Those protests have been hugely divisive domestically, making them a ripe target for foreign actors — like Iran — interested in amplifying discord within the US. A US intelligence assessment released in December reported that Iran also tried to meddle in the 2022 midterm elections.

Persons: of National Intelligence Avril Haines, ” Haines, ”, “, —, Haines Organizations: CNN, stoke, of National Intelligence, Hamas Locations: Iran, United States, Gaza, Israel, Tehran

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