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☆ Drone, explosive attacks target US forces across Iraq
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

There had been four attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria in the past 24 hours, a separate U.S. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The security sources said the patrol was accompanied by Iraqi counter-terrorism forces and that a vehicle in the patrol was damaged. A drone was also launched at al-Harir air base in Erbil which house U.S. and international forces but was downed before reaching its target, security sources said. It added that the base had been evacuated of U.S.-led coalition forces on Oct. 20. The U.S. military official said they "don't have any updates regarding adjustments in force posture throughout Iraq and Syria."

Persons: Kamal Ayash, Jamal al, Ahmed Rasheed, Timour, Idrees Ali, Timour Azhari, Mark Heinrich, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: U.S, Federal Iraqi, Pentagon, United, Thomson Locations: MOSUL, Iraq, U.S, Israel, Syria, Mosul, Ain, Asad, Baghdad, Erbil, Gaza, Iran, Tehran, Iranian, United States, Anbar, Badrani, Washington

☆ As the West courts Russia's neighbors, Putin shows he won't give up its backyard without a fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Eurasian Economic Summit on Nov. 9, 2022, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at a joint news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Feb. 10, 2022. "Central Asia obviously has to keep a fine balance and tread that line," Hess said. Analysts note that while an economically isolated Russia wants and needs to keep Central Asia on side, it is gradually losing its grip on the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrive for a working breakfast of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2023.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Keen, Emmanuel Macron, Putin, Ilham Aliyev, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Emomali Rahmon, Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Lavrov, —, it's, Max Hess, Hess, Kassym, Mikhail Klimentyev, Xi Jinping, Florence Lo, they've, Temur Umarov, Tokayev, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Vladimir Smirnov Organizations: Economic, Getty, Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States, Russian, Central Asia —, Central Asian, Kazakh, CIS, West, Georgia, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, Kremlin, Reuters Central, Central, Central Asia Summit, Afp, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Commonwealth of Independent, Sputnik Locations: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, Moscow, Russian, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakh, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, China, Soviet, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Baltic States, Soviet Union, Moldova, Ukraine, U.S, Afghanistan, Asia, Xian, Shaanxi

☆ U.S. Forces Under Fire in Middle East as America Slides Towards Brink
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +10 min

By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Ahmed RasheedWASHINGTON/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A defective drone in Iraq may have helped keep America from being dragged deeper into a widening Middle East conflict. The possibility of a major strike that draws America into a conflict is "a very realistic concern," he said. "I think they are calibrating the attacks to harass rather than kill en masse U.S. troops," he said of Iraqi and Syrian militias. Iran says it had no role in Hamas' Oct. 7 raid on Israel, though it has welcomed the attack. "We had rocket attacks, mortar attacks, before we got hit with the big bomb," he said.

Persons: Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Ahmed Rasheed WASHINGTON, David Schenker, Joe Biden, Biden, Antony Blinken, Mohammed Shia Al, Sudani, Ali Turki, Arif al, didn't, Saddam Hussein, it's, Blinken, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, isn't, Biden's, Lloyd Austin, hasn't, Tom Cotton, Austin, Lindsey Graham, Austin demurred, Graham, David Madaras, Ahmed Rasheed, Amina Ismail, Parisa, Michael Georgy, Pravin Char Organizations: U.S, Israel, Pentagon, Washington Institute for Near, Sunday, Haq, IRAN Iraq's, U.S . Navy, Wednesday, U.S . Defense, Democrat, Senate Armed Services Committee, Republican, United Locations: BAGHDAD, Iraq, America, Erbil, Iranian, Syria, Gaza, U.S, Iran, Syrian, Israel, Sudani's, Baghdad, IRAQ, IRAN, Tehran, Iraqi, Lebanon, Russian, Washington, TEHRAN, Yemen, Ukraine, China, pullout, Afghanistan, Ohio, Beirut, United States

☆ Crashed, harassed, and shot down: It's been a rough year for the MQ-9 Reaper, America's workhorse combat drone
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It's been a tough year for US military's MQ-9 Reaper workhorse combat and surveillance drone. The aircraft has been crashed into, harassed, and shot down by US adversaries around the world. AdvertisementAdvertisementIt's been an annoying year for the US military's go-to drone for combat and reconnaissance: the MQ-9 Reaper. Over the course of the year, America's adversaries have run into and crashed, harassed, and now — as of this week — shot down the aircraft. An MQ-9 Reaper drone at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kanoya Air Base on November 5, 2022.

Persons: It's, —, Christopher Broome, Alex Grynkewich Organizations: Service, US, US Air Force, Islamic, Japan, Self, Kanoya, Base, Staff, ISIS, US Air Forces Central Command, US Central Command, Airmen, Squadron, Nevada, Air, Bomb, Victoria, US Navy, Hamas, Pentagon Locations: Europe, Russian, Washington, Moscow, Ukraine, Syria, Islamic State, Russia, Yemen, Iran, Israel, Gaza

☆ Ukraine's successful ATACMS strike shows Russia's willingness to 'take it on the chin' when Kyiv gets new weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US was widely expected to transfer ATACMS missiles to Ukraine sometime this fall. But the Russians still appeared surprised when Ukraine fired ATACMS at air bases in October. Repeated failures to anticipate the arrival of new weapons has cost Russia heavily during the war. This has put the burden of air support on Russian attack helicopters. Maxar Technologies via Getty ImagesTo Kofman and other observers, those helicopter bases were "one of the most obvious targets" for Ukrainian ATACMS strikes.

Persons: —, choppers, Michael Kofman, Kofman, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Ukrainian, Associated Press, Carnegie Endowment, Maxar, Getty, Kyiv, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Russia's Far, Crimea, Ukrainian, Berdyansk, Luhansk, revetments, Swedish, Yom Kippur, Forbes

☆ Russia says destroys 17 Ukraine-launched drones over Black Sea, Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev attends a ceremony marking 240th anniversary of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea May 13, 2023. REUTERS/Alexey Pavlishak/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 7 (Reuters) - Russia's air defence systems destroyed and intercepted a total of 17 Ukraine-launched drones early on Tuesday over the Black Sea and the Crimean Peninsula territory, the Russian defence ministry said. Nine drones were destroyed by air defence systems and eight were intercepted by electronic warfare, the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. Saky is home to a Russian air base. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Tom Hogue, Christian Schmollinger and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev, Alexey Pavlishak, Mikhail Razvozhayev, Saky, Lidia Kelly, Tom Hogue, Christian Schmollinger, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine, Crimean, Russian, Andriivka, Sevastopol's suburbs, Novofedorivka, Kyiv, Moscow, Melbourne

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

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

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

☆ In Turkey, Blinken discusses efforts to expand aid in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

ANKARA, Nov 6 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara on Monday to discuss efforts to expand humanitarian aid in Gaza, and to prevent the war between Israel and militant Palestinian group Hamas from spreading. The meeting between Blinken and Fidan lasted two and a half hours, a U.S. State Department official said. No talks took place between Blinken and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has criticised Washington over its "unlimited support to Israel". Blinken said at the airport that the United States has made some good progress on humanitarian assistance to Gaza. As Blinken met Fidan in Ankara, dozens of people gathered outside the foreign ministry building to protest U.S. support for Israel.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Hakan Fidan, Blinken, Fidan, Tayyip Erdogan, Jonathan Ernst, Israel, Zeynel Abidin Ozkan, Simon Lewis, Huseyin Hayatsever, Daren Butler, Gareth Jones, Jonathan Spicer, Sharon Singleton Organizations: U.S . State Department, Turkish, Hamas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, REUTERS, NATO, Israel, Police, Toksabay, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Turkish, Ankara, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Blinken, U.S, Washington, United States, Turkey, Fidan, Europe, America, Palestine, State, Syria, Iraq

☆ Your world in 10 minutes: Blinken's Mideast meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaches Turkey in his whirlwind diplomatic tour of the Middle East – after pro-Palestinian protesters tried to storm an air base holding US troops. In Israel’s near ghost town Sderot, one high tech business is carrying on. Plus, the latest Biden poll, a K-pop star questioned over drug use and other top headlines. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. Further ReadingIsraeli strikes on Gaza intensify, pressure mounts over civilian casualtiesRussia, Ukraine give conflicting Zaporizhzhia frontline accountsBusinesses on Israel's Sderot frontline keep trading despite Gaza warPro-Palestinian crowds try to storm air base housing U.S. troops in TurkeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antony Blinken Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Biden, Thomson, Reading, Gaza Locations: Turkey, Sderot, Ukraine, Gaza, Russia

GAZA, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Having rebuffed calls for a ceasefire, Israel was set to come under sustained pressure on Monday to avoid civilian casualties during its assault on Gaza, while a U.S. diplomatic blitz in the region sought to reduce risks of the conflict escalating. But after Blinken repeated U.S. concerns that a ceasefire could aid Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled that out unless hostages held by Hamas were released. "We demand that you stop them from committing these crimes immediately," Abbas told Blinken, urging an "immediate ceasefire" from Israel. "Stop in the name of God," he said, calling for humanitarian aid and help for the injured to ease the "very grave" situation in Gaza. Instead, the U.S. wants localized pauses in fighting to allow in humanitarian aid and for people to leave Gaza.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, WAFA, we're, Jonathan Conricus, Conricus, William Burns, Burns, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Austin, Kamala Harris, King Abdullah, Mohammed Shia, Al Sudani, Jonathan Ernst, Saeed al, Abbas, Israel, Mohammed al, Pope Francis, Nidal al, Ali Sawafta, Simon Lewis, Dan Williams, Costas Pitas, David Lawder, Lincoln, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Sunday, West Bank, Palestinian, Israeli, Hamas, Paltel, CNN, U.S, CIA, Israel, New York Times, Times, Reuters, . Defense, Pentagon, U.S . Central Command, Baghdad International, REUTERS, Israel Defense Forces, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: GAZA, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Ankara, Turkey, Gaza City, Palestinian, Jordanian, Ohio, Iran, Baghdad, Iraq, LEBANON, Lebanon, Kiryat Shmona, Qatar, Saudi, Egypt, Jordan, Amman, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, Washington

Humanitarian agencies have lost contact with aid workers in Gaza, as the Palestinian enclave faces its third communications blackout of the Israel-Hamas war, according to operators. Earlier in the day, the IDF said its soldiers had reached the coast as part of an effort to encircle Hamas forces and strike targets in Gaza. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke on Friday about the October 7 Hamas attacks and ensuing war in Gaza. IDF accuses Hamas of using civilian infrastructure: The Israeli military released what it said was evidence of Hamas using civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and children’s playgrounds, as shields for its attacks on Israel. Hostages in Gaza: The Israeli military’s current count of hostages being held by Hamas is 240, Hagari, the Israel Defense Forces' spokesperson, said Sunday.

Persons: Paltel, Daniel Hagari, Antony Blinken's, Blinken, Mohammed Shia, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s, ” Organizations: Facebook, United Nations, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, IDF, Iraqi, Hamas, Palestinian, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Turkish, Air Force, Anadolu Agency, Humanitarian Relief Foundation, " Police Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestine, Sderot, Blinken, Iraq, Sudani, Baghdad, Jordan, Ramallah, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran, Turkish, United States, Anadolu

☆ Pro-Palestinian Crowds Try to Storm Air Base Housing U.S. Troops in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Incirlik, which has been used to support the international coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, also houses U.S. troops. Footage from the protests showed police firing tear gas and using water cannons to disperse crowds waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting slogans. Protesters were also seen hurling plastic chairs, rocks, and other items at police, who fired smoke bombs at crowds. Scuffles broke out between the crowds and security forcesIHH President Bulent Yildirim addressed crowds in Adana and urged them to refrain from attacking police. (Reporting by Dilara Senkaya, Murad Sezer, Mehmet Emin Caliskan, and Ali Kucukgocmen; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Persons: Dilara Senkaya, Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Antony Blinken, Israel, Scuffles, Bulent Yildirim, IHH, Hakan Fidan, Murad Sezer, Ali Kucukgocmen, Giles Elgood Organizations: Turkish, U.S, Hamas, Humanitarian Relief Foundation, Israel Locations: Mehmet Emin Caliskan ADANA, Turkey, Ankara, Gaza, Israel, Turkish, Adana, U.S, State, Syria, Iraq

☆ The US just sanctioned the Russian manufacturer of Lancet, a $35,000 tank-smashing 'suicide' drone that has been impeding Ukraine's counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US imposed sanctions against Russian manufacturer Zala Aero, which produces the Lancet drones. The Lancet drone is a loitering munition that stays near its target before crashing into it. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe US imposed sanctions on Thursday against a Russian manufacturer of lightweight drones that has been impeding the progress of Ukraine's counteroffensive. Lancet drones are small and lightweight, with its latest iteration, the Lancet-3M, weighing about 26.5 pounds — including the payload —and measuring less than 6 feet long, The Wall Street Journal reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementOne video circulating online appeared to show a Lancet drone dropping explosives on a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet that was sitting on the tarmac of an air base.

Persons: —, It's, Igor Zimenkov, Samuel Bendett, James Patton Rogers, Patton Rogers, Oleksandr Afanasyev Organizations: Zala Aero, Service, Ukraine, Department of State, US, SWIFT, State Department, Department, Foreign, Control, Street Journal, Center, New, New American Security, Reuters, Russia, IRIS, Cornell Tech Policy Institute, University of Southern, Aero Locations: Zala, Russian, Russia, New American, Germany, University of Southern Denmark, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

[1/3] Turkish police use water cannons and tear gas to disperse Pro-Palestinian demonstrators during a protest against the U.S. and Israel near the Incirlik Air Base, which is housing U.S. troops, in Adana, southern Turkey November 5, 2023. Incirlik, which has been used to support the international coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, also houses U.S. troops. Footage from the protests showed police firing tear gas and using water cannons to disperse crowds waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting slogans. Protesters were also seen hurling plastic chairs, rocks, and other items at police, who fired smoke bombs at crowds. Scuffles broke out between the crowds and security forcesIHH President Bulent Yildirim addressed crowds in Adana and urged them to refrain from attacking police.

Persons: Dilara, Antony Blinken, Israel, Scuffles, Bulent Yildirim, IHH, Hakan Fidan, Dilara Senkaya, Murad Sezer, Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Ali Kucukgocmen, Giles Elgood Organizations: Turkish, U.S, Incirlik, Base, REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, Humanitarian Relief Foundation, Israel, Thomson Locations: Israel, U.S, Adana, Turkey, Rights ADANA, Ankara, Gaza, Turkish, State, Syria, Iraq

☆ Militant Attack on Air Base Is Latest Episode to Unnerve Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Salman Masood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Pakistani military said it had successfully repelled an attack by militants on an air base in central Pakistan on Saturday. The attempt to breach the Mianwali Training Air Base occurred a day after 14 soldiers traveling in a convoy were ambushed and killed in Baluchistan Province, in the southwest. That has fed growing tensions between the Pakistani government and Taliban officials, who have rejected Pakistani accusations of providing shelter to militant groups, including their ally, the Pakistani Taliban. The fighter jets on the air base, which are stored inside concrete hangars, escaped harm, but three other aircraft described as nonoperational were damaged. It was not clear if those defending the air base suffered any casualties.

Organizations: Mianwali Training Air Base, Jihad, Defense Locations: Pakistan, Mianwali, Baluchistan Province, Jihad Pakistan, Afghanistan, Pakistani

☆ Israel-Hamas war: What are the US MQ-9 Reaper drones that have been flying over Gaza?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone sits in a hanger at Amari Air Base, Estonia, July 1, 2020. Below is a description of the MQ-9 drone based on information from the Air Force and its maker, General Atomics. The Reaper, which entered service with the U.S. Air Force 16 years ago, can be equipped with weapons such as air-to-ground missiles. MQ-9s have also been bought by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, NASA, the UK Royal Air Force, the Italian Air Force, the French Air Force and the Spanish Air Force. According the U.S. Air Force, four MQ-9 aircraft with sensors, a ground control station and a satellite link cost about $56.5 million.

Persons: Janis Laizans, Atomics, Amelia Smith, Chris Sanders, Mike Stone, Gerry Doyle, Nick Macfie Organizations: U.S . Air Force, Base, U.S, REUTERS, Reuters, Air Force, WHO, Honeywell, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, NASA, Royal Air Force, Italian Air Force, French Air Force, Spanish Air Force, New York Times, Thomson Locations: Estonia, Baltics, Gaza, United States, GAZA, U.S

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

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

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

As tensions soar over the Israel-Hamas conflict, U.S. and coalition troops have been attacked at least 19 times in Iraq and in Syria by Iran-backed forces in the past week. The targets were weapons and munitions storage facilities, the official added, speaking late on Thursday to reporters in Washington. The United States has occasionally carried out retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed forces in the region after they attack American forces. In March, the U.S. military carried out multiple air strikes in Syria against Iran-aligned groups that it blamed for a drone attack that killed an American contractor. There is growing concern that the Israel-Hamas conflict could spread through the Middle East and turn U.S. troops at isolated bases into targets.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin III, Olivier Matthys, Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden, Austin, Abu Kamal, Biden, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Asad, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Jamie Freed, Michael Perry Organizations: Defense, Ukraine Defense Contact, NATO Defense, Rights, U.S, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pentagon, . Defense, United, Iranian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Brussels, Belgium, Syria, Iraq, Israel, U.S, Iran, Iranian, Syrian, Washington, United States, Tehran, State, East, Yemen

The U.S. strikes reflect the Biden administration's determination to maintain a delicate balance. According to the Pentagon, there have been at least 12 attacks on U.S. bases and personnel in Iraq and four in Syria since Oct. 17. According to the Pentagon, all the U.S. personnel hurt in the militant attacks received minor injuries and all returned to duty. Such retaliation and strikes against Iranian targets in Syria after similar attacks on U.S. bases are routine. In March, for example, the U.S. struck sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after an Iranian-linked attack killed a U.S. contractor and wounded seven other Americans in northeast Syria.

Persons: Pat Ryder, Asad, Tanf Garrison, Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden, Austin, won’t, Ryder, ”, Israel Organizations: WASHINGTON, Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pentagon, U.S, Hamas, Air Force, Hamasa, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Udeid, Base, Islamic, Patriot, Area Defense, Fort Liberty, Patriots Locations: Syria, U.S, Iraq, Asad Airbase, Iranian, United States, Gaza, Israel, Ahli, Tel Aviv, America, American, Qatar, Deir el, ., Fort Bliss , Texas, Fort, North Carolina, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, East

☆ U.S. Strikes Iranian-Linked Targets in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Eric Schmitt | More About Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

The targets represent a significant escalation in striking facilities used by Iran’s own forces in the region, not just the militias in Iraq and Syria that it helps arm and train. “These narrowly tailored strikes in self-defense were intended solely to protect and defend U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria,” Mr. Austin said. Since Oct. 17, Iran-backed militia have carried out at least 12 rocket or one-way attack drone strikes against U.S. troops in Iraq and at least four attacks in Syria, Brig. There are 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria, mainly helping local allies conduct counterterrorism missions against the Islamic State. “I believe there is concern that our bases in Syria and Iraq, especially Syria, could be attacked by a wave of drones and it could overwhelm the defenses currently there,” Mick Mulroy, a former defense official and retired C.I.A.

Persons: Biden, Lloyd J, Austin III, Mr, Austin, ” Mr, “, Patrick S, Ryder, ” Mick Mulroy, General Ryder, Al Asad, we’ve, ” Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, American, U.S, ”, Hamas, U.S ., Pentagon, Iran, The Defense Department, Al Asad, Al Asad Air Base, Islamic Locations: States, Syria, Iraq, Iran, East, U.S, Iranian, United States, Israel, Lebanon, Persian, Erbil, Al Asad Air, Brig, Islamic State

Jacquelyn... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreWASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - About 900 more U.S. troops have arrived in the Middle East or are heading there to bolster air defenses for U.S. personnel amid a surge in attacks by Iran-affiliated groups, the Pentagon said on Thursday. A total of 21 U.S. forces have suffered minor injuries, the vast majority of them traumatic brain injuries. The measures include increasing U.S. military patrols, restricting access to base facilities and boosting intelligence collection, including through drone and other surveillance operations, officials say. During a false alarm at Al-Asad air base in Iraq on Thursday, a civilian contractor died from cardiac arrest. Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Chris Reese and Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Patrick Ryder, Ryder, I'm, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Asad, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Chris Reese, Howard Goller Organizations: Ben Gurion, Hamas, Pentagon, United, U.S, Reuters, Area Defense, Patriot, Iranian, United Nations, Palestinian, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, WASHINGTON, Iran, Iraq, Syria, U.S, United States, Gaza, Yemen, Iranian

☆ 900 US troops have deployed or are deploying to Middle East amid heightened tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Roughly 900 US troops have been deployed or are deploying to the Middle East amid heightened tensions in the region after a series of attacks on coalition bases that resulted in minor injuries for almost two dozen troops. “These include forces that have been on prepare to deploy orders, and which are deploying from the continental United States,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Of those, 19 — 15 at Al Assad Air Base in Syria, and four at Al-Tanf Garrison in Iraq — have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI), Ryder said. That is in addition to US troops already in Iraq and Syria – roughly 2,500 and 900, respectively – and Navy assets that were announced to be heading to the region. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group has been directed to the Middle East, and the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is currently in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Persons: Pat Ryder, Fort Bliss Texas, Fort, ” Ryder, Ryder, “, Tanf Garrison, Iraq —, ”, Sabrina Singh, Dwight D, Gerald R Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, “, Defense, Patriot, Hamas, Israel, Al Assad Air Base, Al, Erbil Airbase, Eisenhower Carrier Strike, Ford Carrier Strike Locations: United States, Fort Bliss, Fort Sill , Oklahoma, Fort Liberty , North Carolina, Cavazos , Texas, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Erbil

☆ 900 US Troops Heading to Middle East to Bolster Defenses as Attacks Surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Idrees Ali and Phil StewartWASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 900 more U.S. troops have arrived in the Middle East or are heading there to bolster air defenses for U.S. personnel amid a surge in attacks by Iran-affiliated groups, the Pentagon said on Thursday. A total of 21 U.S. forces have suffered minor injuries, the vast majority of them traumatic brain injuries. Ryder said U.S. forces were again targeted earlier on Thursday in Iraq but the attack failed. The measures include increasing U.S. military patrols, restricting access to base facilities and boosting intelligence collection, including through drone and other surveillance operations, officials say. During a false alarm at Al-Asad air base in Iraq on Thursday, a civilian contractor died from cardiac arrest.

Persons: Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart WASHINGTON, Patrick Ryder, Ryder, I'm, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Asad, Phil Stewart, Chris Reese, Howard Goller Organizations: Pentagon, United, U.S, Reuters, Area Defense, Patriot, Iranian, United Nations, Palestinian Locations: Iran, Israel, Iraq, Syria, U.S, United States, Gaza, Yemen, Iranian

☆ US Strikes Iranian Targets in Syria -Pentagon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The targets were weapons and munitions storage facilities, the official added, speaking late on Thursday to reporters in Washington. The United States has occasionally carried out retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed forces in the region after they attack American forces. In March, the U.S. military carried out multiple air strikes in Syria against Iran-aligned groups that it blamed for a drone attack that killed an American contractor. There is growing concern that the Israel-Hamas conflict could spread through the Middle East and turn U.S. troops at isolated bases into targets. The United States did not coordinate the strikes with Israel, the official added.

Persons: Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart WASHINGTON, Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden, Austin, Abu Kamal, Biden, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Asad, Phil Stewart, Jamie Freed, Michael Perry Organizations: U.S, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pentagon, . Defense, United, Iranian, Reuters Locations: Syria, Iraq, Israel, U.S, Iran, Iranian, Syrian, Washington, United States, Tehran, State, East, Yemen

☆ Ukrainian fighter pilots could soon make the jump to real F-16s that don't fly quite like the jets they know best
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Ukrainian fighter pilots learning to fly the F-16 could soon make the jump to real combat aircraft. The F-16 flies a bit different from the fighter aircraft they know, namely MiG-29s and Su-27s. AdvertisementAdvertisementTwo U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft sits parked on flight line at MacDill Air Force Base, Sept. 8, 2021. US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lauren CobinSimulator training will help ease the transition with these potential differences, but getting up to speed in an actual plane still takes time. Training has been ongoing at the Danish military air base in Skrydstrup and in the US at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and Morris Air National Guard Base in Arizona.

Persons: —, Ukraine's, Yuriy Ihnat, Ihnat, Mike, Torrealday, Efrem, Julianne Showalter, you'd, Lockheed Martin, Lauren Organizations: MiG, Service, US Air Force Reserve, Ukrainian Air Force, National Museum of, United States Air Force US Air Force, Soviet, Air Force, General Dynamics, . Air Force, Falcon, MacDill Air Force Base, US Air Force, US, Lackland Air Force Base, Morris Air National Guard Base Locations: American, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Soviet, Iraq, Poland, Romania, Denmark, United States, Skrydstrup, Texas, Arizona, Ukraine

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