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☆ Xi Jinping is in a battle with China's own military, and the outcome could drag the US into WWIII
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Xi Jinping is in a struggle with China's military, purging senior commanders to reshape it. A Chinese invasion somewhere like Taiwan could drag the US into a Third World War, one analyst said. AdvertisementXi Jinping is fighting with China's own military, seeking to purge commanders he sees as unwilling or unable to go to war, military analysts told Business Insider. Since taking power in 2012, Xi has overhauled China's military by cutting deep into its personnel, seeking to improve military-civilian cooperation, and reshaping its structure, among other reforms. A Chinese invasion in East Asia would drag Western countries into something larger, he predicted.

Persons: Xi Jinping, —, Gordon Chang, Chang, Xi, Liu Yazhou, Joel Wuthnow, Wuthnow, Biden, Vladimir, Jinping Organizations: Service, Gatestone Institute, Air Force, BI, Center, Chinese Military Affairs, National Defense University, China's, Force, PLA, Navy, NBC News, APEC, WWIII Locations: Taiwan, China, Washington , DC, India, Japan, East China, Philippines, South China, San Francisco, Ukraine, Russia, insurgencies, Africa, Gaza, Red, Persian Gulf, East Asia, Israel, United States

That was apparent Monday, when a Houthi missile hit a US-owned cargo ship in the Red Sea, marking what appears to be the first time the militants have successfully struck a US-owned or operated ship. Senior Biden administration officials insist Friday’s operation against the Houthis was successful at its objective: degrading the group’s military capabilities. Houthi fighters and tribesmen stage a rally against the U.S. and the U.K. strikes on Houthi-run military sites near Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. US officials fear one side will miscalculate, even if none of the major parties – Iran, Israel and the United States – want a wider war. The Suez Canal accounts for 10% to 15% of world trade, which includes oil exports, and for 30% of global container shipping volumes.

Persons: Biden, Israel simmers, John Kirby, Douglas Sims, ”, Mick Mulroy, Trump, Joe Biden, “ Organizations: CNN, US, Houthis, Biden, National Security, Pentagon, Joint Staff, New York Times, U.S, AP, United, Analysts, ABC News Locations: Yemen, Red, Sea, Gulf of Aden, Israel, Washington, Iran, Gaza, Africa, Suez, Red Sea, Gen, Sanaa, United States, Aden

☆ Why ISIS has unleashed its suicide bombers against Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

By the day's end of the day, scores of supporters of the rulers of Iran were dead, and hundreds were injured in a twin suicide bombing. AdvertisementHe was considered a hero, she said, by many in Iran for driving ISIS out of Iraq and helping to defeat them in Syria. Stringer/Anadolu via Getty ImagesIt was the latest in a string of attacks by the ISIS affiliate that has been targeting Iran for five years. The Iranian intelligence ministry sought to blame its old enemy Israel for the atrocity and said one of the bombers had Israeli citizenship, the Times of Israel reported. AdvertisementThey will continue to attempt attacks against Iran "no matter what," Washington Institute for Near East Policy expert, Aaron Zelin, told the VoA.

Persons: Qassem, —, Qassem Soleimani, Kerman, Barbara Slavin, Soleimani, Stringer, Khomeini's, Abdollah Tajiki, Slavin, It's, it's, White, John Kirby, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Saudi King Salman, Prophet Mohammed, Salvin, Donald Trump, Aaron Zelin Organizations: Sunni, Service, Revolutionary, Reuters, The Stimson Center, Iran Initiative, Asia Center, ISIS, Anadolu, Getty, Iranian, Ministry of Intelligence, Revolutionary Guard, Saudi, US, UK, Red, Quds Force, The Stimson, Washington Institute for Near East, VoA Locations: Kerman, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Asia, Kerman City, Tehran, Tajik, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Hormuz, Soleimani, Iranian, Fars, Republic, Yemen, Iran's, United States, al Qaeda, American

☆ The 'crown jewel' of the Chinese military appears to have a serious corruption problem, but the US can't afford to bet on its missiles all being defective
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Recent reports point to corruption and readiness problems in the Chinese military, the rocket force in particular. In the aftermath of the report, an ex-PLA official told Radio Free Asia problems like this have long been rampant in the Chinese military. The rocket force shakeups suggest that there are questions over who can be trusted. Xinhua/Cha Chunming via Getty ImagesConcerns about corruption and readiness stand in contrast with the modernization and strengthening of the Chinese military. Is the PLA, particularly the rocket force, the increasingly formidable force the Pentagon described in a military power report last October?

Persons: It's, —, Tom Shugart, Xi Jinping, that's, hotpot, hadn't, bigwig, Xi, Liu Dawei, Shugart, weren't, Lintao Zhang, Li Shangfu, Li Gang, ISW, there's, Andy Wong Organizations: Service, People's Liberation Army, US, Center, New, New American Security, Liberation Army, Getty Images, Bloomberg, PLA, Rocket Force, Radio Free, 14th China International Aviation, Aerospace Exhibition, Getty, Liberation Army Rocket, Business, United, Naval, Army, Air Force, Communist, of, Defense, Chinese Communist Party, Liberation Army's Army Infantry College, Li, Pentagon, U.S . Nimitz, US Army Locations: New American, Taiwan, Hefei, Anhui province, Radio Free Asia, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, Xinhua, United States, Beijing, China, PLA, Gutian, Jiangxi Province, U.S, Tiananmen, Pamir, Kashgar, China's Xinjiang, Pacific

☆ Taiwan made its choice on who will lead it into an uncertain future as China remains hellbent on controlling it, and tough times may lie ahead
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Read previewTaiwan has elected its new president, the Democratic Progressive Party's Lai Ching-te, who is also the current Vice President. While experts still assess that an invasion of Taiwan remains unlikely in the near future, that doesn't diminish concerns about other ways China could squeeze the island. AdvertisementTaiwan's Vice President and presidential candidate for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Lai Ching-te (C) casts his ballot to vote on January 13, 2024, in Tainan, Taiwan. Nevertheless, the win marks the first time a political party in Taiwan has won a presidential election three times in a row. The supporters of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cheer at an election campaign on January 12, 2024 in Tainan, Taiwan.

Persons: —, Party's Lai Ching, Lai's, Lai, Tsai Ing, Lai Ching, Tsai, Getty Images Lai, Hou, Ko Wen, Amanda Hsiao, Annabelle Chih, Nancy Pelosi, flack, Annice Lyn, He's, Hsiao, Hao, Hou Yu, Beijing's, Chuan Kang, Xi Jinping, It'll, Joe Biden's, Xi, Biden, it's, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI Organizations: Service, Democratic, Taiwan, Business, Democratic Progressive Party, Getty Images, ih, Taiwan's People Party, Kuomintang, KMT, Getty, Washington, NBC, US, People's Liberation Army Locations: Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taipei, New Taipei City, AFP, Tainan, Taichung, Taipei , Washington, San Francisco

☆ Opinion: How did we get to this point in Yemen?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

(Not a great time to have had an initially incommunicado, and still-hospitalized, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who authorized the strikes in Yemen from his hospital bed on Thursday.) The Houthis, who were once a ragtag militia with the purely local aim of trying to overthrow the Yemen government, are now projecting Iranian power, not only in the Red Sea but across the region. In other words, just as Hezbollah in Lebanon, 1,500 miles to the north of Yemen, is effectively an arm of the Iranian government, so too now are the Houthis. Those weapons have also been used to attack oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Saudi-allied United Arab Emirates, and, more recently, have targeted Israel as well. Yet, Saudi Arabia is a key reason that the Houthis are now so closely allied to Iran and so well armed.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, Joe Biden, Defense Lloyd Austin, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, “, Biden Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Defense, United Nations, United Locations: New America, Yemen, Israel, Red, Suez, Lebanon, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Riyadh, Gaza, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iranian

☆ Red Sea crisis: Who are the Houthis and why are they attacking ships?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-19 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels are stepping up their strikes on ships in the Red Sea, which they say are revenge against Israel for its military campaign in Gaza. While the Houthis may not be able to pose a serious threat to Israel, their technology can wreak havoc in the Red Sea. Video Ad Feedback Video shows moment Houthi rebels storm cargo ship in the Red Sea 02:30 - Source: CNNWhy are the Houthis attacking ships in the Red Sea? A number of countries have taken steps to try and push back Houthi aggression in the Red Sea region. The United Nations Security Council has meanwhile approved a resolution calling on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group to “cease its brazen” attacks in the Red Sea.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, Biden, Allah, Hussein, ”, Zaidis, Khaled Abdullah, aren’t, Israel –, Carney, Yemen’s, Joe Biden, ” Biden, “, Houthis “, ” Sare’e, Mohammed al, Al Jazeera Organizations: CNN, CNN — Yemen’s, United, Hamas, Reuters, UN, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US, Maersk, Lloyd, CMA CGM, Evergreen, United Arab Emirates, Prosperity, United Nations Security Locations: CNN — Yemen’s Iran, Red, Gaza, United States, United Kingdom, Yemen, Iran, Islam, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Sanaa, Iran’s, Israel, Islamic Republic, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Tehran, Eilat, Suez, Egypt, Hapag, Africa, Russia, China, Britain, Palestine

☆ What did Israel know about Hamas’ October 7 attack?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Rob Picheta | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Hamas’ surprise attack on October 7 left Israel flat-footed, sparking a backlash that is still rippling through the country. But a report from the New York Times claimed Israel obtained Hamas’ plan for the attack more than a year in advance. Here’s what we know about Israel and the US’ advance knowledge of the attack. What did Israel reportedly know about the attack? Then, on October 6, the day before the attack, US officials circulated reporting from Israel indicating unusual activity by Hamas — indications that are now clear: an attack was imminent.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ” Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Biden Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Haaretz, Times, …, Palestinian, Hamas, CIA, Intelligence Locations: Israel, Gaza

☆ New report says the IDF's elite intelligence unit saw signs Hamas was preparing a terror attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A new report says an elite IDF intelligence unit warned that Hamas was practicing for a big attack. AdvertisementAn elite intelligence unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) saw signs that Hamas was preparing for a massive terror attack, but early warnings ultimately went ignored, according to a new report. Unit 8200 is part of the IDF's decades-old Military Intelligence Directorate, which is responsible for collecting and processing intelligence from enemy groups like Hamas. Chris McGrath/Getty ImagesAccording to Channel 12's reporting, the NCO's colleagues did not ignore the warnings, and they even collected intelligence on additional Hamas training a few days later. For example, Israeli intelligence was focused on other threats, like Hezbollah in Lebanon, and downplayed the dangers of Hamas.

Persons: —, Chris McGrath, Paul, didn't, Benjamin Netanyahu, Haim Zach, Handout, it's, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Hamas might've, Alisa Kaff Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, Military Intelligence Directorate, Hamas, IDF, West Bank, Quincy Institute, Responsible, Government Press Office, REUTERS Locations: Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Bani Suheila, Gaza City, Kibbutz Be'eri, Lebanon, Washington, Tze'elim, what's

☆ The hostages' families should have been jailed to shut them up, says former US citizen who was an Israeli spy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pollard said that the families of Israeli hostages should have been jailed to shut them up. Pollard told Israeli media that the families of Israeli hostages should have been jailed to shut them up. pic.twitter.com/vxC9yk3dE3 — Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي💙 (@NTarnopolsky) November 23, 2023He said the Israeli government should have prevented the hostages' families from "interfering" with their management of this war. AdvertisementHe implied that the hostages' families were being "used by the international community" or "by our own leftists" as a weapon against the Israeli government. Some Israeli hostages are due to be released later today as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas comes into effect.

Persons: Jonathan Pollard, Pollard, —, Israel Organizations: US, Service Locations: Israel

☆ Opinion: Why Biden won’t do more to restrain Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Opinion Aaron David Miller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +53 min

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images Israeli soldiers form an honor guard at the funeral of Israeli reserve soldier Master Sgt. Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu/Getty Images Palestinians flee to southern Gaza on Salah al-Din Street in Bureij, Gaza, on November 10. Ronen Zvulun/Reuters A woman carries a white flag as Palestinians flee from Gaza City to the south on November 7. Ronen Zvulun/Reuters A woman mourns over a dead man at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza City on October 18. Yousef Masoud/The New York Times A morgue worker arranges body bags at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on October 12.

Persons: Aaron David Miller, ” Miller, I’ve, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Aaron David Miller Israel, Israel —, Biden, Ashraf Amra, Ahmad Gharabli, Mohammed Abed, Ohad, Rizek Abdeljawad, Major Jamal Abbas, Shir Torem, Fatima Shbair, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Abed Rahim Khatib, Khan, Christopher Furlong, Hatem Ali, Avraham Fetena, Mostafa Alkharouf, Mahmud Hams, Sgt, Raz Abulafia, Ariel Schalit, Fadel Senna, Nasser, Mohammed Salem, Matan Meir, Amir Levy, Haitham Imad, Roni Eshel, Eshel, Kenzo Tribouillard, Benjamin Netanyahu, Sadi Berek, Mustafa Hassona, Salah al, Jack Guez, Varda Goldstein, Nir Oz, Bernat, Abed Zagout, Tomer Appelbaum, Mohammad Abu Elsebah, Khaled Ibn Al, Walid, Khan Younis, Ya'akov Ozeri, Ronen Zvulun, Mohammed Dahman, Ahmad Hasaballah, Leo Correa, Amir Cohen, Mohammed Alaloul, Majdi, Neil Hall, Saeed Jaras, Mohammad Abu Hattab, Mohammed Talatene, Ditza Heiman, Salman Habaka, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Yuval Zilber, Jalaa Merey, Ahmad Salem, Ali Jadallah, Atef Safadi, Anas al, Yosef Vahav, Kiryat Shmona, Jalaa Marey, Albert Miles, Ilan Rosenberg, Manna, Tamar Chaya Torpiashvili, Abed Khaled, Tamir Kalifa, Yoav Gallant, Ammar Awad, Jehad Al, Kafarnah, Teddy, Dan Kitwood, Dima Vazinovich, Sagiv Ben Zvi, Evelyn Hockstein, Omar El, Yasser Qudih, Tsafrir, Francisco Seco, Mohammed Saber, Ali Mohmoud, Mai Yaghi, Yam Goldstein, Nadav, Khaled Joudeh, Samar Abu, Leon Neal, Hatem Moussa, Wolfgang Schwan, Yousef Masoud, Shadi Tabatibi, Belal al Sabbagh, Janis Laizans, Gallant, Ofir Libstein, Aza, Belal Khaled, Hod, Ayal Margolin, Antony Blinken, Brendan Smialowski, Kenny Holston, Kfar Aza, Ilia Yefimovich, Mahmoud Khaled, Dor Reder, Violeta Santos Moura, Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa, Antonio Macías, Macías, Eli Albag, Liri, Sergey Ponomarev, Dor Kedmi, Saher, Abraham Cohen, Valentin Ghnassia, Ghnassia, Yuri Cortez, Ibrahim Hams, Bashar Taleb, Baz Ratner, Yahya Hassouna, Mapal Adam, Agha, Reuters Itzik, Miriam Shafir, Dor Shafir, Savion Kiper, Maya Alleruzzo, CNN Sergey Ponomarev, Eden Guez, Mohammed Soboh, Said, Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg, Ilai Bar Sade, Erik Marmor, Oren Ziv, Ramez Mahmoud, Roi Levy, Alleruzzo, Tali Touito, Oded, Ahmad Hasballah, Eyad Baba, Itai Ron, Hadas Parush, Biden —, —, Barack Obama, hasn’t, ’, Israel isn’t, craven, It’s Organizations: Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Democratic, Republican, CNN, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Democratic Party, Department of State, Senior, UN, US, Washington Post, Al, Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Getty, Unicef, Reuters, AP, Anadolu, AP Journalists, Israeli, Modern, Nasser Hospital, Tel, Nasser Medical, Najjar, Israel Defence Forces handout, Shutterstock, Reuters United Nations, Shifa, Palestine, Pictures, Bloomberg, Israeli Apache, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Palestinian, IDF, EyePress, New York Times, Getty Images, Nasser Medical Hospital, Deir Al, Tel Aviv University, Reuters Civil, AP Rockets, AP Israel's, Regional, Israel's, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Ben Gurion International, Aris Messinis, Haim, Puma, Mount, Mount Herzl Military, Nova, Anadolu Agency, Nova Festival, Ben Gurion, West Bank, Rockets, United Nations, Reuters Police, Reuters Rockets, America, Senate, Washington, Twitter Locations: East, Israel, Gaza, Biden’s Washington, Washington, Al, Aqsa, Al Bureij, Deir Al Balah, Anadolu, Tel Aviv, AFP, Rafah, Xinhua, Pekiin, Khan Younis, Mavki'im, Jerusalem, Haifa, Sderot, Beit Hashmonai, Europe, Israeli, Rishpon, Odem, Gaza's Al, Gaza City, Kfar Saba, Deir Al, Balah, Bureij, Kfar Aza, Palestinian, Khan, Meron, Jerusalem's, City, Jerusalem's Old City, Deir Balah, Mahmud, Southern Israel, Ashkelon, Yanuh Jat, Netaim, Golan Heights, Lebanon, Egypt, Shareef, Beit Guvrin, Reuters Israeli, Kiryat, Al Aqsa, Kibbutz Be'eri, Ashdod, Holon, Najjar, Ichilov, Kibbutz Shefayim, Deir, Samar, Samar Abu Elouf, Deir al, Kibbutz Kissufim, Zahra City, East Jerusalem, Ras, Israel's, Yehuda, Hod HaSharon, Kiryat Shmona, Ahli, Gan, Kfar, North Sinai, Beit Kama, Cyprus, Be'eri, Rehovot, Mount Herzl, Modiin Maccabim, Mount Herzel, Yassin, Beitar Ilit, Ramat Gan, Itai, Beit Hanun, Rishon Lezion, ”, Palestinian Authority

☆ In a Cairo hospital: Guilt, pain and a desperate wait
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Eleni Giokos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Today Wadea’s 9-year-old son, Abdelrahman, shares a hospital room at Nasser Medical Institute with his 14-year-old sister. Injured children board an ambulance to be transferred from Al-Aqsa Hospital to Egypt for medical treatment through Rafah on November 17, 2023. On Monday, 28 babies arrived in Egypt from Gaza at the Rafah crossing, according to an Egyptian government official. One baby was discharged in Gaza and went home with his parents to their temporary shelter, while two others stayed in the ICU unit of the Emirati hospital in Rafah, Gaza. Conditions in Gaza have grown desperate as fuel supplies dwindle, forcing the closure of 26 of the enclave’s 35 hospitals.

Persons: Rami Mahmoud, Elham Maged, Mahmoud, Cairo's, Cairo’s, “, ‘, ” Elham, ”, ’, Adel Hana, God, Rami, Elham, Muhammed Wadea, CNN Muhammed Wadea, Khan Younis, Abdelrahman, Wadea, Riham, Dr, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Mustafa Hassona, CNN's Eleni Giokos, CNN Ghaffar Organizations: CNN, Cairo's Nasser Medical Institute, Cairo’s Nasser Medical Institute, Nasser Medical Institute, Aqsa, Getty, United Nations Locations: Gaza City, Egypt, Gaza, Salah, Israel, Khan, Rafah, Qatar, United States, Al, Anadolu, Gazan

☆ What we know about what Israel has found at Al-Shifa
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, has become a flashpoint in the conflict that began when Hamas militants crossed the border into Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people. CNN has not verified the claims of either Israel or Hamas. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of operating from tunnels beneath the vast complex of Al-Shifa hospital. The IDF also published an “intelligence-based” illustrated video of what it claims the Hamas headquarters under Al-Shifa looks like. The White House has backed Israel’s claims, saying that Hamas was storing weapons and operating a command node from the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, citing US intelligence.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Volker Türk, Daniel Hagari, Israel’s, Medhat Abbas, Israel, ” Israel, – Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, UN, Human Rights, IDF, Al, Senior, Hamas Locations: Al, Israel, Gaza, Gaza City, Israeli

CNN —Hamas has demanded that Israel stop flying surveillance drones over Gaza as part of its request that Israel pause its military operations in exchange for freeing hostages held by the terrorist group, according to two Israeli officials and a third source familiar with the ongoing negotiations. The Israeli military has been flying drones in the skies over Gaza for hours on end virtually every day during their military operation, using them as a primary means of surveillance to monitor the battlefield. The Pentagon has also been flying American surveillance drones over Gaza in its support of Israel’s efforts to find the hostages, which includes an estimated 10 Americans. The negotiating parties – Israel, Hamas and the US, with Qatar mediating between them – continue to grind away, as they try to reach an agreement on a number of sticking points. Other demands made by Hamas during the negotiations are more aid and fuel into Gaza, sources say, as well as allowing Palestinians who have fled south for safety to return to northern Gaza, where Israel now has control.

Persons: Israel, – Israel, Joe Biden, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al, “ It’s, –, Tzachi Hanegbi, ”, —, ” Hanegbi, Jake Sullivan, Brett McGurk, Bill Burns, McGurk, ” Biden, CNN’s Tamar Michaelis Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Pentagon, Israel’s National Security, Senior Biden, National, CIA Locations: Israel, Gaza, Washington, Qatar, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

CNN —Israeli forces launched a raid Wednesday on Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, after accusing Hamas of operating from tunnels beneath the vast complex – a claim denied by the militant group and hospital officials. A satellite image shows Al-Shifa hospital, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza on November 7. Hagari at the time offered only one piece of evidence: a phone call purporting to be between two Gazans discussing the presence of Hamas’s headquarters at the Al-Shifa hospital. An aerial view shows the compound of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on November 7. Wounded Palestinians sit in Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, after arriving from Al-Ahli hospital following an explosion there on October 17.

Persons: Khaled Abu Samra, “, ”, Khader Al Za’anoun, Peter Lerner, Dawood Nemer, Israel, Daniel Hagari, Hagari, Al Rantisi children’s, Bashar Taleb, Israel’s, Wednesday’s, Medhat Abbas, Mai Al, Kaila, Abed Khaled, ” John Kirby, Joe Biden, Kirby, Biden, Shin, Avi Dichter Organizations: CNN, UN, Hamas, Maxar Technologies, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel Defense Forces, Wednesday, Getty, IDF, Al, Palestinian Authority Health, Israel, United Nations, US National Security Council, Internal Security, Amnesty Locations: Al, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Ramallah, ”, Gaza City, AFP, Hagari, “, Ahli, United States

☆ Found document suggests Iran sought to help Hamas make its own weapons ahead of attack, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Jake Tapper | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Israeli government declined to comment on the document, though sources in the government confirmed its authenticity on background. Israeli officials say this is the first known instance of Iran attempting to fund this kind of university-hosted training for Hamas operatives, a claim US officials said they could not confirm. Current and former US officials say the program is part of a well-known training program Iran provides to students from allied countries and groups to project soft-power influence across the region. As of now, Israeli intelligence has identified only a few Hamas military operatives who have already arrived in Iran. One candidate is marked to study “technologies,” one to study “physics,” one to study engineering,” one to study “programming,” one to study “law” and two to study “management.”

Persons: Jonathan Panikoff, ”, Panikoff, ” Panikoff Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Hamas, Lebanese, United Nations, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: Gaza, Iran, Israel, East, Tehran, “

☆ Hamas has command center under Al-Shifa hospital, US official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Jake Tapper | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A US official with knowledge of American intelligence says Hamas has a command node under the Al-Shifa hospital, uses fuel intended for it and its fighters regularly cluster in and around Gaza’s largest hospital. The information comes after comments made Sunday by a top White House official that Hamas is using hospitals and civilian facilities. Hamas and hospital officials have denied the accusation that the hospital is being used as a command center. But Israel has insisted that patients can be evacuated from the hospital. “Regrettably, the hospital is not functioning as a hospital anymore,” it said.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Israel, Israel’s, Muhammad Abu Salmiya, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, CNN’s Dana Bash, Netanyahu, we’re, Munir Al, Shifa, ” Al, Bursh, “ Regrettably Organizations: CNN, White House, ” National, Union, “, UN, CIA, Al, World Health Organization Locations: Gaza’s, CNN’s State, Israel

Supporters watch Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah deliver an address in Lebanon on November 11. On the US: Nasrallah accused the US of “administering” the Israeli operation in Gaza and chastised it for supporting the continuation of Israel’s operation in Gaza. Hezbollah’s chief described Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Syria as having created “supporting fronts” for Hamas in Gaza. US officials are deeply concerned that the group’s internal politics may cause Hezbollah to escalate simmering tensions. He also urged for a ceasefire in Gaza, calling it Hezbollah’s first priority.

Persons: General Hassan Nasrallah, Aziz Taher, Nasrallah, ”, it’s, ” Nasrallah, Alaa, Israel, Hezbollah’s, –, Israel — Nasrallah Organizations: Reuters, Israel Defense Forces, “, Reuters Hezbollah, CNN, Hezbollah, Israel Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Iran, Lebanese, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, –

☆ Billionaire FBI informant Peter Thiel dished about two Kremlin invites to private Putin meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | Hans-Martin Tillack | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

It was Angermayer who introduced Bisslinger to Thiel at the party, Thiel would later tell the FBI. After some small talk, Bisslinger made a pitch to Thiel: Thiel should travel to Russia to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. If Thiel chose to attend, Bisslinger said, Bisslinger would arrange for him to meet privately with Putin. "Even if Mr. Angermayer did introduce Mr. Thiel and Mr. Bisslinger," the lawyers wrote in another letter, "Mr. Angermayer is not—and cannot be—responsible for whatever Mr. Bisslinger and Mr. Thiel may or may not have discussed." At his 40th birthday, he connected Peter Thiel with a Russian diplomat, Thiel later told the FBI.

Persons: Peter Thiel, Christian Angermayer, Thiel, Daniil Bisslinger, Bisslinger, Vladimir Putin's, Angermayer, Putin, Maksim Konstantinov, —, Frank Figliuzzi, Vladimir Putin, — Charles Johnson —, Johnathan Buma, Johnson, Welt, Dmitry Peskov, John Lamparski, Donald Trump, — Thiel, Der Spiegel, he'd, Elon Musk, Musk, Thiel —, he's, Palantir, He's, Uma Thurman, Robbie Williams, Queen Latifah, Paul Kagame, Dan McCrum, John Kerry, Richard Grenell, Kerry, Sensei Biotherapeutics, Trump, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Maureen Dowd, Alexander Schütz, Eva Schütz, Schütz, — Heinz, Christian Strache, Markus Braun, Jan Marsalek, Marsalek, Caroline Haskins, Katherine Long, Jack Newsham, Mattathias Schwartz, Hans, Martin Tillack Organizations: Kremlin, Tech, Pentagon, CIA, Facebook, SpaceX, Kremlin's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian Embassy, Thiel, St ., Economic, Getty, FBI, Atlantic, Bisslinger, Germany, Elon, Russia, NSA, US Special Operations Command, National Health Service, Apeiron Investment, Munich Security, intel, Trump, State Department, Angermayer's, PayPal, Nasdaq, Sciences, The New York Times, Deutsche Bank, Welt Locations: Silicon Valley, Schloss Neuwaldegg, Vienna, Silicon, Moscow, Russian, Berlin, Russia, St, St . Petersburg, Petersburg, Ukraine, Europe, Germany, NATO, Crimea, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Palantir, Washington, Rwanda, Baltic, Belarus, Iran, Angermayer's Malta, Munich, China, China's, Austrian, Austria, Exxpress, Wirecard, schwartz79@protonmail.com

☆ Iran envoy says Tehran had no direct role in Hamas’ Israel rampage, or proxy attacks on US forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Jennifer Deaton | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Iravani said there was cooperation and collaboration, but that Iran was not directing any of those operations. He likened Iran’s role to that of the US in providing assistance to Israel. Tehran has long been accused of arming Hamas and other Iran-aligned groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, as regional attacks by its proxies have escalated and become increasingly frequent. CNN pressed Iravani as to whether Iran supported Hamas’ murder of women and children and its hostage-taking on October 7. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shi’a movement based in Lebanon with one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East, has also said that Hamas’ attack was kept secret from them.

Persons: Amir Saeid Iravani, Iravani, “, ”, Defense Lloyd Austin, General Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah Organizations: CNN, Republic’s United Nations, UN, United States, Pentagon, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Defense, Quds Force, US, Hamas, Israel Locations: Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Houthis, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, IRGC, UN, Tehran, Gaza, East

More than 1,400 Israelis were killed in the assault, and more than 240 were taken hostage, according to a count by Israeli officials. The Ministry of Health in Ramallah says more than 10,000 Palestinians have died in the military campaign launched in response by Israel. On October 31, an Israeli airstrike targeting Hamas commanders and infrastructure in Gaza’s largest refugee camp, Jabalya, left catastrophic damage and killed many. Both the cause of the blast and casualty figures are contested – the Gaza health ministry said 471 died, while an initial US intelligence assessment said the number of dead was between 100 and 300. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah has reported 192 health workers have been killed and 113 health-care facilities hit.

Persons: don’t, —, Israel, Ibrahim Biari, CPJ, ”, Arlene Getz, ” Getz, Getz, “ Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Health, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Gaza, UN, Human Rights, Israeli Defense Forces, IDF, World Health, Al, Islamic Jihad, WHO, Protect Journalists Locations: Israel, Ramallah, Gaza, Ukraine, Gaza’s, Ahli, Russia, Ampatuan, Maguindanao, Philippines

☆ Researchers find sensitive personal data of US military personnel is for sale online
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Sensitive personal information like the apparent home addresses and health conditions of thousands of active-duty US military personnel can be bought cheaply online from so-called data brokers, according to a study published Monday by Duke University researchers. The researchers could shop for data on servicemembers based on geolocation, including whether they lived or work near Fort Bragg, Quantico or other sensitive military locations. The Federal Trade Commission is currently considering new regulations to crack down on data brokers. “However, we have repeatedly raised concerns about the practices of data brokers and their potential impact on consumer privacy. The Pentagon and US intelligence community have long been concerned about how foreign spies might exploit the market for personal data on Americans.

Persons: Scammers, ”, Justin Sherman, ” Sherman, Ron Wyden, “, ” Wyden Organizations: CNN, Duke University, Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy, Social, Consumer Financial, Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, Fair, Oregon Democrat, Department of Defense’s, Pentagon Locations: Fort Bragg, Quantico, Oregon, United States

☆ Opinion: What’s Iran’s real plan in its proxy battle against Israel?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Henry Kissinger once observed that Iranian leaders must decide if Iran is a cause or a nation. But neither Iran nor Hezbollah seems to have had a plan for what to do following Hamas’s massacres last month in Israel. On Friday, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, spoke publicly for the first time about the war in Gaza. For the moment, both Hezbollah and Israel are exchanging tit-for-tat fire along Israel’s northern border that falls short of anything close to a full-blown war. The Iranians, in short, have enough problems of their own not to start a shooting war with Israel backed by its American ally.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, CNN — Henry Kissinger, propping, Bashar al, Assad, Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Israel —, Manu Brabo Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Hezbollah, Pentagon, Twitter, Facebook, US Locations: New America, Iran, East, Lebanon, Yemen, Iranian, Iraq, Hamas, Gaza, Lebanese, Israel, Tehran, Syria, Islam, Al Aqsa, Jerusalem, United States

☆ Israel’s cyber defense chief tells CNN he is concerned Iran could increase severity of its cyberattacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

So far, suspected Iranian hackers appear to have had minimal impact on their publicly claimed targets in Israel in the last month. But Portnoy said those hackers have been relatively quiet in the latest Israel-Hamas war (Israeli airstrikes have decimated internet infrastructure in Gaza.) “There is a gap between their [cyber] capabilities and their rhetoric,” the official told CNN, referring to Iran-backed hackers. “Even the successful, real cyberattacks are probably not going to be about the actual attack,” John Hultquist, Mandiant’s chief analyst, told CNN. This campaign is “maybe the most sophisticated we have seen from Iran on a technological level,” Sergey Shykevich, threat intelligence group manager at Check Point, told CNN.

Persons: “, ”, Gaby Portnoy, ” Portnoy, Portnoy, –, Christopher Wray, ” Wray, ” Eric Goldstein, CrowdStrike, ” John Hultquist, “ It’s, Solomon, Israel, Adam Meyers, CrowdStrike’s, ” Meyers, Sergey Shykevich Organizations: CNN, Israel National Cyber Directorate, Lebanese, Hezbollah, Palo Alto Networks, Hamas, Infrastructure Security Agency, FBI, Boston Children’s Hospital, ” CNN, Iranian, United Nations, “, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, East, Iranian, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, –, Palo, Gaza, Palestine, China, Russia

☆ McCormick wants the US to divest from China. As a hedge fund manager, he oversaw investments in Chinese companies grow more than a thousand-fold
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Em Steck | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

However, as the head of the world’s largest hedge fund, McCormick oversaw massive investments into US exchange traded Chinese companies and holdings, according to a CNN KFile review of the hedge fund’s holdings. I held deep reservations about Bridgewater’s exposure to the moral and patriotic hazards of doing business in China,” McCormick said in September 2023 before officially launching his campaign. That amounts to a 108,000% increase in Chinese holdings over a five-year period. In 2017, Bridgewater reported investing in just one US exchange traded Chinese company; by the final quarter of 2021, its holdings included 47 Chinese companies. McCormick’s hedge fund also held an additional $779 million indirectly in Chinese companies through their investments in exchange traded funds.

Persons: David McCormick’s, McCormick, ” McCormick, Hugh Hewitt’s, CNN’s KFile, Bush, Mehmet Oz, Oz, Democrat John Fetterman, Bridgewater, Elizabeth Gregory, “, he’s, Ray Dalio –, thievery ”, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, US, CNN, CCP, Bridgewater Associates, US Securities and Exchange, Bridgewater, Republican Party, Republican, Democrat, Chinese Communist Party, US Commerce Department Locations: New York, Pennsylvania, hardliner, China, McCormick’s, United States, Xinjiang, ”

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