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☆ Israel kills Hezbollah leader who planned elaborate attack on U.S. soldiers in Iraq
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-22 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A recent Israeli airstrike in Syria killed a senior Hezbollah commander who helped plan one of the boldest and most sophisticated attacks against American troops during the Iraq War, according to a senior U.S. defense official. Ali Mussa Daqduq had been captured by U.S. forces following the 2007 raid in which militants posing as an American security team killed five U.S. soldiers. It was not immediately clear when the strike took place, where in Syria or whether it targeted Daqduq specifically, the senior defense official said. The elaborate raid Daqduq helped plan was carried out at a U.S.-Iraqi military complex in Karbala on Jan. 20, 2007. The facility was part of a series of compounds known as Joint Security Stations in Iraq, where U.S. troops lived and worked with the Iraqi police and soldiers.

Persons: Ali Mussa Daqduq, Daqduq, Jacob Noel Fritz, Brian Scott Freeman, Shawn Patrick, Johnathan Bryan Chism, Johnathon Miles Millican Organizations: Pentagon, Security, Provisional Joint Coordination Center, Spc, Force, country's Revolutionary Guard, Quds Force, U.S Locations: Syria, Iraq, U.S, American, Iraqi, Karbala, Jan, Iran

☆ Trump will shake the world up. Maybe that’s what it needs
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

To be clear: Trump does not inherit a world at peace, where America’s unquestioning role as a beacon of freedom and moral superiority has brought enduring calm. Yet Tehran now has experience of Trump as someone willing to be wildly incautious and unafraid of international norms. As President Joe Biden - who did all he could to avoid war with Iran - leaves power, Iran looks incredibly weak. But in the current moment we are at in the war, Ukraine is equally in need of time to regroup and rearm. Does Putin risk Trump taking greater personal offense if that same deal is later betrayed, and their entente exposed as a sham?

Persons: Donald Trump’s, George W, Bush, Pervez Musharraf, Trump, America’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Alex Brandon, Vladimir Putin, Biden, Qasem Soleimani, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Nina Liashonok, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Putin, bode Organizations: CNN, Biden, Trump, Israeli, ISIS, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, US, Ukraine, Residents, NATO, Putin Locations: America, Lago, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Baghdad, Tehran, China, Taiwan, Beijing, Moscow, Russia, Odesa, Europe

☆ Killing of Nasrallah is a key prize for Israel, but it’s too early to write off Hezbollah
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In 2008, Israel killed Hezbollah’s military leader, Imad Mughniyeh, in Damascus, Syria, yet the group only gathered strength in the years that followed. Four years earlier, Israel killed a founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, in an airstrike. The US has its own history of killing terrorist leaders in the hope that it will cripple its foes. ISIS also carried out devastating terrorist attacks in the West, for instance, in Paris in 2015 that killed 130 people. The UN estimates there are about four hundred members of al Qaeda living in Afghanistan today.

Persons: CNN — , Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, don’t, Imad Mughniyeh, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, masterminds, Mohammed Deif, Abu Musab al, Zarqawi, al, ”, Barack Obama, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, Donald Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Soleimani, Trump, “ Soleimani, Osama bin Laden, bin Laden, Bin Laden’s, Laden, Ayman al, Zawahiri, didn’t, Nasrallah, it’s Organizations: CNN, US, ISIS, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, Hamas, United, Taliban, Hezbollah, CIA, US Navy, UN, Israel Locations: Beirut, Israel, Damascus, Syria, Gaza, al Qaeda, Iraq, Qaeda, Portugal, Paris, Syrian Kurdish, Mosul, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Baghdad, Yemen, United States, Pakistan’s, New America, Abbottabad, Iran

☆ De-escalation in the Middle East is now up to Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-28 | by ( Peter Gelling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementIsrael's assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah for over 30 years, is a major escalation in the Middle East conflict. A senior Iranian commander working with Nasrallah was also killed in the attack, Iranian state media confirmed on Saturday. AdvertisementIn the days after that attack, Iran telegraphed its response before launching hundreds of missiles and drones toward Israel in an unprecedented retaliation. AdvertisementIran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a statement released on Saturday, said Iran stands with Hezbollah but did not threaten any military response. Still, Israel, anticipating a response from Hezbollah and other proxies in the region, and possibly Iran as well, ordered its citizens to avoid large gatherings.

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, —, Israel, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Slim, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Jonathan Panikoff Organizations: Service, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Force, Middle East Institute, Saturday, Israel Defense Forces, Atlantic Council Locations: Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, United States, Iranian, Damascus, Syria, Brig, Lebanon, Hamas, Gaza, Washington ,, Islamic Republic, Yemen, Tehran

☆ Biden admin offers $20 million reward for info on Iranian charged with plot to kill ex-Trump official John Bolton
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Biden administration is offering a reward of up to $20 million for information on a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who is charged with plotting to kill Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton. U.S. authorities in January charged an Iranian national and two Canadians, including a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, for allegedly plotting to assassinate an Iranian defector living in Maryland. Poursafi was charged in August 2022 for his role in the alleged plot against Bolton. He remains at large abroad.Iran has denied it is plotting to assassinate Trump, current or former officials, or others abroad. But Iranian leaders have vowed to avenge the U.S. drone strike in 2020 that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.

Persons: Biden, Donald Trump’s, John Bolton ., Shahram Poursafi, Bolton, “ Poursafi, —, Trump, him.Iran, Poursafi, Qassem Soleimani, Qassem, Soleimani, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Andrea Mitchell, ” Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Bolton, Washington , D.C, State Department, U.S, Hells Angels, Justice, Press, Iranian, Getty, Force, NBC Locations: U.S, Washington ,, Maryland, Iranian, Baghdad, Tehran, Iran, Yemen, Baghdad’s

☆ West Bank: UNRWA staffer among ten killed during Israel military operation
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Mohammed Tawfeeq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN - A United Nations staff member was among 10 people killed during an Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military and the UN said on Friday. Jawwad – the first UNRWA staffer to be killed in the West Bank in more than 10 years – is survived by his wife and five children, according to UNRWA. The other people killed in the Israeli operation over the past 48 hours were killed in the areas of Tulkarem, Nur Shams and Tubas, according to the IDF. Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, said the five killed in Tubas were members of the Tubas Battalion in the West Bank who were “preparing ambushes and explosive devices against” Israeli forces. Operations in the West BankThe death comes amid increasing Israeli military action in the West Bank.

Persons: Sufyan Jaber Abed Jawwad, “, Jawwad, ” Juliette Touma, Nadav Shoshani, ” Shoshani, –, Philippe Lazzarini, Jawwad’s, Nur Shams, Tubas, Nur, UNWRA, Antony Blinken, Aysenur Ezgi, Eygi, CNN’s Mounira Elsamra Organizations: CNN, United Nations, West Bank, UN, United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees, Israel Defense Forces, UNRWA, Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IDF, Quds Brigades, Tubas Battalion, Operations, Palestinian Ministry of Health Locations: El Far’a, Gaza, Israel, Tulkarem, Al, Quds, El, Nur Shams, Jenin, Ramallah

☆ Iran wants Israelis to worry that Hezbollah has a rare and powerful EMP weapon
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-08 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Nuclear EMP pulses can travel hundreds of miles depending on their altitude of detonation, while NNEMP devices only have ranges of about 5 miles. AP Photo/Mohammed ZaatariIran does have a nuclear program, and probably could build a nuclear EMP weapon if it wanted to. But a non-nuclear EMP weapon might enable Iran to sidestep any red lines. But this raises another question: would Iran give EMP weapons to Hezbollah, its most important proxy? Giving EMP weapons to Hezbollah would risk the possibility that Israel and other nations would hold Iran responsible.

Persons: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps —, Mohammed Zaatari, Trump, Israel, Joseph Votel, Votel, Israel —, It's, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Hezbollah, Lebanese, Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Kuwaiti, Al, Force, National and Homeland Security, AP, Iranian, American, US Central Command, Middle East Institute, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Israel, Lebanon, Iran, The, Tehran, Russia, Europe, Mohammed Zaatari Iran, Iranian, Jerusalem, China, North Korea, Washington, New Jersey, Northern Israel, Beirut, Forbes

“Any assessment that Iran is assigning lethal operations to a ‘B team’ misses the utility of nonofficial actors," said Roule, currently affiliated with United Against Nuclear Iran. Officials say they see no connection between that plot and the shooting of Trump in Pennsylvania by a local resident who had researched mass shootings and political assassinations. In 2021, the Justice Department charged four alleged Iranian intelligence operatives with trying to kidnap Masih Alinejad. “We have said many times that we have been tracking Iranian threats against former politicians,” she said this week. Neither President Joe Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris has commented on the alleged Iranian assassination plots.

Persons: ”, Kenneth Katzman, don’t, “, ” Katzman, “ There’s, they’ve, Norm Roule, ’, Roule, aren't, Asif Merchant of, Donald Trump, John Bolton, Qassem Soleimani, New York —, Masih Alinejad, Alinejad, General Merrick Garland, we’ve, Steven M, Bolton, Biden, it’s, It’s, —, Jake Sullivan, Sean Savett, … The, Harris, White, Karine Jean, Pierre, “ We’ve, Qassem, …, Biden’s, John Kirby, ” Adrienne Watson, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Trump, Mike Turner Organizations: FBI, Soufan Center, Congressional Research Service, CIA, United Against Nuclear, Iran’s Revolutionary, Quds Force, Administration, D.C, Justice Department, Eastern, NBC News, Roule, Bolton, National Security Council, … The Biden, NBC, ., White, Indian, ” Locations: Iran, United States, U.S, U.S . Iran, United Against Nuclear Iran, Asif Merchant of Pakistan, Texas, Trump, Pennsylvania, Saudi, Washington, New York, Brooklyn , New York, Bolton, Tehran, Europe, Canada

☆ Pakistani man charged with murder-for-hire plot against U.S. politicians, potentially including Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dilanianmug.Jpg | Ken Dilanian | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A Pakistani man allegedly tied to Iran has been charged with an elaborate plot to assassinate current and former government officials, potentially including former President Donald Trump. The complaint does not name an alleged target or targets, but a senior law enforcement official said Trump was one of the potential targets of this plot. Merchant allegedly told the confidential source that the “people who will be targeted are the ones who are hurting Pakistan and the world, [the] Muslim world. On June 10, Merchant allegedly met in New York with undercover law enforcement officers posing as assassins for hire. Asif Merchant paid the undercover law enforcement officers $5,000 so they knew they were going forward.

Persons: Donald Trump, Asif Merchant, Merchant, Trump, Lester Holt, Christopher Wray, DOJ Merchant, Qassem Soleimani, Butler, General Merrick Garland, “, ” Organizations: NBC, DOJ, NBC News, ., Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Service, Trump, FBI Locations: Iran, Pennsylvania, Pa, Texas, New York, Pakistan

☆ Iran Has Accused Israel of Assassinations on Its Soil Before
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Qasim Nauman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Hamas and Iran on Wednesday accused Israel of assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, one of the Palestinian militant group’s most senior figures, in Tehran. Iran and Israel have fought a covert war for years, blaming each other for sabotage, abductions and targeted killings across the region. Tehran has also accused Israel of past assassinations inside Iran. Mr. Fakhrizadeh was one of Israeli intelligence’s top targets for years, and Iran angrily accused Israel of killing him. He wasn’t the first scientist linked to the nuclear program to be attacked on Iranian soil.

Persons: Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, Mr, Haniyeh, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Fakhrizadeh, Sayad, Khodayee, Qassim Suleimani, Ayoub, Kamran Aghamolaei Organizations: Revolutionary Guards, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Quds Force Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, U.S, United States, Iraq

☆ Iran has no good options after two deadly strikes on senior allies
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

ET) in Tehran, will dictate what comes next, as Iran looks to present a narrative that justifies and fashions its response. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is seen with Haniyeh -- hours before his assassination. There is no shortage of furious rherotic the day after the strikes, but there is no easy route for Iran. Iran has also tried an unprecedented direct all-out attack on Israel before, in April, after senior IRGC commanders were killed in an Israeli strike on Damascus. In short, the 300 drone and missiles fired - straight from Iran at Israel - just didn’t get through.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Israel, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Qasem Suleinami, rherotic, Ahmad Al, Ali Khamenei’s, “, Masoud Pezeshkian, group’s, Fuad Shukr Organizations: CNN, Revolutionary Guards, Iran's Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, Beirut, Lebanon, Golan, Quds, Damascus

☆ Reformist lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian wins Iran’s presidential vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Michael Rios | James Legge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has won Iran’s presidential election, Iranian state news agency Press TV reported Saturday citing the country’s election headquarters, beating his hardline rival in a pivotal vote at a time of tensions at home and abroad. The first round saw the lowest voter turnout for a presidential election since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979. The lawmaker was the only reformist candidate vying for the top elected seat in the country after dozens of other candidates were barred from running. During the 2022 protests, Pezeshkian said in an interview with Iran’s IRINN TV: “It is our fault. Other factors may be more difficult to change, particularly Iran’s foreign policy.

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Israel, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir, ”, Mohammad Khatami, Mahsa, Amini, Iran’s, Sanam Vakil, Vakil, Israel “, Israel Katz, Qasem Soleimani, “, aren’t, Javad Zarif, Zarif, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Khamenei Organizations: CNN — Reformist, Press, Press TV, Foreign, Supreme, United Nations, North Africa, Chatham House, Israeli, Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps ’, Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps ’ Quds Force Locations: Jalili, Islamic Republic, Iran’s, Iran, Persian, East, London, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps ’ Quds

☆ Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gets powerful ships to confront adversaries well beyond the Persian Gulf
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Read previewIn the last three years, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has commissioned hundreds of new vessels. AdvertisementThe Shahid Hassan Bagheri is one of three new Soleimani-class missile corvettes that are the most heavily armed warships in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy's fleet. Despite being lightly armed, it has a record of harassing US vessels and civilian ships in the Persian Gulf. AdvertisementThree Soleimani-class corvettes, Shahid Soleimani, Shahid Hassan Bagheri, and Shahid Sayyad Shirazi, have been commissioned, while a fourth, Shahid Ra'is-Ali Delvari, is under construction. AdvertisementMahdavi will eventually be joined by another converted container ship, the Shahid Bagheri.

Persons: —, Shahid Hassan Bagheri, Morteza Nikoubazl, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Shahid Soleimani, Nazeri, Shahid Nazeri, SAMs, Shahid Sayyad Shirazi, Shahid Ra'is, Ali Delvari, Hassan Bagheri, Abu Mahdi al, Shahid, Alireza Tangsiri, Shahid Mahdavi, 400Y8DYPlr — Mehdi H, Shahid Roudaki, Roudaki, Mahdavi, Lewis B, Puller, Shahid Bagheri, Bagheri, Tangsiri, IRGCN, Ayatollah Khamenei, Nadimi, Saviz, Diego Garcia, Benjamin Brimelow Organizations: Service, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, Business, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy's, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, US, Quds Force, Guard, Southern Hemisphere, American, British, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Global Affairs, Fletcher School of Law, Diplomacy, Modern, Institute Locations: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Persian, Gulf of Oman, Hormuz, China, Russia, Taiwan, Norway, Yemen, Makran, Morteza, Israel, Lebanon, Hamas, Gaza, Syria, Mahdavi, West

☆ Israel-Hamas War in Gaza: Latest News and Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | Adam Rasgon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Image Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, center, has threatened not to renew the provision, which makes it easier for Israeli banks to work with Palestinian banks. But many called the West Bank’s current economic predicament the most difficult yet. Before the war, Mahmoud Abu Issa, 53, was earning over $2,000 a month — an enviable salary in the impoverished West Bank — as a construction worker in Israel. If Palestinian banks want to offer shekel accounts, they must maintain links with Israeli banks and rely on them to process shekel transactions. Since 2017, Israel’s Finance Ministry has issued the waiver indemnifying the Israeli banks, according to Lilach Weissman, a spokeswoman for the ministry.

Persons: Bezalel Smotrich, Smotrich, Israel, Biden, Mr, Smotrich —, —, Menahem Kahana, Mahmoud Abu Issa, “, Abu Issa, Mohammad Rabee, Shadi Abu Afifa, ”, Abu Afifa, Jake Sullivan, Lilach Weissman, Akram Jerab, Eytan Fuld, Azzam, Shawwa, Rawan Sheikh Ahmad Organizations: West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian, Agence France, Mr, Palestinian Authority’s Finance Ministry, Israel’s Finance, Quds Bank Locations: Gaza, Bank, U.S, Israel, Hebron, ”, Palestinian, Palestine

☆ Opinion: The real loser in the first presidential debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Opinion Cnn Contributors | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +28 min

CNN —CNN Opinion asked political contributors to weigh in on the first presidential debate of the 2024 race. On the other hand, President Joe Biden did not meet expectations and may have increased concerns about his age and ability to lead for another four years. Debates are always more about style than substance, and President Joe Biden’s style was simply awful. Did President Joe Biden come off as a leader or a loser? And yes, the visuals in this first presidential debate of the cycle were phenomenally important.

Persons: Ana Marie Cox, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump, Biden, Ana Marie Cox Faith Fonseca, Trump, mumbling, I’m, Shermichael Singleton, Joe Biden, Paul Begala, ” “, ” Paul Begala, meandered, —, Republicans — Biden, Bill Clinton’s, Clinton, Jeff Yang, Jeff Yang CNN, — Biden, Joe, Bruce, ”, “, ” Patrick T, Brown, Biden’s, Dobbs, Roe, Wade, Patrick T, CNN’s Dana Bash, David Mark, there’s, Kamala Harris, Harris, Nikki Haley, ” Geoff Duncan, Geoff Duncan Alex Slitz, Geoff Duncan, Peter Bergen, Abu Bakr al, General Qassem Soleimani, It’s, ” Susanne Ramirez de Arellano, Susanne Ramirez de Arellano Frank Moya, Biden “, ” Trump, Susanne Ramirez de Arellano, Roxanne Jones, Democrats — Biden, Nobody, Jones, Lanhee J, Chen, Chen Lanhee J . Chen, David, Diane Steffy, Romney, Ryan Organizations: CNN, Democratic Party, Biden, Trump, “, Global, Democrats, ” Paul Begala CNN, Republicans, Democratic, sonics, Public Policy Center, Economic, Republican, South Carolina Gov, Democratic National Convention, Washington, Peter Bergen CNN, US Border Patrol, ISIS, Islamic, Guards, Force, Walmart, New America, Capitol, New, Arizona State University, Social Security, Medicare, UCLA, Politics Initiative, America, Tonight, Univision Puerto Rico, ESPN, New York Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Public Policy, Hoover Institution Locations: Texas, Austin, America, Asian America, Washington , DC, bravura State, Canada, Abu, Uzbek, Manhattan, El Paso , Texas, New America, United States

☆ Militant group releases 2 videos of an Amazon cloud engineer held hostage in Gaza since October 7
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewPalestinian Islamic Jihad released two videos this week showing Russian-Israeli hostage Alexander Troufanov, an Amazon cloud engineer. PIJ, a militant group that operates in Gaza alongside Hamas, released the first video on Tuesday. It would also include an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages, a "surge" of humanitarian aid, and a reconstruction plan for Gaza. Around 1,200 people were killed in Israel during Hamas' October 7 attacks, with roughly another 240 taken hostage in Gaza. PIJ is the second-largest armed group in Gaza after HamasMembers of Al-Quds Brigades, an armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Persons: —, Alexander Troufanov, Troufanov's, Troufanov, Alexsander, Sasha, Trufanov, Nir, Irena Tati, Yelena, Sapir Cohen, PIJ, Al, Berl Lazar, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Alexander Trufanov, Joe Biden, Ashraf Amra Organizations: Service, Jihad, Business, Haaretz, Annapurna Labs, Amazon, Amazon Web Services, TASS, Al, Quds Brigades, Anadolu Agency, Getty, of National Intelligence Locations: Gaza, Jerusalem, Alexsander, Israel, The, Al Jazeera, Qatar, PIJ, Quds, Palestinian

☆ Iran’s Use of Proxy Warfare Likely to Persist, Experts Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Those groups — Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, multiple militias in Iraq and Hamas in the Palestinian territories — are central to Iran’s ability to wield influence far beyond its borders despite being under strict economic sanctions for decades. Iran works with these groups through the Quds Force, a division of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. answers directly to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not to the government run by the president. On Tuesday morning, Iran-linked groups in Iraq announced that they had launched a strike at a base in Israel. It was as if Iran’s allies were signaling that it was business as usual by making the kinds of attacks that have become commonplace in recent months.

Persons: Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, ”, Parsi Organizations: Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iraq, Quincy Institute, Responsible Locations: Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanese, Israel

☆ Opinion: Unable to ‘win’ in Gaza, Israel sets its sights elsewhere
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Opinion Hussein Ibish | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —An eerie relative calm has descended on the Middle East — Gaza obviously excluded — since a highly alarming exchange of missile, rocket and drone attacks by Israel and Iran in recent weeks. Now, the recent exchange of direct military attacks with Iran might have sealed Lebanon’s fate, unless team Biden can restrain Israel. On April 1, Israel struck an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus, killing a number of senior Iranian officials including Brig. As Israel’s forces moved south through Gaza, obliterating Hamas brigades with relative ease, its thinking relatively quickly turned north again. If this happens, a primary US goal regarding the Gaza war — conflict containment — would be shattered not by Washington’s adversaries, but ironically by its closest regional partner.

Persons: Hussein Ibish, Read, Biden, Israel, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Haji Rahimi, Hossein Amirollah, Louai Beshara, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Charbel Mallo, Israel —, Joe Biden Organizations: Gulf States Institute, Israel, CNN, Biden, Hezbollah, Brig, Iran’s, Quds Force, Getty, Iranian, Israeli Locations: Washington, East, Gaza, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Iranian, Damascus, Brig, Syria, AFP, Tehran, United States, Kafr Kila, Lebanese

☆ Why was Iran struck by drones?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Israel carried out the strike inside Iran Friday morning, a US official told CNN. There were no reports of a missile attack, Iran’s National Cyberspace Center spokesperson Hossein Dalirian said on social platform X. The US “didn’t green light” an Israeli response, another senior US official told CNN. Video Ad Feedback Iranian journalist on how Iranian media reported the Israeli attack 02:19 - Source: CNNWhy is this happening now? Israel last week pledged, however, that it would “exact a price” from Iran in response to that aerial barrage.

Persons: Hossein Dalirian, ”, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, “, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Israel, Beshara, ’, Yemen’s, Joe Biden, What’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Amir, ” Amir, Maha Yahya Organizations: CNN, National Cyberspace Center, United Nations, Islamic, Palestinian, Hamas, Israel, Iranian, Revolutionary Guards, Pentagon, Getty, Wednesday, Carnegie Middle East Locations: Iran, Israel, Tehran, Isfahan, Iranian, Syria, Islamic Republic, United States, Gaza, Israeli, Damascus, Quds, AFP, Red Sea, Tabriz

☆ Opinion: 5 critical takeaways from Iran’s attack on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Miraculously, by a feat of military technology bolstered by coordination with friends and allies, Israel was able to repel the massive attack. The Quds Force commanders have been working with Iran-allied Hezbollah, which has been shelling Israel since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched an attack from Gaza. What if Iran’s missiles and drones had carried nuclear material? In addition, the US was able to work out of its bases in Qatar and northern Iraq to counter Iran’s attack. The Iranian attack has revealed that Israel does have friends, including some in very important places: across the Middle East.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Israel, Frida Ghitis Tanya Malott, Jerusalem —, Jesus, Israel unlivable, Israel —, Benjamin Netanyahu, —, General Antonio Guterres “, ”, Jordan, ” Saudi Arabia — Iran’s, Benny Gantz, ” Biden, “, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, John Bolton Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Israel, Quds Force, Hamas, Ukraine, Street Journal, United Arab, Finance, National Security Locations: Israel, Jerusalem, al, Aqsa, Iran, Arab Israeli, Damascus, Gaza, Beirut, Buenos Aires, Jordan, Iraq, North Korea, Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Russia, Argentina, Japan, United States, France, ” Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Republic

☆ Can China play a role in avoiding an all-out war in the Middle East?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“China calls on the international community, especially countries with influence, to play a constructive role for the peace and stability of the region,” the ministry added. The decision by Iran’s leaders to strike at Israel directly has pushed the shadow war between the two regional foes into the open. That’s why China does not condemn Iran,” said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Washington-based Stimson Center think tank. Beijing meanwhile denounced the strike as a “barbarian act,” with protests erupting outside US diplomatic compounds across China. “For China, had US applies enough pressure on Israel, neither the Israeli attack nor the Iranian retaliation would have taken place.

Persons: Beijing’s, Antony Blinken, Wang Yi –, Saudi Arabia –, ”, William Figueroa, Figueroa, “, Xi Jinping, China’s, Iran ”, Israel, ” Figueroa, Wang Wenbin, Wang, Yun Sun, Bill Clinton, Jiang Zemin, ” Sun, Kishida, Jaishankar, Israel Katz, Hossein Amirabdollahian Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Foreign Ministry, Washington, US State Department, Hamas, Beijing, Tehran, University of Groningen, Global Security Initiative, CNN, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Stimson, NATO, Embassy, Japan’s, Israel’s Foreign, Iranian Locations: China, Hong Kong, East, Iran, Israel, Beijing, Gaza, Tehran, Damascus, Republic, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian, Red, Tehran –, Netherlands, underinvestment, United States, Israeli, Syria, Quds, Washington, Belgrade, That’s, Yugoslavia, Asia, ”, India, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia

☆ Iran practiced blowing up an Israeli F-35 base with ballistic missiles just weeks before attacking the real thing
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewJust weeks before Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, it practiced blowing up an Israeli airbase housing F-35 fighter jets with ballistic missiles. Iran and its proxy militias attacked Israel on Saturday with more than 300 one-way attack drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. Iran made no secret of its intention to attack an Israeli F-35 base prior to Saturday's barrage. It claimed that the IRGC "successfully" hit the mock targets with "Emad" and "Qadr" ballistic missiles that had modified structures and improved warheads. Both missiles are variants of Iran's Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

Persons: —, Daniel Hagari, Benjamin Netanyahu, Morteza Nikoubazl, Shahab, Coningham Organizations: Service, Business, Israel Defense Forces, Israeli, Force, Nevatim Airbase, AF, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Tasnim News Agency, Quds, Getty Images, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Royal United Services Institute, Israeli Air Force Locations: Iran, Israel, Nevatim, Israeli, Palmachim, Tel Aviv, Tehran, Jerusalem, Iranian, Syria

Should the Israeli regime commit any military aggression again, Iran's response will assuredly and decisively be stronger and more resolute,” Ambassador Iravani added. Citing self-defense against repeated Israeli military aggressions, Iravani said the strikes were specifically in retaliation to an Israeli attack on April 1 against what Iran says were diplomatic facilities in Damascus. Iran claims the attack violated international law and led to the death of seven Iranian military advisors, including key commanders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The statement also criticizes the United Nations Security Council for “failing to uphold international peace,” allowing Israel to “breach” established international norms and “escalate” regional tensions. However an Israel Defense Forces spokesman told CNN that their intelligence showed the building was not a consulate and was instead “a military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building.”

Persons: Amir Cohen, Israel, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iravani, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, ” Organizations: Reuters, Islamic, Representative, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, United Nations Security Council, Revolutionary Guards, Israel Defense Forces, CNN Locations: Ashkelon, Israel, Reuters Iran, Tehran, Syria's, Damascus, “, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Iranian, Quds

☆ Live Updates: Israel Says Confrontation With Iran ‘Is Not Over’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Mike Ives | Isabel Kershner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

The Iranian armed forces are among the biggest in the Middle East, with 580,000 soldiers and officers and also 200,000 reservists. The start of a direct military confrontation between Iran and Israel has brought renewed attention to Iran’s armed forces. Instead, Israel and Iran have been engaged in a long shadow war via air, sea, land and cyberattacks, and Israel has covertly targeted military and nuclear facilities inside Iran and killed commanders and scientists. It’s that they realize any war against Iran is a very serious war.”What sort of military threat does Iran pose? The commander in chief of Iran’s armed forces is the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word on all major decisions.

Persons: ”, Afshon Ostovar, “ It’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Fabian Hinz, “, Atta Kenare, Ostovar, Ayatollah Khamenei, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Will Israel’s Organizations: Naval Postgraduate School, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Guards, General Staff of, Armed Forces, Quds Force, Agence France, Phantoms, Iranian Army, Associated Press Locations: Tehran, Iranian, Iran, Israel, Damascus, United States, Washington, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Jihad, Gaza, Berlin, speedboats, Persian, Hormuz, Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, North Korea

Iran has warned that it will respond with “stronger and more resolute” actions if Israel retaliates over this weekend’s strikes, according to Tehran’s ambassador to the United Nations. Biden will also meet with G7 leaders on Sunday “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack,” according to a statement released by the White House. US defensive assets moved to the region earlier this week and “helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles,” according to the statement. US forces intercepted more than 70 one-way attack drones and at least 3 ballistic missiles Iran fired toward Israel, according to two US official familiar with the situation. US fighter jets were also part of the US’ response to Iran’s attack on Saturday and shot down drones launched towards Israel, another US official told CNN.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Iran –, “, ”, Biden, Netanyahu, Jordan, ” CNN’s Nic Robertson, –, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Donald Trump, IRGC, Qassem Soleimani, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, IRNA, ” Israel, General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, Iran’s, António Guterres, Josep Borrell, Rishi Sunak, Javier Milei, Manuel Adorni, CNN’s Paul Murphy Organizations: CNN, Israel, United Nations, Iran, White House, US Navy, US, Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s Defense, Foreign Ministry, UN, British Locations: Iran, Syria, Israel, Republic, Haifa, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Damascus, Baghdad, Lebanese, Quds, East, Europe, America, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, France, Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, China, Beijing, Chile, Mexico, Denmark

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