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A cease-fire deal to end the conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia was close but not complete Monday, three senior Biden administration officials told NBC News. Over the weekend, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 20 people in the Lebanese capital of Beirut while Hezbollah fired more than 200 rockets at Israel, leaving neighborhoods in flames, according to the Israeli military. Amir Levy / Getty ImagesThe latest clashes follow months of intensifying fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, with Hezbollah firing rockets and other projectiles into Israel after the surprise Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that ignited the war in Gaza. The attacks have spanned as far as parts of Syria, where a recent Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah commander. Talks of a possible cease-fire come about a month after Israel attacked Iran on its soil, stoking fears that Iran would retaliate and dramatically escalate tensions in the region.

Persons: John Kirby, it’s, Amir Levy, Danny Danon, Miriam al, Ed Ram Organizations: Hezbollah, Biden, NBC News, House, Palestinian, Hamas, United Nations, Washington, Getty Locations: Israel, Beirut, Rinatya, Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Beirut's Basta, Syria

Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty suggested Sunday that Americans don't care about traditional FBI background checks for President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks as Democrats call for deeper vetting of executive branch nominees. An FBI background check, usually used during confirmation proceedings, would likely look into allegations such as that one. But Democratic lawmakers have argued that background checks for potential nominees are critical tools when vetting potential high-level appointees. “We require these background checks of DEA agents — drug enforcement agents. Many Republican lawmakers have agreed, rejecting the notion of doing away with FBI background checks.

Persons: Sen, Bill Hagerty, Donald Trump's, ”, Pete Hegseth, Hagerty, Jon Karl, Trump, ” Hagerty, Hegseth, Timothy Parlatore, hasn’t, Amy Klobuchar, ” Klobuchar, Trump's, Kevin Cramer, Susan Collins, Mike Rounds, “, ” Sen, Lisa Murkowski, it’s, ” Murkowski, Don Beyer, Ted Lieu, Donald Trump, Tammy Duckworth, Dana Bash, Tulsi Gabbard, Gabbard, Bashar al, Assad, ” Duckworth, Bash, Markwayne Mullin, Tammy, ” Mullin, Eric Schmitt, ” Schmitt, Adam Schiff, don’t, Kristen Welker, Schiff, Matt Gaetz's, he’s, Matt Gaetz, Robert F, Kennedy, Jr Organizations: Fox News, FBI, Department of Defense, Republican, Democratic, Office, CNN, United, United States Army, Trump Cabinet, Department of Health, Human Services, NBC News Locations: California, United States, Maine, Alaska, Russian, Hawaii, Russia, Ukraine, U.S

☆ Trump’s determination to install controversial picks faces next test
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-25 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Gabbard and another contentious Trump pick — Pete Hegseth, who has been tapped to lead the Defense Department — came under sharpened scrutiny Sunday as the spotlight shifted from Matt Gaetz, Trump’s toppled choice to be attorney general. Trump’s pick of Hegseth is also facing uncertainty after the release last week of a 2017 police report detailing an alleged sexual assault in California. But the withdrawal of Gaetz — who was already widely disliked in Congress — may leave senators feeling they owe the president-elect on his other highly controversial choices. Trump’s new selection for attorney general, Pam Bondi, is meanwhile being welcomed by many Republicans, suggesting she’ll have an easier path to confirmation than Gaetz. But that would still leave the question of who is acceptable to Trump while being confirmable in the Senate.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Hegseth, Defense Department —, Matt Gaetz, Trump’s, ” Democratic Sen, Tammy Duckworth, Bashar al, Assad, she’s, Republican Sen, Markwayne Mullin, Dana Bash, Duckworth, Gaetz —, Pam Bondi, general’s, ”, Russell Vought, Trump, Tesla, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Scott Bessent, Howard Lutnick, Cantor Fitzgerald, They’ll, Mike Waltz, ” Trump, Vladimir Putin’s, —, he’s, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Gabbard, ” Sen, Adam Schiff of California, Gabbard’s, Mullin, “, ” Missouri Sen, Eric Schmitt, Tennessee Sen, Bill Hagerty, she’d, Hagerty, ” Oklahoma’s, James Lankford, Bashar, Lankford, Bondi, We’re, ’ ” Lankford, Christopher Wray, Kash Patel, Patel, Trump’s MAGA, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, ” Patel Organizations: CNN, Trump, Defense Department, CNN’s, Union, ” Democratic, Republican, Fox News, Justice Department, Management, GOP, Treasury, “ Fox, Florida Republican, Electoral College, Senate, Democratic, US, Transportation, Trump’s “, House Intelligence, Press, Oklahoma Republican, Army, ”, NBC, ABC, “, intel, CNN Bondi, of Justice, FBI, Fox Business, Department of Justice Locations: CNN’s “ State, The Illinois, Washington, California, Florida, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Hawaii, Syria, Russian, Duckworth, “ State, Oklahoma and Missouri, ” Missouri, Japan, United States, Lago

☆ 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

☆ America's allies in Syria hope they can sway Trump's decisions about US troops there
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-22 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementUS troops remain in Syria to counter ISIS and patrol oil fields in the region. For almost a decade, US troops have been on the ground in Syria to assist Kurdish-led forces in the defeat of the infamous Islamic State. AdvertisementDuring his first term, Trump ordered the withdrawal of US troops partnered with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces after ISIS' territorial defeat. Trump then backtracked and kept 900 US troops in Syria. Advertisement"We may have felt frustrated during Trump's first term due to his decision to withdraw American forces from Syria in 2019," Mohamad said.

Persons: Trump, tamp, Donald Trump, specter, Sinam Mohamad, Trump's, Mohamad, Bashar al, Assad, Mohammed A, Salih, Delil SOULEIMAN, Paul Iddon Organizations: ISIS, Syrian Democratic Forces, Office, Syrian Democratic Council, Autonomous Administration, North, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, Trump, Foreign Policy Research Institute, SDF Locations: Syria, Turkey, Kurdish, State, Russia, United States, East Syria, Syrian, Kurdistan, Ankara, America, Jordan, Hol, Afghanistan, Iran, North

They see me as a threat to their power.”The episode has raised eyebrows among security officials, who point to Gabbard’s history of unusual relationships overseas. The circumstances that led to Gabbard’s inclusion on Quiet Skies may be entirely benign, these sources said. Under normal circumstances, one official said, Gabbard would be forced to explain the underlying foreign travel or contacts in question during her background check. Security officials from multiple agencies told CNN that the program is known inside the government for having far laxer standards for inclusion. “TSA’s Quiet Skies program is a risk-based, automated approach to transportation security, to include identifying potential risks and applying enhanced security measures.”The statement continued: “TSA’s Quiet Skies program is not a terrorist watchlist.

Persons: Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s, Gabbard, ” Gabbard, Kamala Harris, ”, “, Harris, Biden, Bashar al, Assad, Trump, — Organizations: CNN, Transportation Security Administration, Fox, TSA, Quiet, Air Marshals Locations: Syria

She wrote two more bills that same week supporting Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, who were behind two of the biggest US national security leaks of the 21st Century. Both men are broadly seen as enemies of the state within the intelligence community. Gabbard proposed repealing Patriot ActIf confirmed, Gabbard will be the most markedly anti-surveillance official to lead the intelligence community in the post-9/11 era. Some prominent Republicans like former Trump national security adviser John Bolton and former Trump UN ambassador and 2024 GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley have come out against her. Scott Olson/Getty ImagesGabbard is in many ways a stranger to the intelligence community.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, spymaster, Tulsi Gabbard, Daniel Ellsberg, Gabbard, ”, Ellsberg, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, It’s, MAGA, Trump, Assange, Marco Rubio, Elise Stefanik, Mike Waltz, she’s, scot, Jamil Jaffer, George W, Bush, White, George Mason University’s, Snowden, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Assange —, Sen, Rand Paul, Justin Amash, Matt Gaetz, Gabbard’s Snowden, Bill Pugliano, Tulsi, Drew Angerer, Glenn Gerstell, —, Gerstell, ” Gerstell, She’s, neocons, ” “, Vladimir Putin’s, Biden, “, Hannity, Steven Ferdman, cynically, John Bolton, Nikki Haley, DNI, ” Haley, Hillary Clinton, Assad, Obama, Tom Williams, CNN Gabbard, Bashar Assad, Nancy Pelosi, Gabbard’s, we’ve, Trump’s, Qasem Soleimani, ” ‘, Donald Trump, Scott Olson, Democratic Sen, Chuck Schumer, ” Gabbard Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Pentagon, The New York Times, Washington Post, US, National Intelligence, Republican Party, WikiLeaks, National Security Institute, George, National Security Agency, — Democratic, Trump, FBI, Fox, Patriot, Foreign Intelligence, Congress, Capitol, Defense Department, Democrat, Republican, NATO, Fox News Channel Studios, Trump UN, GOP, blindsided, Hawaii National Guard, House Armed Services Committee, Syrian, ISIS, Democratic Party, Lawmakers, Gabbard Locations: Syria, Ukraine, Russia, Alexandria, —, Washington, Detroit , Michigan, Gabbard, Washington ,, China, Hawaii, American, Moscow, New York City, Kremlin, Iraq, Lebanon, Ohio, La Crosse , Wisconsin, United States

Plus, not all of his Fox News picks are for Cabinet roles. A TV doc to oversee health insurance for 160 million-plus AmericansDr. Mehmet Oz outside of a polling location during the primary election in Rockledge, Pennsylvania, on May 17. In between failed bids for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, Huckabee hosted a show on Fox News. Homan was actually the first of Trump’s picks to be announced from the Fox News orbit. An anti-mainstream conspiracy theorist and author to oversee health policyRobert F. Kennedy Jr. in New York in May.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump’s, Trump, Dan Bongino, Read, Hegseth, John Lamparski, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Mehmet Oz, Hannah Beier, Oprah, Mike Huckabee, Chip Somodevilla, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Huckabee, he’s, there’s, Sean Duffy, Mary F, Reuters Long, MTV’s, ”, Duffy, Rachel Campos, she’s, “, Justin Sullivan, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Elon, Gabbard, Hillary Clinton, ’ Tom Homan, Kamil Krzaczynski, Tom Homan, ” Homan won’t, Homan, Brian Stelter, Anthony Scaramucci, Richard Grenell, Heather Nauert, Morgan Ortagus, Bill Shine, Lev Radin, Kennedy, There’s, Dr, Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, Peter Bergen, Linda McMahon, Jeenah, McMahon, Vince McMahon Organizations: CNN, ”, Black Americans, Fox News, Service, Fox News Channel Studios, Army National Guard, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army, Medicare, Services, Holy Land Former Arkansas Gov, Republican, Trinity Broadcasting Network, Calvert, Reuters, Boston, Trump, “ Fox, Friends, Hegseth, Fox Business, Fox, Democratic Party, Democratic, Elon Musk’s, Convention, Getty, Customs, Human Services, New York Times, Republican National Convention, Trump’s, Business Administration, WWE Locations: America, Washington, New York, New York City, Iraq, Rockledge , Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Drexel Hill , Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Jerusalem, Israel, Rayburn, Washington , DC, Wisconsin, Russia, Las Vegas, Syria, Milwaukee, AFP

☆ Meet the Press – November 17, 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +58 min

And by the way, I do believe that President Trump has the ability to pick some really, really good people. We've seen what they've done to President Trump, we've seen the attacks that they continue to go after him with. That's - that’s being taken completely out of context. And President Trump hasn't been the one that weaponized the DOJ to go after his political enemies. I think that's a pretty controversial pick, from whatever pronoun that he or he - he or she decides to use.

Persons: KRISTEN WELKER, Donald Trump’s, SEN, LISA MURKOWSKI, SUSAN COLLINS, KEVIN CRAMER, JOHN BOLTON, Trump’s, Trump, MIKE JOHNSON, JOHN, CHUCK SCHUMER, DONALD TRUMP, Hakeem Jeffries, Markwayne Mullin, Amna Nawaz, Eugene Daniels, Jen Psaki, Lanhee Chen, it’s, Kristen Welker, Donald Trump, Matt Gaetz, Gaetz, who's, we're, Mike Johnson, Johnson, MATT GAETZ, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, he's, ROBERT F KENNEDY JR, I'm, I've, LEX FRIDMAN, Trump's, Pete Hegseth, Hegseth, ” Hegseth, SHAWN RYAN, PETE HEGSETH, Mullin, Press . SEN, MARKWAYNE MULLIN, Kristen, you've, Kristi Noem, Matt Gaetz's, they're, Matt, Here's, We've, we've, Biden, Hunter Biden, didn't, Trump hasn't, Garland, Pete, Bobby Kennedy, Bobby, Rachel, Sam, There's, Pete Buttigieg, Let's, Kristen –, there's, let's, Chuck Schumer, Obama, Canning, we'll, He's, Jeffries, HAKEEM JEFFRIES, Roe, Wade, Pelosi's, Pelosi, It's, Nancy Pelosi, Jim Clyburn, Steny Hoyer, That's, should've, Kamala Harris, it's, Matt Gaetz –, Tulsi Gabbard, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Assad, She's, Dick Durbin, Donald Trump's, Politico “ Playbook, AMNA NAWAZ, Jim Mattis, Rex Tillerson, John Kelly, Eugene, EUGENE DANIELS, –, Susan Collins, hasn't, LANHEE CHEN, aren't, Doug Burgum, Marco Rubio, Elise Stefanik, Jen, JEN PSAKI, – AMNA NAWAZ, that's, Thune, Biden's, George W, Bush, Joe Biden, JOE BIDEN, – I’ve, —, – JEN PSAKI, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, We're, We'll Organizations: GOP, Democratic, Oklahoma, PBS, White House Press, Hoover Institution, Press, NBC, Department of Justice, Mar, FBI, CDC, ATF, DOJ, NBC News, Republicans, of Health, Human Services, Defense, Fox News, Police, Republican, Pentagon, Press ., Trump, Senate, Biden, White, Justice Department, America, Senate Armed Services Committee, The Washington, HHS, of Energy, Department of Transportation, RFK Jr, ’, House Democratic, Democracy, REP, House Democrats, Social, Medicare, Democrats, Committee, of, Politico, Stanford University, Trump’s, Gaetz, Department of Defense, Office, Mr, Republican Party, Democratic Party Locations: Washington, America, Florida, Monterey , California, States, Oklahoma, Russia, United States, Afghanistan, Iraq, New York, American, Syria, Russian, Will, California, –, Trump

BYBLOS, Lebanon — The anguish in Lebanese archaeologist Nader Siklaoui’s voice is clear as he films Israeli missiles slamming down near ancient Roman columns he has spent much of his life protecting. But the conflict is also taking a devastating toll on Lebanon’s unique and ancient heritage, with airstrikes wiping out centuries-old villages and endangering fragile, millenia-old archaeological sites, like the celebrated Roman ruins of Baalbek, a United Nations world heritage site. First responders evacuate an injured person following an Israeli airstrike near Tyre, Lebanon, on Oct. 30. What can we do?” said Siklaoui, who oversees heritage sites in southern Lebanon, speaking to NBC News at the national museum in the capital Beirut. Israel’s military says it only targets Hezbollah, but accuses the group of embedding itself in and near civilian infrastructure, including heritage sites.

Persons: Nader Siklaoui’s, ”, Kawnat Haju, Umm Kulthumm, Nina Simone, Placido Domingo, Mo Abbas, Najat Saliba, Israel ’, Carthage, King Hiram of Tyre, “, Siklaoui, Nader Siqlaoui, Troy, Achilles, Tania Zaven, it’s, Zaven Organizations: Lebanese, Hezbollah, United, NBC News, United Nations, Getty, NBC, Islamic, Islamic State Locations: BYBLOS, Lebanon, Tyre, Israel, Baalbek, United Nations, Mhaibib, Nabatiyah, Ottoman, AFP, Beirut, Cadiz, Spain, Tunisia, Temple, Jerusalem, Lebanese, Iraq, Syria, Mosul, Byblos

☆ Trump transition team compiling list of current and former U.S. military officers for possible courts-martial
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The Trump transition team is compiling a list of senior current and former U.S. military officers who were directly involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan and exploring whether they could be court-martialed for their involvement, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the plan. The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Afghan applicants crowd into the Herat Kabul Internet cafe seeking help applying for the Special Immigrant Visas program in 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan. It’s not clear the Trump administration would pursue treason charges, and instead could focus on lesser charges that highlight the officer’s involvement. A military transport plane launches while Afghans who cannot get into the airport to evacuate are stranded in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2021.

Persons: “, Matt Flynn, Paula Bronstein, Donald Trump, ”, Joe Biden, Biden, Pete Hegseth, ” Hegseth, Marcus Yam, capitulating, It’s, Trump, Howard Lutnick, George Floyd Organizations: Trump, U.S, U.S ., Biden, Fox News, Warriors, Pentagon, Kabul International Airport, Los Angeles Times, Getty, Islamic State, NBC, Democratic Locations: Afghanistan, U.S, Herat Kabul, Kabul, United States, Syria

☆ How different a commander in chief will Trump be?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +27 min

On the face of it, there are sizable differences in foreign policy between Trump and President Joe Biden. In October, the Biden administration again helped to intercept a barrage of around 200 Iranian ballistic missiles, which also caused minimal damage to targets in Israel. Bringing US troops homeIn 2020, the Trump administration signed a US withdrawal agreement from Afghanistan with the Taliban. But after McMaster was pushed out of office in 2018, the Trump administration negotiated with the Taliban the withdrawal agreement of all US forces from Afghanistan. Nonetheless, the incoming Trump administration seems intent on resurrecting Schedule F, an executive order issued in the last months of the first Trump term.

Persons: sneezes, Trump, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, —, Biden, Trump’s, shored, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Andrew Harnik, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Ahmad Gharabli, Israel, Jared Kushner, Qasem Soleimani, Mike Huckabee, Israel — Huckabee, David Friedman, Reagan, JD Vance —, H.R, McMaster, Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, Haley, Pompeo, Elise Stefanik, Mike Waltz, Florida, George W, Bush, Pete Hegseth —, Lloyd Austin, Jim Mattis, Robert Gates, John Ratcliffe of, Tulsi Gabbard, Vladimir Putin, Basher al, Assad, Putin, Diego Fedele, Ukraine doesn’t, John Bolton, Mark Rutte, Tom Homan, Homan, ” Trump, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, “ It’s, Maura Healey, Stephen Miller, CBS’s, Camp David, It’s, Kim Jong Un Organizations: CNN, Trump, NATO, Ukraine, White, of, Biden, CIA, Liberation Army, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Obama, Getty, West Bank, Abraham Accords, Arkansas Gov, US Defense Intelligence Agency, ISIS, McMaster, UN, GOP, Republican, Special, House Armed Services Committee, Pentagon, Fox News, Senate, Republicans, US Civil, Policy, State Department, Department of Homeland Security, Policy Institute, Rep, House Intelligence, NATO Trump, US Congressional Research Service, Joint Assault Brigade, National Police, of Homeland, American Immigration Council, NBC News, US Bureau of Prisons, Massachusetts Gov, National Guard, Congress, Washington Post, H.R, North, America Locations: Paris, Russia, China, Beijing, South China, United Kingdom, Australia, Taiwan, Washington, United States, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Iranian, Syria, Israel, Yemen, Jerusalem, AFP, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, John Ratcliffe of Texas, Hawaii, Ukraine, Dnipro, Soviet, Toretsk, Crimea, Japan, NATO, “ Russia, Baltic, Western Europe, ”, Korean, North Korean

☆ Will Tulsi Gabbard bring a pro-Russian bias to intelligence reporting?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's 2024 Road to Majority Conference, in Washington, DC., on June 21. But current and former intelligence officials fear that Gabbard will refuse to relay intelligence reporting that doesn’t fit in with her — or the president’s — worldview. “Would that predisposition translate into pressure on analysis to fit the administration’s policy goals?” one senior former intelligence official said. “We’ll see.”Previous administrations have clashed with the CIA and intelligence agencies over assessments that didn’t support their policy agendas or their views about a particular threat or an adversary’s intentions. The DNI’s job “is to define the world as it is, as opposed to advocating for a world as you want it to be,” the former intelligence official said.

Persons: Tulsi Gabbard, “, ”, Gabbard, Michael Brochstein, Donald Trump’s, George W, Saddam, Trump, Vladimir Putin, Bashar al, Assad, ” Gabbard, Syria’s Assad, Matt Gaetz, autocrats, Putin, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el, Sissi, Narendra Modi, Modi, Jason Crow, ” Crow Organizations: NATO, Former, Faith, Majority Conference, Senate, CIA, Democratic, Indian, Modi, House Intelligence, NBC News Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Hawaii, Western, Washington ,, Former U.S, New Hampshire, Syria, Washington, Ukrainian, DNI, Cairo, United States, U.S, autocrats, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand

☆ American fighter pilots explain how they fought an overwhelming Iranian drone swarm in total darkness
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“You feel the terrain rush, you feel yourself getting closer and closer to the ground,” Coffey told CNN. Obtained by CNNThe fighter pilots had not had much time before then to practice, said F-15 pilot Lt. Col. Timothy “Diesel” Causey. Air defense systems at an undisclosed US military base in the Middle East intercept Iranian drones and missiles. “Missiles and drones are flying over base, and they’re being intercepted over base, so the alarm red goes off,” Causey said. CNNMany of the F-15 pilots, air and ground crews who took part in the operation that night received awards this week for bravery.

Persons: Benjamin “, ” Coffey, Coffey, Lacie, ” Hester, Hester, ”, Timothy “ Diesel ”, ” Causey, hadn’t, ’ ” Coffey, “, Curtis “, ” Culver, Hester’s, Timothy “ Diesel ” Causey, Clayton “, ” Wicks, Wicks, Culver, Robin Olds Organizations: CNN, Israel, US Air Force’s, Air Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Air, Royal Air Force, Patriot, Missiles, ” Troops, Silver Star, Culver, “, MiG Locations: Iran, Iranian, Syria, Suffolk, England, Vietnam

CNN —President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is bypassing traditional FBI background checks for at least some of his Cabinet picks while using private companies to conduct vetting of potential candidates for administration jobs, people close to the transition planning say. It also reflects Trump’s deep mistrust of the national security establishment, which he derides as the Deep State. If Gaetz does not participate in the vetting process, the FBI could still try to do a basic investigation at the request of the Senate. Instead, Trump’s transition team has been focused on conducting its own internal vetting of candidates for top administration jobs. So if Trump’s team continues to skirt the vetting process, those tapped for key roles wouldn’t be able to receive briefings until then.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard, Dan Meyer, “, ”, Trump’s, Gaetz, Gabbard, Bashar al, Vladimir Putin’s, Biden, Jared Kushner, won’t, wouldn’t, Mike Waltz Organizations: CNN, Trump, FBI, Justice Department, NATO Locations: Washington, Washington ,, Florida, Syria, Russia, Assad, United States, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Drone-hunting helicopters are bolstering Israel and Ukraine's stretched air defenses
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Given the sheer volume of enemy drones, helicopters have joined the counter-drone fight. In Ukraine and Israel, helicopters of all kinds are hunting down drones. In Ukraine, a huge country compared to Israel, helicopters are a means to shield its airspace against large drone salvos. Advertisement"Given the Russian Shaheds' slow and low flight pattern, rotary aircraft can easily chase and destroy them," Borsari said. Modifications of this kind could make helicopters more effective drone hunters in the future, supplementing other ground- and air-based systems.

Persons: —, It's, Israel's, it's, Nicholas Heras, Samuel Bendett, Federico Borsari, Borsari, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, Iran, New Lines Institute, Center for Naval, Center for, Helicopters, Royal Navy Wildcat Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Washington ,, Ukrainian, Lebanon, Syria

☆ Syria: Fifteen killed in Israeli strikes on Damascus, state media say
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Mostafa Salem | Eyad Kourdi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Fifteen people were killed and 16 others injured in Israeli strikes on Damascus in Syria, state media SANA said, citing a military source and marking one of the deadliest strikes in months to hit the Syrian capital. The strikes targeted several residential buildings in the upscale Mezzah neighborhood in the capital and the Qudsaya area in the Damascus countryside, Syrian state media reported. Among those killed were women and children, Syrian state media added. The strikes targeted a residential building in the Sayyidah Zaynab area of the Damascus countryside, with women and children among those killed, SANA said. On November 4, SANA reported Israeli strikes in Sayyidah Zaynab the same day the IDF said Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck Hezbollah intelligence infrastructure in the Damascus area.

Persons: SANA, Jihad, “, ” SANA Organizations: CNN, Israeli Air Force Locations: Damascus, Syria, Jihad, Gaza, Syrian, Israeli, Mezzah, Riyadh, Israel, Sayyidah, Lebanon, Qusayr, Homs

Trump’s transition team includes close to 100 people, with some working at Mar-a-Lago and others at the campaign office in Palm Beach and in Washington. Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesInside Trump’s transitionTrump’s transition effort had begun with relatively orthodox choices — including Wiles, who led Trump’s campaign, as chief of staff. Much like his defense secretary pick, Trump had also grown frustrated with his options for attorney general. The role of attorney general has long been viewed by Trump as one of, if not the, most important positions he would fill. CORRECTION: This story has been corrected to properly reflect the process by which Donald Trump considered candidates for attorney general.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Matt Gaetz, —, Trump, firebrands —, elect’s, MAGA, ”, “, ” Trump, Joe Biden, Mike Johnson, South Dakota Sen, John Thune, Elon Musk, Tesla, he’d, strode, Chris Christie’s, Susie Wiles, Wiles, Donald Trump, Andrew Harnik, Monday Trump, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio, Gabbard, Steve Bannon, ” Bannon, Donald Trump Jr, Richard Grenell, Rubio, Tony Hinchcliffe denigrated, JD Vance, Vance, Brian Snyder, Department —, Kamala Harris, Mark Paoletta, Andrew Bailey, Justice Department —, Jeff Sessions, William Barr, Department’s, Kevin McCarthy, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Nathan Howard, Gaetz, McCarthy, ” Gaetz, Gaetz’s, “ We’re, ” Johnson, Trump’s, Alaska Sen, Lisa Murkowski, Justice Department . Maine Sen, Susan Collins, Texas Sen, John Cornyn, Thune, Sen, Mike Rounds, ” Rounds, Kaitlan Collins, Annie Grayer, Danya Gainor, Holmes Lybrand, Dana Bash, Haley Talbot, Jeremy Herb, Katie Bo Lillis, Ted Barrett, Manu Raju, Sarah Ferris, Pamela Brown Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Hawaii Democratic, Republican, “, Wednesday, Washington, Hill, South, GOP, Elon, House Republicans, DC, SpaceX, Department of Government, Trump, New, New Jersey Gov, Mar, Hyatt, Monday, Democratic, Army National Guard, US Army Reserve, America, Florida Republican, Tony Hinchcliffe denigrated Puerto Ricans, State Department, Base Andrews, Reuters, Department, Justice Department, White House, Republicans, Capitol, U.S . Capitol, Senate, Justice Department ., Texas, South Dakota Republican Locations: Florida, Washington, South Dakota, Trump’s, New Jersey, Palm Beach, Washington ,, Syria, Russia, Tony Hinchcliffe denigrated Puerto, Madison, Maryland, U.S, Missouri, Manhattan, Trump, Alaska, Justice Department . Maine

☆ Every kind of F-35 has now seen combat after a carrier-based stealth fighter struck the Houthis
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementThe Pentagon said F-35C stealth aircraft took part in strikes against the Houthis last weekend. The aircraft carrier-based variant of the F-35 stealth fighter made its combat debut during recent American military airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, a US defense official confirmed to Business Insider on Wednesday. AdvertisementA US defense official said that mission was the first operational combat flight by the F-35C, meaning all three variants of the aircraft have now seen combat. The F-35 Lightning II is a single-engine, multi-role strike stealth fighter jet made by American defense company Lockheed Martin. Aircraft from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) support operations against Iran-backed Houthis in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

Persons: Abraham Lincoln, Lockheed Martin, 8Y4yqsAepd, Carl Vinson, Pat Ryder, Seaman Nathaly Cruz, Ryder Organizations: Pentagon, Business, Lockheed, The Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Aircraft, U.S . Central Command, Taliban, ISIS, Fighter Attack Squadron, EA, Pentagon Press, Air Force, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron, US Navy, Communication, Monday Locations: Iran, Yemen, American, U.S, Afghanistan, Iraq, Gulf of Aden, Mandab, Syria

☆ UN sounds alarm at Israel’s ‘severe violations’ at key buffer zone with Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The United Nations has accused Israel of “severe violations” of a 50-year-old agreement with Syria, saying it has engaged in “engineering groundwork activities” that encroach on a key buffer zone in the Golan Heights. The Israeli military said the strikes were part of a larger effort to target the capabilities of a Hezbollah unit responsible for weapons smuggling. Saban said that Hezbollah is unlikely to try and trigger an Israeli military offensive from the Golan, however. In July, the IDF said it struck Syrian military infrastructure in retaliation for alleged breaches. “The IDF holds the Syrian military responsible for all activities occurring within its territory and will not allow any attempts to violate Israeli sovereignty,” the Israeli military said.

Persons: Israel, UNDOF, ”, Yasushi Kaneko, Navvar Saban, Golan, ” Saban, Majdal Shams, Saban Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, Observer Force, Planet Labs, European Space Agency, Israel Defense Forces, Labs, Alpha, IDF, Israel, Yomiuri Shimbun, AP, Harmoon, for Contemporary Studies, Lebanese, Syrian Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry Locations: Syria, Golan, Israel, Jubata Al Khashab, Majdal Shams, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Syria Israel, Tehran, Damascus, Majdal, Qusayr, Homs

☆ US Navy destroyers unscathed after fighting off a complex attack of cruise and ballistic missiles and exploding drones
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two US Navy destroyers came under attack by the Houthis on Monday. The destroyers USS Stockdale and USS Spruance came under fire as they were transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic maritime chokepoint between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Navy repelled multiple Houthi attacks involving at least three anti-ship cruise missiles, five anti-ship ballistic missiles, and eight one-way attack drones, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a press briefing Tuesday. Earlier, the Houthis said they attacked the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and two unnamed American destroyers in the Red Sea. The attack against the destroyers on Monday marks the latest Houthi attack on Navy warships off the coast of Yemen.

Persons: —, Stockdale, Spruance, Pat Ryder, Sea Ryder, Abraham Lincoln, Arleigh Burke, ENS Abu Qir, Ryder, Lincoln, 8Y4yqsAepd, Michael Erik Kurilla Organizations: US Navy, Pentagon, Service, Navy, Pentagon Press, Air Force, Sea, Egyptian Navy, . US Navy, Lincoln, US, Command, Aircraft, U.S . Central Command Locations: Iran, Yemen, Mandab, Aden, Red, Egyptian Navy El Suez, U.S, Gulf of Aden, Israel, Syria

☆ Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi crown prince accuses Israel of committing ‘collective genocide’ in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has accused Israel of carrying out “collective genocide” in Gaza, in some of his strongest criticism of the country since the war began last year. Saudi Arabia strongly opposes Iran-backed militias such as Hezbollah and Hamas. Riyadh and Tehran repaired ties last year after decades of animosity over regional influence. Those attending the high-level meeting included Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The conference was hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on November 11.

Persons: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Israel, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Adolf Hitler, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammad Reza Aref, General Hassan Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Mahmoud Abbas, Najib Mikati, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Abdel Fattah el, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of, Bashar al, Assad of Organizations: CNN, Saudi Arabia’s Crown, Islamic, MBS, Iranian, Israeli Locations: Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Israel, Iran, Tehran, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Assad of Syria, Syria, ”

☆ Mike Huckabee once said that ‘there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian’
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Andrew Kaczynski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

“Basically, there really is no such thing as — I need to be careful about saying this, because people will really get upset — there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian,” Huckabee said at a 2008 campaign stop in Massachusetts while speaking to two Orthodox Jewish men. “There’s not.”In response to a question from one of the men about the possibility of a Palestinian state existing outside of Israel, Huckabee said he believed this was the preferable option. But there’s really no such thing. Huckabee reiterated that point during a 2015 interview on Israeli TV, in which he argued that a two-state solution was “irrational and unworkable” and said “there’s plenty of land” outside of Israel in the “rest of the world” for a Palestinian state. CNN reached out to Huckabee and the Trump transition team for comment on whether Huckabee stands by his comments.

Persons: CNN —, Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump, ” Huckabee, ”, CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski, Huckabee, — there’s, “ There’s, there’s, That’s, BuzzFeed, “ Organizations: CNN, CNN — Former Arkansas Gov, Huckabee, Trump Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Israel’s, Massachusetts

☆ West Bank: Israeli minister calls for preparations to annex settlements
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Dana Karni | Mick Krever | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has ordered preparations for the annexation of settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the US election “brings an important opportunity for the State of Israel,” Smotrich told the Knesset, or Israeli parliament. The “only way to remove” the “threat” of a Palestinian state, Smotrich added, “is to apply Israeli sovereignty over the entire settlements in Judea and Samaria,” the biblical term by which Israelis refer to the West Bank. Around half a million Israelis live in West Bank settlements. Smotrich, himself a settler, has long called for Israeli law to apply in the settlements, and previously opposed the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Persons: CNN —, Bezalel Smotrich, Donald Trump’s, “, ” Smotrich, Smotrich, Trump, Abraham, Trump’s Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Smotrich, State, Ministry of Defense, Civil Administration, Abraham Accords, Palestinian Authority, Minister’s Office Locations: “, West Bank, Israel, Palestinian, Judea, Samaria, Jordan, Jerusalem, Syria

☆ US carries out second consecutive night of strikes in Yemen, US defense official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Oren Liebermann | Karina Tsui | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The United States has carried out a second consecutive night of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, a US defense official said Sunday. Details of the types of weapons, targets or locations of the strikes were not immediately available, though there were reports of explosions in the Amran and Saada governorates, north of the capital of Sanaa, where the US has carried out strikes in the past. They say they won’t stop striking Israel and its allies until a ceasefire is reached in the Palestinian enclave. The US has struck Houthis targets in Yemen multiple times over the last 11 months but the attacks have continued. In mid-October, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the US struck the militant group using stealth B-2 bombers for the first time.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden, Austin, ” Organizations: CNN, US, Hamas, United Nations, Refugee, ” CNN Locations: United States, Yemen, Saada, Sanaa, Iran, Aden, The, Suez, Syria, Gaza, Iraq, Israel, Saudi, Lebanon

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