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☆ Mexico Breaks Diplomatic Ties With Ecuador After Arrest at Embassy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( John Yoon | More About John Yoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ecuadorean police officers entered the Mexican embassy in Quito on Friday night to arrest Ecuador’s former vice president who had taken refuge there, prompting Mexico to suspend bilateral relations. Jorge Glas, the former vice president, had been sentenced to prison and there was a warrant out for his arrest before Mexico granted him asylum, Ecuador’s presidential office said in a statement announcing the arrest. Mr. Glas had lived at the embassy since December and was granted political asylum earlier on Friday. The statement said that “no criminal can be considered politically persecuted.”The statement, from the office of President Daniel Noboa, added that the arrest had gone forward because Mexico had abused the immunities and privileges granted to the diplomatic mission and that Mr. Glas’s asylum was given “contrary to the conventional legal framework.”Shortly after the arrest, Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, issued a statement saying that the arrest was a “flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico,” and that the Ecuadorean police had entered the embassy forcibly.

Persons: Ecuador’s, Jorge Glas, Glas, Daniel Noboa, Andrés Manuel López Obrador Locations: Quito, Mexico

☆ Power by Proxy: How Iran Shapes the Mideast
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | Lazaro Gamio | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Power by Proxy: How Iran Shapes the MideastTURKEY Militias in Syria and Iraq SYRIA LEBANON Iran Hezbollah ISRAEL IRAQ Hamas Egypt Saudi Arabia OMAN The Houthis Sudan YEMEN 500 miles TURKEY Militias in Syria and Iraq LEBANON SYRIA Iran Hezbollah IRAQ ISRAEL Hamas Egypt Saudi Arabia The Houthis Sudan YEMEN 500 miles The New York TimesFor years, Iran has been the outsider. Yet Iran has succeeded in projecting its military power across a large swath of the Middle East. Its reach equals — if not eclipses — that of traditional power centers like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Altogether, Iran now supports more than 20 groups in the Middle East, directly or indirectly, with a combination of arms, training and financial aid. Here is a look at the most prominent of the armed groups backed by Iran.

Persons: Israel Organizations: TURKEY, New York Times, United Locations: Iran, Syria, Iraq SYRIA LEBANON Iran Hezbollah ISRAEL IRAQ Hamas Egypt Saudi Arabia OMAN, Sudan YEMEN, TURKEY, Iraq LEBANON SYRIA Iran, IRAQ ISRAEL Hamas Egypt Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Gaza, United States, Israel, Iranian Embassy, Tehran

☆ Mexico suspends diplomatic relations with Ecuador after ‘barbaric’ arrest of ex-vice president
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Fidel Gutiérrez | Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ecuadorian police stormed the Mexican embassy in Quito on Friday night to arrest a former vice president seeking asylum there, in an escalation of tensions that Mexico decried as “an outrage against international law.”Mexico’s foreign minister said the country would break off diplomatic relations with Ecuador after the arrest of former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas. The rift between the two Latin American countries had been growing since Mexico’s decision to grant political asylum to Glas, Ecuador’s former vice president under leftist ex-President Rafael Correa between 2013 and 2017. “It is impossible for them to violate the diplomatic premises as they have done.”Former Ecuador Vice President Jorge Glas speaks during an interview at his office in Quito on September 12, 2017. Dolores Ochoa/APA spokesperson for Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena told CNNE that the country is “breaking” diplomatic relations with Ecuador and immediately removing all diplomatic personnel from the country. Mexico plans to lodge a complaint with the International Court of Justice to denounce the Ecuadorian police’s actions, she added.

Persons: ”, Jorge Glas, Ecuador’s, Rafael Correa, Glas, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, “, X, ” Roberto Canseco, ” Canseco, Dolores Ochoa, Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena, CNNE, Bárcena, Canseco, Lopez, Fernando Villavicencio’s Organizations: CNN, Ecuadorian, Foreign Affairs, International Court of Locations: Quito, Mexico, Ecuador, Glas, ”, Mexican, Ecuadorian

☆ US preparing for significant Iran attack on US or Israeli assets in the region as soon as next week
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —The US is on high alert and actively preparing for a “significant” attack that could come as soon as within the next week by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region in response to Monday’s Israeli strike in Damascus that killed top Iranian commanders, a senior administration official tells CNN. Senior US officials currently believe that an attack by Iran is “inevitable” – a view shared by their Israeli counterparts, that official said. A forthcoming Iranian attack was a major topic of discussion on President Joe Biden’s phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. As of Friday, the two governments did not know when or how Iran planned to strike back, the official said. At least six Syrian citizens were also killed, Iranian state television reported on Tuesday.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Zahedi, Donald Trump, IRGC, Qassem Soleimani, ”, Sabrina Singh, Israel, it’s, ” Singh, Israel’s, CNN’s Helen Regan, Hamdi Alkhshali, Tamara Qiblawi Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Senior, Israeli, Revolutionary Guards, Foreign Ministry, US, National Security, United, US State Department, Hamas, Ministry of Health Locations: Iran, Damascus, Israel, Syria, Baghdad, United States, Tehran, Gaza

CNN —A rift between Mexico and Ecuador is growing, with a series of diplomatic provocations this week that culminated in Ecuador rejecting Mexico’s ambassador to the country, and Mexico announcing that it would offer asylum to a wanted Ecuadorean politician. Mexican Ambassador Raquel Serur Smeke was declared “persona non grata” in Ecuador on Thursday after Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador appeared to criticize Ecuador’s recent elections. Ecuador’s 2023 run-off vote took place in a “very strange” manner, Lopez Obrador said, suggesting that presidential candidates used the media, candidate Fernando Villavicencio’s assassination, and overall violence in their favor while campaigning. In a statement posted on X, Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry called Lopez Obrador’s comments “unfortunate” and said the country is still mourning Villavicencio’s assassination. It also reiterated its focus on ensuring “respect for the dignity and sovereignty of the Ecuadorian State” and “non-intervention in the internal affairs of other States.”President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is speaking at the morning conference in front of reporters at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, on April 3, 2024.

Persons: Raquel Serur Smeke, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Ecuador’s, Lopez Obrador, Fernando Villavicencio’s, Lopez, Villavicencio’s, Solrac Santiago, Jorge David Glas Espinel, Gabriela Sommerfield, ” Glas, Rafael Correa, Glas Organizations: CNN, Ministry, Ecuadorian State, Mexican Foreign Ministry, Ecuador’s, Reuters Locations: Mexico, Ecuador, Mexican, Mexico City, Quito

☆ Targeting Chinese chips, U.S. to push Dutch on ASML service contracts
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Alan Estevez, the U.S. export policy chief, is scheduled to meet in the Netherlands next Monday with officials from the Dutch government and ASML to discuss the servicing contracts, the people said. Washington may also be seeking to add to a list of Chinese chipmaking factories restricted from receiving Dutch equipment as part of the discussions, one of the people said. The Dutch Foreign Ministry confirmed the upcoming meeting but did not elaborate on which topics would be on the agenda. The meeting of officials on Monday is one example of that," the Ministry told Reuters. The Commerce Department and ASML, whose shares briefly fell after the news, declined to comment.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Alan Estevez, ASML Organizations: Dutch Foreign Ministry, Ministry, Reuters, Embassy, U.S, China, Commerce Department Locations: Netherlands, China, U.S, Washington, Beijing

☆ Oil prices bound for second weekly gain on geopolitical tension, supply concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices extended gains on Friday and headed for a second weekly gain, supported by geopolitical tensions in Europe and the Middle East, concerns over tightening supply, and optimism about global fuel demand growth as economies improve. Oil prices extended gains on Friday and headed for a second weekly gain, supported by geopolitical tensions in Europe and the Middle East, concerns over tightening supply, and optimism about global fuel demand growth as economies improve. Heavy oil supply has also tightened globally after Mexico and the United Arab Emirates cut exports of these grades. This comes amid solid global oil demand growth of 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in the first quarter, JP Morgan analysts said in a note. "Our high-frequency demand indicators estimate that total oil consumption in March averaged 101.2 million bpd, 100,000 bpd above our published estimates," they said.

Persons: Brent, Daniel Hynes, Soni Kumari, WTI, Israel, JP Morgan Organizations: . West Texas, ANZ, NATO, of, Petroleum, United, Investors Locations: Europe, Brent, Israel, Syria, Russia, OPEC, Mexico, United Arab Emirates, U.S

☆ U.S. crude oil touches $87, forms 'golden cross' pattern in sign of momentum as Middle East tensions boil
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Oil prices have rallied to five-month highs and are on pace for a weekly gain as tensions boil in the Middle East with Israel closing embassies over threats from Iran. U.S. crude and Brent entered a "golden cross" this week, which is when the 50-day moving average outpaces the 200-day moving average. Investors typically view a golden cross as an indication of positive momentum and the potential for further upside. The 50-day moving average for U.S. crude of $79.07 a barrel is slightly outpacing its 200-day moving average of $79.02. Brent's 50-day moving average is $83.74 a barrel, above the 200-day moving average of $83.54.

Persons: Israel, Brent Organizations: The West Texas Intermediate, Brent Locations: Yemen, Saudi, Sanaa, East, Israel, Iran, The, Damascus, Iranian

☆ Back-to-Back Strikes by Israel Show Strengths and Limits of Accuracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Mark Landler | Adam Rasgon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

About 5 p.m. on Monday, Israeli warplanes streaked across the Syrian border, striking an embassy building in Damascus and killing a cadre of senior Iranian military commanders with the kind of pinpoint accuracy that has earned Israel’s military fear and respect across the Middle East. Several hours later, the same Israeli military rained missiles on an aid convoy on a coastal road in the Gaza Strip, a botched operation that left seven foreign aid workers dead and Israel’s reputation in tatters. Its leaders were forced to admit to a string of lethal mistakes and misjudgments. How one of the world’s best-equipped, best-trained militaries could pull off a dangerous strike on foreign soil and then stumble with such tragic consequences in Gaza raises a raft of hard questions — not least how the Israeli military enforces the rules of engagement in its war against Hamas.

Locations: Damascus, Gaza

☆ The rally in oil cannot be ignored — here's what it means for stock market investors
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

U.S. oil prices have climbed to their highest level since late October, as the rally in the key commodity becomes something equity investors cannot afford to look past. In other words, the latest ISM Manufacturing report serves to support the view that the U.S. economy is doing much better than many believed it would just a few months ago. Oil trading at its highest levels since late October has implications for stock market investors. The Fed's preferred measure of inflation may be the core personal consumption expenditures price index, which removes the impact of food and energy prices, but consumers still pay for energy. The rise in energy prices — particularly at the gas pump — can result in a decrease of discretionary dollars left for other purchases.

Persons: Brent, —, Jim Cramer, Jim Cramer's, Jim, Frederic J, Brown Organizations: West Texas, Coterra Energy, Energy, Organization of Petroleum, PMI, Manufacturing, Reuters, Federal Reserve, Fed, Bank of, CNBC, Afp, Getty Locations: U.S, Russia, OPEC, China, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Iranian, Syria, Iran, Taft, Kern County , California

☆ Former Trump national security advisor John Bolton says Gaza war is still 'in the very early stages'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former U.S. national security advisor John Bolton believes Israel's war in Gaza is "still in the very early stages" and says it has been complicated by Iran's involvement. Framing the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas as "an Iranian war against Israel," Bolton told CNBC's Dan Murphy: "The fact that Iran has not yet been held to account for any of it, suggests that we're still in the very early stages of the war." "This is not a Gaza versus Israel war, or a Palestinian versus Israel war, or an Arab versus Israel war. This is an Iranian war against Israel, fought through terrorist proxies," he told CNBC on Wednesday. Bolton is a noted foreign policy hawk and has previously advocated for regime change by the U.S. in Iran.

Persons: John Bolton, Bolton, CNBC's Dan Murphy, we're, Israel Organizations: National Security, National Council of Resistance, U.S, Representative, Willard InterContinental Hotel, Washington , DC, Former U.S, Israel, Palestinian Islamist, CNBC, Wednesday, Bolton Locations: Iran, Washington ,, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Iranian, U.S, Syrian, Damascus, Tehran

☆ US tourist on safari in Zambia killed by charging elephant
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An elderly American woman was killed in Zambia after an elephant charged at a vehicle carrying tourists in Kafue National Park. “This is a tragic event and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the guest who died,” he said. The deceased woman has since been named as 79-year-old Gail Mattson by her family, correcting the age initially cited by Wilderness. “We would like to share some amazing pictures of our wonderful Mom’s trip to South Africa with her friends and family. Zambia is popular with safari travelers thanks to a number of national parks and the quality of its guides.

Persons: Keith Vincent, “, ” Vincent, ”, Gail Mattson, Blake Vetter, Vetter, Mattson, ” Vetter, Rona Wells, ” Wells, Bianca Rudolph, Lawrence Rudolph Organizations: CNN, Wilderness, Facebook Locations: American, Zambia, South Africa, Africa

☆ Oil gains as market buffeted by supply worries
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil wells are seen at an oil facility by the Highway 5 near Bakersfield in California, U.S. on Nov. 27, 2022. Oil prices extended gains on Wednesday as a larger than expected fall in U.S. crude inventories and escalating geopolitical tensions raised investor worries about tighter supplies. U.S. crude oil inventories fell by 2.3 million barrels last week, higher than the 1.5 million barrel drop forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll. Russia, among the top three global oil producers and one of the largest exporters of oil products, has been contending with Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries and has also attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The U.S. dollar also edged down against a basket of currencies on Wednesday, helping support demand for dollar-denominated commodities like oil.

Persons: Brent, WTI, Israel, Pemex Organizations: U.S, West Texas, Reuters, The U.S Locations: Bakersfield, California, U.S, Brent, Ukrainian, Russia, Iran, Damascus, Dos Bocas

☆ Exclusive: State Department officials told House investigators they created Afghanistan withdrawal plans from scratch
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Kylie Atwood | Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The State Department has continued to publicly defend its decision making around the NEO as well as the ending of the war. Milley and retired Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, who were in charge of the US military during the withdrawal, blamed the State Department for not ordering a NEO sooner. The State Department officials did not weigh in on whether calling a NEO sooner would have had a substantial impact, as this would have preceded their arrival in Afghanistan. Although the State Department has faced sharp criticism from the Defense Department – most recently in a congressional hearing with retired Gens. Coordination with the militaryAnd on the ground, as they grappled with the frenzied and fluid situation, State Department officials and service members at Hamid Karzai International Airport were regularly coordinating.

Persons: John Bass, Jim DeHart, Jayne Howell, Michael McCaul’s, McCaul, Biden, ”, Mark Milley, ” Howell, DeHart, ” Bass, Hamid, Bass, Wendy Sherman, Washington . Howell, I’m, Howell, “, Trump, Anna Moneymaker, Milley, Kenneth McKenzie, McKenzie, Vedant Patel, “ It’s, Defense Department –, Gens, Kenneth McKenzie –, ” DeHart, didn’t Organizations: CNN, State Department, House Foreign Affairs, Republican, Department, Foreign Affairs, Chiefs, House Foreign, ”, DC, State, Department of Defense, Airport, Foreign Service Institute, Pentagon, Biden, Joint Chiefs, Staff, US, US Central Command, ” State Department, Defense Department, Hamid Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghan, Ukraine, Kabul Afghanistan, Washington ., Turkey, Rayburn, Washington , DC, extremis

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, strike on Iran consulate in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Emergency and security personnel gather at the site of strikes, which hit a building next to the Iranian embassy, in Damascus, Syria, on Monday. Iranian authorities and state media named senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders Mohammed Reza Zahedi and Haji Rahimi among those killed. Israel's military said it does not comment on foreign reports, but its spokesperson said the consulate was a "military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building." The Quds Force is a unit of Iran's IRGC responsible for foreign operations. Here are the latest developments in the region:

Persons: Maher Al Mountes, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Haji Rahimi Organizations: Getty, Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Quds Force Locations: Damascus, Syria, AFP, Iran, Gaza, Israel, Quds

☆ Global oil price hits seven-month high as Middle East tensions rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —The global price of oil rose Tuesday to its highest level in seven months, propelled, in part, by concerns that mounting tensions in the Middle East could crimp supply. Brent crude, the world’s oil benchmark, climbed as much as 1.8% to $89 a barrel, the highest since early September, before paring those gains slightly mid-afternoon in Europe. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate crude, the US benchmark, also rose 1.8% to reach a five-month high of $85 a barrel. “You’ve got ongoing Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries… Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea,” as well as a “general sense that the Middle East is less stable than it was a year ago,” he told CNN. Geopolitical tensionsWriting about higher oil prices Tuesday, Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at financial services company Hargreaves Lansdown, singled out escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East following an airstrike on Iran’s embassy in Syria Monday.

Persons: Richard Bronze, “ You’ve, ”, Sophie Lund, Yates, Hargreaves Lansdown, Israel, —, specter, Brent, Bill Weatherburn Organizations: London CNN, Brent, West, CNN, Revolutionary Guards, Organization of, Petroleum, Lund, Capital Economics Locations: Europe, West Texas, Brent, United States, Red, ”, Syria Monday, Iran, Syria, Israel, Tehran, Quds, OPEC, Iran’s, Damascus, Gaza, China

☆ What We Know About the Iranian Commanders Killed by Israel in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday pledged to avenge the deaths of three commanders and four officers in Iran’s armed forces, one day after they were killed in a precision Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus. The leaders, Iranian officials said, were some of the highest ranking leaders in the Quds Force, overseeing Iran’s covert intelligence and military operations in Syria and Lebanon. The strike was the deadliest against Iranian officials in recent memory and has shaken the country’s armed forces establishment. The strike, both the latest in a yearslong shadow war between Iran and Israel and a seeming escalation in that conflict, has again brought attention to Israel and Iran’s conflicting ambitions in the region and the network of proxies Iran employs to fight its battles. “We will make them regret this crime and similar crimes, with the help of God,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, said of the Israelis.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Organizations: Quds Force Locations: Damascus, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Israel

☆ Middle East Crisis Iran Blames Israel for Deaths of Top Commanders in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

The covert war has previously included Israel’s targeted assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists, and Iran’s use of foreign proxies to strike Israeli interests. “For years, Israel and Iran have been engaged in what’s usually called a ‘shadow war,’” Ali Vaez, the Iran director for the International Crisis Group, said Monday in a social media post. Israel and Iran differed in their descriptions of the building that was hit. Iran described it as part of its diplomatic mission in Syria, but Israel said it was being used by the Revolutionary Guards, making it a legitimate military target. Mr. Akbari said among those killed were several Iranian military advisers deployed to Syria.

Persons: Israel, Israel’s, Mohamad Reza Zahedi, General Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haj Rahimi, Hossein Aman Allahi, ’ ” Ali Vaez, “, ” Nasser Kanaani, Mr, Kanaani, Daniel Hagari, ” Mr, Vaez, ”, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Hossein Akbari, Akbari, Iran’s, Peyman Syed Taheri, Taheri Organizations: Iranian Embassy, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Corps, Hamas, Quds Force, Quds Forces, Quds, Guards, International Crisis, Iran’s, Palestinian, Revolutionary Guards, CNN Locations: Damascus, Syria, Iranian, Syrian, Iran’s Quds, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Quds, “ Iran, Jihad, ”, Tehran

☆ Oil gains on upbeat manufacturing data, escalating Middle East tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The May contract for U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 32 cents to $84.03 a barrel. Stronger than expected U.S. and Chinese manufacturing data is lifting prices, Tony Sycamore, a market analyst with IG, wrote in a note. U.S. futures could rise as high as the mid-$90s if they break a technical resistance level of $84.00 a barrel, Sycamore said. The last time the prompt-month WTI contract reached the $95 per barrel level was in August 2022. Iran's involvement could see its oil supply under threat," ANZ analysts wrote in a note.

Persons: Brent, Tony Sycamore, Sycamore Organizations: U.S . West Texas, IG, ANZ, of Petroleum, Ministerial Locations: China, U.S, Syria

☆ Biden and Xi Jinping hold phone call ahead of Yellen's trip to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the phone Tuesday, a call the White House described as a way for the two leaders to "check in" and responsibly manage the strained U.S.-China relationship. During the call with Xi, the first such phone meeting since July 2022, Biden raised a host of U.S. concerns, according to a White House readout of the call. Specifically, Biden confronted Xi on China's "unfair trade policies and non-market economic practices," the White House said. The last time Biden and Xi met in person was in November, on the sidelines of a summit in Woodside, California. "To take it back to that meeting last November, both President Biden and President Xi agreed that they would try to pick up the phone a bit more," the senior administration official said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Xi, Biden, Janet Yellen, Antony Blinken, Yellen Organizations: White, U.S ., Russia, U.S, Treasury, Treasury Department, Trump Locations: U.S, China, Taiwan, Ukraine, November's, Woodside , California, Guangzhou, Beijing, United States, Washington

☆ Iran says Israel bombs its embassy in Syria, kills commanders
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Emergency and security personnel gather at the site of strikes which hit a building next to the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital Damascus, on April 1, 2024. Suspected Israeli warplanes bombed Iran's embassy in Syria on Monday in a strike that Iran said killed seven of its military advisers, including three senior commanders, and that marked a major escalation in Israel's war with its regional adversaries. Reuters reporters at the site in the Mezzeh district of Damascus saw emergency workers clambering atop rubble of a destroyed building inside the diplomatic compound, adjacent to the main Iranian embassy building. Iran's ambassador to Syria said the strike hit a consular building in the embassy compound and that his residence was on the top two floors. Israel has long targeted Iran's military installations in Syria and those of its proxies, but Monday's attack was the first time Israel hit the vast embassy compound itself.

Persons: Faisal Mekdad, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Israel Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, Syrian, Force, Hamas Locations: Syria's, Damascus, Iranian, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Mezzeh, Israel

☆ U.S. Intelligence Warning to Moscow Named Specific Target of Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. warning to Russia ahead of a terrorist attack near Moscow was highly specific: Crocus City Hall was a potential target of the Islamic State, according to U.S. officials. The warning had the right venue but imprecise timing, suggesting that the attack could come within days. Indeed, the public warning by the United States Embassy on March 7 warned of potential terrorist attacks in the next two days. Gunmen stormed the hall on March 22, killing 144 people, the deadliest attack in Russia in nearly 20 years. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, and Russia charged four men from Tajikistan, accusing them of carrying out the massacre.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Islamic, United States Embassy, Gunmen, Islamic State Locations: Russia, Moscow, Crocus, Islamic State, Tajikistan, Ukraine

☆ Iran Says the Deadly Israeli Strike in Damascus Will Not Go Unanswered
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran said on Tuesday that Israel’s airstrikes on an Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, which killed three top Iranian commanders, will not go unanswered. The strike, on part of the Iranian Embassy complex in Damascus, killed three generals in Iran’s Quds Force and four other officers, making it one of the deadliest attacks of the yearslong shadow war between Israel and Iran. Mr. Raisi said it was an “inhumane assault in brazen violation of international law,” in comments reported by Tasnim, a semiofficial news agency. He added that it will not go unanswered, but gave no details of how Iran might respond. Switzerland acts as the United States’ representative in the absence of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Tasnim, Hossein Amir Abdollahian Organizations: Government, Iranian Embassy, Iran’s Quds Force, United States ’ Locations: Iran, Damascus, Syria, Israel, Iranian, Iran’s Quds, Swiss, Washington, U.S, Switzerland, United States, Tehran

☆ Strike in Damascus Is an Escalation in Israel’s Undeclared War With Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Steven Erlanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel’s bombing of an Iranian Embassy building in Damascus, which killed senior Iranian military and intelligence officials, is a major escalation of what has long been a simmering undeclared war between Israel and Iran. Iran promises major retaliation, but neither Israel nor Iran wants a major shooting war, given the stakes for both countries. Even so, the danger of a miscalculation is ever-present, as both countries press for advantage in Gaza and southern Lebanon. For Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who presumably approved such a sensitive attack, the successful elimination of such key Iranian military figures is a political coup. It comes at a time when demonstrations calling for his resignation have increased in intensity, as the war against Hamas drags on and Israeli hostages remain in Gaza.

Persons: Iran’s, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Iranian Embassy Locations: Iranian, Damascus, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen

Iran may now be compelled to respond despite its unwillingness to enter war with Israel and the United States. And it has increased such attacks since October 7, when Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 250, prompting a devastating Israeli war in Gaza. “That would mean that the Israeli attack on Iran has put a target on the backs of American troops in the Middle East,” he said. Washington has, however, tried to distance itself from Monday’s Israeli attack. Attack Israeli interests abroadAfter past attacks on Iran, Israel has often anticipated Iranian retaliation on its interests in foreign countries, and beefed up security at its embassies.

Persons: Donald Trump, Qassem, Israel hasn’t, ”, Daniel Hagari, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, ” Amir, Israel, CNN’s Paula Newton, Parsi, Biden, Israel Iran’s, Houthis, Sanam Vakil, Jalal Rashidi, Vakil, Omar Sanadiki, ” Vali Nasr, “, Farzan Organizations: CNN, Seven, Revolutionary Guards, Israel Defense Forces, Iran’s, Quincy Institute, Responsible, Islamic, US National Security, Israel, Hezbollah, Chatham House, State Department, Chatham, ” stoke, UN, Global Governance Locations: Iranian, Damascus, Baghdad, Iran, Israel, United States, Syria, Gaza, Quds, Swiss, Tehran, Washington ,, Iraq, Jordan, Washington, Islamic Republic, Lebanon, Iraqi, East, North Africa, London, Argentina, India, Georgia, Thailand, Jalal Rashidi Kochi, Azerbaijan, “, Chatham House, ”, Switzerland

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