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Roughly 40,000 American troops are stationed across the Middle East, mostly in countries with close ties to the United States. There were more than 160,000 American troops in Iraq alone in 2007, during the war that followed the U.S. invasion. Image Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq in 2019. Credit... Nasser Nasser/Associated PressWhy are so many troops there? A military coalition led by the United States, including forces in Syria and Iraq, defeated it. President Biden has retaliated with attacks on Iran-aligned militants, hitting groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

Persons: Jan, Al, Nasser Nasser, Biden, Israel —, Al Tanf, ” Gen, Hossein Organizations: U.S, Al Asad, Al Asad Air Base, Hezbollah, Army, Air Force, Washington, Operations, Navy’s, U.S . Central Command, Associated, Islamic, U.S ., Pentagon, ”, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps Locations: Jordan, Iraq, United States, State, U.S, Al Asad Air, Iraq’s, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Azraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Gaza, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia, China, American, Islamic State, Mosul, Raqqa, Israel, Yemen

☆ SOCOM is after new tech to help special operations forces spot, track, and take out urban threats without being seen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US special operations forces on the island join their Taiwanese comrades in major urban centers, getting ready for intense urban combat. Looking toward potential future fights like this, US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is after new tech that would help its special operators survive and thrive in urban warfare. Modern Urban WarfareThe ongoing conflict in Ukraine has shown that urban warfare remains as deadly as ever. Advertisement"When I hear the words 'urban warfare' I think of buildings, close ranges, challenges in fires support, CAS [close air support], or MEDAVACs [medical evacuations]. During the industrial counterterrorism campaign against al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Iraqi insurgency, US special operations forces got a good taste of urban warfare and its complexities.

Persons: —, SOCOM, Justin Moeller, isn't Organizations: Service, Business, Operations Command, 5th Special Forces Group, US, Staff, Urban, Wagner Group, Delta Force, Green Berets, Islamic Locations: China, Taiwan, Pacific, Beijing, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Afghanistan, Qaeda, Iraq, Islamic State, Syria, Mosul

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis U.S. Blames Iran-Backed Militia for Deaths of 3 Soldiers in Jordan
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

The attack happened at a remote logistics outpost in northeast Jordan called Tower 22 where the borders of Syria, Iraq and Jordan converge. The Pentagon declined to identify the service members who died or their units pending notification of family members. Central Command said it expected the number of injured to “fluctuate” as additional service members sought treatment. It was the latest in at least 164 strikes by Iran-backed militias against U.S. troops in Syria, Iraq and Jordan since the Oct. 7 attacks. It turned out to be a dud, but several service members would most likely have been injured or killed had it exploded, a senior military official said.

Persons: Biden, —, Mr, “, ”, Lloyd J, Austin III, ” Mr, Austin, Yemen —, Gen, Charles Q, Brown Jr, General Brown, Al, Charles Lister, Jordan, Al Tanf, Syria’s, Roger Wicker of Organizations: U.S, Hamas, ”, Pentagon, Command, Central Command, Resistance, Hezbollah, Joint Chiefs of Staff, ABC, Navy, Sunday, Army, Air Force, United, Operations, Middle East Institute, American, Troops, The Defense Department, Al Asad, Al Asad Air Base, Congressional Republicans, Republican, Armed Services Committee Locations: Jordan, Iran, Syria, Iraq, U.S, Israel, Columbia, United States, Lebanese, Yemen, Aden, Gaza, Erbil, Red, Al Tanf, Islamic State, Azraq, Washington, Jordanian, Baghdad, Damascus, Tehran, Lebanon, Al, Al Asad Air, Roger Wicker of Mississippi

☆ Drone Strike Kills 3 U.S. Soldiers in Jordan, White House Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The attack happened at a small outpost in northeast Jordan called Tower 22 near the Syria border where the troops were based. Other details were not immediately available from the Pentagon’s Central Command, which issued an initial bare-bones statement on Sunday. In 2016, the American military turned Al Tanf into a small base. The Rukban refugee camp, with some 8,000 residents, is near both Al Tanf and Tower 22. Troops at Al Tanf have come under fire before from Iran-backed militias.

Persons: Biden, —, Mr, Al, Al Tanf, Syria’s, Alissa J, Rubin Organizations: U.S, Pentagon’s, Command, Resistance, Hezbollah, United, Operations, Pentagon, Navy, Sunday, American, Troops, The Defense Department, Al Asad, Al Asad Air Base Locations: Jordan, Iran, Gaza, Syria, Israel, Iraq, ”, Iranian, Lebanese, Yemen, Aden, United States, Azraq, Al Tanf, Islamic State, Red, U.S, Baghdad, Damascus, Tehran, Lebanon, Al, Al Asad Air

☆ US special operations forces are searching for a new extreme long-range rifle for their next big fight as Ukraine shows the damage that snipers can do
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A New Sniper RifleIn December, US Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, released a solicitation for offers for a new sniper rifle. SOCOM also wants its new sniper rifle to be significantly lighter than the ones it will be replacing. The MK-22 Precision Sniper Rifle sights view a target on the range at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Oct. 22, 2023. As for its durability, SOCOM wants the new sniper rifle to have a barrel life of between 1,200 and 1,500 rounds. A view from the viewfinder of a Ukrainian sniper rifle at a shooting range amid Russia and Ukraine war in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on August 09, 2023.

Persons: —, Barret, MK15, SOCOM, Michael Schwenk, Norma Mangum, Ignacio Marin, wasn't, Vyacheslav Kovalskiy Organizations: Service, Army Rangers, Navy, Marine Raiders, Green Berets, Operations Command, Base McGuire, Dix, U.S . Army National Guard, Spc, Command, Department of Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Army Green Beret, National Guard, Special Forces, British, South, Democratic Locations: Ukraine, Lakehurst , New Jersey, Ukrainian, Russia, Donetsk Oblast, Canadian, Iraq, Afghanistan, South African, Democratic Republic of Congo, China

The U.S. military said the mishap occurred during a routine training mission off the shores of Yakushima Island, about 1,040 km (650 miles) southwest of the capital Tokyo. Another Osprey thought to have been travelling with the crashed aircraft landed safely at the island's airport on Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the local government said. Japan, which also operates Osprey aircraft, said on Wednesday it had asked the U.S. military to investigate the crash. The deployment of the hybrid aircraft in Japan has been controversial, with critics saying it is prone to accidents. In August, a U.S. Osprey crashed off the coast of northern Australia while transporting troops during a routine military exercise, killing three U.S. Marines.

Persons: Kiyoshi Takenaka, Tim Kelly, Kantaro, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, John Geddie, David Dolan, Gerry Doyle, Nick Macfie, Deepa Babington Organizations: Japan Coast Guard, Yakushima Fisheries Cooperative, . Air Force Special, Command, United, ., Boeing, Bell Helicopter, U.S . Air Force, Marines, Navy, Japan Self - Defense Forces, Osprey, U.S, Thomson Locations: Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, TOKYO, U.S, Yakushima, Tokyo, Japan's, United States, Taiwan, Okinawa, Australia

☆ Ukraine's push into Russian-occupied territory was bold — but a breakthrough is far from guaranteed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian servicemen board a boat on the shore of the Dnipro river at the front line near Kherson, Ukraine, on Oct. 15, 2023. Following the confirmation that Ukrainian forces had crossed the Dnieper river into Russian-occupied territory in recent weeks, hopes have risen that this could be a small but key breakthrough in the six-month counteroffensive against Russia. The Dnieper has effectively operated as a front line in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, separating Ukrainian troops on the west bank from Russian forces on the east, or left, bank. Russian forces had retreated to the east bank last year following an earlier counteroffensive by Ukraine that left the Kherson region — strategically important given its location above Russian-annexed Crimea — partially occupied. "The left-bank [of the Dnieper river] in Kherson is very important because it's near to Crimea," Oleksandr Musiyenko, a Ukrainian military expert and head of the Centre for Military and Legal Studies in Kyiv, told CNBC.

Persons: Oleksandr Musiyenko, Musiyenko Organizations: Crimea —, Centre for Military, Legal Studies, CNBC Locations: Dnipro, Kherson, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Ukrainian, Crimea, Kyiv

☆ Russian forces are crashing headlong into another city using some of the same catastrophic tactics that bloodied its army in Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia has faced a slaughter fighting for the eastern city of Avdiivka. Ukrainian forces say they've destroyed heaps of armor, equipment, and personnel. War experts say the slaughter around Avdiivka bears similar hallmarks to the months-long battle for Bakhmut, where Moscow's catastrophic tactics badly bloodied its army, even though it eventually captured the city. There, it added, Russian forces are suffering "particularly heavy casualties." George Barros, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, said Avdiivka presents a similar situation for Ukraine as Bakhmut did.

Persons: —, Mark Cancian, They've, Cancian, George Barros, Avdiivka, Barros, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, they've, It's, Bakhmut, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, US Marine Corps, Center, Strategic International Studies, Business, Institute for, Kyiv, Special Operations Forces, Ukraine, Russia, White, Avdiivka, Mechanized Brigade, Connect Locations: Russia, Avdiivka, Moscow, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Izium, Donetsk, —, Ukrainian, Donetsk region, Russian

Many countries are working on them — and neither China, Russia, Iran, India or Pakistan have signed a U.S.-initiated pledge to use military AI responsibly. Another AI project at Space Force analyzes radar data to detect imminent adversary missile launches, he said. One urgent challenge, says Jane Pinelis, chief AI engineer at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab and former chief of AI assurance in Martell’s office, is recruiting and retaining the talent needed to test AI tech. Testing and evaluation standards are also immature, a recent National Academy of Sciences report on Air Force AI highlighted. Might that mean the U.S. one day fielding under duress autonomous weapons that don’t fully pass muster?

Persons: —, Replicator —, Kathleen Hicks, ”, Gregory Allen, we’ve, Missy Cummings, George Mason, Lisa Costa, Wallace ‘ Rhet ’ Turnbull, Tom Siebel, Matt Visser, Palantir, Jack Shanahan, Maven, Mark Milley, Christian Brose, Paul Scharre, ” Anduril, Nathan Michael, Michael, Shanahan, Craig Martell, Martell, Jane Pinelis, “ Organizations: U.S ., Russia, Air Force, China, Pentagon, Department of Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Navy, ” U.S . Space Force, Space Force, Space Systems Command, Blackhawk, ., U.S . Missile Defense Agency, Defense Counterintelligence, Security Agency, Third Infantry Division, NATO, Maven, National Geospatial - Intelligence Agency, U.S . Special Operations, ISIS, Command, Control, Chiefs, Armed Services Committee, U.S, Marines, Special Forces, Industry, BAT, Marine Expeditionary, Pentagon AI, LinkedIn, Johns Hopkins, Lab, National Academy of Sciences Locations: Md, Ukraine, U.S, China, Russia, Iran, India, Pakistan, ” U.S, Silicon Valley

☆ With job cuts and drug tests, the Pentagon hopes to prepare its special-ops forces for a new era of warfare
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US Navy/MCS 1st Class Anthony W. WalkerNaval Special Warfare Command announced in September that it would start testing its personnel, including Navy SEALs and Naval Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen, for performance-enhancing drugs. The initiative comes after several drug-related incidents in the Naval Special Warfare community and is designed to protect the force's health and readiness. Special Forces Assessment and Selection candidates carry a telephone pole during a ruck march at Camp Mackall in North Carolina in March 2020. The Navy Special Warfare Community has swelled to about 4,000 SEALS — 10 times as many as at the height of the Cold War. A US Special Forces soldier free falls over a drop zone in Germany in March 2015.

Persons: —, Anthony W, Keith Davids, Jason Johnston, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Pentagon, Service, US Navy, Walker, Warfare Command, Navy, Warfare, Craft, Navy SEAL, Special Forces, US Army, Special, Command, Army, 75th Ranger, Operations Command, US Special Forces, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins School, International Studies, Boston College Law School Locations: Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Beijing, Asia, Pacific, Russia, China, Coronado , California, Mackall, North Carolina, Germany

☆ Pentagon identifies Army soldiers killed in helicopter crash in eastern Mediterranean Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen Dwyer, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane Barnes, Staff Sgt. Cade Wolfe were truly SOF professionals and are among the nation’s finest soldiers,” Col. Roger P. Waleski Jr., commander of the 160th SOAR (Abn. In 2020, he “fully dedicated himself to the organization” by resigning his commission and becoming a warrant officer, the Army release says. His awards and decorations include the Air Medal with Combat device, Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal with combat device. He volunteered for an assignment with the 160th SOAR and completed the regiment’s “extensive training and assessment program” this year.

Persons: Stephen R, Dwyer, Shane M, Barnes, Tanner W, Andrew P, Cade M, Wolfe, Stephen Dwyer, Shane Barnes, Tanner Grone, Andrew Southard, Cade Wolfe, ” Col, Roger P, Waleski Jr, “, ”, Jonathan Braga, ” Braga, Barnes ’, Grone, Southard, Lloyd Austin, ” Austin Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Apache, Abn, US Army Special Operations Command, Operations, US European Command, Army Special Operations Command, United States Military Academy, Army, Star, UH, Gonzaga University, Staff, 160th, Hawk, Combat Aviation Brigade, Overseas Service Ribbon, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Battalion, Overseas Service, Defense, America Locations: Clarksville , Tennessee, Sacramento , California, Gorham , New Hampshire, Arizona, Mankato , Minnesota, Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Hawaii, 160th SOAR

☆ 'Routine' helicopter mission in the Mediterranean leaves 5 US service members dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Hannah Getahun | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US Military said five service members died during a training mission in the Mediterranean. So far, dozens of service members have died this year during training missions. AdvertisementAdvertisementFive US service people were killed when a military helicopter crashed over the eastern Mediterranean Sea during a training mission, US officials said Sunday. The New York Times reported the crash involved an MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and involved US Army Special Operations forces. Before that, in February, March, and April, three other separate crashes killed a total of 14 service members during helicopter training.

Persons: —, Lloyd Austin, Gerald R, Dwight D Organizations: Military, Service, Command, New York Times, Hawk, Special Operations, of Defense, Air Force, Ford, US Military, Eisenhower, Boeing Locations: Israel, Cyprus, Gaza, Australia, Syria

☆ Senior Ukrainian officer coordinated Nord Stream attack: Washington Post
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pipes for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, which are not used, are seen in the harbour of Mukran, Germany, on September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Nov 12 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian military officer coordinated last year's attack on the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing anonymous sources in Ukraine and Europe. Washington and NATO called it an act of sabotage, while Moscow said it was an act of international terrorism. Roman Chervinsky, a former intelligence official who served in the Ukrainian military's special forces, managed a six-person team but did not plan the attack, the Post reported. Germany, Denmark and Sweden have launched investigations into the Nord Stream explosions, which sent plumes of methane into the atmosphere in a leak that lasted several days.

Persons: Pipes, Fabian Bimmer, Roman, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Chervinsky, Viktor Hanushchak, Germany's Der, Dan Peleschuk, Tom Balmforth, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Washington Post, Reuters, Germany's Der Spiegel, Thomson Locations: Baltic, Mukran, Germany, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Europe, Bornholm, Washington, NATO, Moscow, Denmark, Sweden, Russian

☆ 5 U.S. Special Operations Forces Killed in Helicopter Crash in Mediterranean
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Eric Schmitt | More About Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Five U.S. Army Special Operations forces have died in a helicopter crash in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, American officials said on Sunday. The troops were crew members of an MH-60 helicopter that was on a refueling training mission early Saturday when the aircraft crashed off the coast of Cyprus, three U.S. officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational details. The crash is under investigation, they said. The Pentagon has quietly dispatched to Cyprus commando teams from the Joint Special Operations Command, including the Army’s Delta Force and the Navy’s SEAL Team 6, to stand by in case they are needed to help evacuate American citizens from the region. The commandos are also trained in hostage rescue operations.

Persons: Biden, Israel Organizations: U.S, Army Special Operations, Pentagon, Operations Command, Army’s Delta Force, Navy’s Locations: Cyprus, Israel, Gaza

☆ Ukraine special forces colonel played a key role in sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines, a report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Nord Stream gas pipelines were damaged in an act of sabotage last year. AdvertisementAdvertisementA senior Ukrainian military official played a key role in sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines last year, according to an investigation by two international newspapers. AdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, The Post reported that Zelenskyy would not have known about the Nord Stream operation and that those involved reported to Zaluzhny. Chervinsky denied his role in the attacks in a statement to the papers through his lawyer: "All speculations about my involvement in the attack on Nord Stream are being spread by Russian propaganda without any basis." AdvertisementAdvertisementThe blasts in September last year damaged three of the four pipelines that make up Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2.

Persons: Zelenskyy, —, Der Spiegel, Valery Zaluzhny, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Jack Teixeira, Chervinsky Organizations: Service, Washington Post, Post, Pentagon, Nord, Kyiv, European Union Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Germany, Ukraine, Western, Nord, Kyiv, Russian

☆ US commandos showed off their little-known underwater skills in Army Special Operations Commands' best combat diver competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In September, US commandos showed off their skills during the US Army Special Operations Command Best Combat Diver Competition — and Army Special Forces divers flexed their little-known underwater muscles to triumph over their Navy brethren. AdvertisementAdvertisementCompetitors in the Army Special Operations Command Best Dive Team Competition at Naval Air Station Key West on September 25. AdvertisementAdvertisementCompetitors begin a dive event during the Army Special Operations Command Best Combat Diver Competition in Key West in September. AdvertisementAdvertisementCombat diving revivalThe 5th Special Forces Group team takes title of best combat dive team during the Army Special Operations Command Best Combat Diver Competition in late September. Competitors in a pool event during the Army Special Operations Command Best Combat Diver Competition in late September.

Persons: —, US Army John F, Maj, Brandon Schwartz, Emely Opio, Wright, Lino Miani, aren't Organizations: Special Operations Command, Commandos, US Army, Navy, Service, US Army Special, Army Special Forces, Naval Air Station Key, Army, Army Special, Naval Air Station, West, Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Green Berets, Special Forces Group, Warfare Training Group, 5th Special Forces Group, Special Forces Underwater Operations, Green, Beret, Special Forces, Key West, 1st Special Forces Command, National Guard, Green Beret, Special Forces Command, Combat, Foundation, Pacific, Command, National Guard Green Locations: Russia, China, Key, Iraq, Afghanistan

☆ Ukraine is expanding its bridgehead along the Dnipro River and have taken across armored vehicles for the first time, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine is expanding its bridgehead along the left bank of the Dnipro river. AdvertisementAdvertisementUkraine is expanding its bridgehead along the left bank of the Dnipro river, putting Russian defense forces under pressure. Earlier this week, it was reported that Ukrainian armored vehicles had crossed the river for the first time. The bridgeheads are not believed to be connected, but Ukrainian forces are expanding them, British newspaper The Telegraph reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementUkraine's forces are attempting to push forwardElite Ukrainian naval forces raiding a Russian-occupied island in the Dnipro river.

Persons: —, Forbes, Krynky, Konstyantyn Mashovets Organizations: Ukrainian Marines, Service, Kyiv Post, British, The Telegraph, for, Russian, Elite Ukrainian, Command, Special Operations Forces of, Armed Forces of, Facebook Locations: Ukraine, Dnipro, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Krynky, Kherson, Russian, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Poyma, Oleshky, Kherson Oblast

☆ Ukraine appears to be gunning for a top Russian battlefield commander who has had an unusual run as a military leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine appears to be gunning for him as Kyiv's military makes pushes in his area of control. According to several prominent Russian military bloggers and independent Russian media reporting, the Ukrainian military fired long-range missiles last week at the Dnepr battlegroup's headquarters. Astra, the independent Russian publication, reported that Ukrainian missiles hit command posts belonging to the Dnepr group in Strilkove that same day. As the Russian military bloggers noted, the timing of the strikes fall in line with an uptick in Ukrainian assaults around the Dnipro. "Teplinsky's appointment is likely an indication of increased pressure on Russian forces defending the area," Britain's defense ministry said in late October.

Persons: Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, gunning, —, Moscow's, Rybar, ROMAN PILIPEY, Teplinsky —, Russia's ultranationalists, Vladimir Putin, Teplinsky, Oleg Makarevich Organizations: Service, Moscow's VDV Airborne Forces, Dnepr, Ukraine, Storm, Russian, Neptune, Telegram, Astra, Getty, Wagner Group, Kremlin ., Institute for, Ukrainian, Command, Special Operations Forces of, Armed Forces of, Facebook, Dnipro, Kyiv Locations: Russian, Col, Ukraine, Kherson, that's, Azov, Dnipro, Ukrainian, AFP, Teplinsky, Russia, Kremlin . Russian, Washington, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kherson Oblast

Israeli airstrikes hit two refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing scores of people, health officials said. The strikes came as the U.S. keeps urging Israel to take a humanitarian pause from its relentless bombardment of Gaza and rising civilian deaths. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Ramallah in the West Bank for a previously unannounced meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Political Cartoons View All 1234 ImagesCurrently:— Gaza has lost telecom contact again, while Israel’s military announces it has surrounded Gaza City. — A U.N. official says the average Palestinian in Gaza is living on two pieces of bread a day.

Persons: Israel, Antony Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, Blinken, Mohammed Shia, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, evacuee Sara El, Masry, –, JORDAN, Jordan, King Abdullah II, ”, Michael Hertzog, ” Hertzog, OBAMA, Barack Obama, “, he’s, ” Obama, I’ve, Alp Toker, Juliette Touma, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ismail Haniyeh, IRNA, Khamenei, Haniyeh, JERUSALEM —, Jacob Lew, Biden, ” Lew, Isaac Herzog, Lew, Antony Blinken’s Organizations: West Bank, Iraqi, Hamas, Ministry, WHO, GAZA, SYDNEY AIRPORT SYDNEY, Nine, Sydney Airport, Australian, United Arab Emirates, Mideast, Central Command, FIRE, NATIONS, Inter, Agency, UNRWA, United Nations, Jordanian, Twitter, ISRAEL, CBS, JERUSALEM, Paltel, Associated Press, Hezbollah, U.S, Israel, Embassy, . Riot Locations: Gaza, Ramallah, Baghdad, Jordan, Israel, United States, Egypt, Qatar, Gaza City, —, U.S, Berlin, israel, Sydney, Rafah, DUBAI, United Arab, Suez, ., Ohio, America's, Iran, UN, Palestinian Territory, GAZA AMMAN, Jordanian, GAZA, Palestinian, IRAN, TEHRAN, Lebanon, GAZA JERUSALEM, Beit Hanoun, TURKEY, ISTANBUL –, Ankara, Turkish

The U.S. military is flying surveillance drones over the Gaza Strip, according to two Defense Department officials and an analysis by The New York Times. The officials said the drones were being used to aid in hostage recovery efforts, indicating that the U.S. is more involved than previously known. While Israel frequently conducts reconnaissance flights over Gaza, U.S. defense officials said it was believed to be the first time that U.S. drones have flown missions over Gaza. The unarmed surveillance flights are not supporting Israeli military operations on the ground, according to the Defense Department officials. But the surveillance flights suggest that the Pentagon is taking a more active role in a key I.D.F.

Persons: Amelia Smith, Smith loitered Organizations: U.S, Defense Department, The New York Times, U.S . Special Operations, Pentagon, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, American, The Times, U.S . Air Force’s Locations: Gaza, U.S, Israel, Gaza , U.S, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria

☆ Ukraine has taken 17,000 Russians off the battlefield without firing a shot, US Army special-ops general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia has taken hundreds of thousands of casualties since attacking Ukraine last year. Thanks to its information operations, Kyiv has helped take 17,000 Russians off the battlefield without even firing a shot, according to the head of US Army Special Operations Command. "Messaging has played a huge role just in the tactical and operational sense" in Ukraine, Braga said at the Association of the US Army's annual conference in October. During the Cold War, the KGB used information operations as part of a larger "active measures" campaign to subvert the West and undermine NATO. In the US special-operations community, the Army's Psychological Operations Groups and the Civil Affairs Brigade do most of the work when it comes to information operations and shaping the narrative.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Valya, Jonathan Braga, Braga, We've, You've, Arkady Budnitsky, " Braga, it's, Kyiv's Organizations: Service, Russian, US Army Special Operations Command, Navy, Getty, Association of, Anadolu Agency, Kremlin, NATO, Keyboard, US Army, Psychological, Groups, Civil Affairs Brigade, Army Special Forces Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Europe, Kyiv, St . Petersburg, Rostov, Mackall, North Carolina, China

☆ Russian troops celebrated conquering a waste heap, and threaten a pocket of Ukrainian troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian troops continue their offensive in Avdiivka, in Ukraine's east, and surround some Ukrainian troops on three sides. A video shows a Russian flag near Avdiivka planted in a waste pile, but any small gain comes at a high cost. Experts at the The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) confirmed the advancements on Wednesday in geolocated footage but noted: "Russian forces largely claimed that Russian forces controlled the Avdiivka waste heap, as did a Ukrainian military observer. Ukrainian Avdiivka City Military Administration Head Vitaly Barabash denied claims that Russian forces control the Avdiivka waste heap and stated that the waste heap is a contested 'gray area.'" Combat footage shared by Ukraine's military on Friday shows what it says is the destruction of Russian tanks and armor in the area.

Persons: —, Vitaly Barabash, Yuriy Butusov, Butusov, George Barros, it's Organizations: Service, Twitter, Donetsk that's, The Institute, Administration, AP, White House, Special Operations Forces Locations: Avdiivka, Ukraine's, Russian, Russia, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Ukraine, Moscow, Bakhmut

☆ US military advisers invoke lessons of Iraq in urging Israelis to avoid all-out ground assault in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Oren Liebermann Mj Lee Katie Bo Lillis | Natasha Bertrand | Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“I don’t think Israel has a strategy for what they do next” in terms of executing a full-blown ground invasion, one source familiar with concerns within the Biden administration said. President Joe Biden greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport, Oct. 18, 2023, in Tel Aviv. “We stand before the next stage, it is coming,” Netanyahu told the Israel Defence Forces’ Yahalom unit on Tuesday, according to a press release from Netanyahu’s office. “We will not stop until we complete it, with your help.”Military to military channelsIn 2014, Netanyahu set out to debilitate Hamas with the last ground invasion into Gaza. Despite numerous rounds of escalation and conflict with Gaza, Israel hasn’t attempted another incursion since.

Persons: Biden, James Glynn, Israel, Joe Biden, Bill Burns, Benjamin Netanyahu, Evan Vucci, Netanyahu, enflamed, ” Netanyahu, “, ”, Israel hasn’t, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Matthew Miller, “ We’ve, Defense Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, ” Gallant, Emmanuel Macron, ” Macron, Obama, Gilad Erdan Organizations: Washington CNN — American, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, ISIS, Marine Corps, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, CIA, NATO, Israeli, Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel Defence Forces ’, ”, Pentagon, Defense, International Coalition Locations: Iraq, Gaza, Israel, Fallujah, US, Mosul, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, United Kingdom, Tel Aviv, United States, Western, Palestinian

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has sent military advisers, including a Marine Corps general versed in urban warfare, to Israel to aid in its war planning and is speeding multiple sophisticated air defense systems to the Middle East days ahead of an anticipated ground assault into Gaza. Glynn will also be advising on how to mitigate civilian casualties in urban warfare, the official said. The advisers will not be engaged in the fighting, the unidentified U.S. official said. Last Thursday the destroyer USS Carney shot down four land-attack cruise missiles launched from Yemen that the Pentagon has said were potentially headed toward Israel. The official noted arranging for the release of the Raanans took longer to come together than many people realized.

Persons: James Glynn, Glynn, Israel “, John Kirby, Kirby, Carney, Israel —, Eisenhower, “ We’re, ” Ryder, “, ”, Biden, Natalie Raanan, —, Axios Organizations: WASHINGTON, Pentagon, Marine Corps, Marine, Islamic, U.S, National Security, Patriot, Defense, Eisenhower, U.S . Central Command, Navy, Ford, U.S . Locations: Israel, Gaza, Islamic State, Fallujah, Iraq, Iran, Syria, East, Yemen, of Oman, Qatar, U.S

☆ Combat video shows what Ukraine says are its special ops forces destroying enemy armor, capturing the cost of Russia's new assaults in the east
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The video captures Russian tank and vehicle losses near Avdiivka, Kyiv's special ops forces said. Avdiivka, in eastern Ukraine, is one area where Moscow recently launched a renewed assault. Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SSO) said it detected Russian armor heading toward Avdiivka, a small city in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region that's currently surrounded on three sides by Russian-occupied territory. It's one area where Moscow's forces recently launched a "renewed offensive," according to US officials. "These days, Russian losses are really impressive, and it is exactly the kind of losses of the occupier that Ukraine needs."

Persons: Avdiivka, —, John Kirby, Lyman, Vladimir Putin, Kirby, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Ukraine's Special Operations Forces, Twitter, OF UKRAINE, National Security, Institute for, MGM, Tactical Missile Systems, Ukraine Locations: Avdiivka, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukraine's, Ukraine's Donetsk, that's, Russian, Russia, Washington, Ukrainian, Kyiv

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