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☆ Opinion: Trump’s image is on the line
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. … Deals are my art form.”Having a lot of money distinguished him from other presidential candidates, Trump contended. ‘I don’t need anybody’s money,’ Trump said in his June 2015 presidential campaign announcement.”“Now Trump needs money, a lot of it. In July 2006, she met Trump at a celebrity golf tournament and says that the two had sex that weekend. “Whatever the Fifth Circuit and Supreme Court decide next, the question for President Joe Biden is what to do now,” wrote Lawrence Downes.

Persons: Charles Dickens, “ David Copperfield, Micawber, ” Micawber, “, Dickens, Donald Trump, Letitia James, Trump, he’ll, ”, Tony Schwartz, I’ve, Frida Ghitis, ’ Trump, … Dana Summers, Joe Biden’s, Julian Zelizer, Biden’s, ” Bill Bramhall, Stormy Daniels, Peacock, Ana Marie Cox, Daniels, she’s, Peter Navarro, He’s, Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, House Republicans —, Matt Gaetz ’, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Johnson, Clay Jones, Paul Sracic, Fareed Zakaria, Biden, Peter Bergen, Bashar al, Assad, ” Bergen, Vladimir Putin, Richard Aboulafia, ” David Horsey, Joann, Lynda Gorov, it’s, ” Kate Middleton’s, Princess, Wales, Sara Stewart, Kate, that’s, she’ll, Joe Biden, Lawrence Downes, “ Biden, Greg, Abbott, ’, ” Downes, Trump’s, Jared Kushner, Kushner, Donald Trump’s, Aseel Mousa, Drew Sheneman, Max Besbris, ” Besbris, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Thomas, Eleanor Roosevelt, ‘, ” Don’t, Grace Elizabeth Hale, Elizabeth Yuko, Avi Weiss, Jennifer Jones, Jill Filipovic, Christine Blasey Ford Derrick Johnson, Peter Rutland, Holly Thomas, Lily Allen, Mary Ziegler, Lanhee Chen, Steve Garvey, Adam Schiff, Patricia Grisafi, Caitlin Clark Walt Handelsman, Caitlin Clark, Amy Bass, Kamilla Cardoso, UCLA’s Kiki Rice, ’ ” Clark, Bass, Pete ’ Maravich, Court, Serena Williams, Clark, Maravich …, — Organizations: CNN, New, Trump, Agency, Twitter, Save, Maga Inc, Biden, Content Agency Trump, House Republicans, Rep, Ohio GOP, Russia ISIS, ISIS, Boeing, Airbus, Crafts, Boys, BBC Studios, Circuit, Texas Gov, Abbott, of Justice, Texans, Harvard, National Association of Realtors, United Nations, “, University of Iowa, ESPN, Iowa Hawkeyes, NCAA Division Locations: Save America, New York, Baton Rouge , Louisiana, Ohio, Russia, Moscow, Iraq, Syria, Syrian, “, Iran, Afghanistan, ”, Ukrainian, Windsor, ” Texas, Texas, Gaza, Southern, Rafah, Egypt, Israel, Gaza City, Al, Grace Elizabeth Hale : Mississippi, ‘, California

☆ Opinion: ISIS is making a comeback
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —If ISIS was indeed responsible for the attack Friday at a Moscow-area concert venue that killed at least 133 people, it would suggest that, unfortunately, the terror group is making something of a comeback. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack; a US official told CNN the US has no reason to doubt it. Through that attack, ISIS-K showed that the group, which is very anti-Shia, could target a hostile state like predominantly Shia Iran. In March alone, a Russian state news agency said the country had thwarted multiple ISIS-related incidents, including a plan to attack a synagogue in Moscow. As for capability, the ISIS-K attack in Iran earlier this year demonstrated that the group could carry out a large-scale attack outside of its home base in Afghanistan.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, Biden, Qasem Soleimani, Vladimir Putin, ”, Bashar al Assad, Assad, Putin Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, ISIS, US, Kabul Airport, Democratic, US National Security Council, Government Locations: New America, Moscow, Iraq, Syria, United Kingdom, Europe, Paris, Orlando , Florida, Africa, Asia, Afghanistan, Kabul, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Iran, Russian, Russia, ”, Ukraine, Syrian

☆ Middle East escalation fears spike as Houthis launch most damaging attack yet
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group's responsibility for the attack, calling it their most severe yet. The group claim to support Palestinian civilians amid Israel's retaliatory military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Simultaneously, fighting is raging between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip with no sign of abating despite diplomatic efforts by a number of countries. INTERNATIONAL WATERS RED SEA, YEMEN - NOVEMBER 20: This handout screen grab captured from a video shows Yemen's Houthi fighters' takeover of the Galaxy Leader Cargo in the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, on November 20, 2023 in the Red Sea, Yemen. EU foreign ministers called in a joint statement for an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a lasting cease-fire.

Persons: Mohammed Huwais, Yemen's, Yahya Saree, Saree, Charles Myers, CNBC's, Myers, Hungary —, Israel's, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, hasn't, Mohammed Abed Organizations: Hamas, Afp, Getty, U.S . Central Command, Global Advisors, SEA, Galaxy Leader Cargo, Handout, Security, Palestinian Locations: Israel, Sanaa, Gaza, Red, Belize, Gulf, Aden, Iranian, Yemen, U.S, Gulf Aden, Rafah, Gaza's, YEMEN, Red Sea, Lebanon, Iran, Beirut, Hungary

☆ Iraq Hosts Both U.S. and Iranian-Backed Forces. It’s Getting Tense.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, Iraq has managed to pull off an unlikely balancing act, allowing armed forces tied to both the United States and Iran, an American nemesis, to operate on its soil. When Washington, Tehran and Baghdad all wanted the same thing — the defeat of the Islamic State terrorist group — the relationships were fairly tenable, but in recent months, as the war in the Gaza Strip sends ripples across the region, American and Iranian-backed forces have clashed repeatedly in Iraq and Syria. A U.S. strike on one of those militias last week killed 16 Iraqis, and Iraq is saying it has had enough. “Our land and sovereign authority is not the right place for rival forces to send messages and show their strength.” the office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement on Sunday. For many years, both Iran and the United States had their proponents within the Iraqi government, and the Iranian-backed armed groups and the American troops lived in a tolerable if uneasy balance.

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Sudani Organizations: Islamic State Locations: Iraq, United States, Iran, American, Washington, Tehran, Baghdad, Gaza, Syria, U.S

☆ The US risks joining a long list of powers that tried and failed to stop the Houthis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. But while the US enjoys overwhelming military superiority over the Houthis, defeating this tribal movement would be a nightmare. Case in point: Egypt tried to suppress the Houthis in the 1960s. Today's Houthis are attacking ships in the Red Sea – and hurling ballistic missiles at Israel – ostensibly in response to Israel's military operations in Gaza. Indeed the rebellion eased Israel's lightning victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, a fact that the Houthis have chosen not to publicize.

Persons: —, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Jesse Ferris, Nasser's Gamble, Nasser, quagmire, Islam –, Yemen —, Ferris, Mohammed Hamoud, Israel –, Israel, Lawrence Organizations: Service, Business, Broadway, Israel Democracy Institute, Palestine, US, Royalists, British, Yemeni Locations: Yemen, Egypt, Vietnam, British, Zaidi, Islam, Arab, Soviet, Russia, America, Afghanistan, Gaza, Saudi, Britain, Israel, Iran

Washington CNN —A US military strike on Wednesday in Baghdad killed a Kataib Hezbollah commander who was responsible for attacks on American forces in the region, according to US Central Command. A US official said the strike was part of the response President Joe Biden authorized last week in response to the Jordan attack. As of Tuesday, there had been at least 168 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq, Syria and Jordan. In addition to the three soldiers killed in the Jordan attack, three other service members were medically evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. The Iraqi government said the US’ strikes killed at least 16 people, including civilians.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jordan, Biden, –, Sabrina Singh, ”, “, CNN’s MJ Lee, Kevin Liptak Organizations: Washington CNN, US Central Command, Central Command, Command, Local, CNN, White, Iraqi Popular Mobilization, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pentagon, Regional Medical Center, Iraq’s, US, United Locations: Baghdad, Iran, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Germany, ”, United States, Anbar Governorate

☆ ‘We hold the US responsible,’ says brother of Iraqi student killed in airstrikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Mohammed Tawfeeq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The brother of an Iraqi student killed as a result of US airstrikes on Iraq and Syria on Friday says the family holds the United States responsible for his death. “My brother was killed instantly,” Anmar told CNN on the phone from Al Qaim on Tuesday. Security forces inspect a damaged car at the site of a US airstrike in Al Qaim, Iraq, February 3, 2024. Shell casings lie at the site of a US airstrike in Al Qaim, Iraq, February 3, 2024. A destroyed building at the site of a US airstrike in Al Qaim, Iraq, February 3, 2024.

Persons: Abdulrahman Khaled, Al Qaim, Anmar Khaled, “, Abdulrahman, ” Anmar, Stringer, –, ”, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Joe Biden, ” CNN’s Natasha Bertrand, Betsy Klein Organizations: CNN, White House, Security, Reuters, Al, General Hospital, Preparatory High School, ISIS, Department of Defense, Popular, National Security Locations: Iraq, Syria, States, Al, Iranian, Abdulrahman, Anbar, Al Qaim, Jordan, United States, Iran

☆ Iraq Bans 8 Local Banks From US Dollar Transactions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Timour AzhariBAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has banned eight local commercial banks from engaging in U.S. dollar transactions, taking action to reduce fraud, money laundering and other illegal uses of U.S. currency days after a visit by a top U.S. Treasury official. The banks are banned from accessing the Iraqi central bank's daily dollar auction, a main source of hard currency in the import-dependent country that has become a focal point of a U.S. crackdown on currency smuggling to neighbouring Iran. A central bank document verified by an official at the bank listed the banned banks. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesThey are: Ahsur International Bank for Investment; Investment Bank of Iraq; Union Bank of Iraq; Kurdistan International Islamic Bank for Investment and Development; Al Huda Bank; Al Janoob Islamic Bank for Investment and Finance; Arabia Islamic Bank and Hammurabi Commercial Bank. Banks banned from dollar transactions are allowed to continue operating and are allowed to engage in transactions in other currencies, the central bank says.

Persons: Timour Azhari, Al Huda, Ashur, Hammurabi, ”, Banks, Brian Nelson, Mohammed Shia, Giles Elgood Organizations: Treasury, Ahsur, Bank for Investment, Investment Bank of Iraq, Union Bank of, Kurdistan International Islamic Bank for Investment, Development, Al, Al Huda Bank, Islamic Bank for Investment, Finance, Arabia Islamic Bank, Hammurabi Commercial Bank, Central Bank of, U.S . Treasury, Huda Bank, Reuters, Iraqi Locations: Timour, Timour Azhari BAGHDAD, Iraq, U.S, Iran, United States, Israel, Gaza, Union Bank of Iraq, Kurdistan, Central Bank of Iraq, Washington, Baghdad

☆ US Airstrikes in Iraq Killed 16 Including Civilians -Iraqi PM's Office
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO (Reuters) - Sixteen people were killed, among them civilians, and 25 injured in overnight U.S. airstrikes on pro-Iran targets in Iraq, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office said on Saturday. In a statement, it condemned the strikes as a "new aggression against Iraq's sovereignty" and denied that they were coordinated by the Baghdad government beforehand with Washington, calling such assertions "lies". The presence of the U.S.-led military coalition in the region "has become a reason for threatening security and stability in Iraq and a justification for involving Iraq in regional and international conflicts", the statement added. (Reporting by Timur Azhari, Enas Alashray, Adam Makary; editing by Mark Heinrich)War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 Images

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Timur Azhari, Enas Alashray, Adam Makary, Mark Heinrich Organizations: U.S Locations: CAIRO, Iran, Iraq, Baghdad, Washington, U.S, Israel, Gaza

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis Militia Blamed for Attack on U.S. Forces Says It Will Halt Military Activity
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

His comment raised fears in Iraq about a possibly retaliatory U.S. attack on its territory. The militia, Kata’ib Hezbollah, or Brigades of the Party of God, is the largest and most established of the Iran-linked groups operating in Iraq. (Kata’ib Hezbollah is separate from the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.) The other two Iraqi groups that are believed to have been involved in strikes U.S. targets — Harakat al Nujaba and Sayyid Shuhada — have not announced they will halt attacks. Kata’ib Hezbollah and other groups had ignored the Iraqi government’s request to stand down, but once the attack in Jordan on Sunday took American lives, Mr. Sudani demanded a complete halt from Kata’ib Hezbollah.

Persons: Biden, Israel, —, Nujaba, Sayyid Shuhada —, Kata’ib, Abu Hussein al, “, Pat Ryder, ”, Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Hisham al, Sudani’s, Nuri al, Qais, Hadi, Esmail Qaani, Falih Hassan, Farnaz, Eric Schmitt Organizations: Pentagon, Hezbollah, Party of, Iraqi Army, Kurdish Syrian Defense, Islamic, Kata’ib Hezbollah, Defense Department, U.S, Sunday, Revolutionary Guards, Maliki, Quds Force Locations: Iran, Iraq, U.S, Jordan, Syria, Gaza, The U.S, Islamic State, Lebanon, Yemen, Islamic Republic of Iran, United States, Iraqi, Baghdad, New York, Washington ,

CNN —In a surprise move, the most powerful Iran-backed militia in Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah, announced on Tuesday the suspension of its military operations against US forces in the region two days after a drone attack killed three US service members and wounded dozens of others. “We are announcing the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces (US troops) – in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government,” Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement. The US holds Iran broadly responsible for arming and supporting these groups and has specifically singled out Kataib Hezbollah as likely to have carried out the deadly attack on Sunday. Asked about the statement, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a briefing Tuesday, “We’ve seen those reports. The motive behind the group’s decision is unclear, but an adviser to the Iraqi prime minister said the prime minister’s efforts have paid off.

Persons: ” Kataib, Pat Ryder, “ We’ve, ” Ryder, Ryder, Kataib, ”, Islamic Republic –, Mohammed Shia, Hisham Al Organizations: CNN, US, Free Hezbollah Brigades, Iraqi Locations: Iran, Iraq, Gaza, Syria, Jordan, Islamic Republic, Iraqi

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has made it clear the U.S. will strike back after a deadly drone attack killed three service members and wounded more than 40 at a small base in Jordan over the weekend. On Tuesday, Biden bluntly said “yes” when asked if he'd decided how to respond to the attack. Target options range from inside Iran, including on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, to Iranian ships at sea and Tehran-backed militia groups and key militant leaders in Iraq and Syria. HIT MILITIA GROUPS AGAINThe most likely move would be to hit Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria again. Hawkish Congress members said Biden should directly target Tehran for the deadly attack on the base in Jordan.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, he'd, “ That’s, ”, John Kirby, ” Biden, Quds, Gen, Qassem, Asad, Avi Melamed, ” Melamed, Jordan, Pat Ryder, Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Sen, Lindsay Graham, Sara Jacobs, Bradley Bowman, Jim Risch, —, Farnoush Amiri, Mike Pesoli, Joshua Boak, Sagar Meghani, Kevin Freking, Abby Sewell Organizations: WASHINGTON, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Quds Force, National Security, Force, U.S, Embassy, Middle, HIT, Pentagon, CONGRESSIONAL, HOW, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Republican, Senate Foreign Relations, Associated Press Locations: U.S, Jordan, Iran, Gaza, Tehran, Iraq, Syria, IRAN, Baghdad, Iranian, Hill, Davos, Washington, Beirut

☆ Biden faces demands from Republicans in Congress to strike Iran after U.S. troop deaths
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Kevin Dietsch | Getty ImagesCongressional lawmakers are demanding President Joe Biden strike Iran after three U.S. troops were killed Sunday night in Jordan in a drone strike claimed by the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, an Iranian-backed militia group. Iran has not commented on the attack, while Jordan's government denied it took place on its soil. "I am calling on the Biden Administration to strike targets of significance inside Iran, not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces, but as deterrence against future aggression," Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said in a statement. Elmurod Usubaliev | Anadolu | Getty ImagesThe attack marks another regional escalation in a war that the Biden administration has tried to contain. Meanwhile, Lebanese Shia militia group Hezbollah and Israel are exchanging fire along the Israeli-Lebanese border, while Iran earlier this month struck targets in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan.

Persons: Lindsey Graham, Kevin Dietsch, Joe Biden, Republican Sen, Roger Wicker, Biden, Elmurod, Helima Croft Organizations: Sen, U.S, Capitol, Getty, Islamic, Hamas, Biden Administration, Republican, Senate Armed Services Committee, Anadolu, Lebanese Hezbollah, RBC Capital Markets Locations: Washington , DC, Iran, Jordan, Iraq, Iranian, U.S, Israel, Ankara, Turkiye, Yemeni, Gaza, Israel's, Yemen, Lebanese, Syria, Pakistan, Iraqi, United States

BEIRUT (AP) — The United States and Iraq held a first session of formal talks Saturday in Baghdad aimed at winding down the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq. Washington has had a continuous presence in Iraq since its 2003 invasion. Although all U.S. combat forces left in 2011, thousands of troops returned in 2014 to help the government of Iraq defeat IS. Those estimated 2,500 U.S. troops and the bases they serve on have drawn more than 150 missile and drone attacks fired by the militias. Iraqi officials have complained that the U.S. strikes are a violation of Iraq's sovereignty.

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Sudani, ”, Qassem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al Organizations: Islamic, Coalition, Iranian, Israel, Popular Mobilization Forces Locations: BEIRUT, United States, Iraq, Baghdad, U.S, Iraqi, America, Syria, Iran, Israel, Washington, Gaza

☆ Iraq and the U.S. begin formal talks to end coalition mission formed to fight the Islamic State group
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Army soldiers watch as fellow Coalition soldiers pass by near the entrance to the International Zone on May 30, 2021 in Baghdad, Iraq. The United States and Iraq held a first session of formal talks Saturday in Baghdad aimed at winding down the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that he had sponsored "the commencement of the first round of bilateral dialogue between Iraq and the United States of America to end the mission of the Coalition in Iraq." Although all U.S. combat forces left in 2011, thousands of troops returned in 2014 to help the government of Iraq defeat IS. Iraqi officials have complained that the U.S. strikes are a violation of Iraq's sovereignty.

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Qassem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al Organizations: Army, Coalition, Islamic, Iranian, Israel, Popular Mobilization Forces Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, United States, U.S, Iraqi, America, Syria, Iran, Israel, Washington, Gaza

☆ US and Iraqi governments expected to start talks on future of US military presence in the country
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The US and Iraq are expected to soon begin talks on the future of the US military presence in the country, according to sources familiar with the matter, amid public calls from the Iraqi government for the US to withdraw its troops. US military officials and diplomats will be involved in the discussions, officials said. The talks about the future of the US’ military presence have now taken on a greater urgency amid the wider regional instability, and amid growing public calls by the Iraqi government for the US to withdraw its troops from the country. Part of the discussions will focus on whether and when it will be feasible to end the US military presence in Iraq. “The Biden administration is not considering a withdrawal of forces from Syria,” a senior US official told CNN.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, ” Austin, ”, They’re, Mohammed Shia, Sudani, ” “, “, ” Jonathan Lord, Jon Alterman, it’s, Alterman, Elena Romanowski, Biden, CNN’s Haley Britzky Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, ISIS, Defense, ”, ISIS Coalition, Higher, Commission, Center for New American Security, Iraqi Security Forces, Middle, Center for Strategic, International Studies, “ Locations: Iraq, Iraqi, Iran, Syria, ”, Iranian, Baghdad, Israel

☆ Iran's ‘brazen’ strikes around the Middle East send a message to Israel and the U.S., analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Fayaz Aziz | ReutersIran's recent missile and drone strikes on targets in three countries — Syria, Iraq and Pakistan — may not have been directly related to Israel's war in the Gaza Strip but they still revealed an intent to send a clear message, analysts told CNBC. Iraqi and Pakistani ministers vocally criticized the attacks, calling them a "violation" and vowing consequences. watch nowPakistan responded a day later, striking targets inside Iran that Iranian authorities say killed several people. They were also the first time Iran had deployed its military directly at any time since the Israel-Hamas war began. "There is an element of signaling to the United States and Israel by carrying out these strikes because they do showcase Iran's continued ballistic missile capabilities," Bohl told CNBC.

Persons: Fayaz Aziz, Ben Taleblu, we've, Ian Bremmer, Yemen's, Ryan Bohl, Bohl, Safin Hamid Organizations: Reuters, CNBC, ISIS, Foundation for Defense, Democracies, Washington D.C, Israel, Gaza, Hamas, Eurasia Group, Economic, Middle East, RANE Network, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, AFP, Getty Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, Peshawar, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Gaza, Washington, Israeli, Iraq's Kurdistan, State, Iraqi, Davos, Lebanon, Hamas, Yemen, U.S, Red, United States, Kurdistan, Arbil

☆ Why the West can't stop the Houthi rebels' missile attacks on ships
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

They enjoy three advantages that magnify their ability to create havoc, and make it difficult for the West to stop them. Bab el Mandeb is just 70 miles long and 20 miles wide, within easy range of land-based anti-ship missiles, drones and even howitzers firing extended-range shells. The Houthis also have Iranian-made anti-ship ballistic missiles with a range of around 300 miles, as well as drones. Even a giant aircraft carrier is hard to spot in the vastness of the ocean, and an anti-ship missile's onboard radar can only scan a small area . The Houthis claim they are only attacking Israeli ships out of solidarity with Gaza, though many of the ships have nothing to do with Israel .

Persons: Bab el, Quds Organizations: Service, U.S, U.S ., International Institute for Strategic Studies, US Locations: Red, America, Yemen, Europe, U.S . East Coast, India, East Asia, Suez, Egypt, East Coast, Bab, Eritrea, Djibouti, Iran, Saudi, Gaza, Israel, Persian, Tehran isn't, Vietnam

☆ US Personnel Suffer Minor Injuries in Iraq Base Attack: U.S. Official
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. personnel suffered minor injuries and a member of Iraq's security forces was seriously wounded in an attack on Iraq's Ain al-Asad air base on Saturday, a U.S. official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said initial reports indicated that the base was hit by ballistic missiles but he left open the possibility it was struck by rockets. Two security sources in Iraq and one government source said the base was hit by multiple rockets fired from inside Iraq. A second U.S. official said the attack was carried out by militants from inside Iraq. Iraq is deeply concerned about becoming a battleground between the United States, Israel and Iran.

Persons: Asad, Mohammed Shia, Phil Stewart, Timour, Alistair Bell Organizations: U.S, Hamas, U.S ., Iraq's, Pentagon, Monday Locations: WASHINGTON, BAGHDAD, Ain, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Iran, United States, U.S, State, Baghdad, Erbil, Iraq's, Kurdistan, Iraqi, Washington

☆ US personnel injured in attack on Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, US official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —US personnel were injured in a ballistic missile attack on Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq on Saturday, two US officials said. The attack resulted in minor injuries, the officials said, though it was not immediately clear how many personnel had been injured. US Central Command confirmed the attack Saturday evening and said in a statement that “a number” of US personnel are being evaluated for traumatic brain injuries. Multiple ballistic missiles and rockets targeted the base and, while most were intercepted by the base’s air defenses, some made impact, the CENTCOM statement said. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iranian-backed militia group, claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack.

Persons: ”, Biden, “, Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden, CNN’s Kaanita Iyer, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Hamdi Alkhshali, Haley Britzky, Donald Judd Organizations: CNN, Asad Air Base, US Central Command, Hezbollah, US, ISIS, Reuters, UN, Pentagon Locations: Al, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Iranian, Gaza, Iraqi, Iraq’s, —, Davos, Switzerland, Aden

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Israel's president and the head of ChatGPT company OpenAI will make appearances at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, the third day of the annual gathering of elites at the Swiss resort of Davos that discusses everything from conflict to computers and climate. Israeli President Isaac Herzog could seek to return focus on the plight of Israeli hostages held by Hamas since its deadly Oct. 7 raid into Israel. Much of the world's attention has been on rising casualty counts in Gaza as Israeli forces lead a blistering military campaign aimed to quash the armed militants. “Artificial intelligence is now undoubtedly the most important potential contribution for global development," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters in Davos on Wednesday, a day when leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and President Javier Milei of Argentina also showed up. On Wednesday, Iran's foreign minister defended his country's strike on what he claimed was an Israeli intelligence operations site in the autonomous Kurdish region.

Persons: —, OpenAI, Isaac Herzog, António Guterres, Emmanuel Macron, Javier Milei, Sam Altman, Mohammed Shia, Kamala Harris, Doug Emhoff, Masha Macpherson Organizations: Hamas Locations: DAVOS, Switzerland, Swiss, Davos, Israel, Gaza, Argentina, Iraqi, Israeli, Kurdish

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Pakistan and Iran have both conducted strikes on each other’s territories in an unprecedented escalation of hostilities between the neighbors, at a time when tensions have risen sharply across the Middle East and beyond. Iran claimed it had “only targeted Iranian terrorists on the soil of Pakistan” and that no Pakistani nationals were targeted. In 2015, the group claimed responsibility for an attack that killed eight Iranian border guards, with militants reportedly crossing into Iran from Pakistan. Iran’s strikes on Tuesday sparked a diplomatic spat, with Pakistan recalling its ambassador from Iran and suspending all high-level visits from its neighbor. And after Pakistan’s strikes, Iran on Thursday demanded “an immediate explanation” from its neighbor, Tasmin reported.

Persons: Islam –, hideouts, Jaish al, ”, Karim Sadjadpour, Wesley Clark, “, Jaish, CNN What’s, Tasmin, Matt Miller, Washington, “ We’ve, –, Miller, ” Pakistan’s Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Adl, Justice, Iran’s, Carnegie Endowment, International, US Army, CNN, Hamas, US, National Counterterrorism Center, US State Department, US State, Pakistan – Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan CNN — Pakistan, Iran, Balochistan, Sistan, Baluchestan, restive Baloch, Gaza, Here’s, Pakistan’s Balochistan, Iran’s, Iran’s Sistan, Baluchestan province, Islam, ”, United States, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Yemen, Red, NATO, Afghanistan, Tehran, Pakistan’s, Iranian, India, ” China

☆ Iraqi Kurdish PM Cancels Meeting With Iran Minister in Protest Over Attack - Source
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani cancelled a meeting with Iran's foreign minister at the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland in protest over Iranian missile strikes on the Iraqi Kurdish city of Erbil, a source said on Wednesday. Iran late on Monday struck Erbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, with ballistic missiles in what it said was an attack on an Israeli spy headquarters, claims vehemently denied by Iraqi and Iraqi Kurdish officials. The attack killed at least four people, including a prominent Kurdish businessman and his infant child. The Iranian strikes have led to a rare diplomatic row with Iraq's government, with Baghdad filing a complaint against Iranian "aggression" at the United Nations Security Council and recalling its ambassador to Tehran. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, a Shi'ite, was brought to power with the backing of some pro-Iranian factions, but has been keen to show his government opposes any infringement on Iraq's sovereignty.

Persons: Masrour Barzani, Saddam Hussein, Mohammed Shia, Maha El, Timour Azhari, Andrew Heavens, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Iranian, Monday, United Nations Security Council, . Locations: BAGHDAD, Kurdish, Davos, Switzerland, Iraqi Kurdish, Erbil, Iran, Iraq's, Kurdistan, Iraqi, Baghdad, Tehran, Iraq, U.S, . Iraqi

The move comes as the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. In its waning days, the Trump administration designated the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization over the strong objections of human rights and humanitarian aid groups. Yemen, on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula bordering the Red Sea, is the poorest country in the Arab world. While supporters of broad sanctions argue it’s possible to shape any enforcement mechanisms so to exempt food and humanitarian aid, aid organizations worry that fears of running afoul of U.S. regulation could scare away shippers, banks and other players vital to Yemen’s commercial food supply. The Red Sea attacks have already caused significant disruptions to global trade.

Persons: —, Biden, Antony Blinken, Trump, Blinken, ”, Scott Paul, “, Yemen’s Houthi, Jake Sullivan, Linda Thomas Greenfield, Brent, Houthis, Sullivan, Joe Biden's, ” Sullivan, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Al Thani, Mohammed Shia, Masrour Barzani, Jon Gambrell, Edith M, Lederer, Ellen Knickmeyer Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, U.S, Nations, Oxfam America, White House, House, Economic, British, United Nations, Consulate, Islamic, Tuesday, ___ Associated Press Locations: Yemen, Red, Gaza, Israel, Yemenis, U.S, Davos, Switzerland, Iran, Malta, Tehran, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Qatar, Kurdish, House, Irbil, ___, Jerusalem, Washington

☆ The Israel-Hamas war has already forced U.S. military action. Is war with Hezbollah next?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesIs a wider Middle East war — expanding beyond the borders of Gaza and Israel — inevitable? An all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah — the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shia militant organization designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. and UK — would be devastating for both sides. Lebanon, meanwhile, is in the midst of economic and political crisis, its infrastructure wholly unprepared for a new war. Evelyn Hockstein | Afp | Getty ImagesFor Charles Freilich, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser, war between Israel and Hezbollah is practically a foregone conclusion. But, he warned, "The war in Gaza pales in comparison to what a war with Hezbollah would look like.

Persons: Wissam tawil, Antony Blinken, Evelyn Hockstein, Charles Freilich, Freilich, Nimrod Novik, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel —, Naim Qassem, Wissam Tawil, Mahmoud Zayyat Organizations: Iranian, Getty, Israeli Air Force, State Department, Jan, Hezbollah, U.S, Afp, Haaretz, Israel Policy Forum Locations: Lebanese, Khirbit, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Red, . Washington, Doha, Tel Aviv, Kherbet Selm

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