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☆ US fires on and kills hostile forces after attack in Iraq, US official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Haley Britzky | Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A US military aircraft fired on a vehicle and killed hostile forces following an attack on US and coalition forces at Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq on Monday evening, a US official told CNN on Tuesday. It’s unclear how many hostiles were killed and whether US personnel were injured in the attack on Al-Asad. As of Monday afternoon, there had been at least 64 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, including several on forces at Al-Asad. It’s unclear if an AC-130 has been used to respond to attacks in this way since October 17, though a US official said the US has returned fire on hostile forces multiple times. The US has also carried out three strikes in Syria in response to the continuous attacks on US troops.

Persons: Asad, Abu Kamal, Mayadin, Sabrina Singh Organizations: CNN, US, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pentagon Locations: Al, Asad Airbase, Iraq, Syria, Abu, Iranian, Maysalun, Deir Ezzor, Israel, Gaza

☆ US carries out airstrikes in eastern Syria targeting IRGC and Iranian-backed groups weapons storage facility
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Haley Britzky | Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Two US F-15 fighter jets conducted an airstrike on a weapons storage facility in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. “This precision self-defense strike is a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. On October 26, a US F-15 and two F-16s used precision-guided munitions to strike two facilities linked to Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria. More than 40 troops sustained minor injuries in attacks before the US’ strike on October 26, including at least 20 traumatic brain injuries. The US strike comes the same day that an unmanned US MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down off the coast of Yemen by Iran-backed Houthi forces.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, ”, Wednesday’s Organizations: CNN, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pentagon, U.S, Quds Force, ”, US, Command, Hamas, Patriot, Area Defense Locations: Syria, Iraq, IRGC, United States, Iranian, Iran, US, Shaddadi, Yemen, East, Israel

☆ White House warns Israel against reoccupying Gaza as Netanyahu signals what a post-war Strip could look like
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“The president still believes that a reoccupation of Gaza by Israeli forces is not good. In an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” last month, Biden said it would be a “big mistake” for Israel to occupy Gaza. Israeli government officials have not yet elaborated on how Gaza would be governed should they succeed in eliminating Hamas. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Tuesday that Israel will “retain complete freedom of action to respond to any situation in the Gaza Strip” once the war ends. That hasn’t changed since October 7 and it’s not going to change going forward,” Kirby said.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, “, It’s, ”, John Kirby, Antony, Blinken, Netanyahu, we’ve, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Michael Herzog, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Israel, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, ” Gallant, Kirby, We’re, hasn’t, it’s, ” Kirby, CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Hagi Cohen, Boland, Stephanie Halasz, Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Lillis, Oren Liebermann, Kareem El Damanhoury, Mitchell McCluskey Organizations: Washington CNN, Security, CNN, ABC News, CBS, Hamas, Israel’s Foreign Affairs, Defense Committee, Israel Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States

CNN witnessed the skies of Northern Gaza illuminated by flares and explosions as the bombardment intensified late Thursday night. Israel Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus claimed the strike was targeting a Hamas commander hiding in an underground bunker and that when the complex imploded it possibly collapsed nearby buildings. The Israel military says there are fuel supplies in Gaza being held by Hamas, which are not being distributed for humanitarian purposes, CNN has reported. Pentagon officials believe Israel has been striking legitimate Hamas targets, including some senior commanders. Blinken plans to raise the issue in his talks with Israeli officials Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Lloyd Austin, Antony Blinken –, –, “ didn’t, ”, Jonathan Conricus, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, Blinken, “ I’m, Base Andrews, “, Sen, Chris Murphy of, Austin, Yoav Gallant, CQ Brown, Herzi, Gabriel Boric, Boric, CNN’s Oren Liebermann Organizations: Washington CNN, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, White, Israeli, Sunday, West Bank, Hamas, Base, Pentagon, Joint Chiefs, Staff Locations: Israel, Gaza, Gaza City, Northern Gaza, Minnesota, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Chile

CNN —The US has intelligence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has agreed to provide the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah with a Russian-made missile defense system, according to two people familiar with the intelligence. The Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group, which operates in Syria, has been tasked with carrying out the delivery of the surface-to-air SA-22 missile system, the people said. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Wagner may provide the system to Hezbollah. A third source familiar with western intelligence said there was evidence of increasing collaboration between Hezbollah and Wagner in Syria. It is not clear how much influence Russia had over the decision to provide the system to Hezbollah.

Persons: Bashar al, Assad, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, –, Hassan Nasrallah, CNN’s Oren Liebermann Organizations: CNN, Wagner Group, Street, Russian, US, Kremlin, Israel Locations: Lebanese, Russian, Syria, Russia, Syrian, Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Moscow, –, Gaza

☆ Tuberville says he won’t relent on holds despite Israel’s war, claims he’s not hurting military readiness
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Sam Fossum | Manu Raju | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

… If you change the rules of the Senate then it lasts forever,” Tuberville told CNN’s Manu Raju. The bloc of nominees wouldn’t include some higher-level military promotions, which senators would still want to confirm one at a time. The proposal could go to the Senate Rules Committee as soon as this week, a source told CNN Thursday. Tuberville also said that he has had little or no interaction with the White House about the possibility of finding a solution. You know this is not a negotiating crowd over in the White House,” Tuberville said.

Persons: Republican Sen, Tommy Tuberville, ” Tuberville, CNN’s Manu Raju, “, Tuberville, Roe, Wade, I’ve, it’s, ”, Carlos Del Toro, Sen, Kyrsten, Jack Forrest, Lauren Fox, Morgan Rimmer, Natasha Bertrand, Haley Britzky Organizations: CNN, Republican, White, Department of Defense, Alabama Republican, Pentagon, US, US Central Command, Fleet, US Air Forces Central, Army and Air Force, House, Arizona Independent Locations: Israel, Gaza, Gulf of Oman –, Tuberville’s, Central, Arizona

Washington CNN —The US carried out airstrikes targeting two facilities linked to Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria on Thursday, according to a statement from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, following a series of drone and rocket attacks against US forces in the region. He directly accused Iran of having a role in the attacks on US forces, saying in the statement, “Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them.” Austin also promised further strikes if the attacks by Iran’s proxies continue. Earlier Thursday, the US announced it is deploying about 900 troops to the Middle East - with the potential for many more. The US strikes follow a growing number of attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria since October 17.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Austin, Joe Biden, ” Austin, Biden, ” Biden, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Brig, Pat Ryder Organizations: Washington CNN, Defense, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, US, Pentagon, Wednesday, ISIS, UN, Assembly, Iranian, ”, Defense Department Locations: Iranian, Syria, Gaza, Iran, Israel, Iraq

☆ Chinese fighter jet got within 10 feet of US bomber over South China Sea, US military says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of a US Air Force B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea on Tuesday, according to the US military. Beijing cut off the communications after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year, infuriating Chinese leaders. China uses its military might to assert its claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea and beyond, including Taiwan. In 2022, the Chinese military increased its aggressive actions towards the independent island territory, including ballistic missile overflights, military aircraft flying into Taiwan’s aerial identification zone and major exercises near Taiwan. Though Xi has said he is seeking the peaceful unification of Taiwan with China, he has not renounced the use of military force to achieve his goal.

Persons: “, Joe Biden, Wang Yi, Wang, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Xi Jinping, Ely Ratner, ” Ratner, Nancy Pelosi, “ I’ve, ”, Adm, John Aquilin, Xi Organizations: CNN, US Air Force, Pacific Command, ”, Foreign, APEC, US, East, South China, National Defense Strategy, America Locations: South, US, San Francisco, Beijing, Taiwan, China

☆ 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

☆ Intelligence shows Iranian-backed militias are ready to ramp up their attacks against US forces in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Katie Bo Lillis Zachary Cohen Jennifer Hansler | Natasha Bertrand | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The US has intelligence that Iranian-backed militia groups are planning to ramp up attacks against US forces in the Middle East, as Iran seeks to capitalize on the backlash in the region to US support for Israel, according to multiple US officials. The militia groups have already launched multiple drone attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria. But the US now has specific intelligence that those same groups could escalate even further as the war between Israel and Hamas continues. Officials said that at this point, Iran appears to be encouraging the groups rather than explicitly directing them. In the case of the recent drone attacks on bases housing US forces, “Iran is certainly more culpable than in the case of the Hamas attack in Israel,” said another person familiar with the intelligence.

Persons: John Kirby, ”, Kirby, “, Matthew Miller, they’re, ” “ It’s, Defense Lloyd Austin, Naledi, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, ” Abdollahian, ” Austin Organizations: CNN, Israel, Officials, National Security, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Quds Force, State, State Department, ISIS, Defense, Pentagon, US Navy, Iran’s Locations: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Tehran, Qatar, Iranian, Yemen, East

In private discussions with their Israeli counterparts, Western defense officials have not tried to dissuade Israel from moving into Gaza with ground forces, the sources said. While he said that “taking out the extremists is a necessary requirement” for Israel, “Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people. At least publicly, Israeli officials have articulated their plans only in broad strokes, saying that the goal is to eliminate Hamas and its infrastructure. In one word – to win.”In 2014, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set out to debilitate Hamas with the last ground invasion into Gaza. “I think the goal was to show clear support (and) to understand Israel’s strategy of what comes after an invasion if Israel is successful in decimating Hamas.

Persons: Israel, Joe Biden, “, Biden, Gilad Erdan, Staff Herzi Halevi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel hasn’t, ”, Jonathan Panikoff, didn’t Organizations: CNN, NATO, Israel, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces Chief, Staff, Haaretz, ”, US Locations: Israel, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon –, Iran, Tehran

CNN —A US Navy warship operating in the Middle East intercepted multiple projectiles near the coast of Yemen on Thursday, two US officials told CNN. One of the officials said the missiles were fired by Iranian-backed Houthi militants, who are engaged in an ongoing conflict in Yemen. Approximately 2-3 missiles were intercepted, according to the second official. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed that the USS Carney shot down three land attack missiles as well as several drones that were launched by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen. The USS Carney transited through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea on Wednesday.

Persons: Brig, Pat Ryder, Carney, ” Ryder, ” Organizations: CNN, US Navy, East, Pentagon, US Fleet Forces Locations: Yemen, Iranian, Iran, Israel, Suez

Among the evidence that’s been gathered is a blast analysis that suggests it was a ground explosion rather than an airstrike that hit the hospital, one of the sources said. That analysis is one datapoint that’s led intelligence officials to lean toward assessing that the attack on the hospital was a rocket launch gone wrong. Still, the blast analysis is just one of the things being examined by the intelligence community, which has surged intelligence collection assets to the region. US intelligence officials have not made a final assessment and are still gathering evidence, the officials said. Not long after landing in Israel on Wednesday, Biden weighed in on who was behind the strike on the hospital.

Persons: Israel “, Joe Biden’s, Adrienne Watson, ” Watson, that’s, Biden, ” Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Israel, Daniel Hagari, “ I’m, Jim Himes, Mick Mulroy, Mulroy, Mark Hertling, ” Hertling, it’s “, ” “, “, We’re, ’, Rishi Sunak, ” Sunak, It’s Organizations: CNN, National Security Council, Palestinian, NSC, Islamic, Wednesday, Israeli, Defense Department, ”, Israel Defense Forces, House Intelligence, Capitol, Defense, CIA, intel, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Israel, States, Jim Himes of Connecticut, Al, Ahli, Iran

Hours later, the president and his national security team were not confident enough to draw a final determination absolving Israel of responsibility. Had the early evidence examined by the president’s team pointed in the other direction, the White House would have been more inclined to reconsider the trip. But during a refueling stop in Germany on the way home from Israel, Biden told reporters on Air Force One that he had spoken by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Advisers had appeared determined to reorient expectations before Biden had even arrived in Israel, saying that showing the powerful visual of American solidarity with Israel was a major goal of the trip. One adviser put it simply: Biden sent a “strong message to Israel, which was the purpose of it.”

Persons: Joe Biden, Israel, absolving Israel, Antony Blinken, “, Biden, –, John Kirby, ”, Jordan –, Abdel Fattah el, Sisi, David Satterfield, Jordan, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, White House, Base Andrews, White, Air Force, ”, Islamic, National Security Council Locations: Gaza, Tel Aviv, Amman, Jordan, Israel, ”, Germany, Rafah

CNN —The US secretly provided Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, according to two US officials, providing Ukraine with a significant new capability that could allow its forces to hit new Russian targets that were previously out of reach. The confirmation came on Tuesday after images of the missiles’ submunitions inside Ukraine began circulating on social media. In August 2022, the Pentagon acknowledged that it had sent HARM anti-radiation missiles to Ukraine unannounced. Ukraine also has the UK-provided long-range Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of about 155 miles. ATACMS missiles are fired from HIMARS rocket launchers, the same type of vehicle that launches the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles that Ukraine already employs.

Persons: Russia’s, Joe Biden, Defense Lloyd Austin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden, Zelensky’s, Andriy Yermak, Zelensky, “, he’s, we’ve Organizations: CNN, US, Pentagon, Patriot, Defense, Ukrainian Armed Forces Locations: Ukraine, Luhansk, Ukrainian, Russia, Washington, DC

To underscore the pattern, the Pentagon released previously nonpublic photos and videos of Chinese fighter jets intercepting US aircraft flying in international airspace. The images, which date back to January 2022, show Chinese fighter jets getting dangerously close to US military jets in international airspace in an attempt to “intimidate” them, the Pentagon said in a statement about the incidents. Some of the Chinese fighter jets came within 20 feet of the US planes, the videos show. Office of the Secretary of Defense Public AffairsThe photos and videos also show the Chinese jets releasing objects and projectiles, including flares. But the Pentagon’s efforts this year to engage with Chinese military leadership have gone unanswered, and US officials have grown increasingly concerned about the lack of military-to-military dialogue between the countries.

Persons: ”, Ely Ratner, ” Ratner, Austin, Adm, John Aquilino, Defense Lloyd Austin, “, Wei Fenghe, Nancy Pelosi, “ I’ve, ” Aquilino Organizations: CNN, US, East, South China, Pacific Security Affairs, Pentagon, PLA, Defense Public Affairs, People’s, Army, Defense, National Defense, Military, Security, China Locations: South, “, People’s Republic of China, Beijing, Taiwan

CNN —A US Marine rapid response force is headed to the waters off the coast of Israel and the Pentagon is preparing American troops for a potential deployment to the country, escalating the US’ show of force in the region as it works to prevent the conflict between Israel and Hamas from widening any further. A defense official familiar with the planning said the rapid response force, consisting of 2,000 Marines and sailors, is being sent. That could be particularly valuable if Israel launches a ground invasion of Gaza, which could be complicated and bloody, experts have warned. Officials would not specify where exactly the Marine unit will now go, other than to say it is headed toward Israel. The Wall Street Journal was first to report about the potential deployment of troops to Israel.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, Biden, Capt, Angelica White, Sabrina Singh, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, Hezbollah, Defense, Israel, USS Ford, Air Force, Troops, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Marine Corps Locations: Israel, Iran, Lebanese, Gaza, Middle East, Kuwait, “, Red, Bataan, Gulf of Oman, of Oman, Hormuz

One update from September 28 warned, based on multiple streams of intelligence, that the terror group Hamas was poised to escalate rocket-attacks across the border. An October 5 wire from the CIA warned generally of the increasing possibility of violence by Hamas. Intelligence assessments are written by the intelligence community to inform policy makers and enable them to make decisions. For example, Israeli officials failed to recognize routine Hamas training exercises as a sign that the group was preparing an imminent attack. It’s also possible that the Hamas operation was more successful than the group anticipated, one former intelligence official and another source familiar with current intelligence said.

Persons: Biden, ”, Mostafa Alkharouf, Bill Burns, William Burns, Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, —, Defense Lloyd Austin, Valentin, Eli, Ghnassia, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, “ Israel, Joe Biden, Israel, Jake Sullivan, Susan Walsh, ” Sullivan, ” Tzachi, It’s, “ Organizations: Washington CNN, Palestinian, Hamas, CIA, CNN, West Bank, Getty, White House, Georgetown School of Foreign Service, Intelligence, intel, Defense, Biden, Kibbutz, Shin, New York Times, National Intelligence, White, The, Festival Locations: Israel, CNN Israel, Gaza, Anadolu, Eastern, Washington ,, Kibbutz Be'eeri, Jerusalem, Shin Bet, Israel’s, Washington, Israeli

Washington CNN —Concern is growing within the Pentagon over the potential need to stretch its increasingly scarce ammunition stockpiles to support Ukraine and Israel in two separate wars, according to multiple US defense officials. At the moment Ukraine and Israel require different weapons: Ukraine wants massive amounts of artillery ammunition while Israel has requested precision guided aerial munitions and Iron Dome interceptors. Israel has its own capable industrial base and produces many of its own advanced weapons, but a prolonged ground campaign could drain the country’s stockpiles, officials said. The request was immediately approved by former President Barack Obama, and the equipment was pulled from US reserve stockpiles in Israel. Defense officials are also anxious about the dysfunction in Congress and whether lawmakers will approve additional funding for US support to Israel and Ukraine.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, ”, Austin, “ We’re, CQ Brown, Benjamin Netanyahu, Barack Obama, Russia –, Netanyahu, Christine Wormuth, John Kirby, “, ” Kirby, we’ve, that’s, we’re Organizations: Washington CNN, Pentagon, Joint Staff, Transportation Command, Hamas, Defense, US, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Defense Department, Gaza, ”, Israel, National Security Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Brussels, Austin, Belgium, Russia

Washington CNN —The US and its allies are warning the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah against escalating the conflict in Israel as the US prepositions military assets to deter a potential widening of the war, multiple US officials and people briefed on the discussions tell CNN. The US won’t officially engage with what has been designated a terrorist group, so Berri is one natural conduit. But current and former senior officials don’t believe Hezbollah is eager to join the war, largely because the risks for the group would outweigh any potential rewards. Analysts say Hezbollah support for Hamas has been symbolic so farHezbollah has congratulated Hamas on Saturday’s massive attack. “There’s this possibility that if Israel gets stuck in Gaza … then, at that point, we could see Lebanese Hezbollah get tempted,” said Knights.

Persons: Nabih Berri . Berri, Berri, “, ”, don’t, Defense Lloyd Austin, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden, Jonathan Conricus, Mike Knights, Norm Roule, Frank McKenzie, ” McKenzie, Hassan, Nasrallah, They’re, Roule, –, McKenzie, Israel, Gaza …, Knights, ‘ we’re, ’ Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, US, Defense, White, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Washington Institute, CIA, Knights, ” Knights Locations: Israel, Lebanese, Nabih Berri ., France, Western, Gaza, Don’t, Lebanon, Iran

☆ Iran intelligence: Initial US intel suggests Tehran was surprised by the Hamas attack on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Zachary Cohen Katie Bo Lillis Natasha Bertrand Jeremy Herb | Zachary Cohen | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The United States has collected specific intelligence that suggests senior Iranian government officials were caught by surprise by Saturday’s bloody attack on Israel by Hamas, according to multiple sources familiar with the intelligence. The existence of the intelligence has cast doubt on the idea that Iran was directly involved in the planning, resourcing or approving of the operation, sources said. The sources stressed that the US intelligence community is not ready to reach a full conclusion about whether Tehran was directly involved in the run-up to the attack. They continue to look for evidence of Iranian involvement, which caught both Israel and the United States by surprise. “We’re looking to acquire further intelligence,” national security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

Persons: Mike McCaul, “, Tehran doesn’t, Jake Sullivan, ” Organizations: CNN, Capitol, Foreign, Texas Republican, Hamas, White Locations: United States, Israel, Iran, Tehran, Texas, Gaza

However, there’s no denying Iran’s history of aiding Hamas, officials say. “They’ve provided support for years to Hamas and Hezbollah.”In the immediate aftermath of the attack, senior US officials have maintained that it was too early to determine whether Iran had any direct role in planning and supporting Hamas’ attack. One congressional source said that given the sophistication of the attack, Iran would have had a role, since Hamas does not have the ability to buy weapons at this scale. Publicly, administration officials have expressed similar regarding the understanding of Iran's role so far. "Iran has, unfortunately, always used and focused its funds on supporting terrorism, on supporting groups like Hamas.

Persons: Oded, “ They’ve, ”, “, Antony Blinken, we've, Blinken, haven't, Katie Bo Lillis, Natasha Bertrand, Evan Perez Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Publicly, Press Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, Iran

CNN —The Biden administration has yet to find a smoking gun linking Iran directly to planning and executing the attack on Israel this weekend, US officials told CNN on Sunday. However, there’s no denying Iran’s history of aiding Hamas, officials said. “Of course Iran is in the picture,” one US official told CNN. “They’ve provided support for years to Hamas and Hezbollah.”In the immediate aftermath of the attack, senior US officials maintained that it was too early to determine whether Iran had any direct role in planning and supporting Hamas’ attack. One congressional source said that given the sophistication of the attack, Iran would have had a role, since Hamas does not have the ability to buy weapons at this scale.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, “ They’ve, ”, “, State Anthony Blinken, we’ve, Blinken, haven’t Organizations: CNN, Democratic, “, State, Press Locations: Iran, Israel, “ State

The capability of Hamas to coordinate terrorist attacks on Israeli towns without detection has raised concerns about technological blind spots for US intelligence officials, a senior US intelligence official told CNN. But there was no tactical-level intelligence that alerted US officials that an attack of this size would happen on this day. US intelligence officials are focused on understanding the secure communications and training used for the attacks and whether that knowledge is being shared with other groups elsewhere. Speaking publicly Saturday, Israeli officials acknowledged they were caught by surprise at Saturday’s air assault. “I assume the intelligence question will be talked about down the road and we’ll learn what happened there,” he told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

Persons: weren’t, Richard Hecht, “, ”, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Michael Herzog, “ We’ll Organizations: CNN, American, Israeli Defense Forces, “, Homeland Security, FBI Locations: Israel, Gaza

☆ US preparing to officially designate military takeover in Niger as a coup d'etat after months of delay, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Oren Liebermann Alex Marquardt | Natasha Bertrand | Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The US embassy can continue to operate and the US military will be able to legally keep forces in Niger if a coup designation is made, US officials said. But the Pentagon is still assessing how the change will impact the approximately 1,000 US forces stationed in the country, officials said. The administration could continue with life-saving and other kinds of assistance that are important for US security interests while simultaneously suspending other assistance to the government, including economic and security assistance. Nigerien military leaders overthrew the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, in July. Senior Pentagon officials believe that keeping a presence in Niger is vital to efforts to tackle terrorism in the region and believe that it’s feasible even amid the domestic political turmoil there.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, ”, Defense Lloyd Austin, haven’t, “, Sabrina Singh Organizations: CNN, US State Department, Pentagon, State Department, Nigerien, France, Congress, Defense, DOD, Congressional Research Service, Senior Pentagon Locations: Niger, ”, Africa’s Sahel, Niamey, Saharan Africa, Djibouti, United States

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