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☆ With mapping robots and blast gel, Israel wages war on Hamas tunnels
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari shows what the Israeli military says is a tunnel at a location given as Gaza, in this still image taken from video released November 13, 2023. In Beit Hanoun, where his forces were operating, some gunmen had stormed the Israeli military from tunnel shafts and had been killed, he said. The Israeli military said last week that 130 shafts had been destroyed so far, but gave no figure for demolished tunnels. It has dismissed assertions by Israel that it has a command centre under Gaza's biggest hospital, Al Shifa, which Israeli forces entered on Wednesday. But they know their own village, they know pretty well the tunnel system," the officer said.

Persons: Daniel Hagari, Al Shifa, Beit Hanoun, Timothy Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, REUTERS, Forces Base, Hamas, New, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Gaza Israel, Israel, Beit, Beit Hanoun, Hanoun, Hamas, Gaza's, New York City

CNN —Dozens of young Americans have posted videos on TikTok this week expressing sympathy with Osama bin Laden, the notorious terrorist who orchestrated the September 11 attacks, for a two-decade-old letter he wrote critiquing the United States, including its government and support of Israel. TikTok is hugely popular with young Americans, with a majority of Americans under 30 using the app at least once a week, according to a KFF survey. The attack was orchestrated by Bin Laden, the former leader of the al Qaeda terrorist group who was killed in a US special forces raid in 2011. “There’s no proof it was written by bin Laden and some of the things that he focuses on are inconsistent with his other writings,” he told CNN. New data from the Pew Research Center released Wednesday shows TikTok is rapidly becoming a place where more and more young Americans get their news.

Persons: Osama bin Laden, TikTok, Bin Laden, influencer, ”, al, Andrew Bates, “, ” Bates, ” Imran Ahmed, ” Ahmed, Peter Bergen, Bergen, bin Laden, Pew Organizations: CNN, Israel, Hamas, Center, CNN National Security, Guardian, Pew Research Center Locations: United States, Israel, New York City , Washington, Pennsylvania, America, New York, American, al Qaeda, Palestine, TikTok

☆ 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

☆ Russia's military is about to experience a 'renaissance of infantry combat,' milblogger says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

One Russian milblogger said there was about to be a "real renaissance of infantry combat." One milblogger claimed that Russia's military was about to experience a "real renaissance of infantry combat" as there were fewer infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, and armored personnel carriers near the front line. However, another milblogger responded that Russia's reliance on these assault tactics reflected the heavy losses of Russian equipment and poor coordination on the front lines. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn just a few weeks of fighting in the east of Ukraine, Russian forces lost as many vehicles as Ukraine did over months of brutal fighting in the south. Earlier this month Russian forces also began advancing on foot in the heavily-contested eastern city of Avdiivka following major vehicle losses, UK intelligence said.

Persons: milblogger, milbloggers, —, Valerii Zaluzhny Organizations: Service, for, Telegram, Economist Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Avdiivka, Donbas

☆ 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

☆ Israel's new Eitan APC spotted in combat against Hamas in Gaza. The IDF prematurely rushed the hi-tech armor into service.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Israel's new Eitan APC has performed its first combat missions in Gaza battling Hamas, IDF said. Featuring advanced technology from the Merkava tank series and Namer armored vehicles, the Eitan offers high mobility and firepower in various terrains. AdvertisementAdvertisementAn Eitan APC first went into action during the October 7 terrorist attacks on southern Israel by Hamas, according to Walla, an Israeli news outlet. AdvertisementAdvertisementAn Eitan commander, Lieutenant Yotam, told Walla: "The Eitan brings important capabilities such as flexibility, high level protection and lethality. Eitan APC: 'The best and most advanced'Israel's Eitan APC Zachi EvenorEitan means "strong" in Hebrew.

Persons: Israel's, Eitan, —, Walla, Yotam, Israel's Eitan, Evenor Eitan, Sayeret, Guy Paglin Organizations: Service, Israel, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Technology, Eitan APC, Nahal Infantry Brigade, Defense, Defense Ministry's, Vehicles, Israel Times Locations: Gaza, Israel, Walla, Israeli, Brig

☆ 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

☆ Fact Check: Video of Knesset members crying filmed after Hamas attack screening
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video of people crying in Israel’s parliament after viewing footage of Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack is being baselessly claimed online to be a reaction to military losses. However, the 24-second video, which shows people crying and consoling one another inside the Knesset, was taken following a private screening to lawmakers of raw footage from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, according to a Knesset spokesman. According to a report by The Times of Israel, footage was screened to more than 50 Knesset members on Nov. 1. It included uncensored call recordings, CCTV, bodycam footage, dashcams, social media content, and mobile phone videos by Hamas, Israeli victims, and first responders. The video shows Knesset members crying after watching uncensored footage of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: baselessly, ”, Read Organizations: Hamas, IDF, Israel Defence Forces, The Times, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, WhatsApp

☆ Opinion | The Republican Alternatives to Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Ms. Anderson mentions the former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley as a viable alternative to Mr. Trump. But in terms of good fiscal governance and foreign policy, I believe that Ms. Haley is even more misguided than Mr. Trump. It is strategically savvy of them not to level any direct harsh criticism at Mr. Trump. Perhaps the reason they have not yet done so convincingly is that they are not running “against” Mr. Trump. Several of them are likely running for vice president, and that would preclude discussing their differences.

Persons: Kristen Soltis Anderson, Anderson, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Trump, Haley, “, Eric Murchison Vienna, Ron DeSantis, William Sherman Huntington, ” Mr, Carolyn Bross Bloomingdale Organizations: Republicans, South, Republican, Trump, ” Locations: South Carolina, Mexico, Va, N.Y, N.J

☆ Israel Is In Real Danger For Three Reasons - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

After traveling around Israel and the West Bank, I now understand why so much has changed. It is crystal clear to me that Israel is in real danger — more danger than at any time since its War of Independence in 1948. Last Saturday night, a retired Israeli Army commander stopped by my hotel in Tel Aviv to share his perspective on the war. Consider this context: “According to Israel’s official Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2021, 9.449 million people live in Israel (including Israelis in West Bank settlements), the Times of Israel reported last year. Let me not mince words, because the hour is dark and Israel, as I said, is in real danger.

Persons: I’ve, —, Vladimir Putin, Biden, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Kiryat Shmona, Kibbutz, Liat Admati, “ Mahmoud, ”, he’d, “, Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu, Israel’s, Biden —, Ron Scherf Organizations: West Bank, Yemen —, West Bank —, U.S, Israeli Army, Iranian, Hamas, Sunday, The Times, ABC News, Central Bureau of Statistics, Palestinian, Statistics, West Bank Palestinian, West, Palestinian Authority, Brothers Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, America, U.S, Independence, Iraq, Yemen, Jerusalem, Hamas, Gaza, United States, Israeli, Kiryat, Lebanon, Kibbutz Be’eri, Be’eri, Mefalsim, “ Israel, West Bank, Netanyahu Israel

☆ Russia says a battalion made up of Ukrainian prisoners of war is about to be sent to fight against their own country
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian prisoners of war will soon be fighting against their own country, Russian state media says. The move could violate the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia says a battalion of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) will soon be sent to the front lines, state media said in a report on how they will fight against their own country. On November 7, Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti said Ukrainian POWs in the "Bogdan Khmelnitsky" battalion swore an oath of allegiance to Russia and would soon deploy into battle. STRINGER/AFP via Getty ImagesThe details surrounding the coming deployment of Ukrainian POWs are murky.

Persons: —, Bogdan Khmelnitsky, Kaskad, ISW, STRINGER Organizations: Geneva Convention, Service, Novosti, Donetsk People's Republic, Institute, Russian University of Special Forces, Getty, RIA Novosti Locations: Russia, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Geneva, Azov, Chechen, Gudermes, Chechnya, Ukraine

☆ Chechen leader Kadyrov says ex-Wagner fighters are training with his forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 6 (Reuters) - A large group of Russia's former Wagner mercenaries has started training with special forces from the southern Russian region of Chechnya, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Monday. Kadyrov said in a message on Telegram that a big group of ex-Wagner fighters was undergoing intensive training with his own Akhmat special forces. He published a video, accompanied by stirring music, showing soldiers in combat training, including some wearing Wagner insignia on their uniforms and masks over their faces. Kadyrov said the drills included shooting, field medicine and training for snipers, machine gunners, sappers and artillerymen. It was not clear how many Wagner men were taking part or whether any of them would stay on with the Chechen forces after the training was over.

Persons: Wagner, Ramzan Kadyrov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russian, Chechnya, Ukraine, Chechen, Russia

☆ When Israel needs to fight Hamas in its tunnels, it turns to an elite band of commandos called the Yahalom unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Clearing out the Hamas tunnels is one assignment for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) amid its ongoing ground invasion of Gaza, now a little more than a week old. To effectively carry out this task, the military has a elite band of commandos who are trained for underground warfare and other subterranean operations known as the Yahalom unit. The unit was created in 1995 and doubled in size after the 2014 Gaza War — known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge — to deal with the growing threat posed by Hamas' tunnels. On Friday, for example, the IDF said Yahalom soldiers working in tandem with other units destroyed Hamas tunnels during "special operations" inside the strip. "Hamas views warfare underground just as it would aboveground, utilizing defense, offense, and retreat," he remarked.

Persons: —, Nir Elias, Krav Maga, Israel, they're, Yaron Beit, Yahalom, John Spencer, Spencer Organizations: IDF, Service, Israel Defense Forces, Combat Engineering Corps, REUTERS, Yahalom Foundation, Military, Telegram, West, Institute, US Locations: Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv, Beit Hanoun

☆ A video shows the IDF's elite helicopter search and rescue unit evacuating some of Israel's 260 soldiers wounded battling Hamas in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The IDF released a video showing injured troops being evacuated from Gaza in helicopters. —Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 3, 2023The faces of the soldiers are blurred out in the video. They are highly trained ground soldiers who also have medical training. Israeli forces appear to have encircled the coastal enclave's main city, Insider's Jake Epstein reported. He said Israeli troops are "advancing in battles," destroying Hamas infrastructure, and killing militants, as well as eliminating tunnels belonging to the group.

Persons: —, Israel, Insider's Jake Epstein, Daniel Hagari Organizations: IDF, Service, Israel Defense Forces, Israeli Air Force Locations: Gaza, Israel, Gaza City

☆ Armed men spring Guinea's ex-junta leader Camara out of prison - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Saliou Samb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 4 (Reuters) - The former head of Guinea's 2008 military junta, Moussa Dadis Camara, was sprung from prison by heavily armed men in Conakry in the early hours of Saturday along with three other high-ranking officers, Justice Minister Charles Wright said. "It was around 0500 (0500 GMT) that heavily armed men burst into the Central House of Conakry. They managed to leave with four defendants in the trial of the events of Sept. 28 including Captain Moussa Dadis Camara," the minister said on the radio. Residents near Kaloum said shots were first heard around 4 a.m. local time after which security was tightened on the streets and the entrance to Kaloum was blocked. writing by Alessandra Prentice; editing by Jason Neely, Alexandra Hudson and Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Moussa Dadis Camara, Charles Wright, Camara, Mmah Camara, Mamady Doumbouya, Alessandra Prentice, Jason Neely, Alexandra Hudson, Giles Elgood Organizations: Local, Reuters, Central, Thomson Locations: Conakry, Guinean, Kaloum, Tombo, Guinea, West, Central Africa, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Gabon

☆ Migrants say 'Spain or death' as Senegalese navy tackles sea crossings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Ngouda Dione | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Senegalese Navy members are seen on board the patrol boat 'Walo', as they search for illegal migrants, in the Senegalese high seas, November 2, 2023. We will reach Spain, or we will die," one man shouted into the night as he climbed on board. The numbers had dropped as most migrants chose land routes through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea. The Walo has intercepted around 4,000 migrants and 30 boats since launching operations in August, another officer on the boat said. In August, a boat carrying over 100 migrants from Senegal was found adrift near Cape Verde.

Persons: Walo, We're, Diallo, Mbaye Ndaw, Alessandra Prentice, Edward McAllister, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Senegalese Navy, REUTERS, Senegalese, Migrants, Spain, WE, Spain's Civil Guard, Thomson Locations: Canary Islands, West Africa, Europe, Spanish, Senegal, Gambia, Senegalese, Cape Verde

☆ Armed men spring Guinea’s ex-junta leader Camara out of prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The former head of Guinea’s 2008 military junta, Moussa Dadis Camara, was sprung from prison by heavily armed men in Conakry in the early hours of Saturday along with three other high-ranking officers, Justice Minister Charles Wright said. ET) that heavily armed men burst into the Central House of Conakry. They managed to leave with four defendants in the trial of the events of Sept. 28 including Captain Moussa Dadis Camara,” the minister said on the radio. Residents near Kaloum said shots were first heard around 04:00 a.m. local time (12:00 a.m. Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Gabon are also run by military officers.

Persons: Moussa Dadis Camara, Charles Wright, Camara, ”, Mmah Camara, Mamady Doumbouya Organizations: CNN, Local, Reuters, Central Locations: Conakry, Guinean, Kaloum, Tombo, Guinea, West, Central Africa, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Gabon

☆ Flights halted at Hamburg airport due to family hostage situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Inke Kappeler | Aj Davis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —All fights to and from Hamburg Airport have been halted as of early Sunday morning local time, as German police attempt to “relieve” a hostage situation at the center of a “family drama,” according to an official spokesperson for Hamburg Police. A 35-year-old man smashed through security with his car at the airport Saturday and parked underneath an airplane, the spokesperson said. As of midnight Sunday, the driver was still in his car with his 4-year old daughter, the spokesperson added. A “substantial amount of special forces” are on the ground trying to resolve the hostage situation, the spokesperson said. The airport’s official website announced Saturday evening that it has grounded all flights due to a major police operation.

Persons: ” Organizations: CNN, Hamburg Airport, Hamburg Police, Stade police Locations: Hamburg

☆ Russia's armored trains are a valuable tool with some big vulnerabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Hope Seck | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Russia has used armored trains for military purposes for more than a century. Russia's use of armored trains for transport, mine-clearing, and resupply, however, has drawn particular scrutiny and criticism. Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesHowever, as details have emerged about these new armored transport trains used in Ukraine, observers have expressed bemusement. A video by the YouTube channel EngineerReact summarizes the primary problems with train warfare in the 21st century, calling Russia's armored trains "a terrible idea." "That was probably the best use of [military trains] in an offensive operation, in combat, in the recent wars," he said.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, luxuriously, trainspotter, Maksim Konstantinov, Richard Killblane, Scott Sturkol Killblane, Killblane, Taji, Jerome Bishop The, it's, there's Organizations: Service, Red Army, Russo, Museum of Russian Railways, Getty, YouTube, Ukraine's Territorial Defence Force, Army Special Forces, Army Transportation School, Army, US Army, Jerome Bishop The US Army, 757th Expeditionary Railway Center Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Japanese, Germany, Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Russian, St . Petersburg, McCoy, Wisconsin, Iraq, Mosul, Taji, Sadr

☆ Ukraine replaces special forces commander, removed officer wonders why
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that Colonel Serhiy Lupanchuk would now head the forces and described him as "an experienced officer, combat officer and the right man in command". The president said Lupanchuk's predecessor, Maj-Gen. Viktor Horenko, who led the forces from July 2022, "will continue to perform special tasks" within the Defence Ministry's Intelligence Directorate. The special forces are believed to be behind the most sophisticated operations Ukraine's military has conducted in areas under Russian control, in particular Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, eight years before Moscow's full land invasion. The special forces are also responsible for military information and psychological operations, as well as the organization of resistance in occupied territories. Zelenskiy this week praised Ukraine's military for diminishing Moscow's military strength in the Black Sea through increased air and sea drone attacks on Russian military targets.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Serhiy Lupanchuk, Viktor Horenko, Horenko, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, Zaluzhniy, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Rod Nickel Organizations: Defence Ministry's Intelligence, Pravda, Fleet, Economist, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Crimea, Sevastopol, Black

☆ Opinion | Could the Next Republican President Take Us to War With Mexico?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Greg Grandin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

war horses, like Senator Lindsey Graham, want to bomb Mexico. Ron DeSantis of Florida said he would send special forces into Mexico on “Day 1” of his presidency, targeting drug cartels and fentanyl labs. This move targeted Mexican cartels and Chinese companies, which are accused of providing the ingredients to the cartels to manufacture fentanyl. Of course, the United States is already fighting, and has been for half a century, a highly militarized drug war — in the Andes, Central America and, yes, Mexico — a war as ineffective as it has been cruel. Hitting fentanyl labs won’t do anything to slow the bootlegged versions of the drug into the United States but could further destabilize northern Mexico and the borderlands, worsening the migrant refugee crisis.

Persons: Donald Trump, Mark Esper, Mr, Trump, Mike Waltz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lindsey Graham, Ron DeSantis, Michael McCaul, It’s, Vance, MAGA Organizations: Gov, “, Chemical, Convention, Republican, Senate, Democratic Locations: Mexico, Florida, United States, Central America, West Virginia, Maine, House

☆ Israel's Netanyahu faces reckoning over Hamas disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( James Mackenzie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz (not pictured) in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv , Israel , 28 October 2023. ABIR SULTAN POOL/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu built his reputation as a security hawk on the back of his service in an elite special forces unit that carried out some of Israel's most daring hostage rescues. In his sixth term as prime minister, Netanyahu, 74, heads one of Israel's most extreme right-wing coalitions and has come under increasing pressure as the initial shock has given way to fury at the failures that allowed the attack to take place. "We have seen too many cycles in the past where pressure forced the government not to complete the mission and to leave Hamas in power," he said. "He is a man who is unfit to serve as prime minister," an editorialist in Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's biggest selling newspaper, wrote this week, adding that Netanyahu should have resigned or been removed immediately after the Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Benny Gantz, Netanyahu, Israel Hayom, I'm, Danny Danon, Netanyahu's, James Mackenzie, Howard Goller Organizations: Rights, Israel, United Nations, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, ABIR, Gaza, Israeli, United States, Yedioth

☆ Israel's Netanyahu Faces Reckoning Over Hamas Disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

By James MackenzieJERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu built his reputation as a security hawk on the back of his service in an elite special forces unit that carried out some of Israel's most daring hostage rescues. The scale of the killing, accounts of trauma and images of the violence that emerged from the southern Israeli communities around Gaza have shaken the country. In his sixth term as prime minister, Netanyahu, 74, heads one of Israel's most extreme right-wing coalitions and has come under increasing pressure as the initial shock has given way to fury at the failures that allowed the attack to take place. "We have seen too many cycles in the past where pressure forced the government not to complete the mission and to leave Hamas in power," he said. "He is a man who is unfit to serve as prime minister," an editorialist in Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's biggest selling newspaper, wrote this week, adding that Netanyahu should have resigned or been removed immediately after the Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: James Mackenzie JERUSALEM, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Benny Gantz, Israel Hayom, I'm, Danny Danon, Netanyahu's, James Mackenzie, Howard Goller Organizations: Israel, United Nations, West Bank Locations: Gaza, Israel, Israeli, United States, Yedioth

☆ 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

☆ Ukraine's counteroffensive has struggled, but Zelenskyy says the blow it dealt in the Black Sea is one for the history books
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Zelenskyy praised Ukraine's wins in the Black Sea, noting they'd "be in history textbooks." Ukraine's success in the battle for the Black Sea is what will be in history textbooks, though it's not discussed as often now." Ukraine's forces followed up that attack with a later strike on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters. AdvertisementAdvertisementSevastopol has been the longstanding headquarters of the Russian Black Sea fleet, a key part of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. Whether or not those victories in the Black Sea are sufficient to call the counteroffensive a success is debatable.

Persons: Zelenskyy, Ukraine's, hasn't, —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it's, David, Wojciech Grzedzinski, Gornyak, Shashank Joshi Organizations: Service, 80th Air Assault Brigade, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Ukraine, Black, REUTERS, Economist's, Fleet Locations: Zaporizhzhia, Crimea, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Syria, Donetsk Oblast, Sevastopol, Kerch, Ukrainian, Avdiivka

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