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Top NewsA rocket attack targeting U.S. personnel housed at a base in Iraq’s western desert injured several American troops late on Monday, according to U.S. defense officials. Initial reports were that at least five people were injured in Monday’s attack and that the wounded included both U.S. troops and contractors. Those Iraqi militants have typically attacked U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria and targeted Israel using longer-range rockets. The chief goal of Iran-backed groups in Iraq is to force the U.S. troops to leave the country entirely. There are about 2,500 American troops in Iraq, as well as 900 in Syria, where the Islamic State has once again become active.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Fuad Shukr, Israel, Haniyeh’s, Biden, Kamala D, Harris, Asad, — Organizations: Asad, Asad Air Base, U.S, Hamas, Mr, Iraqi, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, Revolutionary Guard, Al Asad, Al Asad Air Base, Pentagon, Islamic Locations: Ain, Asad Air, Iran, Gaza, U.S, Syria, Israel, Tehran, Beirut, Yemen, Iraq, Damascus, Al Asad Air, Islamic State, Jurf al, Baghdad

☆ Trump possible target of Pakistani national charged in murder-for-hire plot
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Federal prosecutors have charged Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national with alleged ties to Iran, in a murder for hire plot of a U.S. politician or government officials. A Pakistani national with ties to Iran was charged in a foiled plot to assassinate U.S. government officials on American soil, the Department of Justice said Tuesday. Merchant unwittingly coordinated with a confidential law enforcement source, who put him in touch with two more undercover agents purporting to be hitmen, the DOJ said. Law enforcement officials do not believe the alleged plot by Merchant is related to the assassination attempt against Trump at the rally in Pennsylvania, NBC reported. Trump's Secret Service protection was increased prior to that rally, after U.S. officials learned of an Iranian plot to kill Trump, NBC reported in mid-July.

Persons: Asif Merchant, Donald Trump, NBC News . Merchant, Trump, Merchant Organizations: U.S, Department of Justice, NBC News ., DOJ, Republican, Trump, NBC Locations: Iran, U.S, Texas, Pennsylvania, Iranian, Iraq

☆ Harris set to name running mate as global turmoil rocks an already surreal campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In the final hours of her search after a compressed vetting period, Harris narrowed in on two candidates — Pennsylvania Gov. Tim Walz, 60, sources told CNN, although Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly remained in the running as of Monday afternoon. But perception is often as important as reality in a presidential race. A critical choiceThe choice of a running mate is the first, most critical decision a party nominee makes. Still, Harris’ strong start appears to have restored the election to a neck-and-neck race, according to recent surveys.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump flailing, Harris, Joe Biden’s, Josh Shapiro, Tim Walz, Arizona Sen, Mark Kelly, Shapiro, Walz, Trump, Biden, Harris ’, White, Barack Obama, Republican John McCain, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jake Auchincloss, “, CNN’s Kasie Hunt, Harris Trump, Kamala, ”, it’s, Ohio Sen, JD Vance, Sarah Palin, —, don’t Organizations: CNN, Republican, Minnesota Gov, Democratic, Trump, Dow Jones, US, Federal Reserve, Biden, United States ., Israeli, Massachusetts Democrat, Ohio, Democratic National Convention, White Locations: Philadelphia, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Israel, United States, Iraq, Iran, Tehran, Gaza, Massachusetts, Chicago, Atlanta, Pennsylvania

☆ Crude oil futures fall for fourth day as recession fears outweigh rising Middle East tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Crude oil futures fell for the fourth session in a row Tuesday, as recession fears continue to overshadow the risk of a major escalation in the Middle East. U.S. crude oil closed at a six-month low on Monday, after equity markets sold off on fears that the U.S. economy might tip into a recession. The fear of a U.S. recession has hit oil markets as traders were already worried already about lackluster demand in China, the world's second-largest economy. Here are Tuesday's energy prices:Oil markets have sold off despite the growing risk of major escalation in the Middle East. The oil market has largely looked past geopolitical tensions in the Middle East as crude supplies have not faced any major disruption.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Daniel Yergin Organizations: Dow Jones Industrial, NBC, P Global Locations: East, U.S, China, Israel, Iran, Tehran, Iraq

Several U.S. personnel are believed to be injured following a suspected rocket attack on U.S. and coalition forces at Al Asad Airbase in Iraq, a defense official confirmed to NBC News. Additional details are not currently available as base staff are conducting a post-attack damage assessment, according to the official. An Israeli official told NBC News on Sunday that officials were bracing for a potential retaliatory attack from both Hamas and Iran. Three American troops were killed in January after an attack on coalition forces at a base in Jordan. Biden blamed "radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq" for the attack at the time, responding with retaliatory strikes.

Persons: Joe Biden, Ismail Haniyeh, Matt Miller, Biden, Kamala Harris, Harris Organizations: U.S, NBC News, White, NBC, Iran . State Department Locations: Al Asad Airbase, Iraq, Israel, Beirut, Tehran, Lebanon, Iran, Gaza, Jordan, Syria

This came after the Israeli military said it had struck a “terrorist cell operating a drone” in southern Lebanon after “numerous projectiles” were fired at northern Israel. Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel. The killing came a day after Shukr, a senior Hezbollah leader died in an Israel airstrike on Lebanon’s capital Beirut. Israel’s military said it struck a Hamas military compound embedded in the schools. It came after an Israeli airstrike hit a tent camp inside a hospital in central Gaza earlier in the day.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jordan, Jalaa Marey, Ismail Haniyeh, Fuad Shukr, Haniyeh, Masoud Pezeshkian, Israel “, ” Israel, Shukr, ”, Menahem Kahana, Burcu Ozcelik, Mahmoud Zayyat Organizations: NBC News, Rockets, Israel's, Getty, Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Israel, Pentagon, Navy, Royal United Services Institute, NBC, Diplomats, Health Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, Australia, France, Canada, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey, Lebanon, Beirut, Galilee, AFP, Iran, Tehran, Golan, Shams, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, U.S, Britain, Haniyeh’s, London, Lebanese, Sidon, Gaza City

☆ The US Navy is on its fourth aircraft carrier as its warships react to fighting in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe US Navy is sending another aircraft carrier to the Middle East. AdvertisementThe aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, right, follows the guided missile cruiser USS Cape St. George as the ships transit the Strait of Hormuz in May 2012. A carrier strike group consists of a carrier, its air wing, and other warships like destroyers and cruisers. The US also deployed the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean as regional tensions flared. It then pivoted to the Middle East to defend merchant shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from Houthi attacks.

Persons: —, Abraham Lincoln, Israel, It's, Lincoln, George, Alex R, Forst, Gerald R, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Theodore Roosevelt Carrier, Roosevelt Organizations: Service, US Navy, Pentagon, Saturday, Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike, Business, Hamas, Ford Carrier Strike Group, Israel, US, Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, Ford, Eisenhower, AP, Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike, Lincoln, USNI, Fleet, Department of Defense, US Central Command, Command Locations: Israel, Iran, Tehran, Cape St, Hormuz, Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Gulf, Aden, Persian, United States

☆ ‘Several’ US personnel injured in rocket attack on Iraq base
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Several US personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack Monday against US and coalition forces at Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, a US defense official said. “We can confirm that there was a suspected rocket attack today against US and Coalition forces at Al-Asad Airbase, Iraq,” the official said. While it’s unclear who carried out the rocket attack on Monday, US officials have long blamed attacks on troops in Iraq and Syria on Iran-backed militia groups. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said last month after a drone attack on Al-Asad that it was “most likely” carried out by Iranian-supported groups. Between October 17 and January 29, there were more than 150 attacks on US personnel in Iraq and Syria.

Persons: Asad, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Lloyd Austin, Sabrina Singh, ” Singh, ” Biden Organizations: CNN, US, Coalition, Base, Pentagon Locations: Al, Asad Airbase, Iraq, Israel, Tehran, Lebanon, Beirut, Syria, Iran, Jordan, United States

☆ On Biden’s Exit, Pelosi Says She Was Driven by Need to Defeat Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To hear Representative Nancy Pelosi tell it, her quiet but firm push to get President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race was a simple matter of the ruthless political math that she has spent decades honing a talent for on Capitol Hill. “My goal is defeat Donald Trump,” Ms. Pelosi, the former speaker, said in a recent interview before the release this week of a book on her years in Congress. “And when you make a decision to defeat somebody, you make every decision in favor of that. She seemed willing to accept the consequences of anger from Mr. Biden and his inner circle considering what was at stake. The book, titled “The Art of Power,” is Ms. Pelosi’s retelling of major moments of critical decision-making during the Iraq War, a catastrophic financial meltdown, the passage of the Affordable Care Act and multiple clashes with former President Donald J. Trump, among other events.

Persons: Nancy Pelosi, Biden, “, Donald Trump, ” Ms, Pelosi, ”, Donald J Organizations: Capitol, Power, Affordable, Trump Locations: Iraq

☆ U.S. personnel wounded in attack against base in Iraq, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Two Katyusha rockets were fired at al Asad airbase in western Iraq, two Iraqi security sources said. One Iraqi security source said the rockets fell inside the base. The U.S. officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said one of the wounded Americans was seriously injured. "Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment," one of the officials added. A rare ally of both the U.S. and Iran, Iraq hosts 2,500 U.S. troops and has Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces.

Persons: Al Asad, Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammed Shia, Sudani, State Anthony Blinken, Blinken, Michael, Erik, Kurilla Organizations: Reuters, Israel, The U.S, Base, Pentagon, Hezbollah, U.S, Iraqi, State, U.S . Army, U.S . Central Command Locations: Iraq, Iraqi, Iran, U.S, Tehran, The, Israel, Gaza, Washington, Baghdad, Syria

More than in any other foreign arena, Vance has sought to echo Trump on the Ukraine war. In doing so, he emphasized the thick vein of “scarcity politics” that runs through his foreign policy, arguing that the U.S. can’t equip Ukraine with enough materiel to hold back an opponent as vast as Russia. Vance described Ukraine ceding territory to Vladimir Putin as being in “America’s best interest” while appearing more supportive than Trump of remaining in NATO. The foreign policy views of Pence, vice president when Trump was in office, while not loved by everyone, were at least “mature” — they were informed by several terms experiencing the consequences of foreign policy becoming reality, according to Daniel Kurtzer, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and now a professor at Princeton. Vance, on the other hand, brings “no foreign policy experience, certainly no expertise,” Kurtzer says, and he will fall in behind his boss when needed.

Persons: JD Vance, Donald Trump, ”, “, Vance, Clayton Allen, —, Anna Moneymaker, Trump, Bronwen Maddox, “ He’s, ” Allen, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Chatham House’s Maddox, Joe Biden, ” Vance, Patrick Baz, doesn’t, William Ruger, Israel, — Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, Viktor Orban, ” Trump, Stephen Maturen, Vance “, Dick, Cheney ”, George W, Allen, Hitler, Mike Pence, Pence, Daniel Kurtzer, ” Kurtzer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Charles Hollis, Hollis, Trump’s, ’ ”, Maddox, Grover Cleveland Organizations: Marines, Yale Law School, Gaza, Ohio, GOP, Eurasia Group, Republican Party, NATO, Republican National Convention, Democrat, Republicans, NAFTA, China, Getty, American Institute for Economic Research, Kremlin, Bloomberg, Trump, Princeton, United, Aperio Intelligence Locations: Iraq, U.S, Ukraine, Sierra Vista, London, Kyiv, Russia, lockstep, Europe, Mexico, Baghdad’s, Owerij, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Great Barrington , Massachusetts, Ukrainian, Taiwan, “, St Cloud, Minn, Israel, China, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United States, Montezuma, Canada

Some American warships already in the Mediterranean will move closer to the coast of Israel, according to a senior Pentagon official. The killing of the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an explosion at a military-run guesthouse in Tehran on Wednesday, was a stunning breach of security in the Iranian capital. Iran arrested more than two dozen people, including senior intelligence officers, in response. The country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly for the killing, according to Iranian officials. “We will be bolstering our force protection in the region,” she said.

Persons: Lloyd J, Austin III, Ismail Haniyeh, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Sabrina Singh, Austin, Yoav Gallant, Austin “, ”, “, Mr, Haniyeh Organizations: . Defense, American, Pentagon Locations: Israel, Iran, Tehran, Qatar, Gaza, United States, Yemen, Iraq

The strike on Beirut was the first time during this war that Israel has targeted such an influential Hezbollah leader in Lebanon’s capital. Hours later, the killing in Iran of Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was considered the most brazen breach of Iran’s defenses in years. Image A protests in Tehran on Wednesday after Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, was assassinated in Iran. Despite his title as Hamas’s political leader, Mr. Haniyeh is replaceable, said Joost Hiltermann, the Middle East and North Africa program director for the International Crisis Group. In January, Israeli strikes killed a senior Hamas leader in Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut, leading to fears that Hezbollah would mount a particularly fierce response on Hamas’s behalf.

Persons: Amira, Hassan Fadlallah, Fuad Shukr, Ismail Haniyeh, Diego Ibarra Sanchez, Iran —, Michael Stephens, Haniyeh’s, Stephens, Mr, Andreas Krieg, Arash Khamooshi, ” Mr, Krieg, ”, it’s, Haniyeh, Joost Hiltermann, “, Israel, Israel Katz, Katz, Itamar Rabinovich, Israel’s, Rabinovich, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Vivian Yee Organizations: Israel’s, The New York Times Iranian, Foreign Policy Research Institute, King’s College ,, The New York Times, International Crisis, United Nations, Hezbollah Locations: Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Gaza, Israel, Iran, simultaneity, Yemen, Iraq, Credit, United States, Philadelphia, King’s College , London, Tehran, East, North Africa, Hezbollah’s, Syria, Bourj el Barajneh, U.S, Washington

☆ Biden weighs more US defenses for Israel as the region prepares for Iranian retaliation
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —President Joe Biden is weighing more US defenses in the Middle East as the US prepares for an Iranian retaliation against Israel that officials say could include an attack on American forces. The statement did not detail what new deployments would occur ahead of an anticipated Iranian attack in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The officials said an Iranian response could occur in the coming days. Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that “international partners” have bolstered their forces in the region, though he did not specify which countries. The US is expecting the anticipated Iranian attack may be similar to the barrage of ballistic missiles and drones launched against Israel on April 13, officials said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, Biden, Ismail Haniyeh, Theodore Roosevelt, “ We’re, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Biden, Joint Base Andrews, Haniyah, ”, Daniel Hagari, Israel’s, Jordan, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Haniyeh Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Pentagon, US Central Command, Navy, USS, Marine, Joint Base, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Israel Defense Forces, Defense, Israel Locations: Israel, Tehran, Gulf of Oman, Aden, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Jordan, Iran, Beirut, East

☆ The Killing of a Hamas Leader Is Part of a Larger War - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Matthew Duss | Nancy Okail | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Indeed, within hours, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared his intention to attack Israel. The almost certain escalation from the Haniyeh assassination signals a fundamental flaw in President Biden’s Gaza policy: the hope that the Gaza war could be contained to Gaza. But for months, the war has already been spreading — to Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and now, to Iran. Some in the U.S. foreign policy establishment argue that since neither the United States nor Iran desires full-scale war, cooler heads will prevail. The current precarious moment is the result of a series of false assumptions that U.S. policy was built on since well before the war began.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Israel —, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israel, Biden’s Locations: Tehran, Gaza, Biden’s Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, U.S, United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia

☆ U.S. crude oil breaks $78 per barrel as fears of war between Iran and Israel grow
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. crude oil futures broke above $78 per barrel Thursday on fears that Israel and Iran are heading to a direct conflict after the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran. Iran Supreme Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a direct strike on Israel in response to the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, three Iranian officials told the New York Times. Khamenei ordered the direct strike at an emergency meeting of Iran's national security council Wednesday morning after Haniyeh was killed, the officials told The Times. Iran and Israel traded direct strikes in April, pushing oil prices to the highest point of the year, but they enemies ultimately pulled back from a full-scale war. The rising tensions come as an OPEC+ committee is meeting Thursday to review members' production quotas.

Persons: Ali Khamenei, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Khamenei, Yemen's, Helima Croft, Croft Organizations: New York Times . West Texas, Times, Reuters, RBC Capital Markets Locations: Israel, Iran, Tehran, Iraq, Gaza

☆ JD Vance: Get ready for even more of Trump’s running mate after shaky rollout
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Steve Contorno | Alayna Treene | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —JD Vance is making a second pass at introducing himself to America as the Ohio senator attempts to put his uneven rollout as Donald Trump’s running mate in the rearview mirror. Vance is also expected to begin holding news conferences with reporters as early as this week, the source said. At a closed-door fundraiser in Oklahoma City last week, Trump’s finance team was hoping the former president’s new running mate would raise $1 million. The campaign was well aware of Vance’s past criticisms of Trump and the deeply anti-abortion views he vocally defended. Still, people close to both Trump and Vance argue that America has yet to learn how effective the Ohio senator can be when in the spotlight.

Persons: CNN — JD Vance, Donald Trump’s, Vance, he’s, Trump, Kamala Harris ’, “ Kamala Harris, ” Vance, we’re, Vance hasn’t, deriding, Taylor Swift, Ben Shapiro, Dave Portnoy, ”, fides, ” Portnoy, Trey Gowdy, Liam Donovan, Yale Law School –, “ They’re, ” Donovan, “, ” Trump, Kamala Harris, tickled Trump, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio, ” Rubio, Doug Burgum, Rupert Murdoch, Gowdy, Sen, Tim Scott, Shapiro, Ron DeSantis, Kevin Roberts, Roberts, William Martin, Vance “, San Francisco Pride, Antonin Scalia, MAGA Organizations: CNN, Trump, trashing, America, Republican, Barstool Sports, Fox News, South, Marines, Yale Law School, “ CNN, JD, United States Marine Corps, Privately, GOP, North Dakota Gov, Florida Gov, The New York Times, Heritage Foundation, New York Times, San Francisco, Supreme Locations: America, Ohio, – Nevada, , Arizona, Georgia, Mexico, Henderson , Nevada, South Carolina, Minnesota, Iraq, United States, Florida, Oklahoma City, Fort Wayne , Indiana

☆ The killing of a top Hamas leader in its backyard is 'humiliating' for Iran, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewIsmail Haniyeh, the leader of the political wing of Hamas, was killed on Wednesday. Ismail Haniyeh (left) meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2024. According to Middle East and military experts, Haniyeh's death is a "humiliating" blow to Iran. A new phase of brinkmanshipTensions between Israel and Iran were high even before Haniyeh's killing. MOSAB SHAWER/AFP via Getty ImagesSince Hamas launched terror attacks on Israel on October 7, groups allied with Iran — the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah — have targeted Israel, with attacks sometimes spilling over into neighboring countries and directly involving Iran.

Persons: —, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Nobody, Israel didn't, Andrew Fox, Henry Jackson, Fox, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Ameneh, Farzan, MOSAB SHAWER, Burcu, Fuad Shukr Organizations: Service, Business, Iran's, KHAMENEI.IR, Getty Images, Henry, Henry Jackson Society, New York Times, East, Global Governance Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute, BI, West, Getty, —, Middle East Security, Royal United Services Institute, Fox Locations: Iran, Tehran, AFP, Israel, Middle East, Iranian, West Bank, Hebron, Syria, Beirut, Iraq, Yemen, Red, ACLED, Lebanon

☆ Ex-Green Beret Who Planned Failed 2020 Venezuela Coup Is Arrested by U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Orlando Mayorquín | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former U.S. Green Beret who orchestrated a disastrous failed coup attempt against the authoritarian president Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela in 2020 was arrested Tuesday in New York on federal arms smuggling charges. The federal authorities accused Jordan G. Goudreau, 48, and a co-conspirator, Yacsy Alexandra Alvarez, of exporting military-style rifles, night vision devices, lasers, silencers and other military equipment without a license to Colombia beginning in November 2019 for use in carrying out “activities in Venezuela,” the Justice Department said in a news release on Wednesday. The charges appear to refer to the botched cross-border raid carried out in May 2020 by dozens of armed, self-declared freedom fighters, including former Venezuelan soldiers and former American Special Forces operators, who aimed to topple Mr. Maduro. Mr. Goudreau, of Melbourne, Fla., who did not participate in the raid, publicly took credit for the failed incursion known as Operation Gideon, which he said he had planned with disaffected Venezuelan officials. The audacious rebellion left observers around the world wondering why a decorated former U.S. Special Forces soldier who had served several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan was leading a foreign insurrection.

Persons: Nicolás Maduro, Jordan G, Yacsy Alexandra Alvarez, Mr, Maduro, Goudreau, Gideon Organizations: U.S . Green Beret, Justice Department, American Special Forces, U.S . Special Forces Locations: U.S, Venezuela, New York, Colombia, Melbourne, Fla, Iraq, Afghanistan

☆ Iran Has Accused Israel of Assassinations on Its Soil Before
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Qasim Nauman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Hamas and Iran on Wednesday accused Israel of assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, one of the Palestinian militant group’s most senior figures, in Tehran. Iran and Israel have fought a covert war for years, blaming each other for sabotage, abductions and targeted killings across the region. Tehran has also accused Israel of past assassinations inside Iran. Mr. Fakhrizadeh was one of Israeli intelligence’s top targets for years, and Iran angrily accused Israel of killing him. He wasn’t the first scientist linked to the nuclear program to be attacked on Iranian soil.

Persons: Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, Mr, Haniyeh, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Fakhrizadeh, Sayad, Khodayee, Qassim Suleimani, Ayoub, Kamran Aghamolaei Organizations: Revolutionary Guards, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Quds Force Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, U.S, United States, Iraq

☆ Strikes in Iran and Lebanon Raise Risk of Escalation, but All-Out War Is Not Inevitable
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Israel’s Tuesday night strike on Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut, was the first time during this war that Israel has targeted such an influential Hezbollah leader in Lebanon’s capital. Hours later, the killing in Iran of Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was considered the most brazen breach of Iran’s defenses since October. The scale of that reaction could determine whether the low-level regional battle between Israel and the Iranian alliance tips into a full-scale, all-out conflict. Some analysts said the killing of Mr. Haniyeh, Hamas’s top negotiator, also made a cease-fire deal in Gaza less likely in the immediate future. Despite his title as Hamas’s political leader, Mr. Haniyeh is replaceable, said Joost Hiltermann, the Middle East and North Africa program director for the International Crisis Group.

Persons: Fuad Shukr, Ismail Haniyeh, Mr, Haniyeh, Joost Hiltermann Organizations: Israel’s, International Crisis Locations: Gaza, Israel, Beirut, Iran, simultaneity, Yemen, Iraq, East, North Africa

☆ Opinion | To Stop War in Lebanon, the U.S. Must Tell Israel ‘No’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Steven Simon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As tension grows between Israel and Hezbollah, the dominant political and military force in Lebanon, neither side wants a full-scale war. But one could explode inadvertently — precipitated by an attack like the launch of what Israel said was a Hezbollah missile that hit Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on Saturday, for example — or deliberately, should Israel see a post-Gaza opportunity to rid itself of another one of its enemies. In the best case, a cease-fire in Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza would prompt Hezbollah to stop firing rockets into the Jewish state, and the possibility of war would fade. After Saturday’s missile strike, which killed 12 children and teenagers, Israel hit a building in Beirut on Tuesday, saying it targeted the Hezbollah commander it believes was responsible. If Israel goes further and launches a major operation to uproot Hezbollah, which right-wing members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have been urging, it would be devastating.

Persons: Israel, Shams, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Organizations: Hezbollah, Saturday’s Locations: Israel, Lebanon, Golan, Gaza, Beirut, United States, Iraq, Syria, Yemen

☆ Gold prices set for monthly gain; traders eye Fed verdict
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An employee arranges one kilogram gold bars for a photograph at the YLG Bullion International headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 13, 2016. Gold prices held steady on Wednesday and headed for a monthly gain, supported by rising optimism surrounding U.S. interest rate cuts, while focus shifted to Federal Reserve's policy verdict due later in the day. Spot gold held its ground at $2,407.85 per ounce, as of 0200 GMT, and has gained more than 3% for the month. Gold will rally if the Fed language indicates that multiple cuts are coming," said Kyle Rodda, a financial market analyst at Capital.com. Traders will also keep an eye on the ADP employment report due later in the day and Friday's U.S. payrolls report.

Persons: Fed's, Kyle Rodda, Israel, Hezbollah's, Rodda Organizations: Traders, Reuters Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Federal, U.S, United States, Iraq, Beirut, Israel

☆ Fu’ad Shukr: Israeli strike targeting a top Hezbollah military leader takes region to the brink of all-out war
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Israel says it has killed Hezbollah’s most senior military official, Fu’ad Shukr, in a drone strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a populous neighborhood that is also the Iran-backed group’s stronghold. Fu'ad Shukr Rewards for JusticeWhatever the fate of Shukr, Wednesday’s strike is the most serious Israeli escalation since confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel began on October 8. The developments have raised the specter of an all-out war between Lebanon and Israel that could extend beyond the borders of both countries. Nasrallah has repeatedly threatened to hit Tel Aviv in response to any Israeli strike on Beirut, a move that would thrust the two countries, and the region, into uncharted waters. How long this highly calibrated tit-for-tat can go on for before the region spirals into an unprecedented war is anyone’s guess.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Hezbollah’s, Fu’ad Shukr, Mustafa Badreddine, General Hassan Nasrallah, Fu'ad, Shukr, Israel, Majdal Shams, Nasrallah, CNN’s Ben Wedeman, Abdullah Bou Habib, ” Organizations: CNN, group’s, Tel, Popular, Units, Lebanon’s Locations: Beirut, Iran, Syria, Majdal, Golan, Lebanon, Israel, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Yemen, Iraq, Tehran

☆ Israel Struck Beirut as ‘Axis of Resistance’ Leaders Attended Iran Inauguration
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel’s strike on Beirut on Tuesday came as senior leaders of the regional militant groups backed by Iran, known as the “axis of resistance,” were in Tehran for the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Even before the Israeli attack targeting a Hezbollah commander, Iranian military leaders were expected to meet with the militant leaders on the looming threat of war between Israel and Hezbollah. In a statement on Tuesday, Iran’s embassy in Beirut condemned “the cowardly and criminal attack,” according to Iranian media. The threat of a regional war could present Mr. Pezeshkian with the first major crisis of his presidency. Iran has maintained a dual policy of averting direct engagement in all-out war while supporting a network of militant groups that have opened fronts on Israel from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, “, Nasser Kanaani, ” Locations: Beirut, Iran, Tehran, Israel, Iran’s, Lebanon, U.S, Yemen, Iraq, Syria

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