Important Takeaways:
- US launches airstrike on site in Syria in response to attacks by Iranian-backed militias
- Two U.S. F-15 fighter jets dropped multiple bombs on a weapons storage facility near Maysulun in Deir el-Zour that was known to be used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, U.S. officials said.
- “The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
- A military official told reporters in a call that people were seen at the warehouse during the day as the U.S. military watched the site for hours, but the number decreased to about “a couple” overnight when the strike occurred. The official said the strike triggered secondary explosions, indicating the presences of weapons, but the U.S. believes that no civilians were killed and any people at the warehouse were tied to the Revolutionary Guard or militia groups.
- The strike, said a senior defense official also on the call, was aimed at “disrupting and degrading the capabilities of groups directly responsible for attacking U.S. forces in the region” by specifically targeting facilities associated with the Revolutionary Guard. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide an assessment of the strike.
- This is the second time in less than two weeks that the U.S. has bombed facilities used by the militant groups, many operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which U.S. officials say have carried out at least 40 such attacks since Oct. 17.
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Important Takeaways:
- China sent 43 warplanes and seven ships near Taiwan on Wednesday in yet another large drill maneuver directed against the small island nation that Beijing claims rights over.
- Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said 37 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the country’s airspace in the early morning hours.
- Taiwanese officials said its armed forces “monitored the situation” and deployed aircraft, navy vessels and ground missile systems in response to the perceived aggression.
- The U.S., which does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country but commits to supporting it, has warned of China seeking to unify with Taiwan, potentially by force.
- Washington is preparing for a potential war with China in the next few years over the island nation’s sovereignty and is rapidly seeking to modernize its forces, as Beijing does the same.
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Important Takeaways:
- As Israeli forces ground deeper into Gaza Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi posted a foreboding social media message.
- “Zionist regime’s crimes have crossed the red lines, which may force everyone to take action. Washington asks us to not do anything, but they keep giving widespread support to Israel,” Raisi said in a post on X.
- “The US sent messages to the Axis of Resistance but received a clear response on the battlefield,” Raisi said, referring to Iran-aligned groups that are opposed to both Israel and the United States.
- “Americans who claim human rights, who equip and support this fake and anti-human regime with military equipment for crimes in Gaza, what answer do they have to their nation and the nations of the world for these actions?” the statement said.
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Important Takeaways:
- Iranian Foreign Minister Arrives in New York, Praises Hamas as Legitimate ‘Resistance Group’
- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian arrived in New York on Thursday to attend a session of the U.N. General Assembly.
- Amirabdollahian praised the terrorists of Hamas as a lawful and legitimate “resistance group” to reporters and delivered a belligerent speech to the U.N., threatening dire consequences for the United States and Israel if the Israelis continue their assault on Hamas in Gaza.
- Amirabdollahian told reporters outside U.N. headquarters that Hamas has the right under “international law” to perpetrate whatever atrocities it desires because it is a “liberation movement” whose territory has been “occupied” by Israel.
- “Therefore, whatever concerning the action of the resistance groups and Palestinian liberation groups in confronting the occupation is completely rooted in international law and the United Nations Charter,” he said.
- Amirabdollahian went on to deliver a menacing address to the U.N. in which he said the United States will suffer if Israel continues its operation in Gaza.
- “I say frankly to the American statesmen, who are now managing the genocide in Palestine, that we do not welcome expansion of the war in the region. But if the genocide in Gaza continues, they will not be spared from this fire,” he declared.
- Amirabdollahian claimed the Hamas terrorists told their patrons in Iran they are ready to release some of the 220-plus hostages they kidnapped on October 7 – but the Iranian foreign minister said they should hold out until the world community presses for Israel to release 6,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
- Amirabdollahian will reportedly meet with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres before the U.N. General Assembly votes Friday on a resolution to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
- Guterres himself is under fire for comments on Wednesday that suggested the Hamas sneak attack was justified by Palestinian grievances against Israel
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Important Takeaways:
- The U.S. Department of State issued a rare ‘Worldwide Caution’ alert Thursday, urging any American who is overseas to “exercise increased caution” due to “increased tensions in various locations around the world.”
- The U.S. said there is also an increased potential for “terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens.”
- The U.S. Embassy in Beirut also urged American citizens Thursday to make plans to leave the country “as soon as possible while commercial options are still available,” as fighting intensifies near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
- “We recommend that U.S. citizens who choose not to depart prepare contingency plans for emergency situations,” the embassy said in an emergency alert.
- The U.K. and Germany issued similar warnings to their citizens.
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Important Takeaways:
- The United States must prepare for possible simultaneous wars with Russia and China by expanding its conventional forces, strengthening alliances and enhancing its nuclear weapons modernization program, a congressionally appointed bipartisan panel said on Thursday.
- The report from the Strategic Posture Commission comes amid tensions with China over Taiwan and other issues and worsening frictions with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
- “We worry … there may be ultimate coordination between them in some way, which gets us to this two-war construct,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
- The findings would upend current U.S. national security strategy calling for winning one conflict while deterring another and require huge defense spending increases with uncertain congressional support.
- The report contrasts with U.S. President Joe Biden’s position that the current U.S. nuclear arsenal is sufficient to deter the combined forces of Russia and China.
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Important Takeaways:
- Ukraine is set to receive longer-range US missiles armed with cluster bombs, granting Kyiv the ability to cause significant damage deep within Russian-held territory
- The Biden administration is close to approving the shipment, according to the officials, after seeing the success of cluster munitions delivered in 155 mm artillery rounds in recent months.
- Washington is now considering shipping either or both Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) that can fly up to 190 miles (306 km), or Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles with a 45-mile range packed with cluster bombs, three officials said.
- Made by Lockheed Martin, ATACMS come in several versions some of which can fly four times GMLRS’ range, and their use could reset battlefield calculus.
- Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries. Russia, Ukraine and the United States have not signed onto the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans production, stockpiling, use and transfer of the weapons.
- Both sides in the war have used the weapons, usually with devastating consequences.
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Important Takeaways:
- Russia warns return of US nuclear weapons to UK would be seen as escalation
- Russia would regard any return of US nuclear weapons to bases in Britain as an “escalation and a destabilizing practice,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing on Tuesday.
- She also said that such a practice is “openly anti-Russian in nature, as it provides for joint planning and regular training exercises for the prompt delivery of nuclear strikes by members of NATO which is hostile to us against targets in Russia from the territory of non-nuclear European countries.”
- “We will continue to demand the return of all American nuclear weapons to US territory, followed by the removal of infrastructure that would allow them to be quickly deployed in Europe,” she added.
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Important Takeaways:
- Dutch Confirm U.S. Approval for Delivery of F-16s to Ukraine
- The U.S. has given approval for the Netherlands to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, the Dutch defense minister said Friday, although no timeline was given for delivery or training of the required combat pilots.
- “I welcome the US decision to clear the way for delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine. It allows us to follow through on the training of Ukrainian pilots,” Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said in a message on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We remain in close contact with European partners to decide on the next steps.”
- The Netherlands is part of a Western coalition that also includes Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom that in July pledged to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.
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