U.S. Carries Out Retaliatory Strikes Against Iran-Backed Groups in Iraq |
The U.S. military launched the strikes (NYT) today in response to a drone attack that injured three U.S. service members, a National Security Council spokesperson said. Meanwhile, Iran blamed Israel (Bloomberg) for the killing of senior Iranian officer Sayyed Razi Mousavi in Syria yesterday; Iran’s president said Israel will pay a price for the officer’s death, Tehran’s state media reported. The series of attacks in recent days have raised concerns about the widening of the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after visiting the Gaza Strip yesterday that the Israeli offensive “isn’t close to finished” (The Guardian, AFP, Reuters).
Netanyahu’s visit to Gaza came after Israeli strikes killed more than one hundred people in the enclave on Sunday, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published yesterday, Netanyahu wrote that the three prerequisites for peace required Israel to “destroy Hamas, demilitarize Gaza and deradicalize the whole of Palestinian society.”
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“The facts on the ground suggest that the region cannot return to its unstable prewar status quo. Instead, without careful guidance, a new status quo is likely to emerge that will be even more problematic. Only bold American leadership now will support a good outcome in the aftermath of this war,” the Carnegie Endowment’s Aaron David Miller and Princeton University’s Daniel C. Kurtzer write for Foreign Affairs.
“It was [Mousavi’s] status as coordinator of Iran's air route to Lebanon that should receive attention. His death leaves Iran less capable of supporting [Lebanese militant group] Hezbollah if Israel attacks,” the Eurasia Group’s Gregory Brew posts.
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.
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China Sanctions U.S. Firm, Researchers for Work Related to Xinjiang |
Beijing is sanctioning (Bloomberg) Kharon, a U.S. company that identifies sanctions and compliance risks, as well as two human rights researchers due to their work related to forced labor allegations in the Xinjiang region, China’s foreign ministry said. Earlier this month, the United States sanctioned two Chinese officials it said were linked to human rights abuses against minority groups in the Chinese region. Beijing has denied that it uses forced labor.
Japan: Tokyo’s cabinet approved sanctions (NHK) against three senior Hamas members today; the move comes after the government sanctioned nine Hamas members in October. Japan said it will continue to do more to cut off Hamas’s revenue sources.
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India Deploys Warships to Arabian Sea After Drone Strike on Commercial Ship |
The Indian Navy inspected (NDTV) the attacked ship yesterday after it arrived in Mumbai, saying they could not immediately determine the source of the strike that occurred on Saturday. The attack comes amid increasing strikes in the Red Sea reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Afghanistan/Pakistan: Pakistan’s government deported (Reuters) at least 130 Afghans who are being processed for U.S. refugee resettlement or special immigration visas as part of a deportation drive that Islamabad has been carrying out since November 1, the president of the #AfghanEvac coalition of advocacy groups said.
This In Brief by Megan Fahrney looks at why Pakistan is deporting Afghan migrants.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Turkey Strikes More Kurdish Targets in Iraq, Syria After Killings of Turkish Soldiers |
Turkey’s defense ministry said it killed (AP) at least twenty-six militants in strikes on Kurdish targets in Iraq and Syria following the killing of twelve Turkish troops in northern Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region. Ankara claims it is targeting militants associated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a separatist group that has a history of insurgency against the government, after they allegedly attempted to infiltrate a Turkish base in the region.
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Ethiopia Defaults on Sovereign Debt Payment to Bondholders |
Ethiopia failed to make a $33 million payment (Bloomberg) by the end of a grace period yesterday following the coupon’s December 11 deadline. The country is currently seeking to renegotiate its sovereign debt under a framework established by Group of Twenty (G20) countries, under which Ghana and Zambia have both made progress in restructuring their debt.
Chad: In a nationwide referendum earlier this month, eighty-six percent of voters endorsed a proposed new constitution (FT) election authorities said. Chad’s government says the new charter will help the country’s transition to civilian rule, while opposition groups say it will concentrate power in the hands of General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, the transitional government’s leader since 2021.
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Ukrainian Strike Damages Russian Black Sea Warship |
A Ukrainian aircraft carrying guided missiles hit a large Russian ship (BBC) at a Black Sea port in Russia-occupied Crimea today, Russia’s defense ministry said. The strike came after Russia claimed a territorial advance (AP) in the Ukrainian town of Marinka yesterday, while Ukraine claimed it shot down two Russian fighter jets and intercepted twenty-eight drones.
On this episode of The President’s Inbox podcast, Kori Schake discusses the future of the war in Ukraine.
Russia: Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was located (WaPo) at a penal colony in Russia’s far north after losing contact with his aides, lawyers, and family for nearly three weeks, his team said yesterday.
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UK to Deploy Ship to Guyana Amid Territorial Dispute With Venezuela |
The United Kingdom (UK) is sending a naval patrol ship (FT) to Guyana and has expressed “unequivocal” support for the country after neighboring Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro organized a referendum claiming that Georgetown’s oil-rich Essequibo territory belonged to Caracas. Guyana is a former British colony.
Mexico: Thousands of migrants arrived (Reuters) in the southern Mexican town of Álvaro Obregón on Sunday on their way north to the U.S.-Mexico border. The group had walked fifteen kilometers (about nine miles) before continuing on the next day, and comprised roughly eight thousand people per day, local authorities estimated.
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WaPo: Electric Vehicle Growth Slows Amid Concerns Over Price, Charging Availability |
While U.S. sales of fully electric cars rose more than 50 percent this year above 2022 levels, consumer interest in electric vehicles (EVs) has slowed in recent months and carmakers are planning to adjust production accordingly, the Washington Post reported. Industry analysts cited concerns over prices and availability of charging stations.
At this CFR webinar, experts discuss the roadmap to scaling up national EV infrastructure deployment.
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