“Houthi militants fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles Wednesday at an
American-owned and operated cargo ship in the Red Sea, defying a U.S.-led
military effort to prevent attacks on commercial shipping. Two of the missiles
aimed at the Maersk Detroit were shot down by the USS Gravely, a guided missile
destroyer, and the third fell into the sea, according to a statement from U.S.
Central Command. The attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis followed a joint
strike Monday in Yemen by U.S. and Great Britain warplanes and ships. The
Houthis have launched more than 40 attacks from Yemen since November in what
they maintain is a reaction to Israel’s invasion of Gaza.”
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Eye on Extremism
January 25, 2024
USA Today: US Navy Shoots Down Missiles Targeting American Cargo Ship:
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates
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“Houthi militants fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles Wednesday at an
American-owned and operated cargo ship in the Red Sea, defying a U.S.-led
military effort to prevent attacks on commercial shipping. Two of the missiles
aimed at the Maersk Detroit were shot down by the USS Gravely, a guided missile
destroyer, and the third fell into the sea, according to a statement from U.S.
Central Command. The attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis followed a joint
strike Monday in Yemen by U.S. and Great Britain warplanes and ships. The
Houthis have launched more than 40 attacks from Yemen since November in what
they maintain is a reaction to Israel’s invasion of Gaza.”
ABC News: Pakistani Taliban Pledge Not To Attack Election Rallies Ahead Of
Feb. 8 Vote
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“The Pakistani Taliban pledged Thursday not to attack election rallies, saying
their targets are limited to the military and security forces, as political
parties and independent candidates ramp up their campaigns ahead of the Feb. 8
vote. “We have nothing to do with these elections and the parties participating
in them,” the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, said in a statement. Other
militant groups have not made similar pledges, and some previous Pakistani
elections have been marred by violence. Two-time former Prime Minister Benazir
Bhutto was killed in a bomb attack in 2007 minutes after she addressed an
election rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.”
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CEP Mentions
The Limited Times: Houthi Attacks On Merchant Ships In The Red Sea: Rebels Are
A “Means To An End”
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“... A military coalition now wants to end this - but that could take many
months, believes Middle East expert Hans-Jakob Schindler from the Counter
Extremism Project (CEP) initiative.”
United States
Forbes: Is This The Beginning Of The End For U.S. Troop Deployments In Syria
And Iraq?
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“A flurry of reports seemingly suggest the U.S. troop presence in Iraq and
Syria, established in 2014-15 to combat the Islamic State group, is coming to
an end. Citing Defense and State Department sources, Foreign Policy reported
Wednesday that the White House has grown wary of sustaining the Syria
deployment, where an estimated 900 U.S. troops are partnered with the
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces against the Islamic State. The report
clarified that “no definitive decision has been made to leave.” A senior U.S.
official told CNN the White House “is not considering a withdrawal of forces
from Syria.”
Reuters: Exclusive: US, Iraq To Initiate Talks On End Of US-Led Military
Coalition
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“The United States and Iraq are set to initiate talks on the end of a U.S.-led
international military coalition in Iraq and how to replace it with bilateral
relations, four sources said, a step forward in a process that was stalled by
the Gaza war. The U.S. conveyed the message in a letter handed over by U.S.
Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski to Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on
Wednesday, three sources said.”
Syria
Iran International: Pentagon Denies Reports Of US Withdrawal From Syria
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"The Pentagon has denied media reports that the Biden administration may be
considering a full withdrawal of American troops from Syria in 2024. A report
in Foreign Policy Wednesday suggested that “the White House is no longer
invested in sustaining a mission that it perceives as unnecessary,” quoting
“four sources within the Defense and State departments”. But a Pentagon
spokesperson has called the report “erroneous,” according to the Russian RIA
Novosty, which had submitted a query to the US Department of Defense."
Iraq
DW News: Iraq: US Launches New Strikes On Iran-Backed Militant Group
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“The United States targeted three facilities linked to Iran-backed militants
in Iraq on Tuesday in response to drone and missile attacks on American troops,
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. Tuesday's strikes come days after US
forces killed the leader of a pro-Iranian militia group, sparking outrage in
Baghdad and triggering renewed calls for the removal of US military personnel
from Iraq. "At President Biden's direction, US military forces conducted
necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by the
Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups
in Iraq," Austin said in a statement.”
Lebanon
Voice Of America: Attacks On Lebanon-Israel Border Prompt Warnings Of
Escalation
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“Continuing retaliatory attacks and targeted assassinations along the
Lebanon-Israel border are prompting warnings of an escalation that could
unleash a wider conflict in the region. Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militia
said it targeted Israel’s northern army command Mount Meron base Tuesday, its
second such attack on the post in recent days. Later Tuesday, Israeli warplanes
fired missiles at Lebanon’s southern districts of Bint Jbeil, Nabatieh and
Iqlim al-Tuffah, destroying homes and wounding several people, Lebanon’s
National News Agency reported. The border skirmishes have forced citizens on
both sides to move further inland for safety.”
Middle East
Jerusalem Post: Hezbollah Rockets That Landed In Israel Possibly Contained
Deadly White Phosphorus <[link removed]>
“Two mortar shells that were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into the Metulla
area last week are suspected to have contained white phosphorus, according to
Israeli media reports on Wednesday. The reports say that after the mortars
landed, the explosions led to a big fire and even engulfed part of the road
that they hit. If this is true, this would be the first time that Hezbollah has
used white phosphorus.”
i24 News: At Least One Terrorist Killed During Israeli Arrest Raid In West Bank
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“Israeli security forces carried out a counterterrorism operation in the West
Bank overnight, Wednesday to Thursday, arresting wanted persons and destroying
improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted on roadways. Israel Defense Forces
(IDF), the Shin Bet internal security agency and the Israel Border Police
released a statement on the operation, during which 16 suspects were arrested
and one terrorist was killed in an exchange of fire. While operating in the
West Bank village of Bir al-Basha, during an attempt to arrest two men
suspected of shooting attacks, the suspects opened fire and one of them was
killed when the Israeli security forces returned fire. The other wanted person
was arrested and the weapons confiscated.”
South China Morning Post: China Denies Providing Weapons To Hamas In
Israel-Gaza War
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“China has “never provided any weapons” to conflict areas, including in the
Israel-Gaza war, the Chinese defence ministry said – the first time Beijing has
denied arming Hamas militants since the conflict began. Colonel Wu Qian, the
ministry’s spokesman, said on Thursday that China had provided food, medical
and other emergency aid to the Palestinians but had never provided any weapons
or equipment to conflict areas. “It needs to be emphasised that China has
always adopted a prudent and responsible attitude when it comes to arms exports
and strictly follows the three principles of arms exports,” Wu said.”
Mali
ABC News: More Than 70 Are Dead After An Informal Gold Mine Collapsed In Mali,
An Official Says
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“An unregulated gold mine collapsed late last week in Mali, killing more than
70 people, an official said Wednesday, and a search continued amid fears that
the toll could rise. Karim Berthé, a senior official at the government's
National Geology and Mining Directorate, confirmed the details to The
Associated Press and called it an accident. There were around 100 people in the
mine at the time of the collapse, according to Abdoulaye Pona, president of the
Mali Chamber of Mines, who was at the scene.”
United Kingdom
The Times: Far-Right Organiser Found Guilty Of Spreading Racial Hatred
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“A white supremacist who was exposed by The Times as the leader of the
Hundred-Handers extremist group has been found guilty of stirring up racial
hatred. Sam Melia, 34, was found to have distributed images with antisemitic
and anti-immigration messages on them, in an attempt to stoke racial hatred and
encourage criminal damage against non-white communities.”
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