Iran Accuses Israel of Killing Commanders in Syria Strike |
Iran accused Israel (FT) of an attack on its embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, yesterday, vowing revenge and sparking fears that the ongoing regional conflict is expanding. At least seven Iranian military personnel and six Syrian nationals were killed (Bloomberg) in the strike, which destroyed the consulate building, Iranian state media reported. Three of those reported killed were senior Iranian commanders. Israel did not immediately comment on the attack but has stepped up strikes on Iran-backed militants in Syria since the start of its war with Hamas; this would be Israel’s first attack that has directly hit an Iranian diplomatic facility.
The attack comes as Tehran has sought to reduce tensions with Washington across the region in recent weeks. Following the attack, Iran summoned the Swiss envoy who represents U.S. diplomatic interests in Iran. Washington had no involvement (NYT) or advanced knowledge of the strike, a National Security Council spokesperson said.
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“Israel has carried out strikes in Syria against Iran and its allies for years and throughout its six-month military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. But Monday’s attack stood out both because of its location—in a diplomatic compound, traditionally exempted from hostilities—and because of the seniority of the apparent target,” the Washington Post’s Susannah George and Mohamad El Chamaa write.
“The strike is the most serious escalation with deliberate intent designed to put Iran on the defensive,” Chatham House’s Sanam Vakil tells the Financial Times. “Israel’s war is not just against Hamas, but very clearly designed to strike across the axis of resistance to weaken and deter the multiple groups.”
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.
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Tokyo Ups Government Support to Chipmaker Rapidus by Nearly $4 Billion |
The Japanese government had already given (Nikkei) close to $2.2 billion to Rapidus before today’s announcement of the new subsidies. They include funding for research and development of chip packaging and are intended to foster domestic manufacturing of advanced semiconductors.
North Korea/South Korea: Pyongyang fired (AP) what appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile off its eastern coast today, Seoul’s military said. Analysts say North Korea is attempting to produce missiles that could reach the U.S. Pacific hub of Guam and beyond.
On this episode of The President’s Inbox podcast, W.J. Hennigan discusses confronting the nuclear threat.
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Indian Court Extends Detention of Opposition Leader |
A court renewed (Reuters) the detention of Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal until April 15 as part of a graft case that opposition parties called politically motivated. His original detention period was due to expire on April 1, and voting in nationwide elections begins on April 19. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party denies any political interference.
Pakistan: The government plans to sell (Bloomberg) a majority stake in its national airline as part of a package of economic reforms. Islamabad hopes to secure an investor by June.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Charity Halts Gaza Food Distribution After Deadly Strike |
Seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen were killed (BBC) in an Israeli air strike while leaving an aid warehouse in central Gaza yesterday, the charity said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said (WaPo) in a video posted to social media site X that Israeli forces “unintentionally hit innocent people” and that Israel is fully investigating the incident. The World Central Kitchen is one of the main aid suppliers to the Gaza Strip.
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DRC Names First Female Prime Minister |
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi named (Nation) Judith Suminwa, a former planning minister and UN official, as premier yesterday. In her first speech, Suminwa pledged to address conflict and insecurity in the country. This episode of the Why It Matters podcast looks at the global gender gap in politics.
South Africa: Parliament Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula lost a bid (Bloomberg) to prevent her pretrial detention in a corruption case. Her party, the ruling African National Congress, said it will make a public statement on the matter when she is arrested and charged.
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U.S. Official Had ‘Havana’-Like Symptoms During 2023 NATO Summit, Pentagon Says |
A senior Department of Defense official at last year’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Lithuania had symptoms (AP) similar to those in the anomalous health incidents first known as “Havana syndrome,” a Pentagon spokesperson said yesterday. A 60 Minutes report on Sunday cited the Lithuania incident and suggested Russia was behind the multiyear phenomenon. A State Department spokesperson said yesterday that the intelligence community has broadly concluded the culprit is likely not a foreign adversary, but continues to investigate the possibility as information surfaces.
U.S./United Kingdom: The countries signed an agreement yesterday committing to pool their technical knowledge on artificial intelligence (AI), including how to test and assess risks from emerging AI models. It is the first bilateral deal on AI safety in the world, the Financial Times reported.
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Peru’s President Shakes Up Cabinet Amid Congressional Bid to Remove Her |
President Dina Boluarte Zegarra replaced (AP) six government ministers yesterday as an anticorruption probe against her continues to advance. Lawmakers from several parties submitted a request to remove her from office yesterday, but they were unable to collect the votes necessary to approve it.
Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Kitts and Nevis agreed to increase (Bloomberg) the price of investment-based citizenship to at least $200,000 after the United States and European Union warned such citizenship pathways allowed people to circumvent immigration controls and enabled crime.
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U.S. Was World’s Largest Liquefied Natural Gas Exporter in 2023 |
Federal data released yesterday shows that the United States exported (The Hill) 12 percent more liquefied natural gas than it did in 2022. The increase came as European buyers, the United States’ primary customers, sought to reduce their dependence on Russian gas following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This tracker by CFR expert Benn Steil explores energy trends around the world. |
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