The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency said an explosion “in close proximity of the vessel” damaged it. The crew abandoned ship and is safe, the agency added. The Belize-flagged, Lebanese-operated cargo ship was traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on its way to Bulgaria after leaving the United Arab Emirates, according to private security firm … Read more
Iran has two purposes in mind with all these attacks: The first is pressuring the West to curtail Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in order to save Hamas — a valued member of Tehran’s so-called axis of resistance. The second is the longer-term aim of fatiguing the U.S. into giving up and largely withdrawing from … Read more
BRUSSELS — The European Union mission to protect commercial vessels from Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea will be “purely defensive,” and will not conduct “any kind of attack,” the EU’s foreign policy chief said today. Seeking to differentiate the EU plan from the ongoing American-British Operation Prosperity Guardian, in which air strikes … Read more
Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov on Saturday said his country may fumble the January 1, 2025, target date to join the EU’s currency zone. The country’s target date to adopt the euro was “not sacred,” Denkov said during an appearance on the Bulgarian radio station Darik Radio. “What is sacred is not the date but … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Western warplanes and guided missiles roared through the skies over Yemen in the early hours of Friday in a dramatic response to the worsening crisis engulfing the region, where the U.S. and its allies are facing a direct confrontation with Iranian-backed militants. The strikes … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. While the U.S. and U.K. carried out airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday — in a bid to deter attacks on ships in the Red Sea — it remains to be seen whether there will be a meaningful EU involvement in the growing conflict. So … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Mark Kimmitt is a retired U.S. Army brigadier general. He served as assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs and deputy assistant secretary of defense for Middle East affairs under President George W. Bush. On December 23, the Chem Puto tanker was attacked by … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Iran dispatched a naval frigate to the Red Sea amid an escalating standoff between Western nations and Tehran-backed militants that has seen maritime traffic attacked by drones, missiles and speedboats. Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported Monday that the warship Alborz crossed the Bab el-Mandeb … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Ivo Daalder, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, is CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and host of the weekly podcast “World Review with Ivo Daalder.” United States President Joe Biden starts 2024 in circumstances that any incumbent would envy. The economy is … Read more
The Israeli military has started withdrawing units from Gaza, indicating that a new phase of the war has begun, though officials said the conflict is far from over. “Some of the reservists will return to their families and employment this week,” an Israel Defense Forces spokesman said. The decision to move soldiers out of Gaza … Read more
