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Curious, only in that this wasn't the first target selected by the IDF. Israel has launched retaliatory strikes against the Houthis in Yemen after a missile nearly hit Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, the main international hub. Airlines suspended service temporarily while the Israelis work to restore security, creating headaches for their transportation and their economy. Rather than target the Sanaa International Airport in retaliation, though, the IDF initially targeted Houthi port operations in Hodeidah, destroying a significant part of that infrastructure. Today, however, the IDF intends to return the favor in full: Israel's military on Tuesday warned people to...

In a ritzy enclave of South Florida, Chinese migrants are coming ashore via boat, leading to an investigation into human smuggling networks. Coral Gables is a picturesque city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, known for its Mediterranean Revival architecture, tree-lined streets and lush landscapes. One Coral Gables neighborhood, Gables Estates, is ranked as the most expensive housing market in the country, according to data by Zillow. But in recent months, the dazzling city has seen an uptick of Chinese migrant interceptions. The city's uptick is representative of the Sunshine State's influx of Chinese nationals since 2020, according to U.S. Customs...

When Russia seized Crimea in March, it acquired not just the Crimean landmass but also a maritime zone more than three times its size with the rights to underwater resources potentially worth trillions of dollars. Russia portrayed the takeover as reclamation of its rightful territory, drawing no attention to the oil and gas rush that had recently been heating up in the Black Sea. But the move also extended Russia’s maritime boundaries, quietly giving Russia dominion over vast oil and gas reserves while dealing a crippling blow to Ukraine’s hopes for energy independence. Russia did so under an international accord...

Amid tensions with the US, Iran on Saturday flexed its military muscle by installing its missile systems on the three disputed islands near the Strait of Hormuz. As per reports, the weapons were deployed on Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa near the Strait of Hormuz, a globally vital shipping lane. Iran's claim that fortifying the islands can help "target enemy bases and vessels" is seen as an answer to the US and its allies in the region. But, through the move, Tehran also seeks to reassert its ownership over the three islands. The islands located along a globally...

-snip- Trump had ordered the Pentagon to start preparing military plans against the Houthis after his decision to re-designate them as a terrorist organization several weeks after he assumed office, the U.S. official said. After the Houthis downed a U.S. military drone two weeks ago, the preparations for the strikes accelerated, and in recent days, the main question became about best operational timing for the strikes, according to the U.S. official. Trump approved the attack plan on Friday and on Saturday he gave the final order to carry it out, the U.S. official said. The Trump administration had informed a...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said he ordered a series of airstrikes on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Saturday, promising to use “overwhelming lethal force” until Iranian-backed Houthi rebels cease their attacks on shipping along a vital maritime corridor. “Our brave Warfighters are right now carrying out aerial attacks on the terrorists’ bases, leaders, and missile defenses to protect American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to restore Navigational Freedom,” Trump said in a social media post. “No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World.” He also...

A U.S. oil tanker and a Panama-flagged cargo vessel have collided off the coast of Yorkshire, England, triggering a large-scale rescue operation Collision between a cargo ship and an oil tanker off the East Yorkshire coast in England has resulted in both vessels catching fire

Former President Joe Biden rescinded the designation in 2021.. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Tuesday that the State Department re-designated Ansarallah, commonly referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). “Today’s action taken by the State Department demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting our national security interests, the safety of the American people, and the security of the United States,” Rubio said in a statement. The Iranian-backed terror group has fired several ballistic missiles at civilian populations in Israel, launched more than one hundred attacks on international cargo ships and other vessels in the...

Taiwan is investigating a Chinese-owned ship suspected of severing an undersea fiber-optic cable north of the island. While the incident caused minimal disruption to internet services, analysts say it reflects the vulnerability of Taiwan and its undersea infrastructure in the event of a Chinese military attack or blockade. “It’s a vulnerability shared by a lot of countries in a globalized world,” said Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore and a former Pentagon official. “The real challenge for Taiwan is how do they increase their resilience now [that] there is growing awareness...

The Panama Canal is considered a VITAL National Asset for the United States, due to its critical role to America’s Economy and National Security. A secure Panama Canal is crucial for U.S. Commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to U.S. ports. The United States is the Number One user of the Canal, with over 70 percent of all transits heading to, or from, U.S. ports. Considered one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the Panama Canal opened for business 110 years ago, and was built at HUGE...

President-elect Donald Trump’s victory bodes well for US-Morocco relations. As King Mohamed VI recalled in his statement congratulating Trump on his election win, during his first term, Trump recognized Rabat’s full sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Trump made this recognition with a presidential proclamation on December 10, 2020, in exchange for Morocco reestablishing diplomatic relations with Israel. In his statement, Mohammed VI went on to say that “the Moroccan people will forever be grateful” for this recognition, calling Washington “our longstanding friend and ally.” While Morocco hopes to pick up where it left off in negotiations with...

Israel’s equivalent of the elite Navy SEALs stormed a beach in Lebanon over the weekend, snatched a nearby senior Hezbollah operative and then raced off with him in a speedboat, officials say. The weekend operation involved commandos with the Israel Defense Force’s Shayetet 13 force, who were deployed along the coast in northern Lebanon and conducted the raid on a Hezbollah facility in Batroun, CNN reports. The highly specialized soldiers rushed the beach to reach the terrorists’ hold and capture Imad Amhaz, throwing the suspected Hezbollah senior official into a speedboat and carting him off, according to the IDF. Amhaz,...

A port official has admitted that a 'weapon of mass effect' has been found by 'partner agencies' in the U.S., raising major questions over a possible government cover-up. The disturbing revelation came in an interview with San Diego's assistant port director screened by a television channel in the city. The Customs and Border Protection Department tried to dampen speculation over his remarks, but doubts remained over whether he had inadvertently revealed a dirty bomb plot to attack the U.S. mainland. snip ‘So, specifically, you're looking for the dirty bomb? You're looking for the nuclear device?’ asked Mr Blacher. ‘Correct. Weapons...

Yemen's Huthi rebels claimed another attack on a US ship early Friday, after the United States launched fresh strikes on rebel targets over their aggression towards vessels in and around the Red Sea. While the Iran-backed rebels maintained they had struck the commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden, the US military later said the group's missiles had missed their mark. The Huthis said in a statement posted to social media that their "naval forces... carried out a targeting operation against an American ship" -- identified as the Chem Ranger -- "with several appropriate naval missiles, resulting in direct hits".

I’ve had a couple posts already in the past week about the cargo situation in the Red Sea. The latest was on Monday and included news of the US gathering in the area with allies to possibly take a shot at these Houthis.CHART OF THE DAY: Currently, 5 out of 4 largest container shipping companies are turning away their vessels from the Red Sea due to attacks from the Houthis from Yemen, accounting for >50% of the world's capacity (measured by TEU containers). https://t.co/TiwfUc4KSY pic.twitter.com/O9iaphSOm1— Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) December 18, 2023Couldn’t happen a minute too soon for the global economy....

Obama's good pal Rashid Khalidi raised money for the venture. In 2008 The LA Times withheld a video that contained footage of Barack Obama celebrating with a group of Palestinians who were openly hostile towards Israel. Barack Obama reportedly even gave a toast to a former PLO operative, Rashid Khalidi, at this celebration. This was something the LA Times hid from the American public before the election. The media refused to release the video. Terrorist Bill Ayers, Barack Obama and his good friend Jew-hater Rashid Khalidi There were also reports that terrorists Bill Ayers and his wife Bernadine Dohrn were...

A US destroyer intercepted a hijacked Israeli-managed oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden earlier today, freed the crew, and took the Houthi pirates into custody. My colleague Jeff Charles covered the piracy in this post, High Seas Drama: Another Israeli Tanker Seized by Unidentified Attackers Near Yemen.Shortly after dawn local time, the Central Park, a small Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker managed by an Israeli company registered in London, sent a distress call saying it was being boarded by armed men. The USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was operating in the area. According to reports, the Mason directed...

Approximately 1,000 boats will gather in Turkey on Wednesday before heading toward Gaza in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade and disrupt maritime trade coming into Israel during the war with Hamas, in an apparent repeat of similar attempts from over a decade ago. In an interview with Turkish news website Haber7, Volkan Okçu, one of the organizers of the protest, indicated the boats will carry 4,500 people from 40 countries, “including anti-Zionist Jews.” Among the 1,000 vessels would be 313 boats filled with Russian activists, and 104 filled with Spanish activists, he said. Only 12 Turkish vessels will...

An Israeli ship named “Galaxy Leader” has reportedly been hijacked by Yemen’s Houthi militia in the Red Sea. The ship had 22 people on board, according to reports. Israeli sources said that the Houthis seized a vessel partially owned by Israel in the Red Sea. No Israeli nationals were on board the ship, according to the sources. Earlier on Sunday, Yahya Sarea, a spokesman for the Iran-backed Houthis, said that the group would target all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or carrying the Israeli flag, according to the group’s Telegram channel.

The Israel Defense Forces says the hijacking of a shipping vessel in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen is a “very serious incident on the global scale.” It says the ship was sailing from Turkey to India with an international civilian crew, without any Israelis aboard. “This is not an Israeli ship,” the IDF adds. The military directly blames the Houthis for the hijacking. There are no Israelis among the crew aboard the Galaxy Leader ship. Arabic-language media outlets say there are 52 crew members aboard the vessel. The Bahaman-flagged vessel is registered under a British company,...