Iranian general: ‘We plan to break US, Israel, cleanse world of their filth’
The deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says Tehran has plans ‘to break America, Israel, and their partners and allies’ in worldwide attacks.
Military
Tensions Between India and Pakistan Are at Their Highest Point in Decades
In perhaps the worst flare of tensions between India and Pakistan in two decades, Indian fighter jets bombed Pakistani-controlled territory on Tuesday in a dispute over the contested region of Kashmir.
Assad meets Khamenei in first Iran visit since Syrian war began
Syrian President Bashar al Assad made his first public visit to his closest regional ally Iran since the start of Syria’s war in 2011, meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Monday and championing their alliance, state media reported.
US seeks vote on UN resolution to allow aid into Venezuela
U.S. envoy Elliott Abrams said Tuesday the Trump administration will seek a U.N. Security Council vote this week on a resolution calling for Venezuela’s government to let in humanitarian aid and to hold free elections, and then sparred with Russia over possible U.S. military intervention in the politically divided country.
India launches airstrike in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir targeting ‘terror camps’
Pakistan says India launched an airstrike on its territory early Tuesday that caused no casualties, while India said it targeted a terrorist training camp in a pre-emptive strike that killed a ‘very large number’ of militants.
Trump at risk of losing Senate vote on border funding
President Trump on Monday was at risk of losing a critical Senate vote on his national emergency declaration on the border, which could set up Trump’s first presidential veto.
U.S. says air strike killed 35 militants in Somalia
The U.S. military said on Monday that a recent airstrike in central Somalia killed 35 al Shabaab fighters.
All-male military draft ruled unconstitutional by federal judge in Texas
The all-male military draft is unconstitutional, a federal judge in Texas ruled Friday.
Pentagon chief floats ‘wholesale redesign’ of U.S. border security
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Saturday after visiting the U.S.-Mexico border that the government needs a broader, more effective approach to border control. He suggested the Pentagon might contribute with its expertise in surveillance and monitoring.
Iran: Despite Israel’s efforts, ‘we’ve achieved over 90% of objectives in Syria’
A senior Iranian defense official boasted Saturday that Iran has achieved the vast majority of its objectives in Syria since the start of that country’s civil war, and dismissed the efficacy of Israeli efforts to counter the Islamic Republic’s military presence there.
Newly Appointed Chief of Staff Orders Major Surprise Training Exercise for Israeli Military
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began a major surprise training exercise on Sunday across Israel, just one month after a new chief of staff was appointed.
Trump, Erdogan hold phone call ahead of US-Turkey military meeting
President Trump on Thursday spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about strategy in Syria ahead of a meeting between the top military leaders from each country.
Trump orders Space Force to be established as part of Air Force
President Donald Trump signed a directive Tuesday ordering the Department of Defense to create the Space Force — a sixth branch of the military — initially as part of the Air Force.
Nigeria elections: Whomever wins, Christians hope for justice and security
As Nigerians are preparing to go to the polls tomorrow to elect a new president, Boko Haram has been stepping up attacks in the northeast of the country, making it difficult if not impossible for people to vote.
Iran-al Qaeda alliance may provide legal rationale for U.S. military strikes
Iran is providing high-level al Qaeda operatives with a clandestine sanctuary to funnel fighters, money and weapons across the Middle East, according to Trump administration officials who warn that the long-elusive, complex relationship between two avowed enemies of America has evolved into an unacceptable global security threat.
Trump calls on Venezuela’s military to turn on Maduro, decries socialism
President Trump urged Venezuela’s military leaders Monday to turn on leader Nicolas Maduro, casting the struggle in the troubled South American nation as a major test of whether the world can rid itself of a socialist stumbling block.
Sixteen states sue Trump over border wall emergency
Sixteen US states sued President Donald Trump’s administration Monday over his decision to declare a national emergency to fund a wall on the southern border with Mexico, saying the move violated the constitution.
Iran says it has launched ‘cruise missile capable’ submarine
Iran on Sunday launched a new, locally-built submarine capable of firing cruise missiles, state TV said, in the country’s latest show of military might at a time of heightened tensions with the US.
IS ‘caliphate’ on brink of defeat in Syria as Trump urges Europe to do more
U.S.-backed fighters in Syria are poised to capture Islamic State’s last, tiny enclave on the Euphrates, the battle commander said on Saturday, bringing its self-declared caliphate to the brink of total defeat as U.S. President Donald Trump spoke of ‘100 percent victory’.
Acting defense secretary: ‘No determinations’ yet about redirecting funds to build border wall
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said late Saturday he has not reviewed President Trump’s proposed use of military funds to build a border wall — and that he’s unprepared to vouch for White House claims to have steered billions of dollars toward the project.