USA Today: US Navy Shoots Down Missiles Targeting American Cargo Ship: Israel-Hamas War Live Updates

“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

“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.”

CEP Mentions

The Limited Times: Houthi Attacks On Merchant Ships In The Red Sea: Rebels Are A “Means To An End”

“... 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?

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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.”