China declined a U.S. request to take joint international action to counter missile attacks on global shipping by Houthi rebels in Yemen, a senior American diplomat said Thursday, Oct. 3. Instead, Beijing reportedly encouraged the Iranian-backed Houthis to target non-Chinese vessels, according to U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment…

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced a formal inquiry into the Impact Plastics facility. The investigation came as a result of allegations that management ignored warnings about Hurricane Helene and required factory workers to report to work during dangerous weather conditions. Employees said the company’s decision not to cancel work led to the deaths of…

Houthi rebels appear not to be fearing U.S. MQ-9 Reaper Drones like they have in the past thanks to the help of Iran, according to U.S. intelligence sources. U.S. officials told NBC News that Tehran is enabling the militants to shoot down the massive, unmanned aircraft that are used to gather intelligence and launch Hellfire…

The United States deployed approximately 40,000 troops to the Middle East amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. The troops are part of a larger military buildup in the region, which includes the deployment of warships and advanced fighter jets. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements, said the additional…

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed retaliation after a missile fired by Houthi rebels reached central Israel for the first time. A Houthi spokesman said the hypersonic ballistic missile, fired from Yemen, traveled more than 1,200 miles in just over 10 minutes Sunday, Sept. 15. The Israeli Defense Forces said there were repeated attempts to shoot down the missile…

The United States has a significant amount of naval and air assets in the Middle East right now. The Pentagon said those forces are “postured to support the defense of Israel and protect U.S. troops and assets in the region.” Israel’s war against Hamas is still mostly contained to Gaza, and the back-and-forth attacks with…

Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea, claiming these actions are in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Most recently, a Greek-flagged oil tanker was ablaze after an attack by the Yemeni terrorist group. Since initiating these attacks, the Houthis sunk two ships and killed at least three crew members, focusing…

An oil tanker continues to burn in the Red Sea days after it was set ablaze by Houthi rebels. New photos released on Sunday, Aug. 25, show flames spilling from the hull of the Greek-flagged vessel, but there are no signs of an oil spill yet. There is still a significant environmental hazard, with 150,000…

A commercial ship traveling through the Red Sea came under siege Wednesday, Aug. 21. The British military suspects Yemen’s Houthi rebels are behind the attack, which would be the latest in an ongoing campaign by the group targeting ships traveling through the trade route. According to officials, the attack involved men on small boats firing…

Things are heating up in one of the coldest places on the planet. For the better part of July and into early August, some of the most elite special operations forces in the U.S. military participated in Operation Polar Dagger.  The exercises test the most highly trained U.S. personnel in one of the planet’s most…