In 2023, Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command, said the Middle East was on the verge of an unprecedented and transformative process. Now, in 2024, no other region presents more of a threat to the United States than the region CENTCOM monitors — which includes the Middle East, the Levant and…

Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a missile attack on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, resulting in the death of two crew members. The attack on the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier, True Confidence, marked the first fatal Houthi strike amid Israel’s conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The attack exacerbated the conflict along a…

More Iranian-made fast attack craft are in the Western Hemisphere as Venezuela takes possession of a new batch of Peykaap III Class missile boats. Maritime analysts like H. I. Sutton said Iran sent a batch of four Peykaaps to Venezuela last year. Now, video of the boats being operated by Venezuelan sailors are showing up…

The latest report by Freedom House — an organization that describes itself as a defender of human rights — reveals that more than 20% of the world’s national governments have reached beyond their borders to assassinate, assault, imprison, interrogate and deport dissenters. The analysis found that national governments are reportedly searching the world for political…

Artificial intelligence is quickly being integrated into various aspects of life, from navigation apps to word processing programs. Now, its application has extended to U.S. military strategies. According to Bloomberg, the U.S. military used AI to identify targets for air strikes in the Middle East in early February, marking a significant use of technology in…

The White House announced on Thursday, Feb. 29, that the U.S. is launching an investigation into whether Chinese “smart cars” are a national security risk, according to Reuters. The probe could also lead to restrictions due to concern over “connected” car technology, according to the Biden administration. The U.S. Commerce Department will be handling the…

It’s been two years since the start of Russia’s three-day special military operation to take Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of people are dead. Entire cities have been reduced to rubble. The 600-mile frontline hasn’t changed much over the last year, but if you believe what world leaders are saying, this next year could decide the…

Four foreign nationals have been charged in connection to a U.S. raid last month that resulted in two Navy SEALs losing their lives. According to the Justice Department, the four men, all with Pakistani identification on them, were allegedly transporting Iranian-made weapons on Jan. 11 when the Navy intercepted their small, unflagged vessel in the…

President Biden meets with the family of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as the U.S. prepares to impose hundreds of sanctions on Russia. And AT&T reveals what was behind the massive outage that left thousands without phone service. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. President Biden meets…

In what seems like a plot lifted from an international thriller, U.S. authorities charged a 60-year-old alleged Japanese Yakuza boss, Takeshi Ebisawa, with attempting to sell nuclear materials to Iran, officials announced Feb. 21. Ebisawa is accused of trying to distribute uranium and weapons-grade plutonium to an undercover agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA),…