April, 2021

• 23 April

  Iran media celebrates ‘explosion’ at ‘sensitive Israel missile factory’

  

  Reports indicate the explosion happened near Ramle at a routine test at the Tomer factory for advanced weapons. Iranian state media highlighted a “powerful explosion” that they said took place at a “sensitive Israeli missile factory” during a test. A similar report appeared in Haaretz, and it appears Iranian media …

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• 23 April

  Syria has a history of wildly firing air defense missiles

  

  The IDF says that “surface-to-air missile fire was identified from Syria, which landed in the Negev area. In response,the IDF struck the battery, from which the missile was launched, and additional Syrian surface-to-air batteries in the area.”Reports online say the missile was an S-200, also known as an SA-5. This …

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• 23 April

  Aiming at Dimona: Did the Syrian regime purposely target Israel?

  

  Much remains unclear about the incident on April 22, including why Syria fired a missile so wildly and so far south into Israel – and whether Israel’s interceptors failed to stop the threat. A sleepless night on Thursday morning left many in Israel wondering what sirens at two in the …

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• 23 April

  Syrian missile lands near Dimona nuclear reactor, interception fails

  SA-5 flies from Syria all the way to Negev in the longest-range attack yet by Syria; Patriot missile activated in response. Israel and Syria exchanged missile attacks early on Thursday morning, after Damascus launched an advanced surface-to-air missile that landed in the Negev Desert. Alarms sounded in Abu Qrenat near …

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• 23 April

  China’s Fishing Fleet Is Vacuuming the Oceans

  

  “China’s leaders see distant water fleets as a way to project presence around the world. The aim is to be present all over the world’s oceans so that they can direct the outcomes of international agreements that cover maritime resources.” — Tabitha Mallory, CEO of China Ocean Institute and affiliate …

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• 23 April

  China’s Record First Quarter Fuels Strong Expansion In 2021 – Analysis

  China’s first quarter record performance will accelerate momentum in China and support recovery in the US and global economic prospects – as long as unwarranted geopolitical tensions remain in check. A year ago, China’s first quarter plunge was -6.8 percent, due to the pandemic effect. In the West, it was …

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• 23 April

  Biden Must Make Hard Choices Quickly on Afghanistan

  

  Afghanistan may not rank in the top tier of U.S. President Joe Biden’s policy priorities, given the host of pressing crises in the United States. But Afghanistan’s fate hinges in large part on how the Biden team decides to approach the country’s conflict and its tenuous, still-nascent peace process. Biden …

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• 23 April

  Fears of an Imminent Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Are Overblown

  

  The top U.S. military commander for the Asia-Pacific region, Adm. Philip Davidson, raised eyebrows at a recent Senate hearing when he suggested China could invade Taiwan within the next six years. The nominee to replace Davidson at the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. John Aquilino, then went a step …

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• 23 April

  Why China’s ‘Wolf Warriors’ Won’t Back Down

  

  China’s “wolf warrior” diplomacy may have backfired in Australia, Canada and most recently France, but in a sign of its hardening attitude toward the West, Beijing is not backing down from its aggressive posture. Defying diplomatic norms, a growing number of Chinese envoys are adopting a belligerent tone in their …

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• 23 April

  No End in Sight to U.S.-China Tensions Over Taiwan

  

  On Monday, China’s People Liberation Army flew 25 aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers, through Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, marking the largest such incursion since the self-ruled democracy began making its data on them public last September. Taiwan has continued to monitor the movements of the Chinese aircraft, transmit …

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