April, 2024

• 5 April

  Grand strategy: ‘shield of the republic’

  Key points Grand strategy is a state’s theory about how to provide for its own security. Leaders must decide how to best translate scarce means into political objectives. Limited resources and the high stakes of national survival force leaders to prioritize.Military power is dependent on wealth, industry, geographical endowments, population …

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• 5 April

  A Crack in Putin’s Armor

  

  On Friday, March 22, gunmen toting assault rifles stormed Crocus City Hall, west of Moscow in the Krasnogorsk district, shot the guards and, as graphic videos show, opened fire on the concert audience without restraint. More than 6,000 tickets had been sold for the performance by the famed Russian rock …

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• 5 April

  Ukraine is at great risk of its front lines collapsing

  

  According to high-ranking Ukrainian officers, the military picture is grim and Russian generals could find success wherever they decide to focus their upcoming offensive. KYIV — Wayward entrepreneur Elon Musk’s latest pronouncements regarding the war in Ukraine set teeth on edge, as he warned that even though Moscow has “no …

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• 4 April

  Tehran vows response after strike blamed on Israel destroyed Iran’s Consulate in Syria and killed 12

  

  Iran on Tuesday vowed to respond to an airstrike widely attributed to Israel that destroyed Iran’s Consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus the previous day and killed 12 people, including two Iranian generals and a member of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group. Four Syrian citizens were also killed in …

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• 4 April

  Hezbollah militants among dozens killed in Israeli strikes on Syria’s Aleppo

  Israeli airstrikes hit the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Friday morning, killing dozens of people including five members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. At about 1.45am local time (10.45pm GMT on Thursday), airstrikes targeted several areas in Aleppo’s countryside, in which a number of civilians and military personnel …

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• 4 April

  Pro-Iran Telegram Outlets Eulogize IRGC Commander Killed In Damascus Airstrike; Sunni Jihadi Outlets Celebrate His Death

  On April 1, 2024, a Telegram channel affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, also known as Abu Mahdi, was killed in an airstrike that targeted a building adjacent to the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Syria.[1] The channel accused Israel of carrying …

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• 4 April

  Hizbullah Arresting Foreign Nationals In Beirut, Tightening Its Control In The Area

  

  In late February 2024, three unusual incidents occurred in the Dahiya, the Hizbullah stronghold in southern Beirut, in which the organization detained and interrogated foreign nationals who had entered that area. All the people detained were foreigners who were in the country with the official approval and consent of the …

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• 3 April

  Iran’s Supreme Leader Threatens to Punish Israel After Syria Airstrike

  

  Latest Developments Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on April 2 threatened to retaliate against Israel for killing Iranian military leaders in an airstrike in Damascus. In a statement on his website, Khamenei claimed that “Israel will be punished” for the April 1 attack, which eliminated Mohammad Reza Zahedi and …

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• 3 April

  Iraqi Militia Threatens to Arm Jordanians for Attacks Against Israel

  

  Latest Developments An Iraq-based Iranian proxy militia on April 1 threatened to retaliate against Israel for its airstrikes in Damascus and for the war in Gaza by arming fighters in Jordan. Abu al-Askari, spokesperson of Kata’ib Hezbollah — a U.S.-designated terrorist organization also known as the Hezbollah Brigades — blamed …

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• 3 April

  Who was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the senior Iranian general killed in Damascus?

  

  Israel’s air strike on Monday in Damascus, which killed five Iranian commanders including two generals and the head of Iran’s operations in Syria and Lebanon, struck at the heart of Tehran’s foreign operations. Hitting the Iranian consulate was also unprecedented, breaching the Vienna Convention, designed to protect diplomats and their …

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