The State Department has reaffirmed that an attack on a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea will invoke the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty following a near miss between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels in the disputed waters. The stand-off took...
Israeli Airstrikes Hit Syria, Three Civilians Reported Wounded
Israeli airstrikes hit targets near the western Syrian city of Homs early Saturday morning. According to the Syrian news agency SANA, three civilians were wounded in the strikes. A civilian fuel station caught fire and a number of tankers and trucks burned as a result...
Iran’s Tanker Seizure Came After the US Stole a Shipment of Iranian Oil
Iran's recent seizure of a US-bound oil tanker came after the Biden administration forced a tanker carrying Iranian oil to deliver the cargo to the US instead of China, Financial Times reported Friday. Using the pretext of sanctions enforcement, the US Justice...
US Sanctions Target Russia’s FSB, Iran’s IRGC for Detaining Americans
The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on the Russian intelligence agency FSB and the intelligence wing of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) over allegations that they're involved in the detainment of Americans. The sanctions also targeted four Iranian...
House China Committee Prepares Proposals to Rapidly Arm Taiwan
The new House committee on China is preparing proposals on ways to rapidly arm Taiwan and boost up American stockpiles of long-range missiles, Defense News reported on Thursday. The steps come after the committee, which is led by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI),...
House Votes Down Resolution to Withdraw from Somalia
The House on Thursday voted down a War Powers Resolution introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) that would have directed President Biden to remove all US troops from Somalia within one year, except those guarding the US embassy. The resolution failed in a vote of...
China Denounces US Plans to Dock Nuclear-Armed Submarines in South Korea
China on Thursday denounced US plans to dock nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea, saying that the plan runs counter to the goal of a "denuclearized" Korean Peninsula. "The United States has put regional security at risk and intentionally used the issue of the...
Kremlin Says It Welcomes Any Steps to Resolve War After Xi-Zelensky Call
The Kremlin said Thursday that it would welcome any steps toward a settlement to the war in Ukraine following the call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese President Xi Jinping. "We are ready to welcome anything that could help bring an end to...
US Navy Says Iran Seized US-Bound Oil Tanker Near Oman
The US military said Thursday that Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker, the Advantage Sweet, that was bound for Texas. According to Iranian media, the ship was seized after it collided with an Iranian fishing vessel. "The oil tanker issued a distress...
US General Says Russian Ground Forces ‘Bigger Today’ Than Before Invasion
Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the commander of US European Command, told Congress on Wednesday that Russia's ground forces are "bigger today" than they were before Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine last year. "[T]he Russian ground force has been degenerated somewhat...