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Adrian Olivier,
Sunday 28 January – Sunday 4 February:
On Sunday, three American soldiers were killed – and 34 injured – in Jordan by a drone launched by militant groups backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The deadly strike on the desert outpost known as Tower 22 in Jordan near the Syrian border resulted in the first known fatalities of U.S. forces from hostile fire following the October 7 attacks in Israel. The one-way attack drone reportedly hit near the outpost’s living quarters, causing injuries that ranged from minor cuts to brain trauma, a U.S. military official said. About 350 Army and Air Force personnel are deployed to the Tower 22 border outpost, which serves as a logistics and resupply hub for the nearby Al Tanf garrison in southeastern Syria, where American troops work with local Syrian partners to fight remnants of the Islamic State. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said “The president and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces, and we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops and our interests.” The top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, Senator Roger Wicker, called strikes on Iran saying “We must respond to these repeated attacks by Iran and its proxies by striking directly against Iranian targets and its leadership. The Biden administration’s responses thus far have only invited more attacks.”
On Monday, Elon Musk tweeted that the first human received an implant from his company Neuralink on Sunday. That patient is reportedly recovering well with initial results showing a promising neuronal spike detection according to Musk. Neuralink describes the coin-sized device as a “brain-computer interface” that is designed to be implanted inside the brain through a medical operation. The device is an extremely small computer with minute wires that connect to the part of the brain that controls intent of movement. The device is intended to treat brain disorders and help those with injuries regain body movement. In a separate tweet, Musk called this product “Telepathy.” He said the goal of the product is to permit users to control smartphones or computers “just by thinking.” Musk also noted the first users would be people who have lost the use of their arms or legs.
On Tuesday, the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyer, was forced to use its Mark 15 Phalanx Close-In-Weapon System (CIWS) against an incoming Houthi missile threat. What makes this notable is the fact that the Phalanx is the defence system of last resort – i.e. the Aegis missile defence system was possibly overwhelmed with multiple attacks, though details are unknown. CENTCOM said that there was no injuries or damage from that incident, however, that missile came within a mile of the Gravely. U.S. defence officials said “In the past, these missiles have been intercepted by U.S. destroyers in the area at a range of eight miles or more.” This suggests that Houthi forces are adapting their strategies – a worrying development for global trade.
On Wednesday, Federal Reserve officials held interest rates steady at their highest level in more than two decades at their first meeting of 2024 and hinted that their next move will be to lower borrowing costs — though not yet. Jerome H. Powell, the Fed’s chair, said that the country had “six good months” of moderating inflation, but officials wanted to see continued progress before lowering rates. The Fed’s last economic forecast, released in December, predicted that officials could lower borrowing costs by three-quarters of a percentage point throughout 2024.
On Thursday, European Union leaders reached an agreement to create a 50-billion-euro fund for Ukraine after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban ended his opposition. With no American aid forthcoming due to gridlock in Congress, Ukraine needs the money desperately as it faces one of its most difficult moments since Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly two years ago. The European aid, to be dispensed in the form of loans and grants over the next four years, would both cover immediate needs and allow Ukraine to plan its long-term budget.
On Friday, the U.S. conducted air strikes on 85 targets in seven locations across Iraq and Syria in an attack lasting 30 minutes. This was the American response to the killing of three of its soldiers in Jordan. The air strikes targeted “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.” B-1 bombers – long-range heavy bombers that can deploy precision and non-precision weapons – were used in the operations, dropping more than 125 precision munitions. The planes flew in a single non-stop flight from the US, “all of that enhanced by our Transportation Command and our ability to gas and go along the way.” In a statement, the U.S. said “The facilities that were struck included command and control operations, centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against US and Coalition forces.”
On Friday, South Korea’s military detected multiple North Korean missile launches but did not specify a number. The launches, which were North Korea’s fourth round of cruise missile tests this year, came hours after North Korean state media reported that Kim reiterated his focus on strengthening his naval forces as he inspected unspecified naval projects at a shipyard in Nampho, the Hermit Kingdom’s second largest city which lies on the west coast. North Korea said it tested cruise missiles outfitted with new “super-large” warheads as well as a new type of anti-aircraft missile.
On Saturday, Israel’s military said it has attacked more than 3,400 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and more than 50 in Syria since the war in Gaza broke out. At a press conference, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israel was targeting Hezbollah’s “supply chain of ammunition and missiles” coming from Iran through Syria. “We locate these shipments and destroy them. They are destroyed before they reach Hezbollah,” Hagari said, adding: “We will continue to act wherever Hezbollah is present. We will continue to act wherever it is required in the Middle East,” Hagari said. The Israeli military has deployed three divisions along the Lebanese border since October 7th, instead of the usual single division. “So far we have attacked more than 150 terrorist units and eliminated more than 200 terrorists and commanders,” Hagari said. Hezbollah said it had launched at least eight attacks on Israeli positions. The IDF acknowledged that “a number of launches” were identified crossing from Lebanon to northern Israel, but said no injuries were reported and that it struck the sources of the fire.
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