In this series, we take a look at 5 current conflicts, crises and events around the world every two weeks. This time in focus: the USA is planning its complete withdrawal from Iraq, North Korea is arming itself with nuclear weapons and the explosion of thousands of communication devices in Lebanon.
Event #1: Pager explosions shake Lebanon
On Tuesday afternoon, pagers used by Hezbollah as communication devices exploded in Lebanon. This was followed on Wednesday by another wave of explosions affecting radio equipment. According to the New York Times small amounts of explosives were hidden in the pagers, which were detonated by radio. As the Standard reportsthe devices were delivered to Hezbollah only a few months ago and are said to have been assembled under license by a Taiwanese company in Hungary. The explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday injured around 3,000 people and killed more than 30. The attack further escalates the already tense situation in the region. As the Standard analyzesa war between Israel and Hezbollah is no longer a question of time, but a question of scale. Israel has already announced its intention to permanently change the status of its northern border – which would only be possible through a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.
Event #2: Kursk – Russia launches counter-offensive
At the beginning of August, the Ukrainian army launched a surprising offensive in the Russian region of Kursk. In just a few weeks, it was able to capture almost 1,300 square kilometers and around one hundred Russian towns and villages. As the New York Times reportsthe advance has now slowed down considerably. Moscow’s troops have recaptured several villages in the border region that were only taken by Kiev forces last month. In eastern Ukraine, too Russian troops continue to advance. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj therefore once again called on the West to supply long-range weapons and to release them for attacks on Russian territory. “The longer this discussion drags on, the more aviation infrastructure Moscow can move deeper into the country’s interior,” says Brigadier Berthold Sandtner, military analyst at the National Defense Academy in our “5 questions to” interview on the topic. https://militaeraktuell.at/interview-mit-brigadier-berthold-sandtner/
Event #3: US withdrawal from Iraq imminent
According to the Standard Baghdad and Washington agreed that the US will withdraw completely from Iraq in the next two years. The withdrawal has been demanded by political groups in Baghdad with close ties to Iran since 2020, when the US had Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Ghassem Soleimani was killed. The US currently has around 2,500 soldiers in Iraq, who are supporting an ongoing campaign against the Islamic State, among other things. The US presence in Iraq is also an integral part of the US mission in neighboring Syria, where 900 American troops are fighting alongside the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the Islamic State. Without forces in Iraq, it’s hard to imagine the troops staying in Syria for long, analyzes The Washington Post. Since the last IS stronghold in Baghuz, Syria, fell in 2019, the remnants of the terrorist militia have retreated to inaccessible desert areas in Syria and Iraq. Since 2023 at the latest, there has been a significant resurgence of the terrorist group. Experts now fear that the withdrawal of US troops could give the jihadists an additional boost.
Event #4: Oil tanker secured
According to the Washington Post a Greek oil tanker that had been stuck in the Red Sea since a Houthi militia attack last month was brought to safety without incident. The MV Delta Sounion tanker, which was attacked by the Houthis in August about 150 kilometers off the coast of Yemen, was carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil, the equivalent of about one million barrels. It was feared that this oil could leak into the sea. The US State Department warned that a spill from the tanker could jeopardize the Exxon Valdez in 1989 in Alaska in Alaska in 1989 could be exceeded many times over. The Houthis are part of the developing conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iranian proxies, who have carried out attacks on Israeli territory in solidarity with Palestinians being bombed in the Gaza Strip. Last Sunday, the Houthi rebels fired a rocket at Israel. The attack demonstrated the military capabilities of the Houthis, who are stationed hundreds of kilometers from Israel on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, according to the New York Times. https://militaeraktuell.at/das-bundesheer-uebt-mit-der-vermont-national-guard/
Event #5: North Korea arms itself
According to The Washington Post North Korean President Kim Jong Un announced his intention to exponentially increase the number of nuclear weapons. A goal that Pyongyang has been pursuing for years been pursuing for years. As Kim explained, a modern type of centrifuge for the production of enriched uranium has reached the final stage of planning. This would strengthen North Korea’s production of weapons-grade nuclear material. Scientists assume that North Koreathat North Korea could have enough fissile material to build up to 90 nuclear warheads. According to Standard the last known nuclear test took place in 2017. South Korea condemned Pyongyang for its statements on further expanding its nuclear capability, which it said was a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. As the New York Times reportsin recent years, South Korea and the US have begun to develop joint plans to defend against a possible nuclear attack from the North.
Click here for “5 views of the world #009“: What was? What is? What will be?
Topics: Hunger as a weapon of war, a new escalation in the Middle East and how protests in Serbia are jeopardizing Europe’s goal of reducing its dependence on lithium.
