July, 2022

• 5 July

  The vast Iran-Hezbollah drone threat is escalating – analysis

  

  Hezbollah, Hamas and other Iranian-backed groups have increased their drone threats over the last years. Israel’s downing of three drones on Saturday illustrates the growing nexus of Iran-Hezbollah threats in the region – and specifically the Lebanese terrorist organization’s escalating attempts to target gas platforms off the coast of Israel. …

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• 5 July

  Soviet equipment for Ukraine running out as US pushes for NATO switch

  

  While still attempting to provide Soviet arms, the Biden administration hopes Ukraine will use more Western equipment in the long run. The US and Western allies have been supplying Ukraine with Soviet-era military weapons for months now, but that too is beginning to run out, according to a senior US …

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• 5 July

  Prime Minister Yair Lapid slams Hezbollah in first cabinet meeting

  

  “Hezbollah continues to terrorize and undermines Lebanon’s ability to reach a maritime agreement. Israel will continue to defend itself.” Israel will defend itself and its assets, Prime Minister Yair Lapid warned on Sunday, a day after the Israel Air Force thwarted an attempted attack by Hezbollah on a gas rig …

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• 5 July

  Iran Intervenes To Stop Turkish Invasion of Northern Syria

  

  Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad thanked Iran Saturday night for helping to reduce tension between Damascus and Ankara. Turkey has been threatening in recent weeks to invade northern Syria, launch a military operation against Kurdish militias in the area, and establish a 30-kilometer buffer zone along the border by removing …

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• 5 July

  Ukraine Asks Turkey to Detain Russian Ship Allegedly Carrying Stolen Wheat

  

  Ukraine has asked Turkey to detain a Russian-flagged cargo ship it says is carrying Ukrainian wheat. The Russian-flagged cargo ship Zhibek Zholy is carrying 4,500 metric tons of Ukrainian grain taken from the Russian-occupied port of Berdyansk, Ukraine’s foreign ministry has charged, according to Reuters. The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office …

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• 5 July

  Deteriorated Situations

  Yemen Conflict parties extended April truce for two months, while negotiations over access to Taiz city remained central sticking point and divisions surfaced within govt. Warring parties 2 June renewed UN-mediated April truce for two months; truce – which is longest in effect since start of war in 2015 – …

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• 4 July

  Keeping The Energy In The Room

  

  It may seem like technology advances year after year, as if by magic. But behind every incremental improvement and breakthrough revolution is a team of scientists and engineers hard at work. UC Santa Barbara Professor Ben Mazin is developing precision optical sensors for telescopes and observatories. In a paper published …

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• 4 July

  Iran’s Simmering Discontent In The Caspian Sea

  

  While the leaders of NATO were meeting in Madrid last week, another gathering was taking place 5,300 km to the east in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where the leaders of the five littoral states of the Caspian Sea (Russia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan) gathered for the 6th Caspian Summit. It was …

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• 4 July

  High Inflation Spells Predicament For Major Central Banks

  As the European bond market falls, European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said on June 28 that the central bank will start a bond-buying program on Friday to curb possible debt crises. The ECB is considering maintaining “flexibility” in its reinvestment allocation to its massive EUR 1.7 trillion bond-buying …

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• 4 July

  Jokowi’s Russia-Ukraine Mission Offers Hope, But He Must Follow Up

  

  Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s shuttle diplomacy to Ukraine and Russia this week offered some hope for peace but he needs to follow up with further dialogue to ensure his efforts are not a mere flash in the pan, analysts said. While his mission to persuade Moscow to declare a …

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