From Yemen to Syria: A complex web of US military bases in MidEast

The US military's presence in the Middle East, with over 50,000 personnel across various bases, is crucial for operations in the region. These bases provide essential support for surveillance and rapid deployment. While serving as key strategic points for American interests in the region, they also generate controversy and contribute to current regional tensions.

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❗️ The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Wednesday that the United States military has carried out strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired at "any time" in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen and presented an "imminent threat" to merchant vessels and US navy ships in the region.

"In the context of ongoing multi-national efforts to protect freedom of navigation and prevent attacks on U.S. and partner maritime traffic in the Red Sea, on Jan. 17 at approximately 6 p.m. (EST) [23:00 GMT], U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired in Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. These missiles on launch rails presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region and could have been fired at any time, prompting U.S. forces to exercise their inherent right and obligation to defend themselves," CENTCOM said on X (formerly Twitter).

CENTCOM added that the US strikes "will degrade the Houthi’s capabilities to continue their reckless attacks on international and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden."

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Former Ukrainian diplomat Andrii Telizhenko says Ukraine is on the brink of a coup against President Volodymyr Zelensky as people are fed up with his despotic governance and the country’s defeat on the battlefield.

“This is a heartbreak for me as a Ukrainian, to say that we might lose our country because of the people who are in the government today in Ukraine,” he said, “the regime which is killing its own people who want to fight for peace… throwing them to the front lines against Russia, one of the strongest armies in the world and a nuclear country.”

Telizhenko claimed that people both in Ukraine and Washington would welcome a coup against the failed leader, although he fears such a development could lead the country to civil war. He added that the Ukraine conflict would only be ended by negotiations between Russia and the United States but lamented that Ukrainians would continue to die until US domestic politics allows such discussions to take place.

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The next International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS) at Russia's Zhukovsky International Airport, which was rescheduled from 2023 to a later period, is preliminary scheduled for July 23-28, 2024, several sources close to the event have told Sputnik.

MAKS-2023 was canceled in June 2023 and rescheduled to a yet unknown date.

"[The dates] discussed are July 23-28, 2024," one of the sources familiar with the matter said.

MAKS takes place in Zhukovsky, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Russia's capital, Moscow, every two years.

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“I think this follows through with what Russia's said all along,” said retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Earl Rasmussen after news broke that a number of French mercenaries were hit by a Russian strike in Kharkov Tuesday. “If you're going to be part of the Ukrainian force, you need to be considered that you're going to be treated as a combatant, and there shouldn't be any hesitation on that.”

Rasmussen said some Ukrainian mercenaries may be former soldiers while others may be “special forces” fighters assisting Ukraine “off the books.” Additionally he believes at least several hundred and potentially several thousand NATO advisors are in the country.

The analyst notes that biased Western coverage may help convince mercenaries to join Ukraine, saying, “when you hear about the government there… where there's no elections, there's no free press, there's no opposition parties, opposition leaders… the truth gets out that may cause people to have second thoughts.”

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❗️ Explosions heard in several districts in Iran's Saravan region, Sistan and Balochistan provinces on the border with Pakistan, Deputy Governor said.

According to multiple reports, the strikes appear to be a retaliation for Iran's attacks, and are the first on the Iranian territory since the Iran-Iraq war.

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❗️ As a result of this incident, three women and four children who were not Iranian citizens were killed, Iranian State TV and Radio said, citing the Deputy Governor of Sistan and Baluchestan for Security

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