Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Iran’s supreme leader reportedly moved to secure location amid fears of Israeli strike
Israel said it targeted another top Hezbollah commander on Sunday, just two days after it killed the group's longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in an airstrike in Beirut, while Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was reportedly moved to a secure location inside Iran amid fears that Israel may target him as well. Published September 29, 2024
U.S. kills dozens of ISIS, al Qaeda-linked fighters in pair of major Syria airstrikes
U.S. forces in recent days carried out a pair of major airstrikes across Syria, killing key terrorist figures and dozens of fighters linked to the Islamic State and al Qaeda, the Pentagon said Sunday in a statement. Published September 29, 2024
Risk of wider war grows in Mideast after Hezbollah chief Nasrallah killed in Israeli airstrike
Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime leader of the terrorist group Hezbollah, was killed by an Israeli airstrike Friday in Beirut in a major blow to the Lebanon-based organization and its chief patron, Iran. Published September 28, 2024
No way out? Biden latest U.S. president trapped by Mideast mayhem
President Biden came to power aiming to do the impossible: Dramatically shrink America's military footprint in the Middle East and redirect Washington's focus away from a volatile corner of the world that has consumed U.S. foreign policy for more than two decades. Published September 24, 2024
U.S. seizes Venezuelan President Maduro’s official airplane
The U.S. reportedly seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's official airplane and flew it to America on Monday, marking a major escalation in the standoff between Washington and Caracas just weeks after the Biden administration accused Mr. Maduro of essentially stealing the country's July presidential election. Published September 2, 2024
Israeli judge cuts work stoppage short, but furious Netanyahu gets message
A court ordered tens of thousands of Israelis back to work Monday, ending a short-lived but widespread strike that cast a spotlight on the political divisions and growing anger in the country after the weekend deaths of six Israeli hostages held by the terrorist group Hamas. Published September 2, 2024
‘Take to the streets’: Anger toward Netanyahu hits fever pitch after 6 hostages found dead
Anger in Israel boiled over Sunday after the nation's military said it recovered the bodies of six Hamas hostages, including a young Israeli American man. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to the hostages' families as protests decrying his leadership erupted across the country. Published September 1, 2024
U.S. poised to determine direction of Ukraine-Russia war; Kursk operation provides new opportunity
Ukraine's stunning military offensive across the border in Kursk has fundamentally reshaped the dynamics of a war that previously looked to be shifting heavily in Russia's favor. But Kyiv's momentum in the coming days and weeks may be largely dependent on what the U.S. does next. Published August 27, 2024
House Republicans press FBI for more information on Iran’s role in plot to kill Trump
Key House Republicans are demanding answers from the Biden administration about the recent arrest of a Pakistani man in connection with an alleged Iranian plot to kill U.S. officials, presumably including former President Donald Trump, and about an apparent string of threats to American political figures emanating from Tehran. Published August 16, 2024
Ominous signs on a grim anniversary for U.S., Afghanistan
Three years after the frenzied U.S. pullout and Taliban victory, a bleak view of Afghanistan's present and future is not uncommon among those who served there. Published August 15, 2024
Not just ‘local’: Ex-diplomat sees merging of anti-U.S., anti-Israel forces in Oct. 7 rampage
The Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel should not be seen as a strictly local event playing out in one corner of the Middle East but rather as a piece of a much broader global movement against both Israel and U.S. interests and allies around the world, a former senior Israeli diplomat warned Tuesday. Published August 6, 2024
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy hails the arrival of U.S.-made F16 fighter jets
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the long-awaited arrival of American-made F-16 fighter jets, calling it a "new stage" for Ukraine's air war with Russia. Published August 4, 2024
Opposition leader joins protests in Venezuela as backlash over election grows
The leader of Venezuela's political opposition joined protests Saturday in Caracas, blasting socialist President Nicolas Maduro's "repression" of his people. Published August 4, 2024
‘Leave now’: U.S., U.K. tell citizens to get out of Lebanon as Middle East war escalates
The U.S. and the United Kingdom urged their citizens over the weekend to get out of Lebanon. Published August 4, 2024
Pentagon dispatches carrier strike group, fighter jet squadron to Mideast as tensions escalate
The Pentagon is dispatching a new carrier strike group, a fighter jet squadron, missile defense-capable cruisers and other military assets to the Middle East amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, and Tehran's network of proxy groups across the region, military officials said Friday. Published August 2, 2024
Iran should think twice before direct attack on Israel, former CENTCOM chief says
Iran should think twice before launching a direct retaliatory attack on Israel, the former head of U.S. Central Command said Wednesday, as the apparent assassination in Tehran of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh again demonstrated the gap in military capabilities between the Mideast foes. Published July 31, 2024
U.S., other opponents of Maduro weigh response to election ‘victory’
Venezuela teetered on the brink of a political crisis Monday after President Nicolas Maduro claimed reelection amid contested and seemingly suspicious vote tallies, while the Biden administration cast heavy doubt on the results and critics alleged that Mr. Maduro's socialist government had flagrantly overturned the will of the country's voters. Published July 29, 2024
Kremlin takes aim at Kamala Harris’ lack of foreign policy credentials amid global uncertainty
Some of America's adversaries appeared eager Monday to downplay the foreign policy credentials of Vice President Kamala Harris, now the heavy favorite to be the Democratic Party's 2024 White House nominee after President Biden left the race a day earlier, painting Ms. Harris as a figure with minimal impact on U.S. relationships and policies abroad during her tenure in the White House. Published July 22, 2024
Israelis strike Houthi port after Tel Aviv attack; Yemeni retaliation bid blocked
Israel said Sunday it foiled a retaliatory attack from Yemen's Houthi rebels, a day after Israeli fighter jets struck a major port in Yemen, a strike meant to avenge a deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv launched by the Iran-backed Houthis last week. Published July 21, 2024
Israeli airstrikes hit Houthis after Iran-backed rebels’ drone assault on Tel Aviv
Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, the Israeli Defense Forces said, a day after the Iran-backed terrorists launched a deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv. Published July 20, 2024
