@natashabertrand • 44.8k followers
CNN National Security correspondent
“Rafael Grossi’s comments appear to support an early assessment from the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, first reported on by CNN, which suggests the United States’ strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites last week did not destroy the core components of its nuclear program, and likely only set it back by months.” cnn.com/2025/06/29/world/iaea-iran-enriched-uranium-intl
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New: Danish officials are being warned by Trump allies and advisers that he is serious about acquiring Greenland—And they’re carefully weighing how to respond without sparking a major rupture with a close ally and fellow NATO member. cnn.com/2025/01/08/politics/danish-officials-trump-greenland/index.html
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Drones flew over 3 military bases including RAF Lakenheath last week and their activity appeared coordinated, per source. US defense officials are still investigating their origin, but they did not appear to be hobbyist drones.
cnn.com/2024/11/24/uk/us-air-force-raf-base-drones-gbr-intl/index.html
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NEW: We went to Lakenheath Air Force base in England this week to speak with the F15 fighter pilots and crew who helped shoot down Iranian drones and missiles in April. Watch and read our story here:
cnn.com/2024/11/15/politics/american-fighter-pilots-describe-taking-down-iranian-drones/index.html
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Exclusive: John McCain’s youngest son speaks out about Trump's appearance at Arlington cemetery, calling it a "violation." Jimmy McCain also tells me he changed his registration to Democrat several weeks ago and plans to vote for Harris in November. cnn.com/2024/09/03/politics/jimmy-mccain-decries-trump-arlington-appearance/index.html?cid=ios_app
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McCain’s anger over the Arlington episode was also particularly acute because when it happened, he had just returned from a 7-month deployment to a small US base on the Jordan-Syria border known as Tower 22.
He arrived there just weeks after 3 US service members were killed on the base in a drone attack by Iran-backed militants, and he says he thought of them when he saw Trump posing last Monday in front of gravestones.
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Russian and US troops have been operating out of the same military base in Niger for at least several weeks, putting the two militaries in close proximity to each other at a time of heightened tensions over the war in Ukraine and as the country’s ruling junta has made clear it wants US forces to leave. cnn.com/2024/05/02/politics/us-russian-forces-niger-base/index.html
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The US has observed Iran moving military assets around internally, including drones and as many as 100 cruise missiles, signaling that it could be preparing for an attack from inside its own territory. The U.S. and is prepared to help intercept any weapons launched at Israel, multiple sources said. cnn.com/2024/04/12/politics/white-house-iran-threat-israel/index.html
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ICYMI: The Biden administration is close to approving the sale of as many as 50 American-made F-15 fighter jets to Israel, in a deal expected to be worth more than $18 billion.
The transaction would amount to the largest US foreign military sale to Israel not only since the country went to war with Hamas on October 7 but also in the last several years. cnn.com/2024/04/01/politics/biden-administration-f15-fighter-jets-israel/index.html
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New: Russia appears on track to produce nearly three times more artillery munitions than the US and Europe, a key advantage ahead of what is expected to be another Russian offensive in Ukraine later this year.
“What we are in now is a production war,” a senior NATO official told CNN. “The outcome in Ukraine depends on how each side is equipped to conduct this war.”
cnn.com/2024/03/10/politics/russia-artillery-shell-production-us-europe-ukraine/index.html
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New: A floating pier and causeway for aid to Gaza could take 2 months & 1,000 troops for the US military to build. The organization "Fogbow" will be involved in delivery of the aid onto shore. Local Palestinians under direction of UN will help distribute. cnn.com/2024/03/08/politics/floating-pier-troops-aid-gaza/index.html
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Breaking: A Houthi ballistic missile attack on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden resulted in at least two fatalities among the crew members, two US officials told CNN, marking the first time that the Iran-backed militant group has killed anyone as part of their ongoing attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea. cnn.com/2024/03/06/politics/crew-members-killed-houthi-attack/index.html
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New: As funding for Ukraine faces an uncertain future in Congress, the US Army has been left to foot the bill for hundreds of millions of dollars in support for Ukraine’s war effort against Russia over the last few months — and Army officials are increasingly concerned that without new funding, they will have to begin pulling money from other critical projects to continue supporting Kyiv. cnn.com/2024/02/19/politics/us-army-ukraine-support-pressure?cid=ios_app
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We embedded with the US Navy in the Red Sea earlier this week, on board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and the USS Gravely destroyer as they battle the Houthis off the coast of Yemen. Our piece here:
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Jailed Russian opposition leader and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, who made global headlines when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, has died aged 47, the Russian prison service said. cnn.com/2024/02/16/europe/alexey-navalny-dead-russia-prison-intl?cid=ios_app
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Since the US’ airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Friday, US and coalition forces have been attacked 3 more times, including on Sunday when a drone hit near Mission Support Site Green Village, Syria, resulting in several SDF casualties and “significant damage to infrastructure," per a US official.
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US Central Command on US airstrikes today: "At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups. U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States..."
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News: A cruise missile launched by the Houthis into the Red Sea on Tuesday night came within a mile of a US destroyer before it was shot down, four US officials told CNN, the closest a Houthi attack has come to a US warship.
In the past, these missiles have been intercepted by US destroyers in the area at a range of eight miles or more. cnn.com/2024/01/31/politics/us-warship-close-call-houthi-missile/index.html
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A huge escalation: Three US Army soldiers were killed and at least two dozen service members were injured in a drone attack overnight on a small US outpost in Jordan, US officials told CNN, marking the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war. cnn.com/2024/01/28/politics/us-troops-drone-attack-jordan/index.html
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The US secretly warned Iran that ISIS was planning a potential terror attack inside Iran’s borders before the group carried out a deadly attack on January 3. Confirming WSJ:
cnn.com/2024/01/25/politics/us-warned-iran-isis-terror-attack/index.html
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New: The US and Iraq are expected to soon begin talks on the future of the US military presence in the country, amid public calls from the Iraqi government for the US to withdraw its troops. Part of the discussions will focus on whether and when it will be feasible for the US to withdraw. cnn.com/2024/01/24/politics/us-military-iraq-talks-future/index.html
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The US and UK carried out additional strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Monday, marking the eighth round of attacks by the US military in Yemen in just over 10 days, and the second time the US and UK have conducted these ops jointly.
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New: The US has named the ongoing operation to target Houthi assets in Yemen “Operation Poseidon Archer,” officials say. The named operation suggests a more organized, formal and potentially long-term approach to the operations in Yemen, where the US has been regularly striking Houthi infrastructure since Jan 11. cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-01-22-24/h_bcea34adfb7d01899d1d59278a3a9bfe
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As President Biden continues to urge top lawmakers to approve his $60 billion aid request for Ukraine, a grim realization has settled in for the administration that this is likely the last chance for any new US military funding to flow to Ukraine before the 2024 presidential election. cnn.com/2024/01/19/politics/grim-realization-ukraine-washington-funding-fight/index.html
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The US military launched new strikes against Houthi targets inside Yemen on Tuesday, targeting anti-ship ballistic missiles that the Houthis were preparing to launch, a US defense official told CNN on Tuesday. cnn.com/2024/01/16/politics/us-additional-strikes-houthis-yemen/index.html
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