Drone Strike In Iran & NASA’s New Astronauts
January 30, 2023
Israel’s Impotent Incursion
On Saturday night, drones attacked an Iranian military factory in the city of Isfahan, causing an explosion but no significant damage or casualties. According to a few U.S. officials speaking on the condition of anonymity, Israel was involved in the attack, marking the first time Israel has attacked Iran since Netanyahu’s return to power last month.
“Around 23:30 (2000 GMT) on Saturday night, an unsuccessful attack was carried out using micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) on one of the ministry’s workshop sites,” said Iran’s Defence Ministry in a statement. It added that one drone was shot down, “and the other two were caught in defence traps and blew up. It caused only minor damage to the roof of a workshop building. There were no casualties.” The target of the attack was an ammunition plant, which was defended by surface-to-air systems. Another official added that the attack was likely launched from within Iran’s borders given Isfahan’s central location and the range of the drones.
Iran’s military has been haunted by attacks on its own soil like the drone attack in recent years, with fires and blackouts affecting its nuclear facilities and military attacks affecting supply chains and personnel. The country has been embroiled in multiple controversies as of late, with the government cracking down on widespread protests over the death of Mahsa Amini after she violated dress codes. The international community has also criticized Iran for supplying Russia with arms it’s used to invade Ukraine, including long-range suicide drones. “Explosive night in Iran,” tweeted Mykhailo Podolyak, senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Did warn you.”
Following the attack, U.S. officials were quick to state that their country was not responsible for the attack. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is currently in Israel on his first visit to the country since Netanyahu’s election, but it’s unclear if the attack was discussed at all.
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Bloodshed In The West Bank
- After an Israeli raid on a town in the occupied West Bank killed 10 Palestinians last week, violence has erupted across the region. Israeli settlers have conducted almost 150 attacks against Palestinians and their property between Thursday’s raid and Sunday, and individual Palestinians have shot multiple Israelis in the same time.
- A Palestinian man also opened fire on Friday, killing seven people outside a Jewish synagogue in East Jerusalem. Another shooting by a 13-year-old Palestinian injured two people the next day in East Jerusalem. According to Palestinian authorities, Israeli settlers have attacked 144 different Palestinian individuals or their property in retaliation over the weekend, and Israeli authorities have vowed to destroy the home of the Friday shooting perpetrator. A quick reminder: Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank are considered illegal by the international community.
- In response to the heightened violence, Israel’s far-right government has enacted new legislation. The new measures would make it easier for Israeli citizens to get gun licenses, allow police and military to arrest more Palestinians, and increase the operations aimed at seizing Palestinian weapons. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also stated that he wanted to arm volunteers at a search and rescue and paramedic organization.
Rishi’s Rotten Reputation
- On Sunday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fired Conservative Party chair Nadhim Zahawi following an investigation revealing that Zahawi had hidden a tax probe into his finances last year before he was appointed chair of the Conservative Party by Sunak. While Zahari claims that the probe simply found that he’d been “careless” with his tax declarations, Sunak called his hiding of the investigation ”a serious breach of the Ministerial Code” in a letter to the party chair.
- Sunak’s government, like the two Conservative governments before it, has been faced with a series of controversies despite his attempts to “reset” his party’s reputation. Multiple members of Sunak’s cabinet have been sacked over bullying investigations, with even more being investigated right now. Britain is expected to have a general election in 2024 to decide the makeup of the 59th House of Commons.
Additional World News
- Petr Pavel: Ex-general beats populist rival in Czech election (BBC)
- 3 dead, 1 missing as rain pounds New Zealand’s largest city (CBS)
- Peru bus plunges off cliff, killing at least 24 (Reuters)
- Hundreds injured, 3 dead, as earthquake hits Iran (CNN)
- Man crushed to death under outdoor urinal in London (ABC)
- Tens of thousands of teachers march in Lisbon to demand better pay and conditions (Reuters)
- Italy’s Eni signs $8 billion Libya gas deal as PM Meloni visits Tripoli (Reuters)
- Taliban warn women can’t take entry exams at universities (ABC)
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
House Speaker Petty McCarthy
- House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has targeted Representatives Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, and Ilhan Omar by removing them – or attempting to – from their respective committee assignments, but on Sunday, the three appeared in a joint interview with CNN to fight back. Reps. Schiff and Swalwell were removed from their positions on the House Intelligence Committee, while McCarthy is hoping to remove Rep. Omar from the House Foreign Affairs panel.
- Swalwell said of McCarthy’s campaign, “it’s Kevin McCarthy weaponizing his ability to commit this political abuse, because he perceives me, just like Mr. Schiff and Ms. Omar, as an effective political opponent.” Schiff pointed to the perception that McCarthy is now beholden to the extremists in the House after compromising with them to get their votes, saying, “This is merely the weakness of Kevin McCarthy’s speakership, that he’s so reliant on these extreme members.”
- McCarthy can remove Swalwell and Schiff on his own, because the Intelligence committee is a select committee. Removing Omar will require a full vote of the House, and Democrats are hoping that some Republicans will join them in preventing her ousting. Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana said last week that she opposed the push to strip the three Democrats of their committee assignments, and fellow Republican Reps. Nancy Mace and Ken Buck have voiced similar thoughts as well.
Don’t U-Talk About Gender
- On Saturday, Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed a bill that bans youth from receiving gender-affirming health care. It prohibits transgender surgery for youth and hormone treatments for minors who have not yet been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
- The Legislature considered a first draft of the measure less than 10 days before Cox signed it, and just two days after this year’s session opened on January 17th. At least 18 other states are currently considering similar bills.
Additional USA News
- Trump kicks off 2024 presidential campaign in New Hampshire and South Carolina (CBS)
- Protesters across the US decry police brutality after Tyre Nichols’ death (CNN)
- Arizona Republicans pick former Trump aide Jeff DeWit to lead state party in landslide vote (CBS)
- Jan. 6 rioter who maced Brian Sicknick sentenced to 80 months (Politico)
- Ron DeSantis: Trump says Florida governor is trying to ‘rewrite history’ on his Covid-19 record (CNN)
- Top House Foreign Affairs Republican agrees with possibility of war with China (Politico)
- The Half Moon Bay shooting was prompted by a $100 repair bill, local prosecutor says (NPR)
- Protesters across the US decry police brutality after Tyre Nichols’ death (CNN)
No Longer Just Men On The Moon
- This spring, NASA is expected to announce the roster of astronauts it will send into the moon’s orbit on the upcoming Artemis II mission, which will pave the way for the Artemis III mission that will actually land on the moon. Little is known about the selection process, but CNN has provided the world with a few key insights with a new report.
- First, the Artemis II mission will have a diverse crew of three Americans and one Canadian. NASA has emphasized it will focus on diversity for this mission, and a 2020 agreement between the U.S. and its northern neighbor has pre-set the nationality of the crew. Candidates will be chosen from a roster of 41 active astronauts, and will include a mix of test pilots and civilian scientists, all of whom have undergone rigorous training and testing. For this flight, however, more pilots will likely be selected as it’s only the Artemis project’s second flight and the first manned flight around the moon since the Apollo missions decades ago.
- “Not all astronauts are created equal when it comes to how good they do the job. Not all astronauts are equally as good at doing spacewalks. Not all astronauts are equally as good at doing robotics,” said former astronaut Garrett Reisman. “The standard line is, if you’re qualified, you’re qualified. If you pass the test, then it shouldn’t matter. But when you have really tricky missions, it does matter, and you do want to put your best team forward.”
Additional Reads
- Live longer with these dishes from ‘blue zones’ in America (CNN)
- Rare green comet: when, where and how to see it (CBS)
- Arts A Jewish family fleeing the Nazis sold a Picasso in 1938. Their heirs want it back (CNN)
- Bear goes selfie-crazy by snapping 400 pictures on Colorado wildlife camera (Guardian)
- ‘Straight out of… hell’: This massive, creepy fish washed up on a Texas shore (USA Today)
- Japan firm opens whale meat vending machines to push sales (AP)
- A NASA spacecraft discovers a formation on Mars resembling a bear (NPR)