The Wire - February 16, 2024

this is the wire for 1600 Zulu February 16th 2024 preceden is routine information cut off is 1500 bottom line up front Red Sea attacks continue no new information on Russian space threat beginning with international events in the Red Sea Horn of Africa region American strikes in Yemen continue allegedly in self-defense against varying Targets in Yemen anti-ip cruise missiles unmanned surface vehicles and various unmanned aerial systems have to be targeted daily by US forces in the region over a dozen various strikes have been reported over the past 24 hours threats to shipping continue as houthi forces Target multiple cargo vessels the merchant vessel leav Vitos was attacked with a cruise missile yesterday in the Gulf of Aiden and this morning an as yet unidentified vessel also reported being attacked by a cruise missile analist comment as this conflict is settled in for the Long Hall the routine nature of attacks results in details being lost now most reporting essentially can be summarized as ship attacked minor damage no details are ever provided following up with the status of vessels struck with cruise missiles and no confirmation of the severity of damage is ever disclosed this desensitization contributes to many people forgetting that one of the largest trade routes in the world is largely closed to Western Nations aligning with the us or Israel and that most western trade continues to be rerouted around the continent of Africa in Russia this morning representatives from the yamalo ninet prison District announced the death of Alexi naal Nal was serving a 19-year sentence in the ik3 penal colony on charges of extremism analyst comment details of the circumstances of his death are predictably suspicious with prison officials indicating that he collapsed and died as navali was one of Putin's most high-profile critics and having survived multiple assassination attempts already his death is not unexpected on the home front in Washington DC no new information regarding the serious national security threat claimed by Congress unofficially the story has changed several times currently officials claim that the threat is related to Russia's Ambitions to Target American satellites in orbit and is not related to any active capability or threat however rumors originating from Congress maintain that the threat is related to nuclear weapons or something more serious and counter satellite capabilities analysts comment clearly there are too many deliberate and open lies floating around to determine what the situation really is this again leads to increased scrutiny as it becomes clear that the threat is likely not really a threat but rather Strategic Defense technologies that have been a factor for a long time analyst comments for this wire as a reminder the United States has not declared war against Yemen or the houthi forces controlling most of the country the US state department has labeled the houthi controlled government as a specially designated Global terrorist group but not a foreign terrorist organization the most severe categorization this means the United States has slowly begun conducting routine combat operations in a nation that the United States is not at war with but most importantly the justif ification for these self-defense strikes is diplomatically dubious for instance operation Prosperity Guardian is not on the list of approved combat operations that will rate a global war on terrorism expeditionary metal for the service members involved in this conflict this is a def facto admission that this operation is not a part of the few remaining facets of the global war on terror which in turn is a strong indicator of the unique diplomatic situation and legitimacy concerns that have become more of a problem now that this conflict has slowly become an enduring issue this concludes the wire for 1600 Zulu February 16th 2024