LONDON—One of those killed and one injured in
Thursday’s terrorist attack in Manchester were hit by gunfire from police who were trying to stop the attacker from entering a crowded synagogue, police said Friday.
“One of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury,” the Greater Manchester Police said. “It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP’s Authorised Firearms Officers.”
The news this week that the U.S. will lend intelligence support for Ukraine’s long-range missile strikes on Russian targets is welcome—and testifies to the live debate inside the Trump Administration on how to deal with Vladimir Putin’s refusal to negotiate an end to his assault on Ukraine.
All who follow the war understand that Ukraine won’t gain the upper hand in the fight if the Russian homeland is a sanctuary. Mr. Trump himself said on social media this year that President Biden’s big mistake was refusing to let Ukraine “fight back” instead of merely defending its own territory. He was right then, not that his policy has changed much since.
LONDON—For many British Jews, Thursday’s terrorist attack that killed two people at a synagogue and seriously wounded a number of others was a question of when, not if.
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel and the start of the war in Gaza, growing numbers of British Jews say they feel increasingly isolated and unsafe in a country that had been a relative haven for Jews in Europe in recent decades.
PARIS—French authorities detained crew members of a tanker carrying Russian crude oil and are investigating whether it played a role in last week’s drone incursions in Denmark.
French soldiers boarded the tanker, which is under Western sanctions, as it was en route to India from Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Primorsk. The vessel was traveling south through the Bay of Biscay when it turned east and headed toward Saint-Nazaire, home to Europe’s largest shipyard, according to the ship-tracking service Kpler. Authorities took the tanker’s captain and second-in-command into custody.
Vladimir Putin declared war on Europe on Feb. 24, 2022, by sending his tanks to assault Ukraine. Or in December 2021, when Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the Duma’s Defense Committee, threatened any country that stood in his way with a “preventive strike.” Or on Feb. 20, 2014, when the Russian army invaded Crimea.
This year things are speeding up. Intimidations, provocations and aggressions are multiplying:
Hamas has indicated it is open to accepting President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza but is asking for more time to review its conditions, Arab mediators said, as the militant group faces intensifying pressure from Muslim governments to agree to the Israel-backed proposal to end the devastating war.
The militant group has told mediators it has reservations about some of the terms of the 20-point plan, including the stipulation that it disarm and destroy its weapons, a demand it has previously rejected. Hamas also says that releasing all 48 hostages within 72 hours, as laid out in the Trump plan, would be difficult because it has lost contact in recent weeks with some other militant groups holding a number of them, the mediators said.
The high north is dreaded for its bone-chilling winters. Even worse, say soldiers there, is the warmer season, when insects infest marshes that flood overnight.
I have a few questions for the foreign governments that approved “
A Palestinian State for Hamas” (Review & Outlook, Sept. 23). What is its capital city? Can Christians and Jews freely practice their religion there? Can women divorce, own property, vote, run for office, get abortions? Will elections be regularly held? Will gay marriage be allowed? Finally, do all citizens of the “state” have the right to kidnap, rape, torture and murder Jews?
The Jewish people are celebrating the New Year of 5786—many of them, living in the state their foes want to wipe off the map. Meanwhile, Hamas refuses to release hostages kidnapped almost two years ago. Useful idiots in the U.K., Australia, France and elsewhere reward them for their intransigence. Recognition of this supposed state is an affront to decency, morality and common sense.
Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban released a U.S. citizen from custody, a display of goodwill by Kabul that comes when the country is in broader economic and political talks with the Trump administration.
On Sunday, the Taliban released Amir Amiri, making him the fifth American to be released from Afghanistan this year. The talks, which were led by U.S. envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, were mediated by Qatar. Qatar enjoys a close security relationship with Washington and has been integral to the release of detained Americans.
Russia, not long ago a rising military force in Africa, is now struggling to maintain its footprint on the continent.
The Kremlin’s new official guns-for-hire military force, the Africa Corps, has failed to replicate the financial success and political sway once held by Russia’s private Wagner Group mercenary outfit. And some of Wagner’s own African ventures have unraveled since 2023 when its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, rebelled against President Vladimir Putin and then died when an explosive device blew the wing off his plane at 28,000 feet.
Denmark said it had suffered a hybrid attack by a professional actor after drones were observed over several airports late on Wednesday, the second time in less than a week that unmanned aircraft have disrupted air traffic in the Nordic nation, a NATO member.
Drones were spotted over at least four airports in the western part of the country, including a military air base housing most of Denmark’s F-16 and F-35 jet fighters.
NAIROBI, Kenya—The Kenyan government is using special antiterrorism courts—established with U.S. money to combat al Qaeda—to threaten political dissidents with decades in prison.
Prosecutors have charged 75 Kenyans with terrorism in recent weeks, the majority for allegedly destroying government property during street demonstrations against President William Ruto.
Oil futures popped higher Sunday evening, after a drone attack that killed three U.S. service members in northern Jordan, blamed by the White House on Iran-backed militants, marked a major escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
West Texas Intermediate crude for March delivery CL00, +1.22%
CLH24, +1.22%
was up $1.09, or 1.4%, at $79.10 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. March Brent crude BRN00, +1.15%
BRNH24, +1.14%,
the global benchmark, gained $1.11, or 1.3%, to trade at $84.66 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe.
Much will ultimately depend on the U.S. response and whether Iran takes action aimed at shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, Tariq Zahir, managing member at Tyche Capital Advisors, told MarketWatch on Sunday afternoon.
“We are on the cusp of this escalating, which could seriously impact the flow of crude oil,” he said.
Three U.S. service members were killed and more than two dozen injured in a drone strike on a U.S. base in northeast Jordan, according to U.S. Central Command. They were the first U.S. fatalities in months of attacks on U.S. bases by Iran-backed militias since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.
President Joe Biden attributed the Sunday attack to an Iran-backed militia group and said the U.S. “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing.” News reports said U.S. officials were still working to conclusively identify the precise group responsible for the attack, but have assessed that one of several Iranian-backed groups is to blame.
Some congressional Republicans called for direct retaliation on Iran.
“We must respond to these repeated attacks by Iran & its proxies by striking directly against Iranian targets & its leadership. The Biden administration’s responses thus far have only invited more attacks. It is time to act swiftly and decisively for the whole world to see,” wrote Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a post on X.
Oil futures rallied last week to their highest since November, but with gains attributed in part to production outages in the U.S. and more upbeat expectations around economic growth.
“Crude already has the wind to its back, so this will only offer further upside,” Chris Weston, head of research at Australian brokerage Pepperstone told MarketWatch in an email.
With the U.S. election later this year, “Biden needs to strike a balance between increasing aggression that potentially puts U.S. serviceman lives in danger and could potentially raise the cost of living…while also showing a defiant stance that shows his resolve against terror,” Weston said.
Oil prices have seen short-lived rallies around developments in the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, but have failed to build in a lasting geopolitical risk premium. West Texas Intermediate crude CL00, +1.22%
CL.1, +1.22%,
the U.S. benchmark, remains around $15 below its 2023 peak in the mid-$90s set in late September. Brent crude BRN00, +1.15%,
the global benchmark, pushed back above $80 a barrel last week.
Attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants on Red Sea shipping have forced a rerouting of tankers and cargo ships. For crude, that’s had implications for the physical market but hasn’t interrupted the flow of crude from the Middle East.
A move by Iran aimed at closing off the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s biggest oil-transportation chokepoint, remains a top worry.
The strait is a narrow waterway that links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. At its narrowest point, the waterway is only 21 miles wide, and the width of the shipping lane in either direction is just two miles, separated by a two-mile buffer zone.
Energy Information Administration
Around 21 million barrels a day of crude moved through the waterway in the first half of 2023, equivalent to around a fifth of daily global consumption, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The U.S. stock market has largely looked past Middle East tensions, with the S&P 500 SPX
returning to record territory this month, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA
has also set a series of records.
Dow futures YM00, -0.20%
were off 94 points, or 0.3% as Asian trading got under way, while S&P 500 futures ES00, -0.22%
fell 12 points, or 0.2%, and Nasdaq-100 futures NQ00, -0.24%
lost 0.3%.
Away from oil, there were no signs of a significant surge in demand for instruments that traditionally serve as havens during periods of increased geopolitical tension. Futures on U.S. Treasurys TY00, +0.21%
saw a modest rise of 0.2%, while the U.S. dollar DXY
was little changed versus major rivals and gold futures GC00, +0.41%
ticked up 0.4%.
Escalating Middle East tensions won’t go unnoticed by traders, but probably doesn’t warrant a “solid derisking,” Weston said, particularly with investors facing a barrage of major market events in the week ahead.
For U.S.-focused investors, the week ahead features a Federal Reserve policy meeting, earnings from tech industry heavyweights and a crucial December jobs report.
The Middle East situation “won’t take us too far off the rates, growth track, but we have an eye on whether this escalates,” Weston said.
Six people are in custody on Sunday as Metropolitan Police detectives investigate a plot to disrupt the London Stock Exchange, authorities said.
The police said the arrests were made in Brighton, Liverpool, and London.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police in the U.K. said the allegations are that activists from the Palestine Action group were intending to target the LSE on Monday, “causing damage and ‘locking on’ in an effort to prevent the building opening for trading.”
A representative from the LSE said they had no comment but noted that no trading takes place at London Stock Exchange itself. Equity trading is fully electronic, and there hasn’t been a physical trading floor since 1986.
A representative from Palestine Action said in an email: “The London Stock Exchange raise billions of pounds for apartheid Israel and trade shares in weapons manufacturers which arm Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people. Whilst Britain remains complicit in the brutal colonisation of Palestine, our direct action campaign will not be deterred.”
The arrests were made earlier Sunday, the police said. The Metropolitan Police added that they are in touch with City of London Police and other forces in the U.K. after a suggestion that this was one part of a planned week of action “to ensure that appropriate resources are in place to deal with any disruption.”
WASHINGTON — The U.S. and British militaries were bombing more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Thursday, in a massive retaliatory strike using warship-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, several U.S. officials told The Associated Press. The military targets included logistical hubs, air defense systems and weapons storage locations, they said.
Associated Press journalists in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, heard four explosions early Friday local time but saw no sign of warplanes. Two residents of Hodieda, Amin Ali Saleh and Hani Ahmed, said they heard five strong explosions. Hodieda lies on the Red Sea and is the largest port city controlled by the Houthis.
Oil prices CL.1, +1.99%
jumped more than 2% immediately after news of the attacks, on fears that a wider Middle East war could imperil oil production and shipments.
The strikes marked the first U.S. military response to what has been a persistent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas. The coordinated military assault comes just a week after the White House and a host of partner nations issued a final warning to the Houthis to cease the attacks or face potential military action. The officials confirmed the strikes on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.
The warning appeared to have had at least some short-lived impact, as attacks stopped for several days. On Tuesday, however, the Houthi rebels fired their largest-ever barrage of drones and missiles targeting shipping in the Red Sea, with U.S. and British ships and American fighter jets responding by shooting down 18 drones, two cruise missiles and an anti-ship missile. On Thursday, the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden, which was seen by a commercial ship but did not hit the ship.
The rebels, who have carried out 27 attacks involving dozens of drones and missiles just since Nov. 19, said Thursday that any attack by American forces on its sites in Yemen will spark a fierce military response.
“The response to any American attack will not only be at the level of the operation that was recently carried out with more than 24 drones and several missiles,” said Abdel Malek al-Houthi, the group’s supreme leader, during an hour-long speech. “It will be greater than that.”
The Houthis say their assaults are aimed at stopping Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But their targets increasingly have little or no connection to Israel and imperil a crucial trade route linking Asia and the Middle East with Europe.
Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution Wednesday that demanded the Houthis immediately cease the attacks and implicitly condemned their weapons supplier, Iran. It was approved by a vote of 11-0 with four abstentions — by Russia, China, Algeria and Mozambique.
Britain’s participation in the strikes underscored the Biden administration’s effort to use a broad international coalition to battle the Houthis, rather than appear to be going it alone. More than 20 nations are already participating in a U.S.-led maritime mission to increase ship protection in the Red Sea.
U.S. officials for weeks had declined to signal when international patience would run out and they would strike back at the Houthis, even as multiple commercial vessels were struck by missiles and drones, prompting companies to look at rerouting their ships.
On Wednesday, however, U.S. officials again warned of consequences.
“I’m not going to telegraph or preview anything that might happen,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters during a stop in Bahrain. He said the U.S. has made clear “that if this continues as it did yesterday, there will be consequences. And I’m going to leave it at that.”
The Biden administration’s reluctance over the past several months to retaliate reflected political sensitivities and stemmed largely from broader worries about upending the shaky truce in Yemen and triggering a wider conflict in the region. The White House wants to preserve the truce and has been wary of taking action in Yemen that could open up another war front.
