Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Biden administration pushes for ‘diplomatic response’ after Iran’s attack on Israel
Top Biden administration officials on Monday doubled down on their calls for a measured, de-escalatory response from Israel to the massive Iranian attack on the Jewish state over the weekend. Published April 15, 2024
Iran launches major drone attack against Israel
Iran on Saturday launched a coordinated drone attack on Israel, according to Israeli and U.S. officials, as Tehran brushed off warnings from the Biden administration and appeared willing to escalate its standoff with Jerusalem. Published April 13, 2024
Bold move or reckless escalation? Debate flares on Western boots on the ground in Ukraine
It has been a red line for President Biden since the U.S. and its NATO allies first rushed to Ukraine's defense after the Russian invasion of early 2022, but the prohibition on U.S. and Western combat boots on the ground in the war is itself under fresh attack. Published April 5, 2024
Biden’s opportunity? Some see opening for U.S. in warming North Korea-Russia ties
Direct U.S.-North Korea diplomacy appears nearly nonexistent as Pyongyang rapidly deepens its military and political relationships with Russia, one of Washington's leading geopolitical adversaries. Published April 2, 2024
Former U.S. officials say Russia probably could have stopped ISIS-K attack
The U.S. likely provided Russia with enough information to help avert the recent ISIS-K attack on a Moscow concert that killed more than 130 people, a former American military official said Sunday, as questions swirl about whether the Kremlin knew the assault was coming and allowed it to happen. Published March 31, 2024
Netanyahu pressured from all sides amid mass protests, strained relations with Biden White House
Protests across Israel on Sunday put even more political pressure on embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose approval numbers among the public keep dropping and whose relationship with the Biden administration has reached an all-time low. Published March 31, 2024
‘I could kill someone’: Most U.S. troops aren’t getting enough sleep, report warns
Most U.S. troops need to get more sleep. That's the big-picture takeaway from a sweeping Government Accountability Office study that found a sizable majority of service members get six or fewer hours of sleep each night -- less than the minimum of seven hours recommended by the Defense Department. Published March 27, 2024
More than 100 killed in terror attack on Moscow concert venue; ISIS claims responsibility
At least 115 people were killed and many more wounded in an attack on a Moscow concert hall Friday, Russian officials said, marking one of the deadliest assaults in recent history in Russia and coming just two weeks after U.S. officials warned of a looming terrorist attack on the Russian capital. Published March 22, 2024
It’s complicated: Terror group ISIS-K targets U.S. — and its worst enemies
The rapidly growing threat posed by the Islamic State-Khorasan Province, the jihadi terrorist group's Afghanistan affiliate better known as ISIS-K, has linked the U.S. with some of its most bitter enemies, including Russia, Iran and even Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime, in the high-stakes world of counterterrorism. Published March 21, 2024
Innovation falls short at crucial time for security; federal government gets ‘F’ in report card
"Major warning signs" in the national security sector could hold back America's ability to innovate at a crucial moment in the intensifying global competition with adversaries such as Russia and China, according to a report made public Tuesday. Published March 19, 2024
Numbers war: Watchdog group presses Pentagon on Austin’s Gaza death toll claims
A nonpartisan watchdog group sent a letter to top Pentagon officials this week requesting all information that led to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's public claim that more than 25,000 Palestinians had been killed in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 -- a figure based on data supplied by the Hamas militant group. Published March 14, 2024
Drones hit Russian oil depots, pro-Ukraine groups claim capture of Russian town
Shadowy pro-Ukraine "Russian liberation forces" said they took control of a Russian town just over the Ukrainian border Tuesday as part of a seemingly well-coordinated assault by anti-Kremlin groups designed to bring the war to Russian soil. Published March 12, 2024
‘Ukraine cannot win this war’: Hungarian minister says talks with Russia a must
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto argues in an exclusive interview that his country remains the only NATO nation to avoid sending weapons to Ukraine because such a step, he believes, would only prolong a war with Russia that it is increasingly evident neither side can win. Published March 11, 2024
U.S. shoots down more than two dozen Houthi drones in ‘large-scale’ attack in Red Sea
American forces on Saturday shot down more than two dozen drones launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen, Pentagon officials said. Published March 10, 2024
Biden draws ‘red line’ for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: No Israeli attack on Rafah
President Biden drew a "red line" for Israel over the weekend, warning against an attack on the Gaza Strip city of Rafah. Published March 10, 2024
Pentagon: No contact with extraterrestrials, U.S. isn’t reverse-engineering alien spacecraft
There is no evidence to support claims that shadowy elements inside the U.S. government have made contact with alien life forms, have reverse-engineered extraterrestrial spaceships, or have systematically kept that information hidden from the American public for decades, according to a remarkable new Pentagon report issued Friday. Published March 8, 2024
U.S. Embassy in Moscow warns of ‘imminent’ extremist attack
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow early Friday warned of an "imminent" extremist attack in Russia and alerted American citizens that they may be in danger. Published March 8, 2024
On tense Korean peninsula, playing a game of ‘Waiting for Trump’
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's appetite to make a major diplomatic deal with the U.S. seems all but dead. But Kim-watchers say it could suddenly spring back to life in January 2025 if former President Donald Trump returns to the White House. Published March 5, 2024
U.S.-Israel tensions boil over as Washington welcomes Netanyahu rival for talks
Tensions between the White House and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government neared the boiling point Monday as Biden administration officials ramped up their public pressure on Jerusalem over the "intolerable" humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip while simultaneously embracing one of Mr. Netanyahu's most popular political rivals. Published March 4, 2024
U.S. military fighter jets intercept high-altitude balloon over western U.S.
U.S. military fighter jets intercepted a high-altitude balloon Friday flying over the western part of the country, officials said. Published February 23, 2024
