Ethiopia Conflict Escalates, US Bombs Houthis

THE WAR NEWSLETTER — OCT 17 2024

Good morning. Today’s update covers the latest updates from the Middle East and Ethiopia.

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Map of today’s newsletter:

• 🇪🇹 Threat of war in Ethiopia

• ⚔️ A naval surveillance plane

• 🇮🇱 US forces hit Houthi targets

1 - ETHIOPIA

1 thing to know

Clashes in the Amhara region of Ethiopia are giving rise to fears of a widening war.

The context 

Skirmishes between the Ethiopian Government forces and the Fano, an ethnic Amhara militia, have ramped up, and the clashes appear to be growing into a widening war. 

A former Ethiopian general who joined the Fano earlier this year spoke to a cheering crowd, calling attention to how much the armed struggle had grown in the last year, and claiming "No one can stop us as we move forward."

The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) announced just days earlier on October 1 that it was launching an operation to defeat the Fano, saying that because the only language the rebel group understands is force, so "we will talk to them in that language."

However, because the Fano has no hierarchy or central command structure, and because of its wide support among civilians, analysts predict it will be difficult to defeat.

More from the region

The Fano began as a protest movement in 2016, before forming into an armed militia group that claimed to protect Amhara land rights. During the two-year war that began in 2020 against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the Fano fought alongside government forces to reclaim the area of Western Tigray. This region has been the subject of long-standing territorial disputes between the Amhara and Tigray communities.

As the war came to an end, the ENDF began arresting and disarming the Fano, who in return launched an insurgency against the government in 2023. Since then, Fano attacks have become more frequent with each month.

In the news

• Fano insurgency

• Tigray war

• Amhara attacks

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TECH SPOTLIGHT: P-8A POSEIDON

The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is a maritime patrol aircraft. It’s made for a variety of missions, ranging from anti-submarine warfare to intelligence and surveillance.

Based on the Boeing 737, this aircraft is essentially a passenger plane plastered with all the latest American weapons technology. The Poseidon can drop torpedoes, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and sonobuoys, allowing it to hunt submarines and monitor naval activities.

The P-8 is a high-speed, high-altitude plane, with a range of more than 5,000 miles and a top speed of 564 mph. It can detect threats from long distances using its Raytheon APY-10 radar and operate alongside drones like the MQ-4C Triton.

What it’s used for

The P-8 is currently in service with the U.S. Navy, Indian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, and other countries. It’s used in patrol operations, performing tasks like hunting for missing ships and guarding territorial waters.

The price tag: $175 million

Read more here.

2 - ISRAEL

1 thing to know

The US military intervened today in the ongoing Houthi terror attacks by bombing several Houthi targets in Yemen.

The context 

In response to the recent Houthi terror attacks operating from Yemen, the US military conducted bombing attacks on underground Houthi weapon storage sites. The US forces used B-2 long-range stealth bombers in the attacks.

Houthi forces have attacked and destroyed cargo vessels in the Red Sea throughout the year, claiming solidarity with Hamas terror forces in Gaza.

More from the region

Rocket attacks from Hezbollah have increased, with the terror group still targeting northern Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded with airstrikes.

The strikes killed a key Hezbollah commander, Jalal Mustafa Hariri, a district commander responsible for orchestrating rocket and anti-tank attacks against Israel. 

The IDF also intercepted a drone over the Red Sea yesterday as it approached Israeli airspace from the south. The drone, which did not cross into Israeli territory, was likely launched by the Houthi terror organization from Yemen.

In the news

• US forces bomb Houthis

• Israel intercepts another drone

• US forces target underground Houthi weapons storage

P.S. If you have a source, tip, or piece of information we missed, please reply to this email and tell us about it. Thank you!