Most dangerous countries see West Bank settler attacks torch cars and wound Palestinians
In some of the most dangerous countries, multiple conflicts around the world saw renewed violence and attacks this week, with Israeli settler assaults and demolitions continuing in the occupied West Bank, Russian strikes targeting Ukrainian internet infrastructure in Kyiv, fighting between Yemeni government forces and Houthis in Taiz, and a Nigerian army raid on an IPOB hideout, alongside reports of suicide attempts among US sailors on an extended deployment.
West Bank Violence Escalates with Settler Attacks and Demolitions
Israeli settlers torched Palestinian cars in Atara near Ramallah, wounded two Palestinians in Farkha, and Israeli forces demolished homes, apartments, and agricultural land with thousands of olive trees in Deir Nizam while bombing a home in Beit Imrin. [1] Israeli settlers wounded two Palestinians, leaving them with head injuries, in the village of Farkha, west of Salfit, on Thursday after attempting to steal a flock of sheep. [1] The attacks came after settlers torched Palestinian-owned cars in the village of Atara, near Ramallah, overnight and sprayed graffiti calling for revenge following a car-ramming involving the son of Israel's ambassador to the US, Neria Leiter, on Wednesday. [1] Some of the graffiti read "Revenge Olga Alei Zahav Leiter", referring to the killing of Netanel Shakron, a resident of the Alei Zahav settlement who was shot dead on Sunday. [1] Other graffiti read "Qusra, wait for Thursday" and "Evacuations – we promised, we delivered", in an apparent reference to the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, which has been under siege by Israeli settlers and subjected to army restrictions since mid-August. [1] Thursday also marked the second consecutive day that Israeli forces continued to raze agricultural land in the village of Deir Nizam, in the central West Bank, while 17 apartments were also demolished. [1] The land being targeted is home to thousands of olive trees that are key to the livelihoods of Palestinians. [1] The head of the village council, Ramzi al-Araj, said the "bulldozing affects around 215 dunums of land located east of the village of Deir Nizam". [1] He described the operation as an example of "collective punishment", warning that its continuation could threaten the wider area and residents' livelihoods, particularly as the olive harvest season approaches. [1] In Beit Imrin, northwest of Nablus, Israeli forces bombed the home of Palestinian detainee Dawas Hassoun. [1] Israeli authorities have accused Hassoun of killing a settler around a year and a half ago. [1] According to MAP, Israeli forces carried out a raid earlier this month on the town of Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem, arresting at least 53 Palestinians. [1] One of its staff members had been prevented from working and that the raid had taken a physical and mental toll on them. [1] "The Israeli forces restricted movement, closed all the shops, bakeries and pharmacies, and harassed the citizens. They imposed a curfew that no one was allowed to leave their homes. They started firing tear gas and searched cars and houses. They entered a house in my village and turned it into a military post and an interrogation centre. They detained more than 50 men, interrogated them and beat them," the MAP staff member said. [1] They added that the town remained unsafe and vulnerable to Israeli attacks, which had prevented MAP from carrying out vital work, including medical check-ups, mental health services and the provision of medicine. [1] The latest developments come after Israeli ministers and members of parliament on Wednesday attended an event to inaugurate an illegal settlement built in an area from which Palestinian residents had been expelled. [1] The settlement, named Metzoke Eretz, is among 104 settlements legalised by the government during its last term. [1] Its outposts were built directly on registered privately owned Palestinian land. [1] The far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich attended the event, along with far-right MK Limor Son Har-Melech and Israeli media personality Yaakov Bardugo. [1] On Thursday, the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported that Israeli authorities had approved the construction of 400 settlement units in the Karnei Shomron settlement, located on Palestinian land east of Qalqilya. [1] The commission said construction was set to begin on 23 November, marking a shift from the planning stage to the marketing and implementation phase. [1] Since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in 2023, there has been a surge in Israeli military raids and settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. [1]
Russian Strikes Disrupt Internet Infrastructure in Kyiv
Russian drone strikes hit multiple data centers and internet providers in Kyiv over two days, disrupting service for around 100,000 households and damaging infrastructure used by several providers including MiroHost, whose data center was destroyed. [2] Ukraine's Digital Transformation Ministry said around 100,000 households in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast experienced internet problems following the Sept. 23 drone attack, as specialists worked to assess the damage and restore stable service. [2] "This is the beginning of a phase where, since September, they have started taking it out systematically," Anatolii Frolenkov, a representative of the 1-IX internet exchange point, told the Kyiv Independent. [2] Frolenkov added that attacks on Ukraine's communications infrastructure are not new, pointing to earlier strikes on energy and telecommunications networks. [2] But the recent escalation of attacks on data centers and communication nodes marks a shift in intensity, he said. [2] Several providers reported direct damage to their infrastructure. [2] UTELS reported damage to a Kyiv data center housing its core equipment, leaving it without power, while Pavutyna said one of its data centers was hit, causing outages for some customers. [2] Crazy Network said a strike damaged a central internet traffic exchange in Kyiv, disrupting internet and telephone services in the capital and in Vinnytsia and Khmelnytskyi oblasts. [2] The disruption continued into Sept. 24. [2] Kyiv-based provider Etherlink said an attack damaged its main network node, knocking some customers offline and forcing the company to relocate the core of its network. [2] Other companies reported more extensive losses. [2] Hosting provider MiroHost said the data center in Ukraine that housed its infrastructure was destroyed in the attack, company founder Oleksandr Olshansky told dev.ua. [2] Around 90-95% of MiroHost customers use infrastructure outside Ukraine and were unaffected, he added. [2] CityHost also said equipment it stored at a Kyiv data center had been destroyed, disrupting some of its services. [2] Russia's Defense Ministry explicitly claimed responsibility for strikes on two Kyiv data centers on Sept. 23, New-Telco and United DC. [2] Moscow alleged that New-Telco handled internet traffic for Ukraine's Defense Ministry and that United DC provided communications and data-processing services for Ukrainian security agencies. [2] Those claims about the facilities' military use could not be independently verified. [2] Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha rejected Moscow's characterization of the facilities. [2] "Russia has targeted major Ukrainian data centers, seeking to disrupt the flow of information. Rapid alerts about missile and drone threats are essential – they save lives," Sybiha said. [2] "This is critical civilian infrastructure that ensures people can access life-saving information. It is not a military target. It is essential to keep everyday life functioning." [2] "As Russia is not achieving its goals on the battlefield, it is seeking new ways to destabilize life in Ukraine and terrorize civilians," he added. [2] The latest strikes follow earlier damage to telecommunications infrastructure in Kyiv. [2] A key data center was damaged in a Russian attack on July 2, causing disruptions for several providers, while infrastructure belonging to mobile operator Kyivstar was damaged in separate attacks in September. [2] Despite the recent damage, Frolenkov said knocking out internet access across Ukraine would be extremely difficult. [2] Providers can limit the impact of individual strikes by duplicating network equipment, maintaining backup communications routes, and distributing infrastructure across different locations, including outside Ukraine, he said. [2] But that strategy is expensive, leaving many providers without sufficient backup infrastructure, more vulnerable when equipment is destroyed. [2] "The internet will not disappear completely," Frolenkov said. [2] "There will be outages, there will be problems. It won't work as smoothly or as quickly, things may glitch, and operators may go down for a couple of hours because the infrastructure is being physically destroyed." [2] So far, the strikes have caused significant but scattered outages rather than a nationwide internet blackout. [2]
US sailors on aircraft carrier report multiple suicide attempts during extended deployment. — Source: middleeasteye
Ongoing Clashes in Yemen's Taiz Governorate
Yemeni government forces repelled Houthi attacks in Taiz's Wadi al-Maqatirah and Al Ahkum areas, claiming dozens of Houthi fighters killed or wounded, amid battles for strategic highlands overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb strait; the WHO reported 674 killed and nearly 3,000 injured in Yemen since August 6. [4] Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili, spokesman for the Saudi Arabia-backed government forces, said on Thursday that the Iran-aligned Houthis launched coordinated attacks on Wednesday night in a bid to reach positions on a key road connecting the Aden, Lahj and Taiz governorates. [4] Government forces repelled the attacks in Taiz’s Wadi al-Maqatirah area, “inflicting losses in lives and equipment”. [4] Government forces killed and wounded “dozens” of fighters in clashes earlier on Wednesday in the Al Ahkum area of Taiz, al-Nuzaili added in a post on X. [4] The renewed hostilities come amid mounting regional tensions set off by the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran. [4] The Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, are fighting government-aligned forces for control of the strategic highlands in the southwest, including the Kahboub Mountains in the Taiz and Lahj governorates. [4] They took control of the port city of Mocha and the Red Sea coast this month. [4] Control of the Kahboub Mountains, which overlook the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb strait and Mayyun Island in the Red Sea, would allow the Houthis to sever the coast from the remaining government-held south. [4] On Tuesday, government-aligned forces said they had thwarted Houthi attacks in the mountains and taken full control of Mount Qarfan, further to the east, which overlooks valleys linking southern Taiz with the western coast. [4] The Houthis said on Wednesday that Saudi forces had carried out 52 air strikes and missile attacks on the governorates of Hodeidah, Taiz, al-Bayda, Marib and Saada, causing deaths and injuries, including women and children. [4] They said Saudi forces had carried out 988 attacks since the latest escalation began, but did not say how many people had been killed. [4] Saudi Arabia did not comment on the claim. [4] The Houthis have fired dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, including a strike on the capital, Riyadh, on Saturday. [4] On Wednesday, Saudi Civil Defence authorities issued alerts warning of potential attacks in Jazan and Najran, two provinces that border Yemen. [4] No further details were given. [4] Ahmed el Shalfi, Al Jazeera’s Yemen affairs editor, said he expected the fighting to be prolonged. [4] “The Houthis are determined to hold on to their important gains in the western coast in Mocha and Bab al-Mandeb while the government forces are equally determined to drive them out of these places or to defend the highland positions for fire control over the coast and these areas,” he said. [4] “So the war between the two sides is a back and forth. That could well continue and drag on and could also involve attrition on all sides.” [4] Aid groups said the humanitarian toll is mounting in Yemen. [4] The World Health Organization said this week that 674 people had been killed and almost 3,000 injured since August 6, including 164 deaths and 516 injuries from September 13 to 18. [4] At least 158,000 people have been displaced, according to Yemen’s Executive Unit for the Management of Displaced Persons Camps. [4]
US Navy Records Suicide Attempts on Extended Deployment
US Navy reported eight suicide attempts among sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group during its record 286-day deployment supporting operations in the war on Iran. [3] There were eight suicide attempts among US sailors on board the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group during its extended 286 consecutive-day deployment at sea, the Pentagon told a lawmaker in a written response to questions. [3] The nuclear-powered Lincoln, with roughly 5,000 personnel, was involved in the US naval blockade and combat operations in the war on Iran and – according to Democratic lawmakers – set a modern-day record for consecutive days at sea. [3] The strike group includes the carrier and several other warships. [3] In a letter to US Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand dated 22 September, Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao said that while there were no suicides during the deployments, there were a total of eight attempts on board the aircraft carrier and its accompanying vessels. [3] It was unclear how many individuals carried out the attempts. [3] "That this administration can find endless taxpayer dollars for bombs, ballrooms, and billionaires, but cannot take care of our service members is completely unacceptable," said Gillibrand, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee. [3]
Nigerian Forces Raid IPOB Hideout and Seize Weapons
Nigerian troops raided an IPOB hideout in Imo State's Obibi Forest, recovering a General Purpose Machine Gun, G3 rifle, ammunition, a motorcycle, and charms, and apprehended one suspect. [5] Troops of the Nigerian Army raided a suspected Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) hideout and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition in Obibi Forest, Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State. [5] The operation was conducted at about 5:37 p.m. on Wednesday by troops of the 197 Special Forces Battalion, in collaboration with the 342 Army Reference Hospital, Nigeria Police Force and vigilantes. [5] The troops apprehended one suspected IPOB member and recovered one General Purpose Machine Gun, one G3 rifle and one magazine containing 15 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition. [5] The troops also recovered an additional 64 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, one motorcycle and charms during the raid. [5] The apprehended suspect and recovered items were handed over to the 34 Artillery Brigade for further investigation and action. [5] In a related operation, troops of the 143 Battalion also apprehended seven suspected drug peddlers around Nunya community in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia. [5] The suspects were arrested at about 12:08 p.m. on Wednesday, with preliminary investigation indicating that one of them allegedly operated a medicine store at Eluama. [5] The suspect was allegedly supplying drugs to the other members of the group. [5] The seven suspects were subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Police, Ovim Division, for further investigation. [5]
Broader Context of Global Conflict Surge
The incidents connect by noting the surge in West Bank attacks since the Gaza war, the systematic nature of Russian infrastructure strikes, the prolonged back-and-forth fighting in Yemen, and the human costs highlighted across the theaters. [1] [2] [4] Since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in 2023, there has been a surge in Israeli military raids and settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. [1] Attacks on Ukraine's communications infrastructure are not new, pointing to earlier strikes on energy and telecommunications networks, but the recent escalation of attacks on data centers and communication nodes marks a shift in intensity. [2] The fighting in Yemen is expected to be prolonged as the Houthis are determined to hold on to their important gains in the western coast in Mocha and Bab al-Mandeb while the government forces are equally determined to drive them out of these places or to defend the highland positions. [4]
What to watch next: The internet will not disappear completely but there will be outages and problems as operators may go down for a couple of hours because the infrastructure is being physically destroyed, while the war between the two sides in Yemen is a back and forth that could well continue and drag on and could also involve attrition on all sides.
