International

Iran warns of a “strong and complex” attack against Israel, according to Wall Street Journal

Iran is warning through diplomatic channels that it is preparing a military response against Israel that would involve the use of “more powerful” weapons in response to the recent Israeli attack on Iranian military facilities, according to information from an Egyptian official collected by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Israel’s punitive air strike against Iran on October 26 destroyed the country’s strategic air defenses, leaving it very exposed, according to the newspaper, in addition to causing the death of five people.

Israel has not attacked vital infrastructure for Iran

So far, Israel has refrained from attacking Iran’s oil and nuclear facilities, which are essential for its economy and security, but that calculation could change, according to Israeli officials.

“An Egyptian official said that Iran privately warned of a strong and complex response. Our military lost people, so they need to answer,” said an Iranian official, WSJ said without identifying him.

He added that Iran could use Iraqi territory as part of the operation and that it would probably attack Israeli military facilities “much more aggressively than last time.”

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Iran does not plan to limit its response to missiles and drones, as it did in two previous attacks, and any missile used could have more powerful warheads, Iranian and Arab officials said.

The US presidential elections are a factor in Iran’s response, the Iranian official said, since this Persian Gulf country does not want to influence the election results with its attack.

Iranian attack after US elections

The official added that the response will come after Tuesday’s vote, but before a new president is invested in January 2025.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian conditioned this Sunday “the intensity and type” of a possible response to Israel’s recent attacks on Iranian military facilities to a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

“If they (the Israelis) reconsider their behavior, accept a ceasefire and stop massacring the oppressed and innocent people of the region, it could affect the intensity and type of our response,” Pezeshkian said at a cabinet meeting, according to the IRNA agency.

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International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.