Series of attacks highlights reach of Iran-allied militias

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized a ship in the Red Sea, armed drones targeted Baghdad’s international airport, and hackers hit a major Israeli newspaper. The assaults Monday show the reach of Iran-allied militias on the second anniversary of America’s killing of a top Iranian general. All three coincided with a massive memorial in Tehran for Qassem Soleimani, the general killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2020 in Iraq. The events highlight tensions in the Middle East, which has been roiled by then-U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2018 decision to unilaterally withdraw America from a deal aimed at limiting Tehran’s nuclear program. As talks continue in Vienna to try to resuscitate the accord, Iran remains able to apply pressure from outside of the negotiations.