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This is VOA news. I'm Marissa Melton.
A military source has told VOA that the Iraqi al-Asad air base, which houses American troops, is under rocket fire. VOA's Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb asked if this development means the U.S.'s current response in the region is not working. The military source said, "The game has changed," adding that the United States will take "preemptive" strikes if needed to stop attacks on U.S. forces in the region. Rocket and indirect fire attacks are a common occurrence in Iraq and often the hallmark of Iranian-backed militias in the region. Anbar was once the heart of the Sunni insurgency and remains a hotbed of support for IS militants who once controlled major cities like Fallujah and Ramadi and other towns and villages across the Euphrates. No group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack. But AP reports that the Iranian state TV says Tehran has launched surface-to-surface missiles at the air base. VOA's sources say there have been at least 30 rounds fired so far. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has backed away from his threats to target Iran cultural sites. AP's Ed Donahue has more. The president first tweeted the threat and said it again to reporters over the weekend after the airstrike that killed Iran's top general. Targeting cultural sites is a war crime. "If that's what the law is, I like to obey the law. But think of it; they kill our people. They blow up our people and then we have to be very gentle with their cultural institutions? But I'm okay with it." Defense Secretary Mark Esper distanced the Pentagon from the president's threat. After backing away on attacking cultural sites, the president issued this warning. "If Iran does anything that they shouldn't be doing they are going to be suffering the consequences and very strongly." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is blaming Iran for damaging its culture. Ed Donahue, Washington. From Washington D.C., you're listening to VOA news. Japanese prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for Carole Ghosn, wife of Carlos Ghosn, the former head of Nissan and now an international fugitive. Reuters' Matthew Larotonda has more. The arrest warrant comes just a day before the auto industry titan is expected to speak at a press conference from his refuge in Lebanon. Carlos escaped house arrest in Tokyo last week. Carole is believed to be with him. She's accused of lying to investigators. This upcoming speech from Carlos Ghosn on Wednesday will give him the chance to lay out in detail his long-standing claim that he's innocent of the financial crime allegations levied against him. And, his assertion that he's not only the victim of a Machiavellian boardroom plot at Nissan, but one that was also orchestrated with the aid of the Japanese government itself. Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan and shows no sign of handing him over. That's Reuters' Matthew Larotonda reporting. There is a desperate need for practical ways to improve ties with North Korea, according to South Korea's President Moon on Tuesday, adding he was ready to meet with the reclusive leader in Pyongyang repeatedly if necessary. Reuters' Michelle Hennessy has more. Moon Jae-in used the annual address to say there is a "desperate need" for improving ties with North Korea and said he regrets the lack of progress in negotiations. "In a time of deadlock in U.S.-North Korea talks - and where we are even concerned about a step backward in inter-Korean relations - we are in desperate need of practical ways to improve cooperation between the Koreas." Moon added that he was ready to travel to Pyongyang again and repeatedly meet with reclusive leader Kim Jong Un if necessary. North Korea has been unresponsive to other recent proposals by the South and some projects between the Koreas have stalled in the face of international sanctions. That's Reuters' [mihel] Michelle Hennessy reporting. Harvey Weinstein's trial in New York is underway after a judge denied a defense request for a delay. AP's Mike Hempen. Judge James Burke ordered jury selection to begin as scheduled, rejecting a request by defense attorneys for a "cooling-off period." Weinstein's lawyers questioned the timing of new charges that were brought Monday by prosecutors in Los Angeles. The judge also denied a prosecution request to revoke Weinstein's bail and jail him until the trial is over. Weinstein is charged in New York with raping a woman in a Manhattan hotel room and forcibly performing a sex act on another woman. In L.A., he is charged with sexually assaulting two women. I'm Mike Hempen. And I'm Marissa Melton. Once again to recap our top story, the U.S. military has said the Iraqi al-Asad air base, sources tell VOA, rather, that the Iraqi al-Asad air base is under fire. AP's reporting some other bases in Iraq housing U.S. forces may also be under fire. This is VOA news. |