The Wire - May 20, 2024 - PRIORITY

//The Wire//2200Z May 20, 2024//

//PRIORITY//

//BLUF: IRANIAN PRESIDENT KILLED IN HELICOPTER CRASH. SAUDI KING HOSPITALIZED WITH INFECTION. SOUTH CAROLINA PORTS OFFLINE DUE TO CYBER ISSUE.//

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-International Events-

Iran: Yesterday a helicopter carrying the Iranian President (and other VIPs) crashed in the mountains just north of Tavil. According to Iranian state media, one of the survivors was able to make a distress call via satellite phone before contact was lost. Upon notification of the incident, a neighboring Turkish military drone was dispatched to conduct an aerial search of the extremely remote terrain just south of the Iran/Azerbaijan border. The Turkish drone identified a large heat signature IVO grid: 38SPH4703992367. Ground search crews later identified this location as the crash site. No survivors were found at the site, and Iranian state media has confirmed the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, among others.

Saudi Arabia: Saudi state media confirmed that King Salman has been hospitalized following a recent illness. AC: Though reports are contradictory, King Salman has possibly been hospitalized due to pneumonia and/or a more general respiratory infection. Due to contradicting reports, it’s not clear as to if King Salman is currently hospitalized, or if he was merely examined at a hospital as an outpatient. Regardless, this is his second hospitalization in less than a month. As a reminder, King Salman handed over most royal duties to his son, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, a few years ago. However, King Salman still wields considerable status throughout the Middle East, in similar fashion to most aging monarchs that have provided an air of generational stability throughout the continent for decades. If King Salman’s health is declining, this could signal a new era of instability as the world seeks to test the Crown Prince as he fully steps into the role of monarch.

Slovakia: Various governmental ministers have indicated that Prime Minister Fico’s situation is improving, and that the most serious risks to his life have been averted. However, it will take more time to determine his overall condition, due to the continuing severity of his wounds.

Burkina Faso: Various anti-establishment media channels reported another attack on Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s residence Saturday night. Multiple gunmen conducted small arms attacks at the main gate of the Presidential Palace in Ouagadougou. AC: It’s not clear as to if this was a substantial attack, or a shoot-and-shoot style skirmish. This is at least the 6th attempt on Captain Ibrahim’s life since seizing power two years ago.

Red Sea/HOA: Over the weekend, Houthi forces successfully struck another oil tanker, the M/V WIND. Per CENTCOM’s statements Saturday night, coalition vessels responded to the WIND’s distress call as the WIND had lost steering and was taking on water. After a few hours, the crew was able to restore functionality and egress from the area under her own power.

-HomeFront-

South Carolina: A collection of ports have been shut down temporarily following undisclosed software issues. The South Carolina Port Authority originally stated this morning that cargo terminals would only be offline for a few hours, however the timeline for recovery has been pushed back multiple times today. AC: It is unclear as to if this software issue is affecting all South Carolina ports, or just the main North Charleston Terminal. In any case, cargo on and offloading has come to a halt while the issue is being mitigated.

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Analyst Comments: Many technical details surrounding the Iranian helicopter crash do not fit within known Iranian military doctrine, or otherwise do not make sense. Based on the aerial imagery provided by Iranian media after search crews located the cras