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This Happened

This Happened - April 3: Marshall Plan Launched

The Marshall Plan was signed into law by U.S. President Harry Truman on this day, 1948.

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What was the Marshall Plan?

The Marshall Plan, officially known as the European Recovery Program, was a plan proposed by U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall in 1947 to provide economic aid to Western European countries devastated by World War II.

How much aid did the Marshall Plan provide?

The Marshall Plan provided over $13 billion in economic aid to Western European countries between 1948 and 1951. Sixteen countries received aid under the Marshall Plan, including France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

What was the impact of the Marshall Plan?

The Marshall Plan helped to rebuild the economies of Western European countries and was seen as a major factor in the post-War economic recovery of Europe. It also helped to prevent the spread of communism in Europe and contributed to the strengthening of the United States' relationships with its European allies.

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FOCUS: Israel-Palestine War

What Are Iran's Real Intentions? Watch What The Houthis Do Next

Three commercial ships traveling through the Red Sea were attacked by missiles launched by Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels, while the U.S. Navy shot down three drones. Tensions that are linked to the ongoing war in Gaza conflict and that may serve as an indication as to Iran's wider intentions.

photo of Raisi of iran speaking in parliament

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the Iranian parliament in Tehran.

Icana News Agency via ZUMA
Pierre Haski

-Analysis

PARIS — It’s a parallel war that has so far claimed fewer victims and attracted less public attention than the one in Gaza. Yet it increasingly poses a serious threat of escalating at any time.

This conflict playing out in the international waters of the Red Sea, a strategic maritime route, features the U.S. Navy pitted against Yemen's Houthi rebels. But the stakes go beyond the Yemeni militants — with the latter being supported by Iran, which has a hand in virtually every hotspot in the region.

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Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Houthis have been making headlines, despite Yemen’s distance from the Gaza front. Starting with missiles launched directed toward southern Israel, which were intercepted by U.S. forces. Then came attacks on ships belonging, or suspected of belonging, to Israeli interests.

On Sunday, no fewer than three commercial ships were targeted by ballistic missiles in the Red Sea. The missiles caused minor damage and no casualties. Meanwhile, three drones were intercepted and destroyed by the U.S. Navy, currently deployed in full force in the region.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for these attacks, stating their intention to block Israeli ships' passage for as long as there was war in Gaza. The ships targeted on Sunday were registered in Panama, but at least one of them was Israeli. In the days before, several other ships were attacked and an Israeli cargo ship carrying cars was seized, and is still being held in the Yemeni port of Hodeida.

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