Wall Street Journal: “A silent electronic battle is raging at the heart of the Russia-Ukraine war. Both sides are attacking and defending communication signals on an unprecedented scale, innovating at pace, while the U.S. and other Western countries are working to catch up.”

“The U.S. has warned Moscow that its failure to disclose details about the death of a lab worker from a plague research center in Siberia runs counter to its international health obligations,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Russia has provided the U.S. with little information about the mysterious episode, which has stirred fears that an infectious disease might spread inside Russia and beyond the country’s borders.”

Foreign Affairs: “There is little ambiguity about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aims. These attacks are designed to fracture the alliance’s unity, test the strength of members’ commitment to Article 5—the principle that an attack on one member is an attack on all—and raise the cost of supporting Ukraine. Less expected, however, has been the speed with which his deniable campaign has become undeniable.”

“NATO has not looked away. The alliance tracks these incidents, investigates them, and sometimes intercepts attacks. But a response built incident by incident is not deterrence, and Putin knows the difference. As long as each provocation costs Moscow nothing more than a downed drone, Putin has every reason to keep escalating.”

“Two big unknowns stand in the way of determining how serious the plague threat in Russia is and whether travel advisories, restrictions at U.S. ports of entry or other precautions are warranted,” Axios reports.

“We still don’t know which pathogen killed a Russian researcher, or how well contained it is.”

“Though public health experts say there’s no cause for Americans to panic, the episode serves as a wake-up call emphasizing the nature of global biological threats and the need for pandemic preparedness.”

“Saudi and Yemeni forces pressed a counteroffensive against Houthi fighters Monday, seeking to oust the rebels from the strategic port city of Mokha and ease the threat to energy exports though the narrow Bab al-Mandeb strait,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Bloomberg: Yemen says it’s retaken Mokha as battle for Bab El-Mandeb looms.

“The U.S. abruptly moved a dozen B-1 bomber aircraft from a U.K. military base on Sunday because of urgent concerns about a potentially complex drone attack ordered by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The planned attack was part of a multifaceted Iranian plot to target the aircraft and kill personnel at RAF Fairford, including American pilots.”