Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert

<ul><li>The US conducted a&nbsp;"self-defense strike" against a target in Iraq on Sunday afternoon.</li><li>Reuters reported five militants were killed as they prepared to launch explosives at US forces.</li><li>The Islamic Resistance has vowed retaliation for the deaths, per Reuters.</li></ul>

US officials confirmed they'd carried out a "self-defense strike on an imminent threat" on Sunday afternoon, per <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/suspected-us-strike-iraq-kills-5-militia-members-sources-2023-12-03/">Reuters</a>. The outlet reported the Islamic Resistance, a conglomerate of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/which-iran-groups-operating-in-iraq-irgc-quds-force-2020-1">militia groups </a>with ties to Tehran, vowed retaliation for the deaths.

Representatives from the US Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

"A self-defense strike was carried out on a drone staging site," a US military official told <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/us-military-official-confirms-self-defense-strike-in-iraq-in-which-5-said-killed/">The Times of Israel</a> on condition of anonymity, saying the strike took place "in the vicinity of Kirkuk" and targeted "an imminent threat."

Additional details of the strike and the plotted attack it was said to have prevented remain unclear.

Reuters reported armed Iraqi militants have taken responsibility for more than 70 attacks against American forces since October 17 in response to US support of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-formally-declares-war-on-hamas-seeks-full-control-gaza-2023-10">Israel's war with Hamas</a>.

US Army 3rd Division 3-7 Bradley fighting vehicles took up a position along a road on March 19, 2003, inside the demilitarized zone between Kuwait and Iraq.Scott Nelson

The US conducted a "self-defense strike" against a target in Iraq on Sunday afternoon. Reuters reported five militants were killed as they prepared to launch explosives at US forces.

Islamic resistance vows retaliation after US airstrike killed 5 Iraqi militants

<ul><li>"Verified" badges for users may soon become a paid feature of Twitter, sources told Platformer.</li><li>Sources said there were internal talks of making verification a Twitter Blue feature following Musk's takeover.</li><li>The Verge reported Twitter Blue may charge as much as $19.99 for the verification-tier subscription.</li></ul>

Sources familiar with the matter <a href="https://www.platformer.news/p/elons-first-big-move-pay-to-remain">told Platformer</a>, a newsletter created by Casey Newton, a former editor of The Verge, that Twitter executives spent the weekend discussing a possible change to the social platform where users would have to pay to subscribe to Twitter Blue or lose their badges.

<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/twitter-blue">Twitter Blue</a>, a $4.99 monthly subscription, launched last year as the platform's premium offering, giving users access to new features like customizable app icons, the ability to undo or bookmark tweets, and a "reader mode" to more easily view long threads of posts. A verification-tier subscription may cost as much as $19.99 per month, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/30/23431931/twitter-paid-verification-elon-musk-blue-monthly-subscription">The Verge reported</a>.

Currently only available in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, Twitter Blue's launch has struggled with <a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/is-twitter-blue-worth-the-money/">niche appeal</a> and <a href="https://www.engadget.com/is-twitter-blue-worth-3-dollars-a-month-210059983.html">limited features</a> — but linking verification to the subscription fee could bolster its popularity. Should Twitter require payment for its verified status, it would be the first major American social media app to do so, as most platforms offer the feature for free.&nbsp;

The current verification process, which Musk has <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1517653363969740801?lang=en">previously described</a> as "like if Kafka had a Magic 8-Ball," has long been decried as being an "<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/13/4725916/twitter-verified-user-filter">elitist</a>" status, with <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/managing-your-account/about-twitter-verified-accounts">narrow eligibility requirements</a> sometimes <a href="https://theoutline.com/post/1323/verified-blue-checkmark-derogatory-insult-twitter">considered biased against average users</a>. Tying verification to the paid subscription model would establish clearer criteria for getting a badge, as well as generate additional revenue for the social media platform.

Though the move has not been finalized, sources <a href="https://www.platformer.news/p/elons-first-big-move-pay-to-remain">told Platformer</a>, Musk has in the past posted about how <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1188890479401689088?s=20&amp;t=a_1_XpzwcFtO6gNcB-6iPQ">he hates advertising</a>, and in his takeover pitch to investors pledged to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-twitter-could-replace-advertising-revenue-after-elon-musk-sale-2022-5">cut the platform's reliance on ad revenue and increase the average revenue per user</a>.

On Sunday Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1586848033550934016">tweeted</a> that the "whole verification process is being revamped," but did not confirm or deny reports of shifting to a paid model.&nbsp;

Online, the response to potential charges for a verified status was met <a href="https://twitter.com/gabalexa/status/1586876660162371584">largely</a><a href="https://twitter.com/cwarzel/status/1586829758075375617">with</a><a href="https://twitter.com/diandraann/status/1586914808539906049">resistance</a> by people who currently hold the badges, who speculated the change would be "<a href="https://twitter.com/diandraann/status/1586914808539906049">a disaster</a>."

"There's literally no amount of money I would ever pay to be verified on twitter," producer Michael Schur, known online as Ken Tremendous, <a href="https://twitter.com/KenTremendous/status/1586911834807754752">tweeted</a>. "Not if it were one goddamn American cent payable over 999 years."

Musk and representatives for Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Elon Musk wants to call off his deal to buy Twitter.Getty Images

Following Elon Musk's $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, several outlets reported the self-declared <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1188890479401689088?lang=en">anti-advertising</a> "Chief Twit" may soon launch a new method to generate revenue on the social platform by making users pay for their verification badges.&nbsp;

Verified Twitter users may soon have to pay a monthly fee to keep their badges under Elon Musk's leadership: report

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Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert

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Islamic resistance vows retaliation after US airstrike killed 5 Iraqi militants

Verified Twitter users may soon have to pay a monthly fee to keep their badges under Elon Musk's leadership: report