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Drones

‘Dive Bomber’ Drones Strike US Base In Western Iraq

US forces stationed at the Ain al-Assad airbase in western Iraq were attacked with dive bomber drones on 17 July, Al Mayadeen reported. “The attack targeted a commercial center and a gas station inside the American base … the explosions heard were the result of attacks by the incoming drones,” sources told the news outlet. The drone attack comes two days after a source in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) told Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar that the armed coalition was considering renewing their operations against US bases in Iraq and Syria. “The [Iraqi] government’s positions are contradictory regarding the termination of the international coalition and US forces’ missions in the country.

Guilty Plea In First Espionage Act Case Involving Drone Photography

In a first-of-its-kind prosecution, a Chinese graduate student pleaded guilty to violating the United States Espionage Act when he flew a drone and photographed U.S. military and naval installations. The plea deal does not create any legal precedent, and U.S. prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia never explicitly accused Fengyun Shi of spying on behalf of the Chinese government. However, the case itself carries implications for the right to photograph or gather news. Shi agreed to plead guilty [PDF] to two counts of “unlawful photographing of designated installation without authorization.” Both are misdemeanor charges that carry a potential sentence of one year in prison and a fine of $100,000. He also faces deportation back to China.

Iran Says ‘No External Aggression’ Following Mysterious Drone Attack

Iranian air defenses intercepted a domestic drone attack on the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz early on 19 April. Iranian officials said military and nuclear facilities were safe and that there was no damage. “The sound was related to Isfahan's air defense systems firing at suspicious objects and we have not had any damage or accident,” said Iranian army commander Siavash Mihandoust. State news outlet IRNA reported that “the city and province of Isfahan are in a normal condition” after the downing of the three drones.

Oman Seizes Drones Bound For UAE-Backed Forces In Yemen

Omani customs authorities seized a shipment of drones hidden in a truck from the UAE heading for Yemen on 10 January. “The Directorate General of Customs seized a truck at the Hafeet crossing loaded with wireless drones coming by transit system from the United Arab Emirates heading to the Republic of Yemen,” said the customs authorities. “Customs inspectors were able to discover the shipments hidden professionally in places specially prepared for smuggling them in the truck. The concerned authorities began investigating the case in order to complete the rest of the legal procedures against the suspects,” the authorities added.

Israeli Drone Strike In Beirut Kills Senior Hamas Official

An Israeli drone strike hit a Hamas office in Beirut on Tuesday, killing at least six people, including a senior Hamas official, Lebanese media has reported. A US official told The Washington Post that Israel was responsible for the strike that killed Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy chief of Hamas’s political bureau. The Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital marks a huge escalation and could provoke a major war. Hamas has confirmed that al-Arouri was killed and released a statement on his assassination. “The cowardly assassinations carried out by the Zionist occupation against the leaders and symbols of our Palestinian people inside and outside Palestine will not succeed in breaking the will and steadfastness of our people or in undermining the continuation of their valiant resistance,” Hamas said.

US Launches Airstrikes Against Kataib Hezbollah In Iraq, Injuring Civilians

The Pentagon said it launched airstrikes in Iraq on Monday night, targeting three facilities used by the Shia militia Kataib Hezbollah and its affiliates after a drone attack on a US base wounded three American troops, leaving one in critical condition. The Iraqi government strongly condemned the US airstrikes as “an unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty” and said one security serviceman was killed and 18 other people were injured, including civilians. Iraqi sources told Reuters that one Kataib Hezbollah fighter was killed in the strike. Kataib Hezbollah is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a state-sponsored coalition of mostly Shia Iraqi militias that was formed in 2014 to fight ISIS.

Iraqi Resistance Drone Strikes ‘Israeli’ Port Of Eilat

The Islamic Resistance of Iraq announced that it had attacked the port city of Eilat in southern “Israel,” and that the attack was in response to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people carried out by the Israeli regime. On Friday, December 22, the Iraqi Resistance announced through a statement, “In line with our approach to resisting the occupation, in support of our people in Gaza, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurping entity against Palestinian civilians, including children, women and the elderly, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has hit a target in Umm al-Rashrash, in occupied Eilat, with appropriate weapons.”

Ukraine Grenade Attack Heralds Coming Terror Wave

On December 15th, horrific footage began circulating widely. In it, an individual bursts into a crowded local Ukrainian council meeting in Keretsky, Zakarpattia Oblast, then casually scatters grenades across the room, which duly detonate within seconds. The BBC reported 26 individuals were injured in the ensuing blast, six of them severely, while one was killed. The shocking story almost immediately vanished from mainstream view, and details remain sketchy. Nonetheless, Britain’s state broadcaster astonishingly asserted that while “many Ukrainians have access to weaponry due to the war with Russia,” there was “no evidence yet that the attack was related to the conflict.”

Israeli Troops Besiege West Bank Hospitals, Jenin Refugee Camp

Israeli troops concluded a brutal raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on 17 November, killing at least five, injuring over a dozen, and laying siege to several hospitals in the city. The raid began on Thursday evening and extended into the following day. Dozens of military vehicles stormed the city as troops invaded several homes and made arrests. “Dozens of armored vehicles turned up, with bulldozers as well, damaging cars, damaging the roads,” said Al-Jazeera correspondent Sara Khairat. Heavy clashes erupted between the army and resistance fighters. In a statement around midnight, the Jenin branch of Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, announced that fighters were “engaged in heroic armed clashes alongside all resistance factions in the camp, targeting the occupation army with heavy barrages of bullets and explosive devices.”

Drone Attack On Syrian Military College Leaves Dozens Of Casualties

Dozens of casualties have been reported in Syria's central Homs governorate following a deadly drone attack that hit a military college after the end of an officers’ graduation ceremony on 5 October. In a statement released by the armed forces, authorities said the attack was conducted by “armed terrorist organizations supported by well-known international parties." The statement highlights that women and children are among those critically injured. No official death toll has been released as of press time, however, local reports say the number of dead could surpass 50, with over 150 injured.

Palestine Action Crash Europe’s Largest Business Event On Drones

Today, Palestine Action crashed the DroneX Trade Show & Conference at ExCel London, advertised as ‘Europe’s Largest Business Event Dedicated to the UAV industry’. During a keynote speech by Dave Drewitt (Head of Sales and Business Development at Thales’ ‘Flight Avionics’) on ‘Sharing Skies – Enabling Safe & Secure Drone Operations’, activists took to the stage to highlight the hypocrisy of the talk and raise the Palestinian flag. Exposing Thales’ role in facilitating crimes against the Palestinian people through their manufacture of Israeli drones, activists made clear that no apartheid-supplying business has the right to lecture on safe & secure drone operations.

22 Years Of Drone Warfare And No End In Sight

That’s what a young Pakistani boy named Zubair told members of Congress at a hearing on drones in October 2013. That hearing was during the Obama years at a time when the government had barely even acknowledged that an American drone warfare program existed. Two years earlier, however, a Muslim cleric, Anwar Al-Awlaki and his 16-year-old son Abdulrahman, both American citizens, were killed by U.S. drone strikes in Yemen just weeks apart. Asked to comment on Abdulrahman’s killing, Obama campaign senior adviser Robert Gibbs said: “I would suggest that you should have a far more responsible father if they are truly concerned about the well-being of their children.

NYC Police Plan To Use Drones To Surveil Labor Day Parties

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is planning to use surveillance drones to patrol large gatherings, including private parties and barbecues, this Labor Day weekend. “If a caller states there’s a large crowd, a large party in a backyard, we’re going to be utilizing our assets to go up and go check on the party,” Kaz Daughtry, the assistant NYPD Commissioner, said at a press conference. Civil liberties groups and privacy advocates have said that such drone use may violate existing laws that regulate police surveillance in the city. One such law is the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act, which requires that the NYPD disclose its surveillance tactics at least 90 days prior to implementation.

With Drone Strike, The West Bank Could Turn Into War-Ravaged Gaza

Last week, the Israeli military killed three Palestinians in its first aerial drone strike in the occupied West Bank in nearly 20 years — marking a grave escalation in state violence against the territory. Using an Elbit Systems Hermes 450 drone, the military struck a vehicle in Jenin carrying Palestinians suspected of fatally shooting four Israelis the day before. According to the Israeli military, this was the first drone strike since 2006 during the Second Intifada, or Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation. Drones have been mainly used in the West Bank for intelligence and surveillance purposes.

Daniel Ellsberg’s Last Warning Was To Stop Nuclear War, Here’s How

Daniel Ellsberg died on June 16, 2023 at the age of 92. In his final months of life, he spoke out about the importance of whistleblowing and the risk of nuclear war resulting from US aggression against Russia and China. Ellsberg urged people not to wait to take action. Clearing the FOG spoke with Jack Cohen-Joppa, co-coordinator of the Nuclear Resister and steering committee member of the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons, about the long history of and ongoing resistance to nuclear weapons. Cohen-Joppa also talks about actions targeting Raytheon and depleted uranium use in Ukraine. He provides information about actions people can take to create a nuclear-free world.
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