Putin's Big Message On Iran As Trump Considers BOMBING Of Nuke Sites; 'Israel Not Interested...'
Russia has strongly criticized Israel for its ongoing strikes on Iranian military and civilian targets, warning of a dangerous escalation in the region. Both Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Kremlin spokesperson urged immediate restraint from all sides. Moscow expressed grave concern over the rapid deterioration of peace, cautioning that the current trajectory could trigger a much broader conflict. The Kremlin highlighted that Israel appears uninterested in mediation efforts and that no signs of de-escalation are visible yet.
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India.com
17 minutes ago
- India.com
A Web of Air Power, Intelligence And U.S. Weapons – How Israel Reached Deep Inside Iran
New Delhi: On paper, the odds seem skewed. Israel, a nation of just nine million, is taking on Iran – a regional heavyweight with nearly 90 million people and vastly greater territory. Tel Aviv has built a sophisticated edge with modern weaponry, much of it supplied by the United States and a seasoned intelligence network that reaches far beyond its borders. Israeli jets, equipped with precision-guided munitions, have executed strikes deep inside Iranian territory. Satellite images released on June 15 revealed significant damage to infrastructure above ground in Natanz, one of Iran's key nuclear sites. Israel has claimed near-total control over Tehran's airspace, emphasising that most of Iran's aging fighter jets never even took off. Much of this air dominance stems from Israel's use of U.S.-made aircraft and munitions, including long-range missiles capable of disabling ground-based air defense systems. In one notable operation last October, Israel targeted Iran's S-300 missile defense system from a distance, neutralising a key layer of Iranian protection. Even before air raids began, intelligence agents embedded in Iran reportedly paved the way. Israeli operatives smuggled drones across the border to locate and strike remaining air defense units. These drone strikes, along with the targeted elimination of several Iranian military commanders, crippled Iran's ability to respond quickly. The Arsenal and the Allies Estimates suggest Iran once held the largest arsenal of ballistic missiles in the region, numbering between 2,000 and 3,000. Israel now claims to have destroyed a substantial portion of those, including key production sites and missile launchers. One-third of Iran's surface-to-surface launch systems have reportedly been rendered inoperable. Despite these setbacks, Iran is not out of the game. It still retains short-range air defense missiles that could threaten Israeli aircraft. Military analysts believe Israel, while dominant in the skies for now, has yet to fully neutralise the Iranian threat. Tehran's regional allies have also struggled to offer meaningful resistance. Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza – both long-time beneficiaries of Iranian support – have seen their frontline capabilities severely diminished. However, Yemen's Houthi rebels continue to launch missiles toward Israeli targets, even downing several surveillance drones despite U.S. airstrikes. Beyond the battlefield, Israel relies heavily on Washington. The Iron Dome missile interceptors, bunker-busting bombs and the advanced fighter jets it uses all originate from the United States. Some of these weapons, particularly those capable of reaching deep underground sites like Fordow, are still withheld by Washington. President Donald Trump is reported to have blocked Israeli plans to target Iran's Supreme Leader directly. Even with unmatched air power and intelligence, Israel faces limits. It can disrupt Iran's nuclear ambitions, but fully dismantling them appears out of reach. Changing Iran's leadership remains an even more distant goal. For now, what Israel has achieved is tactical disruption. Whether that translates to strategic success remains to be seen.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
North Korea plans to send military construction workers and deminers to Russia
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea will send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to support reconstruction work in Russia's Kursk region, a top Russian official said Tuesday, the latest sign of expanding cooperation between the two nations. North Korea has already supplied thousands of combat troops and a vast amount of conventional weapons to back Russia's war against Ukraine. In April, Pyongyang and Moscow said that their soldiers fought together to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk border region, though Ukraine has insisted it still has troops present there. Wrapping up a one-day visit to Pyongyang, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un decided to send 1,000 sappers to clear mines in the Kursk region and 5,000 military construction workers to restore infrastructure there, according to Russia's state news agency, Tass. Another Russian state news agency, RIA Novosti, carried a similar report. 'Following the expulsion of invaders from Russian soil, we've agreed to continue our constructive cooperation, with the Korean side providing assistance in the restoration of the Kursk region,' Shoigu said, according to RIA Novosti. "This is a kind of brotherly aid being sent by the Korean people and their leader, Kim Jong Un, to our country.' Shoigu said that Moscow and Pyongyang agreed to erect memorials in both countries in honor of North Korean soldiers who died while fighting in the Kursk region, according to Tass and RIA Novosti. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday that Kim confirmed the contents of North Korea's cooperation with Russia with regard to Kursk's current situation but didn't mention the dispatch of army construction workers and deminers cited by Russian media. KCNA quoted Kim as expressing his resolve to 'invariably and unconditionally support' what he called Russian efforts to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Kim has previously made similar comments in support of Russia's war on Ukraine. KCNA also said that Kim and Shoigu approved some plans for 'conveying long the heroic feats displayed by' North Korean troops in operations to liberate the Kursk area, an apparent reference to the memorial construction plan. North Korea and Russia have never disclosed how many North Korean troops have been sent to Russia or how many of them were killed. But according to South Korean, U.S. and Ukraine assessments, about 15,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia. South Korea's spy agency said in April that about 600 North Korean soldiers died on the Russia-Ukraine battlefronts. The deepening ties between North Korea and Russia have raised worries among the U.S., South Korea and their partners that Russian President Vladimir Putin may in return provide Kim with much-needed sophisticated technologies that can help advance his nuclear and missile programs. The two countries, both in confrontations with the U.S. and its allies, have sharply grown closer to each other in recent years. In 2024, Kim and Putin signed a landmark defense treaty that requires each side to provide aid if the other is attacked. It was Shoigu's third visit to North Korea in about three months. The two countries have exchanged high-level visits in past years, with Kim travelling to Russia in 2023 and Putin to North Korea in 2024. Many observers say Kim could soon visit Russia again for another summit with Putin. In its closed-door briefing to lawmakers on April 30, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said that Russia had given North Korea air defense missiles, electronic warfare equipment, drones and technology for spy satellite launches. The NIS said that 15,000 North Korean laborers have also been sent to Russia under bilateral industrial cooperation programs, according to lawmakers who attended the briefing. Katie Marie Davies reported from Manchester, England. Dasha Litvinova contributed to this report from Tallinn, Estonia. ___ Follow the 's coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at /hub/russia-ukraine This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Iran-Israel Conflict Spills to Digital World, Inflaming Rivalry
The conflict between Israel and Iran is spilling over into the digital world, inflaming a decades-long campaign of hacks and espionage between two nations renowned for their cyber prowess. On Tuesday, a pro-Israel hacking group claimed responsibility for a disruptive cyberattack against a major Iranian bank, and Iran's state-run IRIB News reported that Israel had launched a full-scale cyberattack on the country's critical infrastructure. Iran's Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that the country has endured more than 6,700 distributed denial-of-service attacks over the past three days. It said temporary internet restrictions were implemented as a measure to blunt the impact of large-scale cyberattacks. DDoS attacks overwhelm servers with artificial traffic, disrupting access to websites and online services. Iranians were reporting widespread issues accessing the internet on Tuesday night, with many virtual private networks, or VPNs, rendered unusable. Customers also reported problems with banking services, including banking machines and online systems. It's not clear if the problems were the result of cyberattacks or efforts by the government to minimize their impact. The attacks tied to Israel herald a new front in the escalating Middle East conflict — but the countries' cyber rivalry spans two decades. Iran and its regional proxies, such as Hamas, have attempted a wide variety of cyberattacks against Israel in recent years — including information operations, data destruction attacks and phishing campaigns — with mixed results, according to Google. Israel is widely considered one of the world's most advanced and capable countries in launching cyberattacks. An operation called Stuxnet, uncovered in 2010 and tied to the US and Israel, sabotaged hardware believed to be responsible for Iran's nuclear weapons development. One of the most advanced and impactful hacking operations in history, Stuxnet demonstrates the longstanding centrality of cyber to the Israel-Iran conflict. The claims of Predatory Sparrow, which took credit for hacking Iran's Bank Sepah, are the latest manifestation of that digital tit-for-tat. The group is known for launching significant cyberattacks against Iran over the last five years while maintaining the image of a 'hacktivist' organization. Many cybersecurity experts within private industry have suggested Private Sparrow is linked to the Israeli government. Israel's Ministry for Foreign Affairs didn't respond to a request for comment. Predatory Sparrow couldn't be reached for comment. 'Most disruptive and destructive cyberattacks are about influence and psychological impact rather than practical impact,' said John Hultquist, chief analyst at Google's Threat Intelligence Group. 'That's why a lot of them involve an effort to publicize the incidents which oftentimes includes a fictitious hacktivist front.' Predatory Sparrow posted on both Telegram and X at 4 a.m. Tuesday New York time that it had successfully 'destroyed the data' of Bank Sepah, claiming that the institution was used to circumvent international sanctions. Bank Sepah couldn't be reached for comment. Predatory Sparrow has been active since 2021. The group appeared in public when they took credit for destroying data in Iran's national railway system resulting in delays around the country. Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development were hit by hackers around the same time with the same tool designed to destroy computer files. In other attacks, Predatory Sparrow was blamed for targeting point-of-sale systems at Iranian gas stations, causing a malfunction at Iran's Khouzestan steel mill that caused molten steel to spill onto the steel plant's floor and publicizing the alleged phone number of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The attackers are unique in that there is relatively little technical information about the hacks compared to similar campaigns, according to security experts. The kind of destructive efforts for which Predatory Sparrow is known tend to destroy the technical forensic evidence that analysts need to understand it. Often, the group has used social media to promote its activity, a tactic that experts say is proof that Predatory Sparrow aims to have a psychological impact. The hack against Bank Sepah came with its own publicity push, with Predatory Sparrow warning that 'this is what happens to institutions dedicated to maintaining the dictator's terrorist fantasies.' This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
