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New Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Operation Sindoor: India strikes nine sites in Pakistan; says 'Justice is served'
India has launched Operation Sindoor on Wednesday early morning hitting nine terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied sites, the Defence ministry announced. "A little while ago, the Indian armed forces launched 'Operation Sindoor', hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed," a Defence Ministry statement said. "Altogether nine sites have been attacked," the statement added. "Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution," the statement observed. The Defence Ministry was also clear in drawing a link between Pahalgam attack and the Indian response. 'These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered. We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable," the Ministry's statement said.
Hans India
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
After LoC, Pak violates ceasefire on border
Jammu: After resorting to unprovoked ceasefire violation on the Line of Control (LoC) consecutively for the last six days, Pakistani troops on Wednesday initiated unprovoked firing on the International Border (IB) in the Jammu district. The Defence ministry spokesman said, 'Further to the previous update about 29-30 April (Night), unprovoked small arms firing by Pakistan Army was also reported from their posts across the LoC in Baramulla and Kupwara districts, as well as across the International Border in the Pargwal Sector.' 'Indian Army troops responded appropriately,' the spokesman said. The Pakistan Army had already initiated unprovoked firing on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday for the sixth consecutive day as the Indian Army responded swiftly and proportionately. The Defence Ministry spokesman said earlier today, 'During the night of 29-30 April 2025, Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small-arms fire across the LoC opposite the Naushera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor sectors in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.' 'Indian Army troops responded swiftly and proportionately,' the spokesman said. During April 28-29, the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked small arms firing across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara and Baramulla districts, as well as the Akhnoor sector of Jammu district. The officials said the Indian Army responded to the provocation in a measured and effective manner. Tensions have mounted between the two countries after Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists sponsored and aided by Pakistan killed 26 innocent civilians, including 25 tourists and a local, on April 22 in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam. The entire country was outraged by the cowardly act of terrorists, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his first reaction to Pahalgam killings that the terrorists, their handlers and backers would he chased and hunted down to the ends of the earth. PM Modi has given a free hand to the armed forces to decide on the timing, targets and the response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The statement came after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Services, and the three chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force had a meeting with the PM.
France 24
28-04-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Fires rage 2 days after Iran port blast killed 40
The blast took place on Saturday at Shahid Rajaee Port in Iran's south near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes. It killed at least 40 people and injured more than 1,000 others, officials said, after triggering smaller explosions and fires in nearby containers. Iran's state TV showed images of firefighters dousing the flames, and said the damage will be assessed after the fire is fully brought under control. Thick, swirling plumes of smoke rose over the stacked containers at the site, the TV images showed. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion but the port's customs office said it likely resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered a probe into the incident to determine if there were "any negligence or intent". Smoke, then a fireball CCTV images on social media showed the incident began gradually, with a small fire and orange-brown smoke before a fireball erupted. The images appeared to show the small fire starting among a few containers stacked outside across from a warehouse. A small forklift truck drove past the smoking area and men walked nearby. About one minute and eight seconds after the small fire and smoke were visible, a fireball erupted as vehicles passed nearby. Men ran for their lives. President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday visited hospitals treating the wounded in the nearby city of Bandar Abbas. Since the explosion, authorities have ordered all schools and offices in the area closed and urged residents to avoid going outside "until further notice" and to use protective masks. The New York Times quoted a person with ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate -- a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles. Defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik later told state TV that "there has been no imported or exported cargo for military fuel or military use in the area". Russia dispatched specialists to help battle the blazes. Authorities have declared Monday a national day of mourning, while three days of mourning began Sunday in Hormozgan province, where the port is located. The blast occurred as Iranian and US delegations met in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran's nuclear programme, with both sides reporting progress. While Iranian authorities so far appear to be treating the blast as an accident, it also comes against the backdrop of years of shadow war with regional foe Israel.
Hindustan Times
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Iran orders probe into port blast that killed 40
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered a thorough investigation Sunday into the causes of a major blast at a key southern port that killed at least 40 people and injured more than 1,000. His instructions came after President Masoud Pezeshkian visited the blast scene in Shahid Rajaee Port near the strategic Strait of Hormuz where a fire still blazed on Sunday more than 24 hours after the explosion. "Security and judicial officials are obliged to thoroughly investigate, uncover any negligence or intent, and follow up in accordance with regulations," Khamenei said in a message carried by state television. With choking smoke and air pollution spreading throughout the area, all schools and offices in Bandar Abbas, the nearby capital of Hormozgan province, were ordered closed to allow authorities to focus on the emergency effort, state television said. The health ministry urged residents to avoid going outside "until further notice" and to use protective masks. Also Read | Iran port explosion death toll rises to 40, new videos show huge crater at site Arriving in Bandar Abbas, the president expressed his appreciation to first responders, adding "we have come to see first-hand if there is anything or any issue that the government can follow up on". "We will try to take care of the families who lost their loved ones, and we will definitely take care of the dear people who got injured," he said. A photo released by Pezeshkian's office later showed him at the bedside of a man hurt in the blast. Also Read | The Russian embassy said Moscow was sending multiple "aircraft carrying specialists" to help fight the blaze. The New York Times quoted a person with ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate -- a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles. Defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik later told state TV that "there has been no imported or exported cargo for military fuel or military use in the area". The port's customs office said in a statement carried by state television that the explosion probably resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot. A regional emergency official said several containers had exploded. "For the moment, 40 people have lost their lives as a result of injuries caused by the explosion," Hormozgan provincial official Mohammad Ashouri told state television. The ISNA news agency, citing the provincial judiciary, gave the number of injured as 1,242. Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Koolivand said some of the injured were airlifted for treatment in the capital Tehran. Aerial photos released by the Iranian presidency showed black smoke rising from the disaster zone on Sunday and drifting towards the sea. "The fire is under control but still not out," a state TV correspondent reported. Also at the scene on Sunday, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said "the situation has stabilised in the main areas" of the facility, Iran's largest commercial port, and workers had resumed loading containers and customs clearance. Another official on site, Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh, said only one zone of the port was impacted. An image from Iran's Tasnim news agency on Sunday showed a helicopter dropping water on the disaster zone. Others showed firefighters working among toppled and blackened cargo containers, and carrying out the body of a victim. The authorities have closed off roads leading to the site, and footage from the area has been limited to Iranian media outlets. Beijing's foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP on Sunday that three injured Chinese nationals were in a "stable" condition. The United Arab Emirates expressed "solidarity with Iran" over the explosion and Saudi Arabia sent condolences, as did Egypt, Pakistan, India, Turkey and the United Nations as well as Russia. The Tehran-backed Lebanese movement Hezbollah also offered condolences, saying Iran, with its "faith and solid will, can overcome this tragic accident". In the first reaction from a major European country, the German embassy in Tehran said on Instagram: "Bandar Abbas, we grieve with you." Authorities declared a day of national mourning on Monday, and three days of mourning in Hormozgan province from Sunday. The blast occurred as Iranian and US delegations were meeting in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran's nuclear programme, with both sides reporting progress. While Iranian authorities so far appear to be treating the blast as an accident, it also comes against the backdrop of years of shadow war with regional foe Israel. According to the Washington Post, Israel launched a cyberattack targeting the Shahid Rajaee Port in 2020.
CBC
13-03-2025
- CBC
South Korean air force pilots charged with criminal negligence in accidental bombing of village
Social Sharing South Korean military investigators charged two Air Force pilots on Thursday with criminal negligence over an accidental bombing of a village last week during a training exercise, which injured at least 29 people and caused extensive property damage. Defence ministry investigators have confirmed that errors by the pilots when they entered coordinates into the aircraft systems were "direct factors" behind the accidental bombing, the ministry's Criminal Investigation Command said in a statement. Explosion rocks South Korean neighbourhood after jets mistakenly drop bombs 7 days ago Duration 0:07 A social media video verified by Reuters, which matched the scene to existing satellite images and comparing the setting to its own image of the aftermath, shows an explosion after an air force jet mistakenly dropped bombs in Pocheon, home to about 160,000 residents, injuring at least 15 people. The pilots were charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, the command said, adding the investigation of the incident is ongoing. Eight unguided air-to-surface bombs were launched from two fighter jets and landed on a village in Pocheon near the border with North Korea during live-fire exercises. Several areas in Pocheon and neighbouring regions have training grounds used by the South Korean and U.S. militaries. Residents have for years complained about potential safety risks and disturbance from military units being mobilized in the area. The two pilots have been taken off flight duties and a review of their flight mission certification has been scheduled, a ministry official said. The Air Force chief of staff has apologized for the accident and pledged to review mission procedures to prevent similar incidents. North Korea, which routinely denounces military drills by the South Korean and U.S. militaries, has said the accident showed the risk of the drills triggering armed conflict, citing the possibility the bombs could have dropped north of the border.
