Latest news with #missilestrikes
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Three killed in 'massive' Russian strikes on Ukraine, Zelensky says
Russia launched large-scale drone and missile strikes on Ukraine's capital and other parts of the country early on Friday, local officials said. At least three people were killed and 49 injured in the strikes, according to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. The aerial raids targeted Kyiv, as well as the city of Lutsk and the Ternophil region in the north-west of the country. The attack came after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned US President Donald Trump he would respond to Ukraine's recent strikes on Russian airbases. "As of now, three deaths have been confirmed - all of them were employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine," Zelensky said. He said the attack used more than 400 drones and more than 40 missiles, and the number of people injured "may increase". In an earlier statement, Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people had been killed in the country's capital. Air raid alerts were in place in the capital, as well as the cities of Kharkiv, Sumy and Luhansk. Kyiv's train system was disrupted after shelling damaged metro tracks. Outside of the capital, Ternopil's military chief Vyacheslav Negoda said Friday's strike was the "most massive air attack on our region to date". Mayor of Ternopil, Igor Polishchuk, said five people were wounded in the attack and there was damage to homes, schools and a government facility. In Lutsk, five people were injured in an attack using 15 drones and six missiles, according to mayor Ihor Polishchuk. Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said its air defences shot down 174 Ukrainian drones overnight in parts of Russia and occupied Crimea. The ministry said Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles were also intercepted over the Black Sea. Russia's latest attack on Ukraine comes days after Kyiv launched its biggest long-range drone strike on at least 40 Russian warplanes at four military bases. Zelensky said 117 drones were used in the so-called "Spider's Web" operation by the SBU security service, striking "34% of [Russia's] strategic cruise missile carriers". Moscow had previously said that military options were "on the table" for its response to Ukraine's attack. Ukraine drones strike bombers during major attack in Russia Putin will seek revenge for Ukraine drone attack, warns Trump
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Footage from Pakistan plane crash falsely linked to conflict with India
"Indian civilians helping a Pakistani pilot," reads the Sinhala-language caption of a video compilation shared on Facebook on May 8, 2025. The compilation comprises clips of a plane engulfed in flames and people appearing to help injured pilots. It circulated a day after India launched deadly missile strikes on Pakistan, which sparked four days of intense fighting that killed at least 70 people (archived link). The violence came a fortnight after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing an attack that killed 26 people in Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir (archived link). Pakistan denies any involvement in the attack. The clashes, the worst between the neighbours in decades, was brought to a halt by a ceasefire agreed on May 10. The compilation was also shared alongside similar posts elsewhere on Facebook. A combination of reverse image and keyword searches on Google, however, found the footage had previously circulated in news reports about a plane crash that took place weeks before the current conflict erupted. The clip of the plane in flames was mirrored from a clip used by news outlet eTimes Pakistan on Instagram on April 16 (archived link). "A Pakistan Air Force Jet has crashed near Vehari City," reads its caption. A similar image was used by Pakistan's Dawn newspaper in an April 16 report about a crash the previous day involving a Pakistan Air Force training aircraft near Ratta Tibba in the northwestern district of Vehari (archived link). "Both the pilots had a miraculous escape as they ejected themselves and remained unhurt," read the report, which said they were flown to an army hospital. The second clip in the compilation, showing a man in military fatigues being cared for by civilians, was taken from a longer video posted by Pakistan media outlet Daily Ausaf Gilgit Baltistan on its Facebook page on April 16 (archived link). This clip was also mirrored in the false posts. The clip showing the other pilot was previously published by Pakistan's CTN News on April 15 (archived link). "A fighter jet has crashed just now. Pilots are coming down with parachutes," says someone speaking in Urdu, which can be heard on the clip. "The smoke is rising from near my shop. It has fallen here in Ratta Tibba." The false posts used a mirrored version of the clip. AFP has debunked other misinformation about the India-Pakistan conflict here, here and here.
The Independent
10-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump claims credit as India and Pakistan agree to ceasefire
India and Pakistan engaged in an exchange of missile strikes on air bases and military targets, marking a significant escalation in their conflict. The strikes followed heightened tensions and India 's airstrikes on alleged terrorist infrastructure within Pakistan. A ceasefire was subsequently announced, with US President Donald Trump claiming Credit for mediating the agreement. Both Indian and Pakistani officials confirmed the ceasefire. The conflict began after a terrorist attack in Kashmir, which India blamed on Pakistan. Pakistan denied the accusations and called for an independent inquiry. The international community expressed concern and urged both nuclear-armed nations to exercise restraint and de-escalate the situation.
The Independent
10-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump says ceasefire reached after India and Pakistan trade missile strikes on air bases
India and Pakistan exchanged missile strikes on air bases early on Saturday in the most dangerous escalation yet in their military conflict, prompting international concern and urgent calls for restraint. The strikes, which targeted airbases, missile depots and command centres, followed days of rising tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours. But hopes rose of de-escalation later in the day after US president Donald Trump announced a ceasefire had been agreed. 'Congratulations to both countries on using common sense and great Intelligence,' he posted on his social media platform Truth Social, claiming credit for brokering the peace. Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar confirmed this. The conflict erupted on 7 May when India launched a series of airstrikes on what it claimed was 'terrorist infrastructure' inside Pakistan, supposedly in retaliation for last month's terrorist attack in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists. New Delhi blamed the 22 April attack on Pakistan. Islamabad dismissed the allegation and called for an independent inquiry. India routinely accuses Pakistan of supporting militant separatism in Kashmir, the restive Himalayan territory that each side controls in part but claims in whole. Intensifying the conflict on Saturday, the Pakistani military said they had launched medium-range Fateh missiles at an Indian missile storage facility in Pathankot and an air base in Udhampur. They dubbed the operation 'Bunyan un Marsoos', meaning unbreakable wall in Arabic. India confirmed that Pakistan had struck four northern air bases with speedy missiles, causing limited damage to equipment and personnel. It claimed that missiles had also struck schools and healthcare facilities in Kashmir. Indian forces responded with precision strikes on military targets across the border, including radar sites, command centres, and weapon storage facilities, a defence ministry spokesperson said. Pakistan maintained that India had attacked first. Military jets and missiles lit up the skies over Kashmir and Punjab through the night, with the residents reporting deafening blasts in cities like Amritsar, Jammu and Srinagar. Shelling by Pakistani forces killed at least five people in Jammu and emptied out many villages along the border as people fled to safer areas, officials said. 'Jammu city has never been hit before,' Rajeev Gupta, 60, a resident whose brother was wounded in shelling, told Reuters. 'Never thought we would be hit like this.' In Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir, residents said explosions overnight felt unlike previous drone attacks and were concentrated around military installations. Mohammed Yasin, a resident, told Associated Press his children were shaken awake by the blasts. 'They started crying,' he said. In Pakistan, officials said Indian missiles had targeted three air bases – Nur Khan in Rawalpindi, Murid in Chakwal, Rafiqui in Jhang district – early on Saturday. A military spokesperson said air defence systems intercepted most of the missiles and no air force assets were damaged. India said it was committed to 'non-escalation, provided it is reciprocated by the Pakistan military'. A military spokesperson, Vyomika Singh, told reporters that Pakistan had been observed mobilising ground troops towards forward areas, 'indicating an offensive intent to further escalate the situation'. Pakistan, meanwhile, downplayed any immediate risk of nuclear engagement. The military had said prime minister Shahbaz Sharif would chair a meeting of the National Command Authority, which oversees the country's strategic and nuclear arsenal, but defence minister Khawaja Asif denied this. 'No meeting has happened of the National Command Authority nor is any such meeting scheduled. We shouldn't even discuss nuclear options in the immediate context,' he told Ary TV. India, which follows a declared no-first-use nuclear policy, did not comment on any shift in its nuclear posture. Analysts said Pakistan did not adhere to such a doctrine, raising concerns among international observers about the risks of miscalculation in the region. But as the day wore on, both countries seemed to signal willingness to ease tensions. 'We responded because our patience had reached its limit. If they stop here, we will also consider stopping,' Mr Dar, Pakistan's foreign minister, told Geo News. After a call with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar said on X that 'India's approach has always been measured and responsible and remains so'. Mr Rubio had separate phone calls with Mr Jaishankar and Pakistan's army chief General Asim Munir on Saturday, urging them to 're-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation'. In spite of repeated international calls for de-escalation, the situation appeared to be sliding towards deeper confrontation. 'It's become a remorseless race for military one-upmanship with no apparent strategic end goals from either side,' Praveen Donthi, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, told AP. 'With increasing civilian casualties on both sides, finding an exit or off-ramp is going to be challenging.' G7 foreign ministers, including British foreign secretary David Lammy, issued a statement urging 'immediate de-escalation' while condemning the April 22 attack in Kashmir. 'Further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability. We're deeply concerned for the safety of civilians on both sides,' they said. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over Kashmir. Their last major military confrontation occurred in the remote Himalayan region of Kargil in 1999. The ongoing conflict has been described as the most dangerous since.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Old Gaza explosion footage misused in posts about India-Pakistan
"India attacked Pakistan," reads the Thai-language caption of a May 7, 2025 Facebook post. The post includes footage of multiple nighttime explosions. The video bears the logo of Pakistani news outlet ARY News, which shared the clip on its page. The video was released by the Pakistani army's media wing to news outlets including AFP after the Indian strikes. The footage surfaced in other posts written in Thai, as well as Burmese, Hindi, Sinhala and English. Urdu-language TV channel 92 News and Thai PBS, Thailand's state broadcaster, also misrepresented the footage in reports about the conflict between India and Pakistan. The nuclear-armed rivals experienced their worst violence in two decades after India launched deadly missile strikes on its neighbour, with days of repeated gunfire along their border escalating into artillery shelling (archived link) New Delhi has blamed Islamabad for backing an attack on tourists in the Indian-administered side of disputed Kashmir two weeks prior -- a charge Pakistan denies. Islamabad said 31 civilians were killed by Indian strikes and firing along the border. New Delhi said 13 civilians and a soldier had been killed by Pakistani fire. The video, however, is unrelated to the crisis. A reverse image search using keyframes led to an X post published by Al Jazeera Palestine on October 13, 2023 (archived link). The Arabic-language caption reads: "Scenes showing violent Israeli raids on Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip." Additional keyword searches found the same clip in a TRT Haber report on October 13, 2023. The Turkish outlet said Israel carried out strikes on 320 targets overnight, killing around 400 Palestinians (archived link). Sharing a screenshot from the same video, Lebanese news outlet Al Manar also reported the same day that Israeli strikes forced evacuations in Gaza (archived link). A Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data. The Israeli offensive launched in retaliation for the October 7 attack has killed at least 52,653 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which is considered reliable by the United Nations (archived link). AFP has debunked other misinformation about the India-Pakistan clashes here, here and here.
