Latest news with #security forces
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Drone use signals India and Pakistan need new norms of engagement
On July 21, reports confirmed that militant groups in Pakistan have begun using small quadcopter drones to target security forces. While this may appear to be a mere tactical shift, it reflects a deeper and more alarming transformation in South Asia's strategic arena. The growing convergence of non-state actors, emerging technologies and external enablers is eroding traditional conflict thresholds and obscuring accountability. Advertisement Drawing lessons from the Russia-Ukraine and Iran-Israel conflicts, where low-cost drones were used for strategic disruption, this emerging threat paradigm in South Asia introduces new risks of inadvertent escalation, especially between nuclear-armed rivals . Without clearly defined red lines and mutual restraint regarding the use of proxies and low-cost precision systems against strategic assets, India and Pakistan are headed towards a phase of strategic ambiguity that will undermine crisis stability and complicate deterrence efforts. Before attacking Iran, Israeli operatives reportedly smuggled parts of small armed drones into the country using civilian vehicles. These drones were deployed to inhibit Iran's air defence systems, enabling continued Israeli bombardment . Ukraine's drone operations deep inside Russian territory, which involved 117 drones using Russian cellular networks, reportedly destroyed a third of the Kremlin's strategic bombers on the tarmac of four airfields. This heralds a troubling trend in modern warfare: the use of infiltration paired with the strategic utility of low-cost weapons systems. Pakistan faces a similar trajectory of threats. In April, security officials said they had uncovered a terror plot to attack Masroor Airbase, one of the country's most sensitive military sites. Such an attack would not be unprecedented. Witnesses to a 2011 attack on Mehran Naval Base said militants destroyed P-3C Orion aircraft essential for anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance. The 2012 attack on Minhas Airbase in Karma resulted in damage to early warning defences. Such attacks, previously conducted through militant infiltration, now risk being supplemented or replaced by drone-based incursions launched from within Pakistan's territory or border regions. The complexity is further deepened by India's evolving approach to covert operations. Advertisement Since 2021, Indian intelligence services have reportedly orchestrated a campaign of targeted assassinations inside Pakistan using Pakistani and Afghan nationals rather than Indian operatives. These operations, conducted with the help of intermediaries in the United Arab Emirates, indicate efforts to establish deniable operation channels. Similar tactics have reportedly been applied in Canada.
The National
31-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Lebanese President calls on Hezbollah to surrender its weapons
Joseph Aoun says state must seize 'historic opportunity' to keep weapons exclusively in the hands of security forces
Sky News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Homes burning after mass pillaging and 30,000 trapped in besieged city - as Syria's fragile ceasefire holds
The main road entering the besieged Syrian city of Sweida from the west has changed dramatically over 12 hours. A bulldozer, parked on the side of the road, has been used to create several berms to form a sand barrier around 25km (16 miles) from the city centre. Dozens of Syrian security forces were standing in lines in front of the barricades when we arrived, and there were forces further up the road stopping vehicles from going any further. The Arab tribal fighters we'd seen fighting furiously inside the city the day before were now all camped alongside the road. Some were sleeping on the back of their pick-ups. "We're not giving up," one shouted to us as we walked towards the checkpoint. The ceasefire agreement between Druze leaders who are bunkered down inside the city and the Bedouins - and the tribal fighters who have flocked to join them - has frustrated some. Some of them, waiting with guns slung over their backs, are itching to return to battle. But for now, tribal leaders have instructed them to hold fire. How long that will last is probably key to Syria's future and whether it can be a peaceful one. Khalaf al Modhi, the head of a group of tribes called United Tribes, told the group of fighters: "We are not against the Druze. We are not here to kill the Druze." But he spent many minutes castigating the senior Druze cleric inside Sweida whom many of the tribes see as the agitator behind the violent clashes. Hikmat al Hijiri is head of a Druze faction that is deeply suspicious of the new government led by Ahmed al Sharaa and is resisting ceding power to Damascus. The retreat of the Arab tribes from the city centre means the Druze militia under Hijiri's control are now the ones deciding who goes in or out of the city. About 30,000 mostly Druze people are thought to be trapped inside the city and surrounding towns, with no electricity, little internet and dwindling supplies of food and water. The humanitarian situation is dramatically worsening by the day. But at the time of writing, there were still no agreed safe corridors to bring out those pinned inside. On top of this, there are nearly 130,000 people displaced and forced out of their homes because of the fighting, according to UN estimates. Maintaining the ceasefire is key to ensuring solutions are found to help those suffering, and quickly. It's also the most serious challenge facing the new Syrian leader and his interim government. The level of distrust between the Hijiri-led Druze faction and the new government is strong and deep. So much so that the Druze leaders have refused to accept truckloads of aid organised by any of the government outlets. The new Syrian leader has struggled to convince the country's minorities that their safety under his leadership is assured. Druze civilians and human rights activists reported mass killings and executions of Druze by government troops who were sent in last week to quell the latest clashes between the Druze and Arab Bedouins who have been at odds for many years. Government forces pulled out of the city only after Israel unleashed a spate of airstrikes, saying they were defending the Druze. The bombings killed hundreds of Syrian troops. But with the withdrawal of the government troops, the Arab Bedouin population said the city's Druze militia embarked on a string of revenge atrocities. That in turn led to thousands of tribal fighters massing from around the country to defend their Arab brethren. When we were inside the city, we saw multiple corpses lying on the streets, and many appeared to have been killed with a shot to the head. Homes and businesses are still burning after mass pillaging as fighters retreated. And now, there is a growing humanitarian disaster unfolding.
Sky News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Homes still burning after mass pillaging and 30,000 trapped in besieged city - as Syria's fragile ceasefire holds
The main road entering the besieged Syrian city of Sweida from the west has changed dramatically over 12 hours. A bulldozer, parked on the side of the road, has been used to create several berms to form a sand barrier around 25km (16 miles) from the city centre. Dozens of Syrian security forces were standing in lines in front of the barricades when we arrived, and there were forces further up the road stopping vehicles from going any further. The Arab tribal fighters we'd seen fighting furiously inside the city the day before were now all camped alongside the road. Some were sleeping on the back of their pick-ups. "We're not giving up," one shouted to us as we walked towards the checkpoint. The ceasefire agreement between Druze leaders who are bunkered down inside the city and the Bedouins - and the tribal fighters who have flocked to join them - has frustrated some. Some of them, waiting with guns slung over their backs, are itching to return to battle. But for now, tribal leaders have instructed them to hold fire. How long that will last is probably key to Syria's future and whether it can be a peaceful one. Khalaf al Modhi, the head of a group of tribes called United Tribes, told the group of fighters: "We are not against the Druze. We are not here to kill the Druze." But he spent many minutes castigating the senior Druze cleric inside Sweida whom many of the tribes see as the agitator behind the violent clashes. Hikmat al Hijiri is head of a Druze faction that is deeply suspicious of the new government led by Ahmed al Sharaa and is resisting ceding power to Damascus. The retreat of the Arab tribes from the city centre means the Druze militia under Hijiri's control are now the ones deciding who goes in or out of the city. About 30,000 mostly Druze people are thought to be trapped inside the city and surrounding towns, with no electricity, little internet and dwindling supplies of food and water. The humanitarian situation is dramatically worsening by the day. But at the time of writing, there were still no agreed safe corridors to bring out those pinned inside. On top of this, there are nearly 130,000 people displaced and forced out of their homes because of the fighting, according to UN estimates. Maintaining the ceasefire is key to ensuring solutions are found to help those suffering, and quickly. It's also the most serious challenge facing the new Syrian leader and his interim government. The level of distrust between the Hijiri-led Druze faction and the new government is strong and deep. So much so that the Druze leaders have refused to accept truckloads of aid organised by any of the government outlets. The new Syrian leader has struggled to convince the country's minorities that their safety under his leadership is assured. Druze civilians and human rights activists reported mass killings and executions of Druze by government troops who were sent in last week to quell the latest clashes between the Druze and Arab Bedouins who have been at odds for many years. Government forces pulled out of the city only after Israel unleashed a spate of airstrikes, saying they were defending the Druze. The bombings killed hundreds of Syrian troops. But with the withdrawal of the government troops, the Arab Bedouin population said the city's Druze militia embarked on a string of revenge atrocities. That in turn led to thousands of tribal fighters massing from around the country to defend their Arab brethren. When we were inside the city, we saw multiple corpses lying on the streets, and many appeared to have been killed with a shot to the head. Homes and businesses are still burning after mass pillaging as fighters retreated. And now, there is a growing humanitarian disaster unfolding.
Sky News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
30,000 trapped inside Syria's besieged city despite ceasefire - as humanitarian crisis unfolds
The main road entering the besieged Syrian city of Sweida from the West has changed dramatically over twelve hours. A bulldozer, parked on the side of the road, has been used to create several berms to form a sand barrier around 25km (16 miles) from the city centre. Dozens of Syrian security forces were standing in lines in front of the barricades when we arrived, and there were forces further up the road stopping vehicles from going any further. The Arab tribal fighters we'd seen fighting furiously inside the city the day before were now all camped alongside the road. Some were sleeping on the back of their pick-ups. "We're not giving up," one shouted to us as we walked towards the checkpoint. The ceasefire agreement between Druze leaders who're bunkered down inside the city and the Bedoins - and the tribal fighters who'd flock to join them - has frustrated some. Some of them, waiting with guns slung over their backs, are itching to return to battle. But for now, tribal leaders have instructed them to hold fire. How long that will last is probably key to Syria's future and whether it can be a peaceful one. Khalaf al Modhi, the head of a group of tribes called United Tribes, told the group of fighters: "We are not against the Druze. We are not here to kill the Druze." But he spent many minutes castigating the senior Druze cleric inside Sweida whom many of the tribes see as the agitator behind the violent clashes. Hikmat Al Hijiri is head of a Druze faction that is deeply suspicious of the new government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa and is resisting ceding power to Damascus. The retreat of the Arab tribes from the city centre means the Druze militia under Hijiri's control are now the ones deciding who goes in or out of the city. About 30,000 mostly Druze people are thought to be trapped inside the city and surrounding towns, with no electricity, little internet and dwindling supplies of food and water. The humanitarian situation is dramatically worsening by the day. But at the time of writing, there were still no agreed safe corridors to bring out those pinned inside. On top of this, there are nearly 130,000 people displaced and forced out of their homes because of the fighting, according to UN estimates. Maintaining the ceasefire is key to ensuring solutions are found to help those suffering, and quickly. It's also the most serious challenge facing the new Syrian leader and his interim government. The level of distrust between the Hijiri-led Druze faction and the new government is strong and deep. So much so that the Druze leaders have refused to accept truckloads of aid organised by any of the government outlets. The new Syrian leader has struggled to convince the country's minorities that their safety under his leadership is assured. Druze civilians and human rights activists reported mass killings and executions of Druze by government troops who were sent in last week to quell the latest clashes between the Druze and Arab Bedoins who have been at odds for many years. Government forces pulled out of the city only after Israel unleashed a spate of airstrikes, saying they were defending the Druze. The bombings killed hundreds of Syrian troops. But with the withdrawal of the government troops, the Arab Bedoin population said the city's Druze militia embarked on a string of revenge atrocities. That in turn led to thousands of tribal fighters massing from around the country to defend their Arab brethren. When we were inside the city, we saw multiple corpses lying on the streets, and many appeared to have been killed with a shot to the head. Homes and businesses are still burning after mass pillaging as fighters retreated. And now, there is a growing humanitarian disaster unfolding.
