Latest news with #spyplanes
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Report: Brit spy planes still flying over Gaza to help Israel find hostages
The RAF is continuing to fly spy planes over Gaza to help Israel 's government find the still-missing hostages taken by Hamas . According to sources who spoke to the Times, RAF aircraft launched from British air bases in the Middle East are being used to gather intelligence on the movement of those captured by Hamas on October 7 2023, and passed onto the IDF. Since the war between Hamas and Israel began, Britain has sent specialised aircraft to help Israel. Shadow R1s, specialist surveillance planes equipped with sophisticated espionage technology, have been flown almost everyday over the enclave. While the MoD refuses to disclose which aircraft are being used for these missions, flight tracking data shows the Shadow R1s have flown hundred of missions, as recently as last month, after taking off from Cyprus' RAF Akrotiri. The Ministry of Defence told the newspaper that these flybys are only done to collect information on the hostages. But questions have been raised over whether the missions are purely for finding the hostages. Former Major General Charlie Herbert told the newspaper: 'It's all good and proper saying they are handing over intelligence for the purposes for locating hostages, but in reality that intelligence is just as likely to be used as targeting for Hamas and others.' The confirmation of the missions comes despite relations between Britain and Israel being at an all-time low, following Prime Minister Keir Starmer's conditional pledge to recognise the state of Palestine, along with senior British government figures condemning Israel's actions in Gaza. Foreign Secretary David Lammy previously said he was 'appalled, sickened' by the 'grotesque' targeting of Palestinians seeking food by the IDF, and has threatened further sanctions. The UK government has invoked the ire of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who claimed the UK was 'rewarding Hamas' by conditionally pledging to recognise Palestine as a state . Earlier today Netanyahu reportedly told the military to prepare for a full takeover of the Gaza Strip, including areas where hostages are being held. A source in the Prime Minister's Office told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that the message had been passed on to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir saying: 'If this does not suit you, then you should resign.' It comes as Netanyahu prepares to meet with top officials to decide on the next steps in Gaza and what to do about the remaining hostages. An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post: 'The prime minister is considering all available options regarding the next steps.' According to reports, the prime minister used the phrase 'occupation of the Strip' in private conversations while describing his intentions for Gaza. If Netanyahu's plans are successful, the Israeli military could extend its reach across the whole region, according to local reports. It currently holds 75 percent of the Strip. He is now set to take the plans to his cabinet to seek their backing for the plan. In a video message, Netanyahu said he was 'committing to free Gaza from the tyranny of these terrorists'. According to The Times of Israel, the IDF is against the proposal and has said it would take a significant amount of time to clear infrastructure belonging to Hamas.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
British spy planes 'are still flying over Gaza to help Israel find missing hostages'
The RAF is continuing to fly spy planes over Gaza to help Israel 's government find the still-missing hostages taken by Hamas. According to sources who spoke to the Times, RAF aircraft launched from British air bases in the Middle East are being used to gather intelligence on the movement of those captured by Hamas on October 7 2023, and passed onto the IDF. Since the war between Hamas and Israel began, Britain has sent specialised aircraft to help Israel. Shadow R1s, specialist surveillance planes equipped with sophisticated espionage technology, have been flown almost everyday over the enclave. While the MoD refuses to disclose which aircraft are being used for these missions, flight tracking data shows the Shadow R1s have flown hundred of missions, as recently as last month, after taking off from Cyprus' RAF Akrotiri. The Ministry of Defence told the newspaper that these flybys are only done to collect information on the hostages. But questions have been raised over whether the missions are purely for finding the hostages. Former Major General Charlie Herbert told the newspaper: 'It's all good and proper saying they are handing over intelligence for the purposes for locating hostages, but in reality that intelligence is just as likely to be used as targeting for Hamas and others.' The confirmation of the missions comes despite relations between Britain and Israel being at an all-time low, following Prime Minister Keir Starmer's conditional pledge to recognise the state of Palestine, along with senior British government figures condemning Israel's actions in Gaza. Foreign Secretary David Lammy previously said he was 'appalled, sickened' by the 'grotesque' targeting of Palestinians seeking food by the IDF, and has threatened further sanctions. The UK government has invoked the ire of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who claimed the UK was 'rewarding Hamas' by conditionally pledging to recognise Palestine as a state. Earlier today Netanyahu reportedly told the military to prepare for a full takeover of the Gaza Strip, including areas where hostages are being held. A source in the Prime Minister's Office told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that the message had been passed on to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir saying: 'If this does not suit you, then you should resign.' It comes as Netanyahu prepares to meet with top officials to decide on the next steps in Gaza and what to do about the remaining hostages. An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post: 'The prime minister is considering all available options regarding the next steps.' According to reports, the prime minister used the phrase 'occupation of the Strip' in private conversations while describing his intentions for Gaza. Netanyahu is now preparing to meet with top officials to decide on the next steps in Gaza and what to do about the remaining hostages If Netanyahu's plans are successful, the Israeli military could extend its reach across the whole region, according to local reports. It currently holds 75 percent of the Strip. He is now set to take the plans to his cabinet to seek their backing for the plan. In a video message, Netanyahu said he was 'committing to free Gaza from the tyranny of these terrorists'. According to The Times of Israel, the IDF is against the proposal and has said it would take a significant amount of time to clear infrastructure belonging to Hamas.
The Sun
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Brit & US spy planes high-tail it out of Gulf amid fears of Iran reprisals over Israel's missile and drone blitz
A TRIO of British and US spy planes high-tailed it out of the Gulf amid fears of Iran reprisals over Israel's missile and drone blitz. An RAF Rivet Joint plane and two US Rivet Joints scrambled at dawn from Al Udeid airbase in Qatar. They all flew back to Europe. The planes are packed with spy sensors for hoovering up signals intelligence and the can monitor air defence radars – providing valuable battlefield intelligence. All three planes left Qatar between 4am and 5am local time – as Israel announced it had attacked Iran. Flight records show the US planes had spent weeks taking turns, on alternate days, to patrol Iran's coast. The RAF jet spent three and a half weeks at the same US Air Base but the UK crew switched off their transponder so there is no publicly available flight data. An RAF source claimed the plane was there support the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier strike group, which is sailing through the region. UK defen The UK's Rivet Joint jets are flown by RAF pilots but mostly crewed by government code-breakers from the GCHQ listening post. The RAF source said the UK spy plane was not involved in Iran operations. They claimed return to base yesterday was 'a coincidence'. Any intelligence collected by the RAF's three Rivet Joints is automatically shared with America. Iran launches wave of missiles at Israel & smoke billows over Tel Aviv after Ayatollah vow to avenge blitz on nuke sites A source said Britain would have been unable to stop America sharing intelligence from British flights with Israel if the Pentagon chose to do so. One of the RAF's three Rivet Joints was nearly shot down by Russia over the Black Sea three years ago. The planes, based at RAF Waddington, Lincs, have been spying on Russia's defences in southern Ukraine and occupied Crimea. The RAF Rivet Joint based in Qatar returned to RAF Waddington yesterday. The US jets flew to Crete. 2 2
