Latest news with #droneattacks
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Republicans raise alarm over US vulnerability to mass drone strikes after Israel-Iran conflict
FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is demanding to know how the U.S. is ready to protect its own domestic assets in the event of a potential attack on the homeland. "We write to inquire with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the current state of drone attack countermeasures for our military installations, government buildings, embassies, and consulates, both domestic and abroad," the GOP lawmakers wrote in a letter. "The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have demonstrated that large-scale, highly coordinated mass-drone attacks can be highly effective if the defender lacks adequate counter-drone defenses." The letter was sent late Thursday, days after Israel and Iran declared a ceasefire following days of escalating attacks within one another's borders. Just before President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned the Middle East conflict was "causing a heightened threat environment in the United States." House lawmakers will be briefed behind closed doors on the situation with Iran at 9 a.m. Friday. "Since 9/11, our nation has not suffered a major coordinated attack on our own soil. While the government has done good work in preventing an attack like 9/11 from happening again, we want to ensure that we are preparing for a new paradigm in which relatively cheap drones can quickly and effectively wipe out core military and government infrastructure," the lawmakers wrote Thursday. "While American threat projection globally is strong among all the branches of the military, we need to be prepared for a new paradigm of covert, but potentially disastrous, threats to our core military interests, including our nuclear triad in the homeland." The letter is led by Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio. The lawmakers are asking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem if counter-drone technology is being factored into Trump's plans for a Golden Dome defense system in the U.S. They've also asked whether there is "a concern of any sort of weaponized drone buildup already happening in the United States from drones that may have been smuggled in due to the former administration's open border policies." Noem and Hegseth were also questioned on whether they are "aware of or actively working to deter potential threats posed by foreign-owned land near critical military and infrastructure sites in the United States that could be a launching point for a mass drone attack like we saw in Russia by Ukrainian forces." Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon and DHS for comment.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
An AP photographer captures the moment a Russian drone dives into a residential district in Kyiv
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Efrem Lukatsky has worked for The Associated Press, based in Kyiv, for more than 30 years. He covered the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and wars in Transnistria, Chechnya, Georgia, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gaza Strip. From Ukraine, he covered the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, the Russia-Ukraine war of 2014 and Russia's full-scale invasion since 2022. Here's what he had to say about this extraordinary this photo? Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities have become more concentrated and systematic, and even Kyiv, the capital and one of the most protected cities in Ukraine, cannot fully handle the volume of simultaneous attacks. In addition to drone barrages that can involve 500 or more Iranian-designed Shahed drones, raids are often accompanied by heavy missile strikes. Many of these drones and missiles simply crash into residential buildings. That's what happened on Tuesday, June 17, when a ballistic missile made a direct hit with an apartment building in the city's Solomianskyi district, punching through every floor from the ninth down to the basement. While I was photographing the damage, another drone barrage hit the area, and I was able to get this I made this photo At 2:30 a.m., my house started shaking from explosions across the city. I rushed out to find a good vantage point to see the smoke rising when I heard about the rocket strike on the apartment building. I went there immediately. Rescue workers were putting out fires and digging through the rubble of the collapsed building to find the injured, but the rescuers ran from the site when the new round of drones hit. You couldn't see them, but you could hear the piercing whine as they accelerated just before impact. I ran toward a blast down the street when suddenly I heard the sound of another incoming drone. I looked up and clearly saw its flight path. I should've taken cover, but the street was wide and empty — no shelter, only the pavement. I needed two seconds to get a sharp this photo works We later learned that 23 people were killed in that building while they slept in their beds. For me, it's vital to find the words and make the photographs that might bring this madness closer to its end, and this photo of a deadly drone careening into a residential area expresses the terror Ukrainian civilians face every day of this war. For more extraordinary AP photography, click here.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Unidentified Drones Destroy Iraqi Military Radar Systems
Iraq's Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, has ordered the formation of a committee to investigate a series of drone attacks targeting military radar systems at two separate bases, officials said. The strikes hit a radar installation at the Taji military camp, north of Baghdad, and another at the Imam Ali airbase in the southern province of Dhi Qar. A third suspected drone attack reportedly struck a base near Baghdad International Airport, also housing radar systems, according to local media reports. The incidents came shortly after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, though it remained unclear whether the attacks were connected to the development. Sudani said on Tuesday his government would not tolerate any act – internal or external – that threatens national security, vowing a firm and decisive response. 'We will not show leniency toward any aggression that harms the security of Iraq,' Sudani said during a cabinet meeting, according to state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA). 'Our response will be resolute and strong,' added Sudani. He confirmed that Iraqi military bases were targeted in what he described as a 'cowardly and treacherous' attack using explosive-laden suicide drones. 'Our armed forces and air defenses responded swiftly to other attempted attacks on different bases, successfully intercepting and downing the drones,' Sudani said, without elaborating on the origin of the attacks. The prime minister also welcomed the recently announced ceasefire between Israel and Iran, calling it a 'positive step,' and expressed hope that the truce would be 'solid and lasting, not fragile.' Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, also described the drone strikes as 'cowardly and treacherous,' saying the attacks caused significant damage to radar infrastructure. In a statement, al-Numan said a swarm of small, explosive-laden drones had struck the military installations in Taji and Dhi Qar. He confirmed there were no casualties. Images circulating on social media showed flames engulfing the radar station at the Taji base. 'Our forces were able to thwart additional drone attacks targeting four other locations,' al-Numan added, noting that air defenses successfully downed the incoming UAVs before they reached their targets. All of the sites targeted in the recent drone attacks were fully operated by Iraqi security forces, dismissing speculation of foreign involvement. 'All targeted locations are exclusively Iraqi military sites, overseen and operated by officers and personnel from our heroic security forces,' said al-Numan. Following the coordinated attacks, Sudani ordered the creation of a high-level technical and intelligence committee to investigate the incidents, identify those responsible, and fully track the findings of the probe. 'These cowardly criminal acts will not go unpunished,' al-Numan said. 'Our armed forces remain the unshakable shield of Iraq, defending its people, land, and sovereignty.' Military sources revealed that the first drone strike destroyed a TPS-77 radar system at the Taji military base. A second attack targeted an AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery radar at the Imam Ali base. Local media also reported, citing unverified sources, that a third drone targeted a US-made radar system at Victoria Base near Baghdad International Airport, which has previously hosted US troops. Authorities have yet to confirm this claim. The strikes come amid heightened regional tensions following a US-brokered ceasefire announcement between Israel and Iran. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, the nature and precision of the strikes have raised concerns about a potential escalation.
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Russian attacks on Kyiv kill 7 and injure dozens, says Ukraine
Ukrainian rescuers led people to safety from burning buildings and structures in the dark. (Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP pic) KYIV : Russian drone and missile attacks in and around Kyiv overnight killed seven people, injured dozens, sparked fires in residential areas and damaged the entrance to a metro station bomb shelter, Ukrainian officials said today. At least six people were killed in Kyiv's busy Shevchenkivskyi district where an entire section of a residential high-rise building was destroyed, Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app. Four children were among 25 people wounded in the attack, he added. 'The Russians' style is unchanged – to hit where there may be people,' Tkachenko said. 'Residential buildings, exits from shelters – this is the Russian style.' Moscow has stepped up drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in recent weeks as talks to end the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, yielded few results. Both sides deny targeting civilians, but thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict – the vast majority of them Ukrainian. Russia has not commented on the latest attacks. Interior minister Ihor Klymenko said people could still be under the rubble after the overnight attacks caused damage in six of the city's 10 districts. 'To be honest, it wasn't like I got scared. It was more like my life was frozen,' said a 75-year-old local resident who only gave her first name, Liudmyla. 'You're frozen, looking at all of it and thinking about how you will live.' UK visit Ukraine's air force said it downed 339 of 352 drones and 15 of 16 missiles launched by Russia in the attack on four Ukrainian regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would discuss the country's defence and additional pressure on Russia to end such strikes during his visit to Britain. Photos posted by Ukraine's state emergency service showed rescuers leading people to safety from buildings and structures on fire in the dark. An entrance to the metro station in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi district was also damaged, along with an adjacent bus stop, officials said. Kyiv's deep metro stations have been used throughout the war as some of the city's safest bomb shelters. Kyiv Polytechnic Institute said the attack damaged its sports complex, several academic buildings and four dormitories. In the broader Kyiv region that surrounds the Ukrainian capital, a 68-year-old woman was killed and at least eight people were injured, officials said. Russia launched one of its deadliest attacks on Kyiv last week, when hundreds of drones killed 28 people and injured more than 150.
Sky News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Israel-Iran live: Trump ordered Netanyahu to turn IDF jets around in call to salvage ceasefire
Analysis: Considerable fear in Iraq that moves to peace could unravel By Stuart Ramsay, chief correspondent Iraqi militia closely allied with Iran are being blamed for a series of drone attacks on military bases in the country overnight. Amongst the bases targeted was the Ain al-Asad base in Iraq's western Anbar province, where the Americans have a presence, although now a major base for Iraqi military as well. Ain al-Asad was the second biggest base in Iraq after the second Gulf War, a base I have visited many times with American forces. It is still home to 1500 US personnel. An Iraqi military spokesperson confirmed that all the bases attacked were in the control of their military rather than American units, and that the drones caused significant damage to radar systems at the several of the bases. The potential for Shia Muslim militias to act independently of the Iraqi government has been a cause of concern here throughout this recent crisis. Militia contacts had been warning Sky News that they would respond if the US joined Israel's war with Iran, and this seems to be their response. While there was damage to the bases, no Iraqi or US service personnel were injured in the drone attacks. In a series of press conferences and interviews in the past few days, senior Trump administration officials have made it clear that forces working as proxies for Tehran would be targeted and dealt with in the same way as Iran if American interests and people were attacked. While overnight developments that saw the announcement of what is looking like an increasingly shaky ceasefire brought some relief here in Iraq, there remains considerable fear here that moves to peace could unravel.
