Free Republic

MADRID (AP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday secured from Spain a pledge of additional air defense missiles to help fight the about 3,000 bombs that he says Russia launches every month at Ukraine in the third year of the war. However, Ukraine still urgently needs another seven U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems to stop Russia hitting the power grid and civilian areas, as well as military targets, with devastating glide bombs that wreak wide destruction, Zelenskyy said. “If we had these modern Patriot systems, (Russian) airplanes wouldn´t be able to fly close enough to drop the (glide) bombs...

Whistleblowers have informed top Republican senators that former President Barack Obama’s State Department blocked the FBI from executing arrest warrants against illegal aliens in the U.S. who were financially backing Iran’s efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) said that for nearly 20 years, Republican and Democrat administrations imposed sanctions on “Iranian individuals, companies, and organizations for involvement in nuclear proliferation, ballistic missile development, support for terrorist groups, and human rights abuses.” They noted that even one of Obama’s executive orders and a law passed during the Obama-era, the Iran Nuclear Agreement...

The senators claimed the reason for the State Department's interference was because of ongoing negotiations related to the Obama administration's Iran nuclear deal, which former President Barack Obama signed in 2015. Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson unveiled evidence on Wednesday that former Secretary of State John Kerry's State Department "actively interfered" with the FBI's attempts to arrest people suspected of being in the United States illegally to support Iran's efforts to create weapons of mass destruction. Whistleblowers allegedly told the senators and shared unclassified documents with them that supported their claims, and showed that the Justice Department and...

An Israeli missile attack that killed a senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force in Syria last week has sparked criticism of the military partnership between Russia and Iran. On 25 December, Seyyed Reza Mousavi, a key figure in shaping Iran's military presence in Syria, was killed in a missile strike on his residence in the Zainabiyah neighbourhood of Damascus. Although it wasn't the first time that Israel had targeted Iranian forces in Syria, this incident has drawn attention to Russia's failure to deploy its advanced S-300 anti-missile defence system in support of Iran, its primary...

Massachusetts AIr National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, accused of classified document leak. CREDIT: Simon Ateba, TwitterThe big story Thursday was the arrest of 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard who allegedly leaked more than 100 pages of classified documents that exposed extremely sensitive information from the Pentagon regarding Ukraine, Russia, China, Israel, and documents produced by the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.That story changed markedly through the day, though, and the sparse information we have about Teixeira raised major questions about how he could have possibly had access to such a wide-ranging tranche...

Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.

GPS is being blocked across swathes of Israel in order to disrupt missiles and drones, as tensions rise with Iran. Iran has vowed to respond after a strike on its consulate building in Syria on Monday - which Israel was widely believed to be behind - killed 13 people, including a senior general. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also announced it was halting all leave for soldiers serving with combat units. It comes a day after reservists were called up to bolster air defence units. Israeli authorities seem to believe an Iranian response is imminent and could come as soon...

Ukrainian air defenders on Friday morning had fought a tough overnight battle against nearly a hundred missiles and drones launched by Russia at targets across the country, shooting down the bulk of the Kremlin’s strike packages, but by their own reckoning failing to intercept any of Moscow’s ballistic missiles. According to Ukrainian military announcements, the Russian Federation overnight from Thursday to Friday launched 99 long-range weapons at Ukraine. An estimated 58-60 were propeller-driven, Iranian-exported Shahed drones. Based on open-source air defense reports reviewed by Kyiv Post, Russian strike planners used the Shahed drones to probe and where possible spread thin...

The IDF late Tuesday night admitted for the first time that the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have penetrated the country's missile air defense. According to the IDF, reports of an unidentified object landing north of Eilat on Sunday night referred to a cruise missile which came from the direction of the Red Sea. Although the IDF did not specifically identify the Houthis, the Iranian-backed group in Yemen has tried to strike Israel with ballistic missiles numerous times for months.

The communist regime of North Korea reportedly fired several ballistic missiles on Monday, an apparent gesture of “welcome” to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who landed in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday to attend President Joe Biden’s “Summit for Democracy.” The “Summit for Democracy” is an event Biden founded virtually in 2021, ostensibly to bring together the leaders of the free world to discuss ways to protect the integrity of free states and combat authoritarianism. The “Summit for Democracy” has been met with ridicule and alarm in prior iterations, as the inaugural summit featured the State Department causing a “technical...

March 9, 2024 Release Number 20240309 – 02 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TAMPA, Fla. – Following further engagements through the morning, U.S. and Coalition forces downed a total of at least 28 uncrewed aerial vehicles between 4:00 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. (Sanaa time) on March 9. No U.S. or Coalition Navy vessels were damaged in the attack and there were also no reports by commercial ships of damage.

A Harvard fellow and DC 'peace activist' has been charged with conspiring to smuggle millions of dollars worth of weaponry to aid a military coup in South Sudan. Peter Ajak, 40, fled to the U.S. with the help of the American government four years ago after he claimed South Sudan's president wanted him abducted or killed. He was granted refugee status last year and has been working as a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. But the former World Bank economist, who now lives in Maryland, is now alleged to have conspired to send...

German frigate Hessen caused a blunder in the Red Sea as it led EU's anti-Houthi mission. The German warship opened fire at American MQ-9 Reaper drone as it spotted it flying in the area. The warship mistook it for being a Houthi drone, however, its missiles failed to reach the drone due to a reported "technical defect." RT News reported that the Reaper drone was flying in the area with its transponder shut off. Watch for more details.

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the creation of a coalition to provide Ukraine with "medium- and long-range missiles and bombs".Source: Le MondeDetails: Macron said Western leaders decided to "create a coalition for deep strikes, and therefore for [supplying Ukraine with] medium- and long-range missiles and bombs."He also called on European countries to produce more munitions.

If Republicans continue to block U.S. military aid to Ukraine, the White House could turn to an ally to provide Kyiv with ATACM missiles capable of striking Russian-held Crimea.MUNICH — After months of requests from Ukrainian officials, the Biden administration is working toward providing Ukraine with powerful new long-range ballistic missiles, according to two U.S. officials.Late last year, the U.S. began to supply Ukraine with Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, but so far it has provided only the older medium-range ATACMS. Now, the U.S. is leaning toward sending the longer-range version of the missile, the officials said, which...

Russian authorities denied an emergency in Russia's Udmurt Republic, as videos show a huge fireball over a weapons plant that produces nuclear weapons components and ballistic missiles. Massive explosion was reported on Wednesday on the grounds of the Votkinsk weapons factory, which produces weapons including the RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) & strategic ballistic missiles for the Topol-M and Iskander systems. The factory is located some 30 miles from the capital of the Udmurt Republic, Izhevsk. Videos filmed by residents showed a huge fireball over the area and a massive glow in the sky. Locals reported hearing explosions before...

This product provides a visual comparison of Iranian missiles and weaponized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and those displayed and employed by Houthi forces in Yemen to attack civilian infrastructure across the region. Photographs of weapons displayed and fired by Iran and the Houthis, as well as those illegally smuggled aboard boats from Iran, strongly suggest their Iranian origin. Iranian aid has enabled the Houthis to initiate a campaign of missile and UAV attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea since November 2023. As of mid-December 2023, several of the largest global shipping firms had suspended transit through the Red...

Royal Navy destroyers have been fitted with treadmills where land attack cruise missiles should be, prompting warnings that the Navy is falling further behind the United States. The Type 45 warships were designed to accommodate the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System fitted in their bows, allowing them to fire cruise missiles. However, the space has only ever been used as a gym for crew because the Navy did not procure the weapons due to a lack of funds. It comes after The Telegraph revealed HMS Diamond cannot attack Houthi targets on land because it lacks the firepower, although the warship...

Almost two full years into Russia's invasion of Ukraine and with the Middle East teetering on the brink of disaster following Hamas' October 7th attacks on Israel, the threat of a wider war looms large on the horizon. Prime ministers, defence secretaries and military chiefs have claimed that the threat of a major conflict is greater now than at any other time since the Cuban Missile Crisis. European governments one after the other have issued grave warnings to their citizens to start preparing for a fight. And now, NATO countries are gearing up for one of their largest-ever drills, with...

Several explosions were heard in southeastern Iran on Thursday morning, according to local media. The Mehr news agency reported that several people were injured in an attack by drones and missiles. According to the report, the attack was carried by the Pakistani army in Iranian territory, and follows an Iranian attack in Pakistani territory...