And reports indicate that the number of U.S. military surveillance flights taking place near the island have skyrocketed in recent weeks, raising fears of an impending operation.
(…)
Trump’s recent threats to “take” Cuba, however, coupled with the recent loss of energy supplies from Venezuela and the Castro indictment, may mark the most serious threat to the country’s independence since its 1959 revolution.
The drones that targeted the United Arab Emirates’ Barakah nuclear power plant all came from Iraq, the country’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday, an indication that Iraqi Shiite militias backed by Iran were likely behind the assault.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but Tehran and its militia proxies have launched drone attacks targeting Gulf Arab states since Israel and the United States began their war against Iran on Feb.
– U.S. reportedly knew of at least one Israeli base since June 2025 but likely withheld information from Iraq.
– Iraq was compelled to shut down its radar to protect U.S. aircraft during both the 12-day war and the 2026 conflict.
– The concealment of Israeli operations intensified scrutiny over Iraq’s sovereignty and coalition transparency.
– Iraqi political figures called for full transparency and stronger oversight mechanisms to prevent foreign intrusion.
(May 8, 2026)
– At the 2016 NATO Summit, Allied Leaders decided to provide direct support to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS/Daesh with NATO AWACS surveillance aircraft. They also agreed to provide a training and capacity-building effort within Iraq, at the request of the Iraqi government.
– In May 2017, NATO became a full member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS/Daesh, in which all individual Allies were already taking part
Iraqi air defense systems detected no trace of the three drones that struck Saudi facilities, the Foreign Ministry said Monday, announcing an investigation into how the aircraft crossed Iraqi territory undetected.
The ministry called on Riyadh to share relevant intelligence to help establish what happened, while reaffirming Baghdad‘s rejection of any threat to Saudi security or sovereignty.
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed three drones that entered its airspace from Iraq on Sunday morning.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said the drones were neutralised after crossing into Saudi territory.
(May 6, 2026)
Trump surprised Gulf allies by announcing “Project Freedom” on social media Sunday afternoon, the officials said, angering leadership in Saudi Arabia. In response, the Kingdom informed the U.S. it would not allow the U.S. military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase southeast of Riyadh or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort, the officials said.
A call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not resolve the issue, the two U.S. officials said, forcing the president to pause Project Freedom in order to restore U.S. military access to the critical airspace.
May 4, 2026 – MEDITERRANEAN SEA — The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) has received harrowing field reports confirming that the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) fleet, currently off the Coast of Greece to join the GSF in a unified mission to Gaza, is under active military surveillance and intimidation. Chronology of Tactical Escalation:
– 19:27 Palestine Time: Four FFC vessels reported a military helicopter circling their position.
– 21:53 Palestine Time: Participants reported the presence of three drones and an unidentified ship in the distance that has deliberately turned off its navigation lights.
– Tactical Surveillance: Marine Traffic data confirms a U.S. Lockheed Martin plane flew directly over the fleet shortly before the latest escalation.
– Current Status: Participants now report seeing unidentified boats and white lights approaching the FFC fleet from the rear.
The Wall Street Journal has obtained leaked diplomatic cables showing that the US plans to form a “Maritime Freedom Architecture” coalition to restart shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The plan focuses on intelligence sharing, diplomatic coordination, and simultaneous sanctions.
Welche Länder teilnehmen sollen und ob etwa Deutschland angefragt wurde, wurde nicht bekannt gegeben.
Nach Informationen des Wall Street Journal handelt es sich nicht um eine militärische Koalition. Die US-Botschaften im Ausland seien jedoch gebeten worden, ihre jeweiligen Ansprechpartner zu fragen, ob sie in der neuen Allianz ein „diplomatischer und/oder militärischer Partner“ sein möchten.
(November 30, 2023)
The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.
(…)
Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.
“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says the Strait of Hormuz remains open to civilian traffic, while warning military vessels against entering the strategic waterway.
In a statement, the IRGC said the strait is “open to the harmless passage of civilian vessels” in compliance with international law.
It warned that any military ships approaching the area would violate the ceasefire and “will be dealt with severely”.
The remotely piloted aircraft, often used by the RAF, supports missions including „surveillance, search and rescue, and armed operations alongside Nato and US forces“, according to the RAF.
The drone flew over Lebanon before and after the wave of Israeli strikes on Wednesday afternoon, which came after a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US was agreed on Tuesday night.
(March 5, 2026)
UK officials said that there were no injuries and “minimal” damage but the Iranian made drone strike has brought the conflict onto European soil.
In a statement on Wednesday, the UK Ministry of Defence said: “The Ministry of Defence can confirm that a Shahed-like drone which targeted RAF Akrotiri at midnight on 2nd March was not launched from Iran. In the last 24 hours, the UK has resupplied air defence systemns to British and allied bases across the reigion– including UK-built air defence missiles.”
Nicole Grajewski, the author of Russia and Iran: Partners in Defiance from Syria to Ukraine, said that Iran does not possess the Wing Loong Drone in its arsenal.
Neither the US nor Israel is known to operate Wing Loong II drones, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE have them in their arsenal.
The Wing Loong drone has featured prominently in Sudan’s civil war, where the UAE has deployed them in support of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, according to The New York Times.
In a statement on Friday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said that its newly developed and advanced air defenses had shot down a stealth F-35 fighter jet in central Iran.
The downed aircraft belonged to the Lakenheath squadron, it said, adding that the fighter jet was completely destroyed and crashed.
Due to the complete disintegration of the aircraft, the fate of the pilot remains unknown, it noted.
Iran and Oman are reportedly drafting a protocol to monitor ship transit through the Strait of Hormuz, raising hopes of easing disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict in the region.
According to Iranian state news agency IRNA, citing an official, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the framework would come into effect after the war involving the United States and Israel ends.
(March 25, 2026)
“The war has now entered its fifth year, and its effects occasionally spill across borders. Today, not for the first time, also into Estonia. What is important is that Estonia was not the target of the attack,” emphasised Prime Minister Kristen Michal. “These are large-scale Ukrainian counter-attacks against the aggression of Russia, targeting the ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk. These are the ports through which Russia exports energy resources, providing Putin with funds to wage war, undermine the independence of European and other countries, conduct war against Ukraine, and kill people. The attacks today occurred in three waves, and some of the drones which were used in the attack reached here.
(…)
Early this morning at 3.43 a.m., a drone struck the chimney of the Auvere power plant. No people were injured. Based on current information, the drone was not directed at Estonia but deviated here from its intended trajectory. Later, at around 8.30 a.m., another aerial object crossed Lake Peipus into Estonia, triggering the hazard alert system.
(March 25, 2026)
Estonia‘s Internal Security Service said a drone entered the country from Russia and slammed into the chimney of a power station, while Latvia‘s armed forces reported a drone crashing onto the country‘s territory without causing any damage.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said the drone was Ukrainian. Estonian officials said the the stray drones entered from Russian air space „during a Ukrainian counterattack.“
The security chief kept changing his location, constantly moving to new secret hideouts over the last two weeks, the report suggests. That would mean, by the time Israeli intelligence located Larijani‘s hideout, he would have already moved to another.
Larijani was ultimately located when he was visiting his daughter on Tuesday. He was eliminated in a strike on his daughter‘s house in Pardis in Tehran‘s suburbs, reported the Iranian semi-official Fars news agency. His son, a deputy, and several bodyguards were also killed in the attack.
(March 9, 2026)
Since the escalation began last week, Israeli attacks have killed at least 486 people in Lebanon—including 83 children—and wounded more than 1,313 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. “On average, more than 10 children have been killed every day across Lebanon over the past week, with approximately 36 children injured each day,” UNICEF said in a statement.
Sweeping displacement orders issued by the Israeli military have forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. After ordering everyone south of the Litani River to flee north on March 4, the Israeli military issued a displacement order for all of Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiye—home to approximately 700,000 people—causing panic and traffic jams across the capital. Evacuation orders have also been issued for parts of the Bekaa Valley.
The E-7A Wedgetail aircraft will presumably be deployed to the Al Minad airbase, some 40 kilometres south of Dubai. The Australian Defence Force has operated there since 2003. It maintains a small permanent presence at the base to support ADF operations across the Middle East.
Last week, the Albanese government announced it was deploying a C-17 large transport aircraft and a KC-30A air-to-air refuelling aircraft to the region. These planes are now assumed to be at Al Minad, too.
The RAAF previously deployed E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to the region from 2014–20 to support the US-led military operations against Islamic State in Iraq. The RAAF personnel going there now, therefore, will be quite experienced in operations in the region and the dangers involved.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reiterated that the country will refrain from any action against neighboring countries provided their airspace, territory, or waters are not used as platforms for attacks on Iranian soil and people.
He made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss regional developments following the recent US-Israeli military aggression against Iran.
He categorically rejected media claims propagated by outlets aligned with Israel and the United States that Iran had launched missile strikes against Turkey.
Last Wednesday, the ministry said a ballistic munition fired from Iran toward Turkish airspace after crossing Syria and Iraq was intercepted and neutralized by NATO air and missile defense units in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Türkiye is „negatively affected“ by conflicts in which it is not a party, Erdogan also told his Iranian counterpart.
Ankara does not approve of the „unlawful interventions“ against Iran and Iran‘s targeting of countries in the region, Erdogan stressed, adding that targeting brotherly countries „is not in anyone‘s interest” and “these actions must end.“
(February 24, 2026)
Türkiye has updated its contingency plans for a possible US-led military campaign against Iran, with options that include entering Iranian territory to prevent a mass refugee influx, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The preparations come as NATO has redirected its aerial surveillance operations based in Türkiye away from Russia and toward Iran.
(November 30, 2023)
The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.
(…)
Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.
“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.
(January 28, 2026)
The Strait of Hormuz sees more than 21 million barrels of oil pass through daily, accounting for around 37 percent of global oil traffic.
Akbarzadeh said Iran was able to track vessels sailing under different flags using modern technologies, stressing that Tehran does not seek war but remains fully prepared for one.
„If a war is imposed on us, the response will be more decisive than ever,“ he said, adding that Iran’s defensive readiness, particularly in air defence, was „very high“.
He warned that neighbouring states were considered friendly, but would be treated as hostile if their airspace, land or territorial waters were used in an attack against Iran.