Vladivostok, Russia | Xinhua | Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces have launched a large-scale command-and-staff exercise that will involve the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. “The exercise will involve over 3,000 servicemen and about 300 pieces of military hardware. A commission of the Strategic …
Read More »Tehran rejects EU claim of using Iranian drones, missiles against Ukraine
Tehran, Iran | Xinhua | Iranian foreign minister on Thursday rejected the claim of the European Union (EU) that Iran had sent missiles and drones to Russia to be used against Ukraine. In a phone conversation with Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian …
Read More »Moscow will “draw appropriate conclusions” if Washington supplies long-range missiles to Kiev: Putin
Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | Moscow will “draw appropriate conclusions” and hit new targets if Washington delivers long-range missiles to Kiev, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast on Sunday. “If they are handed over (to Kiev), we will draw appropriate conclusions, and deploy our weapons to strike at …
Read More »Israeli army to build laser-based shield against missiles
Jerusalem, Israel | Xinhua | Israel will start using a laser-based system to intercept missiles within a year, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Tuesday. “Within about a year, the IDF (Israel Defense Force) will bring into action a laser-based interception system, first experimentally, and later operationally,” Bennett told …
Read More »China not to sit idle if U.S. deploys intermediate-range missiles in Asia Pacific: military spokesperson
Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | A Chinese military spokesperson on Wednesday expressed strong opposition to a U.S. plan to deploy intermediate-range missiles in the Asia Pacific region, saying that China will never sit idle if such a plan proceeds. Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, …
Read More »Missiles hit Green Zone and Iraq base housing US troops: security sources
Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | Two rockets Saturday hit Iraq’s Al-Balad air base, where US troops are stationed, while two mortars hit Baghdad’s Green Zone, a high-security enclave housing the US embassy, security sources said. Sirens immediately rang out at the American compound in Baghdad hosting both diplomats and troops, …
Read More »Beijing warns of ‘countermeasures’ over US missile plans
Beijing, China | AFP | China warned Tuesday it would take unspecified countermeasures if the United States goes ahead with plans to deploy ground-based intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region. The comments come days after US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Washington was now free to deploy the weapons following its …
Read More »US-N.Korea tensions rise with Pyongyang launches, ship seizure
Washington, United States | AFP | The US seized a North Korean freighter in a further escalation of tensions Thursday after Pyongyang fired what was believed to be two missiles and President Donald Trump said Kim Jong Un was not ready to negotiate denuclearisation. The launch of the projectiles — identified …
Read More »North Korea fires missiles as US envoy visits Seoul
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea welcomed a US envoy’s visit to Seoul by firing two missiles Thursday, the South’s military said, in Pyongyang’s second launch in less than a week as it seeks to up the ante in deadlocked nuclear negotiations with Washington. It came after North Korea …
Read More »Race for ‘hypersonic’ weapons heats up as France joins fray
Paris, France | AFP | World powers are vying to develop so-called “hypersonic” weapons that travel several times the speed of sound, with France the latest to join a field led so far by Russia and China. Hypersonics are like missiles that travel at over five times the speed of …
Read More »