Latest news with #F-15
Boston Globe
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Pro-Palestinian activists break into UK's biggest air base in startling security breach
Advertisement In a statement, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident 'disgraceful,' saying: 'Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.' Palestine Action has carried out a series of acts of vandalism at high-profile and supposedly secure locations, including defense manufacturers. Thames Valley Police, the force responsible for the area, said in a statement that officers were working with the Ministry of Defense and the RAF to investigate. Inquiries 'are ongoing to locate and arrest those responsible,' the force noted. In a statement, the Ministry of Defense said, 'We strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets. We are working closely with the police who are investigating.' Advertisement The ministry did not immediately respond to a question on whether it would open a review of security at the site. Grant Shapps, a former British defense secretary, wrote on social media that there needed to be a 'full security review.' 'Storming an RAF base isn't protest — it's a national security breach,' he wrote. 'The blame lies squarely with these reckless activists, but ministers must now explain how on earth it was allowed to happen.' In its statement Friday, Palestine Action claimed the targeted planes 'can carry military cargo and are used to refuel' military aircraft, including fighter jets, from the British and Israeli militaries. But Greg Bagwell, a former senior RAF commander and a fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said the planes damaged by the group were incompatible with Israeli fighter aircraft and could not be used to refuel them. 'They couldn't have gotten a more wrong aircraft,' he said in an interview. 'They have targeted aircraft that are not the aircraft they think they are.' The Israeli air force flies American-built fighter planes such as the F-15, the F-16, and the F-35A, Bagwell said, all of which can only be fueled with a boom-style method that is not used by the planes that were damaged Friday. Palestine Action has previously conducted vandalism and protests at sites in Britain that are operated by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems and at companies with links to that firm, and also at other defense companies. Several activists have been prosecuted over the protests, including five people who were imprisoned last year for causing about $1.3 million of damage to a weapons equipment factory in Glasgow, Scotland, in June 2022. Advertisement Britain's largest RAF base, Brize Norton houses about 5,800 service personnel, 300 civilian staff members, and 1,200 contractors. Bagwell said he believed many military bases around the world were vulnerable to the kind of intrusion the group made Friday. 'Airfields are large pieces of real estate that have miles of fence line,' he said. 'It's not an easy piece of territory to protect everywhere. Anybody with a wire cutter or ladders could be able to get in.' Adding more human protection or electronic monitoring along every part of a major military base like Brize Norton would be very expensive. But Bagwell said officials needed to take the risk seriously. He said the breach showed that it would not have been difficult for terrorists or agents of a foreign government to have done something more sinister at the base. 'It was exactly the sort of activity that the likes of Russia and Iran would like to promote,' he said. 'This time it was a protester, but next time it could be someone who was doing something on behalf of others.' This article originally appeared in
India.com
8 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
India and Israel almost destroyed Pakistan's nuclear programme until..., Netanyahu was...
(Representational image: freepik) New Delhi: A few days back, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that the Congress made a 'historic blunder' in the 1980s by allowing Pakistan to become a nuclear power as he claimed that intelligence from R&AW had confirmed uranium enrichment activity at Pakistan's Kahuta facility and Israel had offered operational support, including intel and joint strike planning. The then Prime minister Indira Gandhi initially approved the aerial attack on Pakistan's nuclear plants but called off the operation fearing global repercussions. Later, Rajiv Gandhi abandoned the plan in favour of diplomacy under foreign pressure. Pakistan's Kahuta facility During the late 1970s, Pakistan was rapidly advancing its uranium enrichment programme at Kahuta, near Rawalpindi under then-military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq. Pakistan decided to start its nuclear programme after the humiliating defeat to India in the 1971 war under the then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. They selected Kahuta for establishing their nuclear weapons plant and for uranium enrichment centrifuges. The key part was played by A.Q. Khan. India's intelligence agency R&AW confirmed Kahuta's role in producing weapons-grade uranium. It was during the early 1980s, The joint Israel-India operation Israel also learned about Pakistan's nuclear ambition and presented to India a proposal to carry out a joint airstrike to destroy the Kahuta nuclear facility. For this, Israel would fly its F-15 and F-16 fighter jets into Indian airspace and use Indian air bases in Jamnagar, Gujarat and Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir for the assault. Indian Air Force's Jaguar deep-strike jets would support the mission. Why did Israel make this offer? Israel's offer to destroy Pakistan's Kahuta nuclear facility came in the wake of its fear of a nuclear weapon falling into the hands of its enemy countries like Libya or Iran who had close ties with Pakistan. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin even wrote to UK PM Margaret Thatcher in 1979 warning of the threat. Why was the operation aborted? According to reports, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was inclined to accept the Israeli proposal but the mission was ultimately called off due to domestic and geopolitical reasons, especially the Khalistani movement in Punjab under Bhindranwale. One more factor that played a big role was threat of Pakistan's retaliation which could have led to a direct war. What happened in May 1998? Pakistan became a nuclear power in May 1998 when it conducted five nuclear tests in the Chagai Hills of Balochistan Province. Benjamin Netanyahu was the Israeli Prime Minister at that time. Pakistan had been working on its nuclear agenda under Project-706, the codename of a research and development programme to develop Pakistan's nuclear weapons. Project-706 was started by Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1974 after India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, conducted its first nuclear tests in May 1974.
International Business Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- International Business Times
FACT CHECK: Is This a Real Photo of an Israeli F35 Fighter Jet Shot Down by Iran Amid the Ongoing Conflict?
Israel carried out a surprise strike last week on multiple targets across Iran, triggering a wave of missile retaliations from Iran into Israeli territory. Iran claimed that it had shot down three Israeli F-35 fighter jets, and an alleged image of one soon went viral online. Several posts on X showed a large fighter jet with its left wing severed, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. Since then, several social media users have been left puzzled about the authenticity of the claim and also the viral photograph. Although the claim has continued to remain viral over the past few days, the truth is that the photo is fake and misleading. Bizarre Claim There is no evidence that the viral image is a genuine photo of an Israeli F-35 fighter jet shot down by Iran. Several aspects of the image don't match the real proportions of that type of aircraft, suggesting it was likely created using AI or digitally manipulated. Official Iranian military Telegram accounts claimed that their forces had successfully downed three Israeli jets and captured one pilot. According to PressTV, Iran's state-run news outlet, this would be " the first time a fifth-generation stealth aircraft has been successfully downed." The report went on to specify the exact models of the jets involved: "The F-35 fighters represent the most advanced aircraft in the Israeli Air Force, outclassing older, non-stealth F-15 and F-16 jets by a full generation. These jets were acquired from the United States, with the F-35 Lightning II manufactured by Lockheed Martin. "Israel's customized variant, the F-35I, is engineered for radar evasion, enabling deep penetration missions with a reduced risk of detection or interception." AI-Generated Image Although Israel hasn't said anything about the exact model of aircraft used in the attack, it has denied Iran's claims. In fact, Israeli officials rejected Iran's claims of downing any of their fighter jets, pointing to a post on X by spokesperson Nadav Shoshani, who wrote, "Iran didn't shoot down any Israeli fighter jets. They are trying to create a fake victory narrative and it's not going very well." The photo circulating on social media raises several red flags. First, a reverse image search on Google turned up no credible news sources confirming the image as authentic. Second, the F-35 shown in the X post appears too large compared to the people standing around it. According to the U.S. Air Force, an F-35 stands 14 feet tall, has a wingspan of 35 feet, and measures 51 feet in length. The Israeli Air Force, which began receiving F-35s from the U.S. in 2016, refers to them by the nickname "Adir." Photos on Lockheed Martin's official website show a technician climbing onto the cockpit of an F-35, clearly demonstrating the aircraft's true scale. Also, video footage from Lockheed Martin shows a pilot standing in front of the jet at the 1:56 mark, and the wingspan in the video is noticeably smaller than the exaggerated proportions seen in the image shared on X. Hence the claim is completely false.
The Hill
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Israel's preemptive war could finally push Iran to go nuclear
Israel has long pursued a strategy to remain the Middle East's sole nuclear-armed state, using military force to preempt or prevent other regional powers from acquiring nuclear-weapons capabilities. But Israel's strikes on Iran risk backfiring, with a wounded foe more determined than ever to acquire the nuclear bomb. Israel's strategic posture, institutionalized as the 'Begin Doctrine' after former Prime Minister Menachem Begin, holds that it will not allow any neighboring state to even approach nuclear-weapons capability. In practice, Israel has expanded this doctrine to block even peaceful nuclear programs under international safeguards. The Begin Doctrine was first operationalized in 1981 with the bombing of Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor, which was built by France for peaceful research and subject to International Atomic Energy Agency inspections. Though Iraq was a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and had agreed to stringent safeguards extending beyond international inspections to prevent reactor misuse, Israel claimed Baghdad harbored military ambitions and struck preemptively. The attack, which destroyed the $275 million reactor just before it was to become operational, was carried out with U.S.-supplied F-16 and F-15 aircraft. One French engineer and 10 Iraqi soldiers were killed. The operation triggered minimal diplomatic fallout for Israel, but pushed Saddam Hussein's nuclear program underground — an outcome that would later lead to the 2003 U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq under the false pretext of dismantling weapons of mass destruction. In 2007, Israel again invoked the Begin Doctrine to destroy a suspected nuclear reactor under construction in Syria. The al-Kibar facility was flattened in an airstrike dubbed Operation Orchard. Israeli intelligence claimed the project, allegedly aided by North Korea, had covert military dimensions. The IAEA concluded three years later that the destroyed facility was 'very likely' a nuclear reactor under development. These precedents pale in comparison to Israel's current military campaign against Iran, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, which aims to wipe out Iran's nuclear program. The stakes are exponentially higher: Iran is a larger, more capable adversary located beyond Israel's immediate neighborhood. And unlike Iraq or Syria in decades past, Iran has already accumulated significant nuclear know-how and material. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, invoking the Begin Doctrine, claimed that Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons and vowed that Israeli strikes would continue 'as long as necessary' to neutralize the threat. But this assertion lacks backing from key intelligence assessments. On March 25, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified that the American intelligence community had assessed that 'Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.' However, Gabbard — and the IAEA separately in a recent report — expressed concern over Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, which, if enriched further to 90 percent, would become weapons-grade material. The IAEA, like Gabbard, concluded there was no evidence of a structured nuclear-weapons program underway. Yet Israel pressed ahead with its military strikes. Netanyahu's government, in coordination with the Trump administration, seems to believe that such force will buy leverage at the diplomatic table. In reality, the attacks are likely to achieve the opposite. Far from forcing concessions, the Israeli strikes have derailed nuclear diplomacy. Tehran has suspended talks indefinitely, accusing Washington of coordinating and authorizing the Israeli operation. This mirrors a pattern from Trump's first term, when his 'maximum pressure' campaign on Iran backfired, hardening Iranian resolve rather than moderating it. Indeed, if Israel's goal is to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat, this strategy may prove deeply counterproductive. Two key factors make this preemptive war particularly perilous. First, Israel cannot destroy Iran's nuclear program by military means alone. Tzachi Hanegbi, Netanyahu's own national security adviser, acknowledged on Israeli television on June 13 that Iran's program 'cannot be destroyed through kinetic means.' A negotiated settlement, he suggested, was the only sustainable option. But with the collapse of diplomacy and deepening Iranian hostility, Israel may be forcing Iran toward the very nuclear path it wants to prevent. Tehran could emulate North Korea's playbook: withdraw from the NPT, eject IAEA inspectors and weaponize its nuclear assets at speed. North Korea withdrew from the NPT in 2003 and tested a nuclear bomb just three years later, becoming a de facto nuclear-weapons state. Iran, heavily sanctioned and increasingly isolated, may now conclude that it has little to lose from following suit. If Iran raises enrichment from 60 percent to 90 percent purity — a short technical leap — it could rapidly convert its uranium stockpile into bomb-grade material. That would mark a historic failure of U.S. and Israeli nonproliferation strategy and hand Tehran the strategic deterrent it long claimed not to seek. Second, the underlying logic of the Israeli campaign may no longer be about nuclear rollback but rather regime change. Netanyahu has openly called for the fall of the Iranian regime, and Israeli strikes have expanded beyond nuclear and military sites to include economic infrastructure, energy facilities and civilian aviation hubs. This broadening of war aims could lock Israel into a prolonged military confrontation with Iran — a campaign that could exact heavy human and economic costs. Even before the Iran operation, Israeli society was showing signs of war fatigue, with growing numbers of reservists declining to report for duty. Meanwhile, U.S. forces are increasingly entangled in the conflict. In defending Israel from retaliatory missile and drone attacks, American troops are already operating in air, land and naval roles. A broader U.S. intervention remains a distinct risk. Israel has long justified its aggressive posture on existential grounds. Its small size and hostile environment, it argues, require proactive and sometimes disproportionate defense measures. But the line between deterrence and provocation is perilously thin — and it may now have been crossed. History shows that Israel's pursuit of short-term tactical victories often undermines its long-term strategic interests. The Osirak attack contributed to decades of conflict in Iraq. The al-Kibar strike delayed but did not eliminate Syria's nuclear ambitions. And now, Operation Rising Lion could go down as the moment when Israel's policy of preemption made an Iranian bomb inevitable. Israel remains the Middle East's preeminent military power, possessing not only superior conventional forces but also undeclared nuclear weapons. That should afford it the confidence to pursue measured strategies. Instead, by trying to preserve its nuclear monopoly through force, Israel risks fueling the very proliferation spiral it has long sought to prevent. Brahma Chellaney is a geostrategist and the author of nine books, including the award-winning 'Water: Asia's New Battleground.'
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First Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Customised F-35s, F-15s and Spice bombs: How Israel took control of Iran skies
Israel claimed that it took 48 hours to gain aerial superiority over western Iran, including Tehran. Israeli authorities say that so far, one-third of the Islamic Republic's missile launchers have been destroyed. But how was this achieved? It's all courtesy of the Jewish nation's sophisticated air force comprising modified F-35 stealth fighter jets, fourth-generation F-15 and F-16s read more Israel has operated its F-35 stealth fighter jets and its fourth-generation aircraft, like the F-16 and F-15 to drop glide bombs on Iranian targets. Image Courtesy: @IDF/X It's been five days of fighting between Israel and Iran — both sides are exacting heavy losses and reeling from mounting death tolls. However, within 48 hours of Israel's Operation Lion, the Jewish nation announced that it had gained aerial superiority over Iran after battering the country's air defences in recent bombing runs. Israel military spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin said, 'Now we can say that we have achieved full air supremacy in the Tehran airspace.' In fact, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel has achieved an objective that Russia hasn't been able to do in three-and-a-half years of war in Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We take a closer look at what exactly is in Israel's air arsenal and why air superiority matters in this conflict. What is Israel's claim of air superiority over Tehran? On Monday (June 16), the Israeli military said it gained air superiority over Iran with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stating it has degraded Iranian air defences and missile systems to the point that Israeli planes can now operate over Tehran without facing major threats. It said Israel now controls the skies from western Iran to Tehran. As of Monday, Israel had destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers with Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, saying on social media: 'We have opened up the skies of Iran, achieving near-air superiority.' Defrin said that the IDF destroyed one-third of the Iranian regime's missile launchers. In addition, more than 20 surface-to-surface missiles were destroyed on Sunday night before they were about to be launched toward the State of Israel. ⭕️ The IDF completed several extensive strikes on military targets of the Iranian regime in western Iran, including: - Surface-to-surface missile storage sites - Launch infrastructure - Surface-to-air missile launchers - UAV storage sites — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 17, 2025 According to a New York Times report, Israel has continued to target Iran's air defences, carving out a pathway for Israeli fighter jets to reach Tehran freely. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News in an interview on Sunday that Israel had worked to 'peel off the layers of protection' of Iranian defences. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What this means is that Israel now has the capability of flying through much of Iranian airspace as easily as they could over Lebanon and Syria. 'Let's say I have a target that I missed or that I'm not happy with the result. I can go back tomorrow and the day after tomorrow again, again, and again,' said Zohar Palti, a former senior official in Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, to the Times. Iranian flags fly as fire and smoke from an Israeli attack on Sharan Oil depot rise, following Israeli strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran. Reuters How did Israel achieve air superiority over Tehran? But how did the Jewish nation achieve this objective? It's because of Israel's sophisticated air arsenal, which boasts of F-35 stealth jets, fourth-generation aircraft, like the F-16 and F-15, and SPICE (Smart, Precise Impact, Cost-Effective) — bombs. According to reports, the initial airstrikes were carried out by Israel's fifth-generation stealth F-35 aircraft, enhanced with Israeli modifications. A report by Middle East Eye states that for this objective, the US and Israel altered the F-35 warplanes to extend their range without the need for refuelling or compromising on stealth. Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning 'Adir' fighter jet lands in Israel. File image/Reuters And once the Iranian air defences were suppressed, Israel deployed its older warplanes such as F-15s and F-16s. Additionally, Israel also started dropping short-range JDAM and Spice guided bombs, which are cheaper and much more abundant than missiles, to devastating effect. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Many defence analysts note that Israel has a far more superior air force than Iran. Frederik Mertens, strategic analyst with Dutch think tank, TNO, was quoted as telling Newsweek, 'Israel has one of the most experienced and capable air forces of the world. The Israeli air force has thoroughly trained personnel, modern aircraft, lots of support aircraft, as well as ample stocks of advanced ammunition and American logistics help.' In fact, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Israel has a total of 340 operational aircraft at its disposal. This includes fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighters, F-15s and F-16s. In comparison, Iran's aerial prowess pales. William Freer, a research fellow for national security at the UK-based Council on Geostrategy think tank, told Newsweek, 'The Iranian air force was already in a pitiful state before the current fighting began.' He added: 'To all intents and purposes, Iran did not really have an air force.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The IISS notes that Iran's air force comprises of ageing aircraft — a mix of Soviet-era jets such as the MiG-29 and American-made aircraft dating back to before the 1979 revolution and the establishment of an Islamic republic in Iran. An Israeli F16 fighter jet flies over the southern city of Ashdod. Israel's sophisticated air force has destroyed one-third of the Iranian regime's missile launchers. File image/Reuters What this means in the current conflict? For Israel, air superiority over Tehran is a game changer in the West Asia region. By striking missile launchers, it has reduced Iran's ballistic missile arsenal. It also gives Israel the ability to drop bombs from inside Iranian skies rather than relying on expensive long-range missiles. US Air Force General Timothy Ray (retired), a former US Global Strike Command commander, also told the Wall Street Journal, 'It's a numbers game, and it seems like Israel has the upper hand because they can now go after the missiles that are shooting at them with direct attack. After all, the best way to shoot a missile is on the ground while it's in a container, and not in the air while it's flying.' Expanding on this further, US Air Force Lt Gen David Deptula (retired), dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, also told Wall Street Journal, 'In the case of the Israel-Iran war, it allows them unhindered freedom to attack where they possess air superiority over segments of Iran.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Other experts also pointed out that the Israelis now have the ability to use their full range of offensive weapons against Iran, more efficiently. But despite Israel's attacks, Iran continues to fire missile after missile, causing significant damage. Justin Bronk, of the defence think tank Rusi, told the BBC that while Israel may now be able to claim air superiority over Tehran, it has still not achieved air dominance and the threat of short range missiles remain. With inputs from agencies
