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Telegraph
13-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
How three pizza restaurants predicted Israel's attack on Iran
You can understand why the stress of an all-nighter at the coalface in the Pentagon might lead to an urgent need for carbs, but the next time the world is on the brink of a major conflict, the US Department of Defense might consider sending out for burgers. Their pizza deliveries have become the subject of intense speculation. An account on X, Pentagon Pizza Report, has taken to monitoring the traffic at pizza takeaway spots in Arlington County, Virginia, home of America's military headquarters. And such is the apparent reliability of the so-called 'pizza index', it is now being cited by Open-Source Intelligence sleuths who usually rely on live flight-tracking data, and satellite imagery of troop movements, to spot the early signs of military strikes. On Thursday night, at around 7pm Eastern Standard Time, any establishment slinging dough within three miles of the Pentagon saw a sudden spike in footfall. 'As of 6:59pm ET nearly all pizza establishments nearby the Pentagon have experienced a HUGE surge in activity.' Only about 10 minutes later, there was a significant drop in footfall in each of these locations. It was as if a gap between meetings had prompted a flurry of takeaway and delivery orders which then tailed off again as work resumed. At 23:55 (by which time most restaurants had closed) one takeaway which stays open until midnight suddenly showed 'busier than usual' activity. 'With minutes left before close District Pizza Palace which is not too far from the Pentagon is experiencing a huge surge in traffic.' Last-minute orders before staff would be forced to resort to whatever was left in the vending machines, perhaps? It's understandable – no one wants a Bounty in a crisis. Five miles away, the Domino's locations near The White House were also experiencing 'above average levels of traffic'. Meanwhile, it was crickets at the local post-work watering holes. Come 10pm and Freddie's Beach Bar, 'the closest gay bar to the Pentagon' had 'abnormally low traffic for a Thursday night. Potentially indicating a busy night at the Pentagon.' And a busy night it was. An hour and a half after the 7pm spike at the pizza restaurants near the Pentagon, explosions were heard in Tehran and Israel's defence minister Israel Katz said the country had launched a ' preemptive strike against Iran.' Asked what 'heads-up' the United States received about the attack, Trump later told the Wall Street Journal: 'Heads-up? It wasn't a heads-up. It was, we know what's going on.' Puerile, perhaps, to use Google's restaurant footfall data to track the ebb and flow of tension in the Pentagon, which houses 24,000 military and civilian employees, and the White House Situation Room, as Israel launched air strikes on Iran. But over the years, pizza delivery patterns in central D.C. have, bizarrely, proven to be an indicator of major geopolitical events. So much so that in an interview in 2010, Wolf Blitzer, who was CNN's military affairs reporter before becoming White House correspondent in 1992, said: 'I always knew there was some sort of crisis going on in the West Wing after hours when I saw the arrival of pizzas. Bottom line for journalists: always monitor the pizzas.' On August 1 1990, pizza orders are said to have spiked as Saddam Hussein prepared to invade Kuwait the following day. When Operation Desert Storm was launched in 1991, Frank Meeks, who owned 59 Domino's franchises in the Washington area, told news outlets his orders soared every time military action was imminent. In 1998, he told the LA Times, there was a similarly busy night during Clinton's impeachment hearings. Meeks claimed that there were telltale signs when a crisis was afoot: the top brass and military analysts took comfort in extra cheese and meat toppings. In December 1998, with Operation Desert Fox (a major bombing campaign against Iraq) underway, 'the White House ordered 32 per cent more extra-cheese pizzas than normal', the Washington Post reported. Meanwhile, some say the pizza theory dates back to the Cold War, when Soviet intelligence services were said to have monitored deliveries, deeming a spike to be a sign the US was on manoeuvres. It sounds far-fetched, although those paying close attention to the recent rising tensions between Israel and Ira n may have learned more from monitoring @PenPizzaReport than the X account of US defence journalists. On April 13 2024, there was a spike in traffic at the capital's pizza restaurants shortly after Iran launched drones into Israeli territory. Google says its live charts showing how busy individual restaurants and takeaways are is based on 'aggregated and anonymised data' from the devices of those who share their location history with the search giant. That, in theory, could include both customers picking up their own takeaway orders, and drivers working for food delivery firms. With less than 8 minutes left to closing time, this Dominos continues to experience very high levels of activity. — Pentagon Pizza Report (@PenPizzaReport) June 13, 2025 The charts themselves offer little detail about the surge in footfall. Did the military top brass send Pentagon interns out to fetch their pizzas on Thursday night? Or did Uber Eats have a particularly busy evening? The Domino's at 2602 Columbia Pike – the closest to the Pentagon, with a 3.8 rating – is an eight-minute drive away. Faster, you'd imagine, on a delivery bike, and a good 50-minute walk. You can't keep the generals waiting for their potato wedges. Who knows what button they might press when they're hangry.
Mint
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Did Pakistan destroy India's Sukhoi and S-400 in Adampur, Bhuj airbases? Expert debunks claim; THIS is what he said
Pakistan, in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, has been claiming to have successfully attacked India. New reports have also claimed that Islamabad was successful in hitting the Adampur air base in Punjab and causing damage to a Sukhoi-30 MKI standing there. However, Damien Symon, a top imagery analyst of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) has junked this claim, saying that Pakistan used an image from before the conflict to support its narrative. In a post on X, Symon alleged that the image used by Pakistan was taken in March, which pre-dates the recent India-Pakistan conflict. 'New report alleges a direct hit at India's Adampur Air Base by Pakistan damaged a Su-30, however a review reveals this image taken in March 2025, pre-conflict actually shows a MiG-29 undergoing maintenance, the dark soot near the engine test pad is routine, not battle damage,' the expert said. Livemint was not able to verify the authenticity of Pakistan's claim or Symon's version. Pakistan has also made a similar claim about destroying an S-400 radar of India in Bhuj. Damien Symon debunked this claim too, saying that the claimed damage is likely to be just oil stains in the service yard. 'An image is being circulated now as a Pakistan destroyed S-400 radar in India, a review however indicates it's likely just oil stains at Bhuj military base's vehicle service yard, also the image predates the recent Indo-Pak conflict as it was taken in February 2025,' he wrote in an X post. Livemint could not verify this claim either. This article will be updated if there is an official statement from India regarding the matter. On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor to strike nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir in response to the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, where terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists. Following the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir. Islamabad further attempted drone attacks along the border regions. In response, India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres, and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan. After this, on May 10, an understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced.
Hindustan Times
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Did Pakistan hit Adampur, Bhuj air bases during Operation Sindoor? Satellite images show otherwise
In the wake of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan has been projecting a narrative of wins against India, with new reports adding that Islamabad hit the Adampur air base in Punjab and damaged a Sukhoi-30 MKI parked there. Top Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) imagery analyst Damien Symon has debunked the claim, pointing out that Pakistan used a pre-conflict photograph to push its narrative. Symon posted the image used by Pakistan to claim a hit on Adampur air base in a post on the social media platform X. The image used to support the claim purportedly shows a jet near what Pakistan claims to be a burn mark. But according to Symon, it was taken in March of this year, much before India's Operation Sindoor. 'New report alleges a direct hit at India's Adampur Air Base by Pakistan damaged a Su-30, however a review reveals this image taken in March 2025, pre-conflict actually shows a MiG-29 undergoing maintenance, the dark soot near the engine test pad is routine, not battle damage,' the post read. Pakistan not only falsely claimed to hit the Adampur air base, but it also made a similar claim for the Bhuj air base in Gujarat. There, Islamabad claims to have destroyed an S-400 radar. Damien Symon debunked that claim, too, pointing out that what Islamabad claims to be marks of destruction are actually likely to be just oil stains in the air base's service yard. This image also predates Operation Sindoor and the India-Pakistan conflict. 'An image is being circulated now as a Pakistan destroyed S-400 radar in India, a review however indicates it's likely just oil stains at Bhuj military base's vehicle service yard, also the image predates the recent Indo-Pak conflict as it was taken in February 2025,' Symon's post read. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure at nine locations in PoK and Pakistan's Punjab province. The operation was in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir's resort town. The operation prompted a confrontation with Pakistan for the next four days, with India hitting multiple military targets while defending its own. The conflict subsided after a ceasefire understanding was reached between the neighbours on May 10.
Business Wire
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Flashpoint to Participate in Special Operations Forces Week Annual Conference
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Flashpoint, the global leader in threat data and intelligence, today announced that the company's National Security Solutions (FNSS) division will participate and exhibit at the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week 2025, taking place May 5 – 8, 2025 at various locations across downtown Tampa, Florida. Flashpoint is the world's largest private provider of threat intelligence with more than 750 customers across government, financial services, retail, healthcare, and technology sectors. Open-source intelligence is a powerful force multiplier, but it is not a game for amateurs—especially in the modern information environment Share At this year's event, Flashpoint's Executive Director for Global Security and International Markets, Andrew Borene, will participate in Carahsoft's Executive Briefing Series. The session, titled 'Empowering the Warfighter: Advancing OSINT Capabilities,' will discuss the evolving role and latest advancements of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) technology in modern warfare, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, and strategies for leveraging publicly available data to support special operations forces in dynamic and contested environments. In addition to his role as Executive Director at Flashpoint, Borene is a sought-after commentator who regularly appears on national and global news outlets on the intersection of geopolitical and cybersecurity world events. He is currently a Senior Advisor to the Atlantic Council's Counterterrorism Group, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and he serves as an Editorial Board Member at the European Marshall Center's Partnership for Peace Consortium. Previously, he served as a senior official in the United States Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where he led initiatives on counterintelligence, counterterrorism, open-source intelligence, and advanced technology. 'Open-source intelligence (OSINT) is a powerful force multiplier, but it is not a game for amateurs—especially in the modern information environment where the technology and tradecraft of managed attribution is critical to protecting the most sensitive mission users,' said Borene. 'At Flashpoint, we're proud to support government teams with superior data, curated intelligence, and a truly unique set of professional OSINT collection capabilities that offer protected, real-time access to primary sources in even the most contested and dynamic digital environments.' Flashpoint's National Security Solutions division plays a critical role in delivering mission-tailored intelligence for government teams operating across the national security and public safety landscape. As an integral part of Flashpoint's broader offering, FNSS supports efforts to inform, operate, defend, and influence by combining advanced OSINT solutions, investigative support, and finished intelligence. Flashpoint provides proven commercial collection capabilities and validated data to support some of the world's most sensitive special operations—and accelerates the planning and execution of allied global SOF partnerships through empowered OSINT sharing. Flashpoint provides the tools, data, and services that accelerate intelligence cycles and force multiply mission-driven teams. This includes access to unique datasets spanning global social media, illicit communities, vulnerability data, messaging apps, and deep and dark web sources. Flashpoint also enables secure digital operations through its Managed Attribution capability—supporting safe primary source research and technical investigations—and delivers finished intelligence addressing today's most critical threat landscapes. With a foundation of superior data derived from unique and auditable primary source collection operations, Flashpoint delivers curated intelligence, advanced technology, and an active professional OSINT community trusted by global governments and Forbes Global 2000 enterprises across more than 50 countries to protect people, places, and assets. Meet Flashpoint at SOF Week 2025 fnss-team@ About Flashpoint Flashpoint is the leader and largest private provider of threat data and intelligence. We empower mission-critical businesses and governments worldwide to decisively confront complex security challenges, reduce risk, and improve operational resilience amid fast-evolving threats. Through the Flashpoint Ignite platform, we deliver unparalleled depth, breadth and speed of data from highly relevant sources, enriched by human insights. Our solutions span cyber threat intelligence, vulnerability intelligence, geopolitical risk, physical security, fraud and brand protection. The result: our customers safeguard critical assets, avoid financial loss, and protect lives. Discover more at Join the conversation. Follow us on LinkedIn and X.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US deploys stealth bombers to strategic base as Houthi deterrent
The United States has deployed stealth bombers to the Diego Garcia military base, in a warning to Iran and its rebel proxies. At least three B-2 spirit bombers have already arrived at the strategic US-UK outpost, according to satellite imagery. Another four jets are believed to be on their way, according to unconfirmed Open Source Intelligence reports. The island puts Iran and Yemen in range of US planes. Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen have been attacking Israel and terrorising dozens of merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea. The group possesses a range of drones, anti-ship cruise missiles and ballistic missiles – either provided by Iran or developed themselves. The presence and proximity of the bombers will send a strong message to Iran, as tensions continue to run high over the country's support for the Houthis and Tehran's reluctance to enter into talks with Mr Trump about nuclear weapons. The decisive military action comes after Mr Trump's cabinet said that Europe was outgunned by the Houthis' drones and missiles stockpiles. In leaked texts from the messaging app Signal, Mike Waltz, the US national security adviser, said: 'Whether we pull the plug or not today, European navies do not have the capabilities to defend against the types of sophisticated, anti-ship, cruise missiles, and drones the Houthis are now using.' The sustained Houthi attacks have disrupted shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which are both critical to global trade. Mr Trump's cabinet claims that only America has the capability to ensure that the shipping lanes remain open. Mr Trump ordered a campaign against the group of 'sinister mobsters and thugs' which has seen dozens of people killed. A military source told The Telegraph that the B-2 stealth jets had been deployed to help protect international shipping lanes but were unlikely to be involved in carrying out bombing raids. Cabinet members on the Signal conversation said the president had asked that officials 'determine the cost' associated with the attacks so they could 'levy' remunerations from their European allies in return for carrying out the strikes. Dubbed the 'ghosts of the sky', the B-2 bombers are capable of slipping past the most advanced air defences and deliver deadly payloads with surgical precision. The aircraft were used as part of the operation targeting hardened underground facilities housing missiles in areas of Houthi controlled Yemen in October. Each aircraft can hold 18 tons worth of conventional or nuclear bombs – and easily overpower the Houthis. A military source told The Telegraph that the B-2 stealth jets have been deployed to help protect international shipping lanes, but are unlikely to be involved in carrying out bombing raids. Some analysts have suggested that the build-up could be a precursor to a strike on Iran itself. 'The fact that they're sending stealth bombers would suggest that they're intending to operate them against somebody who has their defences right, like Iran,' Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute said.'This is a deliberate kind of move to signal something to Iran, or is because of some anticipated or potential operation against Iran,' he added. The launch pad of Diego Garcia is in Chagos Islands – the Indian Ocean territory owned by Britain, but which Sir Keir Starmer wants to hand back to Mauritius. The future of the military base is a key point of contention in the deal to give up the archipelago. As part of Sir Keir's proposed deal, Diego Garcia would be leased back to the UK at a reported annual cost of £90 million, so the US can continue its military operations there. The base provides easy access to vital trade routes across Africa and Asia. Diego Garcia served as a critical logistical hub for UK-US missions to counter Iraqi aggression against Kuwait in 1990-1991, as well as a launchpad for operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda during the global war on terror in the 2000s. Despite months of suspicion that he would reject the deal, Mr Trump last month suggested he would in fact support Sir Keir's plan to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius. Speaking in the Oval Office before the final draft was sent, the US president said leasing the American military base for 140 years was 'powerful' and 'doesn't sound bad'. However, the deal has not yet been signed. The military build-up indicates that the US still views the outpost as a vital military asset. Mr Trump has warned of 'severe consequences' for Iran if it does not comply with his request for a new nuclear agreement, including military action. Iran continues to weigh how to respond to a letter sent by Mr Trump trying to jump-start negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. Tehran has long maintained its programme is for peaceful purposes, even as its officials increasingly threaten to pursue the bomb as tensions rise over the fighting in the Middle East. US intelligence agencies believe that Iran has yet to begin a weapons programme, but has 'undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so'. Since Mr Trump returned to the White House, his administration has consistently said that Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons. Stratcom confirmed the deployment to The Wall Street Journal. The Telegraph contacted the agency for comment. An Air Force global strike command spokeswoman said: 'B-2 Spirit bombers have arrived at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia. 'US Strategic Command, its components, and subordinate units routinely conduct global operations in coordination with other combatant commands, services, and participating US government agencies to deter, detect and, if necessary, defeat strategic attacks against the United States and its allies. 'To preserve operational security, we do not discuss details about exercises or operations.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
