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Russia Continues Strikes On Ukraine’s Ports As Kyiv Targets The Moscow Region
Russian and Ukrainian forces continued their daily exchange of strikes overnight July 13, focusing on port logistics, military energy infrastructure and storage facilities.
Strikes on Ukraine
According to Ukrainian reports, Ukraine came under attack overnight by 134 drones and three Kh-59/69 guided air-to-surface missiles, aimed at ports in the Odesa area. In response to the blockade of the Sea of Azov, Russian forces reportedly carried out precision strikes for the first time using Geran-4 jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with homing systems against commercial vessels alongside quay walls.
A bulk carrier, a ferry, and a seiner were hit in the port of Chornomorsk. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it struck port infrastructure in Chornomorsk used for unloading and storing military cargo and fuel, including storage tanks, loading gantries, a pumping station, an ammunition and missile depot, and a container traffic control facility. The ministry also said two Ro-Ro ferries, a container ship, the Shostka collection vessel, and a floating dock used to store unmanned underwater vehicles were hit.
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Lindsey Graham Died A Day After Visiting Ukraine’s SkyFall Drone Plant
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died in Washington on the evening of July 11, one day after a trip to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and toured the facilities of Ukrainian drone manufacturer SkyFall. His sudden death, coming as one of the Senate’s most prominent advocates of sanctions against Russia, immediately fueled speculation ranging from alleged poisoning to theories about a missile strike on the site he had just visited.
Graham was 71. His office initially said doctors determined he died after a “short and unexpected illness.” Emergency crews responded to his home near Capitol Hill following a report of a possible heart attack, according to NBC News, which published images of medical personnel loading a man on a stretcher into an ambulance.
On July 10, Graham was in Kyiv — his tenth trip to Ukraine since February 2022. He met with Zelenskyy, and official readouts said they discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses, long-term sanctions on Russia and plans to license production of Patriot missile systems in Ukraine. Graham then visited a SkyFall production site, a Ukrainian defense tech firm that builds strike and interceptor drones for the Ukrainian military. Company statements and Ukrainian media reported that he was shown the heavy attack reconnaissance drone Vampire, known as “Baba Yaga,” a line of Shrike FPV drones and the P1-SUN interceptor drone. Photos released by SkyFall show Graham posing with the P1-SUN.
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U.S. Launches Another Wave Of Strikes Against Iran (Videos)
The United States military renewed strikes against Iran on the afternoon of July 12, provoking an imminent response from the Islamic Republic.
The two sides had exchanged strikes overnight in one of the most violent clashes to take place in recent weeks.
As the U.S. renewed strikes in the afternoon, Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported explosions to the east of the port city of Bandar Abbas and in the coastal area around Qeshm Island.
Axios later reported, citing a senior U.S. official, that Iranian missile and air-defense systems targeted small speedboats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at several locations around the Strait of Hormuz.
As usual, the response from the Islamic Republic came fast. The main target was Kuwait, where the defense ministry said three land border posts in the north of the country and an offshore drilling rig in territorial waters were attacked.
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Military Situation In Iran On July 12, 2026 (Map Update)
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Pakistani Civilian Plane Goes Missing Over Arabian Sea
A Pakistani cargo plane with five crew members aboard went missing over the Arabian Sea late on July 7, amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran.
The 27-year-old Boeing 737-400, operated by K2 Airways, reported a navigational system issue at 21:18 Pakistan Standard Time (16:18 GMT) while flying toward the port city of Karachi, Pakistan Airports Authority said in a statement posted to Facebook.
The incident came amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which was accused of attacking three vessels, including a Qatari liquified natural gas tankers and a Saudi oil supertanker, close to the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the day. Drones were reportedly used in the attacks.
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DEPLETED URANIUM BLASTS IN KYIV'S SUBURBS AND LOOMING FRONT COLLAPSE
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U.S. Withdrew Dozens Of Aerial Refueling Aircraft From Israel
The United States military has withdrawn dozens of aerial refueling aircraft from Israel, according to satellite images released on July 6.
The images from the European Union’s Sentinel-2 satellite revealed that the U.S. military has withdrawn at least 32 aerial regluing aircraft from Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel by earlier July. Roughly 60 to 70 KC-135 Stratotanker and Boeing KC-46 Pegasus aircraft were deployed there the month prior.
The move marked a notable de-escalation by the U.S., which committed under the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran last month not to expand its military deployment in the Middle East as talks on a comprehensive agreement to end the war take place.
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Sudanese Army's Akıncı Shot Down Another Chinese Drone (Video)
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said on July 7 that it shot down a Chinese-made FH-95 combat drone over the North Kordofan State.
The military, which is allied to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, have been engaged in a power struggle with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), backed by the United Arab Emirates, for more than three years now.
In a statement, the SAF said that its "air defenses" intercepted the drone around midday north of the al-Andaraba area along the Export Road linking the cities of Bara and Omdurman, west of the capital, Khartoum.
The military did not identify who launched the FH-95, but the RSF is the only known operator of this type of drones in Sudan.
Tensions have been on the rise between the SAF and the RSF in North Kordofan, where international organizations have warned of possible atrocities against civilians as the RSF builds up forces around El-Obeid, the state capital.
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Drones And Cocaine: Ukraine's Ties To Latin American Cartels
Over the past two years, the number of Colombian mercenaries in the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) has grown from a few hundred to several thousand — with estimates ranging from 2,000 to 7,000 fighters.
Latin American drug cartels play a key role in this process by sending entire units to the Ukrainian front, essentially using the war as a training ground for combat preparation.
These cartel fighters are considered special forces within their organizations and pose serious problems for Russian units, especially in urban combat and drone operations.
However, according to intercepted radio communications, these mercenaries' true goal is to gain combat experience to use against government troops and the U.S. military.
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Locations Of US Carrier Strike Groups – July 7, 2026
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Blasts Rock Syrian Capital Amid Visit By French President (Videos)
At least 18 people were injured in the explosions that rocked the Syrian capital, Damascus, on July 7 during a visit by France’s President Emmanuel Macron, including four police officers, the state-run SANA news agency reported.
The first blast hit soon after Macron’s motorcade left his hotel for the presidential palace. Videos posted online showed flames and smoke billowing from a trash can when a second explosion was caught on camera a few meters away. The second blast detonated next to an ambulance parked at the scene, where around two dozen people had gathered.
Macron’s office said that the president, who was on his way to meet al-Sharaa, did not hear the blasts and the visit continued as normal.
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Russian Army Prepares Breakthrough In Kharkiv
Russian units continued offensive operations on several operational directions.
In the Sumy direction, the "North" assault groups pushed Ukrainian units out of Kondratovka and Andreevka. They captured Bachevsk and are advancing towards Glukhov while eliminating local pockets of resistance.
In the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces straightened the front line south of Volchansk and captured new lines near Bely Kolodez. They also improved their positions near Okhrimovka and Otradnoye.
In the Kupyansk direction, the pocket between Glushkovka and Novoosinovo has been closed, and Ukrainian forces are being pushed out of the left bank of Kupyansk.
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Ukraine Admits Drone Took Down Helicopter And Its Crew
A Soviet-made Mi-8 helicopter of Ukraine's 16th Army Aviation Brigade "Brody" crashed in the Poltava region during a mission to intercept drones, killing all four crew members, said Brody’s city council in the western Lvov Region, where the deceased will be buried.
According to information published on the city council's Facebook page on July 6, the helicopter crashed on June 30. At the time, the incident was not reported by Ukrainian media.
The slain crewmembers were identified as pilot-commander Captain Yuriy Voron, pilot-navigator Major Valentyn Mukshynov, flight engineer Senior Lieutenant Bohdan Khmil, and air gunner Junior Sergeant Mykhailo Deriaga.
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Russia's African Corps Is Now Using Geran Drones Against Militants In Mali (Videos)
Russia's Africa Corps has began using Geran-type one-way attack drones against militants in Mali, according to videos that surfaced online on July 6.
The video shows what appears to be a Geran-2 drone flying over Anefis in northeastern Kidal region, followed by a blast near the town. Anefis has been under attack since July 4 by the separatist Tuareg Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) as part of a large-scale offensive carried out in cooperation with the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
The Africa Corps and Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) have inflicted heavy losses on both groups, which have so far failed to make any meaningful gains.
The Geran-2, reportedly a version of Iran’s Shahed-136, is powered by a four-cylinder two-stroke gasoline engine. It typically has a range of up to 2,500 kilometers and can carry a warhead weighing up to 90 kilograms.
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Missiles Over Kyiv, Boots On The Ground — Russia Launches Its Summer Push On All Fronts
In response to Ukrainian drone strikes on its energy infrastructure, Russia has escalated its campaign to destroy Ukraine's defense industrial base, once again targeting Kyiv. The night of July 6 saw a massive combined strike on the capital and other targets, with 68 missiles and 351 drones employed, according to Ukrainian Air Force reports. A particularly powerful strike hit a facility in the Vyshneve district believed to be an ammunition depot. Active detonations continued there for more than two hours. The Vizar plant, a Ukrainian aviation enterprise engaged in producing guided surface-to-air missiles, is located in the area. It is also believed to have manufactured strike missiles of various classes.
Notably, not a single ballistic missile was reportedly intercepted. Unconfirmed reports also suggest that one of the Patriot air defense systems protecting the city was destroyed in the attack. The effectiveness of the Russian attack may indicate a critical depletion of Ukraine's air defense interceptor stockpiles. Hopes for a rapid American resupply are slim. U.S. forces significantly depleted their own interceptor reserves during the recent conflict with Iran, and replenishing those stocks could take over a year. This window of vulnerability makes an intensification of strikes on Kyiv increasingly likely in the near term. By autumn, a concentrated Russian campaign targeting the capital's energy infrastructure, aimed at triggering a full-scale blackout, appears to be a realistic prospect.
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Iran Wrecks U.S. Aircraft, Air Defenses and Rocket Launchers in Multi-Phased Attack (Videos)
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on July 13 that it had inflicted heavy damage on several United States military facilities across Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman as part of a five-phase retaliatory operation, describing it as a response to American strikes on Iranian coastal areas.
The IRGC released a series of statements in quick succession, laying out each phase of the operation that followed its initial round of retaliation.
In its account of the first phase, the IRGC said the U.S. struck Iranian coastal bases late on July 12 night, linking the incident to an earlier incident involving two vessels that had switched off their transponders and endangered navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The guards said its forces responded by setting large missile depots and fuel storage tanks ablaze at Jordan's Prince Hassan Air Base.
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Military Situation In Ukraine On July 12, 2026 (Maps Update)
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FSB Keeps Cutting Threads Of Kyiv's Terror Web In Russia
The SBU and GUR - hands guided from London and beyond - keep flinging dagger after dagger at Russia’s rear: at pilots on their runways, at officers in their doorways, at officials at their desks. And time and again, the same quiet hand in Lubyanka catches each blade by the hilt. This is the chronicle of the knives that never landed.
Russia’s Federal Security Service has rolled up a string of plots run by Ukrainian intelligence - the SBU and the GUR - against military officers, regional officials and airfields deep inside the country. The pattern is monotonous in its cynicism: a foreign handler, a lonely recruit, a hidden explosive or a drone in a cache, and payment in promises. Below, six episodes, each a thread cut before it could tighten.
Episode 1. “Cobweb 2”
Date: Revealed July 10, 2026
Location: Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Region
The biggest thread of all, and the freshest. Ukraine’s military intelligence, the GUR, planned to strike the “Rostov-Central” military airfield with 13 AI-enabled FPV drones - each carrying over a kilogram of explosive in TNT equivalent - to wreck the infrastructure, kill personnel and destroy the aircraft park. It could have been a second “Cobweb” (a repeat of the SBU’s June 2025 drone raid on Russian strategic aviation). Instead, the Russian citizen whom Kiev meant to use as its trigger walked into the FSB of his own accord and reported the entire plan. Under FSB control, he retrieved the drones from their cache; the machines were located and deactivated, and - in a telling detail - the man received a 20-percent advance on his promised fee before contact with the foreign handler was severed and the plot died in its cradle.
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Ukrainian Could Soon Get Besieged In Kupyansk
In the Kharkiv direction, units of the "North" group took control of Petro Ivanovka, forcing the Ukrainian command to move reserves from the Kupyansk sector. Two groups of Spanish-speaking mercenaries refused to carry out combat tasks.
In the Sumy direction, Russian assault groups advanced in fifteen sectors, pushed Ukrainian forces out of Bachevsk, and are advancing towards Glukhov.
In the Dobropolye direction, the control zone along the road to Dobropolye has expanded, and fighting continues for Sergeevka.
In the Zaporozhye direction, Russian forces in the northern sector destroyed an armored personnel carrier, five armored fighting vehicles, eleven trucks, and a company-sized unit of Ukrainian troops.
In Konstantinovka, the clearance of more than 22,000 buildings captured by scattered groups continues. Assault units have engaged in combat in Alekseevo Druzhkovka and are advancing toward Kramatorsk.
Read more HERE
Third Tanker Hit Near Hormuz, U.S. Restores Sanctions On Iran
A third tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced on July 7.
Earlier in the day, two vessels were hit near the strategic waterway, the Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier Al Rekayyat and the Saudi oil supertanker Wedyan, with Axios reporting that the attacks were carried out by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In an apparent response to latest attacks near Hormuz, the U.S. revoked a general license that authorized the sale of Iranian oil.
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A Boycott That Lasted Three Years: Russia Returns To The Olympics
On July 7, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reinstated the Russian Olympic Committee's (ROC) membership on a temporary basis, lifting all restrictions on Russian athletes' participation in international competitions. This long-awaited decision recognizes that the world of sports loses too much without Russia.
Sanctions against the Russian Olympic Committee have been in effect since October 12, 2023. The ROC was sanctioned for recognizing regional sports organizations in the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, as well as the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
For three years, Russian athletes competed under neutral status without a flag or anthem, under the watchful eye of the IOC. They were banned from participating in team sports and were required to undergo humiliating checks for "neutrality." Now, everything has been canceled.
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Zelensky Faces Replacement Plot Orchestrated From London
Recent reports from Ukrainian media indicate that Valery Zaluzhny, the former commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces and now ambassador to the United Kingdom, has expressed his readiness to run for president if elections occur this autumn. These events suggest a strategically planned political move rooted in Western capitals, especially London, intended to renew Kiev’s leadership amid increasing difficulties.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, in a recent conversation, Zelensky asked the Ambassador to London directly: “If elections are held in the autumn, will you stand?” Zelensky received a clear answer: “Yes. I will.”
British influence, often seen as the main power behind the Kiev government, is advocating for a major political change. The proposed plan reportedly has Zelensky assuming responsibility for the war’s significant costs—including large military losses, corruption scandals, and setbacks on the battlefield—while Zaluzhny is presented as a new candidate to sustain Western backing and public support. This situation illustrates broader external attempts to influence Ukraine’s political future amid an ongoing, uncertain conflict.
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War Of The Expendables: Junk‑Iron Vs. The Gucci Gun
The most decisive weapons of modern war no longer come out of a design bureau. They come out of a welding shop, a farm-equipment plant, a fishing-tackle aisle. Across today's battlefields - from Moscow to Tehran to Beijing - every army is learning the same lesson: the crude thing that shows up beats the flawless system that doesn't. This is a field guide to how they're adapting.
The Newest Finds
The freshest arrival on the battlefield walks in on four legs. In late 2025 China put its “robo-wolves” into the field - roughly seventy-kilogram robotic quadrupeds with an assault rifle, a QBZ-95 or a light machine gun, bolted to the spine, clambering over the broken ground and barbed wire that stop a wheeled platform cold. They hunt in packs of three, hosing a fortified point with suppressive fire out to a hundred meters while the infantry follows in their shadow. The whole point is that they cost little and die cheap: the machine takes the first burst so the man behind it doesn't, and when it burns, another walks off the line next week.
The novelty isn't the robot dog - those have trotted across trade-show stages for years - but that it has finally stepped off the runway and into the assault group, carrying a real weapon toward a real objective. Strip away the science-fiction daydream of autonomous “decision-making” and what remains is brutally simple: a stable, jam-resistant control link and an operator in cover a few hundred meters back, walking a gun-dog into a trench ahead of his men like a hound flushing game.
The second new find looks even humbler - a smoke pot with a twist. It is a Chinese aerosol screen tuned to the infrared band, and it blinds the electro-optically guided drones that now stalk every vehicle in daylight. A few dollars of chemistry defeats a fifty-thousand-dollar munition, and the ten-minute lifespan the skeptics sneer at is exactly the window an assault group needs to sprint across open ground before the eye in the sky can blink and refocus.
Read more HERE
Malian Army Says Over 200 Militants Were Killed Near Anéfis (Videos)
On July 7, the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) announced that more than 200 militants have been killed in Anéfis, in northeastern Kidal region, since the separatist Tuareg Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) launched an offensive to seize the town.
In addition to Anéfis, the large-scale offensive that began three days earlier targeted Aguelhok in the Kidal region, Gao in the northeastern Gao region, Sévaré, Konna and Somadougou in the central Mopti region, and Kenieroba in the southwestern Koulikoro region. It also included an attack on Kenieroba prison, southwest of the capital, Bamako.
Radio France Internationale reported that Anéfis has been captured by the FLA and JNIM, but this was refuted by the FAMa in its latest statement.
Read more HERE
Qatari, Saudi Tankers Hit Near Hormuz In New Escalation
Two vessels were targeted by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) while transiting the Strait of Hormuz late on July 6, Axios reported, warning that the attack that could provoke a retaliation by the United States military.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said that it received a report that a tanker had been hit by an unknown projectile about eight nautical miles east of Limah, off the coast of Oman.
A second commercial vessel was also struck by an Iranian projectile, a U.S. official told Axios, noting that both vessels sustained significant damage, but no casualties.
Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, identified one of the vessels hit as that the Qatari-owned liquefied natural gas carrier Al Rekayyat.
Read more HERE
Russia And Ukraine Trade Massive Strikes On Eve Of NATO Summit
Russia and Ukraine conducted a massive exchange of aerial strikes on the night of July 6. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces deployed 68 missiles and 351 unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, carried out a large-scale attack on Russian regions, employing 625 UAVs. Kyiv, however, failed to intercept a single ballistic missile. During the defense effort, the operation of Patriot surface-to-air missile systems over residential areas of the capital resulted in the fall of interceptor missiles or their fragments onto apartment buildings, as evidenced by footage of the destruction.
Strikes on Ukraine
The most notable episode of the night was the strike on Vyshneve, a satellite city of Kyiv, where authorities warned of a risk of secondary detonation and evacuated residents. The main target was the Zhulyany Machine-Building Plant "Vizar," a facility associated with the production chain for R-360 cruise missile components linked to the RK-360MTs "Neptune" system, as well as a fuel and lubricants depot at the Nefteeksperimentalnoye KP facility.
Simultaneously, strikes hit a number of industrial facilities in Kyiv itself. These included:
🫢The "Abris PT" association (Kyiv-71) — a manufacturer of long- and medium-range reconnaissance UAVs, including the "Strela," "Mara," and FPV drones "Shrike-10."
🫢The "Burevestnik" plant (Kyiv-1) — radar equipment and UAV assembly.
🫢The "Kvant" plant — a key enterprise producing fire control and navigation systems, including for "Neptune-MD" missiles.
🫢The "Kuznya na Rybalskom" shipyard — production of "Gyurza-M" artillery boats and unmanned strike boats.
🫢The "UKR ARMO TECH" enterprise — one of the main suppliers of armored vehicles and armor protection for Ukrainian military equipment.
Read more HERE
Moroccan Intelligence Foils Major ISIS Terror Plot
Morocco announced on July 6 that it had foiled “terrorist plots” and arrested suspects in seven cities on suspicion of belonging to a cell affiliated with ISIS.
In a statement, the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, which operates under the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance, said that it thwarted “terrorist plots” that aimed at seriously undermining public order and the safety of people and property.
Ten suspects were arrested in coordinated operations in the cities of Agadir, Taroudant, Tetouan, El Hajeb, Fquih Ben Salah, Casablanca and Safi “on suspicions of receiving support and guidance from the ISIS branch” in the Sahel region, according to the bureau, which noted that the arrested include a former terrorism convict and a minor.
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Houthi Attack Claims Over Dozen Yemeni Troops In Hodeida
Intense fighting erupted along the Jabal Dabbas front north of the city of Hays in the western Yemeni province of Hodeida on July 3 and 4, leaving dozens of fighters dead and wounded.
Walid al-Qudaimi, a minister of state and cabinet member aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, said in a post to X that clashes broke out between the Al-Zaraniq Tihami Brigades and the Houthis (Ansar Allah).
According to Al-Qudaimi, more than 50 Houthi fighters were killed and dozens more wounded, while 15 government troops also died. However, AFP reported, citing medical sources, that hospitals in Hodeida received 16 dead and 22 wounded from government forces. Claims regarding Houthi casualties were not confirmed by any independent news agency.
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Azerbaijan's Brand New JF-17 Thunder Fighter Jets Take Part In First Exercise (Video)
Azerbaijan's brand new JF-17C Block III Thunder fighter jets have taken part in an aerial exercise for the first time since entering service last year.
The announcement was made by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, which said in a statement released on July 6 that the Azerbaijani Air Force (AAF) exercise also involved Su-25ML, Su-25, and L-39 warplanes.
Video footage released by the ministry shows two JF-17C Block III fighter jets carrying the tactical numbers 24-501 and 24-502. Notably, the fighter jets were only carrying three large external fuel tanks mounted on the centerline and underwing pylons.
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New North Korean Destroyer Fires Dozen Cruise Missiles in Live Test (Photos, Videos)
North Korea has test-fired a "strategic" cruise missile and other weapons from a new 5,000-ton naval destroyer, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on July 5.
The state-run news agency said that the tests of a cruise missile, naval artillery, automatic guns and electronic warfare means from the Kang Kon destroyer on July 3 was overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, who ordered the warship to be commissioned into the country's navy within two months.
Kang Kon is the second ship of Choe Hyon-class destroyers. Pyongyang launched the destroyer in June last year, about one month an incident was reported during its initial launch attempt. Two more destroyers of the same class are believed to be under construction.
The latest weapons tests were part of efforts to examine and confirm the ability to "apply various kinds of weapon systems on board the destroyer in combat," according to KCNA.
Read more HERE