World War III Warning Thread - Weeks of 9/25/18 - 10/09/18

[jhpigott]

ELINT News‏@ELINTNews 3h3 hours ago#UPDATE: Russian media reports the Indian Army is deploying extra troops, gunship helicopters, military cargo choppers, medium to heavy ammunition batteries and military ration depots along with its Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan in Kashmir valley


ELINT News‏@ELINTNews 3h3 hours ago

#UPDATE: Times of Islamabad: Heavy mobilization of Indian troops on Neelum-Jhelum valleys, near Pakistani border, is reported. However, Indian Army is not sharing further information at this time


Guy Elster‏Verified account@guyelster 7h7 hours ago

#BREAKING #Iran fired missiles to #Syria in response to the attack in #Ahvaz, claims to attack #ISIS targets

[danielboon]

Iranian Army says IRGC attack on eastern Syria was ‘appropriate and necessary’ BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:45 P.M.) – The Iranian Army issued a statement this afternoon commending the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) attack on the Islamic State’s (ISIS) positions in eastern Syria.

According to the statement from the Iranian Army, the IRGC attack on eastern Syria was an “appropriate and necessary” response to the Islamic State’s terrorist attack on the southwestern city of Ahvaz near the Iraqi border.

“No aggression will remain unanswered,” the army’s statement read.

The statement also warned terrorists against any desperate move in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran to face more crushing response.

In its statement, the Army praised IRGC measure, and expressed readiness for defending the country, people and government.

Last night, the IRGC’s aerospace forces fired a half dozen surface-to-surface missiles towards the Islamic State’s headquarters inside the Deir Ezzor Governorate.

Following the missile strikes, the IRGC bombed the Islamic State’s positions with their attack drones.

This latest strike marks the second time in the last 20 months that the IRGC has launched an assault of this magnitude in Syria. https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...and-necessary/

[jhpigott]

Ryan Browne‏Verified account@rabrowne75 3h3 hours ago
First on CNN: The USS Decatur had an "unsafe" interaction with a Chinese warship Sunday while the US ship was sailing within 12 miles of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, according to US officials. One official said the Chinese destroyer came as close as 45ft


Ryan Browne‏Verified account@rabrowne75 2h2 hours ago

Ryan Browne Retweeted Ryan Browne
While one official initially said the Chinese destroyer came as close as 45 feet to the USS Decatur, two defense officials put the distance between the US & Chinese ships at approximately 135 feet


Ryan Browne‏Verified account@rabrowne75 1h1 hour ago

Ryan Browne Retweeted Ryan Browne
.@USPacificFleet: The Chinese warship "approached USS Decatur in an unsafe & unprofessional maneuver in the vicinity of Gaven Reef in the S. China Sea"...the Chinese ship "conducted a series of increasingly aggressive maneuvers accompanied by warnings for the Decatur to depart"

[jhpigott]

i24NEWS English‏Verified account@i24NEWS_EN 14m14 minutes ago#BREAKING: #Netanyahu says #Hezbollah is 'blatantly lying' to international community about underground missile facilities in #Lebanon, 'cleaning up sites' that #Israel uncovered


The Israel Link‏@TheIsraelink 25m25 minutes ago

#BREAKING: Reports from Lebanon say Hezbollah has gone to maximum alert level and evacuated it's bases. Simultaneously, there are reports of a drone that entered Syria from Lebanon, and air defenses have been activated.


The Israel Link‏@TheIsraelink 2h2 hours ago

IDF retaliates against terrorists trying to destroy the border fence near Khuza.

[jhpigott]

Reuters Top News‏Verified account@Reuters 5h5 hours agoBREAKING: Confirmed death toll from Indonesia's quake, tsunami rises to 1,234 - disaster agency presentation


Syrian Strategic Researches‏@Syrian_SR 1h1 hour ago

#Breaking #Israel/i Air Force is highly active over east #Lebanon.


AFP news agency‏Verified account@AFP 3h3 hours ago

#BREAKING France announces asset freeze on Iran's ministry of security and intelligence

[danielboon]

US Defense Secretary James Mattis announces an increase in the number of U.S. advisers in Syria https://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2018/...s-announces-an

[danielboon]

U.S. would destroy banned Russian warheads if necessary: NATO envoy BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia must halt its covert development of a banned cruise missile system or the United States will seek to destroy it before it becomes operational, Washington’s envoy to NATO said on Tuesday. The United States believes Russia is developing a ground-launched system in breach of a Cold War treaty that could allow Russia to launch a nuclear strike on Europe at short notice, but Moscow has consistently denied any such violation.

U.S. ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison said Washington remained committed to a diplomat solution but was prepared to consider a military strike if Russian development of the medium-range system continued.

“At that point, we would be looking at the capability to take out a (Russian) missile that could hit any of our countries,” she told a news conference.

“Counter measures (by the United States) would be to take out the missiles that are in development by Russia in violation of the treaty,” she added. “They are on notice.”

The Russian foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment. In the past, it has said it is ready for talks with the United States to try to preserve the treaty and would comply with its obligations if the United States did.

The comments by Hutchison, who was appointed to the NATO post by U.S. President Donald Trump, are the most direct warning of a preemptive strike since a U.S. official said in 2017 the United States would consider its own system if Russia continued to violate the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

The treaty bans medium-range missiles capable of hitting Europe or Alaska. The United States and Russia celebrated its 30th anniversary in Geneva in 2017.

But that same year, the U.S. State Department report found Russia had violated obligations “not to possess, produce, or flight-test” a ground-launched cruise missile with a range capability of 500 km to 5,500 km (310-3,417 miles), “or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles.”

The U.S. accusations are likely to further strain relations between Moscow and the West that are at a low over Russia’s 2014 seizure of Crimea, its bombing campaign in Syria and accusations of Russian meddling in Western elections.

“We have been trying to send a message to Russia for several years that we know they are violating the treaty, we have shown Russia the evidence that we have that they are violating the treaty,” Hutchison said.

“We are laying down the markers so that our allies will help us bring Russia to the table,” she added.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said he would discuss the issue with his NATO counterparts at a scheduled two-day meeting in Brussels from Wednesday.

“I cannot forecast where it will go, it is a decision for the president, but I can tell you that both on Capitol Hill and in State Department, there is a lot of concern about this situation and I’ll return with the advice of our allies and engage in that discussion to determine the way ahead,” he told reporters in Paris. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKCN1MC1J6

[danielboon]

Russian Aerospace Forces start strategic exercise involving Tu-160, Tu-95MS bombers Strategic bombers Tupolev-160 and Tupolev-95MS and long-range bombers Tupolev-22M3 from three Aerospace Force regiments are involved in a just-started strategic exercise, the Defense Ministry’s press-service told the media on Tuesday.

The exercise is part of the 2018 routine checks of the Armed Forces.

“Participating in it are crews of strategic missile bombers Tupolev-160 and Tupolev-95MS and long-range bombers Tupolev-22M3 from three air regiments stationed in the Saratov, Kaluga and Murmansk regions,” the Defense Ministry said.

Tanker planes Ilyushin-78 from the separate long-range aviation regiment were commissioned to take part in the drills.

“All in all the exercise encompasses 20 aircraft and ten airdromes in the Western, Central and Eastern military districts,” the Defense Ministry said.

The pilots will practice redeployment to tactical airdromes, refueling in flight and attacks against surface targets at proving grounds.

More:
http://tass.com/defense/1023922

[danielboon]

US would destroy banned Russian warheads if necessary
Reuters|Published: 10.02.18 , 15:36
BRUSSELS - Russia must halt its covert development of a banned cruise missile system or the United States will seek to destroy it before it becomes operational, Washington's envoy to NATO said on Tuesday.


The United States believes Russia is developing a ground-launched system in breach of a Cold War treaty that could allow Russia to launch a nuclear strike on Europe at short notice, but Moscow has consistently denied any such violation.

US ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison said Washington remained committed to a diplomat solution but was prepared to consider a military strike if Russian development of the medium-range system continued.


"At that point, we would be looking at the capability to take out a (Russian) missile that could hit any of our countries," she told a news conference.https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,...362291,00.html

[danielboon]

NATO envoy: US to destroy banned Russian warheads

NATO envoy: US to destroy banned Russian warheads
Reuters|Published: 10.02.18 , 17:29
Russia must halt its covert development of a banned cruise missile system or the United States will seek to destroy it before it becomes operational, Washington's envoy to NATO said on Tuesday.


The United States believes Russia is developing a ground-launched system in breach of a Cold War treaty that could allow Russia to launch a nuclear strike on Europe at short notice, but Moscow has consistently denied any such violation.



US ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison said Washington remained committed to a diplomat solution but was prepared to consider a military strike if Russian development of the medium-range system continued.


"At that point, we would be looking at the capability to take out a (Russian) missile that could hit any of our countries," she told a news conference.https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,...362372,00.html