A look inside the well deck of the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7)
By.Scott Jackson
10.19.2025
The United States Department of Defense and White House released footage showing the destruction of a Venezuelan submarine reported to be involved in cartel drug trafficking operations and the transportation of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opiate. The sub was destroyed on Thursday.
While all the media and even this article calls the vessel a submarine it’s more like a semi- submersible. Most of the vessel is underwater but it doesn’t have the capability to fully submerge itself. If this vessel is anything like others that have been stopped trying to smuggle drugs into America in the past, it was made with fiberglass and plywood.
Video of the strike on the Venezuelan semi-submersible.
The submarine had two survivors who were rescued by a US helicopter and taken to a Navy ship in the area. The men will eventually be repatriated to their home countries according to the US. The men are from Ecuador and Colombia. The bombing of the sub killed two other men, both alleged to be Narco terrorists. Sending the men back to their home countries helps the US avoid any turbulent legal issues of detaining the men whose drug trafficking crimes don’t exactly fit under the laws of war.
Neither the pentagon or the White House offered any other comments when asked by GCR or other media outlets.
Moving on to today, it was just several hours ago reported that the US said they had carried out a strike on a vessel associated with a Colombian leftist rebel group,National Liberation Army.
This strike has led to a falling out between US president Trump and Columbian President Gustavo Petro as the Colombian President accused the US of murder. “US government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters. Fisherman Alejandro Carranza had no ties to the drug trade and his daily activity was fishing,” said Gustavo Petro on a post on social media. He added “The Colombian boat was adrift and had its distress signal up due to an engine failure. We await explanations from the US government.”
Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro
That US response was swift, with Trump and the White House cutting off all subsidies. Trump said the Columbian president “is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Columbia”.
Trump later ranted on Truth Social “It has become the biggest business in Columbia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America. AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLUMBIA,”
Trump continued “The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc,” the president said.
“Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged that the Russian federation is responsible for the downing of the Azerbaijani Airlines, Flight 8243 on Christmas Day 2024.
The plane, an Embaer 190 took off from Heydar Aliyev International Airport carrying 62 passengers and 5 crew.
The flight first experienced issues about 40 minutes after takeoff when it first entered the Russian airspace around Grozny. The pilots reported losing GPS navigational systems, due to jamming. The plane continued its approach at the Kadyrov Grozny International Airport in the Chechen capital. At this time the pilots reported twice tried to land at Grozny but were ultimately diverted due to fog. 81 minutes into the flight, and while the plane was still over Grozny, passengers at this time reported an explosion and shrapnel striking the aircraft. The pilots thought they had experienced a bird strike and proceeded to initiate emergency protocols and squawked 7700, which signals to others that the flight is experiencing an emergency. They then turned back towards the Caspian Sea.
The plane made it across the Caspian and back to Azerbaijan but the pilots were not able to maintain control of the aircraft while trying to put it down in Baku. Video from the ground showed the plane changing altitude at a very quick rate as the plane pitched up and down as the pilots fought to bring the plane down with increasingly unresponsive controls.
Video from the crash of Azerbaijani Airlines Flight 8243.
The plane ultimately crashed, bursting into a large fireball and split in half. Of the 67 people on board, 38 were killed. Almost immediately after the crash there were questions. What actually happened to flight 8243?
Photos from the crash showed damage not consistent with a bird strike. Damage to the tail looked more like the damage from the explosion of an air defense missile. In fact, several passengers had been injured from shrapnel from the explosion.
An image from the crash. The tail of the plane shows shrapnel damage.
Russia right away denied that this had happened. Several days later The New York Times put out a report which stated that Azerbaijani investigators believed that a Russian Pantsir S-1 had actually shot the plane. On February 4th, investigators found fragments from a Pantsir S-1 missile inside the airplane’s fuselage.
At the time the plane was attempting to land the city was under warning as Ukrainian drones had been spotted in the area and shot down.
On December 28th Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the “tragic incident” although he didn’t elaborate further on the incident.
Today the Russian president, speaking with the Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev, admitted to him that Russian air defense was responsible for the crash and that two Russian air defense missiles had exploded near the plane.
The Russian President very rarely admits to mistakes by his military. More than a decade after a Malaysian flight was brought down over Ukraine by Russian defense systems, Putin still denies Russian involvement.
The previous denial of the Russian involvement in the Azerbaijani airlines flight has caused some tension between Russian and Azerbaijan causing Aliyev to become increasingly critical of Moscow, even offering support to Ukraine and condemning what he called the “soviet occupation” of Azerbaijan. Some in the country were even calling for the relationship between Russia and Azerbaijan to be cut. It’s likely this admission of guilt by the Russian leadership is more about saving the relationship with an increasingly strong ally.
US Navy E-6B Mercury refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker.
By.Scott Jackson
09/24/2025
On the night of September 23-24 both France and the United States carried out separate nuclear exercises. These exercises act as apart of a deterrence strategy aimed at making any potential adversaries think twice about attacking. They also provide real life training for the crews involved preparing them for a day that they hope never happens.
Some components of these drills were monitored in real time.
COST43 a U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury.
COST43 the callsign for a U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury, the Airborne Nuclear Command Post and Communications Relay. The jet is seen in the above image heading back to Ramstein AFB, Germany after this mornings nuclear exercise by U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) over Northern Europe.
Today, in an act that the Estonian foreign minister is calling “unprecedentedly brazen”, three Russian MIG-31 “Foxhound” fighter jets violated Estonia’s border and remained inside Estonia for 12 minutes. They crossed the border in the area of the Gulf of Finland.
Russian MIG-31 “Foxhound”
NATO forces responded to intercept the Russian fighters with several Italian F-35’s being scrambled to track and intercept the Russian MIG’s. The alliance’s spokeswoman Allison Hart said ”This is yet another example of reckless Russian behavior and NATO’s ability to respond.”
Swedish forces also responded with several JAS 39 Gripen scrambling to the Baltic area where they intercepted and tracked the three Russian jets.
Russian Mig-31Swedish JAS 39 Gripen
Tensions between NATO and Russia have remained high since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine but spiked even more recently as Russian drones flew into Polish airspace just 10 days ago. NATO responded to shoot down some of the drones in that incident as well. Poland called the incursion a deliberate effort to test NATO’s willingness to respond and its readiness.
“..three fighter jets entered our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen-clear proof of Russia’s growing aggression.”
“Russia has violated Estonian airspace four times already this year, which is unacceptable in itself, but today’s violation, during which three fighter jets entered our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen-clear proof of Russia’s growing aggression.” Margus Tsahkna, Estonian minister of foreign affairs. He continued “Russia’s ever-increasing testing of borders and aggressiveness must be responded to by rapidly strengthening political and economic pressure,”
In response to the incident in Poland, and now Estonia, NATO has launched new air patrol operations in eastern and Northern Europe. This operation is going by the name Eastern Sentry and is modeled after the Baltic Sentry operations that have been taking place in the Baltic. Baltic sentry added new aircraft and ships to its patrols after the recent Russian incursions and continuing acts of sabotage. The operation includes increasing air and sea patrols, as well as an increase in ground based interceptor launchers and radar. Eastern Sentry will focua mainly on Poland however it can be shifted to deal with Russian threats in other countries.
“Russia’s recklessness in the air along our eastern flank is increasing in frequency,” said NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte. He added that drones have recently violated the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania.
“This was no accident.” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaking on the Estonian situation.
The Russian ministry of defense has declined to respond to an email from GCR.
At the time of writing another situation is ongoing with 2 other Russian jets doing a low flying pass on one of polands Petrobaltic oil and gas platform in the Baltic Sea. While Polish airspace was not violated in this case it shows the willingness to engage in aggressive behavior on the side of Russia.
Images sent to me from planet labs show the before and after shot of the bombing of the Hamas negotiation team that took place in Doha, Qatar on September 9th, 2025.
BeforeAfter.
Yesterday, as the Hamas negotiations team was debating a recent proposal from the U.S. delegation when an explosion ripped through the building killing several members of the Hamas negotiations team, made up of senior members of the Palestinian extremist group and a Qatari Security official. Qatari leadership condemned the attack, which took place on their soil. Qatar has long been a financial supporter of Hamas transferring billions of dollars to the group since 2018 with Hamas saying the payments were expressly used for employee payroll and medical care for Palestinians.Those payments are a form of some contention in Israel as Benjamin Netanyahu approved the payments back when he was the primer of the Israeli security cabinet and some in Israel disagreed with the decision. He defended his actions to detractors saying “in coordination with security experts to return calm to (Israeli) villages of the south, but also to prevent a humanitarian disaster (in Gaza).
CCTV footage captured the moment of the Israeli airstrikes earlier against the Qatari capital of Doha. pic.twitter.com/iG7khL3ETs
Video shows the airstrike which targeted the Hamas leadership.
It’s now been over 48 hours since the attack and Qatar has threatened to hold Benjamin Netanyau responsible for the attack. The UN Security Council had postponed a meeting about Israel’s strike on Qatar until tomorrow “at Qatar’s request”, the council’s current president says. UNSC South Korea, the current UN Security Council president added, “so that the Prime Minister of Qatar can take part in the meeting”.
At the U.N. many stood with Qatar, however some questions were raised as to why Qatar has Hamas in their cities in the first place.
Today at the U.N. I asked Qatar: “If you don’t want targeted bombings on terrorists in your capital, why do you harbor terrorists in your capital? Why is your Al Jazeera serving as Hamas' non-stop propaganda arm? Why do you act as mediator by day, and a terror sponsor by night?” https://t.co/xi2EZlC5B7pic.twitter.com/tTghv5JK4U
The US seemed sidelined by the attack, an attack carried out on the soil of a US allied partner in the region. Just days ago US President Donald Trump said that they were close to reaching an agreement in negotiations with Hamas. It seems like the US was only made aware of the planned attack when Israel’s forces were already on route to attack.
“I immediately directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did, however, unfortunately, too late to stop the attack,” Trump said in a statement.
Steve Cook, a senior fellow at the council for foreign relations wrote in his article ‘ It is unclear how many of Hamas’s leaders were killed in the operation. Hamas maintains that while five of its people plus a Qatari police officer were killed, its senior leadership survived. Those claims have yet to be verified. At the very least, the Israelis have demonstrated a willingness to go anywhere to eliminate Hamas. It is likely that the organization’s surviving leaders will be targeted again in time.’
The attack against Hamas has spread outrage among the Qatari leadership who see themselves as mediators in this conflict and as such it’s highly likely they will cease any of their part in future negotiation. Qatar sees this as a slap on the face after they worked to get a good number of the Israeli hostages that were taken on October 7th 2023, freed.
Cook,in his article put forward Egypt as a possible candidate for future negotiations but called the negotiations a “thankless task ” when “neither the Israeli government nor the Hamas leadership seem interested in a deal”
Map put together by Ian Ellis Jones over on Twitter shows the ships currently moving into the South American region. Some of the locations are true, as of when the image was posted, others are approximate.
By. Scott Jackson
08/30/2025
A look at the recent increase in U.S. forces already in or heading to the Caribbean.
The U.S. is increasing its presence in the region in an effort, they say, to deal with drug trafficking. This has been a big issue for Washington and is currently causing some tension as the White House called Venezuelan leader Maduro a “Narco-Terrorist” and have made him the main focus of these efforts. Is this a regular drug operation, or something more? For now nobody’s sure.
So far eight ships and a submarine have been deployed to the 4th fleet/Southern Command [SOCOM] AOR. Making this the largest confrontation between Venezuela and the U.S. in years.
For Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, this attention only strengthens his goverment hold on the country. The U.S. feels Maduro’s election back in 2013 and 2024 was due to election interference and say his victory was only assured because of ballot stuffing and other types of election fraud. Currently Washington has a $50 million dollar bounty for his arrest on charges of drug trafficking. Maduro’s response to the threat of the U.S. warships steaming towards southern waters was to declare that Venezuela would respond with the activation of 4.5 million militiamen.
“This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory — militias that are prepared, activated and armed,” Maduro announced on state television.
Most believe that this move by Washington is aimed more at a show of force over actual U.S. intervention in the region, but in case it’s not just a well armed navel stroll around the block let’s go over some things.
Who is Nicolás Maduro?
Nicolás Maduro speaking to his supporters about the American forces heading towards Venezuela.
Maduro was born in 1962 and before he was a president he made his money as a bus driver for a long time before rising to become a trade union leader. In 2003 he was elected to the National Assembly and frim there appointed to a number of positions under the then president Hugo Chávez. He served as the president of the National Assembly in 2005-06, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006-2012. From then on he was Vice President under Hugo Chávez until his death in 2013. After Chávez’s death Maduro assumed the role of president and has stayed in the role ever since. Since then, Maduro has managed to stay in office, consolidating power along the way. The elections the country has run show Maduro winning, however claims of election rigging have run rampant.
Since Maduro rise to power Venezuela has been forced to endure widespread authoritarian rule marked by rigged elections, human rights abuse and economic hardship. Maduro’s goverment can be characterized by its mass allegations of corruption, the suppression of critical information and poor leadership. Widespread shortages have plagued the country and inflation of its currency, the Bolivar, has skyrocketed, tripling in the last several years. For a country as resource rich as Venezuela is, having one of the largest oil deposits in the world, these problems are inflicted mostly by the actions and policy of their government.
Demonstrators clash with members of Venezuelan National Guard during a rally demanding a referendum to remove Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in San Cristobal, Venezuela October 26, 2016. Photo: Carlos Eduardo
What U.S. assets are being sent to Venezuela?
For now it seems that the bulk of the forces being mobilized for this operation -whatever it ultimately ends up lmbeing, are from the USS Navy with some help from the Air Force.
Earlier today radio calls from a USAF RC-135 ‘Rivet Joint’ were recorded as they communicated with the Mcdall tower out in Tampa Fl. The RC-135 was refueling “somewhere over the Caribbean”. This means that the Air Force is doing ELINT missions and gathering data from the region. The Rivet Joint is capable of picking up radar signals from hundreds of miles away as well as other types of electronic surveillance and reconnaissance.
ABATE07 (KC-135) is somewhere over the Caribbean right now fueling a RC-135.
We also have reports of Navy P-8 Poseidon’s out of San Juan patrolling around the Caribbean several days ago. These planes are mostly used for anti-submarine work but can still be used as spotters for surface ships as well.
Venezuela has one submarine that might or might not be operational so I don’t see the ASW assets getting all that much use here.
Ticonderoga-Class launching one of its standard missiles.
On to the ships. So far 9 ships have been ordered to the area. The most recent of the bunch is the Ticonderoga-Class guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70) and the Los Angeles-Class fast attack submarine USS Newport News (SSN-750).
Los Angeles class submarine operating at periscope depth.
Three of the ships are Arleigh Burke-Class guided missile destroyers. USS Gravley (DDG-107), USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), and USS Sampson (DDG-102). These ships along with the Lake Erie provide the bulk of the firepower. All of the ships listed so far, including the submarine are capable and likely carrying a number of Tomahawk cruise missiles, among others.
Arleigh burke-Class destroyers intercepting targets during an exercise
Last but not least we have the USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) a Freedom-Class littoral combat ship. These ships were, according to the navy “envisioned to be a networked, agile, stealthy surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access and asymmetrical threats in the littorals.” Littorals refers to an area of the sea close to shore. Basically these ships are comparable to what other navies call corvettes.
Each of the freedom class comes with a hanger for the SH-60 or MH-60 Seahawk, as well as a ramp in the stern for launching smaller boats. These ships are capable of transporting and launching a small assault force with troops and fighting vehicles.
Image shows the USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
Next is the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) classified as a Wasp-Class amphibious assault ship and landing helicopter dock.
USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) in the Atlantic sometime in 2008.
This ship carries various aircraft- mostly helicopters, and a lot of Marines as well as their equipment. This ship is essentially a floating marine base of operations capable of transporting them and their equipment into hostile territory and supporting them the AV-8B Harriers until 2027 when most of the assault ships are switching to F-35B’s. I don’t know if the Iwo Jima currently employs harriers or The F-35 currently.
USS Iwo Jima hiding in the fog.Marine Vertical take off F-35B coming in for a landing.
Moving on to the last two ships on our list we have the USS San Antonio (LPD-17) and the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) both of which are San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock’s. These ships are similar to the Wasp-class in that they are filled with marines and can be used as a launching point for their operations. They have a hanger for helicopters (or Ospreys) but lack the topside deck for planes.
Cut-away view of the San Antonio class. Artist concept of the San Antonio class.
These ships are designed as survivable and stealthy transports for ground forces. As shown in the image above they are also designed around the idea of launching the marines hovercraft to quickly transport massive amounts of marines and their equipment to the shores.
Yesterday, the Chinese PLAN (People’s liberation, Army Navy) claimed that they expelled a U.S. Navy Destroyer that entered its territorial waters near the Scarborough Shoals in the South China Sea.
Here’s the facts we know. The U.S. Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76) previously located at Cebu City in the Philippines sailed near the disputed territory around the Scarborough Shoal during a freedom of navigation patrol. This was two days after a Chinese coast guard cutter collided with a Chinese guided missile destroyer while chasing a ship from the Filipino coast guard. USS Higgins came within 12 miles of Huangyan Island (another name for Scarborough Shoal) , a highly disputed territory claimed by China, Taiwan, and the Philippines. It should be noted that the Philippines coast guard said that an Independence-class Littoral combat ship , the USS Cincinnati was also nearby.
The Chinese say that they forced the patrol to leave the area. The U.S. disputes this saying nothing thr Chinese said or did affected them in any way.
“China’s statement about this mission is false,” a spokesperson for U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement. “USS Higgins (DDG-76) conducted this FONOP in accordance with international law and then continued on to conduct normal operations. The operation reflects our commitment to uphold the freedom of navigation and lawful uses of the sea as a principle. The United States is defending its right to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as USS Higgins did here. Nothing China says otherwise will deter us.”
The spokesperson for U.S. 7th Fleet said that the Freedom of Navigation Operation challenged the prior requirement of a notification and authorization that China and Taiwan seek before a warship makes an innocent passage in their territorial sea.
A FONOP or Freedom of Navigation Operation is a naval operation carried out by the U.S. to assert the right of free transfer through an area. usually, heavily disputed area. “The unilateral imposition of any authorization or advance-notification requirement for innocent passage is unlawful,” the spokesperson for the Japan-based fleet said in the statement.
This video which I believe is filmed by a PLA helicopter or drone shows a Chinese Type-055 guided missile destroyer shadowing the USS Higgins (DDG-76) a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-Class destroyer. We also see the USS Cleveland (LCS-31) a Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship that was also in the region.
A Chinese SU-27 is also briefly shown in the footage.
Chinese coast guard Jiangdao-class cutter (CCG 3104) after colliding with PLAN warship.
By. Scott Jackson
08/11/2025
Earlier today Chinese maritime Forces collided with each other while attempting to stop a Filipino vessel from distributing aid and supplies to fishermen in the disputed Scarborough Shoal area. BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) and BRP Suluan (MRRV-4406) escorted fishing carrier MV Pamamalakaya and 35 local fishing vessels in support of Manila’s Kadiwa Operation, a Philippine government-led initiative designed to support and empower fishing communities in the country’s western exclusive economic zone.
The video above is taken from the stern of the BRP Suluan.
A Chinese coast guard Jiangdao-class cutter (CCG 3104) one of several former People’s Liberation Army Navy 056-class corvettes, deployed water cannons on the Philippine vessel (BRP Sultan) and while giving chase to them a guided missile destroyer from the PLA Navy, the Guilin, a Type 52D Guided Missile Destroyer, crossed into the path of the Chinese Coast Guard ship causing them to strike the port side of the destroyer. This caused large damage to the front of the coast guard ship and to the port side bow of the destroyer. The Philippine Coast guard said that this accident rendered the cutter unseaworthy. You can see in the video what appears to be at least one sailor on the cutter attempting to put a fender on the front of the cutter to absorb the impact. After the accident the Philippine ships offered support and assistance. No information on if anybody was injured or killed however I have to imagine the sailors at the front of the Chinese cutter would be lucky to still be standing afterword.
A shot almost directly after the two ships collided.
During the confrontation, Filipino coast guard vessel Teresa Magbanua remained on station to escort the Kadiwa supply mission, which then resupplied Philippine fishing vessels with fuel and provisions off Scarborough Shoal.
“The Philippine Coast Guard reaffirms its dedication to safeguarding all maritime operations in the area and wishes for the swift recovery and proper treatment of any affected CCG personnel,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said.
This attempt to blockade the Philippine ships is a blatant violation of the Philippines territorial sovereignty. The U.S. naval institute spoke to Ray Powell, director of the SeaLight Project at Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. He had this to say, commenting on the situation.
“China is now intercepting Philippine vessels well beyond any legitimate territorial sea claim, and using gray zone tactics such as swarming, blocking and water cannons to directly violate the Philippines’ freedom of navigation on the high seas,”
One striking observation pointed out in all of this is the presence of a People Liberation Army Navy vessel. Most of the past dust ups have been between coast guard vessels or even Chinese militia sent in as thugs. Seeing the military directly involved here could signal a hardening of Beijing’s stance on the matter.
This is just the latest incident in a long running series of violence and disputes over the Scarborough Shoal. The shoal is a maritime feature within Manila’s exclusive economic zone that Beijing claims under its ten-dash line assertion. Chinese forces effectively seized the shoal in 2012 but the area has remained a flashpoint.
On Thursday, July 24th, 2025 cross border shelling and small-arms fire was exchanged between soldiers of the countries of Thailand and Cambodia.
Diplomatic relations broke down between the two South Asian neighbors of Thailand and Cambodia after a border skirmish in May left one Cambodian troop killed. Tensions worsened on Wednesday (07/22/2025) when a Thai soldier lost a leg from a landmine that Thailand says was planted in a disputed territory. Thailand expelled Cambodia’s ambassador and recalled their own.
Thursday, the situation escalated horribly. Armed clashes broke out between border forces. Small arms fire was exchanged in the area of the Ta Muen Thom Temple – which lies in disputed territory in the south of Thailand’s Surin province and in Cambodia’s northwest. Thailand claimed Cambodia had deployed a drone near the temple before sending in ground forces.A statement from the Thai military claims that Cambodia fired heavy weapons into the nearby Kap Choeng district. Videos circulating on social media correlate that statement by showing both a Russian-made BM-21 Grad Multi launch Rocket System (MLRS) and a Czechoslovak-made RM-70 GRAD 122mm rocket launchers being used by Cambodian forces. The rocket fire caused Thailand to order an evacuation of the area.
Video shows a Russian-produced Grad launcher being used by Cambodian forces. We can’t see exactly who is firing this weapon however Thailand does not have this weapons system in its arsenal.
Video shows Czechoslovak-made RM-70 GRAD 122mm rocket launcher in use by Cambodian forces.
Video shows the aftermath of a Cambodian rocket attack which hit this PTT gas station in Ban Phue Sisaket Province.
“The attack injured three civilians. Thai authorities have promptly evacuated residents from the area to ensure the safety of lives and property,” the Thai military said in a statement.
“Cambodian forces acted strictly within the bounds of self-defence, responding to an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity,”Lieutenant General Maly Socheata, a cambodian defense ministry spokesperson said.
The US embassy put out a statement warning US citizens living or visiting Thailand “U.S. citizens living or traveling near the Thailand-Cambodia border should follow direction from Thai security services and consult local government authorities for the latest information”
After the rocket attacks, which lit fires in the nearby Kap Choeng district, Thailand responded by launching F-16 fighter jets which Thailand’s second military command said struck two Cambodian regional military headquarters, destroying them.
An F-16 in the service of the Royal Thai Air Force.
Right now the fighting has remained centered around the border region, however the situation has the potential to escalate into a much wider regional conflict with the possibility of drawing in other world powers. Cambodia maintains a distinct military partnership with China, who helps fund their defense. They also have connections to the US, though not as strongly as Thailand, who operate many US weapons systems and participate in US military exercises .
This is an ongoing story. Stay tuned for new updates. As of the latest info Cambodia is currently trying to deploy tanks into the Satta Som Mountain area in Ban Phumsarol. Thailand has deployed UAV’s and is claiming to have destroyed several armed vehicles.
Three days ago the capital of Syria, Damascus, was rocked as Israeli fighter-bombers conducted strikes against the Syrian Ministry of Defense. Israel says these strikes were in defense of the Druze people, a religious minority who reside in areas of Syria like Sweida as well as in parts of Israel. The Druze have been fighting with the Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes and militias connected to them. There are also rumors of government is backing those with involvement in the fighting against the Druze.
Last Friday, renewed clashes ignited between the Druze and the Bedouins. Kidnappings and gun battles occurred throughout areas around the Sweida region in southern Syria. Over the weekend Syrian government forces were dispatched to the area in response to the clashes but however, the Druze pushed back against the military forces and attempted to block them acess from the area. Israel carried out strikes on Syrian military targets on Tuesday. There are local reports of a Syrian military convoy being bombed by Israeli warplanes but so far they remain unconfirmed.
“Israel is committed to preventing harm being inflicted on the Druze in Syria, owing to the deep covenant of blood with our Druze citizens in Israel and their historical and familial link to the Druze in Syria,” Statement from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We are acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming them, and to ensure the demilitarization of the region adjacent to our border with Syria.”
Israel Katz, Israeli Minister of Defense.
The Syrian government feels differently about the situation and claimed that Israel was purposely acting to destabilize the situation and the region further. President Ahmed al-Sharaa claimed that Israel had a “deliberate policy” to “Inflame tensions” and “spread chaos”.
While Israel purposely destabilizing the region is up for debate one thing they have said publicly is that they would not allow a large Syrian military force to occupy territory in southern Syria for fears of them being used to push into the occupied Golan Heights.
The main area of focus is the green territory in the south. Israel currently occupies most of the Quneitra region.
On Wednesday July 16, the IDF carried out a strike on the Syrian Ministry of Defense building in Damascus. Multiple angles of footage are available of the strike.
Since then several ceasefires have been agreed upon by the Druze and the Bedouin, two of which were almost immediately broken. Right now there is an anxious pause in the fighting and a ceasefire sponsored by the U.S. in place. Israel agreed to allow Syrian troops into the south and the fighting has started to die down.
The President of Syria made this statement about the fighting and the ceasefire.
“We have received international invitations to intervene in what is happening in Sweida and restore security to the country. “
He continues,
“The Syrian state alone is capable of preserving its prestige and sovereignty across all Syrian territories.”
“We appreciate the role of the United States of America in reaffirming its stand with Syria and its unity,”
“We thank the tribes for their heroic stances and call on them for a complete ceasefire.”
And speaking on some
“The honorable Druze community as a whole should not be judged for the actions of a very small minority.”
He also added that,
“Events have proven that the people of Sweida stand with the state, with the exception of a small segment.”
“We disown all massacres and transgressions that occurred in Sweida province.”
He finished strong with this statement
“This sensitive circumstance requires the tribes and the Druze people to stand united.” Reaffirming Syria’s territorial integrity, he declared, “Syria is not a battlefield for secessionist projects.”
Author’s note.
I usually prefer to have more visual information with my reports however the violence being carried out between the Druze and the Bedouins is some of the most horrific stuff I’ve ever gone through. People being stabbed to death and shot are the tame videos I’ve seen a videos of a Bedouin militia forcing Druze people to jump off a rooftop. As they prepare for what they are about to do ao and start climbing the railing they are shot anyway with rifles. The Druze as well have been forcing Arabs out of the area and killing those who don’t comply. In the whole affair around 350 people have been killed. In the grand scheme of things that seems low but it could have been much worse and still has the potential to reignite.
Sorry for the delay in writing this, I’ve been following the fighting but it took me a while to re-familiarize myself with some of the players here.
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