Iran
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From: The Roman Empire
Are these Fitters likely to be serviceable aircraft, or ancient useless decoys.
Athough the field of view is limited, they appear to be in quite obvious positions in remote locations with nothing else around them and no attempt at protection or concealment.
Athough the field of view is limited, they appear to be in quite obvious positions in remote locations with nothing else around them and no attempt at protection or concealment.
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From: Over the rainbow
Number of US service members killed rises to six
published at 21:06
21:06
Breaking
An update from the US Central Command (Centcom) says six US service members have been killed in action as of 16:00 eastern time on Monday.
The update says US forces recovered the remains of "two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran's initial attacks in the region".
"Major combat operations continue," the update adds
published at 21:06
21:06
Breaking
An update from the US Central Command (Centcom) says six US service members have been killed in action as of 16:00 eastern time on Monday.
The update says US forces recovered the remains of "two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran's initial attacks in the region".
"Major combat operations continue," the update adds
Last edited by Senior Pilot; 2nd March 2026 at 20:30. Reason: Font sizing
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From: In a Pineapple Under the Sea
Well . . . I do wonder whether China will test some of its military capability through Iran as part of a proxy war with the US. I've read (but can hardly figure out anymore what is legitimate information in the information age) - that China has a surveillance ship in the region, and may be providing Iran with significant capabilities - which could help launching attacks on US assets. Not sure whether any of it is true - but it certainly presents an interesting paradigm.
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From: Over the rainbow
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From: Texas
I guess that if you blow the Fitter up, it's no longer necessary to worry about whether or not it is a decoy.
EDIT:
I made some glib remark, here or in JB post, about Iran taking a page out of Ukraine's book and attacking oil infrastructure in Gulf States.
Well, that may not be the case.
While they have loosed various munitions at various Gulf nations, the minister making that clear statement may indicate a decision not to do that...
EDIT:
I made some glib remark, here or in JB post, about Iran taking a page out of Ukraine's book and attacking oil infrastructure in Gulf States.
Well, that may not be the case.
Iran denies targeting Saudi oil facility
Iran denies targeting Saudi oil facility
Tehran’s deputy foreign minister, Majid Takht-Revanchi rejected claims that Iran attacked Saudi oil infrastructure following reports of a fire after shrapnel from two intercepted drones fell on the country’s giant Ras Tanura oil refinery.
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
Makes it almost certain to be from a drone launched from Iran rather than an earlier generation type supplied to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Video
Video
Russian jam-resistant Kometa-M navigation unit was found in the wreckage of the Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drone used during the attack on the RAF Akrotiri air base in Cyprus.
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From: Peripatetic
Presumably to intercept drones overland before they reach targets in Jordan and before they reach the med/Cyprus?
For the first time since the beginning of the war on Iran, US & British tankers are seen refueling fighter jets over the same area in Jordan.
Bonus: The Britsh KC2 tanker is beeing warned via ACARS: "JUST FOR AWARENESS YOU ARE SHOWING ON FLIGHT RADAR."
Bonus: The Britsh KC2 tanker is beeing warned via ACARS: "JUST FOR AWARENESS YOU ARE SHOWING ON FLIGHT RADAR."
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From: Peripatetic
👀👀👀👀
For all those folks who kept telling me the US weren't going to use the A-10C jets in Jordan for anything against Iran... I would like to refer you to this official CENTCOM post which lists the A-10s as "assets employed".
Thanking you!
Thanking you!
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From: UK
4 x Greek F-16s into Nicosia Airport to provide AD for Cyprus
https://x.com/air_intel/status/2028527131769045286
https://x.com/air_intel/status/2028527131769045286
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From: Texas
From Marco Rubio:
Food for thought.
“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces. And we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” he said.
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From: Peripatetic
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-st...ortifications/
Military officials question fortifications at site where U.S. troops were killed in Iranian strike
The first American service members to die in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran were killed in an apparent Iranian drone attack on a makeshift office space in Kuwait, three U.S. military officials with direct knowledge of Iran's attack told CBS News.
At least six Americans were killed in a strike on a tactical operations center at the Shuaiba port in Kuwait, one of several U.S.-allied countries in the Persian Gulf region that have faced intense Iranian missile and drone attacks since the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran early Saturday. U.S. Central Command has publicly confirmed the deaths.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the deadly strike was caused by a powerful Iranian weapon that made it through both air defenses and the operations center's fortifications.
"You have air defenses, and a lot's coming in, and you hit most of it," Hegseth said during a news conference at the Pentagon. "Every once in a while, you might have one, unfortunately, we call it a squirter, that makes its way through. And in that particular case, it happened to hit a tactical operations center that was fortified, but these are powerful weapons."
But the three U.S. military officials questioned the assertion that the building was adequately fortified. They told CBS News the operations center was a triple-wide trailer made into an office space — a common setup at U.S. bases abroad.
The trailer's only fortifications were T-walls, which are 12-foot-tall, steel-reinforced concrete barriers used to protect military personnel from explosions, rocket attacks and shrapnel, the military officials said.
But T-walls could not protect the facility from an overhead strike. Two officials told CBS News that the strike appeared to hit dead-center on top of the building.
Three officials also told CBS News, speaking under condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media outlets, that prior to the attack, there were discussions on the ground about whether the tactical operations center in question should not have been used, as it concentrated too many U.S. troops in a location that wasn't defendable.
Preliminary battle damage assessments suggest the operations center in Kuwait was attacked by a one-way drone, according to three U.S. military officials with direct knowledge of Iran's attack. Iran typically uses Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones.
Fire engulfed the buildings, which made recovery of the bodies difficult in the immediate aftermath of the strike, the officials told CBS News.
Two of the three sources told CBS News they did not recall hearing the warning sirens that are commonly associated with counter-battery systems designed to detect incoming enemy ordnance that ultimately killed the service members. They also said that the warning siren had worked all week prior to the strike on the tactical operations center, but in prior incidents, some of the drones were already inside the base before the siren would sound.
Additionally, two sources said there was no American counter-rocket, artillery and mortar system at Shuaiba port that could be used to bring down incoming drones or other deadly munitions. Kuwait had interceptors in the vicinity, but it's unclear if those were employed.
Requests were made for more capabilities to defeat incoming drones, but those additional resources never came, the two sources said. One source told CBS News: "We basically had no drone defeat capability."
"I'm sorry for their families' losses," one of the sources told CBS News. "They were nice people doing what their nation asked of them."
CNN first reported on the six service members killed at Shuaiba port and that they seemingly had no prior warning. CBS News is first to report on the type of ordnance that impacted the operations center, and that some American troops feel the center's defenses were inadequate and perhaps that the operations center established should not have been used at all.
Asked for comment, the Pentagon referred CBS News to U.S. Central Command's prior statements on the deceased service members.
In addition to the six who were killed in Kuwait, at least 18 service members had been seriously wounded as of Monday morning in the combat operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson told CBS News.
Hegseth called the service members who were killed "the absolute best of America."
"May we prosecute the remainder of this operation in a manner that honors them," he said.
The first American service members to die in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran were killed in an apparent Iranian drone attack on a makeshift office space in Kuwait, three U.S. military officials with direct knowledge of Iran's attack told CBS News.
At least six Americans were killed in a strike on a tactical operations center at the Shuaiba port in Kuwait, one of several U.S.-allied countries in the Persian Gulf region that have faced intense Iranian missile and drone attacks since the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran early Saturday. U.S. Central Command has publicly confirmed the deaths.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the deadly strike was caused by a powerful Iranian weapon that made it through both air defenses and the operations center's fortifications.
"You have air defenses, and a lot's coming in, and you hit most of it," Hegseth said during a news conference at the Pentagon. "Every once in a while, you might have one, unfortunately, we call it a squirter, that makes its way through. And in that particular case, it happened to hit a tactical operations center that was fortified, but these are powerful weapons."
But the three U.S. military officials questioned the assertion that the building was adequately fortified. They told CBS News the operations center was a triple-wide trailer made into an office space — a common setup at U.S. bases abroad.
The trailer's only fortifications were T-walls, which are 12-foot-tall, steel-reinforced concrete barriers used to protect military personnel from explosions, rocket attacks and shrapnel, the military officials said.
But T-walls could not protect the facility from an overhead strike. Two officials told CBS News that the strike appeared to hit dead-center on top of the building.
Three officials also told CBS News, speaking under condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media outlets, that prior to the attack, there were discussions on the ground about whether the tactical operations center in question should not have been used, as it concentrated too many U.S. troops in a location that wasn't defendable.
Preliminary battle damage assessments suggest the operations center in Kuwait was attacked by a one-way drone, according to three U.S. military officials with direct knowledge of Iran's attack. Iran typically uses Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones.
Fire engulfed the buildings, which made recovery of the bodies difficult in the immediate aftermath of the strike, the officials told CBS News.
Two of the three sources told CBS News they did not recall hearing the warning sirens that are commonly associated with counter-battery systems designed to detect incoming enemy ordnance that ultimately killed the service members. They also said that the warning siren had worked all week prior to the strike on the tactical operations center, but in prior incidents, some of the drones were already inside the base before the siren would sound.
Additionally, two sources said there was no American counter-rocket, artillery and mortar system at Shuaiba port that could be used to bring down incoming drones or other deadly munitions. Kuwait had interceptors in the vicinity, but it's unclear if those were employed.
Requests were made for more capabilities to defeat incoming drones, but those additional resources never came, the two sources said. One source told CBS News: "We basically had no drone defeat capability."
"I'm sorry for their families' losses," one of the sources told CBS News. "They were nice people doing what their nation asked of them."
CNN first reported on the six service members killed at Shuaiba port and that they seemingly had no prior warning. CBS News is first to report on the type of ordnance that impacted the operations center, and that some American troops feel the center's defenses were inadequate and perhaps that the operations center established should not have been used at all.
Asked for comment, the Pentagon referred CBS News to U.S. Central Command's prior statements on the deceased service members.
In addition to the six who were killed in Kuwait, at least 18 service members had been seriously wounded as of Monday morning in the combat operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson told CBS News.
Hegseth called the service members who were killed "the absolute best of America."
"May we prosecute the remainder of this operation in a manner that honors them," he said.
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
Video
Grok:
Peninsula Shield Forces entered Bahrain from Saudi Arabia and deployed on the streets amid fears of unrest among the Shiite-majority population.
Yes, this appears confirmed.
Multiple eyewitness videos (including the one shared) show armored military vehicles and convoys on the King Fahd Causeway entering Bahrain from Saudi Arabia overnight.
Local reports and X posts describe Peninsula Shield (GCC Unified Military Command) deployment to secure streets amid tensions after Iranian strikes hit Bahraini sites like the US Fifth Fleet base and industrial facilities.
Dutch embassy warnings also note increased threats at the border and military movements.
This echoes the 2011 precedent but ties to current regional escalation.
Multiple eyewitness videos (including the one shared) show armored military vehicles and convoys on the King Fahd Causeway entering Bahrain from Saudi Arabia overnight.
Local reports and X posts describe Peninsula Shield (GCC Unified Military Command) deployment to secure streets amid tensions after Iranian strikes hit Bahraini sites like the US Fifth Fleet base and industrial facilities.
Dutch embassy warnings also note increased threats at the border and military movements.
This echoes the 2011 precedent but ties to current regional escalation.
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From: Derbyshire
I just saw an interesting media interview with Rubio on YouTube by Sky News Australia titled "Hardest hits are yet to come".
I can't offer a link, but some clever soul out there might be able to.
Although I have huge scepticism about most things on the media and spouted by politicians, this explanation by Rubio seemed succinct, sensible and believable.
If you can find it, you might be interested.
I can't offer a link, but some clever soul out there might be able to.
Although I have huge scepticism about most things on the media and spouted by politicians, this explanation by Rubio seemed succinct, sensible and believable.
If you can find it, you might be interested.
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From: Peripatetic
UK embarrassment over the paucity of our defences at Akrotiri mount. After the Greeks now the French decide to send help.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/...ycsrp_catchall
I'm not sure it's required by the Cypriots*, but it does pile on the embarrassment for the UK....
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...Guard#Airforce
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/...ycsrp_catchall
France to send anti-drone systems to Cyprus after British base attack, report says
NICOSIA, March 3 (Reuters) - France plans to send anti-missile and anti-drone systems to Cyprus after a British air base on the island was !attacked by drones, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said on Tuesday.
France would !send anti-missile and anti-drone systems, as well as a frigate, CNA reported. It said French President Emmanuel Macron communicated the intention to Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides early on Tuesday.
A Cypriot government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the report. The French defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The reported French aid to the island !follows Greece's offer of assistance hours after RAF Akrotiri, a British sovereign base, was targeted in two separate drone incidents on Monday.....
NICOSIA, March 3 (Reuters) - France plans to send anti-missile and anti-drone systems to Cyprus after a British air base on the island was !attacked by drones, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said on Tuesday.
France would !send anti-missile and anti-drone systems, as well as a frigate, CNA reported. It said French President Emmanuel Macron communicated the intention to Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides early on Tuesday.
A Cypriot government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the report. The French defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The reported French aid to the island !follows Greece's offer of assistance hours after RAF Akrotiri, a British sovereign base, was targeted in two separate drone incidents on Monday.....
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...Guard#Airforce
