Tag: perpetual war

Israel threatens Gaza war resumption to force disarmament as ‘truce’ frays

In the shattered neighbourhoods of Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah in the Gaza Strip, the roar of Israeli drones and the concussive thud of controlled demolitions are daily reminders that the war has never really ended.

Despite a “ceasefire” in place since October, families continue to pull bodies from the rubble. According to local medical sources, 828 Palestinians have been killed since the “truce” began. Now, families in Gaza are bracing for a renewed offensive as Israeli officials threaten to tear up the fragile agreement to force a surrender.

In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly cancelled a scheduled security cabinet meeting on Sunday, opting instead for smaller consultations. Simultaneously, the military has ramped up pressure to resume hostilities. A senior official in the Israeli military’s General Staff told Channel 15 that an additional round of fighting was “almost inevitable”, citing the refusal of Hamas to surrender its weapons and the alleged “failure” of the International Stabilization Force, a multinational body deployed under the recent truce framework to oversee security and manage the ceasefire’s implementation.

Israel’s Army Radio reported that on the ground, the military has steadily been enlarging the territory it controls in the besieged enclave. By gradually pushing the “ceasefire”-established “Yellow Line” westwards, Israeli forces have expanded their territorial control to 59 percent of the Strip, regularising their occupation through daily violations of the “ceasefire” and moving additional troops from the Lebanese front into Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

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Warren blames Spirit Airlines closure on Iran war after advocating against JetBlue-Spirit merger

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is receiving backlash from GOP lawmakers for pushing former President Biden’s Justice Department to block the merger of JetBlue and Spirit Airlines. 

“The 14,000 employees at Spirit who’ve lost their job loss, the travelers who will now pay higher fares, and the shareholders and debt holders who have been wiped out can thank Elizabeth Warren,” Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) wrote on X on Saturday. “Electing left politicians, who have ZERO business experience, has consequences.”

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reposted a critical Warren post and wrote, “Stunning.” 

Warren defended her advocacy against the merger by blaming a federal judge for stopping it. 

“Spiking fuel prices from Trump’s war was the nail in the coffin for twice-bankrupted Spirit airline,” Warren wrote in a post on X. FWIW, JetBlue merger failed because a judge, appointed by Ronald Reagan, said the deal was illegal. Republicans are desperate to shift blame from higher costs hitting families.”

Biden’s Justice Department had detailed its involvement in blocking the merger back in 2024.

“Our win in court is a victory for U.S. travelers who deserve lower prices and better choices,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We fought this case to protect consumers who, as the court recognized, ‘otherwise would have no voice.’ I am incredibly proud of the Antitrust Division’s team and our state law enforcement partners’ tireless advocacy.”

Warren had pushed the Department of Transportation under Biden to work to block the merger, as detailed in a letter she wrote.

She also applauded the blockage of the merger.

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Chinese engineer stole US military and NASA software for years

International espionage isn’t always about sophisticated malware and zero-day bugs. Sometimes it’s as simple as pretending to be someone else asking for a favor.

For four years, a Chinese aerospace engineer did just that. Dozens of researchers at NASA, the US military, and major universities handed him exactly what he asked for, and possibly violated US laws in the process.

His name is Song Wu. He’s been on the FBI’s wanted list since September 2024, charged with 14 counts of wire fraud and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft, and he’s still at large.

Wu’s day job was as an engineer at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), a Beijing-headquartered state-owned aerospace and defense conglomerate with over 400,000 employees. The US has AVIC and several subsidiaries on a sanctions list.

His side hustle was simpler. From January 2017 through December 2021, Wu set up email accounts impersonating real US researchers and engineers, then emailed their colleagues asking for source code and proprietary software. He targeted employees at NASA, the Air Force, Navy, Army, and FAA, and faculty at universities across the US.

When software is a weapon

The applications Wu was after handle aerospace engineering and computational fluid dynamics. It’s the kind of intellectual property that helps develop advanced tactical missiles and evaluate weapons performance, and it sits squarely inside US export controls, according to NASA’s Office of the Inspector General. Sharing it with the wrong person, even by accident, is a federal problem.

Some victims did transmit the requested code. They were, in the OIG’s careful phrasing, “unwittingly” violating export control law.

How a four-year campaign finally broke

It wasn’t a firewall that caught Wu. It was a tip.

NASA’s Cyber Crimes Division got a report that someone had set up a Gmail account claiming to be an established aerospace professor who frequently collaborated with NASA. From that single thread, investigators unwound a campaign that had quietly targeted dozens of researchers across the federal government and academia.

The OIG also noted the giveaways: Wu asked for the same software multiple times and never explained why he needed it. Those are tells that anyone could have spotted on a slow afternoon if they’d been looking.

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Britain Lacks Money to Buy New Weapons Until 2030, Senior UK Official Admits

Gen. Richard Barrons, former head of the British Joint Forces Command and co-author of the UK government’s Strategic Defense Review, told media that the country lacked the funds to purchase new weapons until at least 2030.

In June 2025, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that London would be moving to “war preparedness” as part of its new defense strategy. The media reported on April 6 of this year that legislation to increase defense readiness would be delayed until at least mid-2027.

Barrons warned that the British armed forces can only “think about” preparing for war because they lack the money to buy new weapons until 2030 due to funding shortages, according to the publication.

The lack of investment is “depleting” the industrial base and forcing defense companies to move production overseas.

The newspaper clarified that the army barely has enough money for tanks, helicopters, and artillery, but not for loitering munitions, kamikaze drones, or artificial intelligence-based systems.

The new Strategic Defense Review (SDR) was published in June 2025 amid the UK’s plans to increase military spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027. Specifically, the document includes a recommendation to create a nuclear warhead modernization program, to which the British leadership plans to allocate 15 billion pounds ($20 billion).

In recent years, Russia has noted unprecedented NATO activity along its western borders. The alliance is expanding its initiatives and calling it “deterring Russian aggression.” Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the bloc’s buildup of forces in Europe. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously emphasized that Western politicians regularly frighten their populations with an imaginary Russian threat to distract from domestic problems, but “smart people understand perfectly well that this is a fake.”

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Obama: Netanyahu presented to me same arguments for war with Iran that he made to Trump

Former U.S. President Barack Obama said in an interview with The New Yorker published Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had presented him with the same arguments he later presented to current President Donald Trump to persuade him to launch a war with Iran.

“I think my prognosis was accurate,” he said. It may be that Netanyahu has “gotten what he wanted. Whether that’s what is ultimately best for the Israeli people, I would question that. Whether I think it’s what is good for the United States and America, I would question that. I think there’s an ample record of my differences with Mr. Netanyahu.”

Netanyahu opposed the nuclear deal Obama signed with Iran in 2015, an agreement that Trump ultimately canceled in 2018 during his first term in the White House. Since then, Trump has not succeeded in bringing Iran to a new nuclear deal, and no such agreement was signed during Joe Biden’s presidency either.

Since the agreement was canceled in 2018, Iran has raced toward a nuclear bomb, and its progress eventually led to two wars — the 12-day Operation Rising Lion in June 2025 and Operation Roaring Lion, which began in late February 2026.

In the interview, Obama was asked about threats Trump has made toward Iran in recent months, including that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

Obama replied: “believe American leadership, as represented by the American President, has to reflect a basic regard for human dignity and decency, not just within our own borders but beyond. That’s part of the responsibility of leadership. If we are not giving voice to those core values—that there are innocent people in countries with terrible governments and we have to care about those people, that we can make mistakes if we are not guarding against hubris and pure self-interest . . . If we don’t have those things, the world can break in very bad ways.”

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Putin Announces Truce for Victory Day on May 8 and 9, Warns Ukraine: If It Disrupts Celebrations, Russian Forces Will Strike Kiev’s Center

Victory Day truce may unleash unprecedented strikes.

We are approaching May 9, the date where Russians traditionally celebrate their defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, or – as they prefer – in the ‘Patriotic War’.

Just like last year, the celebration that gathers the Russian elite and a large number of foreign dignitaries will happen under the shadow of a possible drone-missile combined strike by Ukraine.

Not only that, but after Moscow announced a truce on May 8 and 9, Kiev came today with their own truce to begin on Wednesday (6).

Also today, the Russian Defense Ministry has warned Kiev of massive retaliation if it disrupts the celebrations.

Bloomberg reported:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin designated a ceasefire for May 8-9, the Defense Ministry said in a post on Telegram. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said there was no coordination with his government. He declared his own ceasefire regime starting at midnight on the night of May 5, saying Ukraine will act reciprocally starting from that moment.

‘There has been no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of hostilities’, Zelenskiy said on X after Russia’s announcement. ‘It is time for Russian leaders to take real steps to end their war, especially since Russia’s Defense Ministry believes it cannot hold a parade in Moscow without Ukraine’s goodwill’.”

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Ceasefire Apparently Over as Iran Fires Missiles at UAE – Fujairah Oil Zone on Fire

UAE claims to have the ‘full and legitimate right to respond to these attacks’.

The ceasefire in the Middle East seems to have been broken today, as the United Arab Emirates reports that Iran fired four missiles toward its territory.

The UAE says that it is actively engaging with a ‘missile and drone attack’.

Axios reported:

“There were also fires reported at a fuel facility in the UAE and on ships off its coast. Iran has not claimed responsibility for any of the apparent attacks.

This would be the first time Iran attacked a Gulf state since the ceasefire was announced nearly a month ago. The U.S. and Iran may now be on the precipice of a return to war.”

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Developing: Two US Service Members Missing in Morocco After Multinational Military Exercise

During a multinational war games exercise known as African Lion, two U.S. service members have been reported missing in southwestern Morocco.

The games, which began in April, span four countries, including Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal.

An official statement from U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) states, “Two U.S. service members participating in African Lion 2026 were reported missing near the Cap Draa Training Area, near the city of Tan Tan, Morocco, May 2, 2026.”

“U.S., Moroccan and other assets from African Lion immediately initiated coordinated search and rescue operations, including ground, air, and maritime assets.”

“The incident remains under investigation and the search is on-going.”

“Our focus is on the service members involved and their families.”

“Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”

Per AFRICOM, African Lion includes approximately 5,000 personnel from over 40 countries and more than 30 U.S.-based industry partners validating future warfare capabilities across multiple locations within the country from 27 April to May 8, 2026 and is designed to “strengthen the collective security capabilities of the United States, African nations and global allies.”

“The training stress-tests the U.S. joint force and partner nations’ ability to execute rapid deployments and operate under multi-domain threat conditions.”

Duke Buchan III, U.S. Ambassador to Morocco, notes, “African Lion 26 reflects our continued bilateral commitment to regional security and stability.”

“As our nations celebrate 250 years of friendship, this enduring diplomatic and military partnership continues to build capable, interoperable forces and strengthen security across the region.”

The exercise features a comprehensive suite of training events designed to test the full spectrum of military operations.

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Russian Forces Edging Towards Fortified Ukrainian Stronghold of Konstantinovka, in Northern Donetsk Region

The city is part of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk Agglomeration, the last Ukrainian bastion in Donetsk.

While the Russia-Ukraine war has lost the media spotlight to the Middle East Conflict, the hostilities continue, every bit as brutal as ever.

And while the Russian advances are not as fast or as meaningful as last year, they still managed to conquer over 80 settlements in 2026, and are approaching, slowly but relentlessly, the ultimate prize in the Donetsk region that is the cradle of the war.

We’re talking about the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk Agglomeration, a heavily defended area that is the last major bastion in the Donbas (Donetsk plus Luhansk).

News has arisen from Ukrainian sources that Russian troops are edging toward the city of Konstantinovka, trying to gain a foothold close to a heavily defended belt.

Watch – Putin: Kyiv regime spent 10 years building fortresses in Slavyansk, Kramatorsk & Konstantinovka

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As the War in Iran Drains Stockpiles, US Warns European Allies of Long Delays in Weapons Deliveries

There’s never going to be enough missiles for the number of military conflicts going on.

US officials have informed some European ‘allies’ – including the UK, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, and Norway – that some contracted weapons deliveries will be ​delayed ⁠as the Iran war continues to deplete weapons ​stocks.

The Pentagon has warned the countries to expect serious delays for several missile systems.

Financial Times reported:

“The delays are partly driven by acute concerns about US inventory levels given the high volume of weapons used in the past two months in Iran. The American military has already been forced to move weapons from other regions, including the Indo-Pacific, to make up for the shortfalls.

But the Iran war has also deepened concerns about whether the US has a sufficient stockpile of weapons to deter Beijing or defeat China in any future conflict over Taiwan.”

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