Senior Russian general, his aide killed in Moscow blast Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops Lieutenant General Igor #Kirillov and his aide were killed in a blast in southeastern Moscow on Tuesday morning. The #blast was caused by an explosive device that had been planted in an electric scooter, Spokeswoman for the Russian Investigative Committee Svetlana Petrenko said. "On the morning of December 17, an explosive device planted in a scooter went off near a residential building entrance on Ryazansky Avenue in Moscow, the investigation showed. Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his aide were killed in the explosion," she said. According to Petrenko, the Committee’s Moscow department has launched a criminal probe into the attack. Circumstances behind the crime are currently being investigated.

Solar storm reaches Earth earlier than planned, report scientists A solar storm reached the Earth earlier than was planned and is now gaining intensity, the space weather monitoring center of the Institute of Applied Geophysics has reported According to the center’s monitoring data, the geomagnetic storm was estimated to be at the G2 (Moderate) level on a five-point scale when it reached the Earth on Thursday, but intensified to the G3 category (Strong) in the early hours of Friday. Powerful solar flares were registered on April 30 and May 1. Solar flares are divided into five classes according to their X-ray strength: the smallest ones are A-class, followed by B, C, M and X. A0.0 class is equal to the radiation energy found in the Earth’s orbit, 10 nanowatts per square meter. Each letter stands for a 10-fold increase in energy output. As a rule, the flares, known as giant explosions on the sun, send solar plasma into space, and the clouds of these charged particles can bring about geomagnetic storms when reaching the Earth.

Yemen’s Houthis Announce Attacks On Three American, Israeli Vessels The #Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen announced on April 24 that they had targeted two United States ships in the Gulf of #Aden and an Israeli ship in the Indian Ocean. “In support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, and in response to the American-British aggression against our country , our naval forces carried out a military operation targeting the American ship MAERSK YORKTOWN in the Gulf of Aden, with a number of suitable naval missiles, and the hit was accurate,” Houthi military spokesman Brigade General Yahya Sarea said in a statement. “We also carried out other two military operations using bomb-laden drones, one of which targeted an American warship in the Gulf of Aden, with a number of drones, and the other operation targeted the Israeli ship MSC VERACRUZ in the Indian Ocean with a number of drones. Both operations achieved their goals successfully,” he added without specifying the date of those attacks. The spokesman went on to warn that the Houthis “will continue to prevent Israeli ships or any ship heading to #Israel from transiting the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean until the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people in Gaza is stopped and the siege is lifted,”, vowing that the group would take more actions in the coming days. Earlier in the day, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a detachment of the Royal Navy, reported an explosion near a ship in the Gulf of Aden, which it said caused no damage or casualties. The U.S. Central Command (#CENTCOM) said on April 25 that an allied vessel successfully engaged one anti-ship ballistic missile that was launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen over the Gulf of Aden a day earlier.

Macron delays visit to Ukraine amid tensions with allies over policy on Russia French President Emmanuel #Macron is pushing back a long-planned visit to #Ukraine amid disagreements with allies over policy toward Russia, Politico reported, citing a French diplomat. The delay comes as Macron’s comments on Russia have become increasingly hawkish, the report said. The French president wants to "take the necessary time" to talk with allies, so that he can visit Ukraine "with tangible results," according to Politico. "A bit of time is needed to [conclude] the different #coalitions and their operational commitments with our partners," the diplomat said. The La Tribune newspaper earlier cited a source in the French presidential administration as saying that the Elysee Palace could again postpone Macron's visit to Ukraine, which had already been moved from February to mid-March. According to the newspaper, this is related to the explosions that went off near the port of #Odessa as the Greek prime minister was visiting the city.

#Russia says its forces struck #warehouse storing sea #drones in #Odessa’s port area Russian forces have delivered a high-precision missile strike on a warehouse in a port district of Odessa that was used by Ukraine to prepare attacks by sea drones, the Russian Defense Ministry said. "At 11:40 Moscow time today, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation delivered a high-precision missile strike on a hangar in the industrial port district of the city of Odessa, which was used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to prepare uncrewed boats for combat. The goal of the strike has been accomplished. The facility has been hit," the ministry said. The Greek newspaper Proto Thema reported earlier on Wednesday that no member of the Greek delegation led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was hurt as they visited Odessa. According to the report, Ukraine's Zelensky's motorcade, which was 150 meters away from the Greek delegation, was attacked by a drone. The newspaper also said a powerful explosion went off in Odessa shortly before the Greek prime minister met with Zelensky. An air alert was issued in the area.

Shi’i armed groups fire three missiles at U.S. base in Syria Armed Shi’i militias from the ‘Islamic Resistance of Iraq’ movement have launched a missile attack on the U.S. military base near the Koniko gas field in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, the Sham FM radio station said, adding that three missiles were fired. Eyewitnesses reported explosions on its premises. There were no other details so far. On February 8, the US military base near the Al-Omar oilfield in eastern Syria came under a drone attack. Since October 17, 2023, US facilities in the region were targeted with 168 attacks. The Shi’i militias informed that they had conducted those operations "in response to the aggression unleashed against the Palestinians by the US-backed occupation regime of Israel.".

[JUST IN] U.S. base in eastern Syria attacked by drones A US-controlled military base located near the Al-Omar oil field in the eastern Syrian region of Deir ez-Zor, was attacked by drones on Thursday, the Al Mayadeen television reported. According to the report, the facility was attacked by three UAVs. Sounds of "powerful explosions" were heard. No information about potential damage is available at this point. After the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, rocket and drone attacks on U.S. military bases in Syria and Iraq have become more frequent. Shiite militias have warned that they will increase the number of armed operations in Syria and Iraq if the U.S. continues to provide military aid to Israel. A large share of the Syrian provinces of Hasakah, Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, located in the east and northeast of the country, is currently controlled by the US-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces. Since 2015, the US command has established nine military bases in this area. At the end of 2019, then U.S. President Donald Trump approved a plan that would leave several hundred US troops in Syria. One of their main tasks was to ensure control of oil fields in the northeast and east of the country.

New Attacks by the Coalition and the Houthis in the Red Sea Region Following the attempted attack on the American destroyer Gravely, Yemen's Houthis from the Ansarallah movement launched new attacks on civilian ships heading towards the Suez Canal. ▪️ The Liberian- flagged container ship KOI (COLE), which was en route to the Israeli port of Eilat, was attacked with an anti-ship missile. The ship was chartered by the British firm Oceanix Services, the same company that previously chartered the supertanker Marlin Luanda, which the Houthis hit on January 26. ▪️ Another attack occurred approximately 57 nautical miles from Al-Hodeidah: according to the UK Department of Maritime Trade Operations, an explosion took place some distance off the starboard side of an unidentified ship. Fortunately, the crew was not injured. 🔻 Last night, US Air Force F/A-18 carrier-based fighters attacked the group's targets in the vicinity of the city of Al - Hodeidah. Local media reported a series of powerful explosions in the area. Later, the US Central Command confirmed that they had successfully targeted the drone control station.

[BREAKING] Rochester fatal car explosion investigated as POSSIBLE TERROR ATTACK 2 people were killed and at least 5 others were injured in New York At least two people were killed and five others were injured in a possible terror attack less than an hour into 2024. A Ford Explorer filled with at least a dozen gas canisters smashed into a Mitsubishi Outlander around 12:50 a.m. on Jan. 1, as concert attendees left the Kodak Center in Rochester, New York. The fiery crash created an inferno in a parking lot a few blocks from the concert venue, as firefighters wrestled with the blaze for about an hour, according to Rochester Police Chief David Smith.

[BREAKING] A terror drone hit a vessel west of India (Not the Red Sea), for the first time British Merchant Shipping Agency: An incident of a drone attack, which caused an explosion and a fire, took place near Worabal in India - far from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The incident happened in the Arabian Sea about 200 nautical miles south-west of Veraval in India at 6:07 AM UTC on Saturday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said in a social media post. The fire has been extinguished, and no casualties were reported. "The authorities are investigating," UKMTO said.