[Breitbart] An Arizona gun dealer is facing terrorism charges in connection with a conspiracy to provide weapons to both Cartel Jalisco New Generation and the Sinaloa Cartel. Both Mexican cartels are designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. Department of State.
This week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a superseding indictment claiming 65-year-old Lawrence “Larry” Gray
…who has not previously appeared in our archives under any combination of those names. But there are lots of miscreants, so it’s not a surprise if we miss a few on the first pass …
provided material support to terrorist organizations by providing them with weapons. The indictment follows a prior indictment that federal prosecutors filed in 2025 against him and others in connection with the alleged sale of guns to cartel-connected individuals.
The new charges are part of an enhancement of various charges previously filed against Gray. The case began as an investigation into Arizona gun stores that were deemed as high risk after various of the weapons sold there were found in Mexico in a matter of days.
At the time, federal agents sent a “confidential informant” to purchase various weapons. A criminal complaint filed in the earlier part of the case revealed that the man purchased belt-fed rifles, 50. caliber rifles and high-end Colt 1911-type handguns, which are sought after by cartel members as a status symbol.
The complaint revealed that when the man made the purchases, he asked Gray and 73-year-old Barret Weinberger for the nearest port of entry into Mexico. The document revealed that they directed him to a nearby crossing that leads to Agua Prieta, Sonora.
Court documents revealed that at the time of the initial arrest, authorities charged Gray and Weinberger with several counts of aiding the straw purchasing of firearms and various weapons trafficking offenses. While Gray fought the charges and most recently pleaded not guilty to the new indictment, Weinberger pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Passover starts next Wednesday evening, April 1st. The ritual dinner, the Seder, which was why Jesus and his disciples were up all night talking during the Last Supper, has ended for over two millennia with the call “Next year in Jerusalem,” than which there is nothing more Zionist. I have no doubt that the good rabbi here will be leading his own well-attended Seder that will end in the traditional way. Someone should ask him how he reconciles that with taking money from the enemy of the Jews for his ego-driven lies.
Rabbi Abraham Silberstein:
"Israel’s claim to be a ’Jewish state’ is false.
Israel is the state of Israelis, not of Jews.
To assign Jews to a foreign country is itself antisemitic.
You’re following imposters. There are no more than 5k anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews in the world. The ones in Israel have an extremely poor grasp of English and use “kosher phones” which don’t have an internet connection.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Yemen's Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement announced its readiness to engage in military conflict on Iran's side unless one of three conditions is met. The statement was made on March 27 by Yahya Saria, the official spokesman for the rebel armed forces.
"We are prepared to engage in direct combat in any of the following cases: the joining of third-party military alliances on the side of Israel and the United States, attacks on Iran or another Muslim country from the Red Sea, and an escalation in the confrontation with the Islamic Republic and members of the Axis of Resistance," Saria emphasized in his video address.
Triple dare ya — I’m sure the USAF or IAF can spare a run or two from Iran in your direction just as soon as you poke your heads above the parapet.
On March 15, Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Abed al-Thawr threatened to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to the United States and Israel if the country entered the conflict on Iran's side.
On March 22, The Wall Street Journal reported that the US and Israel fear the Yemeni Houthis will be drawn into the conflict on Iran's side. A senior Houthi official, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, previously stated that the Houthis are on full combat alert. He stated that Yemen's full-scale involvement in the conflict is only a matter of time.
#5
To reduce transportation waste pilots on their way back to the Ford could expend any unused ordnance on Houthi leadership. No need to schedule dedicated sorties to whack the JV squad.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/28/2026 10:56 Comments ||
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#6
Allegedly they have launched at least two waves of missiles and drones on Israel today per the NYT
[PJMedia] Let's face it. The Mohammedans haven't quite got the hang of this whole "Western Civilization" thing. They accept the concept of "free speech." That's what they tell us, anyway. But they have a decidedly offbeat definition of it.
For Mohammedans, it's "free speech for me, but not for thee."
In Merry Old England, the Mohammedans are celebrating the most restrictive speech code in the Western world. What the rest of Great Britannia thinks won't matter. Steve Reed, the secretary of state for communities, has issued a diktat that will salve the bruised feelings of all Mohammedans going forward.
"The definition itself is a masterpiece of legal incoherence," writes Toby Toung.
The American Conservative:
Reed has officially adopted a definition of "anti-Moslem hostility"—"Islamophobia ...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do... " by another name—and announced that a government-appointed "special representative," a so-called "czar," will record complaints and ensure that anyone who falls foul of the definition is "appropriately" dealt with. The definition is to be rolled out across the police, the NHS, schools, universities, local authorities, museums, libraries, and—in Reed's own words—"public and private organizations more widely." So everywhere, basically. Diversity officers, safeguarding leads, and HR consultants will be rubbing their hands with glee.
Now, you might think: What’s wrong with that? Nobody wants Moslems to face hatred or discrimination. But here’s the problem. Discrimination against Moslems—indeed, against people of any religion—is already illegal under Britannia’s Equality Act of 2010. Stirring up religious hatred is also a criminal offense under the Public Order Act of 1986. The law, in other words, already protects Moslems from genuine discrimination and incitement. What this new definition adds is something very different: a mechanism for policing criticism of Moslems and the religion of Islam that comes nowhere near the threshold of criminality.
"On one hand, it says that to be guilty of anti-Moslem hostility a person must be involved in 'engaging in, assisting or encouraging criminal acts' or 'unlawful discrimination'—seemingly an attempt to ensure the definition isn't applied too broadly," Young observes.
"But the accompanying guidance goes far beyond what the law prohibits and uses a thicket of vague, legally undefined terms: 'prejudicial stereotyping,' 'negative, beyond the bounds of protected free speech,' 'public interest,' 'reprehensible' to proscribe words, actions, and even attitudes that are deemed 'anti-Moslem.'"
The government wants to appoint a "Czar" to police speech to make sure that the sensitive ears of Britannia's Mohammedans are protected at all times from jokes and inadvertent utterances that will be deliberately misconstrued.
This is an old left-wing trick: make the law sound reasonable to most ears while slipping in landmines and bear traps to capture the unwary.
To get a sense of how this definition is likely to be used, consider what happened immediately after Reed announced he’d be adopting it in the House of Commons. Iqbal Mohammed, an independent MP and pro-Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... activist, rose to ask whether the definition could be incorporated into the Nolan Principles—the ethical framework governing public life—and applied to what he asserted was the "escalating hostility" of MPs and peers towards Moslems, with appropriate "sanctions" applied. One might have hoped Reed would point out that everything said in Parliament is protected by parliamentary privilege, one of the oldest constitutional safeguards in the English-speaking world. Instead, he said Mohammed was "right to point to the huge concern we should all share"—namely, the concern about parliamentarians being guilty of Islamophobia.
Lord Young's Free Speech Union is bringing a "judicial review" action against Reed's decision. The review will determine if Reed has overstepped his authority. If this were 30 years ago, I don't think there would be any doubt that
the review board would slap Reed down hard.
But this is 21st-century England. It's a different country now, and there are a lot more Mohammedans who vote in British elections.
[IntelliNews] A new messaging app backed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is gaining attention for its decentralised, offline capabilities designed to function during internet blackouts—features that have prompted some to call it a “protester’s secret weapon”.
Bitchat, developed by the crypto-focused company Keet, allows users to communicate without Wi-Fi, mobile data, or centralised infrastructure. Instead, the app relies on Bluetooth and peer-to-peer connections that messages simply jump from phone-to-phone, with no need for mobile towers or internet servers.
The service is ideal for demonstrations where large numbers of people gather, but where the authorities attempt decapitate protest movements by shutting down the internet and prevent demonstrators coordinating their actions, as the Islamic Republic recently did in the mass protests that broke out on December 28.
“No towers, no servers, no kill switch,” the company said in a promotional message.
The app has no login requirement, does not use SIM cards, and stores no data on centralised servers—attributes that make it particularly appealing for use in countries with authoritarian regimes, where data stored on a phone can lead to arrest and prosecution – and even execution in Iran.
“It’s ideal for places like Iran, where regimes love blackouts and protesters need a way to talk when the internet ‘suddenly disappears,’” Bitchat’s developers said in a statement published on January 17.
Bitchat is built on the same peer-to-peer technology as Keet, a video and chat application launched by the team behind Holepunch, a platform funded in part by Dorsey through his Bitcoin-focused company, TBD. Keet and Bitchat both use the Lightning Network and Holepunch’s distributed application protocol to allow users to connect directly without intermediaries.
Dorsey, a longtime proponent of decentralisation and censorship resistance, has previously criticised centralised social media and internet platforms for their vulnerability to government overreach and corporate control. His support for Bitchat aligns with a broader push among crypto and privacy advocates to build resilient tools for free communication.
The emergence of apps like Bitchat comes amid rising concern about the global trend of internet shutdowns. According to digital rights watchdog Access Now, authorities implemented at least 187 internet shutdowns in 35 countries in 2022, with Iran, India and Myanmar among the most frequent offenders.
“No logins. No SIM cards. No surveillance,” the company said in its launch announcement.
Most smartphones have a Bluetooth range of around 10 meters. A peer-to-peer Bluetooth network would work for a protest as long as everyone sticks together. Try not to wander around the corner of a building.
[Breitbart] Many government officials already perceive the horrific implications of Europe’s nation states losing their self-belief and descending into polar factionalism, with the continued existence of Europe or its constituent parts in question, but understand that speaking of it openly remains career suicide, a conference at the European Parliament has heard.
It is “a possibility that is quite close” that the British people will pass into history “like the Canaanites or the Arcadians”, and it is an open question whether there will be a Europe in 50 years’ time, a European Parliament conference heard from a panel of expert speakers.
Hosted by French populist-right firebrand Marion Maréchal — the granddaughter of National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen — and Sweden Democrats Member of the European Parliament Charlie Weimers, the Civil War: Europe at Risk? conference launched a new report on the now-widespread phenomenon of “no-go zones” and platformed thinkers on political instability. Marechal opened the conference by reflecting that formerly peaceful and stable societies are “rapidly transforming before our eyes into societies of violence and mistrust”, stating that “the main basis of trust between citizens is cultural homogeneity”, which is now fast eroding.
Europe is already under a great strain of “diffuse guerrilla activity”, she said, which takes various forms, including “riots, looting, random attacks, anti-white racism, and terrorist attacks”. These remarks were echoed by conference co-host Weimers, who noted the impact of mass migration on cultural cohesion. The Swedish populist-right politician reflected: “Western democracies that were once relatively homogenous societies have become deeply fragmented. Newcomers often share little in common with the indigenous population. More alarmingly, many have no intention of assimilating.”
Both politicians said they were driven to hold the conference by the hope of finding political answers to these problems and to prevent “the horror of civil war” from occurring at all.
Anglo-Canadian academic Professor David Betz of King’s College London, who has rapidly gained prominence in European security discourse over his whistle-blowing on the eroding of British and European democracy, society, and social cohesion, was blunt in his remarks, telling the European Parliament meeting that: “Europe is on track for civil war”.
Observing that while “it took a long time to break the foundations of Western self-belief, prosperity, and competency”, the job was now done and although a society like the United Kingdom is not quite at the point of total breakdown, nevertheless it is experiencing polar factionalism, which has led to outbursts of violence and leaves the country vulnerable to a sudden downward spiral towards chaos. Professor Betz said:
…we are on a track for a peasant revolt. A conservative uprising in which the ruled seek to punish their rulers for violating their obligations under the social contract, and for changing the rules of the game against their wishes. It will look something like Italy’s Years of Lead, the ‘dirty wars’ of Latin America, or maybe The Troubles of Northern Ireland, but on a larger scale.
What is already a guarded society will become a radically more heavily fortified society as elites seek more protection with more walls, guards, and surveillance. It will be bloody… the Balkanisation of British life along ethnic lines [is underway]. What I call assortative movement is already occurring, quite obviously in some places like Tower Hamlets in London, Sparkhill in Birmingham which are already ethnic enclaves, zones of negotiated policing with parallel legal systems, alternative economies, and… zones of endemic and large-scale out-group sexual predation… this ought to be more generally frightening.
In government there are plenty of people who understand fully the gravity of the situation, although it is, career-wise, terminal to speak of it openly.
Austrian political scientist Dr Ralph Schoellhammer, who also spoke on the panel, didn’t use the language of civil war but rather pointed to Europe’s history of bloody revolutions. Discouraging the ever-present habit in left-wing discourse and the media of comparing the present political situation to the 1930s, with persistent allusions to the rise of fascism, he instead pointed to parallels in the years leading up to the French Revolution, which he noted were characterised by failed harvests and rapid inflation
As observed by more than one participant of the conference, whether European peoples survive both migratory pressure in the first instance and the prognosticated civil war that is said to follow it in the second, to exist as distinct social, political, and ethnic groups at the end of this century, is an open question. Professor Betz, for instance, pointed to the peoples of once great empires in the classical world, whose civilisations and peoples simply vanished.
He said:
Where does Balkanisation lead us? … it leads to the extinguishment of Britain in the sense of a coherent cultural entity dominated by people genuinely sharing the titual identity of ‘British’… it leads to large scale and widespread civil war… it is very possible that the Britons end up like the Canaanites or the Arcadians, a people of historic interest, their monuments visible here and there in some sort of ruination, of interest to archaeologists and historians. This would be a tragedy, but that is a very viable option in front of us, and in fact it is a possibility that is quite close.
MEP Weimers asked, even more bluntly: “Where will Europe be in 50 years? Will there be a Europe in 50 years?”
Revisiting some of his previous public comments over the past year, Professor Betz — a recognised expert on the fortification of modern urban spaces against asymmetric warfare — also reflected on the specifics of how a future, theoretical “civil war” in the West would look. This, inevitably, would be defined by the apparent propensity of new migrant arrivals to gravitate to urban areas and create their own cultural enclaves, he said, which could make them vulnerable targets for would-be saboteurs.
He said:
…[this would be] the siege of urban areas but with a few 21st century twists. In many ways it will be reminiscent of the siege of Sarajevo, but much more dominated by paramilitary actors using system disruption tactics. Most importantly, infrastructure attack to degrade and destroy the life support systems of urban, non-native enclaves.
The political object is very simple, it is to compel non-natives to leave. The strategy is to create conditions of life in the cities so intolerable that leaving is preferable to staying… it’s not an implausible theory of victory because its central premise, the instability of the modern urban condition, at the best of times is something scholars of urban studies have been warning against for 50 years already.
… fuel systems are easy to attack, they are flammable if not explosive by definition, they are difficult to repair, and expensive to replace. In fact they are impossible to replace in civil war conditions where no insurance is available.
Moreover, disruption of fuel has very rapid knock-on effects of everything else logistically, most importantly the food distribution system which is the traditional weapon of siegecraft.
Breitbart London reported earlier this week on the new paper published during Maréchal and Weimers’ European Parliament conference on the accelerating issue of so-called no-go zones. The report used public data on factors like crime rates, sexual violence, youth gangs, unemployment, the proportion of school finishers, antisemitism, homophobia, the number of mosques, attacks on firefighters, and the presence of charities and NGOs to rate neighbourhoods across Europe on their level of integration in the common culture.
By these metrics, the report stated it had identified up to a thousand no-go zones.
[Breitbart] Europe Home to Estimated 1,000 ‘No-Go Zones’ Driven by Mass Migration, Islamisation: Report
There are up to a thousand “no-go zones” across Europe and thousands more “sensitive” neighbourhoods as a result of decades of mass migration policies and the failures of multiculturalism to integrate disparate groups of foreigners into Western society, a report has found.
The report, “No-Go Zones, Immigration and the Rise of Parallel Societies,” from the conservative New Direction Foundation for European Reform think tank, estimated that there are between 900 and 1,000 urban areas that could be deemed as “no-go zones”, in which there are elevated levels of crime, social fragmentation, and weakened state authority.
Authored by Maxime Hemery-Aymar, of France’s Observatory of Immigration and Demography (OID), it directly linked the mass migration and open borders agendas to high-crime areas, the breakdown of social norms, and even the fostering of Islamist terrorism.
Indeed, the think tank found that 63 per cent of Islamist terror attacks in Europe between 2010 and 2025 had a “verified link” to an identified no-go zone.
“So-called ‘sensitive neighbourhoods’ in Europe remain fertile grounds where such vulnerabilities can be exploited: community withdrawal, perceived exclusion, and petty crime create a conducive context that jihadist recruiters know how to leverage,” the report stated.
The report found a “strong correlation between demographic composition and spatial dysfunction,” stating that identified no-go zones had an average of 40 per cent foreign-born populations, compared to the EU average of 20 per cent and the EU urban average of 30 per cent.
“Therefore, the share of the foreign-born population in the studied no-go zones is more than 100% higher than in the rest of the EU,” the report noted.
The paper also pointed out that the rise of foreign-born populations has directly correlated with the rise of no-go zones, “suggesting a parallel dynamic between rising immigration levels and the progressive development of high-crime, state-withdrawn urban enclaves.”
While some governments have tacitly acknowledged the presence of no-go zones, often couched in euphemistic terminology, legacy media have attempted to refute their existence, often by responding to a literalist interpretation they themselves manufactured with incredulity.
Acknowledging that standards such as the “priority urban districts” in France, “dangerous places” in Germany, or “vulnerable areas” in Sweden lack uniformity, the report sought to formalise metrics to determine whether certain areas qualify as “no-go zones”.
These included a certain homicide, sexual violence, and robbery rates per 100,000 residents, the presence of youth gangs, high numbers of unemployed people and school dropouts, reports of antisemitism, homophobia, or gender-based restrictions.
Additionally, the report also factored in state withdrawal, such as police or emergency services refusing to enter the area, amid attacks on officers or firefighters, as well as increased NGO presence, which they said served as a “proxy for state retreat”.
Such factors were weighted and factored into a score of 0 to 10, ranging from a place with “low risk” to a “critical no-go zone” which serves as a “de facto autonomous area; full disengagement of state and emergence of enclaves.”
Out of the 17 areas studied by the think tank, the Franc-Moisin neighbourhood in Saint-Denis, France, received the highest score of 10. This was followed by the La Castellane area of Marseille, the Molenbeek area of Brussels, Belgium, and the Rosengard area of Malmö, Sweden, all of which scored 9.4.
Islamisation also appears to be heavily correlated with the rise of no-go zones in Europe, with the report stating that a “parallel trajectory can be observed between the number of officially registered mosques and the emergence of no-go zones” in France.
This perhaps comes in concert with the finding that migrants from certain regions of the world have a harder time integrating into European society, such as the Middle East, Horn of Africa, and South Asia, which the paper noted have “different norms regarding gender roles, education, religion, and civic life, areas that clash with European liberal democratic standards over time (non-violent society, gender equality, homosexuality acceptance).”
Left-wing do-good efforts also appear to be correlated with the rise of no-go zones. Government housing programmes aimed at low-income migrants are actually creating more divides within societies, given that immigrants are “disproportionately confined to the limited social housing stock,” rather than being spread out across the country, the report claimed.
To remedy the situation, the think tank argued for significant immigration reform, particularly of family reunification, otherwise known as chain migration, which has been a chief driver of immigration in recent years. The report also called for increased deportations, stricter limits on residency and citizenship, as well as coordinated investment in policing to restore order, and incentives to see natives return to their cities.
#1
Perhaps 'no go' to street level civilian police. With some political back bone, they aren't 'no go' to police tactical teams, intelligence agency action teams or the military.
**Crime in inner cities is extremely concentrated at micro-geographic levels**, with research showing that approximately **4.5% to 6% of street segments account for 50% of all crime incidents**. This phenomenon, known as the "law of crime concentration," remains remarkably stable across different cities and time periods, even as overall crime rates fluctuate.
* **Hot Spots Policing**: Interventions focusing on these specific "hot spots" have proven effective, with studies in cities like Seattle and New Orleans demonstrating **4% to 10% reductions in crime** through targeted patrols and environmental modifications.
* **Micro-Location Focus**: The clustering is so precise that **0.4% to 1.6% of locations generate 25% of city crime**, often involving features like poor lighting, abandoned buildings, or unregulated nightlife.
* **Consistent Bandwidths**: A systematic review of 47 studies confirms that this narrow bandwidth of concentration applies globally, reinforcing the strategy that police resources should not be scattered but focused on high-activity addresses and street segments.
#3
^^Seems like every so often, some city discovers thus 'new way' of law enforcement. It never seems to last. Color me cynical.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/28/2026 11:37 Comments ||
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#4
@3 No, just realistic. Probably doesn't last because it actually works, which upsets the people who vote for that politician. They expect crime to actually stop using magic without sending their criminal spawn to jail.
[FoxNews] Organizer Sarah Parker says the movement is 'people-powered' but its own toolkit reveals a tightly structured operation
"No Kings," a decentralized protest movement that crystallized in opposition to President Donald Trump's second term, will hold thousands of events on Saturday morning, according to Sarah Parker, an organizer for one of the events in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Yeah, yeah — it’s the same old Antifa/Black Bloc structure, personnel, and paymasters (looking at you, Neville Roy Singham!, with your CCP connections), pivoting to a new cause with a new name.
The protests mark the most recent development for the amorphous group, which has prompted similar events in the past.
"Tomorrow we’re going to have over 3,500 events across the country," Parker said. "I think it’s important to be out in the streets at this moment in time to save our country. The events will be overwhelmingly peaceful and there are going to be millions of Americans from different affiliations, different ages and different ethnic backgrounds coming together to be in community."
Parker did not describe how "No Kings" works with local figures to organize events but said the protests aim to build on local displeasure with the administration.
"I think this is organic.
…oh no, my dear. It’s actually astroturf all the way down. But rest assured that the FBI is perusing your social media to find and identify participants, preparatory to charging the cadres and the most idiotic of your useful idiots. We expect lots of trans, criminal males, and beautiful females with crazy eyes and nose rings….
This is a people-powered movement. We have different local hosts that are volunteers who have stepped up to host an event in their areas, even in rural areas. We have hundreds of events in rural and deep-red states," Parker said.
Unlike other organized organizations, "No Kings" is not a non-profit, a business, or a formal organization, making its structure a mystery. Because of its lack of centralization, it has little to no financial reporting requirements and no easily identifiable leadership.
There is nothing like the adrenaline rush when DataRepublican addresses her first tweet to you and your people, with more to follow You might as well just lie back and think of The Cause, because it only gets worse from there.
"No Kings" first burst onto the scene through "No Kings Day" in June 2025, an event that, in the words of their website, inspired "a nationwide uprising 14 times larger than both of Trump’s inaugurations combined."
Not that it mattered, because the election fell in President Trump’s favour. And being antidemocratic thereafter will do nothing to help you win back the voters.
Almost a year later, the protests scheduled for Saturday hope to continue their opposition, touting opposition to Trump’s recent actions in Iran and debates over immigration enforcement.
"Masked secret police terrorizing our communities. An illegal, catastrophic war putting us in danger and driving up our costs. Attacks on our freedom of speech, our civil rights, our freedom to vote. Costs pushing families to the brink," their website’s description reads.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
03/28/2026 07:38 ||
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Link ||
[1802 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
They still talking about " they might join the war" bullshit? Can't even try and fight the scourge on your door step. Useless MUTHERFUCKERS is what they are.
Posted by: chris ||
03/28/2026 13:22 Comments ||
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Artemy Sharapov
[REGNUM] The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has exposed a number of problems with American air defenses. US military bases throughout the region are regularly hit, and US allies throughout the region are also suffering.
In the West and the Arab world, there is a belief that the Pentagon has overestimated the capabilities of its air defense.
Of course they do. But are they right?
HOW PATRIOT BATTERIES WORK
One US anti-aircraft missile battalion of MIM-104 Patriot systems is composed of three to four batteries.
A battery consists of six to eight launchers, one radar station (RLS) and an electronic control station (ECS), transport and loading vehicles, and other equipment.
In other words, one battalion is approximately 20-30 launchers and three to four radars used to guide anti-aircraft missiles.
A battalion's coverage area can cover tens of square kilometers of territory, and batteries can be located at significant distances from each other.
WHERE ARE PATRIOT SYSTEMS CONCENTRATED?
The deployment of Patriot surface-to-air missile systems (SAMs) to the Middle East began in the spring of 2025, in anticipation of the first major exchange of strikes between Israel and Iran.
Sources at the American analytical portal Axios reported that at least one battalion was transferred from the Indo-Pacific region to cover American bases and Israeli territory.
At the end of June, the Pentagon announced an additional transfer of air defense systems from South Korea and Japan.
The second wave of redeployment of air defense and missile defense systems began in the winter of 2025–2026 as the United States prepared for Operation Epic Fury.
Satellite images have begun appearing online indicating the deployment of additional Patriot missile systems near Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, where a US Air Force strike force was stationed.
These systems were intended to enhance the capabilities of already deployed anti-aircraft missile systems covering American military bases in Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Patriot missiles are also deployed by US allies in the Persian Gulf: up to 20 batteries in Saudi Arabia, about 10 batteries in the UAE, up to eight in the Kuwaiti army, five batteries in the Qatari army, and two in the Bahraini army.
At the same time, the deployment of air defense systems to the Gulf region “exposes” other regions.
In March, the United States deployed air defense systems from South Korea to the Middle East, sparking protests from local authorities.
At least one more battery was transferred from Germany to Turkey to ensure NATO's Incirlik base was not left without cover. As a result, according to Western observers, by the end of March 2026, between 7 and 11% of all Patriot missile systems in the world were concentrated in the Middle East.
WHY WAS THE THAAD DEPLOYMENT NECESSARY?
Fearing retaliation from Iran, the US also deployed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense systems to the Middle East.
Unlike the Patriots, which are primarily designed to target incoming aircraft and missiles, these systems specialize in destroying ballistic targets in the upper atmosphere or beyond.
It is reliably known that the US Army has only eight THAAD batteries in service, and the system is also in service with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Each battery consists of six to nine launchers. Each launcher carries eight interceptor missiles.
Each battery also carries one AN/TPY-2 radar.
At least one battery is known to have been deployed in Israel. The systems also reinforced coverage of American air bases in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
In mid-March, these were joined by systems deployed from South Korea. Thus, according to various estimates, up to 40% of all THAAD systems in the world were concentrated in the Middle East.
But these anti-aircraft systems, as it turned out, were unable to protect either the objects they were covering or themselves.
WHAT DID THE "BLINDING" OF AMERICAN RADARS YIELD?
It's unclear whether the Pentagon had anticipated Iranian resistance, and if so, to what extent. But in the very first days of the conflict, American air and missile defense systems encountered serious difficulties.
As early as March 3, the New York Times published satellite images of American facilities in the Middle East that showed damage caused by Iranian counterattacks.
The footage allows us to state with a high degree of certainty that at least two AN/TPY-2 radar stations, which are part of the THAAD system, were destroyed. One radar was hit near Ruwais Air Base in the UAE, and the other near Prince Sultan Airfield in Saudi Arabia.
Iranian sources, in turn, published satellite images of the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. They claim to show a third disabled AN/TPY-2 station. However, due to the poor image quality, these reports are difficult to confirm.
In any case, targeted strikes on radars indicate that the Iranians were trying to find a weak spot in the American defense, military expert Konstantin Romanenko noted in a commentary to Regnum News Agency.
"Knocking out individual launchers that are still separated from each other is a difficult and somewhat impractical task, since they are interchangeable. But disabling a radar is a reliable way to blind an entire battery, putting it out of action for some time, " the expert emphasized. " Especially since even minor damage to the radar's surface leads to disruptions in its operation; it's a very sensitive piece of equipment."
According to the source, the radar's destruction speaks less to the quality of the THAAD systems than to the strategic miscalculations of the American command, which left critical equipment unprotected.
Moreover, the expert reported that the cost of just one radar is estimated at 485 million dollars.
It was likely the losses suffered in the first days of the conflict that forced the US to transfer missile defense systems from South Korea.
On March 24, Iranian media released footage confirming the destruction of Patriot air defense radars. Specifically, an AN/MPQ-53/65 battery fire control radar was destroyed in Bahrain by a direct missile hit. A separate strike destroyed an AN/TPS-75 three-dimensional long-range air surveillance radar.
CHRONICLE OF MISSILE DEFENSE FAILURES
After Iran's air and missile defense systems were partially "blinded," it was able to increase the effectiveness of its missile strikes against American military bases and Israel. In mid-March, American sources reported that five KC-135 tanker aircraft were damaged in a missile strike on the Prince Sultan air base.
Several videos have also appeared online showing that Iranian missiles often overcome air defense/missile defense systems.
One such video was captured on March 11 by a sailor from a Chinese vessel off the coast of Fujairah (UAE).
The footage shows a Patriot or THAAD battery firing multiple interceptor missiles, which are unable to intercept just one missile, which ultimately strikes.
Israeli residents also published similar videos. Later, further confirmation emerged: on the night of March 22, Iran struck the Israeli cities of Dimona and Arad.
The Maariv newspaper, citing a source in the Israeli army command, reported that the missiles were supposed to be intercepted by THAAD systems, but for unknown reasons, they managed to penetrate the defenses. The newspaper also reported that a similar incident occurred on March 1, when an Iranian missile struck the city of Beit Shemesh. This incident called into question the capabilities of American missile defense systems. Experts believe it is entirely possible that Iran used advanced weapons that proved beyond the capabilities of THAAD.
HYPERSONIC FACTOR
"One possible reason why the interceptors are failing is Iran's use of the Fattah-2 hypersonic missiles," says Konstantin Romanenko.
It is stated that when approaching a target, the Fattahi-2 reaches speeds of up to Mach 15, that is, over 18 thousand km/h.
"Even if these figures are somewhat exaggerated, it can be concluded that THAAD systems are not capable of dealing with such targets, which, moreover, can actively maneuver at high speeds," Romanenko notes.
Iran's counter-strike tactics apparently included partially disabling the most vulnerable air/missile defense elements with drone strikes in order to reduce enemy resistance.
The expert concluded that launching hundreds of old missiles and drones exhausts the enemy's anti-missile capabilities. More modern missiles then rush into the breaches in the enemy's defenses. This tactic exposed the shortcomings of the US-Israeli air and missile defense system. However, Iran was unable to inflict critical damage on the enemy due to a lack of modern weapons.
KYIV'S EUROPEAN ALLIES ARE DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
Regardless of the outcome of the conflict in the Middle East, its consequences are already being discussed, including in terms of the sophistication of modern missile defense and air defense systems.
Against the backdrop of the conflict in Iran, European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius stated that the effectiveness of Patriot missile systems supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in intercepting Russian missiles is declining.
"The Ukrainians typically used Patriot systems to counter ballistic missiles. At the very beginning of 2025, the Patriot's effectiveness was around 40%, but the Russians managed to modernize their ballistic missiles," Kubilius noted in an interview with Politico.
Russian missiles are now more capable of changing their trajectory, which is why the effectiveness of American anti-aircraft systems has significantly decreased, the European Commissioner stated.
US allies, both in Europe and the Middle East, are facing the same problem: systems that were once considered state-of-the-art no longer meet today's requirements. And American air defenses can no longer be considered impenetrable.
[Breitbart] Germany is considering Australia’s “Ghost Bat” robot fighter as it looks to select a combat drone to modernise its air force, defence minister Boris Pistorius said Friday.
Germany has said it wants to field hundreds of unmanned fighter jets by 2029, and will make a decision soon as it considers a range of German, European, and US projects developing so-called “collaborative combat aircraft”.
Australia has said it will integrate the Ghost Bat, jointly developed by Boeing Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force, into its military after a successful weapons test last year.
After inspecting the Ghost Bat in Queensland on Friday, Pistorius told reporters it was a “serious competitor” and Germany will “make a decision as soon as possible”.
Australian sources said Canberra would consider striking a deal to transfer the technology to Germany to allow the Ghost Bat to be manufactured in Europe.
German company Rheinmetall makes troop carriers in Brisbane under a similar arrangement.
Ghost Bat is not subject to strict US defence export controls that other projects involving US partners must navigate to sell to foreign customers, analysts said.
Australia’s vast coastline and small population have spurred its focus on developing robot submarines and fighter jets, with a wary eye on China’s naval build-up in the Indo-Pacific.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute defence analyst Malcolm Davis said the Ghost Bat was designed to work alongside a crewed jet and return to base — unlike the cheap kamikaze drones used by Iran, and in the Ukraine conflict.
“This is a new type of approach to air power where you have a crewed fighter giving directions to four or five Ghost Bats flying in formation with it,” he said.
“It is a robot fighter that is told to go off and patrol that target, shoot that down.”
Uncrewed aircraft would allow Australia to make its air force larger and more powerful at lower cost, he said.
Pistorius noted the rise of cheaper mass produced drones in the Iran and Ukraine conflicts.
“We can’t ignore high-end products as well as low-cost products — we need both,” he said.
#1
The US Air Farce is going to fight against the unmanned fighter very hard. If a bunch of 18-25 kids can do a better job sitting in a comfy chair, the highly trained pilots (officers) are no longer 'special' or needed, reducing costs, improving performance and diminishing the Air Farce's political power and prestige.
#3
I cannot help but suspect there is a story behind the malfunctioning toilet story, and I suspect it isn't pretty. It's been floating around for quite a while without operational incapacitation, until deployment to a combat zone was announced.
[Rudaw] Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... has no negotiations underway with the United States and will only consider talks to formally end the war if Washington meets strict preconditions, including compensation for damages, an end to liquidations, removal of all sanctions and international recognition of Iranian illusory sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, a director of an Iranian think tank told Rudaw on Thursday. "NO"
Hamid Reza Gholamzadeh, head of the Tehran-based Iran Diplomatic House, said in an interview with Rudaw's Hevidar Zana that Iran is not currently engaged in talks with the US, but noted that Tehran has conveyed its preconditions for any negotiations. These consist of "five main points: compensation [for war damages], an end to liquidations, the cessation of tensions on all fronts - not just in Iran - recognition of a new framework for the Strait of Hormuz, and the removal of all US sanctions against Iran."
Earlier in the day, media affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that Tehran had officially responded to a 15-point proposal from the US aimed at ending the deadly war that began in late February, while expressing skepticism about Washington’s intentions.
Tasnim News Agency cited "an informed source" as saying that Iran’s response to Washington’s 15-point proposal "was officially sent last night [Wednesday evening] through intermediaries" and that "Iran is now waiting for the other [American] side’s response."
The US President Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... on Tuesday revealed that Washington had made the proposal to Tehran to end the conflict, with sources telling Rooters that the proposal reportedly includes demands for curbing Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and transferring control of the Strait of Hormuz.
However,
man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... the outlet quoted Iranian sources as reporting that Tehran has hardened its stance since the war began, demanding guarantees against future military action, compensation for losses, and formal control of the Strait of Hormuz, and has stated that Leb ...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?... must be included in any ceasefire deal.
Gholamzadeh, who previously served as editor-in-chief to the semi-official Mehr News Agency ...And if you can't believe Mehr News Agency who can you believe?... , reaffirmed that "there have been no negotiations between Iran and the United States," adding that "whenever the Americans are ready to meet those conditions [set by Iran], we can then consider negotiations."
He also highlighted the roles played by Pakistain, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... member, but not the most reliable... , and Egypt in efforts toward a diplomatic solution, as well as the Kurdistan Region’s decision to remain neutral and refuse the use of its territory for attacks on regional neighbors, including Iran.
Nonetheless, Gholamzadeh anticipated "more escalation for the time being," including a potential ground offensive by US forces, which he described as "a serious escalation" that "Iran is prepared for" and "very experienced" in handling. He added, "After such an escalation, it is possible that a de-escalation could follow."
The US and Israel on February 28 launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran amid ongoing nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran. US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Brad Cooper reported on Thursday that the operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, struck more than 10,000 targets across Iran, aiming to achieve "clear military objectives of eliminating Iran’s ability to project power in meaningful ways beyond its borders."
In response, Tehran has continued to carry out drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting what it says are US assets in the region, particularly in Gulf Arab states, and has launched retaliatory attacks against Israel.
Iran has also tightened its grip over the strategic Strait of Hormuz - a key chokepoint that links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the open ocean, typically handling around 25 percent of all seaborne-traded oil and 20 percent of global petroleum consumption. Hormuz is also the primary exit for nearly 20 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Following is the full transcript of the interview with the Director of Iran’s Diplomatic House, Hamid Reza Gholamzadeh.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Breitbart] Many government officials already perceive the horrific implications of Europe’s nation states losing their self-belief and descending into polar factionalism, with the continued existence of Europe or its constituent parts in question, but understand that speaking of it openly remains career suicide, a conference at the European Parliament has heard.
...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?...
