Tuesday, November 15, 2022

BREAKING: Poland hit by missiles, two dead.

Missiles crossed into NATO member Poland, killing two people, a senior US intelligence official said on Tuesday in what could mark a serious escalation.

The weapon hit a farm in Przewodów, Lublin, near the border with Ukraine, according to Polish media reports.

Senior U.S. intelligence officials say that although not all details are clear at this time it appears a grain elevator was hit and at last two people are dead.

A Polish government spokesman did not immediately confirm the information, but said  leaders were meeting on "crisis situation."



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UPDATE: SKY NEWS

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has called an urgent meeting to discuss national security, a government spokesman said on Twitter.State news agency PAP said the meeting was to be held at 8pm GMT.

Latvia's deputy prime minister, Artis Pabriks, said Moscow had fired missiles that landed in Poland and sent Warsaw his condolences.

Polish media said missiles hit an area where grain was drying in Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine.

"Firefighters are on the spot - it's not clear what has happened," said firefighter Lukasz Kucy.

Moscow launched a large number of missiles at Ukraine on Wednesday, knocking out power for seven million households.

It is unclear whether the two missiles that apparently landed in Poland were part of the same wave, but it is the first time Russian rockets are said to have reached Poland.

Poland has not been involved in the conflict, but has welcomed millions of Ukrainian refugees and has widely condemned the war.

UPDATE: 

There is no evidence a missile that slammed into a Polish border town near Ukraine was an intentional attack on his country, Poland President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday.

The missile, which killed two people in a rural area, appeared to be Russian-made, Duda said. Ukraine's weaponry includes Russian-made missiles.

“Ukraine’s defense was launching their missiles in various directions and it is highly probable that one of these missiles unfortunately fell on Polish territory,” Duda said. “There is nothing, absolutely nothing to suggest that it was an intentional attack on Poland.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, at a meeting of the military alliance in Brussels, said a preliminary analysis suggests that the incident was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise missile attacks.

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Saudi Arabia tells Pentagon Iran is poised for an attack


WASHINGTON (AP) — Saudi Arabia has shared intelligence with American officials that suggests Iran could be preparing for an imminent attack on the kingdom, three U.S. officials said Tuesday.

The heightened concerns about a potential attack on Saudi Arabia come as the Biden administration is criticizing Tehran for its crackdown on widespread protests and condemning it for sending hundreds of drones — as well as technical support — to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.

“We are concerned about the threat picture, and we remain in constant contact through military and intelligence channels with the Saudis,” the National Security Council said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to act in the defense of our interests and partners in the region.”

Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Nor did Iran’s mission to the United Nations.

One of the officials who confirmed the intelligence sharing described it as a credible threat of an attack “soon or within 48 hours.” No U.S. embassy or consulate in the region has issued alerts or guidance to Americans in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere in the Middle East based on the intelligence. The officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. and Saudis blamed Iran in 2019 of being behind a major attack in eastern Saudi Arabia, which halved the oil-rich kingdom’s production and caused energy prices to spike. The Iranians denied they were behind the attack, but the same triangle-shaped, bomb-carrying drones used in that attack are now being deployed by Russian forces in their war on Ukraine.

The Saudis have also been hit repeatedly in recent years by drones, missiles and mortars launched by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Saudi Arabia formed a coalition to battle the Houthis in 2015 and has been internationally criticized for its airstrikes in the war, which have killed scores of civilians.

In recent weeks, the Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Iranian officials for the brutal crackdown on demonstrators after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September after her arrest by Iran’s morality police. The administration has also hit Iran with sanctions for supplying drones to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.

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