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Satellite images show destroyed jets at Russian base in Crimea

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• At least seven fighter jets appeared destroyed at the base in annexed Crimea in Ukraine, contradicting Russian denial

New satellite images show at least seven destroyed fighter jets at an airbase in the Russian-controlled peninsula of Crimea, shortly after Ukraine said nine planes were destroyed in a string of deadly explosions at the site.

The images, provided by Planet Labs PBC and taken mid-afternoon on Wednesday, undermine Russia’s claim that the explosions on Tuesday, which killed one and wounded 14, did not cause serious damage. Russia’s military has said no aircraft were destroyed in the explosions and has blamed the blasts on the detonation of stored ammunition.

Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility for the explosions, although Ukrainian presidential adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, has said the blasts were either caused by Ukrainian-made long-range weapons or were the work of Ukrainian fighters operating in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Meanwhile, an unnamed Ukrainian official told The Washington Post on Wednesday the explosions were the result of an attack by Ukrainian special forces.

The satellite images showed about 2 square kilometres (0.75 square miles) of grassland burned at the airbase, which has housed the Russian 43rd Independent Naval Assault Air Squadron since Russia seized Crimea.

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The base is at least 200km (125 miles) from the closest Ukrainian position.

A satellite image by Planet Labs PBC shows Saky airbase in the Crimean Peninsula after an explosion [Planet Labs PBC via AP]

Analysts have cast doubt that the damage could have been caused by an accidental explosion, with the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War saying that, while it could not independently determine what caused the explosions, simultaneous blasts in two locations at the base most likely rule out an accidental fire but not sabotage or a missile attack.

It added: “The Kremlin has little incentive to accuse Ukraine of conducting strikes that caused the damage since such strikes would demonstrate the ineffectiveness of Russian air defence systems.”

In a speech shortly after the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to retake the peninsula.

Russian authorities said hotels and beaches in the region, a popular tourist destination for Russians, were unaffected by the blasts, although video online showed long lines of slowly moving cars on the road to Russia as tourists left the area.

International

U.S., Iran agree two-week ceasefire as Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz

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Strait of Hormuz
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Iran has confirmed a two-week ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, the Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported early on Wednesday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be possible for two weeks in coordination with Iran’s armed forces “and with due consideration of technical limitations.”

Trump had made reopening the waterway a condition for the ceasefire and had threatened to target Iran’s energy sector and infrastructure, including bridges, if Tehran failed to comply, setting a deadline of 0000 GMT.

The Strait of Hormuz, crucial to global oil and gas trade, has been largely closed since the United States and Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.

According to a senior U.S. official, Israel will also adhere to what Trump described as a “double sided CEASEFIRE.”

Pakistan, which has mediated between Tehran and Washington, said that an immediate ceasefire between Iran and the US had taken effect.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the U.S., along with their allies, had agreed to an “immediate ceasefire everywhere,” including in Lebanon.

“I warmly welcome the sagacious gesture and extend deepest gratitude to the leadership of both the countries and invite their delegations to Islamabad on Friday … to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes,” Sharif said.

Trump earlier said Sharif had asked him to refrain from carrying out the threatened attacks.

The U.S. has received a 10-point proposal from Iran and believed it offered a “workable basis” for negotiations, Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social.

According to The New York Times, the plan calls for lifting all sanctions imposed on Iran. (dpa/NAN)

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Earthquake kills 8 members of same family in Afghanistan

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An earthquake that struck Afghanistan overnight killed eight members of the same family in Kabul province, the health ministry said on Saturday.

The 5.8-magnitude quake struck at 8.42 pm (1612 GMT) on Friday at a depth of 186 kilometres (115 miles) at the epicentre in northeastern Badakhshan province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Shaking was felt in multiple parts of the country, including the capital Kabul, according to AFP journalists.

“In the Gosfand Dara area of Kabul Province, eight members of a family died as a result of the earthquake,” Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said in a message to media.

He added that a child aged around two years old was the only survivor from the household and the country’s disaster management agency said the boy had been injured in the tremor.

Afghanistan is frequently jolted by earthquakes, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range near where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.

In August, a shallow magnitude 6 earthquake wiped out mountainside villages and killed more than 2,200 people in eastern Afghanistan, making it the deadliest tremor in the country’s recent history.

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AFP

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Iran executes two members of banned opposition group

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Image Credit: X
Iran Executes Two Members Of MEK For Involvement In Multiple Terrorist Acts Image Credit: X
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Iran on Saturday executed two men convicted of membership in a banned opposition group and carrying out disruptive actions aimed at overthrowing the Islamic republic, the judiciary said.

The executions were the latest in a series targeting members of the banned People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), after four other convicted members of the group were executed earlier in the week.

They also come against the backdrop of Iran’s war with the United States and Israel, sparked by US-Israeli strikes on February 28 that killed the country’s supreme leader and have since triggered a wider regional conflict.

“Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian … were hanged after trial and their sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said on Saturday.

The men were found guilty of attempting “rebellion through involvement in multiple terrorist acts”, as well as membership in the MEK group and carrying out acts of sabotage aimed at overthrowing the Islamic republic.

It was not immediately clear when the men were arrested.

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The MEK, which initially supported the 1979 Islamic revolution before falling out with the leadership in the 1980s, has since been in exile and is designated a terrorist organisation by Tehran.

Iran is the world’s second most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups.

Since the war began, it has executed multiple individuals, including on Thursday, when authorities executed a man convicted of acting on behalf of Israel and the United States during a wave of anti-government protests earlier this year.

On March 19, three others convicted of killing police officers during the protests were also executed.

Also in March, Iran executed Kouroush Keyvani, a dual Iranian-Swedish national, on charges of spying for Israel, drawing condemnation from Stockholm and the European Union.

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