bomb

Oct. 1 (UPI) — Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, was closed Wednesday after a bomb threat and an explosion in a residential building that also damaged nearby cars.

At least one man is dead.

Special forces were sent to Lerchenau, a northern area of Munich, where residents reported shots and explosions. Oktoberfest is on the west side of the city.

There had been a bomb threat from the suspected attacker early Wednesday, city officials said. Munich police said the explosion was part of a domestic dispute and the building had been “deliberately set on fire.”

Munich police said on X that the Oktoberfest grounds, Theresienwiese, have been fully searched, and there was no danger found. It said Oktoberfest would reopen at 5:30 p.m. CEST.

A man was found severely injured near Lerchenau Lake, and he later died, police said. Another person was missing. It wasn’t clear if the person who died was the suspected attacker.

“I woke up around 5:00 because there were a few bangs. I got up, looked, and then there was a fire,” The Independent reported a resident said.

A middle school near the scene was closed, and police diverted traffic from the area.

Munich mayor Dieter Reiter said the closure of the festival followed “a perpetrator threatening the Oktoberfest.”

Oktoberfest, known as “the Wiesn” by locals, runs from Sept. 20 to Oct. 5. It’s the world’s largest beer and folk festival.

Video from Pakistan shows an explosion outside a paramilitary headquarters in Quetta, where authorities say at least 10 people were killed and dozens injured in a suicide car bombing.

Sept. 28 (UPI) — Voters in Moldova headed to the polls Sunday in a key parliamentary election that could tip the Balkan nation closer to European Union accession or give Russia a major political foothold in Europe, as police responded to reports of bomb threats over the election.

In the election Sunday, all 101 seats in the country’s parliament are up for grabs. Though the ruling Action and Solidarity party is expected to remain the largest party, it could lose its outright majority that could make it more difficult for Maia Sandu, the country’s pro-Western president, to push through legislation for changes required for EU accession.

“Dear Moldovans, go vote! Moldova, our beloved home, is in danger and needs the help of each and every one of you. You can save it today with your vote. Tomorrow may be too late,” Sandu said in a statement while casting her ballot in Chișinău. “We are a small but strong country. Let us move forward in peace toward a better future.”

Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission, which handles the election, said in a statement Sunday that more than 1.5 million voters cast ballots in the election, making the participation rate more than 52% of registered voters. Polls closed at 9 p.m. local time as Moldovans anxiously await the results of the election in coming days.

Ahead of the election, Sandu warned on social media Friday that the election could determine whether “Russia drags us back into a grey zone, making us a regional risk” and said the election should be determined “by Moldovans, not Moscow.”

Moldova, a small nation that gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, lies between Ukraine and Romania. This year’s election has been fraught with allegations of illegal financing of pro-Russian parties, covert propaganda campaigns and attempted destabilization plots.

“The commission calls on all those involved in the electoral process, especially electoral contestants, to wait for the completion of the voting process, counting and announcement of the final results. In case of suspicions of possible irregularities, we recommend that they use the legal mechanisms of challenge,” the Central Electoral Commission said Sunday.

On Friday, the commission abruptly struck candidates from two parties, Heart of Moldova and Moldova Mare, also known as Greater Moldova, from the ballot. It cited illegal financing, vote-buying, undeclared foreign funds and violations of the gender quota in candidate lists. Heart of Moldova’s exclusion followed a court ruling restricting its activities for a year.

The commission announced Sunday that the Supreme Court of Justice upheld the Friday decision to cancel the registration of the Greater Moldova party, invalidating it as an option on ballots after an emergency appeal by the populist and pro-Russian party.

It also revealed that earlier in the day, the commission was notified by the General Police Inspectorate that it would urgently relocate polling stations on the left bank of the Nistru River to backup locations “in order to ensure the safety of all citizens in that area.”

The left bank of the Nistru River refers to Transnistria, a pro-Russian breakaway region that is separated from government-controlled Moldova by a demilitarized security buffer.

National police from the technical-explosive unit responded after receiving automated phone calls reporting bomb threats at several locations in the security zone, authorities said in a statement Sunday. They said specialized services acted according to protocols to ensure citizens’ safety.

Police also encouraged citizens to go out and vote, rely only on official sources of information, and be cautious of narratives deliberately promoted by actors seeking to undermine the electoral process.

In another statement, the National Police of Moldova announced that it has information about certain groups of people who intend, starting at midnight and throughout Monday, to organize disruptions and destabilization in the capital during a protest.

Authorities stressed that law enforcement will not allow violations of the law, public disorder, threats to citizens, or risks to national security. Police warned protest organizers that they are legally responsible for the conduct at the demonstrations.

Police later added that authorities had detained three people, including two brothers who had been under surveillance for nearly two months.

The men are alleged to be employees of security forces in the breakaway Transnistria region and acted as coordinators responsible for logistics, monitoring, and supplying groups involved in the plans to destabilize the election.

During the searches, law enforcement officials confiscated items such as pyrotechnics and flammable materials, which authorities reported were intended to incite panic and disrupt public order.

The Central Election Commission also acknowledged reports that some observers were denied access to certain polling stations, but clarified that only accredited observers are allowed access to polling sites for monitoring.

ISAAC HAYDEN feels sympathy for Chelsea ‘bomb squad’ members Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi.

The ex-Newcastle midfielder, now at QPR, spent the first five months of last season in limbo after failing to secure a summer move.

6

6

6

6

Sterling shared a photo of himself training alone late in the evening, while boss Enzo Maresca admitted he has not even spoken to the winger this season.

Hayden, 30, was not in Eddie Howe’s plans but his circumstances were slightly different.

He told SunSport: “I have sympathy because footballers want to play — but everyone’s got different reasons as to why they find themselves in a so-called ‘bomb squad’.

“It happened to me because I couldn’t find a solution during that summer window which fitted in with what Newcastle also wanted.

“But I had constant contact with Eddie and was given nothing but support.”

Hayden made 187 appearances for Newcastle, won the Championship title in 2017 and had five seasons playing in the Premier League. 

But a knee injury in December 2021 sidelined him for 5½ months and Howe later told him he was surplus to requirements.

Hayden said: “By the time I’d come back, they had signed Bruno Guimaraes, and Joelinton was playing as a No 8 — so there was no space.

RYDER CUP 2025 BETTING TIPS, FREE BETS AND LATEST ODDS

“And the team had been transformed from one fighting relegation to having top-six form.

“Eddie was honest and said he had five players in front of me. You think to yourself, ‘I know where I stand’. I’d rather  that than the manager not talking to me.

“You hear people talk about bomb squads where they isolate you, and that’s horrible — but Eddie and Newcastle didn’t do that.

“We had the conversation as to why he couldn’t name me in the 25-man squad.

“And it’s not as simple as, ‘Why not let him train with the first team?’. If you’re doing an 11 v 11 game and everyone’s fit, you’re not going to be able to train with the group because there are too many players.

So Eddie’s solution for me to train with the Under-23s was better. It meant I could train normally every day — and not by myself.”

Hayden actually embraced that period and even did some coaching.

He said: “The bottom line is you’re getting paid good money by the club as a professional footballer. So you give 100 per cent to them in whatever role you’re in.”

After spending the second half of last season on loan with Portsmouth, Hayden joined QPR permanently in the summer.

And now he is hoping to play for Jamaica at next summer’s World Cup.

He said: “One of the huge blessings to come out of that period was I was able to go to Jamaica for a few days to sort my  passport out so I could play for them.

“Had I been playing first-team football every week I’d have not been able to.

“Now I have a chance of making the World Cup. It goes to show you can make everything work out in the end.”

 CopyBet is the official front-of-shirt partner of Queens Park Rangers FC. Visit CopyBet.com

6

6

Hong Kong police have defused a 450kg World War II-era bomb discovered at a construction site, prompting the evacuation of more than 2,800 residents. Authorities said the device was still ‘fully functional’ and could have caused mass casualties if mishandled.

SALT LAKE CITY — Authorities in Utah say two men have been arrested on suspicion of placing an incendiary device under a news media vehicle in Salt Lake City. The bomb didn’t go off.

Police and fire department bomb squads responded Friday when a suspicious device was found under the vehicle parked near an occupied building.

Investigators determined the bomb “had been lit but failed to function as designed,” according to court records cited by CBS affiliate KUTV on Sunday.

The FBI identified two suspects and served a search warrant at a home in the Magna neighborhood west of the city’s downtown. Two men, ages 58 and 31, were arrested and could face charges related to weapons possession and threats of terrorism, ABC affiliate KTVX reported Sunday.

Neighboring homes were evacuated during the search, which turned up explosives and “explosive-related components,” firearms, illegal narcotics and other paraphernalia, court records say. Authorities say they also found at least two devices that turned out to be hoax weapons of mass destruction.

There was no information about a possible motive and the relationship between the two suspects wasn’t immediately known.

News media have descended on Salt Lake City following last week’s killing of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in nearby Orem.

Move over, Superman! The only thing more powerful than a locomotive at the moment is the U.S. stock market, which, seemingly faster than a speeding bullet, has rallied to new heights.

When the closing bell tolled on Sept. 11, the benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC -0.05%), iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI -0.59%), and growth stock-dependent Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC 0.44%) all catapulted to record closing highs. Everything from the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) — a potentially $15.7 trillion global addressable opportunity by 2030, according to PwC — to the growing prospect of a Federal Reserve rate cut in September has fueled optimism and risk-taking.

But the tricky thing about Wall Street is that when things seem too good to be true, they usually are.

President Trump delivering remarks. Image source: Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead, courtesy of the National Archives.

While a lot of attention is currently being paid to President Donald Trump’s tariff and trade policy and how it might adversely impact the U.S. economy by influencing the prevailing rate of inflation, there’s a far more sinister concern waiting in the wings, based on what history tells us.

Donald Trump’s tariff and trade policy is in the spotlight

Although the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq Composite have soared year to date, things looked a lot different in early April. Following the close of trading on April 2, President Trump unveiled his widely touted trade policy, which included a 10% global base tariff, as well as the implementation of higher “reciprocal tariffs” on dozens of countries deemed to have adverse trade imbalances with America. The stock market plunged in the subsequent days, with the S&P 500 tallying its fifth-steepest two-day decline since 1950.

To be fair, what Trump unveiled on April 2 and the current tariff policies in place today look markedly different. A number of countries/regions have hashed out trade deals with America, and the president has delayed the implementation date of reciprocal tariffs for select countries.

Additionally, there’s no guarantee Trump’s tariffs will legally remain in place. In November, the Supreme Court will consider the validity of the president’s tariffs following an appeal from the Trump administration after lower courts ruled most of his tariffs were illegal.

Despite these uncertainties, worry about Donald Trump’s tariff and trade policy, specifically pertaining to its effect on inflation, is heightened.

The domestic rate of inflation has moved decisively higher as the president’s tariffs take effect. US Inflation Rate data by YCharts.

In the three months since Trump’s tariffs began having a discernable impact on the U.S. economy, the inflation rate, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), jumped from 2.35% to 2.92%. It’s quite the jump, and it’s certainly raising eyebrows amid a weakening job market.

The biggest issue with Trump’s tariff policy, as told by four New York Federal Reserve economists who published a study in December 2024 for Liberty Street Economics, is that it does a poor job of separating output and input tariffs.

In their study, Do Import Tariffs Protect U.S. Firms?, the four New York Fed economists examined the impact of Trump’s China tariffs in 2018-2019 on the U.S. economy and businesses. What they found was added pricing pressure on domestic manufacturers caused by the China trade war. Whereas output tariffs are placed on finished products, an input tariff is a duty for a good used to complete the manufacture of a product in the U.S. This type of tariff runs the risk of increasing production costs and reigniting the prevailing rate of inflation.

While some degree of pricing power is a good thing for businesses, the inflationary ramp-up we’ve witnessed over the previous three months is a bit concerning.

Image source: Getty Images.

Wall Street’s ticking time bomb is nearing historic levels

But even though Donald Trump’s tariffs are pretty consistently in the headlines, they’re not Wall Street’s biggest concern. Based on historical precedent, valuation is the ticking time bomb ready to pull the rug out from beneath the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite at any moment.

Truth be told, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all blueprint when it comes to valuing stocks. That you might find a stock to be expensive while another investor believes it to be a bargain is precisely what makes the stock market a market in the first place.

However, there’s one valuation tool that leaves little interpretative wiggle room: the S&P 500’s Shiller price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, also referred to as the cyclically adjusted P/E (CAPE) ratio.

The most familiar of all valuation tools is the P/E ratio, which divides a company’s share price by its trailing-12-month earnings per share (EPS). While this is a handy valuation measure for mature businesses, it often fails to pass muster during recessions and for high-growth companies. This isn’t a problem for the S&P 500’s Shiller P/E since it’s based on average inflation-adjusted EPS over the prior 10 years. It means shock events have minimal impact on the Shiller P/E ratio.

When back-tested 154 years to January 1871, the Shiller P/E has averaged a multiple of 17.28. As of the closing bell on Sept. 11, it clocked in at 39.58, which is the highest reading during the current bull market and the third-priciest multiple during a continuous bull market in over 150 years. The only two times the CAPE ratio has been higher are when it fractionally topped 40 during the first week of January 2022 and when it peaked at its all-time high of 44.19 in December 1999.

S&P 500 Shiller CAPE Ratio data by YCharts. CAPE Ratio = cyclically adjusted price-to-earnings ratio.

Admittedly, the S&P 500’s Shiller P/E isn’t a timing tool. Just because stocks are historically pricey, it doesn’t mean a game-changing innovation like artificial intelligence can’t keep valuations at nosebleed levels for months, perhaps even a few years. However, history is unmistakably clear in showing that premium valuations eventually end in short-term disaster.

Including the present, there have been six instances since 1871 where the Shiller P/E ratio has topped 30 for at least a two-month period. Following each of the previous five instances, the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and/or Nasdaq Composite tumbled between 20% and 89%. While the 89% is an outlier for the Dow during the Great Depression, plunges of 50% or more are not out of the question, as was witnessed during the bursting of the dot-com bubble in the early 2000s.

If there’s a silver lining for this ticking time bomb, it’s that bear markets are historically short-lived.

In June 2023, Bespoke Investment Group calculated the calendar-day length of every S&P 500 bull and bear market dating back to the start of the Great Depression in September 1929. Bespoke found that the average length of 27 documented S&P 500 bear markets was just 286 calendar days, or less than 10 months. In comparison, the average bull market stuck around for 3.5 times as long, or 1,011 calendar days.

Even though history is quite clear that trouble is brewing on Wall Street, long-term investors remain in the driver’s seat.

The sound of an Israeli bomb interrupted Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud during a live broadcast as he explained that fighter jets have been striking buildings in Gaza City every 10–15 minutes since this morning. Israel says its forces are “increasing the pace of attacks” on the city.

Sept. 11 (UPI) — A bomb threat has been reported at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., police said.

The threat was reported around 1 p.m. Thursday. Metropolitan Police Department’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal squad were requested by the U.S. Capitol Police.

Capitol Police are checking the building, and so far nothing has been found, said Fox 5.

The DNC building is in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Southeast D.C.

The threat comes one day after political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in Utah at a speaking event.

Multiple historically Black colleges and universities, including two in Virginia, are also on lockdown Thursday in response to various threats, WUSA9 reported.

We now have our first full look at a modified 2,000-pound-class GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, optimized for use as an anti-ship munition as part of the U.S. Air Force’s Quicksink program. The Air Force has been pursuing Quicksink as a lower-cost means of bolstering its capacity to launch strikes on enemy ships.

The Air Force released pictures of Quicksink GBU-31s yesterday. The image set also shows smaller 500-pound-class GBU-38 JDAMs, but it is not entirely clear if they are in the Quicksink configuration. All of the pictures were taken ahead of a recent test that saw a B-2 bomber “sink” an unspecified “maritime target” in the Norwegian Sea with at least one of the modified JDAMs.

TWZ had previously reached out to the Air Force for more information after a B-2 bomber was tracked online flying from Whiteman Air Force Base toward northern Europe last week.

B-2 stealth bomber reportedly on its way to Europe, potentially part of exercise that has been underway off northern Norway. https://t.co/8hYSDgPens

— Hans Kristensen (also on Bluesky) (@nukestrat) September 3, 2025

Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35A Joint Strike Fighters participated in the event, as well. A picture also shows a Norwegian P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol plane flying alongside the B-2 and the F-35s at one point, but it is unclear whether it directly took part in the test.

In addition to the 2,000 and 500-pound-class types, there are also 1,000-pound-class GBU-32 JDAMs. All JDAM kits consist of a tail section containing a GPS-assisted inertial navigation system (INS) guidance package and clamp-on aerodynamic strakes. It turns unguided bombs into ‘warheads’ for the resulting precision-guided munitions.

The pictures released yesterday show tail units marked “Quick Sink Only,” suggesting there might be a specialized configuration for use on these bombs. This could be in part due to a need to interface differently with the new imaging infrared seeker attached to the nose. The seeker gives the Quicksink bombs the ability to engage moving targets. Standard JDAMs can only be employed against a fixed set of target coordinates, though versions with add-on laser guidance capability (called Laser JDAMs or LJDAMs) that can be used against targets on the move exist, as well. Unlike the Quicksink configuration, LJDAMs are not fire-and-forget and require the target to be lased from a platform in relatively close proximity.

As shown in the video below, the Air Force has described Quicksink’s mode of operation as using GPS-assisted INS guidance to get to a designated target area before the seeker in the nose takes over. Though unpowered, standard JDAMs can glide out to targets around 15 miles away, depending on the weapon’s exact configuration and release envelope. Quicksink bombs then find and categorize their targets by checking their length against a detailed internal reference database. The seeker then feeds additional course correction data to the tail kit to put the weapon on a path to try to detonate right next to the target ship’s hull, just below the waterline. Initial cueing to the target, which could be provided to the launch platform from offboard sources, is necessary.

In addition, the image set released yesterday shows a Quicksink GBU-31 with a ‘warhead’ painted with large black-and-yellow bands. Large sections of the front and the back of the warhead on another one of the bombs are seen painted a red/pink color. That munition also has what looks to be a yellow band at the front.

In addition, as seen at the top of this story and below, the black-and-yellow-banded Quicksink bomb also has a cartoon bumblebee and the logo of the Autobots from the popular Transformers media franchise painted on the side. One of the more well-known Autobots is named Bumblebee.

What any of these markings might reflect is unknown. For munitions employed during tests, bright color choices could help make them more visible to assist with observing their performance. The markings might also just reflect nicknames or have other unofficial significance for the individuals working on the project.

The U.S. military does have standardized markings for ordnance to indicate their purpose and configuration, with yellow bands signifying live high-explosive contents. Black bands are often used to signify some type of purpose-designed armor-penetrating effect. Red markings on U.S. ordnance are often associated with incendiary effects, and to a more limited extent with tear gas and other so-called riot control agents. Globally, there have been instances of red markings on thermobaric munitions, as well. Thermobaric munitions are designed to create long-duration high-pressure blast waves, which then create vacuums resulting in reverse waves, leading to intense overpressure. In addition to the blast effect, this also produces very high heat.

However, there are no clear indications that anything besides standard ‘iron bombs’ were used to build the Quicksink munitions for the recent test.

TWZ has reached out to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), which has been managing the Quicksink effort, for more details. When reached separately for comment, the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, which has been involved in past Quicksink testing, told us that they could not provide any additional information about Quicksink at this time.

The recent test also highlights other aspects of the Quicksink effort that underscore its potential value, including pairing the bombs with the stealthy B-2 and the potential to employ them as part of future coalition operations with allies and partners.

“The B-2 played a central role, employing precision-guided QUICKSINK munitions to engage and sink the maritime target,” according to an Air Force press release on the test. “In addition to testing the munition’s capabilities, the mission also validated the aircraft’s enduring advantages, including its stealth, range, and payload flexibility, while reinforcing its evolving role in maritime strike.”

Not mentioned here are the magazine depth benefits that the B-2 offers. As TWZ has noted in the past, this could be especially valuable when with Quicksink munitions. Each one of the bombers has a maximum payload capacity of around 60,000 pounds and two especially cavernous bomb bays. The B-2 has a demonstrated ability to carry up to 80 500-pound-class JDAMs at once. This is so many bombs that during a separate test in the past, personnel at the sprawling Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) ran out of shipping containers to turn into targets for one of the bombers to hit during a single mock attack run. The crew of that aircraft had enough munitions to leave a smiley face made out of bomb craters, as you can read more about here. With all this in mind, a B-2 could also carry a substantial load of 500 and/or 2,000-pound class Quicksink-configured JDAMs in addition to other munitions.

Stealthy aircraft, in general, make good sense as launch platforms for Quicksink, given the need for the bombs to be released relatively close to potentially defended targeted ships, at least in their current form. Non-stealthy aircraft could still use Quicksink munitions, especially to help finish off damaged small surface combatants with already degraded defenses. They could also engage targets that are less-well-defended, or even essentially defenseless, to begin with, including vital, but typically more vulnerable sealift assets and civilian cargo vessels pressed into military service.

In general, Quicksink offers a valuable additional anti-ship tool for various aircraft, especially tactical jets, which may otherwise have limited, if any, options for munitions dedicated to this target set. Smaller aircraft could also carry more of the GBU-38-based versions per sortie compared to traditional anti-ship cruise missiles. Any Quicksink-armed aircraft could also be tasked with targeting ships at anchor, especially if their congested closely together, as well as engaging ones on the move.

The Air Force has been developing with low cost in mind, too. JDAM kits have historically cost between $20,000 and $30,000 apiece, with the unguided bombs that they are paired with adding a minimal increase to the total price point. AFRL has told TWZ in the past that the Quicksink seeker unit cost around $200,000, but that the goal was to get the unit price down to around $50,000 once production ramped up.

Quicksink reflects a broader trend within the Air Force, as well as other branches of the U.S. military, in the development of new, lower-cost precision bombs and missiles that can also be readily produced at scale. American officials see this as particularly important for bolstering munitions stocks ahead of any potential high-end fight with China in the Pacific, as well as being able to sustain inventories in any such campaign. More advanced anti-ship cruise missiles would be in particular high demand in a Pacific conflict.

It’s also worth pointing out that wing kits capable of extending the maximum range of standard JDAMs from 15 miles up to 45 miles exist now, and could be paired with the Quicksink configuration. The JDAM-Extended Range (JDAM-ER), which can help reduce the vulnerability of the launch platform, as well as offer greater reach, is now a combat-proven capability thanks to their employment by Ukraine’s Air Force in recent years. JDAM’s prime contractor Boeing has also been working on a cruise missile derivative of the munition, or Powered JDAM (PJDAM), which you can learn more about here. The Air Force is itself known to be at least exploring pairing the Quicksink seeker with Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) low-cost cruise missiles now in development for Ukraine and potentially other customers.

Extended range could also put additional emphasis on the importance of offboard cueing for Quicksink munitions, which could come from assets belonging to various branches of the U.S. military, as well as allies and partners – like Norwegian F-35s and/or P-8s. So far, there is no indication that the Quicksink bombs have a datalink to allow them to receive additional targeting information after release.

“In addition to Norwegian F-35s and personnel who participated in the strike, support from Norway enabled U.S. forces to gain access to critical infrastructure and airspace, allowing the test to be conducted in a strategically relevant and operationally challenging environment,” the Air Force’s press release on the recent test notes. “The event advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures for long-range sensor-to-shooter operations. These included integrating beyond-line-of-sight communications and multi-domain targeting, both crucial capabilities in highly contested environments.”

U.S. allies and partners, not to mention the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, could just acquire Quicksink munitions for their own use, as well.

With the Air Force continuing to expand the scale and scope of Quicksink testing, more specific details about the bombs and their capabilities, as well as how they could be employed, look set to emerge.

Contact the author: [email protected]

A Ukrainian MiG-29 Fulcrum has been seen, apparently for the first time, armed with an air-launched munition analogous to the Russian UMPK, a fairly crude type of guided glide bomb that has nevertheless caused enormous difficulties for Ukrainian air defenses. The appearance of the weapon on the MiG underscores Ukraine’s continued efforts to field standoff munitions, to protect its air assets, and to press home more effective attacks on Russian targets across the front lines. Most significantly, perhaps, the development highlights Ukraine’s major push to introduce more advanced homegrown weapons, reducing its reliance on Western-supplied ordnance.

Recently appeared imagery shows the weapon — the name of which remains unknown — under the port wing of a Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29. The jet is painted in the high-conspicuity blue and yellow scheme that echoes that of the Ukrainian Falcons display team, and which you can read more about here.

As for the weapon, this appears very similar to the UMPK, which is essentially a low-cost kit converting an iron bomb into a guided munition. The Ukrainian weapon has the same underslung wing kit as found on the Russian weapon, which involves the flying surfaces popping out after the bomb topples over in mid-air, soon after being released. As in the Russian UMPK, the Ukrainian weapon appears to incorporate a standard free-fall bomb, which is attached to a self-contained ‘flying device,’ with wings and a navigation package. Judging by the size of the bomb itself, it is apparently in the 500-kilogram (1,102-pound) category.

The first reports of Ukraine testing such a weapon emerged in June of this year, with initial tests of the munition aboard the Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft.

Bearing in mind the fact that the MiG-29 is more widely available than the Fencer, it makes sense to integrate it on the Fulcrum, too. As the workhorse of the Ukrainian Air Force, the MiG-29 has previously been a primary candidate to carry various Western-supplied munitions, as well.

The glide bomb seen being tested on the Su-24 is notably different from a munition that was seen on the same type of aircraft in September of last year. This mysterious store also appears to be a new locally developed air-launched guided munition, and you can read our report about it here.

When reports of the ‘Ukrainian UMPK’ first emerged earlier this summer, it was claimed that funds were still needed to support its development, which is understood to be carried out by the Medoid design bureau.

Ukrainian media also reported that the new weapon had achieved a range of 60 kilometers (37 miles) in tests, with the aim of extending this to 80 kilometers (50 miles). Previous assessments suggest that the Russian UMPK has a maximum range of up to 44 miles. In all cases, the maximum range depends heavily on the launch parameters.

In terms of guidance, the developer said that it’s looking to achieve greater accuracy than the Russian UMPK, with a locally developed guidance package as well as a plan to introduce undisclosed French-made technology, which would be more resistant to hostile electronic warfare jamming.

It’s unclear what has so far been achieved and what, exactly, is the weapon’s operational status at this point. There’s little doubt, however, that a weapon of this kind would be very useful for Ukraine, if it can be perfected.

While you can read the full background to the Russian development of the UMPK in this previous feature, evidence of these weapons’ employment in Ukraine started to appear in early 2023. In Russian, UMPK stands for Unifitsirovannyi Modul Planirovaniya i Korrektsii, meaning unified gliding and correction module.

While hardly comparable to the U.S.-made JDAM-ER glide bomb in any of its parameters, the Russian weapon quickly became a major concern for Ukraine.

By April 2023, the Ukrainian Air Force was reporting that Russia was dropping “up to 20” UMPK bombs each day, delivered from tactical jets operating at the edge of Ukrainian air defense coverage. Ever since, there have been repeated statements from Ukrainian officials reflecting on the difficulty of intercepting these weapons, which have been described as “almost impossible to shoot down.”

Most importantly, and despite questions about their accuracy and overall reliability, the UMPK kits allow for Russian aircraft to launch indirect attacks on targets that would otherwise put them at great risk due to Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses. Otherwise, much more expensive and complex standoff weaponry would need to be used, and Russia’s limited supply of these weapons has been put under extreme pressure by the prolonged war effort.

For Ukraine, the locally developed UMPK analog will provide the same kinds of advantages.

In particular, while Western allies have supplied likely much more capable precision-guided standoff ordnance, these are relatively exquisite and expensive solutions. Among them are the U.S.-made Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range (JDAM-ER) and Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), and the French AASM Hammer. They are also only available to the Ukrainian Air Force in limited numbers.

According to recent Ukrainian media reports, the Ukrainian Air Force requires at least 100 standoff munitions each day.

The situation should be helped by the arrival, in the coming weeks, of the first of 3,350 examples of the Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) to Ukraine, which will provide the country with a powerful new and relatively low-cost standoff strike capability. However, it’s unclear whether Ukraine will be able to use the new weapon to strike targets deep within Russia, based on restrictions imposed by Washington.

Regardless, a locally produced and lower-cost solution is clearly badly needed to keep up the pace of surgical strikes on targets on and just across the front lines. It could potentially also be integrated on Western-supplied F-16s and Mirage 2000s, as well as Soviet-era tactical jets, among which the Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft would appear to be a very suitable candidate.

However, there may be downsides to a weapon of this kind.

The Russian UMPK is a relatively makeshift device, made hastily and quickly thrown into combat. Since then, it has been mated with different bomb bodies, including ones of steadily increasing size. However, Russian critical analysis has suggested poor performance and a high failure rate. It is likely that this has driven the development of the more advanced UMPB series, which is a purpose-built guided glide bomb.

As TWZ reported when the new weapon first appeared:

“While the UMPK consists of a wing kit and precision guidance package that’s essentially bolted onto one of several different free-fall bombs, the UMPB appears to have a slicker, far more elegantly integrated design.”

In fact, the UMPB likely has more in common, broadly speaking, with the American SDB.

On the other hand, the availability of the UMPK means Russia has continued to make extensive use of it. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, in the month of August, Russian aircraft dropped 4,390 guided aerial bombs on Ukrainian positions, compared with 3,786 bombs dropped in the previous month. In 2025, the highest number of bombs of this kind deployed by Russia occurred in April, exceeding 5,000.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s own experience of being on the receiving end of Russian glide bombs and subsequent combat analysis means that the locally developed analog may well include further improvements over the Russian weapon. At the same time, its real importance might ultimately lie in the fact that it should at least begin to reduce reliance on Western-supplied types, like the JDAM-ER, SDB, and AASM Hammer, which have been hugely important for the Ukrainian Air Force. As stocks of more advanced air-launched weapons continue to be eroded, the potential of a locally developed glide bomb kit that can be bolted onto existing Soviet-era munitions cannot be underestimated.

It’s also important to note that Russia will try to engage these glide bombs with air defenses. They can absorb far more expensive air defense effectors, which provides a critical shot exchange advantage for Ukraine that can help chew through Russian missile stockpiles. This has been a major problem with Russia’s UMPKs as they can be very resource-intensive for Ukraine to shoot down, consuming precious counter-air weapons, but they cost Russia relatively little.

With the Ukrainian Air Force’s demand for weapons that can be launched at a safer distance from Russian air defenses, and the tempo of airstrikes in general, it’s likely we will see more of these weapons in the near future.

Contact the author: [email protected]

MANCHESTER UNITED have agreed a deal to sell Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea.

The Red Devils have sanctioned an exit for the wantaway winger worth £40million.

1

Garnacho, 21, will join the Blues on a reported seven-year contract after waiting for a move to materialise all summer.

The Argentine had been pushing for an exit after falling down the pecking order under boss Ruben Amorim.

MORE TO FOLLOW…

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..

The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.

Aug. 22 (UPI) — Dissident factions of the FARC guerrilla movement involved in the drugs trade were being blamed for two separate attacks in Colombia that killed at least 18 people and injured dozens more.

Six people were killed and more than 60 were injured when a car bomb detonated Thursday outside a military flight academy in the western city of Cali, prompting mayor Alejandro Eder to declare martial law, temporarily ban large trucks from the city and offer a $10,000 reward for information about the attack.

Earlier, at least 12 police officers were killed when a police helicopter on an operation in the northwest of the country to destroy coca crops — the raw ingredient of cocaine — was brought down by a drone in a rural area near Medellin.

Calling the Cali bomb blast a “terrorist attack,” Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez laid responsibility at the feet of “the narco cartel, alias Mordisco,” referrring to Ivan Mordisco, head of the heavily armed Central General Staff (EMC), the largest of the “ex-FARC mafia” groups to emerge after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia laid down its arms in 2016 and a major player in narcotrafficking in the region.

“This cowardly attack against civilians is a desperate reaction to the loss of control over drug trafficking in Valle del Cauca, Cauca, and Narino, where the Public Force has neutralized much of this threat,” he said.

Sanchez also blamed EMC for the helicopter attack.

However, President Gustavo Petro initially blamed the Gulf Clan, a rival to the EMC and another former FARC splinter group, because the attack followed the seizure of 1.5 tons of cocaine in the heart of its home turf in the Uraba region of Antioquia, where the helicopter was downed.

Peto said the Cali bombing was carried out by the EMC’s Carlos Patino Front, saying it was in response to “an intense defeat” at the hands of government forces.

“More than 250,000 rounds of ammunition recovered by the State, five houses full of explosives, 200 rifle parts, etc. That was the center of this column’s activity in Honduras, El Tambo, down to Plateado. With that operation, we achieved a victory in the place where there is more coca leaf than anywhere else in the Cauca department, around 60% to 70% of the total,” he wrote in a post on X.

The MO of the attack allegedly was a match for the front, which frequently targets military and police bases as part of its war with the government. It has been blamed for a string of attacks across Cauca in March, using motorbike bombs, gunfire and drones armed with explosives.

Petro said that an extraordinary meeting of the security council in Cali had decided not to extend the state of emergency, opting instead for a decree to beef up measures “to further eliminate cocaine production and make it more difficult to export that cocaine from the Pacific coast.”

Despite claims that they wouldn’t be having a 23rd child, the Radfords have shocked viewers after a clip from the show appears to show Sue experiencing a pregnancy scare

Sue Radford has shocked viewers and sparked rumours of a pregnancy scare after a clip from an upcoming episode of 22 Kids and Counting showed her panic over a late period and “crazy” hormones.

Sue, who shares 22 children with husband Noel, turned 50 in March, and in the next episode of the reality show documenting the family’s life, we get to follow the lead-up to the milestone. In the promotional clip ahead of the air date, Sue can be seen saying: “My 50th is coming up, I feel like my hormones are crazy.”

In the 30-second video, we then hear a woman telling her: “I think it’s really risky for you to stop the pill.” The clip dramatically cuts to Sue approaching Noel and telling him she needs to talk because her period is “late”. The video ends on a cliff hanger, with both Noel and Sue stating: “Oh my God.”

The couple already have 22 children, who are: Chris, Sophie, Chloe, Jack, Daniel, Luke, Millie, Katie, James, Ellie, Aimee, Josh, Max, Tillie, Oscar, Casper, Hallie, Phoebe, Archie, Bonnie, and Heidie. Their 17th child, Alfie, was sadly still born in 2014.

Despite the show hinting at a possible pregnancy scare, Sue and Noel, 54, have previously insisted that Heidie was their last child. The five-year-old went to school for the first time last September, and Sue told the Mirror that she was finally enjoying having some free time with all the kids now out the house.

She said: “But I have to confess I did cry when she went to school. It’s such a big moment – your last baby going to school and you don’t have any more at home. I do also love having the house full and bustling.”

Ahead of her 50th this year, Sue explained that this birthday was a “big deal”, saying: “I said: ‘You know what, because I am turning 50, I am definitely having a whole year of celebrations!’”

The whole family, including the grandkids, headed to Disney World in Florida, US, to celebrate Sue in the Easter holidays. On her birthday, Noel wrote a heart-warming Instagram caption for his wife, in which he said: “Myself and all of our children want to wish this beautiful, loving, caring lady who we all call Sue and Mum a Happy big 50th Birthday today or as Sue says I’m 49 plus 1.”

Another milestone was celebrated in the Radford house this week, as Max received his GSCE results. The family announced the news of his success online, writing: “We are so incredibly proud of Max he passed his GCSE with mainly 7 and 8’s.”

They added: “He is so incredibly happy, well done Max we knew you would do it, very proud mum and dad moment.”

22 Kids and Counting is available to watch on My5

CHELSEA are willing to send out Raheem Sterling on loan again – as they try to shift up to TEN players before the transfer window closes.

Both the Blues and Sterling would prefer to find a permanent deal.

2

2

But they equally want to avoid the kind of last-minute scramble that sent the England international to Arsenal last season.

Chelsea are seeking to offload Sterling, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Renato Veiga, Carney Chukwuemeka, David Datro Fofana and Ben Chilwell in the next fortnight.

Young winger Tyrique George could also be on the way out, while defender Aaron Anselmino is surplus to the current requirements of boss Enzo Maresca.

Sterling has two years left on a contract worth more than £300,000 per week.

Chelsea ended up paying a significant proportion of those wages last season as part of an 11th-hour deal with the Gunners on transfer deadline day.

Sterling would prefer to stay in England and preferably in the London area. Son Thiago, eight, signing for Arsenal’s academy earlier this summer.

Fulham have shown interest but it is yet to turn into a concrete offer, and oversea clubs including Napoli have also been linked to the winger..

Chelsea still want to bring more new players IN to the club, despite already spending more than £240m this summer.

BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS

They have recouped £200m in sales by moving on players like Noni Madueke, who joined Arsenal for £52m.

But the Blues will need to sell in order to feel comfortable about making deals for Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho and RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons.

So far Chelsea have struggled to find clubs willing to match their valuations for Jackson, Nkunku, Veiga, Chuwuemeka and Disasi.

And although the Blues would prefer to sell them all if possible, they are now open to loan deals with obligations or options to buy for at least some of them.

Napoli could now join Newcastle, Aston Villa, Juventus and AC Milan among the potential suitors for Jackson, after former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku suffered an injury.

But the Blues are struggling to create a competitive market for their other unwanted stars.

THEN THERE WERE 10 – CHELSEA OUTCASTS

Duds ready to go – and where they could end up…

• Nicolas Jackson – Newcastle, Aston Villa, Juventus, AC Milan, Napoli

• Christopher Nkunku – Bayern Munich

• Renato Veiga – Villarreal

• Carney Chukwuemeka – Borussia Dortmund

• Axel Disasi – Wolves, Ajax

• Raheem Sterling – Fulham, Napoli

• David Datro Fofana – Wolves, Nice, Toulouse

• Tyrique George – Borussia Monchengladbach

• Aaron Anselmino – Real Betis

Khan Younes, Gaza – A dear companion doesn’t have to be human to be deeply missed when lost.

Sometimes, it’s a phone – a loyal witness to your joys and sorrows, your moments of sweetness and darkest chapters of pain.

In the harshness of life in the world’s largest open-air prison, it becomes more than a device. It’s an extension of yourself; your portal to the world, your way of reaching loved ones scattered across the prison or outside it.

Through its lens, you sometimes capture joy and beauty, but more often, it only captures falling rockets or the rubble of houses covering the corpses of their residents.

But what are you left with when that loyal companion is disappeared by the genocidal chaos?

My phone succumbed to its injuries

My phone succumbed to its injuries.

I can’t believe I’m describing it this way, with the same phrase I use when reporting on thousands of my people killed after being denied urgent medical treatment, punished simply for surviving Israeli bombs.

But in its own way, my phone endured its share of this prolonged Israeli cruelty, the technocide of power-starvation, corrosion by dust and sand, suffocation in overheated tents, and the constant torment of poor connection.

It tried to hold on, but everyone has a limit of endurance. It fell the day we left our damaged home for our 14th displacement amid chaotic stampeding crowds.

Somehow it survived the heavy blow, but it only lasted 70 days after its screen cracked, its body blistered, until its wounds spread too far to bear.

And then it went dark for good.

Oddly, I felt consoled. Not because it wasn’t painful, but because I wasn’t alone. I’ve seen the same happen to others: Friends, relatives watching their phones slowly perish, just like the people they loved.

Strangely, we find comfort in these small shared losses. Our loved ones have perished, and our wellbeing is shattering, and yet we expect our phones not to. The real miracle is that they lasted this long at all.

Smartphone addiction is thrown around as a buzzword. But in Gaza, if you’re lucky enough to still have one, it’s not an addiction, it is survival.

It’s an escape. A small, glowing portal you cling to. It helps you slip briefly into the past, scrolling through memories, staring at the faces of loved ones who are now names on graves or names you still whisper in hope.

Your phone’s emotionless memory still holds their beautiful smiles. It connects you to people you can’t reach, voices you can’t otherwise hear. It dulls the pain not by healing it, but by distracting you.

Like a hunger you can’t satisfy, so you scroll through reels of mouth-watering food, mocking your emptiness.

You watch strangers at family dinners while your table is buried under rubble. You wonder, how dare they post such scenes, knowing that children are being starved to death a few kilometres away? And yet you keep scrolling, because for a moment, it’s a brutal soothing sedative.

‘Are you alive?’

When you’re someone who reports daily on the ongoing genocide to the world, finding a new companion becomes an inevitable must. Yet the quest is disastrous in Gaza.

You might think it’s impossible to find one here, where life has become ruins and even bread is scarce, but surprisingly, there are plenty of options, even the latest high-end brands that somehow found their way through the blockade.

But this is Gaza, where a bag of flour costs $700, so the cost of a phone is on a whole different level.

Even the lowest-quality phones in makeshift shops sell for more than what it costs to build the shop itself, inflated by genocidal conditions.

And it doesn’t stop there. You must pay in cash, in a place where almost nothing is free except the air you breathe.

An iPhone might cost $1,000 elsewhere, but here it costs $4,200.

So you turn to cheaper options, hoping for something more affordable, but the calculations remain the same.

But that’s not me – because either way, by spending such unthinkable amounts, you’re solidifying the very reality your captors are trying to impose, and doing it with your own money.

You realise that you’re feeding into their design. We’re already draining whatever’s left in our pockets just for flour during this genocidal siege, and we don’t know how long it will last.

So you cling to what you have, to avoid paying your soul at a GHF centre for deadly “aid” you’ll never get.

For a while now, I’ve felt paralysed, a helplessness especially familiar during June’s two-week total communication blackout imposed by Israel – during which my phone finally died in total silence.

When the captor cuts yet another lifeline, it’s more than just being unable to check on loved ones. It means ambulances can’t be called. It means a wounded person might die in the dark, unheard.

It’s like someone is out there, cruelly deciding when you’re allowed to contact the world or to be contacted, to receive the now-typical: “Are you alive?”

There’s a cruel irony in Israel issuing expulsion orders online even as it cuts off the networks people in Gaza need to receive them. You only find out when you see thousands flooding the streets, the earth trembling beneath their feet from Israeli attacks.

The hand that controls your digital lifeline is the same one that’s been blockading and colonising your land for years.

And you realise, with certainty, that if they could block the very air you breathe, they would not hesitate.

So, you rise

There are still moments when, instinctively, I reach out to call someone or check something – but my hand touches nothing.

My companion is gone. I remain phoneless, helpless under blockade, both digital and physical.

And then, you start to compare your shackles to the abundance your captors enjoy, genociding you with full access to every technological privilege, every luxury.

You, on the other hand, are being hunted down with the world’s most advanced weapons, under the watchful eye and silent complicity of the tech giants whose tools are backing your erasure.

While they use satellites and precision-guided missiles, you just want to tell the world you’re still here.

How vital your lost companion was. It wasn’t just a phone. It was your sword, your shield, your witness.

And in the face of this tyranny, surrendering is something you cannot afford. So, you rise.

You whisper, “Rest in power, my companion,” because we refuse to be slaughtered in silence.

We will keep telling our truth, even if all we have left is a scrap of paper and a drop of ink.

NORFOLK, Va. — A Virginia man pleaded guilty Friday in a federal case that accused him of stockpiling the largest number of finished explosives in FBI history and of using then-President Biden’s photo for target practice.

Brad Spafford pleaded guilty in federal court in Norfolk to possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to court documents. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for December.

Federal authorities said they seized about 150 pipe bombs and other homemade devices last fall at Spafford’s home in Isle of Wight County, which is northwest of Norfolk.

The investigation into Spafford began in 2023 when an informant told authorities that Spafford was stockpiling weapons and ammunition, according to court documents. The informant, a friend and member of law enforcement, told authorities that Spafford was using pictures of then-President Biden for target practice and that “he believed political assassinations should be brought back,” prosecutors wrote.

Two weeks after the assassination attempt of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2024, Spafford told the informant, “bro I hope the shooter doesn’t miss Kamala,” according to court documents. Former Vice President Kamala Harris had recently announced she was running for president. On around the same day, Spafford told the informant that he was pursuing a sniper qualification at the local gun range, court records stated.

Numerous law enforcement officers and bomb technicians searched the property in December.

Spafford stored a highly unstable explosive material in a garage freezer next to “Hot Pockets and frozen corn on the cob,” according to court documents. Investigators also said they found explosive devices in an unsecured backpack labeled “#NoLivesMatter.”

Spafford has remained in jail since his arrest in December. U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen ruled against his release in January, writing that Spafford has “shown the capacity for extreme danger.” She also noted that Spafford lost three fingers in an accident involving homemade explosives in 2021.

Spafford had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in January. Defense attorneys had argued at the time that Spafford, who is married and a father of two young daughters, works a steady job as a machinist and has no criminal record.

Defense attorney Jeffrey Swartz said at Spafford’s January detention hearing that investigators had gathered information on him since January 2023, during which Spafford never threatened anyone.

“And what has he done during those two years?” Swartz said. “He purchased a home. He’s raised his children. He’s in a great marriage. He has a fantastic job, and those things all still exist for him.”

Investigators, however, said they had limited knowledge of the homemade bombs until an informant visited Spafford’s home, federal prosecutors wrote in a filing.

“But once the defendant stated on a recorded wire that he had an unstable primary explosive in the freezer in October 2024, the government moved swiftly,” prosecutors wrote.

Finley writes for the Associated Press.

Israel has launched a series of intense strikes on Damascus, Syria’s capital, intensifying a campaign it says is in support of an Arab minority group.

Syria, on Wednesday, strongly condemned Israeli attacks, denouncing the strikes as a “dangerous escalation.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Israel of pursuing a “deliberate policy” to  “inflame tensions, spread chaos and undermine security and stability in Syria”.

The strikes killed three people and injured 34, according to Syrian officials.

Here is what we know:

What happened in Syria on Wednesday?

Israel carried out a series of air strikes on central Damascus, hitting a compound that houses the Ministry of Defence and areas near the presidential palace.

The Israeli military also struck targets in southern Syria, where fighting between Druze groups, Bedouin tribes, and Syrian security forces has continued for more than four days. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 250 people have been killed in Suwayda province during the clashes.

Israel, which already occupies the Syrian Golan Heights, says its operations aim to protect the Druze minority – whom it considers potential allies – and to strike pro-government forces accused of attacking them. Syria rejected this and called the attack a “flagrant assault”.

Where did the attacks happen?

The main attacks focused on central Damascus: the Defence Ministry, military headquarters and areas surrounding the presidential palace. Additional strikes were carried out further south.

Syria’s Defence Ministry headquarters: The compound was struck several times, with two large strikes about 3pm (12:00pmGMT), including its entrance, causing structural damage and smoke rising visibly over the city.

“Israeli warplanes [were] circling the skies over the Syrian capital,” Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr said, reporting from Damascus. “There was panic in the city,” she added.

Near the presidential palace (Umayyad Square): Strikes also hit areas immediately around the presidential palace in central Damascus. Another air strike landed near the presidential palace in Damascus.

In a post on social media, Israel said “a military target was struck in the area of the Syrian regime’s Presidential Palace in the Damascus area”.

In the south: Israeli drones also targeted Syria’s city of Suwayda, a mainly Druze city close to the border with Jordan.

Why did Israel bomb Syria?

Israel’s air strikes followed days of deadly clashes in Suwayda between Syrian government forces and local Druze fighters. The violence began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between Druze fighters and local Bedouin tribes. When government troops intervened to restore order, they ended up clashing with Druze groups – and, in some cases, reportedly targeted civilians.

The Druze, a small but influential minority in both Syria and Israel, are seen in Israel as loyal allies, with many serving in the Israeli military. A ceasefire declared on Tuesday quickly collapsed, and fighting resumed the next day.

Suwayda’s Druze appear divided. One leader, Yasser Jarbou, declared that a ceasefire had been agreed with the Syrian government. Another, Hikmat al-Hijri, rejected any ceasefire. And many Druze in Syria do not want Israel to intervene on their behalf.

Israel has its own considerations and has been attempting to expand its control in southern Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December. Israel has shunned any attempts to come to a security agreement with Syria and has instead repeatedly bombed the country this year. Many analysts believe that Israel would prefer a weak Syria over a country it believes could potentially threaten it should it grow strong.

Intensifying attacks

Israel, citing a commitment to protect the Druze and prevent hostile forces from gaining ground near its borders, warned Wednesday it would escalate its operations unless Syrian troops withdrew from Suwayda. The province sits near both the Israeli and Jordanian borders, making it a key strategic zone.

“This is a significant escalation,” Khodr, Al Jazeera’s correspondent, said. “This is the Israeli leadership giving a very, very direct message to Syria’s new authorities that they will intensify such strikes … if the government does not withdraw its troops from southern Syria.”

As part of its campaign, Israeli forces struck the General Staff compound in Damascus, which it said was being used by senior commanders to direct operations against Druze forces in Suwayda.

Israeli officials said the strikes were also aimed at blocking the buildup of hostile forces near Israel’s frontier.

Shortly after the Damascus attacks, Syria’s Ministry of Interior announced a new ceasefire in Suwayda. According to state media, government troops began withdrawing from the area.

Syrian response

Syria condemned the Israeli strikes as a violation of international law, a stance echoed by several Arab governments.

Syria’s new government has been trying to assert control, but it has struggled to do so in Suwayda, in part due to repeated Israeli threats against any government military presence in the province.

“The Israelis are not going to allow the Syrian government to spread its authority all over the territory,” said Ammar Kahf, executive director of Omran Center for Strategic Studies, who is based in Damascus.

With the fall of al-Assad’s government and the infancy of a new one, Israel is trying to impose its will on the new leadership, he said.

“We are still in the early stages, but this requires all Syrians to come together. For a foreign government to come in and destroy public property and destroy safety and security is something that’s unexplainable,” Kahf told Al Jazeera.

The Syrian government has now announced that army forces will begin withdrawing from the city of Suwayda as part of a ceasefire agreement. It did not mention any pullout of other government security forces.

Israel’s military has carried out air attacks against Syrian forces sent to a southern region where sectarian fighting has left dozens of people dead. Israel says it was acting to protect the Druze community after gun battles in Suwayda. On Tuesday, the Syrian defence minister announced a ceasefire.