🇮🇷 Top 5 Iranian weapons that strike terror in enemies’ hearts

The IRGC launch of a series of ballistic missile and drone strikes at terrorist and Mossad targets in Syria, Iraq and Pakistan Monday and Tuesday, with the Syria attack involving the use of a missile which traveled over 1,230 km to its destination. The strikes once again showed off the capabilities of the Iranian defense industry’s ability to create top-notch military hardware. Ballistic missiles are one of the Islamic Republic’s strong suits, but certainly not the only one.

▪️ Fattah-1 is a maneuverable hypersonic missile that can accelerate to blazing fast speeds up to Mach 15, and which is powered by a two-stage solid fuel engine. The missile’s unveiling put Iran into a small club of nations with hypersonic capabilities (which excludes the US). If produced in sufficient numbers, the Fattah-1 will give Iran the capability to cut through enemy air defenses, no matter how sophisticated, like a hot knife through butter.

▪️Abu Mahdi is a 6 meter-long anti-ship cruise missile packed with 410 kg of high explosive. The missile operates at subsonic speeds of approximately 900 km per hour, and has a range of over 1,000 km – nearly triple that of previous generations of Iranian naval cruise missile designs.

▪️Mohajer-10 is a new generation heavy, high endurance, long-range reconnaissance, strike, and electronic warfare drone. The small plane-sized UAV has a 300 kg payload, a 2,000 km range, and a maximum flight altitude of up to 7 km.

▪️Sevom Khordad is a homegrown air defense system designed to strike enemy missiles, drones and aircraft at long ranges. Its missiles have a range of up to 200 km, and its radars and targeting computer can detect up to 100 targets simultaneously at distances up to 350 km. In June 2019, Iran shot down a stealthy $180 million US RQ-4A Global Hawk surveillance drone over Iranian airspace in the Hormuz Strait, using the Sevom Khordad to do it.

▪️Sayyad is a tiny Iranian tracked armored vehicle that packs a serious punch. The 4.9m x 2.2m x 2.1m vehicle can be fitted with a heavy machinegun, anti-tank missile launchers or 77mm rocket launchers, and is nimble enough to accelerate to up to 95 km per hour on the highway.

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The main topics of the day which we managed to cover for you:

▪️Is the Korean Peninsula on the brink of a new escalation?

▪️What message Iran’s Pakistan strikes sent to US, Israel and their terror proxies?

▪️Top 5 Iranian weapons that strike terror in enemies’ hearts

▪️What is known about British mercenary Aiden Aslin, who was captured by Russia in 2022, sentenced to death in the DPR, and later released as part of a prisoner exchange, has again been spotted in the special operation zone? Check our exclusive report

▪️When Western-centric world will finally change and embrace multipolar order suggested by BRICS and Global South?

❗️ Ukraine’s President Zelensky admitted that there are no military-industrial complex resources in the world adequate enough for Ukraine to withstand a war with the Russian army.

"There is no sufficient production volume in the world today, using artillery as an example, sufficient for the Ukrainian army to withstand a war with the Russian army," Zelensky complained.

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❗️ The Russian air defence systems destroyed two Ukrainian Tochka-U missiles and three drones over the Bryansk region, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.

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Check out AfroVedicts latest podcast, where the host talks to the leader of a lawsuit against the US and UK for their complicity in Israel's actions in Gaza, to discuss the details of the case and the impact it could have on the international community.

All you need to know about the global economy today

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The Houthi rebels in Yemen have attacked another ship of the United States in the Gulf of Aden amid the ongoing operation against the movement launched by the US and the UK, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Wednesday.

According to the spokesman's post on X (formerly Twitter), the Houthis have targeted a US cargo ship identified as Genco Picardy in the Gulf of Aden, which has been hit with several "naval missiles, leaving direct hits."

The spokesman said the movement "will not hesitate to target all sources of threat in the Arab and Red Seas," adding that "a retaliation to the American and British attacks is unavoidable."

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NATO official Rob Bauer warned “the tectonic plates of power are shifting,” at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday amidst Russia’s continued dominance in the Donbass region.

“We need a warfighting transformation of NATO,” said the head of NATO’s committee of military chiefs as the military bloc urges member states to devote more resources to weapons spending. However, cracks have emerged in the alliance’s united front as Western sanctions designed to harm Russia have instead devastated European economies.

Despite its frequent portrayal as a defensive alliance, NATO played a key role in Western wars in Afghanistan, Libya, and Yugoslavia. The coalition also contributed to the clandestine “Operation Gladio” program which saw the CIA fund fascist and neo-Nazi fighters in Europe.

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The German parliament has rejected a resolution calling for the immediate supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, German media reported on Wednesday.

Many lawmakers from the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) voted against the resolution despite having continuously called for deliveries of Taurus missiles to Kiev in the past, German broadcaster n-tv reported. Their decision was mainly driven by their unwillingness to support the opposition as well as the fact that the resolution was proposed for parliamentary discussion of the annual report of the Commissioner for German Bundeswehr Affairs.

On Tuesday, CDU leader Friedrich Merz described the position of Ukrainian troops on the battleground as "critical." Kiev has "no prospect" of pushing Russian forces back to reverse their gains, Merz was quoted as saying by the n-tv broadcaster.

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Three tetanus deaths have been recorded in Ukraine, while the number measles cases is also growing, Ukrainian TV has reported.

The regional Center for Disease Prevention in Chernovtsy stated that cases of tetanus had been recorded in this region - there are already six confirmed cases, three of which were fatal - for the first time in 24 years. According to a local healthcare center representative, the problem is the lack of vaccines.

In turn, the Odessa regional administration reported an increase in measles cases for the first time in three years, reportedly for the same reason: a lack of vaccines.

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❗️The Russian air defenses repelled a drone attack near Moscow, no destruction or casualties were reported, the Russian capital's mayor Sergey Sobyanin said.

“This night, air defense forces in the urban district of Podolsk repelled an attack by a drone flying towards Moscow. According to preliminary data, there was no destruction or casualties at the site where the debris fell. Emergency services specialists are working at the scene,” Sobyanin wrote on Telegram.

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US House Speaker Mike Johnson after attending a meeting with President Joe Biden on his supplemental request told reporters that Congress needs a clearer explanation from the Biden administration about its strategy in Ukraine, the endgame, and accountability for US funds. He also added that US border security must be the top priority.

"We understand the necessity about Ukraine funding and we want to say that the status quo is unacceptable," Johnson said on Wednesday. "We need the Commander-in-Chief of this country, the President of the United States, to show strength on the world stage,and not weakness. We cannot continue with the current status quo."

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Specs of Fortress Buster missile Iran uses to strike fear into hearts of terrorists

Iran fired four new Kheibar Shekan (‘Castle Buster’ or ‘Fortress Buster’) ballistic missiles from Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran toward jihadist-controlled Idlib province in Syria on Monday, with the missiles traveling at least 1,230 km to reach their target. That's the furthest Iran's missiles have ever flown in combat. The missiles’ targets? Jihadist bases and training centers used to plot terror attacks against Iran.

The Kheibar Shekan is among the deadliest long-range strike means in Iran’s arsenal, with Monday’s operation confirming the country’s capabilities in the eyes of regional adversaries and the United States.

Here are the missile’s characteristics.

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The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that a US-owned bulk carrier was struck by Yemen's Houthis in the Gulf of Aden.

"At approximately 8:30 pm (Sanaa time) Jan. 17, an assessed one-way attack UAV [drone] was launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen and struck M/V Genco Picardy in the Gulf of Aden. M/V Genco Picardy is a Marshall Islands-flagged, US-owned and operated bulk carrier ship," CENTCOM said via the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

The ship remained seaworthy and continued its trip with no injuries, but some material damage was reported, CENTCOM said.

The Houthis vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. This led US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to announce the creation of a multinational operation to "secure navigation in the Red Sea".

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Russian air defenses intercepted Ukrainian aircraft-type drones over the Moscow and Leningrad regions, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“At about 1:30 a.m. Moscow time [2230 GMT Wednesday], an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles on facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped. Air defense systems on duty destroyed one unmanned aerial vehicle over the Moscow Region and intercepted another one over the Leningrad Region,” the ministry said.

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❗️ Sputnik has exposed a number of foreign mercenaries fighting for the Kiev regime:

▪️ Macer Gifford, an ex-UK officer serving as a part of 131st Recon Battalion known as Vidmak.

▪️ Richard Woodruff, hailing from the UK, is involved in constructing drones and delivering them to Ukrainian soldiers.

▪️ Ryan O'Leary, a former Iowa National Guard, is now commanding a mercenary group called "Chosen Company" in the Ukrainian army near Avdeevka.

▪️ Denis Desyatnik, a former IDF special forces officer, was regularly presented in the Ukrainian media as a lieutenant colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine.

▪️ Ethan Hertweck, a US mercenary eliminated in Avdeevka, came to Ukraine as an instructor with Trident Defense Initiative.

▪️ Ariah Ben Yehudah, a retired Israeli police officer, decided to join the Ukrainian army's Foreign Legion unit in March 2022.

▪️ Alex Gallant, a Canadian mercenary, military instructor and CEO of PMC ‘Universal Guardian,’ has been training IDF troops in Israel, as of November.

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