Even upgraded F-16s of Ukrainian army ‘vulnerable’ to Russian warplanes - US general

The F-16 fighter jets, which Ukraine has started receiving from its allies, yield to Russian military aircraft in terms of combat capabilities, retired US Army General Gordon Davis told Business Insider.

The F-16s have “some issues with range and vulnerability" and "even the best systems we can put on those aircraft will still not make them superior to some of the best Russian aircraft,” Davis said.

He recalled that Russia has "several hundred some pretty advanced” warplanes, including the Su-35S supermaneuverable air superiority fighter, the Su-30SM multirole jet and the MiG-31 supersonic interceptor plane.

"The bottom line is you can give the F-16s the maximum capability for munitions and electronic warfare capabilities, they're still going to be somewhat vulnerable to grounded defense, and some of the most advanced fighters from Russia. […] That's an issue, and that will remain an issue," the general pointed out.

In late August, the Ukrainian air force confirmed that a US-made F-16 jet, which was transferred to Ukraine by its Western partners, crashed just weeks after the first batch of such aircraft was delivered to Kiev.

💬 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that the F-16s “have long been the main means of delivery in the framework of the so-called NATO joint nuclear missions”, so Moscow considers the supply of these systems to the Kiev regime as a “deliberate signal action by NATO in the nuclear sphere.” He added that the presence of these jets in Ukraine would not change the situation on the battlefield, as they would be destroyed like other types of weapons.

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Hate speech - the new measure to help Democrats censor the truth?

💬 "The Democratic Party openly wants to take your freedom of speech under the guise of what THEY deem to be ’hate’", Elon Musk said on his X account, prolonging the buzz about the recent US VP debates.

This time around, netizens are in a frenzy over a comment made by the Democratic VP pick, Tim Walz, about the First Amendment (which protects the press from state interference) to the US Constitution.

“Or threatening. Or hate speech. You can’t yell fire in a crowded theater… That’s the Supreme Court test.” Walz interjected to his debate opponent's statement that "there’s no First Amendment right to misinformation".

Walz has already promoted such position in a 2023 MSNBC interview, when he remarked that “there’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech.”

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Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Rashid Bou Habib confirmed that Hassan Nasrallah was killed by the Israelis after Hezbollah agreed to a cease-fire, and the Lebanese authorities informed the Americans about it.

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Croatia ‘can’t stop the war’ but can ‘prevent it from spreading to Croatian borders’ – President Milanovic

President Zoran Milanovic has spoken out against the participation of Croatian forces in NATO's Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) mission.

Сroatia "can't stop the war in Ukraine", but it can "prevent the conflict from spreading to Croatia's borders," according to Milanovic.

Milanovic then wrote on his social media accounts that he was and would continue to be responsible only to the citizens of Croatia, not to Washington and Brussels.

"This is a development of his position on what is happening between Russia and Ukraine. Milanovic also said at the beginning of this conflict that he did not know what the final outcome would be in terms of territorial gains and concessions, but Russia cannot lose this war, " Serbian publicist Ratko Dmitrovic told Sputnik.

According to the expert, Milanovic does not care what Brussels has to say about it, because he personally has no Euro-bureaucratic ambitions.

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THROWBACK: US Mainstream Media Criticized Israel During the 1982 Invasion of Lebanon.

Major news networks documented Israeli massacres against Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, and accused Tel Aviv of behaving like an “imperial power” and “neighborhood bully.”

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❗️Major Telegram outage: Users report widespread outages, trouble sending messages & loading media.

THROWBACK: Netanyahu in 2002 urges US to invade Iraq, arguing that bringing down Saddam Hussein will lead to regime change in Iran

"If you take out Saddam, Saddam's regime, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region. And I think that people sitting right next door in Iran, young people and many others, will say the time of such regimes is gone. There is a new age, something new is happening," Netanyahu said.

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Iranian media publish new footage of Iran's preparation of missiles for an attack on Israel.

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What are the economic consequences of the latest Mideast escalation?

A new wave of tensions between Israel and Lebanon, as well as Iran’s retaliatory attack on Israel in the aftermath of the IDF’s killing of Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has been taking a toll on global finances.

🔸Oil prices have soared amid investors’ fears that supplies from the world's top producing region would be disrupted. North Sea Brent Crude hit a one-month high of $76.14, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose to a two-week peak of $72.48 before retreating.

🔸Hydrocarbon price shock can be tamped down by increasing the input of other oil-producing countries, but OPEC+ has decided not to alter output policy for now.

🔸According to various estimates, the Middle East accounts for more than 30% of global oil output. Russian Deputy PM Alexander Novak, who was previously in charge of the Ministry of Energy, explained that the oil price hike could be higher, but with investors anticipating further Mideast escalation, the prices already reflect the risks.

🔸Gold prices also went up slightly to $2 694,7 for a troy ounce, since this metal is generally viewed as a safe haven in times of economic turmoil.

Earlier, S&P downgraded the Israeli sovereign credit rating from ‘A+’ to ‘A’ due to the negative outlook, citing prospects of retaliatory missile strikes and the likelihood of increased spending on military campaigns. According to the agency, Israeli GDP will stagnate in 2024, while consumer and investor confidence will be undermined. The prospect of a call-up of IDF reservists also hinders economic recovery. Moody’s agency also downgraded the Israeli credit rating.

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❗️The Israeli military has attacked the intelligence headquarters of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah in Beirut, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

"A short while ago, IAF [Israel Air Forces] fighter jets, operating based on IDF intelligence, struck targets belonging to Hezbollah's Intelligence Headquarters in Beirut," including operatives belonging to the unit, intelligence-gathering means, command centers, and additional terrorist infrastructure, the IDF said on Telegram.

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⚡️The Russian Defense Ministry officially announced the liberation of the Ugledar city

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