Free Republic 3rd Qtr 2026 Fundraising Target: $81,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $16,608
20%  
Woo hoo!! And now only $402 to reach 21%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.

War (News/Activism)

Brevity: Headers | « Text »
  • US military has used up nearly 80% of key missile interceptors as commanders warn stockpiles ‘dangerously low,’ sources say

    08/04/2026 3:37:08 PM PDT · by McGruff · 102 replies
    CNN ^ | Aug 4, 2026 | By Zachary Cohen Zachary Cohen , Jim Sciutto Jim Sciutto , Haley Britzky Haley Britzky
    The US military has exhausted nearly 80% of its interceptors for a key missile defense system as senior US military commanders are warning that the Pentagon’s munitions stockpile is “dangerously low,” according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Stockpiles of key air defense systems have been particularly depleted during the war with Iran. The US military has burned through nearly four-fifths of its THAAD missile inventory compared to pre-war numbers and roughly half of its Patriot interceptors since the start of the war, according to two sources familiar with the latest inventory report. The disclosure of the low THAAD...
  • Why Trump is downplaying reports Russia and China are helping Iran

    08/04/2026 7:34:32 AM PDT · by Red6 · 59 replies
    FOX ^ | August 4, 2026 | Morgan Phillips
    President Donald Trump cast doubt in recent days on allegations that Russia is helping Iran target U.S. forces, even as members of his own administration acknowledge Moscow and Beijing are supporting Tehran in other ways. Trump dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's claim that Russia supplied Iran with satellite imagery of U.S. military installations in the Gulf, saying any assistance would have been "very unimpactful" given the damage inflicted on Iran's military. "We’ll find out if that’s true. I’ll ask Putin. We’ll find out," Trump told reporters at the end of July.
  • Dr. Kedar to Arutz Sheva: If you're going to make a deal with Hamas, this is how

    08/03/2026 8:17:29 AM PDT · by Eleutheria5 · 28 replies
    Arutz Sheva ^ | 3/8/26 | Dr. Mordechai Kedar
    The possibility of an agreement with Hamas is reigniting the question of whether Israel is repeating past mistakes when it puts trust in a terrorist organization that some say sees deals as merely a tactical means and not a binding obligation. In an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Middle East expert Dr. Mordechai Kedar warns that the safest way to avoid falling into a trap is to refrain from signing deals with Hamas. "They have a long history of violating agreements," he said. "As far as they're concerned, particularly when it comes to non-Muslims, deception, hiding, stalling for time,...
  • Trump climbs down on Iran strikes after Saudi alarm and threats from Tehran

    08/01/2026 10:31:57 PM PDT · by McGruff · 90 replies
    The Guardian ^ | Aug 2, 2026
    Donald Trump said on Saturday night that the US would hold off on any new strikes on Iran provided a deal to end the months-long conflict is quickly reached – marking the president’s latest climbdown from extravagant threats to hit the Tehran regime hard. The Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Saturday to express concerns about his strike plans, it was reported. Trump’s reversal also came after Iran threatened to retaliate decisively against its neighbours in the event of US strikes, while Kuwait reported being hit by Iranian drones on Saturday and two ships were attacked off...
  • Russian advance along the Ukrainian front has been steadily declining since November 2025

    08/01/2026 6:50:39 PM PDT · by Red6 · 198 replies
    eunews ^ | 25 May 2026 | Cosimo Firenzani
    In April 2026, the Russian military lost 116 km²: this is the first monthly decline recorded by the Institute for the Study of War since the summer of 2023, when the territory controlled by Moscow had reached an all-time low of 26,573 km² following Kyiv’s counter-offensive
  • Weapons stockpile shortages impacting military strategy in the Mideast

    07/31/2026 5:42:04 PM PDT · by McGruff · 74 replies
    Fox News ^ | July 31, 2026 | Jennifer Griffin
    The Pentagon is confronting a growing reality after months of fighting Iran: America's stockpile of missile defense interceptors. It is shrinking so much, military planners are weighing whether they can continue the current cycle of limited retaliatory strikes. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, using open-source budget numbers provided to Congress, estimates U.S. Patriot interceptor inventories have fallen from roughly 2,300 pre-war to fewer than 827. THAAD interceptor inventories have also dropped from 452 to fewer than 278. CSIS warns rebuilding those stockpiles could take three years or more, raising concerns about protecting U.S. forces and bases worldwide if...
  • U.S., Israel preparing to bombard energy-related targets in Iran, sources say

    07/31/2026 2:53:02 PM PDT · by Theoria · 40 replies
    CBS News ^ | 31 July 2026 | Margaret Brennan, Jennifer Jacobs and James Porta
    The United States and Israel are planning what would be one of the harshest bombing campaigns to date against energy infrastructure targets in Iran, multiple sources told CBS News, with strikes possible throughout the weekend. There was some discussion about trying to conclude by the time financial markets open Monday because of concern about how the bombings will affect the U.S. and global economy, but an end point wasn't locked in. The Israelis have been notified and are coordinating with the United States, according to multiple U.S. sources. The president has yet to give the final go orders for the...
  • Iranian agents cut protester's royalist tattoos before killing him

    07/30/2026 2:35:36 PM PDT · by MeanWestTexan · 36 replies
    Iran International ^ | 30 July 2026 | Farnoosh Faraji
    Iranian security agents allegedly cut away skin bearing tattoos of Reza Shah and an imperial crown before killing a 21-year-old protester before later shooting him dead, according to sources close to his family. The sources told Iran International that Amirhossein Nobakht Pardasti was wounded by pellet fire and detained during the January protests at around 10 p.m. on January 8 near 30-Metri Street in Bagher Shahr, south of Tehran. They said he was taken to hospital, where agents used blades and box cutters to remove skin and flesh bearing the tattoos before shooting him dead in what they described as...
  • A teenage girl’s last act of defiance against Iran’s regime

    07/30/2026 2:29:15 PM PDT · by MeanWestTexan · 22 replies
    Iran International ^ | 30 July 2026 | Farnoosh Faraji
    Sixteen-year old Yalda Mohammadkhani was shot dead as she fled with her parents and younger sister from masked security forces on motorcycles during protests in Tehran on January 9, informed sources told Iran International. Hours earlier, she was at the front of the crowd, chanting “Long live the Shah,” kicking away a tear-gas canister and urging fellow protesters not to be afraid. It was Yalda's second consecutive day protesting. On January 8, she had joined demonstrations in the Kanal area of Fardis, west of the Iranian capital, with her father and younger sister before returning home after heavy tear gas...
  • As Iran conflict enters 6th month, Saudi and Israeli leaders try to shape Trump's decisions

    07/30/2026 2:20:48 PM PDT · by McGruff · 73 replies
    CBS News ^ | July 30, 2026
    President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu estimated the intense part of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran would last four to six weeks. It is now entering the sixth month without a decisive military victory or a diplomatic breakthrough. Now, as Mr. Trump weighs his next steps and the future of roughly 50,000 U.S. troops across the Middle East, two of Washington's closest regional partners are pressing the president with sharply different visions for how the conflict should proceed. The president received input Wednesday from his partner in this war, Netanyahu, as well as from Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin...
  • Ukraine envoy’s SOS: Need missiles

    07/30/2026 1:25:55 PM PDT · by McGruff · 31 replies
    The Washington Times ^ | July 30, 2026 | Mike Glenn
    Ukraine has succeeded in every combat domain except for ballistic missiles, which remain a critical gap in Kyiv’s arsenal against Russia, the Ukrainian envoy to the U.S. said Thursday. The ambassador, Olga Stefanishyna, noted that President Trump gave Ukraine the green light to manufacture its own interceptors for the Patriot missile system. That timeline could range from 12 months to five years before a domestic Patriot missile could be deployed, and she said that means trouble. “This winter we need missiles,” Ms. Stefanishyna said. “So many people will die over the winter” without them.
  • NATO Says Russian Missile Hit Poland During Ukraine Attack

    07/30/2026 8:45:09 AM PDT · by McGruff · 26 replies
    NY Times ^ | July 30, 2026 | Lara Jakes and Constant Méheut
    A Russian missile crashed in Poland on Thursday during an overnight assault on neighboring Ukraine, NATO said, an event that could risk bringing Russia closer to direct confrontation with the Western military alliance, to which Poland belongs. Mark Rutte, the NATO secretary general, said the incident was a “violation of Poland’s airspace by a Russian missile” and vowed to strengthen alliance defenses. The missile — which the Polish authorities originally called an “unidentified object” — struck a field in southeastern Poland, causing no injuries. On Thursday morning, Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland told an emergency meeting that the missile...
  • Egypt Confirms Iranian Drone Hit US Tankers at Damietta Port

    07/30/2026 4:33:16 AM PDT · by MeanWestTexan · 38 replies
    JFeed ^ | 30 July 2026 | Ariel Sharfer
    Egyptian officials have officially confirmed that an Iranian drone strike was responsible for damaging two US energy tankers at the port of Damietta. Following the strike, the United States carried out limited conventional air raids, opting against a broader military escalation despite warnings of a much harsher response. Egyptian authorities officially confirmed Thursday that an explosion damaging two American energy tankers at Damietta Port was caused by an Iranian drone strike. Egyptian officials emphasized that an investigation into the incident remains underway, noting that no group has formally claimed responsibility for the operation. The official confirmation from Cairo follows statements...
  • Get Aligned or Get Left Behind at the Pentagon

    07/29/2026 2:56:23 PM PDT · by GrootheWanderer · 18 replies
    Cato At Liberty ^ | July 29, 2026 | Tad DeHaven
    A LinkedIn post shared by George Kollitides, head of the Pentagon’s Economic Defense Unit (EDU), gives it a more troubling meaning. The post by a mining executive described Washington as the “state as limited partner” and declared that “sovereign backing is now a competitive variable.” Companies receiving federal equity investments or debt guarantees, it says, “will have easier access to offtake agreements, permitting support, and follow-on institutional capital.” Meanwhile, “projects without state alignment will face higher hurdles, regardless of grade or jurisdiction.” Those words came from the mining executive, but Kollitides chose to amplify them. Read alongside Feinberg’s warning, they...
  • Drone hits US-owned gas tanker at Egyptian port named in Iranian threat

    07/29/2026 11:57:15 AM PDT · by MeanWestTexan · 24 replies
    Ynet Global ^ | 29 July 2026 | Lior Ben Ari
    A drone struck the U.S.-owned gas tanker Energos Winter at Egypt’s Damietta port on Wednesday evening, setting it ablaze before the flames spread to a second tanker, Gaslog Salem, according to Reuters and maritime security firm Ambrey. Two security sources told Reuters that the tankers were hit by a drone, while three shipping industry sources identified Energos Winter as the vessel struck. Ambrey said the crews were evacuated and the fire was brought under control. No casualties were reported, and no country or organization has claimed responsibility. Damietta, located in the northern Nile Delta, had been named by Iranian television...
  • Explosions Strike US Owned Gas Tanker Off Northern Egyptian Coast

    07/29/2026 11:33:31 AM PDT · by MeanWestTexan · 46 replies
    JFeed ^ | 29 July 2026 | Eliana Fleming
    An explosion hit a liquefied natural gas terminal at Egypt's Damietta Port on Wednesday evening during cargo discharge operations, with maritime security officials suspecting an unmanned aerial vehicle attack. Maritime security firm Ambrey reported that a drone struck the American owned, Marshall Islands flagged floating storage tanker Energos Winter, causing a fire that subsequently spread to a second vessel, Gaslog Salem. Shipping agent Inchcape Shipping Services stated that affected vessels were moved outside the port area while emergency crews contained the flames, allowing other berths to resume operations. The incident follows a target map published by Iranian state television identifying...
  • Kataib Hezbollah vows retaliation after US-Saudi strikes kill Iranian advisers in Iraq

    07/29/2026 9:17:35 AM PDT · by MeanWestTexan · 16 replies
    Ynet Global ^ | 29 July 2026 | Staff
    US-Saudi airstrikes targeting the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq killed 20 people, including several Iranian military advisers, according to sources within the Iran-aligned alliance and Iranian media. Two sources within the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, told AFP that five Iranian advisers were among those killed in a strike in the central province of Diyala. AFP journalists reported seeing coffins draped in Iranian flags during funerals organized by the PMF in Baghdad. Iran’s Hamshahri newspaper separately reported that four military advisers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in the overnight strikes. Iranian authorities had not officially confirmed the...
  • Iran’s Araghchi says assured Ukrainian attack was ‘unintentional’

    07/28/2026 4:35:30 PM PDT · by McGruff · 14 replies
    Aljazeera ^ | July 28, 2026
    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he was reassured in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha that Ukraine’s attack on an Iranian ship “was unintentional and Ukraine seeks no escalation”. In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that “Iran does not seek escalation either, but made clear any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable”. “There must be restitution for losses,” he said. Sybiha earlier described the call as “frank” and “direct”.
  • Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq attacked by drones despite lull in US-Iran fighting

    07/28/2026 4:00:42 PM PDT · by MeanWestTexan · 26 replies
    Times of Israel ^ | 27 July 2026 | Staff
    Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Iraq reported drone attacks in their territory Monday amid a lull in US air strikes against Iran, after nearly two weeks of fighting between both sides. The Israel Defense Forces said Monday morning that it shot down two drones over the Jordan border, near the Dead Sea, adding that the drones did not cross into Israeli territory. Their origin was under investigation, the army said. Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry, meanwhile, said it shot down drones aimed at petroleum targets, some in its eastern province and others in the capital Riyadh. It said the drones had...
  • Leaked Pakistani Intelligence Document: US Troop Build Up Enables Sudden Invasion Capability in Southern Iran

    07/28/2026 3:10:06 PM PDT · by MeanWestTexan · 25 replies
    JFeed ^ | 28 July 2026 | Eliana Fleming
    A leaked intelligence document from Pakistan central intelligence indicates that expanding United States troop concentrations near the Persian Gulf provide capabilities for a sudden limited invasion of southern Iran. A leaked intelligence document originating from Pakistan central intelligence agency and shared with Arab media indicates that the concentration of United States military forces in the Middle East provides President Donald Trump with operational capabilities to execute a sudden invasion of southern Iran. The intelligence assessment, compiled from direct military observations and electronic surveillance, indicates that American naval, air, and ground deployments near Iranian territory expand daily. This force build up...