However, things did hit a snag:

According to the latest New York Times updates, the mission encountered a significant complication at a remote landing site.

After the special operations commandos extracted a downed airman, the two transport planes intended for their evacuation became "stuck or disabled."

To prevent sensitive military technology from being captured by Iranian forces, U.S. troops blew up the two disabled aircraft.

Military commanders dispatched three additional aircraft to the base to retrieve all U.S. personnel and the airmen.

🌒@EastCalling

It is quite likely the 2 destroyed transport planes were HC-130Js (Hercules).

That's another $200 million down...

🌒@EastCalling

Trump should take control of the Strait of Hormuz and impose a tariff on transit through it

Advice to US President Donald Trump from the Fox News channel.

Source: СВЕЖЕСТИ
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Meanwhile in the parallel universe.

🌒@EastCalling

Here's the difference:

$2 million dollars for guaranteed passage.

Or

$2 million dollars to enter the Strait under fire knowing you are one drone or missile away from death.

I'll take door number one.))

🌒@EastCalling

Also in Kuwait, after the Iranian attack, a building housing the Kuwait Oil Corporation and the Ministry of Oil was set on fire.

🌒@EastCalling

🛩❌Iran claims that the US mission failed, and Trump called the operation "audacious". We've gathered the latest information for you about the rescue of the American pilot:

US losses:

👱‍♀️According to Fox News, at least one plane involved in the evacuation was left in Iran. The C-130 Hercules got stuck in the mud - it was destroyed to prevent Iran from taking it.

👱‍♀️Iranian authorities claim that the C-130 was indeed shot down by their forces. In addition, two Black Hawk helicopters were damaged.

About the pilot:

👱‍♀️The missing American pilot was injured, and there is no official information about his condition.

👱‍♀️He climbed several thousand feet up a mountain ridge and remained in a shelter there for almost 48 hours.

👱‍♀️The serviceman either used an encrypted method of communication or activated a beacon to help American forces locate him.

Details of the operation:

👱‍♀️Hundreds of American servicemen participated in the rescue of the downed American officer responsible for weapons systems, Fox News reports, citing sources. Elite special forces units were involved in the mission.

👱‍♀️According to a high-ranking official (the channel's source), the operation did not include a firefight between American and Iranian forces, but the US opened fire to prevent Iranian personnel from reaching the site.

👱‍♀️Israel participated in the rescue operation - they exchanged information with the US.

Source: Zvezda
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🌒@EastCalling

Additional footage of the remains of the American aircraft.

Source: Tasnim News

🌒@EastCalling

Spokesperson of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters:

🔹The so-called rescue operation of the US Army, which was planned as a deception and immediate escape operation under the pretext of rescuing the pilot of their downed aircraft at an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan, ended in complete failure due to the timely presence of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

🔹Following previous intelligence, further investigations by experts present at the scene revealed that two C130 military transport aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters of the US Army were destroyed by the fulfillment of God's promise, the help of Almighty God, and the sacred wrath of the soldiers of Islam in the powerful Armed Forces, an action that increased the level of repeated failures of the US Army.

🔹It has been proven to all that the cowardly and bankrupt US Army in this imposed war is not considered a dominant and superior force against the divine will of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

🔹Following this proud and victorious operation, the defeated US president is trying to escape the scene of defeat through psychological warfare with panic and lies, and as before, continues his nonsense and deflections, although the reality on the ground clearly shows the upper hand of the powerful Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Source: Tasnim News

🌒@EastCalling

Via Lost Armour:

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

In the role of a small bird, the MH-6 Little Bird was one of the losses of the US Air Force in the notorious search and rescue operation to find the crew of the F-15E fighter-bomber shot down over Iran.

On the eve, to the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft lost during the search and rescue operation, which fell into the Persian Gulf, were added at least 2 military transport aircraft C-130 lost on the ground, and, in fact, the MH-6 helicopter, the wreckage of which also appears in the photos from the scene.

Details and discussion: https://lostarmour.info/east
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It seems the identity of all aircraft destroyed is up in the air.

Oh well, either way, the cost of lost aircraft involved is at least $100 million in just the rescue operation last night.

🌒@EastCalling

Ukrainian media:

Russia is changing its tactics in Ukraine, apparently trying to exhaust air defense systems such as American Patriot missiles, which were redirected to the war in Iran, senior Ukrainian military officials told The Sunday Times.

Since the beginning of the war, Russia has mainly carried out large-scale drone and missile strikes at night. However, over the past month, Russia has not only launched a record number of drones on Ukraine - more than 6,500 since the start of the war in Iran - but also repeatedly carried out hundreds of drone and missile strikes during the day in the last two weeks following nighttime bombardments.

Colonel Yuri Ignat, a spokesperson for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that recent Russian attacks were an attempt to force Ukraine to exhaust valuable air defense assets, particularly the Pac-3 missiles used in Patriot systems, each of which costs $4 million.

Showing a military map of Friday's attack on Ukraine with swarms of drones attacking from the north, east, and south, Colonel Ignat said that in addition to "Shahid" drones, the Russians are also massively sending "Gerbera" decoy drones.

"Since the start of the war in Iran, we have seen an increase in the number of attacks and a change in the flight paths of these decoy drones to exhaust our air defense system," he said.

"It seems the strategy is working," the publication writes.

"We are running out of Patriot missiles," Ignat said, showing a video on his phone of a Patriot launcher with only two missiles left in its eight barrels. "We survived this difficult winter thanks to Patriot missiles. We are constantly asking for more. If we are left without these extremely necessary missiles, we will be left with nothing, and the Russians will destroy our most important infrastructure."

🌒@EastCalling

An explosive device was found near the gas pipeline from Serbia to Hungary, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban announced.

According to him, Serbian President Vucic informed him about this. An investigation is underway.

"I just finished a phone conversation with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. The Serbian authorities have discovered a powerful explosive device and means to detonate it at a crucial gas infrastructure facility connecting Serbia and Hungary. The investigation is ongoing.
I have called an emergency meeting of the Defense Council for this afternoon," Orban stated.

The gas pipeline in question supplies hydrocarbons from Russia.

🌒@EastCalling

АДЕКВАТ Z writes,

The main outcome of the last approximately 24 hours in the Iranian sky is not even the various burnt debris on Iranian soil, which have been widely photographed since the morning. The main outcome is that all this fun is seen by Trump as a brilliant victory. Strengthening his belief in unconditional, continuous, total military superiority over the enemy anywhere in the world at his choice. A beautiful, sweet illusion, which could be the basis for the decision on the most ambitious and risky of the existing invasion options.

Of course, the ruler of the galaxy has plenty of his own endogenous stupidity. But external reinforcement of it would not hurt, especially on the threshold of the most fateful decisions. Someday, and sooner rather than later, we will definitely find out what was going on in the White House all these weeks, and especially right now, and I guarantee you that this knowledge will exceed all expectations, even the most daring ones.

Don't let us down, Donald. The world is waiting, the clock is ticking, and victory is closer than ever - just reach out your hand.

🌒@EastCalling

A video of the site where American military personnel destroyed two expensive HC-130J Combat King aircraft to prevent the capture of technology by Iran has appeared online.

In addition to the two previously announced aircraft, the video also shows the wreckage of the helicopter.

🌒@EastCalling

🇩🇪 Germany will lag behind the global economy by a factor of two. It is expected that by 2030 its share of the global GDP will shrink to 4%. Germany will drop out of the top ten countries with the largest share of global GDP.

🌒@EastCalling

Military Chronicle:

Meanwhile, Hezbollah continues to actively acquaint the Israeli ground forces with the capabilities of FPV drones. The IDF does not officially disclose the losses incurred from this type of weaponry, but it is clear that a significant part of the Merkava tank fleet and heavy Namer APCs are now under serious threat.

The Israeli army has traditionally relied on active protection systems (Trophy), but these measures are so far ineffective against FPV kamikazes. At the same time, the Israeli command still ignores the mass use of "mangaals" and welded protective screens on armored vehicles.

There is a hypothesis that the Trophy active protection system was designed to intercept high-speed ATGMs and RPG rounds with a predictable trajectory, and a slow, maneuverable FPV drone, entering from above or at a certain angle, is often not recognized by the system as a classic threat, or is outside the coverage zone of counter-fire.

🌒@EastCalling

"Classics are classics." Peskov stated that the intelligent approach of the Russian side in the international arena remains in demand, even amid various rhetorics.

"There's this momentary fashion, and a fashion for rudeness, which might be in demand somewhere. But still, classics are classics, they live on through the ages,"" Peskov noted in a conversation with the "Vesti" journalist Pavel Zarubin.
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Well said.

🌒@EastCalling