Russian, Egyptian Navies Held Joint Exercise In Mediterranean Sea
South Front, Jun 16 2024
Warships from the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet and others from the Egyptian Navy had held a joint exercise in the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Jun 16. Varyag missile cruiser and Marshal Shaposhnikov frigate of the Pacific Fleet and Egypt’s ENS Al-Qadeer frigate took part in the exercise. The Russian warships arrived in the port of Alexandria earlier in the week on a visit that was timed to coincide with Russia Day. The joint exercise with the Egyptian Navy was a practical step in the sphere of strengthening Russian-Egyptian naval cooperation, the ministry said in a statement. it added:
The participants of the exercise worked out the formation of a squad of warships in the designated area, joint tactical maneuvering in various formations, conducted communications training, and provided flights for deck helicopters.
The joint exercise ended with a farewell ceremony, during which the ships of the two countries parted on opposite courses to the sound of sirens. The joint exercise highlights the Russian Navy’s growing presence in the Mediterranean Sea, which was dominated by NATO just a decade ago. The establishment of the permanent task force of the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea in 2013 and the country’s military campaign against terrorist groups in Syria that began two years later, along with the establishment of the naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus, played a key role in expanding Russia’s maritime operations in the vital sea. Earlier this month, the Russian Navy held a joint exercise with the Syrian military at Tartus Naval Base, demonstrating their commitment to a lasting presence in the Mediterranean Sea.
Israeli Army Admits 11 Soldiers Were Killed In Gaza
South Front, Jun 16 2024
The IOF has acknowledged the death of 11 troops as a result of attacks in the Gaza Strip in less than 24 hours. On Jun 15, the IDF said that eight troops from the Combat Engineering Corps’ 601st Battalion were killed in an attack claimed by the Hamas Movement in the southern Gaza area of Rafah. According to an initial IDF probe the troops were killed inside a Namer armored combat engineering vehicle that came under attack by an explosive device or an anti-tank missile. There were no survivors. Separately on the same day, the IDF said that a soldier seriously wounded earlier in the week in Rafah succumbed to his wounds. The soldier, who was serving in the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, was wounded in a blast in a booby-trapped building on Jun 10, in an incident that killed four other soldiers and wounded six, including four seriously.
And on Jun 16, the IDF said that two reservists from the 8th Reserve Armored Brigade’s 129th Battalion were killed when their tank came under attack in northern Gaza over the weekend. The two were killed by an explosive device detonated against their tank, an initial probe found. Two other soldiers in the tank were seriously wounded by the blast, according to the IDF. These deaths brought the toll of slain Israeli troops in ground operations in Gaza and along its border to 311. The toll includes a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission. A civilian Defense Ministry contractor was also killed in the Strip. More than 1,900 others have been wounded in Gaza during the same period. Some are reportedly still in a critical condition. Hamas’ military wing, the Izz’al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which was responsible for most recent Israeli casualties, released on Jun 15 videos showing its fighters clashing with Israeli troops in Rafah and shelling IDF gatherings in the occupied Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, which splits the Strip in half.
On the Palestinian side, the death toll from the Israeli war reached 37,296 with more than 85,197 others wounded, according to the latest statement by the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. Women and children make up most of the casualties. Faced with military failure and increasing international pressure, the IOF announced on Jun 16 that it will carry out a daily “tactical pause of military activity” in southern Gaza to enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to Palestinians. The IOF said that the pause will take place between 8 am and 7 pm local time every day along a road that leads from the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Salah a-Din road, and then northward toward the Khan Younis area. “This is an additional step in the humanitarian aid efforts that have been conducted by the IDF and COGAT since the beginning of the war,” the IOF added, noting that the move began a day earlier. The pause could be an indication that Israel is willing to deal with the peace talks more seriously, especially that it came amid renewed efforts to reach a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.
Hezbollah Shares Footage Of Recent Missile, Drone Attacks On Israel
South Front, Jun 16 2024
Hezbollah’s Military Media has released videos showing three recent missile and drone attacks that targeted a border site and two key bases of the IOF. The first video shows a suicide drone launched by Hezbollah impacting the Bayad Blida border site on Jun 10. The attack clearly led to material losses. However, there were no reports of casualties at the time.
In the second video, an Iranian-made Almas anti-tank guided missile fired by Hezbollah fighters is seen hitting a radar dome in the IDF’s air traffic control base on Mount Meron during an attack on June 15. The IDF said that two projectiles hit the base on that day, but there were no injuries and “no harm to the unit’s capabilities.”
The last video shows an attack with suicide drones on Khirbet Maar base, the headquarters of the artillery battalion of the Western Brigade, also from Jun 15. While the footage shows a single drone impacting Khirbet Maar, the IDF had acknowledged that “several” drones impacted near the settlement of Goren, where the base is located. There were no reports of casualties however.
Houthis Warn Shipping Companies Against Working With Israel As Two Ships Sink Near Yemen
South Front, Jun 16 2024
The Houthis (AnsarAllah) warned shipping companies against working with Israel late on Jun 15, confirming that two merchant vessels that were attacked by their forces earlier in the week were both sinking. In a statement, the group’s military spokesman, Brig-Gen Yahya Sarea, said:
Tutor, a Liberian-flagged Greek-owned and operated bulk cargo carrier that was struck on Jun 12 and Verbena, a Palauan-flagged Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated bulk cargo carrier that was struck on Jun 13, are sinking in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden respectively. The Yemeni Armed Forces renew their warning to all companies against the consequences of dealing with the Israeli enemy. The Yemeni Armed Forces will continue to implement the directives of the Commander in expanding operations and developing military capabilities to support and support the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and defend dear Yemen. They will not cease their operations until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.
US CENTCOM confirmed in a statement that was released earlier on Jun 15 that Tutor was “slowly taking in water” in the Red Sea after being abandoned by its crew. In another statement released early on Jun 16, the command admitted that Verbena was also abandoned by its crew in the Gulf of Aden “due to continued fires and an inability to control them.” CENTCOM said:
The crew issued a distress call indicating they were abandoning the ship. M/V Anna Meta responded to render assistance. Anna Meta has recovered the mariners and is transporting them to safety. The Iranian frigate IRIN Jamaran was eight nautical miles from Verbena and did not respond to the distress call.
Niqnaq 