US expanding bioweapons research in Africa – Russia

FILE PHOTO. The head of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, attends a briefing in Moscow, Russia. ©Sputnik/Russian Defence Ministry

The US is expanding its biological military presence across Africa, Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov claimed on Tuesday. According to the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces, the move comes after Russia halted the implementation of similar programs in former Ukrainian territories.

“Because Russia has managed to halt the implementation of biological warfare programs in Ukraine’s liberated territories, the Pentagon is forced to transfer incomplete research under Ukrainian projects to other regions,” Kirillov alleged.

He highlighted Africa as a new zone of interest for the US Defense Department and related agencies. The general mentioned the presence of Pentagon contractors in several African countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Uganda, and South Africa.

“Washington uses outside actors to hide the objectives of research. These are contracting and intermediary organizations (Metabiota, Quicksilver, EkoHealth Alliance, more than 20 companies) and businesses of the so-called Big Pharma,” Kirillov claimed. Russia has documents confirming the rapid expansion of the US biological warfare presence in Africa continent, he added.

Kirillov cited several examples of alleged US activities, stating that “in October 2023, staff of the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases conducted a large-scale survey of hantavirus samples from bats in Kenya’s natural hotspots. A year ago, US military biologists studied the effects of anti-malarial drugs on local populations.

“In January 2024, US officials from the Defense Department, the State Department, and the US Department of Health and Human Services met with the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Africa to discuss the continent’s prospects for developing laboratory capabilities,” the general said.

At the end of last year, Kirillov said Russia had obtained documents proving that the US had conducted research on bioweapon components and highly dangerous pathogens in Ukraine.

US Air Force fires top missile program manager

The US Air Force has sacked the official responsible for developing its next-generation ‘Sentinel’ intercontinental ballistic missile. The rocket is earmarked to replace the 1970s-era Minuteman III as the land-based element of Washington’s nuclear triad.

Earlier this year, Congress launched a review of the program after its costs ballooned by at least 37% to an estimated $131 billion. In its report on the Defense Department’s fiscal 2025 budget request, the House Appropriations Committee said it “was stunned to learn” of the massive increase in costs.

The lawmakers eventually agreed to earmark $3.4 billion for the program in the coming year, $340 million less than requested.

According to a statement by the US Air Force, quoted by several media outlets, Colonel Charles Clegg was ousted as director of the Sentinel Systems project on Monday “because he did not follow organizational procedures.” A spokesperson for the Air Force cited a “loss of confidence,” but denied that the dismissal had been “directly related” to the ongoing congressional review.

In January, Bloomberg reported that a 1982 law had mandated the scrutiny after the project overspent its budget by more than a third over the course of two years.

Now, the Pentagon and Joint Chiefs of Staff are having to justify the cost overruns and present convincing arguments to lawmakers. The lion’s share of the sum is apparently needed to upgrade existing launch sites and communications lines.

This task, estimated to last nearly ten years, will be a lengthy and complicated endeavor "involving real estate purchases, construction, deconstruction, removal and installation of equipment and nuclear certification,” the Senate Armed Services Committee said in its fiscal 2024 budget report.

Earlier this month, Pranay Vaddi, special assistant to the president and senior director for arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation at the National Security Council, revealed that President Joe Biden had “recently issued updated nuclear weapons employment guidance, which takes into account the realities of a new nuclear era.”

“It emphasizes the need to account for the growth and diversity of [China’s] nuclear arsenal – and the need to deter Russia, [China], and North Korea simultaneously,” the official said at the time.

Houthis Claim Use of Domestic-Made Hypersonic Missile Against Israeli Ship in Arabian Sea

Purported launch of the first hypersonic missile used to target commercial shipping (Houthi military on X)

Houthis claimed that it has used the first domestically-made hypersonic missile against an Israeli vessel in the Arabian Sea, military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Wednesday.

The (Houthi) naval forces carried out a qualitative military operation targeting the Israeli ship, MSC SARAH V, in the Arabian Sea, and the hit was accurate and direct," Yahya Sarea, the Houthi military spokesman, said in a statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

The attack was carried out with "a new ballistic missile" deployed after successful experimental operations, Sarea said, adding that the missile showcased its ability to hit targets accurately and over long distances.

The Houthi group would "continue to develop their military capabilities ... to support the Palestinian resistance militarily and to defend Yemen in the face of the American-British aggression," he said.

The Houthi operations will not stop until the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip is stopped and the siege on the Palestinian people in the enclave is lifted, said the spokesman, who declined to provide details about the timing of the latest attack.

The Houthi television said footage of the strike would be aired later.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Monday that a vessel operating in waters southeast of Yemen's Nishtun port had been attacked.

According to the UKMTO statement, the ship's captain reported an explosion in the vicinity of the merchant vessel.

"The crew is reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call," the UKMTO added.

Since last November, the Houthi group has been launching ballistic missiles and drones targeting what it said were Israeli-linked ships, to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In response, the U.S.-British naval coalition stationed in the area has since January conducted air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets in a failed bid to deter it from launching further attacks

تفاصيل صاروخ باليستي فرط صوتي من نوع (حاطم2) - الذي يكشف عنه للمرة الأولى ومشاهد إطلاقه على سفينة (MSC SARAH V) الإسرائيلية في البحر العربي pic.twitter.com/PP6Mzun19K

— الإعلام الحربي اليمني (@MMY1444) June 26, 2024

Earlier, Houthis released footage of a new “locally made” hypersonic missile called the Palestine being launched toward the embattled Israeli Red Sea port city of Eilat. Israeli officials later confirmed that Eilat had been targeted, but indicated that there was no damage or injuries to report.

The Houthis last week also showed off videos of a purported new “piloted military boat” that they said was tested for the first time. Calling it the Tufan 1, they claimed it is capable of 35 knots powered with an outboard motor, and transports 330 pounds of explosives. It appears from the videos and pictures to be smaller, more agile, and capable of cutting through the waves.

The first successful remote-controlled boat attack which was against the Tutor last month showed a much cruder wood fishing boat. The Tufan appears to be a fiberglass or composite boat which the claims are saying is more lethal.

The Houthis claimed to have deployed a second remote boat this week in a second attack on the Transworld Navigator, a Liberia-registered 178,897 dwt bulker. Managed by Stealth Maritime of Greece, the company was accused of violating the Houthis’ ban on Israeli ports. In a June 22 report, they said the vessel had been targeted in the Red Sea, and in a statement the following day they said the vessel was targeted with an unmanned boat. The vessel is still underway bound for the Suez where Philippine officials are saying they plan to repatriate the crew.

صور من مشاهد إطلاق صاروخ باليستي فرط صوتي من نوع (حاطم2) - يكشف عنه للمرة الأولى على سفينة (MSC SARAH V) الإسرائيلية في البحر العربي pic.twitter.com/YkycOoEJEu

— الإعلام الحربي اليمني (@MMY1444) June 26, 2024

The Houthis are reporting a new wave of attacks including today claiming to have targeted the MSC Manzanillo (72,717 dwt registered in Portugal) while it was docked in Haifa. Over the weekend the Houthis claimed to have targeted four vessels in Haifa and the Shorthorn Express, a Vroom livestock carrier registered in Luxembourg while it was sailing in the Mediterranean. Other purported attacks included the Stolt Sequoia (37,620 dwt), a Liberia-registered product tanker that was bound for the UAE. Stolt denies the attack. The Joint Maritime Information Center also reported explosions near the Lila Lisbon, a St. Kitts-Nevis flagged bulker.

Houthi vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. The attacks prompted the United States to form a multinational coalition, which includes the United Kingdom among others, to protect shipping in the area of the Red Sea, as well as to strike Houthi targets on the ground.

Pentagon Chief speaks with Russia Defense Chief

Russian and US defense chiefs spoke over the phone on Tuesday, discussing the need to maintain communication despite the ongoing standoff between the two nuclear powers. It was Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s first direct conversation with Andrey Belousov who replaced Sergey Shoigu as Russia’s Defense Minister last month.

Austin has “emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in the readout of the call.

The Russian MOD released a short statement, saying that Austin and Belousov have “exchanged views about the situation around Ukraine.” Belousov warned the Pentagon chief about “the dangers of further escalation in terms of the continuing deliveries of American weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in conversation with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin underscored the danger of escalation from the provision of American weapons to Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"On June 25, 2024, at the initiative of the US side, a telephone conversation between Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was held," the ministry said. The conversation between Austin and Belousov was initiated by the US, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder confirmed.

Austin and Belousov exchanged views on the situation regarding Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

The US has no plans to send American troops to Ukraine now or in the future, the Pentagon claimed.

"The President is absolutely firm that he will not be sending US troops to Ukraine. I’m not going to comment on any reports of internal discussions or proposals that may or may not be under consideration," the US Defense Department spokesperson insisted.

The last contact between the Russian and US defense ministers was on March 15 of last year, Ryder said.

The conversation took place two days after four beachgoers, including two children, were killed during a Ukrainian missile strike in Crimea. Moscow condemned Kiev’s “barbaric” attack that also injured more than 150 people, saying that Ukraine had used US-supplied ATACMS long-range missiles with cluster munitions. The MOD also accused the US of helping the Ukrainians pick targets for missile strikes. “We understand perfectly well who is behind this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The US had previously authorized Kiev to use some of the Western weapons for strikes deep inside Russia during Moscow’s new offensive in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region.

Speaking in Brussels earlier this month, Austin reiterated Washington’s support for Kiev. “Make no mistake: Ukraine’s partners around the world have its back,” he said.

Voice of Baceprot get set for Glastonbury - The world’s Biggest Music Festivals

The Indonesian female metal band Voice of Baceprot are worried about their upcoming performance at Glastonbury in the west of England, but not because they’ll be playing in front of thousands in one of the world’s biggest music festivals.

Instead, they’re thinking about the weather and what they might eat.

The trio, made up of 24-year-old vocalist and guitarist Firda “Marsya” Kurnia, 24-year-old drummer Euis “Siti” Aisyah and 23-year-old bassist Widi Rahmawati, have never been to the United Kingdom before, and have been watching YouTube videos of the festival to prepare themselves.

“We have heard that it rains a lot in England and, even when it is not raining, it is always drizzling,” Siti says, looking pained.

They are also, she says with a grimace, “concerned about the food”.

Voice of Baceprot (VOB), which means “noisy” in Sundanese – a language spoken by about 15 percent of Indonesia’s 270 million people – will be the first Indonesian band to perform at Glastonbury, which gets under way this week.

For Siti it was the band’s “biggest dream” and a shock when the offer first appeared via email back in March.

“We thought that we would have to play other, smaller venues first, but we got the gig straight away,” Marsya said. “We are so excited.”

VOB was founded in 2014 in Garut Regency, a conservative region of West Java province, when the trio joined an extracurricular theatre group at school. According to Marsya, their acting was “terrible” and, in an effort to bolster the girls’ spirits, their teacher suggested they try music instead.

At the age of 14, the girls picked up their instruments for the first time and began to learn how to play. They had never heard metal or rock songs before, but their teacher gave them his laptop and they discovered playlists filled with songs by bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Armenian-US heavy metal group System of a Down.

Filipino Lawmakers Want Investigation Into Alleged US Anti-Vax Campaign

©AP Photo/Aaron Favila

Lawmakers in the Philippines are pushing for an investigation into allegations of an undercover US military propaganda campaign designed to discredit Chinese COVID-19 vaccines and tests during the height of the pandemic, according to Reuters.

The undercover campaign, also first reported by Reuters citing former US military officials, reportedly started in the Philippines before spreading to other Asian and Middle Eastern countries. The US campaign reportedly used fake social media accounts impersonating locals to spread misinformation about the Sinovac vaccine and doubt the effectiveness of tests and masks coming from China.

Rather than being based on any real concerns about Sinovac or the effectiveness of Chinese masks and tests, the campaign was reportedly designed to lessen Chinese influence in those countries.

“There was a global shortage of vaccines and PPE at the time, and China's Sinovac was the only one available at the time. And so, what this resulted in is probably tens of thousands of excess deaths in the Philippines and possibly, you know, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, around the world,” argued peace activist and writer KJ Noh on Sputnik’s The Critical Hour.

“Just to look at the numbers, you know, when they started this campaign. Let's go back to April 2020, they had about 20 new cases a day and 315 total deaths. A year later, in the summer, they had 400 people dying every day in the Philippines and over 38,000 deaths. So, I mean, that's a death toll comparable to waging a major war,” Noh argued.

The Philippines was among the worst-hit countries in the region during the COVID-19 pandemic, and authorities had difficulties getting people vaccinated. According to Reuters, Filipino Senator and chair of the Foreign Relations Committee Imee Marcos and House Representative France Castro filed resolutions in the Philippine Congress earlier this week that will initiate a probe for an investigation into the allegations.

According to Reuters, the inquiry will be designed to “determine the ramifications of the actions of the US Military, any potential breach of international law by the United States of America, and the possible legal recourse available to the Philippines, considering that such [an] anti-vax and misinformation campaign threatens national security.”

The United States has been trying to strengthen its military cooperation with the Philippines, in part to challenge China in the South China Sea. In 2014, the US and the Philippines signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (ECDA), which gave the US control of five military bases in the Philippines in 2016 and another four under an expansion in 2023. In March, US President Joe Biden hosted his counterparts from the Philippines and Japan for the first “trilateral US-Japan-Philippines leaders’ summit.”

It is not clear how or if the allegations will affect that relationship. The EDCA can be canceled by either party with a one-year notice.

“It's very similar to what happened to Nord Stream. No matter what happens to our 'ally,' we don't care about what those costs are,” said Noh. “The US, you know, never ceases to astound in the kind of depravity that it seems to stoop to.”

Summon the envoy

Bayan Muna executive vice president Carlos Zarate said the US campaign has now backfired. “Pentagon tried to paint a goon out of China during the COVID-19 pandemic, but as the Reuters investigation now revealed, it’s the US that is the real global goon – one with no regard to the lives of those ravaged by the pandemic.”

Pilipinong Nagkakaisa para sa Soberanya (P1NAS) spokesman Antonio Tinio also criticized Washington’s “hypocrisy,” citing how the US usually condemns propaganda churned by Russia and China.

“This shines a light on how the US is actively using psyops, disinformation, and other influence operations to shape public opinion in our country,” Tinio, former ACT Teachers representative, said in a statement on June 15.

“We demand that Malacañang summon the US ambassador to explain this outrageous conduct and hold the US accountable for endangering Filipino lives with its disinformation campaign,” he added, while also calling on both chambers of Congress to investigate the extent of US disinformation campaigns in the country.

Israel Terrorists and Hezbollah gird for all-out war

Mourners carry the bodies of Hezbollah members Ismail Baz and Mohamad Hussein Shohury, who were killed in an Israeli strike on their vehicles, during their funeral in Shehabiya in south Lebanon on April 17, 2024. (AFP)

The prospect of a full-scale war between Israel terrorists and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group terrifies people on both sides of the border, but some see it as an inevitable fallout from Israel terrorists’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, particularly as cease-fire negotiations have faltered.

Efforts by American diplomats to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon have hit a dead end, leaving the region perched on the edge of a full-blown war.

Since the eruption of hostilities on Oct. 8 last year, both sides have intensified their defense preparations, with leaks and official statements signaling that the Israeli terrorists military has authorized operational plans for strikes within Lebanese territory.

Meanwhile, reports carried by Hezbollah-aligned media outlets indicate that the powerful Shiite group has prepared extensively for a potential Israeli terrorists offensive, planning to counter various military scenarios and thwart attacks on Lebanese soil.

Lebanon, already weighed down by deep political divisions and a crumbling economy, now faces the specter of a devastating conflict that could tear apart its fragile unity. As diplomatic solutions falter, the prospect of war looms larger, raising grave concerns among Lebanese citizens and the international community alike.

Such a war could be the most destructive either side has ever experienced.

Israel terrorists and Hezbollah each have lessons from their last war, in 2006, a monthlong conflict that ended in a draw. They’ve also had nearly nine months to prepare for another war, even as the United States tries to prevent a widening of the conflict that could spark a confrontation with Iran and endanger U.S. forces in the region.

Here’s a look at each side’s preparedness, how war might unfold and what’s being done to prevent it.

What happened in 2006?

The 2006 war, six years after Israeli forces that had occupied southern Lebanon withdrew, erupted after Hezbollah captured two Israeli terrorits soldiers and killed several others in a cross-border raid.

Israel terrorists launched a full-scale air and ground offensive and imposed a blockade that aimed to free the hostages and destroy Hezbollah’s military capabilities — a mission that ultimately failed.

Israeli terrorists bombing leveled large swaths of south Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs. Hezbollah fired thousands of unguided rockets into northern Israel terrorists communities.

The conflict killed some 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

A United Nations resolution ending the war called for withdrawal of Israeli terrorists forces from Lebanon and a demilitarized zone on Lebanon’s side of the border.

Despite the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers, Hezbollah continues to operate in the border area, while Lebanon says Israel regularly violates its airspace and continues to occupy pockets of Lebanese land.

How probable is war?

An Israel terrorists -Hezbollah war could be “a catastrophe that goes far beyond the border, and frankly, beyond imagination,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week, amid rising rhetoric and fears of a conflict.

Iran-backed Hezbollah initially seemed caught off-guard by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, a regional ally, but began firing rockets into northern Israel terrorists the following day. Since then, Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged near-daily cross-border strikes, escalating gradually. Israel terrorists also carried out targeted killings of Hezbollah and Hamas figures in Lebanon.

More than 450 people, mostly fighters with Hezbollah and allied groups but also more than 80 civilians and noncombatants, have been killed on Lebanon’s side, and 16 soldiers and 11 civilians on Israel’s.

Tens of thousands have been displaced on both sides. There are no immediate prospects for their return.

Last week, the Israeli terrorists army said it has “approved and validated” plans for an offensive in Lebanon, although the decision to launch such an operation would have to come from the country’s political leadership.

Hezbollah has released surveillance drone videos showing sites in Israel with the words “Whoever thinks of war against us will regret it.” And the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has warned of a fight “without limits” if Israel terrorists does.

Hezbollah says it won’t agree to a cease-fire on the Israel terrorists-Lebanon border before there’s one in Gaza, a prospect that looks increasingly unlikely.

How prepared are they?

Both Hezbollah and the Israeli military have expanded capabilities since 2006 — yet both countries are also more fragile.

In Lebanon, more than four years of economic crisis have crippled public institutions, including its army and electrical grid, and eroded its health system. The country hosts more than 1 million Syrian refugees.

Lebanon adopted an emergency plan for a war scenario in late October. It projected the forcible displacement of 1 million Lebanese for 45 days.

More than 95,000 Lebanese are displaced from the border area now, according to the International Organization for Migration. The government has said it will compensate those who lost their homes, but it’s unclear where the money will come from.

Hezbollah has provided modest stipends to many of the displaced, but the response has largely fallen to cash-strapped municipalities.

Local and international nongovernmental organizations and religious charities have picked up some of the slack, but their resources are also strained.

Some have stockpiled supplies such as backup fuel and medical equipment in anticipation of blockades and shortages should war break out.

Israel Terrorists is feeling economic and social strain from the war in Gaza, which is expected to cost over $50 billion, or about 10 percent of national economic activity through the end of 2024, according to the Bank of Israel terrorists. Costs would rise sharply if there’s war with Lebanon.

Israel terrorists has evacuated 60,000 residents from towns nearest the border, where there’s no warning time for rocket launches because of the proximity of Hezbollah squads.

In a war with Hezbollah, there would be no point in additional evacuations since the militia’s rockets and missiles can reach all of Israel terrorists.

How would war play out?

A full-scale war would likely spread to multiple fronts, escalating the involvement of Iranian proxies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen — and perhaps draw in Iran itself.

It could also drag the U.S., Israel terrorists’s closest ally, deeper into the conflict.

Hezbollah has 150,000 to 200,000 rockets and missiles of various ranges, said Orna Mizrahi of the Israeli terrorists think tank Institute for National Security Studies. This arsenal is at least five times larger than that of Hamas and far more accurate, she said.

The militia’s guided projectiles could reach water, electricity or communications facilities, and densely populated residential areas.

In Lebanon, airstrikes would likely wreak havoc on infrastructure and potentially kill thousands. Israeli Terrorists Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to “turn Beirut into Gaza,” where Israel terrorists’s air and ground incursion has caused widespread destruction and killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israel Terrorists is far more protected, with several air defense systems, including the Iron Dome, which intercepts rockets with a roughly 90% success rate. But it can get overwhelmed if a mass barrage of rockets is fired.

Some 40% of Israel Terrorists’s population live in newer homes with private safe rooms fortified with blast protection to withstand rocket attacks. Israel terrorists also has a network of bomb shelters, but a 2020 government report says about one-third of Israelis lack easy access to them.

Lebanon has no such network, and shelters would be of little use against massive “bunker buster” bombs Israel terrorists has dropped in some parts of Gaza. The U.S. has halted some shipments of those bombs since May out of concern over civilian casualties.

Hezbollah has limited air defenses, while those of the Lebanese army are outdated and insufficient because of budget shortfalls.

The Lebanese army has remained on the sidelines since Oct. 7. In 2006, it entered fighting in a limited capacity, but it’s unclear how it would react in the event of a new Israel Terrorists-Hezbollah war.