STOCKHOLM: The Swedish military has intercepted a suspected Russian drone off the south of the country as a French aircraft carrier was docked in the port of Malmo, officials say.
Kremlin said it was ‘absurd’ to suggest drone jammed near French aircraft carrier was Russian.
The armed forces said on Thursday that a Swedish naval ship observed the suspected drone during a patrol in the Oresund, the strait that divides Sweden from Denmark.
They said that unspecified countermeasures were taken to disrupt the drone, and that contact with the drone was then lost.
The French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is in the southern Swedish city of Malmo this week as part of regular NATO exercise activities. Malmo is located on the Oresund, opposite the Danish capital of Copenhagen.
French military spokesperson Guillaume Vernet said that the drone was detected on Wednesday and handled by Swedish forces integrated into a security system around the carrier. He said Friday that the drone was more than 10 kilometers from the Charles de Gaulle.
“This system showed it is robust, and this event had no impact on the activity of the aircraft carrier battle group,” Vernet said.
Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson told public broadcaster SVT Thursday evening that the suspected violation of Swedish airspace by a drone happened in connection with a Russian military ship being in Swedish territorial waters. Asked what country he thinks the drone belongs to, he replied: “Probably Russia.”
The Russian ship continued into the Baltic Sea, and Swedish authorities have been in close contact with Denmark about the incident, Jonson said. The armed forces said no further drones were observed.
Western officials say Russia is masterminding a campaign of sabotage and disruption across Europe. An Associated Press database has documented well over 100 incidents.
Not all incidents are public and it can sometimes take officials months to establish a link to Moscow. While officials say the campaign — waged since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — aims to deprive Kyiv of support, they believe Moscow is also trying to identify Europe’s weak spots and suck up law enforcement resources.
Sweden intercepts suspected Russian drone during visit by French aircraft carrier
https://arab.news/2v8vh
Sweden intercepts suspected Russian drone during visit by French aircraft carrier
- Swedish naval ship observed the suspected drone during a patrol in the Oresund
- Kremlin says ‘absurd’ to suggest drone jammed near French aircraft carrier is Russian
US kills Iranian leader of Trump assassination plot, Pentagon says
- “Iran tried to kill President Trump and President Trump got the last laugh,” said Hegseth
- Hegseth did not name the individual but said the operation took place on Tuesday
WASHINGTON: The US military said on Wednesday that it killed an Iranian official who headed a unit behind an alleged assassination plot against President Donald Trump but that the target was not the initial focus of the war.
“The leader of the unit who attempted to assassinate President Trump has been hunted down and killed. Iran tried to kill President Trump and President Trump got the last laugh,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a news briefing.
“While that was not the focus of the effort by any stretch of the imagination — in fact, never raised by the President or anybody else — I ensured, and others ensured, that those who were responsible for that were eventually part of the target list,” Hegseth told reporters.
Hegseth did not name the individual but said the operation took place on Tuesday. In 2024, the US Justice Department charged an Iranian man in connection with an alleged plot ordered by the IRGC to assassinate Trump, then US president-elect. Tehran has denied accusations that it had targeted Trump and other US officials.
