Are Iranian drones helping the army gain ground in Sudan’s civil war?

War-torn Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets military personnel as he visits casualties receiving treatment at a hospital in the southeastern Gedaref state, on the first day of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan on April 10, 2024. (AFP)
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War-torn Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets military personnel as he visits casualties receiving treatment at a hospital in the southeastern Gedaref state, on the first day of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan on April 10, 2024. (AFP)
Are Iranian drones helping the army gain ground in Sudan’s civil war?
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Iranian drone Shahed-129 is displayed at a rally in Tehran, Iran. (AP file photo)
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Updated 11 April 2024
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Are Iranian drones helping the army gain ground in Sudan’s civil war?

Are Iranian drones helping the army gain ground in Sudan’s civil war?
  • Tehran’s backing for Sudan’s army is aimed at strengthening ties with the strategically located country, the Iranian and regional sources said

KHARTOUM: A year into Sudan’s civil war, Iranian-made armed drones have helped the army turn the tide of the conflict, halting the progress of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Force and regaining territory around the capital, a senior army source told Reuters.
Six Iranian sources, regional officials and diplomats — who, like the army source, asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information — also told Reuters the military had acquired Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the past few months.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) used some older UAVs in the first months of the war alongside artillery batteries and fighter jets, but had little success in rooting out RSF fighters embedded in heavily populated neighborhoods in Khartoum and other cities, more than a dozen Khartoum residents said.
In January, nine months after fighting erupted, much more effective drones began operating from the army’s Wadi Sayidna base to the north of Khartoum, according to five eyewitnesses living in the area.
The residents said the drones appeared to monitor RSF movements, target their positions, and pinpoint artillery strikes in Omdurman, one of three cities on the banks of the Nile that comprise the capital Khartoum.
“In recent weeks, the army has begun to use precise drones in military operations, which forced the RSF to flee from many areas and allowed the army to deploy forces on the ground,” said Mohamed Othman, a 59-year-old resident of Omdurman’s Al-Thawra district.
The extent and manner of the army’s deployment of Iranian UAVs in Omdurman and other areas has not been previously reported. Bloomberg and Sudanese media have reported the presence of Iranian drones in the country.
The senior Sudanese army source denied that the Iranian-made drones came directly from Iran, and declined to say how they were procured or how many the army had received. Sudan’s army had also developed Iranian drones previously produced under joint military programs before the two countries cut ties in 2016, he added, without giving details. Reuters was unable to determine details about the drones independently.
The source that while diplomatic cooperation between Sudan and Iran had been restored last year, official military cooperation was still pending.
Asked about Iranian drones, Sudan’s acting foreign minister Ali Sadeq, who visited Iran last year and is aligned with the army, told Reuters: “Sudan did not obtain any weapons from Iran.”
The army’s media department and Iran’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
The RSF acknowledged it had suffered setbacks in Omdurman. Its media office said the army had received Iranian drones and other weapons, citing intelligence it had gathered. It did not respond to requests to provide evidence.
Tehran’s backing for Sudan’s army is aimed at strengthening ties with the strategically located country, the Iranian and regional sources said. Sudan lies on the coast of the Red Sea, a key site of competition between global powers, including Iran, as war rages in the Middle East. From the other side of the Red Sea, Yemen’s Houthis, armed in part by Iran, have launched attacks in support of Hamas in Gaza.
“What does Iran get in return? They now have a staging post on the Red Sea and on the African side,” said a Western diplomat, who asked not to be named.
Recent territorial advances are the most significant for the army since the fighting began in Sudan’s capital last April. The war, between army head General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and RSF head General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has pushed millions into extreme hunger, created the world’s largest displacement crisis, and triggered waves of ethnically driven killings and sexual violence in the Darfur region of western Sudan.
UN experts have said the RSF war effort has been aided by backing via neighboring African states including Chad, Libya and South Sudan, and that allegations of material support from the United Arab Emirates to the RSF were credible.
The army’s success in Omdurman allowed it from February to pursue similar attacks using drones, artillery and troops in Bahri, north of Khartoum, to try to take control of the key Al Jaili oil refinery, two witnesses there said.
The army has said that its recent gains have also been helped by recruitment — taking place over more than six months and accelerating since December — of thousands of volunteers in the areas it controls.

FLIGHTS FROM IRAN
Cooperation between Sudan and Iran was strong under former President Omar Al-Bashir, until he turned to Iran’s Gulf rivals for economic support late in his three-decade rule, cutting relations with Tehran.
Amin Mazajoub, a former Sudanese general, said Sudan had previously manufactured weapons with the help of Iran, and had repurposed drones already in its possession to make them more effective during the war. Mazajoub did not specifically comment on the source of the drones recently used in combat.
A regional source close to Iran’s clerical rulers said Iranian MoHajjer and Ababil drones had been transported to Sudan several times since late last year by Iran’s Qeshm Fars Air. MoHajjer and Ababil drones are made by companies operating under Iran’s Ministry of Defense, which did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Flight tracking records collated by Wim Zwijnenburg of Dutch peace organization Pax and provided to Reuters show that in December 2023 and January 2024, a Boeing 747-200 cargo plane operated by Qeshm Fars Air made six journeys from Iran to Port Sudan, an important base for the army since the RSF took over strategic sites in Khartoum in the first days of the war.
The frequency of these flights has not been previously reported. Emails and phone calls to Qeshm Fars Air, which is under US sanctions, went unanswered. Reuters was unable to establish whether the details listed for the airline were up to date.
A photo provided by satellite imaging company Planet Labs for which Reuters verified the location and date, shows a Boeing 747 with the wingspan consistent with a 747-200 at Port Sudan airport on Dec. 7, the date of the first of the tracked flights, Zwijnenburg said.
A MoHajjer-6 appeared in January on the runway at the Wadi Sayidna base in another satellite photograph dated Jan. 9, Zwijnenburg said.
The RSF said the army was receiving twice-weekly cargo plane deliveries of Iranian drones and other arms from Iran. It told Reuters that RSF intelligence showed deliveries of Iranian MoHajjer-4, MoHajjer-6 and Ababil drones to Port Sudan. It said it had shot down several of the drones.
The RSF did not provide evidence for the drone deliveries.
Sourcing weapons from Iran could complicate relations for the Sudanese military with the United States, which is leading a push for negotiations between the warring parties.
US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello said in an interview on Wednesday that fear of greater influence for Iran or extremist elements in Sudan was one reason the US believed there was momentum for a peace deal.
A US State Department spokesperson said the US had seen the reports on Iranian support for the army and was monitoring the situation.
“The United States opposes external involvement to support the Sudan conflict – it will only exacerbate and prolong the conflict and risks further spreading regional instability,” the spokesperson said.
 

 


Palestinian poll finds big drop in support for Oct 7 attack

Palestinian poll finds big drop in support for Oct 7 attack
Updated 15 sec ago
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Palestinian poll finds big drop in support for Oct 7 attack

Palestinian poll finds big drop in support for Oct 7 attack
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Poll suggests 57 percent of Gazans think Oct 7 was incorrect decision

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In previous poll, 57 percent in Gaza saw Oct 7 attack as correct

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Slight dip in Hamas support, but group still most popular

RAMALLAH: A majority of Gazans believe Hamas’ decision to launch the Oct. 7 attack on Israel was incorrect, according to a poll published on Tuesday pointing to a big drop in backing for the assault that prompted Israel’s devastating Gaza offensive.
The poll, conducted in early September by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), found that 57 percent of people surveyed in the Gaza Strip said the decision to launch the offensive was incorrect, while 39 percent said it was correct.
It marked the first time since Oct. 7 that a PSR poll found a majority of Gazan respondents judging the decision as incorrect. It was accompanied by a drop in support for the attack in the West Bank, though a majority of 64 percent of respondents there still thought it was the correct decision, the poll found. PSR’s previous poll, conducted in June, showed that 57 percent of respondents in Gaza thought the decision to be correct.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military offensive that has laid waste to the Gaza Strip since last October, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Israel launched its assault after the unprecedented Hamas raid which killed 1,200 people and resulted in another 250 being abducted, according to Israeli tallies.
PSR said it surveyed 1,200 people face-to-face, 790 of them in the West Bank and 410 in Gaza, with a 3.5 percent margin of error.
PSR polls since the Oct. 7 attack have consistently shown a majority of respondents in both Gaza and the West Bank to believe the attack was a correct decision, with support generally greater in the West Bank than Gaza.
PSR said the poll released on Tuesday marked the first time since Oct 7. that its findings had shown simultaneously in the West Bank and Gaza a significant drop in the favorability of the attack and in expectations that Hamas will win the current war.
Overall, the poll found a majority of 54 percent of respondents in Gaza and the West Bank thought the decision was correct.
In August, the Israeli military accused Hamas of mounting an effort to falsify the results of PSR polls to falsely show support for Hamas and Oct. 7, though the military said there was no evidence of PSR cooperating with Hamas.
PSR said it had taken the allegation seriously and investigated it. PSR said on Tuesday its analysis of the data did not flag any inconsistencies that would arise when data is arbitrarily altered, and that a review of quality control measures “convinced us that no data manipulation took place.”
Support for Oct. 7 did not necessarily mean support for Hamas or killings or atrocities against civilians, PSR said, adding that “almost 90 percent of the public believes Hamas men did not commit the atrocities depicted in videos taken on that day.”
The poll showed a drop in the number of respondents in Gaza who said they support Hamas to 35 percent from 38 percent. But the Islamist movement remained more popular than Fatah, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, in both in Gaza and the West Bank.

Jordan, Egypt urge end of Israeli hostilities in West Bank

Jordan, Egypt urge end of Israeli hostilities in West Bank
Updated 3 min 52 sec ago
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Jordan, Egypt urge end of Israeli hostilities in West Bank

Jordan, Egypt urge end of Israeli hostilities in West Bank

CAIRO: Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi expressed their concerns over the continued Israeli attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, warning of their dangerous consequences.  

The two leaders stressed, during a phone call on Tuesday, the necessity of reaching an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as an immediate step that must be taken to protect the security of the region and prevent the expansion of the conflict, according to state-run Petra news agency.

The two leaders reaffirmed their rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

King Abdullah also expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by Egypt to reach a comprehensive truce to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.

The two leaders stressed the need to continue supporting the Palestinian people in achieving their full legitimate rights and establishing their independent state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Meanwhile, Jordan will host a coordination meeting on Wednesday for an Arab-Islamic ministerial committee.

The committee is focused on international efforts to halt the ongoing war on Gaza.


Israel says it thwarted Hezbollah plot to kill former defense official

Israel says it thwarted Hezbollah plot to kill former defense official
Updated 17 min 40 sec ago
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Israel says it thwarted Hezbollah plot to kill former defense official

Israel says it thwarted Hezbollah plot to kill former defense official
  • The Shin Bet agency did not name the official
  • The attempted attack was similar to a Hezbollah plot foiled in Tel Aviv a year ago

JERUSALEM: Israel’s domestic security agency said on Tuesday that it had foiled a plot by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to assassinate a former senior defense official in the coming days.
The Shin Bet agency did not name the official. It said in a statement that it had seized an explosive device attached to a remote detonation system, using a mobile phone and a camera, that Hezbollah had planned to operate from Lebanon.
Shin Bet said the attempted attack was similar to a Hezbollah plot foiled in Tel Aviv a year ago, without giving further details.
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire across the Lebanese border since October, in the worst escalation of violence there in two decades.


UN General Assembly to debate call for end to Israeli occupation

UN General Assembly to debate call for end to Israeli occupation
Updated 47 min 40 sec ago
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UN General Assembly to debate call for end to Israeli occupation

UN General Assembly to debate call for end to Israeli occupation
  • The text, which has faced fierce criticism from Israel, is based around an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice

NEW YORK: UN member states will debate Tuesday a push by the Palestinians to formally demand an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories within 12 months.
The text, which has faced fierce criticism from Israel, is based around an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice calling Israel’s occupation since 1967 “unlawful.”
“Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible,” read the opinion, requested by the General Assembly.
In response, Arab countries have called for a special session of the assembly just days before dozens of heads of state and government descend on the UN headquarters this month to address the kick off of this year’s General Assembly session.
“The idea is you want to use the pressure of the international community in the General Assembly and the pressure of the historic ruling by the ICJ to force Israel to change its behavior,” said Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, who acknowledged the draft resolution had “shocked many countries.”
The resolution
The draft resolution, due to be voted on late Tuesday or Wednesday, “demands that Israel brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” and that this be done “no later than 12 months from the adoption.”
The first draft text gave only six months.
The draft resolution also “demands” the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territories, a halt to new settlements, the return of seized land and property, and the possibility of return for displaced Palestinians.
A paragraph calling on member states to halt arms exports to Israel disappeared from the draft text during negotiations, however.
“I hope that we will have good numbers,” Mansour said, underlining the “tremendous amount of sympathy and solidarity” with the Palestinians.
While the Security Council is largely paralyzed on the Gaza issue — with the United States repeatedly vetoing censures of its ally Israel — the General Assembly has adopted several texts in support of Palestinian civilians amid the current war.
In May the assembly overwhelmingly supported a largely symbolic resolution on full Palestinian membership of the UN, garnering 143 votes in favor, nine against with 25 abstentions.
The push had previously been vetoed by Washington at the Security Council.
Although General Assembly resolutions are not binding, Israel has already denounced the new text as “disgraceful.”
The resolution’s adoption would be “a reward for terrorism and a message to the world that the barbaric slaughter of children, the rape of women and the kidnapping of innocent civilians is a worthwhile tactic,” said Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon.
Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Militants also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s offensive has killed at least 41,226 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths. The UN rights office says most of the dead are women and children.


10 killed in Iran bus crash: state media

10 killed in Iran bus crash: state media
Updated 17 September 2024
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10 killed in Iran bus crash: state media

10 killed in Iran bus crash: state media

TEHRAN: At least 10 people were killed and dozens injured when bus crashed in central Iran, official media reported on Tuesday.
The bus overturned in Yazd province while traveling between the cities of Bushehr in southwestern Iran and Mashhad in the northeast, state television said.
“The accident left 10 people dead and 41 injured, according to initial figures,” it said, without specifying the total number of passengers on board.
Iran has a poor road safety record, with more than 20,000 deaths in accidents recorded in the year to March, according to the judiciary’s Legal Medicine Organization cited by local media.
Last month, a bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims crashed in central Iran, killing 28 people en route to Iraq for Arbaeen, one of the most significant events in the Shiite Muslim calendar.
Days later, another bus crash killed three people and injured 48 others.