Evidence Suggests Iran Shot Down Ukrainian Plane ‘Intentionally’

Rescue workers at the site of the Ukraine plane crash. (AP)
Rescue workers at the site of the Ukraine plane crash. (AP)
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Evidence Suggests Iran Shot Down Ukrainian Plane ‘Intentionally’

Rescue workers at the site of the Ukraine plane crash. (AP)
Rescue workers at the site of the Ukraine plane crash. (AP)

Compelling evidence has surfaced that now suggests the shooting down of Ukrainian Flight 752 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in January 2020 was in no way an error but a premeditated intentional act, reported the King Weekly Sentinel.

Since day one of the crash, Andre Milne with Unicorn Aerospace has been investigating and his evidence is now being used by the Ukrainian Anti-Terrorist prosecutor to determine if there are grounds to take Iran to the World Court for Crimes Against Humanity for shooting down PS752.

Milne calls it a “premeditated” SAM attack on civilian Flight PS752 after takeoff outside Tehran.

The reason? To subvert an inevitable US military counterstrike against Iran by the creation of a spontaneous “human shield” made up of dozens of foreign government officials who all started flying into Iran five hours after the initial IRGC short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) attack on US and Canadian forces in Iraq.

After reading through the final report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board of Iran, Milne discovered evidence that the IRGC deployed Electronic Warfare Jamming Technology in coordination with the TOR M1 Air Defense Unit that fired the two missiles that destroyed PS752.

“The IRGC simultaneously blacked out the broadcast frequencies of PS752’s Satellite GPS Navigation and Emergency Locator Transmitters and continued to jam until the IRGC was able to get to the crash site and physically disable the ELT that started broadcasting signals to the World’s Emergency Satellite Network the second the first missile struck PS752,” Milne said.

Milne has submitted his latest finding direct to the Ukrainian Minister of Justice citing the cockpit voice recording transcripts of both pilots of PS752 becoming alarmed about the loss of GPS navigation immediately “before” they were struck by the IRGC’s first missile.

“As the IRGC have years of experience in coordination of Electronic Warfare Technology when jamming the GPS on ships in the Gulf as part of their organized piracy operations, it is disturbing yet not surprising the IRGC used GPS and Satellite jammers against PS752 during their coordination planning in attacking PS752,” Milne pointed out.

He said four separate flights departing the same airport entered into the 25-kilometer radar detection the perimeter of the missile battery. All civilian airliners transmit transponder signals to identify themselves and Milne noted no fewer than 168 signals were transmitted, detected and identified during this time.

Flight PS752 entered this same perimeter and broadcasted at least 18 signals, and “all would have been detected and identified as all having originated from a civilian airliner” by the Iranian TOR M1 ADU.

Further, he said the Iranians noted that a “ghost detection radar signal” was identified as heading from the southwest towards the IRGC TOR M1 ADU that was deemed as a threat.

Simultaneously, the IRGC claimed the actual PS752 that Milne identifies as ghost 2 was not detected and or tracked as approaching the TOR M1 ADU, and yet the real flight was still targeted and struck with two missiles. This took place all while the same TOR M1 ADU was allegedly trying to track and target the first ghost threat 23 kilometers away in an entirely different direction.

In his findings, Milne pointed out the TOR M1 missile system has two separate radar systems, one for detection and one for targeting.



Somaliland Denies It Will Host Palestinians, Israeli Base

This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)
This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)
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Somaliland Denies It Will Host Palestinians, Israeli Base

This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)
This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)

The breakaway region of Somaliland on Thursday denied allegations by the Somali president that it would take resettled Palestinians or host an Israeli military base in exchange for Israel recognizing its independence.

Israel last week became the first country to recognize Somaliland as an "independent and sovereign state", triggering protests across Somalia.

On Wednesday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, citing intelligence reports, told Al Jazeera that Somaliland had accepted three conditions from Israel: the resettlement of Palestinians, the establishment of a military base on the Gulf of Aden, and joining the Abraham Accords to normalize ties with Israel.

Somaliland's foreign ministry denied the first two conditions.

"The Government of the Republic of Somaliland firmly rejects false claims made by the President of Somalia alleging the resettlement of Palestinians or the establishment of military bases in Somaliland," it said in a statement on X.

It said the deal was "purely diplomatic".

"These baseless allegations are intended to mislead the international community and undermine Somaliland's diplomatic progress," it added.

But analysts say an alliance with Somaliland is especially useful to Israel for its strategic position on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, close to the Iran-backed Houthi in Yemen, who have struck Israel repeatedly since the start of the Gaza war.

Somaliland unilaterally declared independence in 1991 and has enjoyed far more peace than the rest of conflict-hit Somalia, establishing its own elections, currency and army.

Its location alongside one of the world's busiest shipping lanes has made it a key partner for foreign countries.


Flash Floods Triggered by Heavy Rains in Afghanistan Kill at Least 17 People

Smog is seen over Kabul, Afghanistan, 31 December 2025. (EPA)
Smog is seen over Kabul, Afghanistan, 31 December 2025. (EPA)
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Flash Floods Triggered by Heavy Rains in Afghanistan Kill at Least 17 People

Smog is seen over Kabul, Afghanistan, 31 December 2025. (EPA)
Smog is seen over Kabul, Afghanistan, 31 December 2025. (EPA)

The season’s first heavy rains and snowfall ended a prolonged dry spell but triggered flash floods in several areas of Afghanistan, killing at least 17 people and injuring 11 others, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s national disaster management authority said Thursday.

The dead included five members of a family in a property where the roof collapsed on Thursday in Kabkan, a district in the Herat province, according to Mohammad Yousaf Saeedi, spokesman for the Herat governor. Two of the victims were children.

Most of the casualties have occurred since Monday in districts hit by flooding, and the severe weather also disrupted daily life across central, northern, southern, and western regions, according to Mohammad Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority.

Hammad said the floods also damaged infrastructure in the affected districts, killed livestock, and affected 1,800 families, worsening conditions in already vulnerable urban and rural communities.

Hammad said the agency has sent assessment teams to the worst-affected areas, with surveys ongoing to determine further needs.

Afghanistan, like neighboring Pakistan and India, is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, particularly flash floods following seasonal rains.

Decades of conflict, poor infrastructure, deforestation, and the intensifying effects of climate change have amplified the impact of such disasters, especially in remote areas where many homes are made of mud and offer limited protection against sudden deluges.

The United Nations and other aid agencies this week warned that Afghanistan is expected to remain one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises in 2026. The UN and its humanitarian partners launched a $1.7 billion appeal on Tuesday to assist nearly 18 million people in urgent need in the country.


Thousands Stage Pro-Gaza Rally in Istanbul

Demonstrators gather on the Galata Bridge holding Palestinian and Turkish flags during a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Demonstrators gather on the Galata Bridge holding Palestinian and Turkish flags during a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
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Thousands Stage Pro-Gaza Rally in Istanbul

Demonstrators gather on the Galata Bridge holding Palestinian and Turkish flags during a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Demonstrators gather on the Galata Bridge holding Palestinian and Turkish flags during a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Thousands joined a New Year's Day rally for Gaza in Istanbul Thursday, waving Palestinian and Turkish flags and calling for an end to the violence in the tiny war-torn territory.

Demonstrators gathered in freezing temperatures under cloudless blue skies to march to the city's Galata Bridge for a rally under the slogan: "We won't remain silent, we won't forget Palestine," an AFP reporter at the scene said.

More than 400 civil society organizations were present at the rally, one of whose organizers was Bilal Erdogan, the youngest son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Police sources and Anadolou state news agency said some 500,000 people had joined the march at which there were speeches and a performance by Lebanese-born singer Maher Zain of his song "Free Palestine".

"We are praying that 2026 will bring goodness for our entire nation and for the oppressed Palestinians," said Erdogan, who chairs the board of the Ilim Yayma Foundation, an educational charity that was one of the organizers of the march.

Türkiye has been one of the most vocal critics of the war in Gaza and helped broker a recent ceasefire that halted the deadly war waged by Israel in response to Hamas' unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023.

But the fragile October 10 ceasefire has not stopped the violence with more than more than 400 Palestinians killed since it took hold.