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Pentagon: No Indication to Support Missile Strike Theory for Prigozhin Plane Crash

Flowers and military patches associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 24 (Reuters)
Flowers and military patches associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 24 (Reuters)
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Pentagon: No Indication to Support Missile Strike Theory for Prigozhin Plane Crash

Flowers and military patches associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 24 (Reuters)
Flowers and military patches associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 24 (Reuters)

The US Department of Defense on Thursday said it believes Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was “likely” killed in a plane crash outside Moscow on Wednesday.

At the same time, it said there was currently no information to suggest that a surface-to-air missile took down the plane presumed to be carrying the Russian mercenary leader.

Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Thursday: “I’m not going to go into the specifics of how we gather information other than again, our initial assessment, based on a variety of factors, is that he was likely killed.”

He offered no evidence or further details on what US officials believe caused the crash, which Russian authorities said killed 10 people, including seven passengers and three crew members.

Ryder said: “We don't have any information to indicate right now there was some type of surface to air missile that took down the plane,” adding that the Pentagon assessed that information to be inaccurate.

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Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Threatens to Quit Netanyahu Cabinet over Gaza Deal

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks while a conference on the resettlement of the Gaza Strip takes place, at an unspecified location in southern Israel, October 21, 2024. (Reuters)
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks while a conference on the resettlement of the Gaza Strip takes place, at an unspecified location in southern Israel, October 21, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Threatens to Quit Netanyahu Cabinet over Gaza Deal

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks while a conference on the resettlement of the Gaza Strip takes place, at an unspecified location in southern Israel, October 21, 2024. (Reuters)
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks while a conference on the resettlement of the Gaza Strip takes place, at an unspecified location in southern Israel, October 21, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened on Tuesday to quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government if he agrees to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal being negotiated at talks in Qatar.

Ben-Gvir, whose departure would not bring down Netanyahu's government, urged Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him in a last-ditch attempt to prevent a ceasefire deal, which he described as a dangerous capitulation to Hamas.

"This move is our only chance to prevent (the deal's) execution, and prevent Israel's surrender to Hamas, after more than a year of bloody war, in which more than 400 IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers fell in the Gaza Strip, and to ensure that their deaths are not in vain," Ben-Gvir said on X.

Smotrich said on Monday that he objects to the deal but did not threaten to bolt Netanyahu's coalition. A majority of ministers are expected to back the phased ceasefire deal, which details a halt to fighting and the release of hostages.

Ben-Gvir echoed remarks by Smotrich, who said on Monday Israel should keep up its military campaign in Gaza until the complete surrender of Palestinian group Hamas, whose Oct. 7 2023 attack caused the war.

About 1,200 people were killed in Hamas' 2023 assault on Israel and more than 250 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave laid to waste and most its population displaced.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been mediating a ceasefire deal and agreements could be imminent, officials have said.

Some hostage families oppose the deal because they fear that the phased deal taking shape will see only some of the remaining 98 hostages freed and others left behind.

Successive surveys have shown broad support among the Israeli public for such a deal.