Pentagon: ‘active preparations’ by Syria for chemical attack
The Pentagon on June 27 said it detected “active preparations” by Syria for a chemical weapons attack, giving weight to a White House statement hours earlier that the Syrian government would “pay a heavy price” if it carried out such an attack.
A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, said the U.S. had seen “activity” at Shayrat airfield that “indicated active preparations for chemical weapons use.” That is the same base from which the Syria air force launched an attack in April that the U.S. and others said used lethal chemicals to kill civilians. Syria denied the charge.
President Bashar Assad’s government and Russia dismissed the White House allegation that Damascus was preparing a new chemical weapons attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “such threats to Syria’s legitimate leaders are unacceptable.” Russia is Assad’s key backer and sided with him when he denied responsibility for a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of people in Idlib province on April 4.
The U.S. responded to that attack by hitting the airfield with dozens of cruise missiles.
A June 26 evening statement by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the U.S. had “identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children.”
Spicer said the activities were similar to preparations taken before the attack in April, but provided no evidence or further explanation. AP
Iridium says newly launched satellites are functioning well
Iridium Communications says its 10 new satellites launched from California during the weekend are functioning normally.
The McLean, Va.,-based company said June 26 the satellites will undergo about 45 days of testing to ensure they can be integrated into its operational constellation that provides mobile voice and data communications around the globe.
The June 25 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base carried the second batch of 10 satellites that are being used to replace Iridium’s entire original fleet of satellites.
Iridium plans six more launches aboard SpaceX rockets to place a total of 75 new satellites into orbit, including nine spares.
The satellites also carry payloads for an Aireon LLC service that will allow real-time tracking of aircraft everywhere on the globe. Aireon says its testing is also underway. AP
Russian navy test-fires submarine-launched missile
The Russian military says it has successfully test-fired a submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile.
The Defense Ministry said the Yuri Dolgoruky nuclear-powered submarine launched the Bulava missile June 26 from a submerged position in the Barents Sea. The ministry said the missile’s mock warheads reached their designated targets on the opposite side of Russia — the Kura shooting range on the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
The Bulava, which has been commissioned by the Russian navy after a long cycle of development, carries six nuclear warheads and has a range of up to 9,300 kilometers (about 5,770 miles).
The Yuri Dolgoruky is the first in a series of Borei-class submarines carrying the Bulava. Russia now has three such submarines, and five more are under construction to gradually replace some of the older Soviet-built ones. AP
Fire at air station injures 2 Marines working on aircraft
Authorities say a sudden burst of fire at a Marine Corps air station has injured two Marines who were performing routine maintenance on a combat jet.
The Marine Corps says the fire erupted after 10 p.m., June 25 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in the San Diego area.
The Marines were being treated for severe burns at the regional burn center at UC San Diego Health. Their injuries initially were attributed to an explosion, but the Marine Corps later called it a “ground flash fire.”
The Marines are from a reserve unit based in Fort Worth, Texas.
The fire is under investigation.
The Marine Corps did not release other details, including the identities of the Marines or damage caused by the fire. AP