Iraqi airspace restricted after mystery explosions - jedi F35 to blame?

1. 2019-08-17 at 8:51 PM UTC

   #1
   

   Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Dark Matter [my scoffingly uncritical tinning]
   TLDR explosions have occurred at arms depots in Iraq that belong to Iranian militias.
   
   

   The drastic Baghdad decision came after on Monday a massive blast ripped through a neighborhood in the city, which Iraqi officials believe was the result of an Israeli strike on a pro-Iranian militia ammunition depot.
   
   The resulting fire had raged throughout the day not far from the 'Green Zone' and sent mortars and exploding munitions across the city, resulting in the death of at least one civilian and wounding of nearly 40 others, many of them children. The weapons base reportedly belonged to the pro-Iran Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada militia, and an estimated $110 million worth of munitions were wiped out.

   https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-17/iraq-closes-airspace-even-us-coalition-anti-isil-flights-after-suspected-israeli
   
   
   
   

   Who, for instance, helped the fighter jets, which in at least one case (according to foreign media reports) were F-35s? When operating in stealth mode and without external fuel tanks, the F-35 doesn’t have the range to reach Iraq from Israel without refueling in midair.
   
   Another question touches upon the long flight path, which presumably passed through Syrian and Iraqi airspace. That would have exposed the planes to Russian and Syrian radar if they weren’t in stealth mode. If they were Israeli planes, they most likely would not have flown via Jordan; Amman would never authorize such a flight, and it would violate Jordanian sovereignty and further disrupt the already tense bilateral relationship between the two countries. This would leave no other choice but to fly over Syria.
   
   In Iraq, meanwhile, the attacks sparked demands that the country purchase anti-aircraft missiles and otherwise improve its air defense systems, which are decades out of date. Members of parliament also demanded that Iraq take back control over the parts of its airspace currently overseen by the United States.
   
   The last question, though, is what purpose the attack served. There’s nothing new about the presence of Iranian Zelzal and Fateh-110 missiles, which have ranges of 200 to 700 kilometers and are capable of hitting Israel. In August 2018, Reuters reported that Iran had been moving dozens of missiles into Iraq for months and had also restarted operations at missile factories in Al-Zafaraniya, east of Baghdad, and Jurf al-Sakhar, near Karbala. The report also revealed the existence of a third missile plant in Iraqi Kurdistan. The factories date back to the days of Saddam Hussein’s rule, but they were revived in 2016.
   
   In May 2019, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo paid a hasty visit to Baghdad to tell Iraq’s prime minister to stop letting Iran bring missiles into the country and to remove the Iranian missiles that were already there. According to several reports, including one that cited former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Alawi, Israel gave Pompeo photographs of the missiles and launch pads, and said in no uncertain terms that it would take action against them if Iraq didn’t remove them itself.
   
   So why did Israel refrain from attacking those missiles until now? Israel believes Trump gave it sweeping authorization to defend itself last December, when, after returning from a visit to American forces in Iraq, he said, “We give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And they’re doing very well defending themselves.” This remark was a response to criticism that the planned withdrawal of American forces from Syria could endanger Israel’s security.

   https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-strikes-iran-in-iraq-secret-partner-iraq-silence-1.7615974
2. 2019-08-17 at 11:28 PM UTC

   #2
   

   Number13 African Astronaut [dispute my snotty-nosed seagull]
   Trusting news sources to accurately describe aircraft, let alone a plane from a missile is asking to be misled but that said Iraq(according to the article) and presumably Jordan don't have particularly good air defence and therefore they might not catch an F35 with fuel pods so might not have required refuelling, increased visibility doesn't always mean visible.
   
   Also regardless of the relations between israel and jordan I doubt they'd risk stirring shit even with planes in their airspace, israel is the schoolyard bully who's family owns the town and from jordanian airspace an F35 could make it to up above baghdad and back on a single tank.
   
   But that said I've read about a stealth tanker project that was supposed to be happening in the late 20s-early30s, how true or how close it is I don't know, don't know how you can hide a massive plane like that either.
   
   
   Are manpads still viable?
3. 2019-08-17 at 11:39 PM UTC

   #3
   

   -SpectraL coward [the spuriously bluish-lilac bushman]
   It had to have at least one blood sacrifice.
4. 2019-08-18 at 4:35 AM UTC

   #4
   

   aldra JIDF Controlled Opposition
   tried to look into this, it doesn't seem to be getting much attention anywhere.
   
   it's possible it was an accident; there's no media that shows plane/missile/drone strikes - same thing happened a year or so ago in Syria where it was assumed israel attacked a missile depot, but the next day there was an official statement that it was just local farmers doing some very irresponsible backburning
5. 2019-08-18 at 4:37 AM UTC

   #5
   

   aldra JIDF Controlled Opposition

   Originally posted by Number13 Are manpads still viable?

   
   depends on the situation. when attacking a fixed, fortified position like this I'm pretty sure a warplane can attack from outside of the range of anything man-portable
   The following users say it would be alright if the author of this post didn't die in a fire!

   • Number13
6. 2019-08-18 at 1:49 PM UTC

   #6
   

   vindicktive vinny Black Hole

   Originally posted by Number13 Are manpads still viable?

   
   no, thats considered sexist these days.
7. 2019-08-20 at 4:57 AM UTC

   #7
   

   Mud Hole Mania African Astronaut
   Fake news
8. 2019-08-24 at 4:01 AM UTC

   #8
   

   aldra JIDF Controlled Opposition
   In short, the reports that it was an israeli attack all come from anonymous israeli military sources and highly dubious Saudi mouthpieces known for spreading israeli disinformation in the past. The PMUs have officially reported that the explosion was caused by 'equipment failure'.
   
   That said, no solid evidence has been provided by either side and the timing of the effective closing of Iraqi airspace is highly suspect; I can't imagine such serious changes being made to their air traffic control without some sort of trigger.
   
   Further, the only way such an attack could've been launched without in-air refueling is if it were launched from Kurdistan, in which case an F35 attack is completely off the table but standoff missiles or drones are a possibility.
9. 2019-08-24 at 4:09 AM UTC

   #9
   

   aldra JIDF Controlled Opposition
   As an aside there's no advantage to Iran or Hez storing significant weapons stocks in Iraq anyway so the 'we wuz just defending ourselves' line makes even less sense than usual.
10. 2019-08-24 at 12:47 PM UTC

    #10
    

    Number13 African Astronaut [dispute my snotty-nosed seagull]
    You remember that russian aa battery that they destroyed and it wasn't even turned on?
    Always with the jedi tricks.
11. 2019-08-24 at 1:06 PM UTC

    #11
    

    -SpectraL coward [the spuriously bluish-lilac bushman]
    It was the elite Jews who killed Jesus. Satan's minions. And they're still at it, even to the day.
    The following users say it would be alright if the author of this post didn't die in a fire!

    • Number13
12. 2019-08-24 at 5:03 PM UTC

    #12
    

    Mud Hole Mania African Astronaut

    Originally posted by -SpectraL It was the elite Jews who killed Jesus. Satan's minions. And they're still at it, even to the day.

    
    I thought the Romans killed Jesus?
13. 2019-08-24 at 5:14 PM UTC

    #13
    

    Number13 African Astronaut [dispute my snotty-nosed seagull]

    Originally posted by Mud Hole Mania I thought the Romans killed Jesus?

    
    They killed him at the behest of the jedi people in the area
14. 2019-08-24 at 6:01 PM UTC

    #14
    

    Mud Hole Mania African Astronaut
    But it was G-d's choice. He told Jesus this was going to happen. He raised his hands and allowed Satan's powers to corrupt the minds of the Chosen and deny him and thus Jesus took one for the team.
15. 2019-08-24 at 7:22 PM UTC

    #15
    

    Number13 African Astronaut [dispute my snotty-nosed seagull]

    Originally posted by Mud Hole Mania But it was G-d's choice. He told Jesus this was going to happen. He raised his hands and allowed Satan's powers to corrupt the minds of the Chosen and deny him and thus Jesus took one for the team.

    
    That doesn't mean they didn't kill him