A rocket attack on the Ain al-Assad base in Iraq injured several U.S. personnel. With this regional tensions escalate with an anticipated Iranian counterattack on Israel. The rocket fire is the latest in a series of attacks targeting Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq. This base hosts U.S. troops and coalition forces involved in operations against the Islamic State.

Several US personnel injured in suspected rocket attack on Al Asad Air Base in Iraq

Ukraine said on Sunday (Nov 12) that three Russian officers in the Moscow-controlled city of Melitopol were killed in a blast triggered by "local resistance movements" on Saturday.

Ukraine said on Sunday (Nov 12) that three Russian officers in the Moscow-controlled city of Melitopol were killed in a blast triggered by "local resistance movements" on Saturday. The explosion occurred at the headquarters of the occupation authorities. In a post on Telegram, the intelligence service of Ukraine's defence ministry said, "At least three officers of the Russian guard were eliminated, as a result of the revenge action carried out by representatives of the local resistance movement." According to a report by the news agency AFP, a source said that the attack on the headquarters was carried out during the meeting of the (Russian Security Service) FSB and (Russian National Guard) Rosgvardia. Blast heard in all corners of city Melitopol is located in Zaporizhzhia and is one of the four regions that Russia claims to have annexed without fully controlling them. Before Russia launched a war against Ukraine in February last year, Melitopol had a population of around 150,000 people. Ukrainian forces have been launching offensive operations in Melitopol and other directions. On Saturday evening, Melitopol's exiled mayor said that residents reported an "explosion, which was heard in all corners of the city" and police cars speeding through the city. Russia renews missile attacks on Kyiv In other news from the Ukraine war, Russia on Saturday launched a missile attack in Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv and the surrounding region for the first time in more than seven weeks. Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said a Russian ballistic missile was launched toward the capital at about 8 am (0600 GMT). "After a long pause of 52 days, the enemy has resumed missile attacks on Kyiv," Popko said, adding the missile failed to reach the capital as air defenders shot it down. Popko said there were no casualties or major damage. (With inputs from agencies) Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Ukraine war: Three Russian military officers killed in Melitopol explosion, says Kyiv

The head of US Southern Command says military officials are focusing on preparing for "the day after" Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro leaves power. Navy Adm. Craig Faller warned Monday against Venezuela's "formidable weapon system" and criticised Cuba, Russia and China for assisting Maduro.

Joint military exercises between Brazil and the US

Yemen's Houthi movement launched an attack on Abha civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Sunday that killed one person and wounded seven others, the Saudi-led coalition battling the group in Yemen said.

Yemen's Houthis hit Saudi airport, killing one expat, says Saudi-led coalition

Sri Lanka's highest-ranking military officer was remanded by a court Wednesday after weeks evading arrest for allegedly protecting the chief suspect in the murder of 11 people during the civil war.

The Colombo Fort magistrate ordered that Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, the country's military chief, be held in custody for a week pending investigations into the abduction and murder of the young men between 2008 and 2009.

The magistrate denied bail for Wijegunaratne after it emerged he tried to abduct a key witness over the weekend and sought to have an investigator removed from the case.

"I am denying bail because in your position you are able to influence witnesses and disrupt the investigations," Magistrate Ranga Dassanayake told a packed courthouse.

Wijegunaratne, who appeared in full military regalia, has denied any connection to the murders.

Wijegunaratne's bodyguards earlier shoved journalists trying to photograph the chief of defence staff as he entered the courtroom.

Earlier in the day, Wijegunaratne surrendered after weeks of ignoring a court summons.

Investigators told the court that Wijegunaratne protected the main accused in the high-profile murders, naval intelligence officer Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi.

He was arrested in August over the killings in the closing stages of Sri Lanka's bloody separatist war that ended in May 2009.

Three warrants for Wijegunaratne's arrest were issued earlier this month but he ignored them, even travelling to Mexico while investigators were seeking a statement from him.

Police believe the 11 victims were killed while in the illegal custody of the navy. Their bodies were never found.

Military figures were accused of abductions and extrajudicial killings during the 37-year war against the Tamil Tiger separatist movement.

Several intelligence officers are facing prosecution over the murder of journalists critical of Mahinda Rajapakse, the former president whose tenure was marred by allegations of war crimes and grave rights abuses.

His recent controversial appointment as prime minister by Sri Lanka's president has plunged the country into crisis, with parliament twice voting against the war-era strongman ruler taking over the government.

Rajapakse, who has refused to step aside as Sri Lanka drifts in a power vacuum, and several members of his family are being investigated for fraud and murder during his 10-year presidency.

But those inquiries were thrown into doubt after his surprise return to the helm of government in an alliance with President Maithripala Sirisena.

Rajapakse lead Sri Lanka as government troops defeated the Tamil insurgency in May 2009, ending years of bitter and brutal fighting.

The final days of the offensive were marked by major abuses, according to rights groups. A UN panel has said 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the final stages of the war.

Sri Lanka's highest-ranking military officer was remanded by a court Wednesday after weeks evading arrest for allegedly protecting the chief suspect in the murder of 11 people during the civil war.

Sri Lanka's highest-ranking military officer was remanded by a court Wednesday after weeks evading arrest for allegedly protecting the chief suspect in the murder of 11 people during the civil war. The Colombo Fort magistrate ordered that Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, the country's military chief, be held in custody for a week pending investigations into the abduction and murder of the young men between 2008 and 2009. The magistrate denied bail for Wijegunaratne after it emerged he tried to abduct a key witness over the weekend and sought to have an investigator removed from the case. "I am denying bail because in your position you are able to influence witnesses and disrupt the investigations," Magistrate Ranga Dassanayake told a packed courthouse. Wijegunaratne, who appeared in full military regalia, has denied any connection to the murders. Wijegunaratne's bodyguards earlier shoved journalists trying to photograph the chief of defence staff as he entered the courtroom. Earlier in the day, Wijegunaratne surrendered after weeks of ignoring a court summons. Investigators told the court that Wijegunaratne protected the main accused in the high-profile murders, naval intelligence officer Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi. He was arrested in August over the killings in the closing stages of Sri Lanka's bloody separatist war that ended in May 2009. Three warrants for Wijegunaratne's arrest were issued earlier this month but he ignored them, even travelling to Mexico while investigators were seeking a statement from him. Police believe the 11 victims were killed while in the illegal custody of the navy. Their bodies were never found. Military figures were accused of abductions and extrajudicial killings during the 37-year war against the Tamil Tiger separatist movement. Several intelligence officers are facing prosecution over the murder of journalists critical of Mahinda Rajapakse, the former president whose tenure was marred by allegations of war crimes and grave rights abuses. His recent controversial appointment as prime minister by Sri Lanka's president has plunged the country into crisis, with parliament twice voting against the war-era strongman ruler taking over the government. Rajapakse, who has refused to step aside as Sri Lanka drifts in a power vacuum, and several members of his family are being investigated for fraud and murder during his 10-year presidency. But those inquiries were thrown into doubt after his surprise return to the helm of government in an alliance with President Maithripala Sirisena. Rajapakse lead Sri Lanka as government troops defeated the Tamil insurgency in May 2009, ending years of bitter and brutal fighting. The final days of the offensive were marked by major abuses, according to rights groups. A UN panel has said 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the final stages of the war.

Sri Lanka top military official Wijegunaratne detained over mass murder cover-up

Turkey intercepted encrypted messages sent by followers of US-based Fethullah Gulen well before the July 15 coup attempt, giving Ankara names of tens of thousands within the preacher&#39;s network, a senior official said on Saturday. 
 
Turkey says Gulen masterminded the failed coup from his compound in Pennsylvania, using followers in Turkey who for years had built up a top-level presence within state institutions. 
 
The reclusive preacher denies the charges. 
 
The Turkish official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, said Turkey&#39;s national intelligence organisation began decrypting messages sent on the app ByLock in May last year. 
 
Almost 40,000 names of Gulen followers, including 600 ranking military personnel, were identified by Turkish intelligence through the intercepted messages. 
 
The official added that &quot;a large number of people identified via ByLock were directly involved in the coup attempt&quot;. 
 
The official said that since December 2013, Gulen followers used encrypted messaging apps to communicate securely, and had started using ByLock in 2014. A corruption scandal erupted in December 2013 that Erdogan blamed on Gulen and which represented one of the most serious challenges to his rule. 
 
&quot;The ByLock data made it possible for us to map their network, at least a large part of it. They (later) switched to another app when they realised that ByLock was compromised,&quot; said the official. 
 
Turkish officials have said that by the time of the coup the plotters were communicating via the better-known messaging service WhatsApp. 
 
Turkish energy minister Berat Albayrak said this week that Ankara had already prepared lists of suspected Gulenists in major institutions before the coup and had been planning a major purge this summer. 
 
Analysts had said the speed of the crackdown after the coup that has seen some 18,000 detained suggests the authorities were preparing a swoop and knew who to target. 
 
But the government has also admitted there were intelligence weaknesses leading up to the coup. 
 
Reports have suggested that Turkish intelligence got wind of the plot hours before it happened but did not inform politicians. There has been speculation that the powerful head of the intelligence organisation, Hakan Fidan, will have to resign, but so far he has kept his job. 
 
(AFP)

The 40,000 Gulen followers included 600 military personnel who were identified by Turkish intelligence through intercepted messages

Turkey intercepted encrypted messages sent by followers of US-based Fethullah Gulen well before the July 15 coup attempt, giving Ankara names of tens of thousands within the preacher's network, a senior official said on Saturday. Turkey says Gulen masterminded the failed coup from his compound in Pennsylvania, using followers in Turkey who for years had built up a top-level presence within state institutions. The reclusive preacher denies the charges. The Turkish official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, said Turkey's national intelligence organisation began decrypting messages sent on the app ByLock in May last year. Almost 40,000 names of Gulen followers, including 600 ranking military personnel, were identified by Turkish intelligence through the intercepted messages. The official added that "a large number of people identified via ByLock were directly involved in the coup attempt". The official said that since December 2013, Gulen followers used encrypted messaging apps to communicate securely, and had started using ByLock in 2014. A corruption scandal erupted in December 2013 that Erdogan blamed on Gulen and which represented one of the most serious challenges to his rule. "The ByLock data made it possible for us to map their network, at least a large part of it. They (later) switched to another app when they realised that ByLock was compromised," said the official. Turkish officials have said that by the time of the coup the plotters were communicating via the better-known messaging service WhatsApp. Turkish energy minister Berat Albayrak said this week that Ankara had already prepared lists of suspected Gulenists in major institutions before the coup and had been planning a major purge this summer. Analysts had said the speed of the crackdown after the coup that has seen some 18,000 detained suggests the authorities were preparing a swoop and knew who to target. But the government has also admitted there were intelligence weaknesses leading up to the coup. Reports have suggested that Turkish intelligence got wind of the plot hours before it happened but did not inform politicians. There has been speculation that the powerful head of the intelligence organisation, Hakan Fidan, will have to resign, but so far he has kept his job. (AFP)

Turkey intercepted Gulen followers' encrypted messages: Official

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