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Israel launches new spy satellite in ‘message’ to enemies

Israel launches new spy satellite in ‘message’ to enemies
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz (AFP)
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Updated 03 September 2025

Israel launches new spy satellite in ‘message’ to enemies

Israel launches new spy satellite in ‘message’ to enemies
  • The satellite’s launch on Tuesday night came two months after a 12-day war between Israel and Iran

Israel has launched a new spy satellite into orbit in what Defense Minister Israel Katz described on Wednesday as a “message” to its enemies that they are under continuous surveillance.
“The launch of the Ofek 19 satellite yesterday is an achievement of the highest global level. Few countries possess these capabilities,” Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X.
“This is also a message to all our enemies, wherever they may be — we are keeping an eye on you at all times and in every situation,” he added.
The satellite’s launch on Tuesday night came two months after a 12-day war between Israel and Iran which saw Israel strike Iranian nuclear and military sites, as well as residential areas, more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) away.
Over 12,000 satellite images of Iranian territory were collected to direct the strikes, according to Daniel Gold, head of the defense ministry’s research and development directorate.
The operation “underscored that having advanced observation capabilities in our region is critical for achieving aerial and ground superiority,” said Boaz Levy, CEO of state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, which worked on the project alongside the ministry of defense.
Israel joined the club of space powers in 1988 with the deployment of its first Ofek satellite.


Explosions heard near Sudan capital: witnesses

Updated 16 sec ago

Explosions heard near Sudan capital: witnesses

Explosions heard near Sudan capital: witnesses
PORT SUDAN: Explosions were heard near the army-controlled Sudanese capital Khartoum on Friday, witnesses told AFP, a day after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said they agreed to a humanitarian truce.
Following the RSF’s capture of El-Fasher, the army’s last major stronghold in western Darfur, less than two weeks ago, the paramilitaries appear to be shifting their focus eastward toward Khartoum and the oil-rich Kordofan region.
Khartoum has seen relative calm since the regular army regained control this year, but the RSF — at war with the army since April 2023 — has continued its attacks in several regions, targeting both military and civilian sites.
A resident in Omdurman, part of the greater Khartoum area, told AFP on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, that they were awoken “around 2 am (0000 GMT) by the sound of... explosions near the Wadi Sayidna military base.”
Another resident said they “heard a drone overhead around 4 am before an explosion struck near” a power station, causing an outage in the area.
In army-controlled Atbara, around 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Khartoum, a resident said several drones “appeared over the city shortly after 3 am” Friday.
“Anti-aircraft defenses shot them down, but I saw fires breaking out and heard sounds of explosions in the east of the city,” the resident said, also on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
Another Atbara resident told AFP: “I saw 10 drones over the city, and the anti-aircraft defenses were shooting them down one by one, but at the same time, I saw fires in the east of the city.”
There were no immediate reports of casualties, and neither the army nor the RSF have yet commented on the attacks.
Meanwhile, the Sudan Doctors’ Union said that the RSF shelled a hospital in the besieged city of Dilling in South Kordofan on Thursday morning, causing several injuries, some critical.
The shelling “destroyed the hospital’s radiology and medical imaging department,” crippling one of the region’s vital health facilities, the union said.
Dilling has been under RSF siege since June 2023.