Iranian missiles hit Israeli military sites

Satellite © Planet Labs 2024

Iranian missiles hit Israeli military sites, visuals show

Some missiles broke through air defenses to strike or land near at least three Israeli military and intelligence installations.

By Meg Kelly, Imogen Piper and Evan Hill

October 4, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

At least two dozen long-range Iranian ballistic missiles broke through Israeli and allied air defenses on Tuesday night, striking or landing near at least three military and intelligence installations, according to a review of videos and photos of the attack and aftermath.

Videos verified by The Washington Post showed 20 missiles striking the Nevatim air base, in the southern Negev desert, and three striking the Tel Nof base, in central Israel. Analysts told The Post the visuals were consistent with direct impacts on the bases rather than debris from intercepted missiles. Other videos showed that at least two missiles landed near Tel Aviv in Cinema City Glilot, Hod Hasharon, close to Israel’s Mossad spy agency headquarters, leaving at least two craters.

People take shelter in central Israel on Tuesday. (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

The findings raise questions about the full scope of the damage to Israeli military bases and suggest that Iran was more successful in evading Israel’s defenses than in April, when only two munitions eluded air defenses and impacted Israel, according to Post reporting.

The Israeli military said air defense systems identified 180 missiles fired from Iran but did not respond to questions about the number of locations affected by the strikes. The United States and Israel have said that there was minimal damage on the ground, and the Israeli military said Wednesday that its bases were fully operational.

The Pentagon declined to comment on The Post’s findings. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment.

A man holds children as people take cover in central Israel on Tuesday. (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

Three videos synchronized by The Post show a cascade of missiles streaking toward Nevatim air base. A bright flash is seen midair where an Israeli interceptor appears to stop an incoming missile. Fireballs and plumes of smoke rise above the horizon in at least 20 locations where missiles struck the ground, according to a Post analysis of the 30-second videos, which begin after the missiles are in the sky.

“The further away the missile is launched, the greater the margin of error,” said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California. He added that when Iran previously launched missiles at Nevatim air base in April, half fell within three-quarters of a mile of the base and half fell outside that radius, according to his team’s calculations.

 

The Israeli military has two missile defense systems — Arrow II and Arrow III — that are designed to defend against long-range ballistic missiles like those used by Iran in Tuesday’s attack. Arrow II works after the missile has entered the final phase of its flight, inside the atmosphere, while Arrow III aims to intercept missiles still in space, said Fabian Hinz, an Iran analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Berlin who follows the missile program closely.

Medium-resolution satellite imagery collected by Planet Labs on Wednesday shows what appears to be at least one destroyed building at Nevatim. A high-resolution image of another part of the base shows a large hole in the roof of an aircraft hangar and several impact craters.

Lewis said his team counted 32 strikes on Nevatim alone.

Israeli rescue force members inspect the site where a missile fired from Iran hit a school
building in central Israel on Tuesday. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)

North of the Nevatim air base, a video filmed on the balcony of the Hilton hotel in Tel Aviv shows two missiles speeding through the sky from the east toward Cinema City Glilot, Hod Hasharon, close to Mossad headquarters. One hits the ground, emitting a large flash of light. The other falls into the sea.

A video filmed in the immediate aftermath and published to social media on Tuesday shows a sprawling crater in the middle of a highway, stopping traffic completely. The vehicles closest to the impact are coated in a thin layer of dirt. Some appear to have had their windows blown out.

The missile hit the median of the highway, creating a crater that appears to be roughly 20 feet wide and more than a dozen feet deep, an analysis of video shows. A Post journalist saw a second crater on the same highway.

It was not immediately clear what kind of missiles were used in the attack.

Iran’s state-run Mehr News Agency reported that Ghadr and Emad missiles were used, adding that 90 percent of the missiles hit their targets. The Ghadr and Emad are among the longest-range missiles in Iran’s arsenal. Iran also said it used a Fattah-1 missile for the first time, which it has said can maneuver at high speeds to avoid interceptors.

Another video, first geolocated by open-source researchers and independently confirmed by The Post, shows multiple towers of smoke floating above the horizon line from another barrage of missiles that struck the Tel Nof air base. Bright flashes following a missile impact appear to be a secondary explosion.

A crater is visible on the grounds of a school not far from the base in Gedera, video published to X and confirmed by The Post shows. The school’s wall has pulled away, exposing empty classrooms inside⍐.

Adam Taylor, Missy Ryan, Jarrett Ley and Nilo Tabrizy contributed to this report.

Iran warns Israel’s backers against involvement in Tehran-Tel Aviv escalation

 Iran warns Israel’s backers against involvement in Tehran-Tel Aviv escalation

Press TV Friday, 04 October 2024

Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations has warned the Israeli regime’s Western and regional supporters against any involvement in the escalation between the Islamic Republic and the illegal entity.

Amir Saeid Iravani made the statement in response to a question by the American media regarding the scope of Iran’s retaliation against the Israeli regime’s possible attack on the country after Tehran showered the occupied territories with a massive salvo of missiles in reprisal for the assassination of the resistance front’s top leaders and commanders.

“Our response will solely be to the aggressor. If a country helps the aggressor, that country will be considered as a complicit in the crime and a legitimate target,” Iravani said.

“Our advice is that they do not enter into the conflict between the Israeli regime and Iran and stay away from the battle.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched on Tuesday night hundreds of missiles at targets in the Tel Aviv area as part of a daring military campaign, dubbed Operation True Promise 2.

The IRGC said it targeted “the heart of the occupied territories” in response to the Israeli assassinations of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC general Abbas Nilforoushan.

The IRGC said the operation was in line with the country’s right to legitimate self-defense as per the United Nations Charter, and in response to the regime's escalating crimes — backed by the United States — against the people of Lebanon and Gaza.

A number of air and radar bases, as well as centers for conspiracy and assassination planning against resistance leaders and IRGC commanders were targeted in the operation, according to the force. 

U.S., Jordan, U.K. and France Help Israel Repel Iranian Missile Attack

The United States, Jordan, Britain and France helped repel the Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel, Israeli officials said on Wednesday.

One Israeli official said the U.S. had provided the most important assistance, with its forces dispersed across the Middle East intercepting many of the missiles.

The American effort was managed by the U.S. Army's Central Command and included the use of both aircraft and naval vessels. CENTCOM had received reinforcements over the previous several days amid the escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and growing expectations of an Iranian attack in response to the assassination of the group's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah.

"The Americans worked in very close coordination with us," an Israeli official told Haaretz. "They tried to deter the Iranians and prevent an attack, but from the moment it became clear that the message hadn't convinced the Iranians, we got help in defense as well."

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Israeli officials say the U.S. Navy and Air Force provided the most important assistance, with one official saying other Middle Eastern countries also helped, but 'not everyone wants to talk about it'

HAARETZ Oct 2, 2024 

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France and Britain officially announced on Wednesday that they said their forces had helped in repelling Iranian missiles. "I want to thank all British personnel involved in the operation for their courage and professionalism," British Defense Minister John Healey said in a social post. He added that "the U.K. stands fully behind Israel's right to defend its country and its people against threats."

A statement from the French government said its forces in the Middle East had assisted in Israel's defense.

Jordan didn't issue an official statement, but Jordanian officials told CNN that the kingdom had helped intercept many of the Iranian ballistic missiles. Israeli officials confirmed Amman's assistance but provided no further details. 

"There were other Middle Eastern countries that helped, but it's a sensitive topic and not everyone wants to talk about it in this attack," said a senior Israeli official. In Iran's April attack using ballistic missiles and drones, Israel was assisted by several countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Initial estimates are that on Tuesday evening, Tehran fired approximately 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were either intercepted or landed in open areas. It was half the number of projectiles fired in April, but this time the proportion of ballistic missiles was higher, inflicting greater damage⍐.

U.S. Navy Destroyers “Successfully Engaged” Iranian Ballistic Missiles On Their Way To Israel

“Multiple” Iranian missiles heading toward Israel on Tuesday were “successfully engaged” by two U.S. Navy destroyers, a Navy spokesman said in a statement Wednesday morning. 

U.S. Sixth Fleet Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers USS Cole (DDG 67) and USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) “engaged multiple Iranian ballistic missiles in defense of Israel from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea October 1, 2024,” Navy Capt. Bill Urban, lead spokesman for U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Africa said in a statement Wednesday morning. “Multiple missiles are believed to have been successfully engaged at this time.” 

US Navy Screen Cap

Both destroyers have “the Aegis weapons system designed for ballistic missile defense and were stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean by the United States in advance of the Iranian launch as a part of U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Africa,” Urban added. 

The Navy released two videos showing interceptors being launched from the Bulkeley. The statement did not say what kind of interceptors or how many missiles were engaged.

As we reported yesterday, about a dozen interceptors were launched against the Iranian missiles according to Air Force Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s top spokesman. He declined to confirm if they were Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) anti-ballistic missile interceptors. We reached out to the Navy for more details about the kind of interceptors launched and how many Iranian missiles were destroyed as a result.

While it is possible the destroyers fired multi-purpose SM-6 missiles to engage the targets, that seems unlikely given where the Iranian missiles landed. SM-3s are used for midcourse engagements, while the targeted missile is flying outside the earth’s atmosphere. SM-6s are used for more localized defense as the weapon is careening down toward the atmosphere during its terminal phase of flight.

SM-3s were used in combat for the first time back in April during the first Iranian barrage against Israel. As we previously reported, they performed well enough that Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said his service wants more even though the Pentagon’s Missle Defense Agency (MDA) wants to end procurement of SM-3 Block IB variants by the end of this year and limit its buy of the follow-on Block IIAs to 12 per year through Fiscal Year 2029.

On Wednesday, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces said that about 200 Iranian missiles were launched against Israel but caused “relatively minor” damage.

“Iran attacked civilian areas and endangered the lives of many citizens,” said Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. “Thanks to proper civilian behavior and high-quality defenses, the damage was relatively minor. We will respond, we know how to locate important targets, we know how to strike with precision and power.”

Still, there were a number of targets hit, including the Tel Nof Air Base south of Tel Aviv, home to Israeli fighter aircraft, including  F-15C/Ds, known locally as Baz. You can see video of that strike below.

Despite the strikes, operations at the base are ongoing, Halevi said.

“I visited Tel Nof Airbase before the holiday began,” he explained. “The base is fully operational, it has not ceased to operate for a moment, and continues to carry out strikes wherever required. We have the capabilities to reach and strike any point in the Middle East. And those of our enemies who have not yet understood this, will soon understand.”

U.S. officials have been working behind the scenes to get Israel to temper its response to the latest Iranian barrage. Given comments from top leaders there like Halevi however, it seems that Israel is considering a large-scale retaliation. We should know more in the coming hours as Israel celebrates Rosh Hashona, the start of the high holy days⍐.

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A VIDEO

OSINTtechnical

@Osinttechnical

Absolutely incredible footage of the ballistic missile engagement over Jordan and Israel, as filmed by Zaid Al-Abbadi from Amman during last night’s Iranian ballistic missile attack.

ENB Can't verify it's authentication.

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Members of the Palestine Action Group gather ahead of a rally, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Sydney, Australia May 3, 2024. REUTERS/Alasdair Pal/File Photo

Australia tightens security ahead of Oct 6-7 pro-Palestine protests

By Renju Jose October 4, 2024

SYDNEY, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Australian authorities said on Friday they would deploy more police personnel and tighten security measures ahead of pro-Palestine rallies in Sydney and Melbourne on Oct. 6, warning protesters there would be no tolerance of violence.

The Israel-Hamas conflict has triggered protests from both Jewish and Palestinian groups across the world, including in Australia, as the government raised concerns that the protests could inflame community tensions and disrupt social harmony.

In Sydney, the Palestine Action Group has dropped its plans to hold a rally on Oct. 7, the first anniversary of Hamas staging the deadliest assault in Israel's history, which sparked Israel's war in Gaza.

The pro-Palestine group will instead proceed with its rally on Sunday after reaching an agreement with police to change the location and route, and not display flags, portraits or symbols of prohibited organisations. It plans to hold a vigil on Monday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he considers Oct. 7 to be a solemn day, adding the majority of Australians would not want to see conflict in other parts of the world brought to the country.

"(People) who are thinking of other actions on October 7, think about whether your cause is being advanced or set back," Albanese said during a media briefing.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told reporters it would be "hugely insensitive" to hold a vigil in Sydney on Monday and warned there will be an "overwhelming police response" if it turned into a protest rally.

Australia has seen a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since the start of the Israel-Gaza war and passed laws last year that banned public displays of terror group symbols.

Protests in Melbourne last weekend saw some participants displaying flags with the symbol of Hezbollah and photos of leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in Israeli strikes, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.

Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Iran, is a "listed terrorist organisation" in Australia.

Victoria state police said they would conduct more patrols near synagogues in Melbourne over the coming days.

"Patrols will also be bolstered around a planned community event in Melbourne's southeast on Monday," a Victoria Police spokesperson said by email⍐.

World Braces For Israel’s Retaliation To Iran’s Ballistic Missile Barrage

Israel has vowed to strike back after Iran's missile barrage and signs point to its response being far more significant than the one last April.

 Howard Altman  Oct 2, 2024 The War Zone

With Israeli leaders vowing to strike back strongly against Iran for Tuesday’s massive missile barrage, the world awaits Jerusalem’s response. Fears are growing that continued escalation on both sides could lead to an all-out war in the region and possibly drag the U.S. into the fray.

As we noted earlier today, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army said there will be retribution.

“We will respond, we know how to locate important targets, we know how to strike with precision and power,” said Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. “We have the capabilities to reach and strike any point in the Middle East. And those of our enemies who have not yet understood this, will soon understand.”

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran would “pay for” the attack, which officials claim caused minimal damage.

“The regime of Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves,” Netanyahu said in a statement delivered shortly after the attack, which came on the eve Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. “They will understand. We will stand by the rule we established: Whoever attacks, we will attack them.”

Many Israeli officials “point to Iran’s oil facilities as a likely target, but some say targeted assassinations and taking out Iran’s air defense systems are also possibilities,” Axios reported. “The Israeli response could include airstrikes from fighter jets as well as clandestine operations similar to the one that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran two months ago.” This largely matches our analysis from yesterday.

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, said his country’s next response will be “even more devastating” should Israel retaliate.

One of the Iranian missile that were fired at Israel yesterday

Maj. Gen. Sayyed Abdolrahim Mousavi, Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s Army, said his forces “will respond more harshly” to any Israeli retaliation and may “decide to destroy their infrastructure.” Iran claims they only targeted military and national security targets with their previous missile barrage.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden said he does not approve of any Israeli strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, “signaling a renewed effort by his administration to seek restraint from Israel in the hopes of avoiding a wider, regional war in the Middle East,” The New. York Times reported.

Biden told reporters that leaders of the Group of 7 countries had agreed in a call Wednesday morning to impose new sanctions on Iran and agreed that Israel had the right to respond to Iran’s military assault.

Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesman, said the United States continues discussions with Israel on its looming response, the Times reported. “But ultimately, it’s up to them — as it is for any sovereign country — to make their own decisions.”

There is also a concern that the U.S., with 40,000 troops in the region, could become involved should any of its naval, air, or ground forces come under attack.

The U.S. has bolstered its presence in the Middle East since the Oct. 7, 2023 surprise Hamas attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 Israelis. Tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israel’s ensuing response.

One open-source intelligence researcher offered a breakdown of the various missiles on Twitter based on videos of the strikes and images of the recovered missile remains. Among them were Kheiber Shekan medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM). It is a two-stage, solid-propellant, vehicle-launched MRBM that Iran first unveiled on Feb. 9, 2022. A third generation of the Fateh family of ballistic missiles, Iran claims it has a maximum range of 1,450 kilometers (900 miles). It was first used in combat in January,..

Israelis also encountered a largely intact Iranian ballistic missile booster in the Negev desert, some 700 miles west of Iran. These components will likely prove valuable for intelligence personnel that keep a close eye on Iran’s missile and rocket programs.

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) chose Mossad headquarters, Nevatim Airbase, and Hatzerim Airbase as the primary targets in Tuesday’s attack

“The first was chosen because the spy center has been found responsible for several assassinations, the second because F-35 jet fighters are stationed there, and the third because it was used to assassinate Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a devastating attack in Beirut on Friday,” he said, according to the official Iranian news outlet Press TV.

Meanwhile, three days into Israel’s limited ground invasion of southern Lebanon, its troops have engaged in “close-range” combat with Hezbollah forces, both sides say. So far, at least eight Israeli soldiers have been killed in the fighting, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

The IDF did not say how those troops died, but most of the casualties took place in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon, according to a Twitter dispatch from the Israeli YNET media outlet.

A half-dozen Israeli troops were killed and 30 more wounded in a battle in a Lebanese village, according to YNET reporter Yoav Zitun.

The village, which he didn’t name, was struck 650 times in the past months by Israeli forces in anticipation of a looming ground incursion, Zitun stated. The casualties occurred after Israeli forces ambushed Hezbollah fighters in a building “during heavy fog…and in total darkness.”

An assault “by dozens of [Hezbollah] terrorists began from every direction and in poor visibility with low cloud cover that made it difficult for air cover,” Zitun explained. “That was followed by “a barrage of anti-tank and paramilitary fire on the rescue forces that arrived to evacuate the first victims.”

Zitun claims that 30 Hezbollah fighters were killed in that battle, another 30 wounded and 50 killed overall since the start of the invasion.

“Fighting is expected to intensify,” he posited.

Hezbollah said in one battle, it detonated “a pre-prepared explosive device by an Israeli force that infiltrated a house in the outskirts of the town of Kfar Kila, then rained a barrage of machine guns and rockets on it, killing and wounding its members,” the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen Telegram channel claimed. It did not offer any details on the casualty count.

In another fight, Hezbollah said it detonated an explosive device on Israeli forces as they were “trying to bypass the town of Yaroun from the forest side,” according to Al Mayadeen. An unspecified number of Israeli troops were killed and injured, the outlet claimed.

The War Zone cannot independently confirm these claims. Video emerged on social media showing Israeli helicopters evacuating casualties from the Lebanese border village of Adaisseh, where Hezbollah reportedly claimed to have staged an ambush today.

To help bolster its fight against Hezbollah, the IDF said the 36th Division, including soldiers of the Golani Brigade, 188th Armored Brigade, 6th Infantry Brigade, and additional forces are joining troops already in Lebanon.

The death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s in an Israeli air strike on Sept. 27 has “prompted Iranian authorities to thoroughly investigate possible infiltrations within Iran’s own ranks, from the powerful Revolutionary Guards to senior security officials, a second senior Iranian official said,” according to Reuters. “They are especially focused on those who travel abroad or have relatives living outside Iran, the first official said.”

“Tehran grew suspicious of certain members of the Guards who had been traveling to Lebanon,” said a source, according to Reuters. “Concerns were raised when one of these individuals began asking about Nasrallah’s whereabouts, particularly inquiring about how long he would remain in specific locations, the official added.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “no longer trusts anyone,” Reuters added, citing a source “who is close to Iran’s establishment.”

Speaking of assassinations, the IDF announced on Tuesday it “killed the commander of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, which is tasked with delivering weapons from Iran and its proxies to Lebanon in its latest strike targeting the terror group’s top leadership,” the Times of Israel reported.

Muhammad Ja’far Kasir “was killed in a strike carried out by fighter jets in Beirut, according to the military,” the publication stated.

The IDF said that it “also killed the commander of the Imam Hossein Division, an Iranian militia which operates alongside Hezbollah, in the same strike,” the Times of Israel added. “The military named the commander as Daw Alfakher Hinaw.”

Israel also took out Nasrallah’s son-in-law Hassan Qassir in an airstrike in Damascus.

As of 7 PM Eastern, which is 2 AM Tel Aviv time, there has been no Israeli retaliation toward Iran. After Iran delivered its first direct attack against Israel in April, Jerusalem responded with limited missile strikes but none against Iran’s nuclear facilities. The question about how Israel reacts this time will likely be answered in the coming hours⍐.

Howard Altman  Oct 2, 2024 The War Zone

REUTERS/HO/U.S. Navy/File Photo

UK cedes Chagos Island sovereignty to Mauritius, retains Diego Garcia airbase

By Alistair Smout, Michael Holden and Villen Anganan

October 3, 2024

LONDON/PORT LOUIS, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday it would cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal it said secured the future of the UK-U.S. Diego Garcia military base, and which could also pave the way for people displaced decades ago to return home.

U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed the deal, saying it would secure the effective operation of Diego Garcia, a strategically important airbase in the Indian Ocean, into the next century.

But critics in Britain said it was a capitulation which played into the hands of China, which has close trade ties with Mauritius, while one group representing displaced Chagos Islanders expressed anger they had been shut out of talks.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy said the deal settled the contested sovereignty of the islands, the last British overseas territory in Africa, while ongoing legal challenges had imperilled the long-term future of the Diego Garcia.

He said the base, whose strategic significance was demonstrated during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts where it acted as a launch pad for long-range bombers, was now guaranteed for at least 99 years.

"Today's agreement ... will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security," Lammy said in a statement.

Biden echoed that sentiment, saying Diego Garcia played "a vital role in national, regional, and global security".

"It enables the United States to support operations that demonstrate our shared commitment to regional stability, provide rapid response to crises, and counter some of the most challenging security threats we face," he said.

'DECOLONISATION'

Britain, which has controlled the region since 1814, detached the Chagos Islands in 1965 from Mauritius - a former colony that became independent three years later - to create the British Indian Ocean Territory.

In the early 1970s, Britain evicted almost 2,000 residents to Mauritius and the Seychelles to make way for an airbase on Diego Garcia, the largest island, which it had leased to the United States in 1966.

A non-binding resolution in the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 said Britain should give up control of the archipelago after wrongfully forcing the population to leave.

In 2016, Britain's Foreign Ministry extended Diego Garcia's lease until 2036, and declared the expelled islanders would not be allowed to go back.

The new agreement said Mauritius would be free to implement a programme of resettlement on the islands other than Diego Garcia, with the terms left for Port Louis to decide.

"We were guided by our conviction to complete the decolonisation of our republic," Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said in a televised speech.

Olivier Bancoult, leader of the Mauritius-based Chagos Refugees Group, said it marked a decisive turning point and an official recognition of the injustices suffered by the Chagossians.

But British-based diaspora group Chagossian Voices said it deplored "the exclusion of the Chagossian community from the negotiations".

"Chagossians... remain powerless and voiceless in determining our own future and the future of our homeland," it said in a statement on Facebook.

 Fuel tanks at the edge of a miltary airstrip on Diego Garcia, largest island in the Chagos archipelago.
CLH/File Photo/Reuters

'WEAK'

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has said his government would be, in part, defined by a respect for international law after his Labour Party won power in July, had made settling the issue a priority.

However, leading figures in Britain's opposition Conservative Party, which initially launched the talks while in government, criticised the agreement.

Conservative security spokesman Tom Tugendhat said the deal undermined Britain's allies and opened the possibility of China gaining a military foothold in the Indian Ocean.

"This is a dangerous capitulation that will hand our territory to an ally of Beijing," Robert Jenrick, the favourite to be the next Conservative leader, said on X.

David Blagden, associate professor of International Security and Strategy at Britain's University of Exeter, said the deal was a "big win" for Mauritius.

"Not only will the UK pay Port Louis for 'taking back' an archipelago it'd never held sovereignty over, but they’ll now be able to extract lots of juicy Chinese aid in exchange for complicating US/UK use of Diego Garcia," he said on X.