During broad daylight on March 16, Iranian-backed Saraya Awliya al-Dam (Guardians | Companies of the Blood, Awliya al-Dam Brigades) released a video taken by a fiber-controlled FPV drone conducting a reconnaissance flight over the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad’s Green Zone.

The group is part of the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” a network of Iranian-backed militias that has repeatedly claimed drone attacks against U.S. and coalition bases in Baghdad and Erbil in recent weeks.
2/5

That same night, Iranian militias launched drones and rockets into the Green Zone, striking the Al-Rashid Hotel, which houses the EU mission.

This follows a pattern of escalating attacks, including repeated drone strikes on U.S. facilities near Baghdad International Airport and coalition positions across Iraq.

This jam-resistant fiber FPV technology was developed at scale by Russia in Ukraine.
3/5

Moscow transferred the technology, including software, fiber spools, and training, to Iran, which is now arming proxies to target U.S. and European facilities in the Gulf region.

The use of fiber-guided FPVs is significant. Unlike traditional drones, they are resistant to electronic warfare and jamming, making them far more effective against defended targets.

Again, without hyperbole, this is a serious and dangerous escalation by Russia.
4/5

It is one of several, including the sharing of targeting information on U.S. military facilities and personnel with Iran.

It also marks a shift from harassment attacks by Iran's proxies to precision reconnaissance and targeting (ISR + kinetic precision) inside one of the most heavily defended diplomatic zones in the world.

It is an escalation that the U.S. president has yet to seriously address.

The facts are no longer in dispute. The response still is.

#OSINT #Russia #Iran #EpicFury
5/5

@OSINTIntuit

Genuine question: If I’m understanding you correctly (apologies if not), from the tone of your analysis if not from its self-evidently accurate basis, it seems you don’t believe that Russia should be “escalating” its conflict with the US via military technology transfers to various proxies in the Middle East but you’re relaxed about the US/ NATO doing exactly the same against Russia in Ukraine and elsewhere (like Georgia for eg).

Am I wrong?

@hszakher @OSINTIntuit

Fair point. However it still feels to me like OSINTIntuit ought to at least acknowledge that, in the great geopolitical “game” that is now violently being played out in West Asia and in Ukraine, Russia (I would argue) has as much right to undermine the US/ NATO hegemon’s interests wherever it can in the face of direct US/ NATO proxy-war attacks on Russian forces in Ukraine & on Ru infrastructure etc over the border from Ukr!

I’m no admirer of Putin, but if I were in his shoes I’d be doing exactly the same thing! If Russia had established military bases in Canada/ Mexico/ Cuba/ Caribbean it’s a total “no-brainer” that Washington would have reacted very quickly & very violently to that scenario!

@GrumpyOldFart @hszakher @OSINTIntuit

"in the face of direct US/ NATO proxy-war attacks on Russian forces in Ukraine"

Can you elaborate on that?

(Because I don't want to argument with professional time wasters.)