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Mexican drug cartel drones entered American airspace but were intercepted by the US military, officials said Wednesday, explaining the brief but mysterious closure of El Paso airport in Texas.But Mexico said it had "no information" on drones at the border, and the Trump administration's version of events has been questioned by lawmakers as well as sources cited by US media who suggested the shutdown was triggered by US military drone or counter-drone activity.The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said late Tuesday the airspace over the Texas metropolis would be shut to all aircraft for 10 days, citing unspecified national "security reasons," only to lift the closure after less than 24 hours.The report of a drone breach comes some five months into a US military campaign targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats, and could provide a pretext for President Donald Trump to follow through on his threats to expand the strikes to land, potentially in Mexico.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X that the FAA and the Defence Department "acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion," adding: "The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region."A US administration official meanwhile said the breach was by "Mexican cartel drones," and that US forces "took action to disable the drones," without specifying how they did so.But top Democratic lawmakers from the House Committee on Transportation suggested the Pentagon may have been responsible for the situation, saying that language in defense policy legislation allowed the US military to "act recklessly in the public airspace."The lawmakers called for a solution that ensures that "the Department of Defense will not jeopardize safety and disrupt the freedom to travel."US media reported that the El Paso airport closure may have been the result of US military drones or anti-drone testing rather than a cartel threat.The Pentagon referred questions on the closure to the FAA, which said when it announced the move that "no pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas" covered by the restrictions and warned of potentially "deadly force" if aircraft were deemed a threat.It updated its guidance Wednesday morning, saying on X that the closure was lifted.El Paso has a population of about 700,000 and is one of the 25 largest cities in the United States. Almost 3.5mn passengers passed through the airport between January and November 2025, according to data on its website.Trump's administration insists it is effectively at war with "narco-terrorists," carrying out strikes on alleged traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, while the US president has repeatedly said he plans to expand the strikes to land.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum opposes US military intervention in her country but has so far managed to negotiate a fine diplomatic line with Trump.She has stepped up the extradition of cartel leaders to the United States and reinforced border co-operation amid tariff threats from Trump, for whom curbing illegal migration from Mexico was a key election promise.Sheinbaum told a news conference Wednesday that she had "no information on the use of drones at the border," but that her government was investigating the airport closure.The United States began carrying out strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in September, a campaign that has killed at least 130 people and destroyed dozens of vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. 

Russia and Ukraine have each claimed to have intercepted dozens of drones overnight, in the latest exchange of aerial attacks in the war that has now entered its fourth year. Russia's Ministry of Defence said on Monday that its air defence systems had downed 103 Ukrainian drones across several regions. The ministry stated that 40 of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were destroyed over the annexed Crimean Peninsula, 26 over the Astrakhan region, and 19 over the Black Sea. Additional drones were reported intercepted over the Rostov region (14), the Sea of Azov (2), and one each over Belgorod and Kalmykia. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that its forces had shot down 69 out of 82 drones launched by Russia during an overnight assault targeting the country's north, east, and south. The type of drones used in the attacks was not specified by either side. Both nations have increasingly relied on drones for reconnaissance and long-range strikes, with drone warfare becoming a defining feature of the conflict. Since Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine began on Feb. 24, 2022, both sides have regularly issued claims of successful interceptions and repelled attacks. However, independent verification remains difficult due to the ongoing hostilities and limited access to frontline areas.

Russian air defenses intercepted several Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital Moscow early Tuesday, in the second such incident within 24 hours. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a post on social media that emergency service specialists were working at the site where debris had fallen. In Tula Region, south of Moscow, Russian authorities reported the destruction of four Ukrainian drones overnight, adding that no casualties or damage to buildings or infrastructure had been recorded. Voronezh Governor Aleksandr Gusev also said that Russian air defense forces had shot down several drones in two areas of the region, with no injuries reported, according to preliminary information. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that a total of 184 Ukrainian drones were intercepted and destroyed over various regions of the country during the past night. Since the start of the conflict in February 2022, Russia and Ukraine have issued near-daily reports of attacks and counterattacks, which remain difficult to verify independently due to the ongoing hostilities and wartime conditions.

Israeli forces on Wednesday intercepted several vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian maritime mission aiming to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip. According to media reports, the intercepted ships were carrying dozens of activists and were ordered by Israeli forces to reroute to Ashdod port. The flotilla's organizers reported that the status of the activists and crew members aboard the seized vessels remains unknown. All individuals on the intercepted ships were reportedly detained by Israeli forces. Jawaher Chenna, a member of the Maghreb delegation of the flotilla, told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that contact was made with some Tunisian participants, who confirmed that three vessels - Alma, Syrus, and Adara- were intercepted, and the fate of those onboard remains unclear. The Sumud flotilla includes around 532 participants from more than 45 countries aboard nearly 50 ships that departed from Spain, Italy, and Tunisia.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced Sunday its forces had killed nearly 1,280 Ukrainian soldiers and intercepted 65 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a series of ongoing military operations across various frontlines. In an official statement, the ministry said Russian ground forces carried out targeted strikes against Ukrainian military units in multiple combat zones. The attacks reportedly resulted in the destruction of dozens of armored vehicles, artillery systems, military transport vehicles, ammunition depots, and electronic warfare stations. Additionally, the ministry reported that the Black Sea Fleet destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels in the northwestern part of the Black Sea. Russian operational—tactical aircraft and drones also targeted what were described as transport infrastructure facilities being used to support Ukrainian military operations, as well as sites allegedly involved in the launch and storage of long-range drones. These claims come amid the continuing war that began on February 24, 2022, with both Russia and Ukraine regularly issuing conflicting reports on battlefield developments and military successes. Neither side's claims can be independently verified, and both continue to engage in intense information campaigns alongside ongoing hostilities.