BELGRADE (Sputnik) - Reports about a leak on the Druzhba oil pipeline and other problems around Russian oil supplies look like a continuation of the events on the Nord Stream gas pipeline as part of an energy war, Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said on Wednesday.
"What we all need to know is that there is a world energy war going on. It is still not a world war as we imagine it, without nuclear weapons, but this is a world energy war. What is happening in connection with the Druzhba oil pipeline, which is the most longest in the world ... looks like a continuation of what happened on the Nord Stream gas pipeline," Mihajlovic said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, Polish operator PERN stated that it had detected a leak in the Druzhba pipeline service. The fire brigade was immediately rushed to the site to assess the situation, secure the area and begin restoration work, the statement read. Meanwhile, the oil is supplied to the German refineries "taking into account technical capabilities".
At the same time, the operator estimated that it will take a few more hours to remove oil that had leaked out from the damaged pipeline, after which an investigation into possible causes will be carried out.
Druzhba ("Friendship" ) is one of the biggest pipeline systems in the world, and serves as the largest supply way for oil transports from Russia and Kazakhstan to points in Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany.
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
