Around ten F-16s reportedly flew close to Beijing’s air defense identification zone over the Yellow Sea
US and Chinese fighter jets faced off not far off the South Korean coast this week, according to local media outlets.
Approximately ten US Forces Korea (USFK) F-16 warplanes took off from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek – about 60km south of Seoul – and flew over international waters in the Yellow Sea, the Korea Herald reported, citing multiple sources. The mission reportedly took place in the airspace between South Korea’s and China’s respective air defense identification zones.
As the F-16s approached the Chinese coast, Beijing scrambled its own jets to the area, the article said, without clarifying how many planes were involved. The outlet noted that “a brief aerial face-off” ensued, but given that neither side violated the other’s airspace, the situation did not escalate.
The paper also noted an “unusual” number of US jets in the air, adding that it could suggest that the exercise had been “aimed at signaling deterrence toward China.”
Yonhap news agency said that Washington had informed Seoul of the planned mission, but did not elaborate.
China’s Global Times acknowledged the incident, saying that Beijing’s military “organized sea and air forces to conduct continuous monitoring… and effectively responded to and handled the situation.”
The reported encounter comes after the US released a new National Defense Strategy in January that calls on South Korea to take “primary responsibility” for deterring North Korea, freeing US forces to refocus on countering China.
In 2023, the Pentagon released footage of more than 180 intercepts of US aircraft by Chinese jets over the East and South China Seas since 2021. In 2024, US media reports indicated that the number of encounters had dropped after Washington’s relations with Beijing improved.
Tensions between the two countries persist, however, most notably over the self-governing island of Taiwan. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under control. China has also protested US arms shipments to the island and denounced visits by senior American officials to Taipei.
https://www.rt.com/news/632819-us-chinese-warplanes-faceoff/
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 ...
Volker Turk has warned that efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in “certain quarters,” and urged countries to back Africa’s push.
Reparatory justice for historical crimes, including colonialism, enslavement, and the trade in enslaved Africans, is crucial to dismantling systemic racism, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.
Speaking at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent on Tuesday, Turk linked present-day discrimination against people from the continent to the enduring legacy of colonialism and enslavement.
”Racism and dehumanizing rhetoric continue to permeate public institutions, communities, and online platforms,” he said, according to the UN Press Service. Turk noted that “digital technologies, including AI, are reproducing and amplifying existing biases against people of African descent.”
The remarks come weeks after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest...
The US VP had to defend President Trump’s Gaza policy at a rally on a Georgia college campus.
US Vice President J.D. Vance was forced to defend Washington’s policy in Gaza after he was booed and heckled at a key MAGA event on Wednesday.
Co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a conservative student group that has long been seen as a strong support base of President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement but is now showing apparent cracks.
Less than 15 minutes into a TPUSA event at the University of Georgia on Wednesday, Vance was interrupted by hecklers over US policy in Gaza, with one audience member shouting, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide!” As he attempted to respond, others shouted, “You’re killing children!” and “You’re bombing children!”
Vance replied by referring to Trump’s achievements as president, including securing a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, something he said the previous administration of Joe Biden failed to do.
“I ...
