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Tehran Signals Defiance as Supreme Leader Vows Retaliation and Strait Closure

  A man holds a picture of Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, while people attend a funeral ceremony for the Iranian military commanders who were killed in strikes, in Tehran Iran’s Supreme Leader issued his first public remarks following the deaths of senior Iranian commanders, vowing that the country will “avenge the martyrs” and maintain the closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz until what he described as “justice” is served. His comments, delivered during a nationally broadcast address, underscore a sharp escalation in rhetoric at a moment of heightened regional tension. The Supreme Leader framed the recent losses as sacrifices in the defense of Iran’s sovereignty, promising that those responsible “will face consequences.” He also reaffirmed Iran’s decision to keep the Strait closed, a move that has already disrupted global shipping routes and rattled energy markets. The strait, one of the world’s most critical chokepoints for oil transport, has long been a flas...
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Lithuania Confronts Hybrid Threat as Balloons Disrupt Airspace

 

                                            The Belarus-Lithuania border in Kurmelionys, Lithuania

Lithuania has declared a state of emergency after repeated incursions of balloons launched from neighboring Belarus disrupted civil aviation and raised national security concerns. The government announced the measures following weeks of incidents in which meteorological balloons carrying contraband cigarettes forced Vilnius Airport to close multiple times, stranding thousands of passengers.

Officials in Vilnius accuse Belarus—an ally of Russia—of orchestrating these balloon launches as part of a hybrid warfare campaign aimed at destabilizing the Baltic state. Lithuania’s Interior Minister emphasized that the emergency was declared not only due to aviation disruptions but also because of the broader threat to human life, property, and national security.

Under the emergency order, Lithuania’s military, police, and border guards will be granted expanded powers to stop and search vehicles, restrict access to certain areas, and conduct document checks in an effort to counter the balloon incursions. Authorities have already intercepted several balloons carrying thousands of packs of smuggled cigarettes, underscoring the scale of the operation.

Belarus has denied responsibility, accusing Lithuania of provocations, but Vilnius insists the incursions are deliberate acts of disruption. As a NATO and EU member, Lithuania views the situation as part of a wider regional instability linked to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

The declaration highlights the growing tension along the Belarus-Lithuania border and signals that the Baltic nation is prepared to take extraordinary measures to safeguard its skies and citizens.

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