Black Hawk Down, no... Apache down in the Strait of Hormuz, but... real or false-flag provocation?
Plus news and updates from Israel, Lebanon and Yemen.
Black Hawk Down… No, it is not a Black Hawk that went down, but an AH-64 Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz yesterday (Monday 8th June 2026), as reported overnight by The New York Times (paywalled - see Al Mayadeen, Fars or Mehr (1 and 2), instead), according to which both crew members were rescued safely, though it is not known (yet) if it was brought down by Iranian fire or if it suffered a mechanical failure or another problem. In any case, it is the first Apache lost, but the umpteenth aircraft loss1 for the Outlaw US Empire2 in the war against Iran since 28th February 2026. Considering that Apache helicopters have been used in patrol and deterrence missions to enforce the naval blockade on Iran, I would not be surprised if it was shot down by the Iranian Navy. Surely, it is quite suspicious that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) did not issue any statement about it, though even the President of the corrupt Outlaw US Empire, Paedophile in Chief of the Epstein regime3 and anti-Christ4, Donald J. Trump, had to admit the loss, when asked by press:
The pilots are fine, nobody injured.
Interestingly, neither the IRGC nor the Iranian army have released any statement claiming the downing of the Apache! So… is it a US ploy? We will get back to it later!
No matter how he spins it, this is yet another humiliation for Trump, who is also facing growing political pressure ahead of midterm elections, due to increasing energy costs and rising inflation, expected to pass the 4% threshold, as reported by Al Mayadeen, which - in another article - highlighted that the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is getting closer to a 4-decade minimum, after another weekly withdrawal, according to data from the US Energy Department: although the SPR is now at 349.2 million barrels, the lowest level since August 2023, it may soon fall below levels not seen since the early 1980, at the current pace of drawdowns of ~8 million barrels per week. This may explain why he said that he may sign an agreement with Iran within “two or three days” (sources: Middle East Spectator - MES, Al Mayadeen):
However, we have been here before several times… 37-38 in total, according to CNN and The Washington Post quoted respectively by Fars News Agency and Al Mayadeen. So, don’t count on it… and I would also recommend that both Western media outlets stop counting. LOL!
And, by the way, what has Trump achieved 100 days after starting the war on Iran? With closure of the Strait of Hormuz, that he now desperately tries to reopen, he has only made things worse for him, his party, his country and the whole world (see Fars)!
Speaking of Hormuz, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, former IRGC5 commander, military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei and member of Iran’s Expediency Council, stated (sources: Fars and Mehr - all emphasis mine):
We will not allow America or European countries to take over the management of this strategic route.
At the moment, we are pursuing our goals through negotiations. However, since a naval blockade constitutes a violation of our rights, we do not accept this situation and will definitely break any naval blockade.
We are serious about negotiations, but we are even more serious about defending ourselves.
In the negotiations, we are showing the world what America truly is and on what principles it actually operates. Simply exposing America’s real face, its repeated violation of agreements, breach of international law, and disregard for human rights, is in itself a victory for us.
We want to win in negotiations, in war and in self-defense.
On the issue of war and negotiations, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf clarified the Iranian stance (sources: Fars and Tasnim - all emphasis added):
If we view diplomacy merely as closed-door negotiations and diplomatic smiles, we are doomed to fail from the very start. And if we rely solely on military operations and war, we cannot fully defend our rights.
America’s naval blockade against the Iranian nation and breaching the agreement reached about Lebanon were clear violations of the ceasefire.
It was natural for us to give a decisive response in defense of the rights of the Iranian nation.
Diplomacy does not hinder military operations, nor do military operations hinder diplomacy.
Our goal is to end the war and establish lasting security, not to normalize relations with the United States.
We have no trust in the opposite side.
On the same topic and commenting on Trump’s (dis)honesty, senior Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi was quoted by Mehr and Al Mayadeen as saying (all emphasis mine):
We don’t think that he is honest.
But we have said many times that we accept negotiation as a continuation of the battlefield. We consider negotiations part of the battle.
We are not currently negotiating on those matters [uranium enrichment and other nuclear issues]. There is no discussion of them because it is not intended that we should have negotiations on those issues at this stage.
[On a potential peace agreement] It depends on the behaviors that we observe from the other side. If these same behaviors continue, then no, we do not have any trust at all. With this lack of trust, it is not possible for negotiations to continue, and naturally, when there is no possibility of continuing, there is no result either.
We will by no means back down on the issue of the Resistance front, its members, and especially Lebanon.
Regarding the relationship between Iran and the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, i.e. Hezbollah, Sadeq Amoli Larijani, Head of Iran’s Expediency Council, stated that Iran has opened “a new chapter in its defense policy”, no longer be based on waiting for threats, but rather on initiative and offensive capability, adding (source: Tasnim):
Iran’s attack in defense of Lebanon was not merely a military response; it was the official declaration of a strategic doctrine.
Such a response could encompass all actors supporting this confrontation.
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani also commented on the same topic during a press conference earlier today, saying that “neither side is fighting on behalf of the other, but rather that both face a common enemy seeking to destroy Lebanon, fragment Iran, and weaken both countries simultaneously”, as per Al Mayadeen, which quoted her as saying:
Iran and Lebanon are not proxies of one another.
This common enemy targets both countries at the same time
On the other hand, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei responded to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama accusing Iran of stirring protests against his government with the following tweet (see also Fars, Tasnim and Mehr - for more background information see my translation from yesterday):
Calm down, Mr. prime minister
It was YOU, sir, who started this. So...you should “face the music”!
It would be wiser to show some respect for the intelligence and judgment of your own people, as a nation of rich culture and proud history. They are perceptive enough to distinguish truth from falsehood. If you choose to sell your national sovereignty, that is your decision. You do not owe us an explanation. But when confronted by the outrage and criticism of your own public, please do not use others as a convenient scapegoat to evade accountability. Instead of writing a lengthy pamphlet filled with hackneyed baseless accusations against Iran, take a moment to listen to your own people who are chanting in the streets:
“Jo korrupsionit!” [“No to corruption!”]
“Duam drejtësi!” [“We want justice!”]
“Rama ik!” [“Rama, go away!”]
Meanwhile, Iran's permanent mission to the international organizations in Vienna (Austria) slammed the US draft resolution submitted to the Board of Governors (BoG) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), describing it as a “foolish step”, adding (source: Al Mayadeen):
American crocodile tears are nothing but an attempt to address problems that Washington itself has created under the pretext of non‑cooperation.
This pattern of justifying aggression is repeating itself, as it has happened twice in less than a year.
Similarly, this evening Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi posted the following statement on X, as reported also by Al Mayadeen (all emphasis added):
The US and three European countries' draft resolution against Iran in the Board of Governors is a dangerous attempt to cleanse and whitewash the responsibility of the aggressors and criminals.
As recorded in the Agency's documents as well, the Israeli regime's and America's attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities halted verification activities and forced Agency inspectors to leave Iran for safety reasons. Now, America seeks to turn the consequences of its illegal attack into a case against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This is a reversal of responsibility: They target facilities under safeguards, disrupt nuclear safety and verification possibilities, and then use the Board of Governors to pressure Iran.
The Board of Governors must not become a venue for whitewashing military aggression and shifting its costs onto the victim country. Attacking facilities under Agency supervision and obstructing the path to verification must be the subject of international responsibility for its perpetrators, not a basis for issuing a resolution against a country that has been the victim of these actions.
Safeguards are not strengthened through resolution-making; they are strengthened by condemning attacks on facilities under safeguards, respecting members' rights, holding military aggressors accountable, and returning the Agency to its technical and impartial path.
Returning to the opening topic of the Apache downed over the Strait of Hormuz, earlier tonight Trump tweeted the following statement on his Truth social, claiming that it was shot down by Iran and vowing a response, as reported also by MES (1 and 2), Mehr and Al Mayadeen:
…with Axios adding a detail: the US helicopter was downed by an Iranian suicide drone, although it is unclear whether it was intentional or not, as per MES, which speculated that it may have been a Missile-358 (a loitering munition, a cross-over between drone and anti-air missile) or, more likely, a Shahed-136 drone that the Apache was trying to intercept, though CNN later claimed that it was a Shahed-136 colliding with the helicopter (source: MES), while both Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath claimed that “a preliminary investigation has revealed that Iran intentionally targeted the Apache”, as per MES.
In any case, I reiterate that Iran so far has not claimed the downing of the Apache. On the other hand, an Iranian analyst, asked to comment on Trump’s tweet, was quoted by MES as saying:
Why was an American military helicopter flying in Iran’s backyard?
Tell me, what would have happened if an Iranian helicopter flew in the San Francisco Bay?
I cannot argue with that!
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Trump’s tweet with the following post on X (see also Mehr):
…while Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf tweeted (see also Mehr and Al Mayadeen):
…whereas Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission in Iran’s Parliament, posted the following statements on X (1 and 2 - all emphasis mine):
A naval blockade is a military operation, and we have responded to it and will continue to do so.
This is an absolute certainty and our indisputable right.
If America wants to react to the downing of a helicopter that was part of the military operation in our blockade, let it consider our response as definitive.
We will respond to every action with a swift and decisive reaction—have any doubts? Take a look at our strike against the Zionist regime.
We kiss the hand of that warrior who, in the Strait of Hormuz, by downing an American helicopter (like Martyr Nader Mahdavi), struck another slap at the devil, and we will honor him as a hero.
Ali Bagheri-Kani, Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), also warned that Iranian people are…
standing firm heroically in the face of their enemies [and demonstrating] exceptional strength at this critical juncture [with] faith in their own capabilities, which has enabled them to overcome every challenge, pressure, and act of brutality committed by their enemies.
[The Americans want] to destroy Iran's civilisation, capabilities, and self-confidence.
[It] will never happen.The Americans want to force us into submission and dependence, and we will not allow it.
…as quoted by Al Mayadeen.
After all these warnings, Trump may have backed down from his original threat, as he was quoted by MES (1 and 2) as saying that the Apache incident was…
not a big deal.
Reporter: You said the US must respond to the Apache shootdown, do you still feel that way?
Trump: I don’t have to do anything. We hold all the cards. I don’t have to do it—but look, we probably will, okay? They can’t be doing that.
We will see how things develop within the next few hours and days. In any case, do not hold your breath. This was US President J.D. Vance earlier today (source: MES):
In the meantime, let’s move to Israel and Lebanon.
News and updates from Israel and Lebanon
Following the Israeli bombing of Beirut (Lebanon) and the subsequent fire exchange between Israel and Iran, yesterday evening Mehr quoted Al Jazeera and Israel Hayom as saying that it was USrael (once again!) to ask Iran for a ceasefire… like at the end of the 12-day war last year (2025) and, most likely, also at the end of the Ramadan or 40-day war earlier this year (2026).
Today the Israeli security cabinet approved the resolution to attack Beirut in case Hezbollah fires rockets from Lebanon into occupied Palestinian territories, as reported by Mehr; however, Little Satan has continued striking southern Lebanon, as per Mehr, Al Mayadeen (1 and 2) and MES (1 and 2):
Meanwhile, Israeli author and columnist Gideon Levy slammed far-right minister urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ignore the Outlaw US Empire and keep fighting alone in the Middle East (source: Mehr):
Because they are not accountable for anything, they can say “let’s go against Donald Trump and let’s fight with our own force”. We cannot do it by ourselves.
The project of his [Netanyahu’s] life was Iran and the belief that Iran can be defeated by force. This was proven fake in the last two rounds [of attacks] in Iran.
I’m sure he’s realised it by now that his life project just failed. He doesn’t admit it. It’s very hard to admit, but he has no other choice because reality proves that nothing [has] changed. None of the goals in Iran were achieved and will not be achieved with another circle of violence.
On the other hand, Hezbollah has also continued its military operations targeting Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, as per Al Mayadeen, which also reported on increasing number of casualties among Israeli troops, with 77 admissions to hospital in 24 hours, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health, bringing to total number of injuries since the start of the USraeli war on Iran to 9,119.
It is also worth reporting on an infiltration operation in the north of Israel, where an armed individual, armed with a rifle, crossed all the way into the settlement of Margaliot undetected, waited for an IDF6 patrol and then opened fire, causing injuries among them before being killed at Ramim ridge (somewhere near Manara), as per MES (1 and 2) and Al Mayadeen. The security incident triggered a lockdown and IDF searches in or near Misgav Am, Margaliot, and Manara and even the deployment of Israeli most elite special forces, Shayetet 13, fearing another infiltration, as reported by MES (1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6 and 7), Al Mayadeen and Mehr. Initially, it was though that it was a group of Hezbollah fighters infiltrating in Israel, however earlier tonight the name of the individual who infiltrated northern Israel was revealed: Hamza Hammoud, not affiliated to Hezbollah or any other group. According to MES, “he informed his parents before the operation, and they made it public on social media after he was killed by the IDF today”:
Earlier today, Hezbollah issued the following statement regarding the Iranian missile barrage against Israel in response to the bombing of Beirut (sources: Mehr, Al Mayadeen and RNN Mirror - all emphasis added):
The Iranian missile response to the zionist entity in defense of our Lebanese people is a message of moral, political, and field-level commitment from the Islamic Republic toward Lebanon, after this enemy, with full cover from the American administration, persisted in committing its crimes against our country and resumed targeting the Southern Suburb, within the framework of its continuous violations of the ceasefire agreement, confirming its disregard for all international agreements. Therefore, the Iranian response came to emphasize that the interest of the stability of the region and its States is to exert every possible effort to safeguard agreements and ensure that the zionist enemy adheres to them before anyone else. This is the message that Iran wanted to send clearly and forcefully to all those concerned with efforts to support stability in our region.
It coincided with the appreciated support from the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen within the framework of joint action to deter the zionist entity and make the American administration understand that its support for the zionist aggression on our country will topple all the agreements it seeks, especially in light of the Islamic Republic's insistence on including a comprehensive ceasefire on all fronts, especially in Lebanon, in any agreement with it, as a prelude to imposing the withdrawal of the enemy from our Lebanese land, the return of the displaced, reconstruction, and the release of prisoners.
This Iranian support for our legitimate rights and bearing its material and political costs confirms once again that Iran is the one supporting Lebanon, not the other way around, based on its principles and human values, and the depth of the historical relationship between the Lebanese and Iranian peoples. Iran has always wanted good for our country and has contributed to supporting its Resistance to liberate its land and in reconstructing what the zionist aggression destroyed. Its honorable stance alongside Lebanon deserves gratitude from its authorities, not denial and deliberate insults in response to external dictates. All voices driven by those dictates will not affect the credibility of this courageous Iranian stance and the rare loyalty in a time when interests are prioritized over principles. The false accusations issued by some authority figures against the honorable role of Iran, which seeks to stop the zionist aggression on Lebanon, are completely rejected because they contradict the truth and are against the interest of Lebanon. The unjust attack on Iran, including the joint statement with the enemy and the American administration against it, is outside all rules of diplomatic relations, is an unacceptable and condemned alignment, and served only the zionist enemy.
We call on the Lebanese authorities to seize the available opportunity and correct their official relationship with the Islamic Republic in a way that serves the interests of both countries, and to benefit from this Iranian support to achieve our national goals, especially in light of the formation of the new regional umbrella emerging from the Islamabad negotiations. Thereby, the State in Lebanon, through indirect negotiations with the enemy and relying on that umbrella, the factors of strength formed by the resistance, the solidity and steadfastness of the popular stance, and internal understandings, will be able to achieve our people's demands to liberate its land, return the displaced, reconstruct, and preserve national sovereignty.
We, in Hezbollah, and in the name of our people, the families of our martyrs, those who are steadfast, the displaced, and in the name of every free and honorable person in our homeland, highly appreciate this loyalty from Iran and salute the courage of this noble stance of the Guardian Jurist, the President of the Republic, the government, the parliament, the army, the Revolutionary Guard, and the people of Iran for their witnessable stand alongside our legitimate rights and our national cause. These are the rights that we will continue to defend through our heroic resistance until they are achieved, no matter how great the sacrifices, so that our people may remain on their land living with pride, dignity, and freedom.
Finally, it is worth reporting that Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal went to Pakistan for a meeting with its Army Chief General Asim Munir to discuss “matters of mutual interest, the evolving regional security environment, defence cooperation and prospects for enhancing bilateral military relations”, as per Al Mayadeen (1 and 2).
News and update from Yemen
Moving briefly to Yemen, it is worth mentioning that this morning the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) launched a one-way attack drone towards Eilat in southern occupied Palestine, triggering air raid alerts, as reported by Al Mayadeen.
I will conclude this article with the following caricature by Kamal Sharaf from Cartoon Movement:
P.S.: Just before publication, CENTCOM tweeted the following announcement:
…with MES (1 and 2) reporting strikes targeting “the naval base in Sirik, air defense sites near Bandar Abbas, a coastal missile site near Minab, and possibly the Qeshm Port (unconfirmed)”, as well as imminent Iranian retaliation. I will provide an update in ~24 hours - now I really need to go to sleep!
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More specifically, US aircraft losses (damaged or destroyed) include four F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, one F-35A stealth fighter, one A-10 attack aircraft was destroyed, seven KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft, one E-3 Sentry AWACS surveillance aircraft, one MQ-4C Triton drone, two MC-130J special operations aircraft, one HH-60W combat rescue helicopter and several MQ-9 Reapear drones.
See these two posts by Karl Sanchez on why I use his descriptor of the USA:
See these translations for more information about the so-called Epstein regime.
For this descriptor, see my commentary and the poll at the end of this translation.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Israel “Defense” Forces
The bell of truth rings hard in lying ears:
Major General Mohsen Rezaei of Iran has stated:
"... In the negotiations, we are showing the world what America truly is and on what principles it actually operates. Simply exposing America’s real face, its repeated violation of agreements, breach of international law, and disregard for human rights, is in itself a victory for us."
More important than ever that the search for justice continues! The work that the Hind Rajab Foundation is doing to track down and bring Israeli criminals to justice is one that is vital in the effort to hold Israel accountable. Let us hope they will also turn their sights on the criminal leaders of the countries of the west who are co-perpetrators of these crimes.
Find out what they’re doing here:
https://www.hindrajabfoundation.org
The least we can do is donate to help them:
Support the Hind Rajab Foundation
https://donate.stripe.com/cN228hbY5g7jaM84gg