00:22Dramatic nighttime footage from northern Iraq shows intense air defense activity over the
00:28city of arable as the united states activated its close-range defense system to intercept
00:35iranian drones the system deployed was the sea ram counter rocket artillery defense system
00:42a land-based version of the naval phalanx close-in weapon system designed to shoot down rockets
00:49artillery shells and aerial threats video recorded overnight into march 9th captured streams of bright
00:57tracer rounds lighting up the sky near arable international airport where u.s. and coalition
01:03forces maintain key positions the sea ram system fires 20 millimeter rounds at an extraordinary rate
01:11of nearly four thousand five hundred rounds per minute creating a dense wall of defensive fire
01:17against incoming threats according to reports and multiple videos circulating online the system was
01:25activated to intercept low-flying attack drones approaching the airport area several of these
01:31drones were destroyed mid-air before they could reach their targets the drones were widely described
01:38as one-way attack uavs similar to iranian shahed style loitering munitions weapons that have
01:45increasingly shaped modern battlefield tactics across the middle east the overnight interceptions come
01:52amid escalating tensions involving iran israel and the united states in recent weeks groups aligned
02:00with iran inside iraq have intensified attacks on u.s positions these factions often operating under
02:08banners such as the islamic resistance in iraq say their operations are a response to american and israeli
02:15military actions targeting iranian interests in the region since early march u.s facilities around airbol have
02:23faced repeated drone and projectile attacks with some estimates suggesting dozens of attempted strikes
02:29in recent days alone many of these attacks are believed to target coalition bases near the airport
02:36as well as buildings housing foreign personnel during the early morning hours of march 9 explosions were
02:44reportedly heard across parts of arable between 4 and 5 a.m local time as the defense system
02:50intercepted incoming drones despite the intensity of the engagement there were no immediate reports of
02:57u.s casualties from this particular wave of attacks however falling debris from intercepted drones has
03:05previously caused minor damage in nearby civilian districts such as ankawa a suburb located close to the
03:12airport the repeated activation of the cram system highlights the growing scale of the drone threat
03:20while highly effective against rockets and mortars the system was originally designed for short-range
03:26projectile defense not large numbers of maneuverable unmanned aircraft each cram unit carries a limited
03:34magazine of roughly 1500 rounds meaning sustained drone swarms could potentially challenge the system's
03:42defensive capacity still the overnight footage reveals how modern conflicts are increasingly defined by a
03:50duel between offensive drone technology and rapid fire air defense systems iran linked groups have
03:57repeatedly demonstrated the ability to launch inexpensive drones capable of reaching heavily defended targets
04:04forcing powerful militaries to rely on costly defensive systems across the middle east this evolving
04:12dynamic is reshaping how conflicts are fought for residents of arable the streaks of tracer fire cutting
04:19through the darkness were a stark reminder that the region remains on the front line of an intensifying
04:26geopolitical confrontation
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