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From geopolitical earthquakes to humanitarian tragedies, drone warfare has reshaped the modern world in ways we're still measuring. Join us as we count down the most devastating drone strikes in recent history, examining each by scale of destruction, strategic consequence, and lasting historical impact. Which single strike from the sky do you think changed the world the most?
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00:00Stunning admission from the Pentagon that a drone strike in Kabul during those chaotic
00:03evacuations from Afghanistan hit civilians instead of ISIS-K members.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're examining instances of drone warfare.
00:13We are grading by the scale of destruction, strategic consequence, historical impact,
00:17and how each proves that a single strike from the sky can alter the course of nations.
00:22But the use of drones here, it seems to send a specific kind of message,
00:26because they can cause huge damage at very little cost.
00:312021 Mercer Street tanker attack.
00:34In July 2021, a commercial tanker named Mercer Street, linked to Israeli ownership,
00:40was struck by an explosive drone in the Gulf of Oman.
00:43The United Kingdom's maritime trade operations also reported that the incident specifically
00:47took place here, off the Imani island of Mesira.
00:51This was not a military vessel, but the attack claimed the lives of two crew members,
00:56one British and one Romanian.
00:57This deadly strike on a civilian maritime target was accomplished using drones.
01:02Setting aside the casualties, the strike prompted a dangerous escalation in maritime conflict,
01:08blurring the line between war zones and global trade routes.
01:11And it was later confirmed that the Mercer Street vessel had traveled of its own accord
01:15up to a safe port, with an escort from the United States Navy.
01:19Iran was accused of orchestrating the attack, but denied responsibility.
01:22The strike was condemned worldwide.
01:24The Mercer Street incident underscored how drones have evolved beyond battlefields,
01:29threatening international shipping, diplomacy, and economic security in a single blow.
01:34But so far, nobody has immediately claimed responsibility.
01:382011 Killing of Anwar al-Awlaki.
01:41Anwar al-Awlaki was an American-born cleric linked to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,
01:46and in September 2011 became the target of a CIA-operated drone strike.
01:51The U.S. had been zeroing in on al-Awlaki's location for months.
01:55In their sights, a compound deep in the back country of Yemen,
02:00where U.S. military and intelligence operatives were certain the American-born terrorist was hiding out.
02:06Al-Awlaki wasn't just a militant, he was a propagandist and digital recruiter for al-Qaeda,
02:12responsible for radicalizing individuals on a global scale.
02:15His death marked the first ever known U.S. drone strike to intentionally target an American citizen.
02:21Rights groups in the U.S. went to court to try and challenge the order for the killing, which they
02:25said was illegal.
02:26Despite al-Awlaki's nefarious background, the strike ignited a legal and ethical debate,
02:31where critics questioned whether any government should possess the authority to execute its citizens without trial.
02:37However, al-Awlaki's death also dealt a significant blow to extremists' networks worldwide,
02:42lending to the expansion of modern warfare to ideological battlefields of the past.
02:47The death of al-Awlaki marks another significant milestone in the broader effort to defeat al-Qaeda.
02:542025 Russian Air Attacks on Ukraine
02:57During a time in which plans for a summit between the U.S. president and Russian President Vladimir Putin
03:02were put on hold amidst Russia's rejection of a Ukrainian ceasefire,
03:06Putin continued the Russo-Ukrainian war with a mass attack from the sky in October 2025.
03:12Russia's escalating its attacks in Ukraine after President Trump put his planned meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on hold.
03:18The drone strike, which also included aircraft and ballistic missiles,
03:22applied even more pressure to the weakening Ukrainian population.
03:25In addition to general attacks on civilian infrastructure, the Russian assault aimed for several essential power plants.
03:32The aftermath left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without heat or running water.
03:36This targeted warfare underlines the fact that drone strikes aren't just dangerous for the lives they end,
03:42but also for the lives they leave behind.
03:43The country going into winter, Zlensky said that nearly half of Ukraine's regions, they're called oblasts,
03:50about half of them were targeted.
03:522020 Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict drone warfare.
03:56During the 2020 Nagaro-Karabakh conflict,
04:00the world witnessed Azerbaijan unleash the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone,
04:05forever altering modern military doctrine.
04:07Civilian areas bombarded,
04:09Azerbaijani drones taking a heavy toll on Armenian forces.
04:12Rather than opt for a massive demonstration of power in tank offenses or infantry waves,
04:17Azerbaijan leaned toward precise drone strikes.
04:20The strikes decimated Armenian military, convoys, and defense systems.
04:24Armenia has really been on the back foot over the last weeks,
04:28with Azerbaijan making repeated gains into the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh.
04:34The impact was so decisive that military analysts labeled the conflict the first true drone war.
04:39In what followed, Azerbaijan's rapid territorial gains proved the efficiency of drones
04:44as a substitute for air superiority, without the traditional air force.
04:48While it wasn't the deadliest drone campaign,
04:51it was among the most influential,
04:52prompting militaries worldwide to rethink their reliance on armor and invest heavily in drone tech.
04:58The latest turn in a terrible cycle has been repeated here for over a century.
05:032019 Houthi drone attack on Yemen military parade.
05:07In January 2019, a drone loaded with explosives detonated over a military parade at Al-Anad Air Base in Yemen.
05:14More than 30 people have been killed in an attack on a military parade.
05:18It happened at a camp near Aden, which is the base of the country's internationally recognized government.
05:24The detonation killed multiple soldiers and injured several top military commanders.
05:29The real shocker was that a non-state group, the Houthis, executed the attack.
05:34In what was deemed a successful strike,
05:36the attack demonstrated that even irregular forces could carry out precision attacks
05:40of the nature usually reserved for powerful nations.
05:42The attack was broadcast live in a chilling message of the democratization of warfare by drones.
05:48From improvised launch pads to deliberate aerial targeting,
05:51this attack showed that in modern conflict,
05:54the sky is open to anyone with a motive and the machinery to execute their goals.
05:59Since it started, tens of thousands of people have died and millions are starving.
06:042013 civilian wedding party strike in Yemen.
06:07In a tragic case of mistaken identity,
06:09Tragedy struck a rural wedding procession in Yemen in December 2013,
06:13when a U.S. drone falsely matched the celebratory convoy with those of insurgents.
06:18The attack killed 12 men between the ages of 20 and 65 and wounded 15 others.
06:24Twelve guests celebrating the marriage were unintended victims.
06:27The incident became a powerful symbol of the risks inherent in remote warfare.
06:31No soldiers were harmed, but families were shattered.
06:34And these Yemenis deserve answers from the United States as to what happened.
06:37Investigations ignited international debate over accountability,
06:41rules of engagement, and the reliability of surveillance intelligence.
06:44Often cited as one of the most devastating humanitarian errors of drone warfare,
06:48the strike revealed that while drones remove pilots from danger,
06:52they do not remove the consequences of human judgment.
06:55We're still operating in a vast accountability vacuum.
07:00The United States is saying, trust us,
07:02yet they're not giving us any information that would allow us to trust them.
07:062016 Taliban Leader Mullah Mansour Elimination
07:10Pakistan's Balochistan was a politically sensitive location and off-limits to direct strikes.
07:15Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour has been killed in a U.S. drone attack.
07:20Still, in May 2016, the U.S. military made a bold decision and led a drone strike
07:26that eliminated Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour,
07:29leaving a void in one of the world's most resilient insurgent groups.
07:32Supporters of the strike hailed the U.S. military's actions as a major victory in counterterrorism.
07:38This action sends a clear message to the world
07:41that we will continue to stand with our Afghan partners
07:46as they work to build a more stable,
07:50united, secure, and prosperous Afghanistan.
07:54Other critics warned that decapitating the leadership of the Taliban
07:57could only have its share of unintended consequences,
08:00including destabilization of peace negotiations, thanks to power struggles.
08:05The U.S. military's operation showcased just how far drones could extend the nation's reach,
08:10beyond borders and into the political schema of insurgent networks and global diplomacy.
08:15The Pentagon branded him as an obstacle to peace,
08:18saying that he'd forbidden Taliban leaders from taking part in talks with the Afghan government.
08:232021 Kabul drone strike civilian casualties
08:26The year of 2021 featured the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
08:31Pentagon officials now calling a U.S. missile strike in Kabul a terrible mistake.
08:35Amid the chaos of a major military transition of power in the country,
08:39a drone strike targeted a suspected ISIS operative in Kabul.
08:43What began with claims of righteous strike against terrorist operatives ended in disaster.
08:48Ten civilians were killed, including seven children.
08:51For the family which lost everything,
08:53the U.S. admission of killing civilians brings no closure.
08:56Further investigations discovered that a humanitarian worker had been misidentified.
09:01The tragedy reignited urgent scrutiny over drone accuracy,
09:05intelligence limits, and the moral responsibilities of remote warfare.
09:09Arriving at the tail end of a 20-year conflict,
09:11the Kabul drone strike is a somber symbol of the war's final act.
09:15This was the last strike carried out by U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
09:19A reminder for many Afghans of the initial days where Madrasa students were being killed in drone strikes.
09:25And for many here, a legacy of U.S. presence for 20 years in this country.
09:302020 assassination of Qasim Soleimani.
09:33General Qasim Soleimani was no ordinary man.
09:36Qasim Soleimani, seen here in his last public appearance,
09:41was one of the most powerful men in the Middle East.
09:44He was the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force and considered the second most powerful figure in the nation.
09:50Soleimani orchestrated regional operations that influenced various conflicts across the Middle East.
09:55On January 3, 2020, a U.S. drone strike outside Baghdad International Airport led to his assassination.
10:02The world is calling on self-restraint.
10:05But the loss is big for Tehran,
10:07and the consequences could be severe for the U.S.
10:10and adds tensions to an already complex region.
10:13The strike removed a central geopolitical actor.
10:16Millions joined Soleimani's funeral procession,
10:19and many more vowed retaliation.
10:21Iran's furor in the wake of the assassination
10:23saw the launch of multiple missile strikes on bases housing U.S. troops.
10:27A single drone-fired missile had triggered a geopolitical earthquake,
10:31adding further fuel to the deteriorating state of diplomacy between two major nations.
10:36It's hard to see Iran not responding for such a huge loss for this country.
10:48Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's Aria,
10:52Songs from Iran,
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10:58Check out the full track and album below.
11:152019 Saudi Aramco Oil Facilities Attack
11:18Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq Quresh oil facilities were at the heart of global crude production.
11:24Explosions can be heard in this amateur footage that shows smoke rising over Abqaiq,
11:30the home of the world's largest oil processing facility.
11:33So nothing good was going to come of the coordinated drone and cruise missile attack
11:37on these locations in September 2019.
11:40The strike crippled crude production and slashed Saudi output by 50%.
11:45Five percent of the world's total crude supply was gone overnight.
11:49We're talking about 11 hits on the spheroids in this complex alone.
11:53Also five hits in the columns in the stabilization area,
11:55like we showed you earlier with the Caress field.
11:57While smoke billowed over the desert, the global markets panicked.
12:01Oil prices spiked and energy security took center stage in the international debates.
12:06While responsibility was disputed,
12:08analysts pointed to Houthi rebels backed by external support.
12:11More than just an attack on infrastructure,
12:14this drone strike was an attack on the global economy.
12:17The drones didn't just hit specific targets, they struck the world itself.
12:21The Houthis are able to have asymmetric responses, right?
12:25Like they're able to do exactly what you said,
12:27to use relatively cheap technology to create, you know, pretty big attacks.
12:32Which drone strike do you think had the most impact?
12:35Let us know in the comments and subscribe for more deep dives into the events shaping our world.
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