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—🇪🇸/🇧🇦 FACT: Spain’s PM Pedro Sánchez once lived and worked in Sarajevo in 1999 as head of office to then–High Representative Carlos Westendorp, during the post-war international administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
➡️ His last official visit to Bosnia as Spanish premier was in July 2022, when he returned to Sarajevo and Mostar to back the country’s EU path and meet the tripartite presidency and local authorities.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🪖🇪🇸🤝🇨🇾 NEW: Spain will deploy the frigate Cristóbal Colón to Cyprus, joining a naval group led by the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and Greek Navy vessels, to reinforce air defence after a drone attack on a British base on the island linked to the Middle East conflict.
➡️ The F-105, described by Madrid as the most technologically advanced frigate in the Spanish Navy, will complement the Patriot battery already deployed in Turkey, and stand by for possible evacuations of civilians if the situation escalates.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
🇲🇩🚨 Power stations and several industrial enterprises have shut down abruptly in Transnistria due to the sudden cessation of natural gas deliveries.
Recall that the Moldovan government declared a state of emergency after natural gas prices on the European market skyrocketed following the outbreak of the Israel-Iran War.
For now, the Transnistrian government switched to coal to keep producing electricity and heat but the supply of coal is extremely limited as the coal used to come from Ukraine and Ukraine has shut down the border in 2022 and has since lost the Donbas coal mines.
Transnistria depends on the European gas market just as much as Moldova to function.
🔗 /channel/novostipmrcom/78688
—🇹🇷🤝🇪🇸❌🇺🇸 WATCH: The ultras of Turkish league club Eskişehirspor dancing to Paquito el Chocolatero as a thank-you to Spain for not allowing the U.S. to use its military bases. It’s completely surreal.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇧🇬✈️🇦🇪🇴🇲 NEW: Special repatriation flights operated by GullivAir, Bulgaria Air and the State Aviation Operator have been organized on 4–5 March to return Bulgarian citizens stranded in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman amid the Middle East security situation.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇲🇰/🇺🇸 WATCH: Far-left Levica lawmakers in North Macedonia unfurled a banner reading “NATO kills for profit” inside parliament as NATO chief Mark Rutte addressed MPs in Skopje, staging a brief anti-NATO protest during his speech.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—‼️🇮🇷❌🇬🇷 URGENT An Iranian ballistic missile reportedly launched toward Greece was intercepted by U.S. Navy warships operating in the eastern Mediterranean, according to initial reports.
➡️ The missile did not reach Greek airspace, and no casualties or damage have been reported.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
#BREAKING | 🧭 🇹🇷 🇮🇷 — NATO Intercepts Iranian Ballistic Missile Heading Toward Turkish Airspace
The Republic of Türkiye's Ministry of National Defence announced that a ballistic missile launched from Iran—after crossing Iraqi and Syrian airspace—was detected heading toward Turkish airspace and was timely intercepted and neutralized by NATO air and missile defense systems deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Debris from the intercepting munition fell in the Dörtyol district of Hatay province, with no casualties or injuries reported.
The Ministry emphasized: "We remind you that we reserve the right to respond to any hostile attitude towards our country."
—🇧🇬❌🇮🇷 NEW: Sofia's FM called on Iran to cease attacks on civilian sites in Gulf partner countries amid escalating regional tensions.
➡️ The statement follows Tehran's strikes expanding military confrontation, as Bulgaria monitors the crisis with thousands of its citizens stranded in the Middle East.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
JUST IN: 🇰🇷 South Korean stock market halted after 8% crash, triggering circuit breaker.
📰 Full Story
@WatcherGuru
—🪖🇫🇷🤝🇨🇾 NEW: France is sending anti-missile and anti-drone systems plus frigate Languedoc to Cyprus following the Iranian-made Shahed drone crash at RAF Akrotiri on March 2.
➡️ President Macron informed Cypriot leader Christodoulides of the move amid regional tensions from US-Israel strikes on Iran.
➡️ Greece has dispatched F-16 jets and frigates with anti-drone tech in support.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇮🇹🤝🇧🇬 WATCH: Italy’s Embassy in Sofia has joined the celebrations marking Bulgaria’s Liberation Day, highlighting close ties with what it called the “friendly Bulgarian people.”
➡️ The gesture follows broader international congratulations to Bulgaria on its national day, including messages from NATO and regional partners underlining support for Sofia and its role in Euro-Atlantic structures.
🔗 Italian Embassy in Sofia
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
🎉 Happy National Day to the People of Bulgaria!
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—🇷🇸📞🇨🇾 NEW: Serbia's FM Marko Đurić spoke today by phone with Cyprus FM Constantinos Kombos about current events and the conflict escalation in the Middle East.
➡️ They exchanged views on regional circumstances, stressing the need for quick peace and stability restoration.
➡️ Đurić voiced full solidarity with Cyprus and condemned threats to the island's security.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
🇫🇷🪖❗️ — French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants "to build a coalition to resume and secure traffic in these essential maritime routes" as in the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal, Red Sea
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—🇪🇸❌🇺🇸 NEW: Spain’s government has flatly rejected opening talks with Washington on expanded use of the Rota and Morón bases amid the escalating US–Iran confrontation, contradicting White House claims that Madrid had agreed to cooperate militarily under pressure from President Donald Trump.
➡️ Spanish officials stress there is no new authorization in place and say any use of Spanish-sovereign facilities must remain within existing bilateral agreements and international law.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
🛢— Current Oil Prices
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—❗️🪖🇧🇬 NEW: Bulgaria is reassessing its position regarding the risks posed by the conflict in the Middle East.
➡️ Acting Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov announced that the Ministry of Defense will conduct an urgent analysis of threats and risks following recent developments in the region.
➡️ Also there are some rumours that the missiles intercepted over the Turkish airspace were meant for Bulgaria.
ℹ️ Information reported by our source in Bulgaria.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇦🇱🤝🇺🇸🇸🇦 NEW: Albania’s FM has strongly condemned the Iranian attack targeting the United States Embassy in Riyadh, calling the strike unacceptable and a clear violation of international law and the fundamental principles protecting diplomatic missions and their personnel worldwide.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇮🇱 ✈️ 🇷🇸 NEW: The Government of Serbia and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized the evacuation of 67 passengers from Israel, including Serbian nationals and citizens of:
🇲🇪 Montenegro
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
🇭🇷 Croatia
🇸🇮 Slovenia
➡️ This operation was carried out on a special Air Serbia flight from Sharm El Sheikh to Belgrade.
➡️ The operation was conducted in coordination with Serbian embassies in Israel and Egypt amid ongoing security instability in the wider Middle East region.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—NOTE: I would like to insist this information is not confirmed.
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—❗️🪖🇧🇬 NEW: Former president Rumen Radev warned that strikes against Iran pose a real risk to Bulgaria’s security, criticizing the caretaker government for a passive approach that downplays the dangers to the country.
➡️ In a Facebook post, he argued that Bulgaria cannot afford complacency while US–Israeli operations against Iran escalate and officials insist there is no direct military threat.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇧🇬 NEW: Former president Rumen Radev announced that he will participate in the parliamentary elections as leader of a new coalition named "Progressive Bulgaria" composed by small Social-Democratic and Liberal parties (3 for now).
➡️ The image shows the coalition members registering it.
ℹ️ Information reported by our source in Bulgaria.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
JUST IN: 🇦🇪 Dubai stock market crashes 4.6% at open.
@WatcherGuru
⚡️🇦🇪🇫🇷❌🇮🇷❗️— BREAKING : French fighters began to intercept Iranian drones that were heading to the UAE - French Foreign Minister Barrot
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🇹🇷❌🇮🇷 — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Iran's strategy of unprovokedly bombing the Gulf countries without any discrimination is an unbelievably wrong one and condemns the strikes against Qatar specifically:
“A large part of the Gulf countries worked very hard to prevent this war from breaking out,
—🇧🇬 Today Bulgaria celebrates its National holiday & commemorates its liberation from the Ottoman Empire 148 years ago, following the Russo-Ottoman war of 1877-78.
➡️ Some 30k Bulgarians took part in the war serving as armed units, logistics, medical support and reconnaissance.
🔗 Alexander Stoyanov
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
🇵🇱☢️‼️ #BREAKING • Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk signaled that Poland will seek to strengthen its independent nuclear deterrence capabilities in the future, stating Warsaw “takes nuclear security very seriously” and will strive for “the most autonomous actions possible” as its military capacity grows.
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—✈️ 🇺🇸🇮🇱❌🇮🇷 NEW: Serbia has offered aircraft to evacuate Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens from the Middle East amid ongoing security risks, alongside repatriating its own nationals.
➡️ President Vučić stated Serbia's fleet—the largest in the region—is available, with additional flights planned as conditions allow and passenger safety prioritized.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 President Trump orders US Navy to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary to ensure the "free flow of energy."
@WatcherGuru