Kathrine Frich
China has publicly called for restraint as tensions rise in the Middle East.
New reporting suggests that a Chinese technology company may have helped Iran monitor Western military assets shortly before a major American operation in the region.
Satellite imagery published by the company reportedly identified U.S. aircraft, bases and naval forces just days before Washington launched Operation Epic Fury.
Satellite intelligence published
According to British aviation publication FlightGlobal, Chinese firm MizarVision released satellite images highlighting several key Western military locations.
To reduce suspicion, the company reportedly labeled the information as open source intelligence.
The images identified American military assets across the Middle East, including F-22 Raptor fighter jets stationed at Israel’s Ovda Air Base.
The material also showed facilities at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Among the aircraft visible in the images were Boeing E-3 airborne early warning aircraft and two Bombardier E-11 communications planes.
Bases and carriers tracked
MizarVision also published images of Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, one of the largest U.S. military installations in the region.
The base was later targeted by Iranian drones and missiles one day after the images were released.
The company is also believed to have tracked two U.S. aircraft carriers involved in the conflict with Iran. The vessels reportedly included USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford.
Unclear source of the data
MizarVision does not operate its own satellites. Instead, the company reportedly uses artificial intelligence and remote sensing tools to analyze commercially available satellite imagery.
The exact source of the images remains uncertain.
One possible source could be China’s Jilin-1 satellite constellation, although analysts quoted by FlightGlobal say there is debate over whether those satellites can provide imagery with the level of detail seen in the published material.
Monitoring beyond the conflict zone
The company’s activity was not limited to the Middle East.
Two days before the American operation, MizarVision also released images showing fighter jets, tanker aircraft and transport planes at the U.S. base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Observers say the tactic resembles intelligence disclosures made by Washington before Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when the United States publicly released satellite data to warn about Russian troop movements near the Ukrainian border.
Sources: FlightGlobal; Wirtualna Polska.
