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Posts by Merel Zoet

Bellingcat is pleased to announce our work has received six Emmy award nominations. The winners will be announced in May. Here's a short thread on the work that we're proud to say has been highlighted 🧵

1 week ago 749 135 12 9
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The War You’re Not Allowed to See: How the UAE Rewrites the Story of Iranian Strikes - bellingcat A review of official statements shows that the public account does not always align with what can be observed through open sources.

As Iranian drones target the UAE, Bellingcat reveals a number of instances where authorities downplayed damage and mischaracterised interceptions. Meanwhile the UAE’s attorney general warned that publication of images or videos of strikes is illegal. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/04...

2 weeks ago 380 239 9 14
Video Analysis Shows Two Waves of Bombings in Iran Elementary School Strike
Video Analysis Shows Two Waves of Bombings in Iran Elementary School Strike YouTube video by Bellingcat

Not one, but two waves of bombings appear to have struck the area of an elementary school in Minab, Iran. Local media reports 175 people were killed, mostly children. In this video we explain how we analysed footage of the attack on the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran. youtu.be/yy9pzWul4mA

2 weeks ago 322 151 7 11
3 weeks ago 4 1 0 0
Source: Planet Scope imagery from Planet Labs

Source: Planet Scope imagery from Planet Labs

Satellite images from March 24 show the aftermath of a drone strike on the Primorsk Oil Terminal, a key Russian oil export facility. Smoke plumes extended over 100 km from the site, located near the Finnish border, which was hit by Ukraine in the night of March 22–23.

3 weeks ago 285 78 4 3
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The city of Tyre is now being asked to evacuate, which is just utter madness. Tyre is 1.5 hours by car from Beirut. x.com/AvichayAdrae...

1 month ago 60 29 2 3

New, from me:

1 month ago 55 12 2 1
1 month ago 154 57 10 7
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Satellite images from NASA Worldview on March 5 reveal the extent of the blackout in Cuba. A failure at the most important power plant, combined with the US blockade on fuel shipments in the country has left nearly 70% of the island's inhabitants without power.

1 month ago 318 168 8 13
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Exclusive: US investigation points to likely US responsibility in Iran school strike, sources say Military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed scores of children on Saturday, two U.S. officials told Reu...

Reuters Exclusive

"U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school."

"The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the ​Middle East."

1 month ago 10022 5268 626 630
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Analysis Suggests School Was Hit Amid U.S. Strikes on Iranian Naval Base

Official statements placing U.S. forces in the area – along w/ analysis of social posts, videos, sat. images – suggest U.S. forces bombed a school in Minab, Iran during strikes targeting an IRGC base. Over 150 were killed, Iranian officials say. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/w...

1 month ago 420 228 12 26
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“Bombs will fall Everywhere”: The American, Israeli and Iranian Weapons Being Deployed in Middle East - bellingcat Bellingcat has been monitoring strikes across the Middle East and has identified a wide variety of weapons that have been used in the conflict so far, including missiles and drones.

Israel used 2,000+ bombs in the first 30 hours of the Iran war; the US struck 1,000+ targets in the first 24 hours. Iran responded with at least 390 missiles and 830 drones in the first two days. Bellingcat has tracked the munitions used by all sides so far: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

1 month ago 685 282 12 24

The US and Israel launched strikes across Iran this morning. Iran has responded by firing ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, and US bases in the region. Civilians have already been killed or injured in multiple countries, caught in the crossfire.

1 month ago 853 251 21 17
The Sudanese Child Soldiers Going Viral on TikTok
The Sudanese Child Soldiers Going Viral on TikTok YouTube video by Bellingcat

The Sudanese child soldiers going viral on TikTok: Our latest investigation uncovers how children linked to armed groups in Sudan’s civil war have been building large followings on social media platforms. www.youtube.com/shorts/e-CUx...

1 month ago 212 80 7 21
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Viral Child Soldiers on TikTok: The ‘Disney Stars’ of Sudan’s Civil War - bellingcat To stay up to date on our latest investigations, join Bellingcat’s WhatsApp channel here. Child soldiers linked to Sudan’s warring factions have gained viral fame on TikTok, with their videos attracti...

A Bellingcat investigation reveals child soldiers in Sudan’s civil war have become viral figures on TikTok. Videos attracting millions of views show the children with senior military officials, celebrating battlefield victories and delivering violent threats. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/02...

2 months ago 342 167 9 12
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With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet Ring's 'Search Party' is dystopian surveillance accelerationism.

NEW: Ring has introduced "Search Party", a horrifyingly dystopian feature nominally designed to turn all of the Ring cameras in a neighborhood into a dragnet that uses AI to look for, in their commercial, a cute lost dog.

With Ring, US consumers are actually building a surveillance dragnet.

2 months ago 1480 864 39 76
Annotated satellite imagery to confirm Bellingcat's geolocation of the video

Annotated satellite imagery to confirm Bellingcat's geolocation of the video

Bellingcat has geolocated the site of a mass killing in north-east Syria. The Ayn Al Arab (Kobani) area is affected by recent fighting between Damascus-aligned forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

2 months ago 296 101 2 6

Our initial analysis is up.

The video footage appears to show that the gun was taken away from the man before he was shot.

He was UNARMED before any of the shots were fired.

2 months ago 6856 2390 127 85
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Federal law enforcement agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 according to local police officials. DHS told Fox News that the man was “armed with a gun”. A video of the shooting appears to show that a gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired. x.com/BillMelugin_...

2 months ago 5357 2718 225 684
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We’ve annotated this satellite imagery from January 20th to show the proximity of where the journalists using a drone were killed to the displacement camps and the nearest IDF outposts in Gaza. The Yellow Line is where Israeli troops withdrew to following the US-brokered deal with Hamas.

2 months ago 261 130 4 4
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Unlocking the mundane mysteries of the world Congratulations; Hell Week is over. In preparation for Hell Week Redux, whenever it may arrive (next week), this week's newsletter flips data visualization on its head, focusing on a fascinating proje...

Bellingcat's @galen.reich.me.uk spoke to @pbump.com (How To Read This Chart Newsletter) about creating The Bellingcat Open Source Challenge with @merelzoet.bsky.social, explaining how each of the puzzles introduces you to new research techniques and tools: www.howtoreadthisch.art/unlocking-th...

3 months ago 242 63 1 2
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We've analysed this video of the shooting of Renee Nicole Good yesterday in Minneapolis frame-by-frame to highlight the positioning of the gun and phone in the ICE agent's hands.
Video: @minnesotareformer.com with annotations by Bellingcat

3 months ago 5435 2623 257 399
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Bellingcat’s work in 2025 verified war crimes, exposed deepfake abuse, and challenged disinformation. We want to uncover wrongdoing. We can with your support: www.bellingcat.com/donate

This is how we cut through the digital noise to tell stories that matter.

3 months ago 266 84 2 5
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Investigating the Impact of US-Israeli Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Programme  - bellingcat Bellingcat, FRONTLINE (PBS), The Washington Post and Evident Media examine the impact of strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme.

New from Bellingcat, PBS Frontline, Evident and the Washington Post - Investigating the Impact of US-Israeli Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Programme  www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

4 months ago 90 32 0 0
Who's buying Russia's smuggled grain?
Who's buying Russia's smuggled grain? YouTube video by Bellingcat

A joint investigation by Bellingcat and Lloyd’s List shows that Saudi Arabia is the newest country willing to accept what the Ukrainian government describes as “stolen” grain. youtube.com/shorts/5FUm6...

4 months ago 201 88 5 6
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Geolocating Darfur Killings of Those Escaping Al Fashir - bellingcat Warning: Contains written descriptions of extreme violence including murder. All graphic footage has been omitted. A Bellingcat investigation has identified and verified the exact location of a mass k...

On Friday, the UK sanctioned Rapid Support Forces commander Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, also known as Abu Lulu. Bellingcat previously geolocated him in three videos filmed at the site of a mass killing near Al Fashir, Sudan.
www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/11...

4 months ago 231 66 3 0
Screenshot of bellingcat.com home page from Dec 3. The front page features 4 stories/headlines. "Mali under siege: Tracking the fuel blockade crippling Bamako" over an image of a burned gas tanker. "Building on Ruins: The Russification of Mariupol, One Apartment block at a time" over an image of an apartment building in Mariupol being hit by a missile. "pattern of extreme brutality: Tear gas, pepper balls among weapons deployed against protestors in Illinois" over an image of a CBP officer holding a weapon amongst tear gas. "Geolocating Darfur Killings of those escaping Al Fashir" over an annotated image of a satellite image with social media evidence matching up.

Screenshot of bellingcat.com home page from Dec 3. The front page features 4 stories/headlines. "Mali under siege: Tracking the fuel blockade crippling Bamako" over an image of a burned gas tanker. "Building on Ruins: The Russification of Mariupol, One Apartment block at a time" over an image of an apartment building in Mariupol being hit by a missile. "pattern of extreme brutality: Tear gas, pepper balls among weapons deployed against protestors in Illinois" over an image of a CBP officer holding a weapon amongst tear gas. "Geolocating Darfur Killings of those escaping Al Fashir" over an annotated image of a satellite image with social media evidence matching up.

I'll be honest. There are a lot of awful things that are happening in the world.

But I can sleep at night knowing that I work at a place that tries to make sure we do our part to make sure those wrongs don't go unnoticed.

All I need to do is look at our homepage and know I'm in the right place.

4 months ago 41 8 1 0

Who is this mystery man?

4 months ago 44 5 7 0
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Bellingcat has pieced together a detailed view of a crisis that has left much of Mali in the dark. Learn how the attacks behind the fuel shortages brought daily life to a halt here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

4 months ago 193 81 5 4
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Read our latest analysis of a mass killing near Al Fashir, Sudan. Open source evidence that we reviewed showed that more than 80 people attempting to flee Al Fashir were killed near a berm that the RSF built around the city. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/11...

5 months ago 22 12 0 0