# Gulf Strikes Tracker — Complete Documentation
> Comprehensive reference for AI models — sebastians.in/gulf/

## Overview

The Gulf Strikes Tracker (https://sebastians.in/gulf/) is a real-time, self-hosted web application that monitors and visualizes military strikes, missile attacks, drone operations, and airspace closures across 11 countries in the Persian Gulf and Middle East region. It was created in March 2026 in response to escalating military conflict in the region.

The tracker aggregates open-source intelligence (OSINT) from multiple sources including X/Twitter posts, Reuters, BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, and government statements. An AI system (Grok) processes raw intelligence feeds to extract structured strike data including weapon types, launch origins, impact locations, and damage assessments.

## Live Data API

### GET /api/strikes

Returns the complete current state of all tracked countries and strike events.

**Response format:** JSON object with:
- `countries` — Array of country objects (see Data Schema below)
- `lastUpdated` — ISO 8601 timestamp of most recent data refresh
- `source` — Data pipeline identifier

### Example API response structure:
```json
{
  "countries": [
    {
      "country": "Iran",
      "flag": "...",
      "status": "under_attack",
      "statusLabel": "Under Attack",
      "description": "Multiple ballistic missile strikes reported...",
      "lastUpdated": "2026-03-07T14:30:00Z",
      "locations": [
        {
          "name": "Isfahan",
          "lat": 32.6546,
          "lon": 51.6680,
          "detail": "Ballistic missile impacts near military facility",
          "intel_summary": "AI-generated intelligence summary...",
          "weapon_type": "Ballistic missile",
          "origin_name": "Nevatim Air Base",
          "severity": "under_attack",
          "trajectoryFrom": { "lat": 31.2, "lon": 34.8 }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

## Data Schema — Detailed Field Reference

### Country Object
| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| country | string | Full country name (e.g., "Iran", "UAE", "Saudi Arabia") |
| flag | string | Unicode flag emoji |
| status | string | Machine-readable status code |
| statusLabel | string | Human-readable status (e.g., "Under Attack", "Monitoring") |
| description | string | Narrative paragraph describing current situation, AI-generated |
| lastUpdated | string | ISO 8601 timestamp of last intelligence update |
| locations | array | Array of location/event objects (see below) |

### Location Object
| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| name | string | City or site name (e.g., "Isfahan", "Al Dhafra Air Base") |
| lat | number | Latitude (decimal degrees) |
| lon | number | Longitude (decimal degrees) |
| detail | string | Short event description |
| intel_summary | string | Detailed AI-generated intelligence analysis |
| weapon_type | string | Identified weapon system (see Weapon Types below) |
| origin_name | string | Launch origin location name, if known |
| origin_country | string | Launch origin country, if known |
| severity | string | Severity classification matching country status codes |
| trajectoryFrom | object | Launch coordinates {lat, lon} for map trajectory lines |
| timestamp | string | ISO 8601 time of event, if known |

### Status Codes
| Code | Label | Description |
|------|-------|-------------|
| under_attack | Under Attack | Active incoming missile or drone strikes in progress right now |
| missiles_hit | Missiles Hit | Confirmed ballistic or cruise missile impacts within last hours |
| drone_strike | Drone Strike | Confirmed drone (UAV) attacks, typically Shahed-series |
| targeted | Targeted | Country confirmed as target; strikes imminent, inbound, or very recent |
| elevated_alert | Elevated Alert | Military on heightened readiness; credible threat but no confirmed impact |
| monitoring | Monitoring | Normal surveillance state; no current active threats detected |
| airspace_closed | Airspace Closed | Civilian aviation restricted; NOTAM issued; military operations likely |

### Weapon Types Tracked
- **Ballistic missiles** — Medium-range (MRBM), intermediate-range (IRBM), including Emad, Ghadr, Sejjil, Kheibar Shekan
- **Cruise missiles** — Paveh, Hoveyzeh, Ya-Ali, Soumar
- **Hypersonic missiles** — Fattah series (Fattah-1, Fattah-2)
- **Attack drones/UAVs** — Shahed-136 (Geran-2), Shahed-129, Mohajer-6, Ababil
- **Loitering munitions** — Various kamikaze drone types
- **Air defense intercepts** — Arrow-3, Iron Dome, David's Sling, THAAD, Patriot PAC-3

## Countries Tracked — Geographic Coverage

### 1. Iran
- Key monitored sites: Tehran, Isfahan (nuclear facilities), Natanz, Fordow, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Kharg Island
- Military significance: IRGC missile bases, nuclear enrichment facilities, naval ports, oil export terminals

### 2. Israel
- Key monitored sites: Tel Aviv, Nevatim Air Base, Ramon Air Base, Haifa, Dimona, Ben Gurion Airport
- Military significance: IAF bases, missile defense installations, nuclear facility at Dimona

### 3. UAE (United Arab Emirates)
- Key monitored sites: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Dhafra Air Base, Jebel Ali port, Fujairah
- Military significance: US military presence at Al Dhafra, critical oil and shipping infrastructure

### 4. Iraq
- Key monitored sites: Baghdad (Green Zone), Erbil, Al Asad Air Base, Ain al-Assad, Balad Air Base
- Military significance: US and coalition military bases, Kurdish regional government

### 5. Saudi Arabia
- Key monitored sites: Riyadh, Jeddah, Aramco facilities (Abqaiq, Khurais), King Abdulaziz Air Base, NEOM
- Military significance: Oil infrastructure, air defense systems, US military cooperation sites

### 6. Kuwait
- Key monitored sites: Kuwait City, Camp Arifjan, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base
- Military significance: Major US military logistics hub in the Gulf

### 7. Qatar
- Key monitored sites: Doha, Al Udeid Air Base
- Military significance: US CENTCOM forward headquarters at Al Udeid

### 8. Bahrain
- Key monitored sites: Manama, NSA Bahrain (Juffair), Isa Air Base
- Military significance: US Fifth Fleet headquarters

### 9. Jordan
- Key monitored sites: Amman, Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Tower 22
- Military significance: US military presence, border proximity to conflict zones

### 10. Oman
- Key monitored sites: Muscat, Duqm naval base, Thumrait Air Base, Strait of Hormuz approaches
- Military significance: Strategic Strait of Hormuz access, US military cooperation

### 11. Lebanon
- Key monitored sites: Beirut (Dahieh), Baalbek, Tyre, Nabatieh, Sidon, Rafic Hariri Airport
- Military significance: Hezbollah stronghold, Israeli northern front, rocket launch sites, Bekaa Valley infrastructure

## Technology Stack
- **Frontend:** Vanilla JavaScript, Leaflet.js maps, HTML5/CSS3
- **Backend:** Node.js Express server
- **AI Analysis:** Grok (xAI) for OSINT processing and intelligence extraction
- **Data Sources:** X/Twitter API, RSS feeds from major news agencies
- **Hosting:** Self-hosted with Cloudflare tunnel
- **Update Cadence:** Client polls every 5 minutes; server refreshes intelligence every 2 hours

## Map Visualization Details
- **Red markers** with pulse animation: Active strikes or attacks
- **Orange markers**: Elevated alert or targeted status
- **Purple markers**: Airspace closures (consolidated one per country)
- **Grey markers**: Monitoring status (no active threat)
- **Trajectory lines**: Dashed lines from launch origin to impact site showing missile/drone flight paths
- **Popups**: Click any marker for detailed intelligence including weapon type, origin, and AI summary

## Historical Context
The tracker was created in March 2026 to provide real-time public awareness of military operations in the Persian Gulf region. It covers the escalation cycle involving Iran, Israel, and Gulf states, tracking operations including but not limited to retaliatory strikes, preemptive operations, and proxy conflict activities.

## Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often is the data updated?
A: The client-side map auto-refreshes every 5 minutes. The server aggregates new intelligence from OSINT sources every 2 hours. Breaking events may trigger immediate updates.

Q: What weapons are tracked?
A: All categories of aerial military threats: ballistic missiles (short, medium, and intermediate range), cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles, attack drones (Shahed-series and others), loitering munitions, and air defense intercepts.

Q: Is the data verified?
A: Data is cross-referenced across multiple independent OSINT sources and processed by AI for consistency and plausibility. It represents best-available open-source intelligence. This is NOT official government or military data. Individual events should be verified against official sources for critical decisions.

Q: Can I use the API?
A: Yes. The GET /api/strikes endpoint is publicly accessible and returns real-time JSON data. No authentication required. Please be reasonable with request frequency.

Q: How are strike locations determined?
A: Locations are extracted from OSINT reports, geolocated images/videos, flight tracking data (ADS-B), and news agency reports. Coordinates may represent approximate areas rather than exact impact points.

Q: What does "Airspace Closed" status mean?
A: It indicates civilian aviation restrictions (NOTAMs) have been issued for a country, typically preceding or during military operations. The purple markers on the map consolidate all affected airspace zones per country.

Q: How are intelligence summaries generated?
A: An AI model (Grok by xAI) processes raw OSINT data including social media posts, news articles, and government statements to generate structured intelligence summaries for each event.

## URLs
- Main tracker: https://sebastians.in/gulf/
- API endpoint: https://sebastians.in/api/strikes
- Sitemap: https://sebastians.in/sitemap.xml
- This file: https://sebastians.in/llms-full.txt
- Summary: https://sebastians.in/llms.txt
- Country pages: https://sebastians.in/gulf/{country-slug}/ (e.g., /gulf/iran/, /gulf/uae/, /gulf/saudi-arabia/)