[ShbelleMedia] The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, carried out an airstrike targeting Al-Shabaab militants approximately 40 kilometers northwest of the southern port city of Kismayo, officials said Wednesday.
The strike forms part of ongoing joint efforts to degrade the operational capacity of Al-Shabaab, a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda, which continues to pose a threat to Somali civilians, national security forces, and international partners.
In a statement, the Somali government expressed its appreciation for AFRICOM’s support and reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating the insurgent group.
Authorities emphasized the importance of continued collaboration with both the Somali public and international allies to ensure lasting peace and stability in the country.
No civilian casualties were reported in the operation, according to initial assessments.
The U.S. supports Somali forces and a multinational African Union force with drone strikes, intelligence, and training of the SNA’s elite Danab forces based in Beleddogle airfield.
[ShabelleMedia] Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... regional security forces have killed several fighters from the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (IS) affiliate in Somalia during a planned military operation in the rugged Cal Miskaad mountain range, officials said on Thursday.
The operation, which took place in the remote areas of Xal and Walinsoor, targeted hideouts believed to be used by IS murderous Moslems. The offensive resulted in the death of several holy warriors, according to military sources.
"Our forces conducted a successful operation in the Cal Miskaad mountains and eliminated members of the ISIS [IS] group who had been hiding in fortified positions," said a Puntland security official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
During the raid, troops also destroyed food supplies, logistical materials, and other equipment stored in underground bunkers allegedly used by the group. Photos released by Puntland’s security command showed burnt-out storage caches and seized weapons.
Local residents reported hearing heavy gunfire and explosions during the early hours of the operation. Security officials said the area has been under surveillance for weeks after intelligence reports confirmed murderous Moslem presence.
Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Somalia, has been battling IS fighters who have entrenched themselves in the mountainous terrain near the Gulf of Aden. The group, a breakaway faction from al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... , has faced increasing military pressure in recent years.
"This is part of a broader strategy to clear terrorist groups from our territory," the official added, stressing that further operations are planned in the coming days.
The Islamic State’s Somalia branch remains relatively small compared to al-Shabaab but poses a persistent threat, particularly in the northern Bari region, where the group has occasionally grabbed credit for attacks.
There was no immediate comment from the ISIS group regarding the latest military action.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] In the Rostov region, law enforcement officers detained self-proclaimed mufti Akhmed Abusupyanov on suspicion of extremism, who in 2023 negotiated with terrorists who seized the Rostov pretrial detention center No. 1. This was reported on May 29 by the Kommersant publication, citing a source in law enforcement agencies.
The interlocutor told journalists that the detainee collaborated with the extremist organization At-Takfir Wal-Hijra
...sometimes spelt At-Takfir Val-Hijra, they called themselves Jama'at al-Muslimin (Society of Muslims), but their Egyptian neighbours mocked them as Excommunication and Exile. Cult-like, they require members to cut off all contact with their families. The introverted Takfir Wal Hijra faction split off from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in the 1960s. The extroverted “moderate” faction followed Ayman Al-Zawahiri into Al Qaeda. Takfir Wal Hijra consists of loosely affiliated cells that have committed acts of terror as far afield as Morocco, Holland, Crimea, and Moscow.
(an organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation). In September 2023, together with his supporters, he attacked a Muslim with whom he had disagreements on religious grounds.
A criminal case was opened against the detainee under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (“Organization of the activities of an extremist organization”) and Part 2 of Article 213 (“Hooliganism”).
It is noted that the Rostov FSB department reported the suppression of the activities of a Russian citizen who was spreading radical religious views. According to the investigation, he incited interfaith strife and conflicted with official Islamic structures. The department did not report the name of the detainee.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, in June 2023, six prisoners managed to escape from their cell in Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don and took an operational department employee and a guard hostage. The attackers, who called themselves ISIS supporters (an organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation), demanded that they be provided with weapons and transport to escape.
OMON fighters arrived at the scene. According to the official statement of the Federal Penitentiary Service, all the attackers were neutralized, and the hostages were released without physical harm. It was later revealed that one of the participants in the capture survived - Daniil Kamnev (listed as a terrorist and extremist). In August 2024, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
[PUBLISH.TWITTER] But which friendly country? Germany recently suggested Harvard open a campus there, where they can DEI and Jew-hate as much as they like.
Today the FBI and the Justice Department announced the arrest of Nathan Vilas Laatsch, a 28 year old Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) employee for attempting to transmit classified information to a friendly foreign government. Laatsch, who held a TS/SCI clearance, said that he… pic.twitter.com/2qdY9J1yKD
…said that he had “completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence, and other assorted classified documentation” that he wanted to send. He said his reasoning for the decision was because he did not align with the current Trump administration’s policies.
The FBI was subsequently tipped off and made contact with Laatsch under the guise of the aforementioned foreign government. Laatsch would end up transcribing and smuggling out classified products on 2 occasions to who he thought was an official of the friendly foreign government, and was arrested today after the second exchange. Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2025 00:00 ||
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BREAKING: ICE confirms to @FoxNews they have arrested the teenage Colombian illegal alien who was given no jail time & probation after he hit & killed Kaitlyn Weaver in Aurora, CO while driving 90mph & unlicensed. ICE also arrested the teen’s entire family, who are also illegal… pic.twitter.com/gzuglK1mm0
[X] On May 29, 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with several state and federal agencies, conducted a raid at a construction site in Tallahassee, Florida. Over 100 suspected undocumented immigrants were detained, including some who had been previously deported or had criminal backgrounds. The raid targeted workers at an off-campus student housing project near Florida State University.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2025 00:00 ||
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[GEO.TV] At least four security personnel, including a lieutenant, embraced martyrdom while 12 murderous Moslems belonging to Indian proxy were killed during separate engagements in Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the military's media wing said on Thursday.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an intelligence-based operation was conducted in Loralai district, on reported presence of ''Fitna al Hindustan terrorists'' on May 28.
''During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the terrorists' location and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian-sponsored murderous Moslems were successfully neutralised,'' read the statement.
Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the slain terrorists, the ISPR added.
The killed Indian-sponsored murderous Moslems were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities, including henious acts of terrorism on N-70 near Rarasham on August 26, 2024 and February 18, 2025, that resulted in martyrdom of 30 innocent civilians, it added.
The killed Indian-sponsored murderous Moslems were highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies, and were relentlessly pursued by the security forces.
In another engagement that took place in Kech District, one more terrorist was killed, confirmed the military's media affairs wing.
''Security forces of Pakistain are determined to eliminate the menace Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country, and reaffirm the nation's unwavering resolve to bring the perpetrators of terrorism and their controllers to justice,'' it added.
In KP, seven murderous Moslems belonging to Indian proxy ''Fitna al Khwarij'' — a reference to banned Tehrik-e-Taliban ...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan... Pakistain (TTP) — were killed in two separate engagements.
On the night between May 28-29, Indian-sponsored murderous Moslems attempted to attack the security forces check post in general area Shawal, North Wazoo district, the military's media wing said.
''The attempt was effectively thwarted by own troops and in ensuing fire exchange, six Indian sponsored Khwarij were sent to hell,'' read the statement.
However,
by candlelight every wench is handsome... during intense fire exchange, Lieutenant Daniyal Ismail, 24, a brave young officer who was leading his troops from front, fought gallantly and embraced Shahadat along with his three men.
The three soldiers who paid ultimate sacrifice include Naib Subedar Kashif Raza, 41, Lance Naik Fiaqat Ali, 35 and Sepoy Muhammad Hameed, 26.
In another encounter that took place in Chitral district, security forces successfully neutralised one Indian-sponsored terrorist.
''Such sacrifices of our brave men further strengthen our resolve,'' said the ISPR.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2025 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] The Shin Bet announces that it has thwarted 85 Iranian cyberattacks since the beginning of 2025, aimed at high-profile Israeli civilians, including security officials, politicians, academics and journalists.
The cyber campaigns, largely phishing attempts, sought to gain access to victims’ digital devices and accounts to collect sensitive personal information.
According to the Shin Bet, Iran’s goal is to use this intelligence to carry out targeted attacks within Israel, possibly through locally recruited operatives. The phishing attempts often came via email, WhatsApp or Telegram, using fake Google Meet links or disguised apps to steal credentials and install spyware.
A security official says that while these attacks are sophisticated, they are preventable.
“The public is urged to remain vigilant and cautious, as these cyberattacks can be prevented before they occur through awareness, caution, skepticism and responsible online behavior,” the official says, emphasizing the importance of avoiding unfamiliar links.
In one case, an Iranian operative posed as Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs in an attempt to lure an Israeli citizen. However, the individual’s vigilance and quick report to security authorities thwarted the attack before any damage was done, the Shin Bet says.
Continued on Page 47
[IsraelTimes] Overnight, the IDF demolished the home of a Hamas suicide bomber who carried out a botched attack in Tel Aviv last August.
Jaafar Mona, from the West Bank city of Nablus, was killed by the explosive device he was carrying outside a synagogue in Tel Aviv on August 18, 2024, before he managed to carry out the intended attack. One passerby was also wounded by the blast.
Hamas took responsibility for the attack.
IDF troops, including combat engineers of the Yahalom unit, operated in Nablus overnight and demolished Mona’s home, the military says.
As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.
The demolition of Mona’s home is unusual, as no victims of the attack were killed. Still, it would not be the first time that a home is razed by Israeli authorities for an attack that left only injured victims.
The IDF says the decision to demolish the home was approved by legal officials, and comes part of a policy that the homes of terrorists who carried out “unusual” attacks are razed.
[IsraelTimes] IDF troops killed a Palestinian who allegedly attempted to attack troops with a sharp object in the West Bank last night.
The incident took place in the village of Jit.
According to the IDF, as the troops were operating in Jit, “a terrorist tried to attack the force with a sharp object and posed a threat.”
In response, the soldiers opened fire, “neutralizing the terrorist,” the army says. No troops were hurt.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said this morning it received the body of a man from Israeli forces at the entrance to Jit.
The man’s cousin identified him as Jassem al-Siddeh, 22. He tells AFP that the army came at dawn and shot him in his home, adding that he “was not wanted and had no involvement in any activity.”
Continued on Page 47
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it seized over NIS 7 million ($2 million) in “terror funds” and detained over 30 suspects in an operation yesterday in the West Bank against money exchange stores allegedly funding Hamas.
Several currency exchange stores in the West Bank were raided in the operation.
Continued on Page 47
[IsraelTimes] Ravid Haim was born by emergency C-section after his mother Tzeela Gez was shot and killed by a Palestinian terrorist in the West Bank when on her way to give birth.
The baby of Tzeela Gez, who was shot and killed in a Paleostinian terror attack in the northern West Bank earlier this month, died in the hospital after doctors struggled to keep him alive for the past 15 days, the Samaria Regional Council and the hospital announced Thursday morning.
Gez, 30, was shot and fatally maimed as her husband was driving her to the hospital to give birth on the night of May 14 from their home in the Bruchin settlement.
She was rushed to hospital after the terror attack, and her baby was delivered by emergency C-section at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva.
The baby, who was named Ravid Haim last week by his father in accordance with his late wife’s wishes, had been at death's door since his birth, and was transferred to Schneider Children’s Hospital.
Schneider Children’s Medical Center, where he was transferred after Beilinson, on Thursday morning announced "with regret that last night the baby Ravid Haim, who was born after the terror attack in Samaria about two weeks ago in which his mother, Tzeela Gez, of blessed memory, was murdered, has passed away."
The baby had been at death's door in the neonatal intensive care unit," the hospital added. "Unfortunately, despite the many efforts, the hospital was forced in recent hours to declare his death."
The funeral will take place Thursday in Jerusalem.
Gez’s murder drew outrage from around the country, and numerous leaders mourned the passing of Ravid Haim following Thursday’s announcement.
The terror attack was carried out near the Paleostinian town of Bruqin. A Paleostinian terrorist opened fire on Israeli motorists from the side of the road, mortally wounding Tzeela Gez and lightly wounding Hananel.
She was hospitalized at death's door and declared dead the following morning.
Last week, Hananel named the baby Ravid Haim in a ceremony at his home. His widow had herself chosen the name, the family said.
On Saturday, the IDF rubbed out the Paleostinian terrorist who killed Gez, when during a search of Burqin area he ran toward them while shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest). The man, identified as Naael Samarah, was a member of Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... and had previously been incarcerated Book 'im, Mahmoud! for his activity in the terror group.
The IDF said that troops found an assault rifle and other equipment used to carry out the terror attack in a backpack Samarah had been wearing when he rushed them.
Several other Paleostinians suspected of involvement in the attack have been arrested, including one accused of being the head of a terror cell that Samarah was part of.
[IsraelTimes] Sirens send millions to bomb shelters, briefly halt Israel State Cup soccer final; Iran-backed terror group claims to target Ben Gurion Airport
A ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... s in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... was successfully intercepted by air defenses, the military said Thursday night, in what has recently become an almost daily occurrence.
The missile set off sirens shortly after 9:20 p.m. across central Israel, several West Bank settlements, and towns near Jerusalem, sending millions to bomb shelters.
The attack also briefly halted the final of the Israel State Cup, held at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, where tens of thousands of soccer fans gathered to watch Hapoel Beersheba play Beitar Jerusalem.
Preceding the sirens by about three minutes, an early warning was issued by the Home Front Command to residents, alerting them of the long-range missile attack via a push notification on their phones.
The Israel Defense Forces later announced it was investigating after an Aviv Geffen concert at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park was not halted amid the attack, despite sirens sounding in the area. The military said it received reports that attendees did not hear the sirens.
"The performance was not stopped by security forces at the time of the alert, and the incident is being investigated," the IDF said.
There were no reports of injuries or damage in the attack, which marked the sixth time in the past week that the Houthis have fired on Israel.
The Houthis took responsibility for the missile fire, claiming to have targeted Ben Gurion Airport.
Continued on Page 47
[IsraelTimes] At least 2 said killed by gunshots at site in Deir Al-Balah, Hamas denies firing; Israel-backed aid group claims terror group falsely reporting injuries at its hubs
Hundreds of Paleostinians stormed a United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... food warehouse in central Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... on Wednesday, shouting and shoving each other and ripping off pieces of the building to get inside, the UN said. Paleostinian hospital officials said four people died in the chaos, two of them shot.
Israel accused the Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... terror group of opening fire. There were no Israeli troops in or near the area of the UN’s World Food Program warehouse at the time, and the IDF is not operating in Deir al-Balah.
"Hordes of hungry people broke into WFP’s al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir al-Balah, Central Gaza, in search of food supplies that were pre-positioned for distribution," the UN’s World Food Program said in a statement on X.
"Initial reports indicate two people died and several were maimed in the tragic incident," the WFP said, adding that it was still confirming details.
The WFP said "humanitarian needs have spiraled out of control" after Israel’s long blockade of supplies entering Gaza, which began in early March to pressure the Paleostinian terror group Hamas into releasing hostages and agreeing to a truce.
Officials at the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said two people were fatally crushed in the crowd and two others died of gunshot wounds.
Eyewitness video independently verified by Rooters showed large crowds of people pushing into the warehouse and removing bags and boxes, as gunfire can be heard.
Hamas, in a statement, denied that it had opened fire or that it operated the warehouse.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry posted a video of the scene inside the warehouse during the looting, and accused Hamas of opening fire to protect stores that it was keeping from Gazooks.
The incident comes as the independent Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating an aid mechanism that would largely bypass the UN and keep supplies away from Hamas.
The previous day, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said that at least one Paleostinian had been killed and 48 others maimed when a crowd was fired upon while overrunning a new GHF aid-distribution site.
The Israeli military, which guards the site from a distance, said it fired only warning shots to control the looting. The foundation said its military contractors guarding the site did not open fire.
The GHF claimed Wednesday that the casualty figures claimed by Hamas about the Tuesday looting were false and spread by the terror group to hamper the new aid operation.
GHF said only two people have been injured at its compounds since it began operating in Gaza on Monday. "To-date two Gazooks have required medical care that was delivered on-site — one relating to dehydration and another who was injured by others seeking aid," said a GHF statement.
Among the false reports the GHF said Hamas was spreading was that the aid organization halted operations due to gunfire at one of its sites earlier Wednesday.
The GHF further said it had successfully opened its second aid distribution center on Wednesday in southern Gaza.
’THREATS, INTIMIDATION’
At a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Israel’s Ambassador Danny Danon accused the UN of deliberately undermining the new US and Israel-backed aid mechanism in the Gaza Strip through corrupt means.
Claiming that he has acquired new "shocking information," Danon told the council that the UN "is using threats, intimidation and retaliation against NGOs that choose to participate in the new humanitarian mechanism."
He asserted that a number of "major international NGOs" had been punished by the UN after indicating that they would take part in the new aid initiative and would "ignore the UN’s calls for a boycott."
"The UN’s response was brutal. It was Mafia-like," the envoy said. "Without any discussion, without a due process, the UN removed those NGOs from the shared aid database," a central system for tracking aid deliveries into Gaza established through a UN General Assembly resolution.
Danon, in his speech, did not provide any evidence or the names of the NGOs he alleges were targeted.
Upon request for further information to back the envoy’s claims, Danon’s office told The Times of Israel that it is aware of a certain number of NGOs that the UN worked to prevent from cooperating with the aid plan, but that this information can only be provided by the UN directly.
The UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Stephane Dujarric, front man for UN Secretary-General António Guterres ...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years... , reiterated the world body’s opposition to coordinating with GHF.
"We will not participate in operations that do not meet our humanitarian principles," Dujarric told AFP.
He said the UN was doing all it could to send aid, adding that since last week, 800 truckloads had been approved by Israel, but fewer than 500 made it into Gaza.
The new GHF aid initiative became operational this week, partially replacing the UN-led framework that had previously managed humanitarian assistance in Gaza, following Israel’s decision to lift a nearly three-month aid blockade on the strip.
Israel says it helped establish the new aid mechanism to prevent Hamas from siphoning off supplies, but UN agencies say they have mechanisms for this purpose while delivering aid to all parts of the territory. The GHF has drawn heavy criticism from the UN and various international actors, who argue it falls short of addressing the dire humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
The GHF says it has established four hubs, two of which have begun operating in the now mostly uninhabited Rafah. It said around eight truckloads of aid were distributed at the hubs on Wednesday without incident.
About 600 trucks entered Gaza every day during the ceasefire earlier this year.
The Paleostinian ambassador to the UN broke down as he alleged that 1,300 children have been killed and 4,000 maimed since the latest temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March, and spoke of mothers seen "embracing their motionless bodies, caressing their hair, talking to them, apologizing to them."
Such drama. Such bathos.
Gaza casualty figures, which come from Hamas-controlled authorities, cannot be verified and do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
More than half the Security Council called for the 15-member body to act on Gaza. Slovenia’s UN Ambassador Samuel Zbogar said some members are working on a draft resolution to demand unimpeded aid access.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 53,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January and another 1,600 Lions of Islam inside Israel on October 7.
COGAT says 76 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza today
[IsraelTimes] The Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announces that 76 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip today.
Israel resumed aid deliveries to Gaza on May 19, after a pause since March 2.
Since then, 952 trucks of aid have entered the Strip.
Some of the truckloads have been taken to the new aid distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The contents of many of the trucks are still awaiting collection on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.
COGAT says the aid delivery comes “following the recommendation of professional IDF officials and in accordance with the directive of the political echelon.”
Today’s trucks include flour and food, COGAT says.
The aid underwent an inspection first by Israeli authorities before entering Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing.
The third site is located in the central Gaza’s Bureij, adjacent to the IDF’s Netzarim corridor. It joins two sites that began operating earlier this week in Rafah. An additional site in Rafah is slated to open in the coming days. GHF has faced criticism due to the lack of access for tens of thousands of residents still located in north Gaza, but it says that it plans to open additional sites — including in the northern Strip — in the coming weeks.
GHF says it distributed 17,280 boxes of aid at all three of its sites today.
Each box is meant to provide three meals a deal, for roughly four days, for a family of roughly five people.
The total number of trucks unloaded at the three GHF sites today was just 18, though. The UN has said 600 trucks of aid need to be distributed each day in order to properly feed the Strip’s roughly two million people.
[AmericanRefugeesSubstack] You don’t have to look too far below the surface to see how the United Nations, primarily through its branch UNRWA but also en masse, has been—and unfortunately still is— a major enabler of the Gaza War.
The war might not have started and certainly wouldn’t have lasted as long without Hamas having been aided and abetted by the international organization that has an anti-Israel obsession. UN Watch reported last December “UN Condemns Israel 17 Times, Rest of World Combined 6 Times”. (Do I have to go over the many countries were starvation is rampant from Somalia to Congo to—ironically—Yemen that the UN almost completely ignores?)_ A reasonable person could classify this pervasive anti-Israel bias as a mass psychological illness, if not outright evil.
The accusation of evil might seem excessive, but much of the death and destruction in Gaza can be laid at the feet of the supposedly peaceful UN.
Their nefarious role in the Gaza War has been illuminated recently as the US and Israel, through the offices of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), are currently changing the method of food distribution in Gaza that was formerly monopolized by Hamas. A fair amount of predictable mayhem has ensued inthe form of food stampedes, but basically the terms of feeding Gaza have been altered for the better. (These stampedes are going both ways, with Gazan mobs having broken into Hamas’ storage warehouses as well.)
This is a tremendous blow to Hamas because they have used food distribution to maintain iron control of the Strip while profiting from their monopoly financially as to power their war machine, acquiring weapons, paying their terror troops and so forth. Anyone who disobeyed faced brutal consequences.
Amit Segal in his timely daily reports underscores the importance of what is happening.
“… [W]hy was yesterday so significant? Well, Hamas warned Gazans to stay away from the aid distribution complex. Nevertheless, they ignored Hamas’ warnings, with many Gazans trampling their way through a Hamas checkpoint that tried to prevent the food’s distribution.
“In other words, despite Hamas’ threats, a mass influx of aid is coming into Gaza that Hamas does not benefit from. Not only did Palestinians openly defy Hamas in order to receive these packages, but for the first time in nearly 20 years, Gazans are receiving their sustenance without having to rely on the terror group.
“If this continues—and if the level of such aid increases—Hamas’ rule will be in jeopardy.”
Good news, no, not only for Gazans but for all those who seek peace after 600 days of unrelenting violence. Who could oppose it?
Well, not surprisingly, our friends at the United Nations. Seemingly irate about this intrusion into their province, they have accused the new approach and those involved of not being “impartial” and of “weaponizing” food distribution.
Bu it couldn’t be more obvious these are the very things they—the UN themselves— have consistently aided Hamas in doing. It would be laughable fodder for the Babylon Bee were it not so disgusting in its extreme disregard for reality. This is hypocrisy taken to the nth power.
This is the same UN whose “humanitarian chief” as recently as a week ago accused Israel of imminently murdering 14,000 infants. From JNS:
“The United Nations and the BBC on Wednesday corrected a dramatic claim that 14,000 infants in the Gaza Strip faced death within 48 hours, clarifying that the figure actually refers to children at risk of severe malnutrition over the course of a full year.
“U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher made the claim on BBC Radio 4‘s “Today” program, saying: ‘There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them.’ The comment was quickly picked up by national media outlets, cited in U.K. parliamentary debates and referenced in international diplomatic discussions.”
This is evil propaganda that not even Hamas itself could duplicate.
By now the role of UNRWA in aiding Hamas in so many ways, including helping hide their munitions, missiles and launchers, command and control centers and so forth under hospitals and schools—all against international law— has been detailed ad infinitum.
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it recently demolished a Hamas attack tunnel during operations of the Gaza Division and the Yahalom combat engineering unit in the southern Gaza Strip.
The tunnel was hundreds of meters long and had several exits, some of them rigged with explosives, the army says.
During the efforts to uncover and demolish the tunnel, the IDF says troops spotted a cell of operatives emerging from one of the shafts. The troops killed the cell, according to the IDF.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2025 00:00 ||
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#1
Blowed up real good
Posted by: Frank G ||
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[GEO.TV] At least 44 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, rescuers said, a day after a World Food Programme warehouse in the centre of the territory was looted by desperate Palestinians.
Gaza civil defence official Mohammad al-Mughayyir told AFP "44 people have been killed in Israeli raids", including 23 in a strike on home in Al-Bureij.
"Two people were killed and several injured by Israeli forces' gunfire this morning near the American aid centre in the Morag axis, southern Gaza Strip," he added.
The centre, run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is part of a new system for distributing aid that Israel says is meant to keep supplies out of the hands of Hamas, but which has drawn criticism from the United Nations and the European Union.
[IsraelTimes] An IDF soldier serving with the 188th Armored Brigade’s 74th Battalion was seriously wounded in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, the military says. According to an initial IDF probe, the soldier was hit by an accidental misfire.
Once the population is gone, there is no need for a functioning hospital. Escpecially when that hospital is a barely disguised Hamas strongpoint hiding the entrance to Hamas’s war tunnels.
[GEO.TV] The director-general of the World Health Organization has announced that al-Awda Hospital in northern Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... is now out of service after an Israeli order was issued to evacuate the building.
There are still 97 people, including 13 patients inside the building, and the UN is planning a mission tomorrow to transfer patients to another facility, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement on X, adding that the hospital's medical equipment cannot be relocated due to impassable roads.
''With al-Awda's closure, there is no remaining functional hospital in North Gaza — severing a critical lifeline for the people there,'' he said.
''WHO pleads for the hospital's protection and staff and patients' safety, and reiterates its call for the active protection of civilians and health care. Hospitals must never be attacked or militarised. Ceasefire!'’
[IsraelTimes] The IDF issues a new wide evacuation warning for Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip, as part of the military’s expanded offensive against Hamas.
The warning calls for Palestinians residing in Atatra, Jabalia, and the Gaza City neighborhoods of Shejaiya, Daraj, and Zeitoun to head west.
“The IDF will expand its offensive activity in the areas where you are located to destroy the capabilities of the terror organizations,” the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee says on X, adding that the areas marked on the map are “considered dangerous combat zones.”
[IsraelTimes] An Israeli drone strike last night in southern Lebanon’s Yater killed a commander in Hezbollah, the military announces.
According to the IDF, the operative, named by local media as Nabil Balaghi, was the commander of Hezbollah’s forces in the Yater area.
During the war, Balaghi “advanced terror attacks on IDF troops and Israel,” the IDF says, adding that recently he attempted to restore Hezbollah’s capabilities in the Yater area, which “constitutes a blatant violation of the [ceasefire] deal.”
More than 150 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in Israeli strikes since the start of the November 2024 ceasefire in Lebanon.
The “forward mobile triage” was established several weeks ago, amid the IDF’s ongoing operations in southern Syria, and is intended to treat Syrian Druze in the area, the military says.
“IDF troops continue to operate in Syria to maintain the security of the residents of the Golan Heights and to create a forward security zone, alongside providing assistance to the local population,” it adds.
Continued on Page 47
[NAHARNET] A clash erupted Wednesday between an armored UNIFIL patrol and residents of the southern town of Yater, in the Bint Jbeil district, after the patrol entered one of the town's neighborhoods, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The UNIFIL peacekeepers pointed their weapons at residents during the incident, after which a Lebanese Army force arrived on the scene to resolve the standoff, NNA added.
However,
there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened... UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti clarified that "contrary to some media claims, the peacekeepers did not raise their weapons."
"A group of men in civilian clothes stopped peacekeepers while they were on a planned patrol, coordinated with the Lebanese army," Tenenti's statement said. "The situation was calm, and the peacekeepers were able to proceed after about thirty minutes."
Tenenti reiterated that UNIFIL operates in southern Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... at the request of the Lebanese government and under a mandate from the UN Security Council, adding that "any interference in peacekeepers' duties is unacceptable and contradicts Lebanon's commitments under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701."
Such incidents have increased in recent weeks, with residents insisting that any UNIFIL patrol should be accompanied by Lebanese Army troops.
UNIFIL had recently called on Lebanon to "ensure that UNIFIL peacekeepers can carry out their mandated tasks without threats or obstruction."
Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon frequently accuse the U.N. mission -- which was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel's 1978 invasion -- of collusion with Israel. Israel meanwhile accuses the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to alleged Hezbollah military activities in southern Lebanon.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2025 00:00 ||
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[NAHARNET] An Israeli drone tried to target a car in the southern town of al-Abbasiyeh but the missile failed to explode, media reports said, as the Health Ministry said one person was maimed in the botched strike.
The IDF targets Hezbollah south of the Litani River — whose people have no business being being there, according to the ceasefire they signed. That makes them legitimate targets.
The Israeli army meanwhile announced that a man killed overnight in a dronezap in Yater was the commander of the town's Hezbollah unit.
See?
During the war, the targeted operative was behind attacks against Israeli forces and settlements and ''he has recently attempted to rehabilitate the (Yater) unit, which is a violation of the (ceasefire) agreement,'' the Israeli army added.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli forces fired an artillery shell at the al-Ain area in the southern border town of Kfarshouba and also fired machine guns at the town's outskirts, the National News Agency said.
Al-Jadeed television said the shell was fired at shepherds in the area.
Several citizens meanwhile escaped unharmed after Israeli forces shot up them near a chicken farm in the southern border town of Blida. A drone meanwhile dropped a stun grenade on the border town of Kfar Kila.
The Israeli army also opened machine gun fire heavily on the Marjayoun plain.
Israeli drones meanwhile overflew the al-Zahrani region at low altitudes.
[NAHARNET] A Shilka-type shell fired from Syria landed in the Akkar town of al-Dawseh, wounding a Lebanese man, Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... 's National News Agency reported on Thursday, without elaborating on who might have fired it.
The defense ministers of Lebanon and Syria signed an agreement in Jeddah in late March "to address security and military threats" along the countries' common border. The accord came after frontier festivities earlier in March left 10 people dead. Those festivities pitted Syrian authorities against Hezbollah-allied Lebanese clans.
Border tensions flared earlier in March after Syria's new authorities accused Hezbollah of abducting three soldiers into Lebanon and killing them. The Iran-backed group, which had been an ally of toppled Syrian president Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... , denied involvement.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met in Damascus in mid-April with Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, accompanied by a Lebanese ministerial delegation comprising the ministers of foreign affairs, defense and interior.
It is the first trip to Damascus by a senior Lebanese official since a new government was formed in Beirut in February, two months after an Islamist-led alliance ousted longtime Syrian ruler Bashir al-Assad.
This visit is "key to correcting the course of ties between the two countries on the basis of mutual respect," a Lebanese official said.
Beirut and Damascus have been seeking to improve ties since the overthrow of Assad, whose family dynasty commanded a decades-long tutelage over Lebanon and is accused of assassinating numerous Lebanese officials who expressed opposition to its rule.
Salam's talks in Damascus tackled controlling and demarcating the porous, 330-kilometer shared border, as well as combating smuggling.
In December, Sharaa said his country would not negatively interfere in Lebanon and would respect its neighbor's illusory sovereignty.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2025 00:00 ||
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[NAHARNET] An Israeli dronezap killed a municipal worker in southern Leb ...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , the state-run National News Agency said.
The man was on his way to work on a well supplying water to homes when he was killed in the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, the NNA said. Lebanon's Health Ministry also reported one person killed in the strike.
The Israeli army said in a statement that it had killed a "Hezbollah terrorist" who was "rehabilitating a site used by" the group "to manage its fire and defense array."
A U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement brought the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah to an end in late November, but Israel has continued to launch near-daily strikes on Lebanon since then.
Lebanon has complained that Israel is violating the ceasefire while Israel says it is striking Hezbollah facilities and officials to prevent the group from rearming.
The targets included a site used to store weapons near Sidon, where recent Hezbollah activity was identified, the military says. The facility has been struck by the IDF previously, and the activity was related to Hezbollah’s efforts to restore the site, according to the IDF.
Additionally, the IDF says it hit several sites used to store rocket launchers in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah activity was also identified.
According to the IDF, the operative, named by local media as Nabil Balaghi, was the commander of Hezbollah’s forces in the Yater area.
During the war, Balaghi “advanced terror attacks on IDF troops and Israel,” the IDF says, adding that recently he attempted to restore Hezbollah’s capabilities in the Yater area, which “constitutes a blatant violation of the [ceasefire] deal.”
More than 150 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in Israeli strikes since the start of the November 2024 ceasefire in Lebanon.
The “forward mobile triage” was established several weeks ago, amid the IDF’s ongoing operations in southern Syria, and is intended to treat Syrian Druze in the area, the military says.
“IDF troops continue to operate in Syria to maintain the security of the residents of the Golan Heights and to create a forward security zone, alongside providing assistance to the local population,” it adds.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
05/30/2025 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Iran-Saudi détente has come under attack after prominent Shiite cleric and TV presenter Gholamreza Qasimiyan was arrested by Saudi authorities while on the Hajj pilgrimage.
The reason for his arrest was his criticism of the “two-faced reforms” in Saudi Arabia, a country that in recent years has sought to become the “Switzerland of the Middle East.”
Given Kasimian's influence on his flock (both in Iran and in neighboring countries), the arrest of a preacher of this caliber cannot go unnoticed by official Tehran.
However, judging by the latest statements, Iranian officials are more concerned about the fate of relations with Riyadh than about supporting their compatriot.
SHADOW HAWK
In Iran, Qasimiyan is considered a fairly important figure. Despite his relatively young age (52), he is part of the inner circle of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and has protégés in the government and security forces.
His connections are especially strong in the national parliament, where one of his friendly figures is the speaker himself, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Kasimiyan holds conservative views in the spirit of the teachings of the first leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ruhollah Khomeini, and vehemently rejects the concept of a “liberal Iran,” considering freedom of morals the first step towards the collapse of the country.
The theologian was among those who for a long time torpedoed the reform of the Iranian “morality police” (Gasht-i-Ershad), and later supported the street protests of conservatives.
Although Kasimiyan has until recently tried not to publicly go against the course of the country's top leadership and has not criticized the rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, he has remained the unofficial ideologist of the most conservative (albeit small) part of the Iranian elite. The one that continues to see Riyadh as an "American-Israeli servant" and a potential enemy.
EPHEMERAL LIBERALISM
Kasimiyan fell into the hands of Saudi law enforcement immediately after he recorded a video during the pilgrimage criticizing the country's authorities.
In an address to his flock, the theologian obstructed the current “corrupt” course of Saudi Arabia and called on his compatriots “not to trust the diplomatic tricks” of their Arabian neighbor.
At first glance, the attacks are motivated by the preacher's ultra-conservative views and his dissatisfaction with the fact that the traditionalist kingdom has made a serious drift over the past decade towards expanding internal freedoms, aiming to become a "Middle Eastern Switzerland" - with gambling, specific types of tourism and an active nightlife.
For a long time, Kasimian frightened his compatriots with such “decomposition”.
On the other hand, the picture created by the Saudi authorities is still far from reality. Clubs and casinos in the country are located next to "houses of correction" under the control of the morality police, and the theological community controls the contours of both domestic and foreign policy. "Liberal" Saudi Arabia is still ephemeral.
It is precisely this dualism that Kasimiyan emphasized, suggesting that the Arabs are similarly deceiving other countries (and especially Iran) on the diplomatic track.
Of course, he had criticized the Saudis before, but this time the theologian crossed the line - he staged a political action during the pilgrimage, thereby insulting the royal house. Riyadh considered it unacceptable to ignore his attacks.
COURSE ON CRITICISM
Despite the fact that Kasimian was arrested on Monday, the information was not made public for a long time until Shiites, concerned about the disappearance of the preacher, themselves raised the alarm and achieved coverage of the topic in regional media.
However, the royal court continued to remain silent. Comments from the Foreign and Interior Ministries were extremely general. They emphasized that the Saudi side had not yet brought any charges, and that the detention of a public figure "has no political overtones."
The reaction of the Iranian authorities, who were apparently taken by surprise by the news of the arrest of a high-ranking cleric, was much more varied. Representatives of various ministries and departments of the country sometimes expressed conflicting assessments.
For example, the head of the delegation of Iranian pilgrims, Seyed Abdul-Fatah Navab, noted that it is not worth projecting the statements of the arrested ayatollah onto all of Iran, since his position “reflects personal views.”
First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref made similar points, adding that the “unfortunate incident” does not harm Saudi-Iranian relations.
Other Iranian officials have gone further and proposed extraditing Kasimian to Iran to face charges under national law.
However, there were also those in high offices who supported the arrested man.
For example, Iranian judicial official Asghar Jahangir called the arrest “unjustified and illegal,” calling on “relevant authorities to look into the matter.” Several members of parliament and senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also called for pressure on Riyadh.
However, the more time passes since the arrest, the quieter the voices of the "ultra-conservative party" become. Many - including the all-powerful speaker Ghalibaf - prefer not to comment on what is happening at all. At the official level, the course towards criticizing Kasimian confidently outweighs.
The head of the ideological and political department of Khamenei's office, Ali Saeedi, put an end to the story : he characterized his compatriot's statements as "damaging to Iran's reputation" and emphasized their "detachment from reality." By doing so, he de facto expressed not only his own position, but also that of Iran's highest authorities.
Official Tehran's attempt to distance itself from the controversial theologian is not without foundation. Kasimiyan's voice is listened to not only by Iranian ultra-conservatives, but also by Saudi Shiites, whose share in the kingdom is, according to various estimates, between 10 and 15%.
Previously, this minority has repeatedly acted as the "engine" of protests and anti-government demonstrations, which has formed a firm conviction among the Saudi authorities that local Shiites are almost entirely agents of Tehran. The Iranian establishment does not want to support this thesis.
RELATIONSHIP CHECK
The Qasimiyan affair is a good test of the strength of the new Saudi-Iranian relations. If the parties can resolve the conflict in a legal framework and without mutual recriminations, this will have a more convincing effect on the populations of both countries than numerous exhortations and bravura speeches by officials.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have had a hard time overcoming the consequences of the “small cold war” that began in 2016 after the Saudis executed influential Shiite cleric Nemr al-Nemr, and are unlikely to want to return to the confrontation phase.
Moreover, the resumption of confrontation will hit the image of both powers and weaken their ties with China, which has made considerable efforts to reconcile its Middle Eastern counterparts.
The investigation is being conducted in a "gentlemanly manner." Thus, after the incident with Qasimiyan, Saudi Arabia suspended "until further notice" the issuance of visas for Iranian participants in the Hajj, but Tehran chose not to respond to this attack.
As a sign of gratitude, Riyadh did not emphasize the arrested preacher’s closeness to the highest authorities: not a single Saudi publication wrote about the connections between Qasimiyan and Khamenei, and not a single blogger spoke about them.
There is a high probability that the parties will avoid direct accusations against each other until the very end, so that the “shadow of al-Nemr” does not hang over them even more.
[Rudaw] Senior Iranian holy man Gholamreza Qassemian has been deported to Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... from Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... after he had reportedly been arrested by Saudi authorities during the ongoing Hajj season. The holy man was detained shortly after posting a now-viral controversial video sharply criticizing the alleged commercialization of the kingdom’s holy sites.
Qassemian on Thursday shared a picture of himself seemingly aboard a plane, addressing his followers with a message: "With your prayers and follow-up, and the diligent follow-up of the Iranian Consulate in Saudi Arabia, I was released from prison and am returning to my beloved homeland via Dubai."
According to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, Qassemian was arrested in Medina by Saudi police a day after "recording a short video in the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid al-Nabawi)," which quickly circulated on social media platforms.
In the controversial video Qassemian is heard harshly criticizing what he called the commercialization of Saudi holy sites.
"The merchants and exploiters of the Qibla [Kaaba - the most sacred site in Islam] have provided ideal conditions - casinos, centers of prostitution, and vulgar concerts are all in place," the holy man stated.
Notably, Iranian officials were quick to distance themselves from Qassemian’s remarks.
In a veiled response to the incident, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday dismissed attempts to undermine Tehran’s ties with Saudi Arabia and disrupt "Moslem unity."
"Iran in no uncertain terms condemns any attempt to harm Moslem unity," Araghchi emphasized on X, adding that Tehran is "determined to not allow anyone to sabotage relations with our brotherly neighbors, including the progressive path of Iran and Saudi Arabia."
Qassemian’s case comes at a time when Saudi-Iranian relations are advancing with caution.
The two countries agreed to restore diplomatic ties under a landmark China-brokered accord in March 2023, ending a seven-year rupture. Relations had broken down in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad in response to Riyadh’s execution of Shiite dissident holy man Nimr al-Nimr.
Between 2021 and 2023, senior Iranian and Saudi holy mans and security officials held a series of talks in Baghdad (five rounds) and Oman (five rounds), culminating in the March 2023 agreement to reopen embassies and implement cooperation accords.
Since the election of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in July 2024, bilateral relations have notably strengthened.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Lord of Most of the Arabians... and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
...Crown Prince and modernizer of Saudi Arabia as of 2016. The Turks hate him, so he must be all right, despite the occasional brutal murder of Qatar-owned journalists... were among the first leaders to congratulate Pezeshkian on his victory, expressing a desire to deepen ties. In a major diplomatic milestone, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman visited Tehran in April 2025 - the highest-level Saudi visit to Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution - to discuss regional security and economic cooperation.
Pezeshkian has repeatedly emphasized that a core pillar of his foreign policy is to "build bridges" across the Middle East and beyond, advocating for regional integration and dialogue, especially with Gulf Arab states, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... , and Central Asian nations.
Tehran’s prompt disavowal of Qassemian’s inflammatory comments highlights the pragmatic approach Pezeshkian’s administration appears to be taking as it seeks to stabilize ties with its neighbors.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: badanov ||
05/30/2025 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan...
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade....
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
