[Breitbart] On April 19, 1775, seventy-eight-year-old Captain Samuel Whittemore crouched behind a stone wall next to his home. Whittemore’s old fingers tightly gripped his musket and his pistol. A sword hung from his belt. A phalanx of Redcoats looted homes as they retreated back to Boston. The senior Patriot, who had resisted tyranny and the rule of the Crown for years, planned to fight to the death to defend his home.
When the British troops approached, he blasted away, slaying two Redcoats and wounding or killing a third with his sword. The Redcoats then unleashed their fury on Whittemore, shooting him in the face with a .69 caliber ball, taking off part of his cheekbone, and bayoneting him six times. To finish the job, they bludgeoned him with the butts of their muskets, shouting, "We have killed the old rebel!" Whittemore lay in a pool of his own blood. His hat and clothes "were shot through in many places."
Miraculously, the old Patriot stubbornly refused to die. Brushing off the flesh wounds, he would live to the ripe old age of ninety-six. This week marks the anniversary of Whittemore’s epic stand and the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Two hundred and forty-nine years ago, farmers, tradesmen, laborers, and mariners—Americans of all stripes—came together to defend themselves against the most professional army in the world. April 19, 1775, marked the beginning of an epic journey for a band of brothers who risked EVERYTHING for a nation yet to be born. Over the course of nearly eight years, many of these Americans marched thousands of miles, often shoeless, unpaid, and starving, to fight for freedom and liberties most Americans today take for granted. Their resolute stand matters in light of multiple current events and relentless threats to American liberty.
In the fall of 1774, King George III told Lord North, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, that "blows must decide whether they [colonists but hereafter referred to as the Americans] are to be subject to this country, or independent." The Crown moved toward using force. For years, friction had been building in the provinces. Beginning in September 1774, Gage’s forces conducted a number of so-called powder alarms aimed at seizing gunpowder and munitions. Black powder in the colonies was precious and had to be imported, since virtually no organic production existed in North America. The Crown put in place a ban on the importation of powder and firearms. Mercilessly, they leveled a number of hard economic measures, closed the port of Boston — throwing thousands out of work — and passed several acts aimed to destroy the colonies’ economic will.
#1
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
[theGrio - FEB 13, 2022] Contrary to the many speculations online, the Harriet Tubman $20 bill is on track to debut to the public in 2030. In an exclusively obtained internal Black History Month message sent from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to the entire department, Yellen reaffirmed the department’s commitment to ensuring that our currency is more inclusive in representation.
"We know that putting Dr. Angelou on the quarter is just the beginning of the work ahead to make our currency and coinage reflect the totality of the diversity of this country, including placing Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill," Yellen said in the internal note. ’This Black History Month — the third February of the pandemic — I believe that we as a Department, and as a country, are more cognizant of where we’ve been."
In a flurry of excitement over the Maya Angelou quarters, many people questioned why a quarter was produced within months of being announced, while the highly anticipated Tubman $20 note is still not in circulation.
[Daily Caller] Former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz likened "pro-Hamas" protesters to "Hitler youth" Thursday on Fox News, stating that they’re destroying American universities. Actually, American Universities are "destroying" themselves. The protestors are simply a process by-product.
Dershowitz appeared on "Hannity" to discuss the outbreak in protests at Columbia University this week to call for the school to divest itself from companies that have Israeli connections, according to Fox News. Fox host Sean Hannity questioned the former law professor on his thoughts about the issue, noting some of the rhetoric heard from pro-Palestine protesters. (RELATED: Ilhan Omar’s Daughter Isra Hirsi Allegedly Suspended From College For Anti-Israel Activity)
"I agree, but this is not pro-Palestine, this is pro-Hamas, which is anti-Palestine. The worst enemy that the Palestinian people have is Hamas. These kids are Hitler youth. These are the same kind of people who brought Hitler to power in 1933, Castro to power, Pol Pot to power, Mao Zedong to power. Just because they’re young doesn’t mean they are not extremely, extremely dangerous. What they’re doing is providing aid to a terrorist organization," Dershowitz stated. It really must begin with the children, but only the correct children as approved by National Socialist governing bodies. See Planned Parenthood for additional details.
"that it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise."
Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the Tripolitan ambassador to Britain to Thomas Jefferson, London 1786
This conflict started long before modern Israel was founded and long before the US was founded.
#4
/\ Yes EH, modern history is replete with examples. Below is a graphic of Mohammed Amin al-Husseini the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem reviewing troops, circa 1941. (Note: That is not a street in Jerusalem.)
Illustrative: Hitler hosts Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin al-Husseini in 1941 in Germany. (Heinrich Hoffmann Collection/Wikipedia)
The following is an official German record of the meeting between Adolf Hitler and the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, on November 28, 1941, at the Reich Chancellory in Berlin. (Source: Documents on German Foreign Policy 1918-1945, Series D, Vol XIII, London, 1964.)
GRAND MUFTI:
The Grand Mufti began by thanking the Fuhrer for the great honor he had bestowed by receiving him. He wished to seize the opportunity to convey to the Fuhrer of the Greater German Reich, admired by the entire Arab world, his thanks of the sympathy which he had always shown for the Arab and especially the Palestinian cause, and to which he had given clear expression in his public speeches.
Dershowitz said that, despite his criticism of the current president, he may vote for Biden in the November elections and rejected Trump's description of any Jew that would vote for the president as crazy. "If he wants to call me a crazy American Jew, that's fine," he concluded.
He’s clearly going to vote for the Democrat, despite claiming to still be undecided, even though he vocally disagrees with everything this administration has done about Israel, the cowardly ass.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A financial analyst nicknamed the 'Oracle of Wall Street' has said a 'growing crisis of the young American male' will cause house prices to fall as much as 30 percent.
Meredith Whitney, who earned the title after predicting the financial crisis of 2007 - 2008, suggested young men increasingly living with their parents and disinterested in starting families will drastically reduce housing demand.
The trend of men refusing to settle in turn means more women are remaining single into later life, leaving them without the income or need for big family homes.
[Bee] Former U.S. Senator and email expert Hilary Clinton issued a statement this week condemning Donald Trump for allegedly paying hush money to political liabilities instead of just killing them.
"How dumb do you have to be?" Clinton told reporters. "There's an easy, tried-and-true method for dealing with people who make your life hard; just call my friend Guido and he takes care of it for you. Or, if you're feeling up for an adventure, DIY!"
Hilary Clinton condemned political rival Donald Trump during the former president's campaign finance trial this week for paying out money to keep detractors quiet instead of just offing them in a "kayak accident" or "donut-choking accident" or "four shotgun rounds to the back of the head accident."
"Being a grandmother myself, I know how busy things can get with family and work life, the temptation to just pay money to make things go away can creep up," Clinton continued. "But the only way to completely ensure those loose lips won't sink your ship is to sink their paddle board if you get my drift..."
As of publishing time, Clinton had called her friend Guido to see if he could do anything about Trump
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/19/2024
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Gold. I hope the staff is well insured
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/19/2024 10:25
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Didn't HildaB pay off some of the women to shut up and go away that Slick Willie abused?
#4
Released from jail - what are they thinking. She's clearly a danger to society. Giving hope to all those young men who daydream about banging their substitute high school teacher, that is a kind of hope that should not be tolerated.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/19/2024 14:39
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I was in the control group.
And how many interesting conditions did you not need to treat with penicillin, back when penicillin actually cured such things? Nowadays such situations are much closer to incurable — one has to feel for the youngsters …
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The mother of a 12-year-old girl who was pulled from her wheelchair and beaten by bullies in a horrifying attack is speaking out about the abuse.
Footage of two disturbing attacks on the 12-year-old in the bathroom and an elevator at Conway Middle School in Orlando show her being dragged around like a rag doll and shoved onto the cold tile floor in an attack filmed by fellow students.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, her mother revealed that she had been bullied for weeks by the same girls.
The girl suffers from chondrodysplasia punctata, a rare disorder.
Her genetic defects include shorter femurs, and one of her legs is shorter than the other.
The condition can include skeletal abnormalities, distinctive facial features, intellectual disability, and respiratory problems.
…economist who is the brand new president of Argentina. In his first month in office he brought down inflation, fired 70,000 government workers, and balanced the nation’s budget. He openly models himself on Donald Trump…
says he wants a partnership with NATO. You know, the organization for Europe and North America, both places where Argentina isn't.
I don't think Milei means to commit Argentine troops to Europe's defense. If memory serves, Argentina once had some trouble committing troops just to the nearby Falkland Islands. But what he does desire is a partnership with NATO. Defense Minister Luis Alfonso Petri submitted a formal request on Thursday and announced, "I met with Deputy Secretary General of NATO Geoana. I transmitted a letter of intent to him, which contains a request from Argentina to become a global partner of this organization."
Believe it or not, there's precedent for Argentina's request. During President Donald Trump's first term, Colombia asked for and received NATO partnership status. As partners (but not official allies), NATO and Colombia work together on "cyber security, terrorism, the fight against corruption and maritime security. Colombia provides demining training to NATO Allies and partner countries, while NATO is also supporting Colombia in its continuing efforts to develop its armed forces."
#2
See technically when Argentina invaded the Falklands England could have invoked the NATO alliance commitment that a attack on one is an attack on all which would have directly required American intervention. If Argentina was in NATO then it would be a member spat like Greece and Turkey.
Actually no. The Falklands lie in the South Atlantic and are therefore not covered by NATO guarantees.
Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty specifies that collective self-defense is applicable only to attacks on member state territories north of the Tropic of Cancer.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/19/2024 15:31
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^ Interesting, EC. So NATO is like cell phone service which may not be available in your area.
[Daily Caller] The theocracy of Iran has been the world’s arch-embassy attacker over the last half century.
So it has zero credibility in crying foul over Israel’s April 1 attacks on its "consulate" in Damascus and the killing of Iran’s kingpin terrorists of the Revolutionary Guard Corps there.
Remember, the world was first introduced to the Iranian ayatollahs by their violent takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1980.
Iranian surrogates next bombed the American embassy in Beirut and the Marine barracks in 1983.
In fact, Iran has attacked U.S. and Israeli diplomatic posts off-and-on for decades, most recently in 2023, when Iran helped plan an attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
For this reason and several others, Iran’s justification for sending 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles into Israel on the grounds that Israel had bombed an Iranian diplomatic post is completely ridiculous.
One, Iran has never honored diplomatic immunity. Instead, it habitually attacks and kills embassy personnel and blows up diplomatic facilities across the world.
Two, on April 1, the Israelis attacked a pseudo-"consulate" in Damascus that was hosting grandees of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as they planned terrorist attacks on Israel.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
04/19/2024
05:09 ||
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Their tendrils will rip apart a web of bad actors when they go.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/19/2024 10:27
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/\ Many will likely be Washington D.C. "bad actors." The smell, it just never seems to go away.
"A transgender 18-year-old planned a school shooting because he 'wanted to be famous', according to cops who arrested him after finding his 129-page 'manifesto'. "
#2
Probably, moot at this point, now that everyone is aware of the trend of transgender shooters.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/19/2024 11:57
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Why do I get the feeling that the first two points are bullshit?
That it is more likely one family was picked out as most pliable, and leaned into being the face of the procedure?
They've told me all I need to know about the tone of the trannyfesto - question is, does it reveal the help network? Even just by raising questions like, "How does a mid-20s mentally retarded woman on psychoactive hormone drugs who made a living as a kindergarten talent level artist come up with professional target reconnaissance and tactics on her own?" They might ask questions like, "Well what was her prescription drug bloc and who filled the scrips?"
[Daily Caller] Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz released a report Thursday alleging U.S. forces based in Niger are facing "imminent risk" due to a "coverup of intelligence" by the State Department.
In an investigative report titled "Unwelcome in Niger: An Interim Report by Congressman Matt Gaetz on the American Troop Crisis in Niger," the congressman interviewed multiple service members including one senior enlisted personnel in the U.S., who claimed they had been left "functionally stranded, and without sufficient assistance from the Department of Defense or the Department of State." In April, the service members reached out to Gaetz alleging they had not only been "prohibited from doing their purported mission," but also from allegedly "returning home post-deployment." (RELATED: US Quietly Trying To Keep Troops In African Country That Wants To Kick Them Out)
"Since the hostility within the government of Niger that took over in mid-2023, the Department of Defense is unable to execute planned troop rotations or deliver mail, medical supplies, equipment, and other materials. The Biden Administration is actively suppressing intelligence reports about the atmospherics of the Nigerien position to avoid embarrassment for investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a nation where U.S. forces are no longer welcome," Gaetz stated in his report.
#1
The Biden Administration is actively suppressing intelligence reports about the atmospherics of the Nigerien position to avoid embarrassment for investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a nation where U.S. forces are no longer welcome,” Gaetz stated in his report.
Do we have an overseas hostage situation developing on the eve of a presidential election ?
Posted by: Eohippus Smiter of the Faith3343 ||
04/19/2024 6:35
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#3
...to avoid embarrassment for investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a nation where U.S. forces are no longer welcome
Another State Department FU that the military pays for. State has no problem with dribbling military strength around the world for show. Of course the leadership at the Pentagon might grumble but they use it as an excuse to ask for more money (which seems to be their reason for existence because protecting the homeland doesn't appear to be).
#5
Yes, all that spending and dying buys so much "stability."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/19/2024 9:18
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#6
Everything is view by the Puppet Show through a political lens above all else. After the bruising visuals of the Afghan withdrawal, leaving a Black African Nation in failure, after spending millions uselessly, would provide bad optics for the election. So, bury the story, leave the troops in place and muzzled, and put a lid on reporting. In classic DoS fashion, they will try and buy time with pallets of cash in some phony-baloney cover story until after November 5th.
[Breitbart] Reports emerged early Friday morning local time that Israel had attacked several Iranian sites — including targets near the suspected locations of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Israel’s Army Radio reported at 5:00 a.m. local time that ABC News had identified Israeli strikes near the town of Isfahan, Iran, as well as in locations in Syria and Iraq.
The Times of Israel reported:
Iran’s Fars news agency says that explosions have been heard near the airport at the country’s central Isfahan city, but the reason is unknown.
"The cause of these sounds is still unknown, and investigations continue until the exact details of the incident are determined," the semi-official Fars news agency says.
Several Iranian nuclear sites are located in Isfahan province, including Natanz, centerpiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Speculation mounted on social media that the Syrian and Iraqi targets were linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the external terrorist wing of the Iranian military.
The Israeli strikes apparently came in response to a massive Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel over the weekend. Though the attack was largely intercepted by Israeli and allied air defenses, it marked the first such direct attack by Iran against Israel from Iranian territory.
Israel had promised that if any attack originated from within Iran, Israel would respond with attacks inside Iran.
Israel has also long considered a strike against Iran’s nuclear program, with or without the support of the United States.
The Iranian regime is not thought to have significant air defenses. Dr. Shay Har-Zvi of the Institute for Policy and Strategy (IPS) at Reichman University told Breitbart News on Thursday during a press briefing that Iran’s air defenses, which had been supplied from Russia, did not yet include the latest generation, the S-400.
He agreed that Russian-Iranian cooperation might lend urgency to an Israeli response to Iran, because Israel knew it would have a limited window in which to strike back before Russia supplied more advanced air defense systems to Iran. He added that Russia was unlikely to be willing to become directly in a confrontation between Iran and Israel.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
04/19/2024
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#5
According to Fox News, citing the sources, "the Israelis hit what they intended to strike," indicating that a single primary target was struck multiple times and that Iran's Russian-made air defense system proved ineffective.
#7
"Do what we want when we want" is always a good message.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/19/2024 17:21
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and that Iran's Russian-made air defense system proved ineffective.
A couple thoughts...
Air Defense is not a magic amulet. Not all air defense systems are equally capable. We've seen examples in Syria where the IDF had no problem dealing Syrian AD which I assume was Russian stuff they bought on eBay. In addition, it matters what the attackers bring to the table both in terms of attacking platforms and countermeasures. An AD system capable of exo-atmospheric ballistic missile kills can be useless against nap-of-the-earth cruise missiles or low-and-slow drones. Terrain is also important.
I have not done a deep dive into what was hit and what was used for the attacks. Personally, I was hoping for a earth-shattering KABOOM!, but this seems a bit of a laid back response to the big Iranian strike. Pure speculation, but perhaps this was merely a probe to see where the AD systems were deployed, what frequencies they were running on, to look for gaps in coverage, etc. If you are going to kick someone in the nuts, it doesn't hurt to throw a jab or two at their face first just to get things moving.
#9
Syrian AD which I assume was Russian stuff they bought on eBay.
As I recall, SteveS, Russian S-200s and S-300s purchased from and installed by Russia, after which Russia trained the Syrian technicians to use them. There’s also an article from 2020 in the archives about an S-400 in Syria managed by Russian technicians (see here).
#10
Thanks for the deets and the reference, tw. I probably should have put a snark tag on the eBay reference since I was otherwise trying to be serious. I do believe this was only the opening act of the Israeli response with more to come later. No sense spoiling Passover.
#11
To be fair, one does have to be explicit about such things for me to pick up on it, my dear, unlike the more subtle examples of humanity to be found round these parts. ;-)
Pray God you’re right about this only being Israel’s first act — I’m really tired of both Iran’s and the Biden administration’s various forms of nonsense. And thank God that he returned Bibi Netanyahu to the PM seat — can you imagine if any of those others were trying to manage the Israeli left in concert with Joe Biden’s team under the circumstances?
[Miami Herald] Dozens of Haitians expelled from the United States arrived back in Haiti on Thursday in the Department of Homeland Security’s first deportation flight since an ongoing gang insurgency forced the Biden administration to halt a flight with deportees and order the evacuation of Americans.
Haiti’s Office of National Migration said it was informed by U.S. authorities to expect the arrival of 74 Haitians aboard an Immigration and Customs Enforcement flight in Cap-Haïtien shortly before noon on Thursday.
In the end, 52 arrived aboard the plane, which left Alexandria, Louisiana and made a stop in Miami before landing in the northern Haiti city. "The resumption of deportation flights to Haiti is beyond belief. At least beliefs that embrace compassion and humanity," said Tom Cartwright, an independent volunteer analyst who tracks ICE deportation flights and was the first to spot the Haiti-bound U.S. government charter. Randolph McGrorty, executive director of Catholic Legal Services in Miami, was surprised as well. "It is simply cruel to deport individuals to Haiti at this time," he said. "I am very concerned that we are are not following the law and our international obligations by adequately assessing asylum concerns and basic humanitarian principles."
Among those deported was Gerson Joseph, a Florida resident for more than 20 years who is engaged to be married and has a daughter who is a U.S. citizen. Joseph, who turns 40 next week, called his lawyer, Philip Issa, on Wednesday informing him that an officer at the Krome Detention Center in southwest Miami-Dade, where he had been detained since November, informed him he would be deported in the morning. "He should not have been considered what they call an enforcement priority," said Issa, an attorney with Americans for Immigrant Justice in Miami.
#3
^ That explains the flaming fuselage and cartwheeling into the ground...I guess
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/19/2024 7:16
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'Dropped Cigarette'?
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
04/19/2024 8:22
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#5
^Really bad cabbage fart.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/19/2024 8:55
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#6
Figuring out what the hell is going on based on limited information and deliberate lying is always a challenge. A couple data points:
one of Putin's Tu-22M3 strategic bombers
A tell that I have noticed when the Daily Mail/GCHQ is trying to sell a story is "Putin's whatever". It's not a Russian bomber or a Russian Aerospace Forces plane, it's one of Putin's own personal strategic bombers.
The crash site is some 250 miles from the closest border with Ukraine.
Seems a bit far from the border for a Ukrainian shootdown, but then again, it is a supersonic plane.
For the moment, color me skeptical of both stories.
Answer hazy. Ask again later
#10
We'll see how soon the Russian media goes silent on the story. If all quiet by next week, it was a cockup by the RU military.
Kind of like Crocus City Hall went 'dark' fairly quickly in the RU media, other than photos of flowers and people crying.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
04/19/2024 11:07
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#10 We'll see how soon the Russian media goes silent on the story. If all quiet by next week, it was a cockup by the RU military.
Kind of like Crocus City Hall went 'dark' fairly quickly in the RU media, other than photos of flowers and people crying.
Russian media in no way went dark with stories about Crocus, and they have stuck to their narrative that the shooters were in the pay of Ukrainian special services.
#12
Further shots here:
https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1781176954000949699
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/19/2024 11:26
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The Ukraine folk on X were saying.... a Modified S-200 rocket steered by a radar on a blimp that at it's height had full line of site coverage to 50 miles away from the crash site. They said the missile hit the plane and it limped on for another 1/2 hour before it crashes.. It is "x" or "twitter" so factor that in.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s military chief Gen. Francis Ogolla died in a helicopter crash west of the country, President William Ruto announced Thursday and declared three days of national mourning.
The helicopter was carrying 11 people, including Gen. Ogolla, when it crashed Thursday and caught fire in a remote area near the border with Uganda, killing nine people onboard, the president said.
It is unclear what caused the crash.
Gen. Ogolla, 61, was on a tour of the country’s troubled western region that has seen frequent attacks by local bandits.
He was appointed Kenya’s Chief of Defense Forces in April last year after Gen. Robert Kibochi retired.
Political controversy surrounded Ogolla even before his appointment, when he was accused by the country’s electoral commission chairperson as being part of a national security council delegation that tried to influence the outcome of the 2022 general election against President Ruto.
Ruto later explained that he called Gen. Ogolla before his appointment and said that, despite the election controversy, he was the most qualified for the job.
Gen Ogolla joined Kenya’s military force 40 years ago.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] ….he 'wants to be famous' as cops find 130-page manifesto detailing twisted fantasy of trans character who wants to 'cherry pick kids' classrooms to massacre'
Andrea Ye, 18, whose preferred name is Alex, has been charged with making threats of mass violence
Cops found a 'manifesto' written which 'strategized how to carry out the act'
Montgomery County Public Schools told Fox that Ye is an active student at Wootton High School in Rockville but has been attending through a virtual program and hadn't been on campus physically since 2022.
Police reportedly said in court records that Ye's sex is female but he uses male pronouns.
After the FBI alerted Montgomery County Police to the manifesto, they obtained a search warrant and found internet searches, drawings and documents related to threats of mass violence.
Ye reportedly put a disclaimer in the book saying it doesn't 'represent the author's beliefs' but a witness - who first contacted authorities in early March - raised concerns that the manifesto bore 'striking similarities' to Ye.
The witness believed the writings indicated Ye was prepared to carry out a mass shooting imminently, according to court documents seen by ABC.
Authorities said they had determined that the manifesto appears to have 'portions of fictional and non-fictional qualities'.
Court documents state that the witness told police that Ye's 'memoir' was about 'a transgender main character' named 'James Wang'.
They said that 'Wang' was 'being bullied in school and other issues that [the witness] believed were directly from Ye's life and not indicative of fiction.'
According to ABC, the manifesto described how the character would 'cherry pick the classrooms that are the easiest targets' and said: 'I have also considered shooting up my former elementary school because little kids make easier targets.'
Authorities said they found social media posts and searches by Ye allegedly looking up 'gun range near me,' and the phrase 'But, I do recognize that my plan is fully unethical. It's selfish and evil', according to court documents seen by ABC.
The documents reportedly show Ye telling an online user: 'My homicidal ideation has been getting worse lately to the point I might act on it eventually,' and then later adding: 'I'd want to kill a lot of people or it wouldn't be worth it.'
[ZERO] The secretary of the Army on Jan. 6, 2021, lied about multiple details regarding what unfolded as the U.S. Capitol was breached, National Guard whistleblowers said during a congressional hearing on April 17.
Then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy made multiple false claims, including that he spoke to the commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard on two separate occasions after officials requested that the Guard be deployed to the Capitol, the whistleblowers said.
After Maj. Gen. William Walker conveyed a request from the U.S. Capitol Police for Guard personnel, Mr. McCarthy called Maj. Gen. Walker at 2:14 p.m. and instructed the Guard to stand by, according to a Guard timeline of Jan. 6, 2021. But that call and others that Mr. McCarthy or one of his top advisers were said to have made later authorizing the Guard for mobilization and deployment did not happen, according to the Guard officials.
"At no time did Gen. Walker take any calls, nor did we ever hear from the secretary on any of the ongoing conference calls or the secure video teleconferencing throughout the day," Capt. Timothy Nick, who served as Maj. Gen. Walker’s personal assistant on Jan. 6, 2021, said during the hearing. "This I know because I was with the command general the entire time recording the events."
#3
The cover coming off of the accelerator pedal is a "fatal fault". 1 screw and it's fixed.
My question is, is there room enough in the back of the truck to carry the generator you'll need to charge the thing?
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/19/2024 8:54
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[NYPOST] President Biden announced sanctions against Iranian steel and drone companies as well as 16 individuals Thursday in response to last weekend’s aerial attack by Tehran against Israel — after years of similar Iranian drones pummeling Ukraine and without clamping down on Iran’s oil exports.
Leading Republicans and Democrats in Congress have asked Biden to consider going after Iranian petroleum revenue in response to Tehran’s support of Hamas ...not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... gunnies in the 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 an 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... Strip, but the latest announcement does not address the country’s top export, on which Biden previously eased sanctions.
Higher US gas prices caused by reduced global supply could undermine Biden’s bid for a second term in November.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that most of the missiles launched at Israel on April 14 were from old stocks (with a hint of an approaching expiration date) and this factor was also taken into account in preparation for the attack, since the IRGC in advance assumed the exchange of cheap and obsolete Iranian missiles to expensive missiles of US and Israeli air defense systems. Sure they did...
New missiles with multiple warheads and protected from electronic warfare (and also do not use GPS) have, for the most part, successfully hit their intended targets under the cover of a cloud of cheap drones and old missiles. The main target of the strike was the Nevatim airbase (from which the attack was carried out on the Iranian consulate in Damascus), which, according to various sources, was hit by seven to 14 missiles. According to Israeli estimates, this story cost Israel 1.1-1.3 billion dollars in air defense missiles alone, so the exchange was in any case strongly in favor of Iran.
There is one more noteworthy point worth noting. Pakistan's Defense Minister fully supported Iran's attack on Israel and praised Iran for its courage in defending the Palestinian people. Most recently, the parties exchanged blows on each other’s territory, when Iran first fired at a Baloch terrorist camp on Pakistani territory, and then Pakistan responded with attacks on Baluchis on Iranian territory.
People with little understanding of the processes in the Middle East then rushed to predict an imminent war between Pakistan and Iran, but in fact, this page has already been turned, as evidenced, among other things, by compliments to Iran from Islamabad.
Posted by: badanov ||
04/19/2024
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That’ll help pay to repair some of the damage Hamas, et al did on 10/7…
[IsraelTimes] The Defense Ministry and IDF say they have seized a total of NIS 29 million ($7.6 million) in cash in the 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 an iron fist by Hamaswith 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... Strip, and "forfeited" it to the state.
The cash was seized from Hamas, the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®, strongholds and homes of terror operatives, during the IDF’s ground operations in Gaza, the ministry says.
Today, NIS 12 million ($3.2 million) was deposited at the Bank of Israel, adding to another NIS 17 million ($3.5 million) seized and forfeited since the beginning of the war.
The ministry says there are additional sums of cash, which are still undergoing a "deposit process."
Earlier this year, the IDF said it had captured NIS 20 million ($5.3 million) in cash in a Hamas tunnel.
I can't think of a sight by the Germans more infuriating than not allowing the Russian Federation to participate in the commemoration of the liberation of German death camps, which the Soviet Army liberated.
[Regnum] The Russian embassy in Berlin was told that the German side considers the participation of Russian officials in commemorative ceremonies dedicated to the 79th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camp prisoners undesirable, official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on April 18.
“The embassy in Berlin has received notice that it is undesirable for Russian officials to participate in commemorative events on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the liberation of death factory prisoners,” she said.
Zakharova also pointed out that Germany did not respond to Russia’s note demanding that the crimes committed by the Nazi occupiers in the USSR during the Great Patriotic War be officially recognized as genocide.
As Regnum reported, on January 27, 2024, the German MIG published a statement on the anniversary of the lifting of the siege of Leningrad, saying that Berlin recognizes historical responsibility for the crimes of German soldiers against the residents of the city. Germany, as a gesture of reconciliation, supported the modernization of the hospital in St. Petersburg, where many victims of the siege are treated.
In March, the Russian Embassy in Germany sent a note to the country's Foreign Ministry demanding that the blockade of Leningrad and other crimes of the fascist invaders during the Great Patriotic War be recognized as genocide. The Russian side emphasized that it sees a connection between reparations paid after the war and the restoration of justice for the victims of Nazism.
Antifa are nervous and angry about how successful the prosecution has been against members of the So Cal Antifa conspiracy. There have been 9 straight convictions through guilty pleas. Those who were sentenced are serving hard time. https://t.co/cQjURj44xCpic.twitter.com/rY7omvpQ2m
Andy Ngo Reports: Antifa trial of the decade exposes a violent conspiracy in San Diego riot.
Prosecutors in San Diego County have laid bare the felony violent conspiracies to commit violence within a southern California cell of Antifa.
As the criminal trial of two So Cal Antifa members goes into its third week, the public is learning about how one of the notorious Antifa groups organizes and carries out violence against targets.
Jeremy Jonathan White, 41, and Brian Cortez Lightfoot Jr., 27, both of Los Angeles, are accused of carrying out violent attacks on supporters of former President Donald Trump in a felony conspiracy—the first time Antifa suspects have been charged with such a serious felony accusation anywhere in the US. Nine of their co-defendant comrades have already been convicted in plea deals, including Luis Francisco Mora, 32, who took a last-minute plea deal at the start of the trial.
BACKGROUND
On Jan. 9, 2021, roving mobs of black-clad So Cal Antifa members attacked supporters of Donald Trump and people walking on the boardwalk at Pacific Beach in San Diego County. A dog and his walker were among those maced. Eleven people, about half from Los Angeles County, were indicted in 2022 by a secret grand jury on a total of 29 felonies, including conspiracy to riot, assault and other violent crimes. Prosecutors alleged the defendants engaged in a coordinated conspiracy to riot.
White is accused of two felonies: felony conspiracy to riot, plus felony assault of a man on a bicycle who was documenting the Antifa rioters with his cell phone. Lightfoot is accused of sixteen felonies as the alleged “ringleader” of the attack: conspiracy to riot, plus nine unlawful uses of tear gas charges and six felony assaults on six different victims.
Most of the nine co-defendants who already took plea deals still await sentencing, in which they expect to be sentenced to prison. Two were already sentenced to five years in prison each; their sentences were enhanced by prior outstanding felony charges in unrelated crimes.
The weeks of testimony in the trial so far featured experts on Antifa, detectives, and the victims of the violence that day. Testimony is supported by video evidence captured during the riot and messages sent between the co-conspirators. Just before jury selection, co-defendant Luis Francisco Mora took a last-minute plea deal and admitted to the charge of conspiracy to riot, plus assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury.
White surprised the court and prosecutors by entering a plea of “not guilty by reason of insanity.” If he is found guilty at this trial, a follow-up trial will determine his sanity.
‘THE ANTIFA SOLDIER’
During her opening statements to jurors on April 2, prosecutor Makenzie Harvey showed video footage of violence during the riot that included aerials from a local police helicopter. The jury also saw communications between defendants, including one from Lightfoot, before the riot, in which he stated: “Got a team coming from L.A.” and “I wanna fight!” Lightfoot used the alias “John Wick” on his Signal encrypted communications and had an Antifa logo featuring black and red flags as his avatar photo. One of his confirmed Instagram usernames was “@antifaboyacab5.”
“ACAB,” an acronym of “all cops are bastards,” is a slogan used by Antifa and far-left extremists to express hatred of law enforcement and the state. White used the alias “ACAB Man” on Signal and “@theantifasoldier” on Instagram.
Jurors saw an Instagram exchange White had with a comrade after the riot where he appeared to be preparing for another attack and referencing that he had exhausted his supply of chemical sprays from the Pacific Beach riot. “I just ran out of bear mace and pepper gel and was hoping to get those but I should be fine,” White wrote seven days after the riot. They also discussed how to exchange funds through Venmo.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BEATEN
The first witness called in the trial was an undercover San Diego Police detective who observed the riot. The judge ordered the media not to identify this witness. This detective said he saw 40 to 50 people dressed all in black.
“They are actually identifying themselves as Antifa for the first time here, with their flags,” he said. His testimony is backed by photography and video of the riot showing the Antifa side waving flags and symbols of their movement in addition to brandishing and later using weapons. One of Antifa’s signs read, “ASHLI BABBITT DESERVED IT.” Babbitt was the unarmed woman who was shot dead inside the US Capitol building during the Jan. 6 riot in 2021.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2024
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [KavkazUzel] The court in Essentuki placed in custody two traffic police officers in Kabardino-Balkaria, Mukhamed Khanikov and Musa Kanukoev, suspected of systematically accepting bribes from truck drivers at the Urukh weight control post in North Ossetia.
According to the investigation, two traffic police inspectors for Kabardino-Balkaria Mukhamed Khanikov and Musa Kanukoev, deputy head of the territorial department of Rostransnadzor for the North Caucasus Federal District Murad Makiev, two of his subordinates Alexander Khamatov and Oleg Kibirov, as well as three more civilians Yuri Alborov, Levan Makiev and Khasb Khachetlov were included into a criminal group whose goal was to systematically receive bribes from truck drivers passing the Urukh weigh control post in North Ossetia. Cars were allowed through for bribes without checks, even in the presence of obvious violations.
All eight are charged with Part 5 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ( “Receipt of a bribe by a group of persons”, provides for up to 12 years in prison - note of the "Caucasian Knot" ). The investigation believes that the criminal group was created by the deputy head of the territorial department of Rostransnadzor for the North Caucasus Federal District, Murad Makiev, Sledkom reported on April 17 on its website.
The investigation petitioned the Essentuki City Court to arrest two traffic police inspectors for Kabardino-Balkaria and two employees of Rostransnadzor. “One suspect was detained for two months, three others for one month and 30 days,” Interfax quoted the court’s press service as saying on April 17.
There were no comments from representatives of the suspects.
The "Caucasian Knot" also wrote that on August 9, 2023, a police investigator was detained in Nalchik for accepting a large bribe. On July 19, 2022, it became known that the head of the migration department was suspected of extorting a bribe of 100 thousand rubles.
[GEO.TV] The humanitarian circumstances in 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 an 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... are still dire and Israel needs to do more to allow more aid into the strip and coordinate with aid agencies on deconfliction, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Thursday.
"There has been some measurable progress that we've seen when it comes to humanitarian aid getting into Gaza," Patel told a press briefing. "But the circumstances within Gaza continue to be dire and more absolutely needs to be done. The crisis that we're seeing demands rapid expansion of these efforts."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2024
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Andy Ngo investigates: A prominent Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ activist has been arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of a child. He quickly bonded out on a $20,000 hold. Sean Pinion, president of the Pikes Peak Art Council, promoted dangerous trans chest binding devices for… pic.twitter.com/4UaqrqUd4k
[Novosti] Several unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by Iran's air defense system in the skies over the central province of Isfahan, the IRIB agency reports .
Earlier, the American TV channel ABC News reported that Israel launched a missile attack on a facility in Iran. According to local media, explosions occurred near the airport in Isfahan and the 8th Iranian Air Force base.
“A number of reports indicate that several small unknown drones were attacked in the airspace of Isfahan province,” IRIB said in a statement.
According to the Fars agency , three explosions were heard in Isfahan; air defense forces were presumably activated due to the appearance of small drones. A possible target of the UAV could be an army radar station. Several office buildings in the area also had their windows blown out.
As the Tasnim agency notes , nuclear facilities in Isfahan are completely safe.
According to the state agency IRNA , air defense forces repelled the attack in other provinces of Iran. In particular, the sound of the explosion was heard in the west of Tabriz and in the Wadi-e Rahmat area.
The country's authorities canceled flights over Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz.
As Bloomberg reports, citing an informed source, Israel notified the US government on Friday that it plans to retaliate against Iran within 24-48 hours.
Courtesy of Beldar+Uneter3543 in comments yesterday evening:
From SteveS in the same thread, Al Monitor’s report:
Explosions were heard in Qahjaverestan, northeast of Isfahan, early Friday morning as US officials confirmed that Israel carried out strikes against Iran.
Bloomberg reported that Israeli officials notified the United States earlier on Thursday that the country planned to retaliate to Saturday’s attack in the next 24-48 hours. Two US officials told CNN ...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for... that Israel indicated to Washington it would not attack nuclear targets.
So much for Israel waiting until after the major holiday of Passover, one of the three holidays of pilgrimage back when the Temple stood in Jerusalem. It was because of Passover that Jesus and his disciples went to Jerusalem, and their Last Supper was a Passover Seder.
Isfahan is home to a major airbase for the Iranian military, as well as sites associated with its nuclear program located some 215 miles south of Tehran, the News Agency that Dare Not be Named reported. The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported that nuclear sites in Isfahan are safe.
Fox News report courtesy of Skidmark — it says to check back for updates:
Strikes hit the city of Isfahan at 5am local time. Officials say they do not believe the city's nuclear facilities were struck
Military targets in Iraq and Syria were also reportedly destroyed simultaneously
It comes after President Biden warned Israel not to plunge the Middle East further into crisis
Iranian news outlet FARS reported that the strikes were located 'near Isfahan Airport and the eighth hunting base of the Army Air Force.'
Iranian state news reported the nation's air defense systems have been activated, and were firing at an unknown object in Tabriz, around 500 miles north of Isfahan.
Israeli officials warned the Biden administration of its intent to strike before launching, but an official told CNN that the US did not 'green light' any Israeli response.
Israeli military officials have reportedly stressed that today's strikes were a 'limited response' to Iran's attack, appearing to target military hubs used by Iran in their onslaught on Saturday.
5min ago
Iranian senior commander: No damage caused in overnight attack -- state TV
8min ago
Syrian activist group claims strikes hit military radar position in south
10min ago
IDF: Drone alert sirens in Upper Galilee this morning were false alarms
15min ago
Iranian state media downplays reported Israeli attack, shows calm scenes in Isfahan
Check out the Jerusalem Post website in addition to the Jerusalem Post’s liveblog:
Syrian reports indicated Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s targeted sites belonging to the Syrian Army in the As-Suwayda and Daraa Governorates of southern Syria.
An Israeli missile strike targeted a site in 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... early Friday morning, according to ABC News. The report came shortly after local sources reported explosions in Isfahan in central Iran, in the As-Suwayda Governorate of southern Syria, and in the Baghdad area and Babil Governorate of Iraq early Friday morning.
REPORTS OF STRIKES ON SITES BELONGING TO SYRIAN ARMY
Syrian reports on Friday morning indicated airstrikes had also targeted sites belonging to the Syrian Army in the As-Suwayda and Daraa Governorates of southern Syria.
According to the local news site As-Suwayda24, the airstrikes targeted radar sites belonging to the Syrian military between Qarda and Izraa in Daraa in southern Syria.
Residents in Erbil and djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... in Iraq reported hearing the sounds of fighter jets as well early Friday morning.
Shortly after the alleged Israeli missile strikes were reported, Florida Senator Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida... published a post on X reading "Israel has the ability to conduct strikes against targets inside Iran without entering Iranian air space from aircraft over Syrian and Iraqi airspace."
Reports have claimed on Wednesday that Iran is currently preparing for a potential Israeli retaliation against its territory or proxies following Tehran's missile attack onto Israel on Sunday. As such, Iran has allegedly removed senior Hezbollah and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from Syria.
This comes amid US and European pressure onto Israel to respond in a way that prevents further escalation following Tehran's missile and drone attack over the weekend.
Reports citing Iranian officials said Wednesday claimed that that Iran is currently preparing its air force for potential strikes, and its navy would commence escorting Iranian commercial ships in the Red Sea.
Additionally, Tehran has initiated the evacuation of personnel from sites in Syria with a significant presence of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to Syrian and Iranian officials and advisers.
IRGC, HEZBOLLAH MID-RANKING OFFICERS RELOCATING
IRGC and Hezbollah's mid-ranking officers are relocating from their original positions within the country to various undocumented locations, as reported by the Wall Street Journal citing Syrian security officials.
On April 8, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah affirmed Iran's support for Hezbollah's "resistance" and declared that the presence of the IRGC in Syria and Lebanon dates back to 1982, following Israel's aggression towards Lebanon.
Hezbollah was on heightened alert during the Iranian attack over the weekend, expecting potential Israeli retaliation targeting its positions. However, it has since reduced its threat level, as it believes Israel is unlikely to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon in response to Iran's attack. Instead, Hezbollah has been advised by Iran to take precautionary measures in Syria, where Israel could target IRGC bases, warehouses, and Hezbollah posts.
Check out the Ynet website for major stories in addition to Ynet’s Breaking News includes reports on this story, including:
00:16
Israeli security sources confirm Israel attacked Iran targets
Israeli security officials confirmed to the New York Times early on Friday that an attack was made on Iran. Earlier Iranian sources said an airbase in the area of Isfahan came under attack. (Ynet)
Posted by: badanov ||
04/19/2024
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#1
That said, officially, Israel will not accept responsibility for this attack for strategic reasons.Sources explain that the Iranians claim it was an “explosion at a factory” because they wish to avoid escalation. Israeli sources told the Post, that It's unclear why the Pentagon disclosed to the American media that Israel was involved; they could have remained silent, they say. That could of preserved Iran's dignity, and avoided escalating the situation on their own.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/19/2024 7:00
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#8
Encyclopædia Iranica
https://iranicaonline.org/articles/hajji-baba-of...
HAJJI BABA OF ISPAHAN – Encyclopaedia Iranica
WEBMar 1, 2012 · A long, and at times tedious novel of eighty chapters, Hajji Baba of Ispahan recounts in the first person the extraordinary adventures of its hero, the son of a barber from Isfahan. ...w
#10
There is a major radar station and coordinating infrastructure in Isfahan. This facility covers, among other things, the nuclear fabrication station at Natanz.
Good chance the Israel objective was to take out the radar station.
Posted by: lord garth ||
04/19/2024 17:17
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#16
The Chief of Staff Headquarters of the “Babylon Movement” also know as the 50th Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) has suffered Significant Material Damage.
#20
Isfahan. "Well, the chase has been fun,
though I wonder," cried Death, "why you'd run."
"I was trying to save
you from this. Do be brave,
My dear Death, dead man walking. I'm done.
John Donne." [shots, familiar fanfare, lutenist plucks Dowland theme behind silhouetted belly dancers]
[IsraelTimes] Eight trucks of flour from UN World Food Program sent into Strip as Israel says it continues to work to increase food and medical supplies to enclave
The Israel Defense Forces said that humanitarian aid for Gazans that arrived through the Ashdod port on the Mediterranean coast entered the Strip for the first time on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, the government approved opening the port for humanitarian aid deliveries, in a bid to increase the amount of food and medical supplies for Palestinian civilians amid growing international pressure.
The military said eight trucks of flour supplied by the UN World Food Program entered Gaza after arriving in Israel via the port on Wednesday.
The truck underwent a "thorough" inspection at the port and then entered the Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing, at the southern end of Gaza near Egypt.
The move came a day after EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell criticized Israel over its slow pace in keeping promises to boost aid for Gaza, noting Tuesday that the Ashdod port and the Erez crossing had not yet been opened for aid.
Israel has faced mounting pressure from the international community, including its closest allies, over the low amount of humanitarian aid being transferred into the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has warned of looming famine.
Amid the pressure, Israel opened its skies to foreign planes airdropping aid packages into the Gaza Strip and helped set up a maritime corridor for direct deliveries of aid to Gaza by sea in the last couple of months.
However, frustration in Washington over Israel’s handling of the humanitarian situation reached a boiling point earlier this month after an IDF strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy killed seven of the aid group’s workers.
In a subsequent phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Joe Biden reportedly threatened to halt US support for Israel’s war against Hamas if Jerusalem didn’t take major steps to improve the humanitarian situation.
Within hours, Israel’s security cabinet voted to open another northern crossing into Gaza for aid, allow maritime aid deliveries through the Ashdod port, expand the aid convoys it allows in through Jordan, and develop more effective deconfliction mechanisms to ensure that humanitarian workers are protected.
Last week, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that Israel was creating a new crossing to transport aid through instead of the Erez crossing which was heavily damaged in Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
Israel also significantly upped the number of trucks entering Gaza last week with 322 trucks being admitted on Sunday and more than 400 entering on Monday, the highest numbers in one day since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
The US said the development was good but still not enough, urging Israel to continue to take measures to increase the humanitarian aid for Gaza, where the majority of residents are displaced and almost all are facing food insecurity more than six months into the devastating war.
[IsraelNationalNews] The United Nations promoted anti-Israel protests throughout the US this week in which demonstrators illegally blocked roads and bridges, the Human Rights Voices NGO revealed.
The UN's 'Division for Palestinian Rights' hosts a website called the United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL). This website posts a weekly newsletter called NGO Action News, which provides information on the activities of anti-Israel organizations throughout the world.
In one example, on April 11, NGO Action News featured a post from the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) titled 'Stop Arming Israel: 5 Ways to Take Action for Tax Day.' This post called for "a coordinated economic blockade in cities around the world" on April 15.
In the same newsletter on April 11, NGO Action News also featured a post from BADIL — Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights calling for actions that have "a material impact on the ability of the systems of these complicit states to function as normal. Material effects may be derived from targeting train stations, airports, commercial centers, diplomatic and governmental offices, arms companies, ports, and more."
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
04/19/2024
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[IsraelTimes] Still taken by Mohammed Salem shows Inas Abu Maamar cradling the body of five-year-old Saly, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on October 17
What about any of the pictures taken on Oct. 7th of the 100's of murdered Israeli children?
All of GAZA all should be constantly reminded IRAN and Hamas caused the deaths.
Plus, reminded of their own guilty role in this sneak attack on Israel.
Because it was only possible because 10s of 1000s of GAZA residents that supported or were quiet of the Terrorist's actives and plans.
[NYPOST] A great hulking social retard madman randomly whacked a woman with a hockey stick on a Manhattan street last Tuesday in the latest unprovoked attack targeting New York City women.
The 26-year-old victim was walking along East 6th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A in the East Village at around 10:30 p.m. when the man ran up and hit her in the leg with the hockey stick without any warning, police said.
The woman was treated by paramedics at the scene, cops said.
Her attacker ran off and remains at large.
He was last seen wearing a black jacket, a light-colored hoodie, light-colored pants and multi-color sneakers, according to a description provided by the NYPD.
The assault comes after several women reported being randomly punched in the face by male strangers while walking in the Big Apple last month.
Most of the unprovoked, single-punch assaults occurred in Manhattan and targeted women in their 20s.
Several women recounted the traumatic attacks and showed the bruises or bumps on their faces in videos posted to TikTok and Instagram — which led even more victims to come forward and share similar experiences in NYC.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2024
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[IsraelTimes] The International Monetary Fund says Middle East economies will grow at a slower pace this year than it previously projected as the war in 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 an iron fist by Hamaswith 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... , attacks on Red Sea shipping and lower oil output add to existing challenges of high debt and borrowing costs.
The IMF revises down its 2024 growth forecast for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to 2.7% from 3.4% in its October regional outlook. That would be an improvement from 1.9% growth in 2023.
The downward revision was driven by conflicts in Sudan, the West Bank and Gaza, as well as oil production cuts by Gulf countries weighing on activity.
"Assuming these factors ease in 2025, growth is forecast to strengthen to 4.2%," the IMF says.
"Uncertainty in high and medium-term growth is forecast to remain below pre-pandemic historical averages."
Within MENA, oil exporters are seen faring better, with the IMF projecting 2.9% growth this year, up 1 percentage point from last year.
"The voluntary oil production cuts — most notably by Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Fifteen of the nineteen WTC hijackers were Saudis, and most major jihadi commanders were Saudis, to include Osama bin Laden. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman quietly folded that tent in 2016, doing terrible things to the guys running it, and has since been dragging the kingdom into the current century... — are expected to continue to put a temporary damper on growth this year," the IMF says, adding that "higher-than-projected oil production will boost growth" for other, non-Gulf hydrocarbon producers.
"Since the devastating October 7 attacks, International support through Israel Bonds (Development Corporation for Israel in the United States) has accounted for $3 billion in worldwide investments since the outbreak of the war, offering its investors the ability to support Israel where and when it needs it the most."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gevorg Miryayan
[REGNUM] Russian peacekeepers are leaving the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Moreover, they leave ahead of schedule - almost a year and a half before the expiration of the peacekeeping mandate.
Armenian media report that troops are being withdrawn gradually - through the territory of Azerbaijan to Dagestan.
If you look at the situation pragmatically, there is nothing special, much less sensational, about the withdrawal of the peacekeepers.
“After Yerevan’s defeat in the 2020 war, Russian peacekeepers had to ensure the interests of the civilian population as much as possible. Mitigate humanitarian consequences and risks for Armenian residents.
But after Yerevan, within the framework of international documents on the initiative of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, recognized the Azerbaijani status of Karabakh, the peacekeepers found themselves in a legal vacuum,” Nikita Mendkovich, head of the Eurasian Analytical Club, told IA Regnum in a commentary.
In essence, Russian soldiers acted without a clear mandate on the territory of Azerbaijan recognized by the Armenian leadership.
“Russian peacekeepers are leaving Karabakh having completed their task: maintaining peace in the region, protecting civilians, including, sometimes, at the cost of their own lives,” writes Russian political scientist Alexey Mukhin.
The peacekeepers are leaving primarily because there is no one to protect - about 100 thousand Armenians have left Nagorno-Karabakh.
In Armenia, however, the withdrawal of troops is ambivalent. According to the head of the Analytical Center for Strategic Research and Initiatives (ACSIS) Hayk Khalatyan, the approaches of the Armenian authorities and Armenian society to this issue differ.
“The authorities, who have set a course for reconsidering relations with Russia and rapprochement with the West, are positioning the withdrawal of peacekeepers as proof of the decline of Russia’s influence in the region.
In this regard, the position of the power structures and experts close to them is close to the one occupied by Azerbaijan, whose actions contribute to reducing Russia’s influence in the region and ousting it from the South Caucasus,” Khalatyan told IA Regnum.
In turn, that part of the population that, due to the propaganda of pro-government and pro-Western resources, is confident that Russia is an ally of Azerbaijan and acts against Armenia, sees in the withdrawal of troops another proof that Russia defended the interests of Baku in the Karabakh conflict.
“Now, after, as a result of an agreement between the top leadership of Azerbaijan and Russia, the Russian “peacekeepers” are withdrawn ahead of schedule, but the armed forces of NATO member Turkey remain, which entered the region along the red carpet laid out for them by Russia, it is important that the #traitor (so the Armenian Soros they call Russia. - Ed.) did not forget to talk on all possible platforms about how “with the hands of Armenia the West is trying to oust Russia from the region,” writes one of the main pro-government telegram channels.
In fact, the traitor needs to be looked for not in Moscow, but in Yerevan.
“The transfer of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan is exclusively the prerogative and desire of the current Armenian leadership, which for some reason is trying to hold Russia responsible for the actual loss of this territory.
Consistent actions and inaction of the Armenian leadership led to such a disastrous result for their country,” recalls Alexey Mukhin.
Not just to a disastrous result, but to the last act of the tragedy of the Armenian territory, adds Nikita Mendkovich: a region with a predominantly Armenian population and an uncertain status, which experienced a new war and a catastrophe that predetermined the exodus of Armenians from it.
“In this situation, the main loser is the Armenian people and the Karabakh Armenians,” the expert is sure.
According to Hayk Khalatyan, that part of the Armenian society that advocates normal relations with Moscow believes that the withdrawal of troops reduces the already meager chances of the Armenian population returning to their historical homeland in Nagorno-Karabakh. It deprives even the ghostly hope of historical revenge.
Although, to be fair, now it is appropriate for Armenia to think not about revenge, but about retaining what it has. And this is not an easy task, taking into account the fact that Nikol Pashinyan pursues not Armenian, but Western interests.
“The West's only interest in the region is to spark a long-term conflict. Destabilize the situation and force Moscow to scatter its forces,” comments Nikita Mendkovich. “And if now the Pashinyan regime starts a new confrontation without proper preparation, isolating itself from its main allies, it risks ending up in a deadlock. Which, among other things, will be fraught with the loss of a number of territories within the recognized borders of Armenia.”
The Armenians, according to the expert, can only hope that “Pashinyan’s government of national betrayal will not take these steps.”
Hayk Khalatyan predicts that the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers will be positioned by Pashinyan as a sign of Moscow’s weakness and will accelerate the processes launched by the Armenian government to withdraw Armenia from Russian integration structures in favor of rapprochement with the West.
At the same time, it must be taken into account that in the new geopolitical situation, Transcaucasia has turned into a secondary region, notes Nikita Mendkovich: Russia was able to enter Syria and other countries of the Middle East, as well as Africa. Military bases there are much more interesting and significant for our geopolitical interests, the expert adds.
However, we should not forget that the balance of power in the South Caucasus directly affects Russia’s national security. And this security must be ensured by all available means.
[IsraelTimes] Amid expectation of Israeli reprisal for attack, IRGC nuclear chief says Iran has the information it needs to strike the Jewish state’s nuclear facilities.
#1
Reminder to Iran's Dictators.
Israel has better tested nukes and a proven to be more stable delivery system than Iran.
Besides, given it is widely known, based on pasted nationwide protests. The Iranian Religious Leadership does not have the support of the general population. Due to its 1700-year-old Draconian religious style of dictatorship.
Maybe a few hundred locally launched Insect Drones , from a cluster dispersal missile. Insect Drones equipped with AI specific Facial ID loaded targets and mini explosives, is all that is needed for the populace up raising?
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] …Rep. Mike Waltz holds up a $90,000 bag of insulator joints as stumped USAF Secretary admits he has NO IDEA such basic parts cost that much for taxpayers
US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall was stumped in Congress
Waltz held up a bag of bushings which he said the USAF pays $90K a bag for
He warned that military overspending is 'literally driving us out of business'
#1
"Insulator joints" didn't cost $90,000. That's simply the Line Item $90,000. in taxpayer dollars was charged to. The money very likely went elsewhere.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:01 Ukrainian troops opened fire from MLRS on the city of Tokmak in the Zaporozhye region, the air defense system is working, said the chairman of the Commission of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation on sovereignty issues, the head of the Zaporozhye public movement “We are together with Russia” Vladimir Rogov in his Telegram channel. 19:50 Russian artillerymen destroyed a NATO-made electronic warfare complex in the South Donetsk direction.
Crews of 122mm D-30 howitzers of the 36th Combined Arms Army of the Vostok group of troops destroyed a NATO-made electronic warfare complex identified by UAV operators and an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which was located next to a camouflaged electronic warfare complex. Russian 36th Combined Arms Army was raised only within the last few months. 19:37 "Lancet" burned American howitzer M777 in the Avdeevsky direction.
Loitering ammunition delivered an accurate blow to an enemy artillery piece camouflaged in a forest belt.
18:55 Second hit. The Ukrainian Armed Forces at the blood transfusion station in Gorlovka almost killed everyone who was there at that moment. People managed to take cover after the first strike - this saved them, the Zvezda correspondent reported.
Near the station building there is a huge crater, presumably from a HIMARS shell. The shock wave demolished ceilings and broke out all the windows, including those in the houses across the street.
18:17 Explosions in temporarily occupied Zaporozhye.
17:47 Crews of T-72B3 tanks from a closed firing position destroyed Ammunition warehouse of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region.
Tankers of the Dnepr group of troops reach the point and work with a canopy on enemy positions beyond the Dnieper. The distance to the target is more than two kilometers.
Firing adjustments occur in real time, with help from units equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles.
17:04 There is a report of a missile flying towards Chuguev (Khar'kov region).
16:55 Consequences of the artillery attack of Gorlovka by the Ukrainian Federal Unity -photo.
16:27 Avdeevsky direction: capture of SNT "Zarya" by Russian troops and breakthrough to the southern outskirts of Ocheretino, the situation as of 16.00 on April 18, 2024 is reported by Rybar.
Russian troops continue to build on their success north of Avdievka.
The Russian Armed Forces took full control of the Zarya SNT, advancing 2.5 kilometers to the north, catching on to the outskirts of Ocheretino near the Ocheretino-Tyagovaya substation. At the moment, fighting is taking place along Zheleznodorozhnaya and Franka streets in the south of the village, Russian troops are consolidating themselves on the front lines and tightening up logistics.
Such a successful advance was made possible thanks to a swift attack on the positions of the 115th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which, after suffering losses, was forced to abandon the held strongholds in the dacha village and retreat in the direction of Ocheretino.
Moving along the railway, covered by forest plantations, Russian units bypassed the trenches dug by the enemy in Ocheretino from the rear and occupied part of the positions adjacent to the village without significant resistance.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces expected an offensive by Russian troops from the direction of Novobakhmutovka, but the Russian Armed Forces struck directly without flank attacks, carrying out only a few diversionary attacks in the direction of the village.
The enemy is urgently transferring reinforcements from the 30th and 59th Mechanized brigades, trying to prevent the Russian Armed Forces from breaking through into the central part of Ocheretino, which is located on a hill relative to Novokalinovo and Novobakhmutovka - from here it becomes possible to control the surrounding area.
15:49 They report on the further advance of the assault detachments of the Russian Armed Forces in Belogorovka.
15:15 The Russian Aerospace Forces are striking targets in the Sumy region with aerial bombs.
15:11 The number of those wounded during the artillery attack of the center of Gorlovka increased to nine.
14:55 The Russian Armed Forces gained a foothold in the southeast of Ocheretino and took part of the fortifications that covered the settlement from the south and east.
Also, a large fortification between Ocheretino and Novokalinovo may soon find itself in pincers. Assault groups have already entered Novokalinovo from the southeast and continue to advance.
14:40 Armed formations of Ukraine fired at the center of Gorlovka. They targeted the hospital and the blood transfusion station - they were damaged. This was reported by the head of the Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin.
Eight civilians were injured, including a child (mild injuries). According to preliminary data, the enemy used HIMARS MLRS in the city. Information about the consequences of the artillery attack continues to arrive.
Also today, as a result of the detonation of an explosive object in the Kiev region of Donetsk, a man born in 1964 received a moderate injury.
14:26 The Russian Aerospace Forces launched an air strike with gliding bombs on targets in Khar'kov
13:50 The Russian Armed Forces were able to make significant progress in the settlement. Novokalinovo near Donetsk.
13:20 “Military Chronicle” reports that the bridgehead of Russian troops has expanded near Ocheretin. The movement comes from the direction of SNT "Zarya" to the west. Some units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are quickly moving to the industrial zone in the area of the former brick factory.
Taking into account the size of the village and the number of air bombs arriving at the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the command of the Ukrainian army rightly fears that a breakthrough of Russian troops from the Ocheretino-Tyagovaya substation to the water utility in the east, and then to the west, may take place in the near future. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying with all their might to delay the advance of Russian troops, but the defense is gradually sagging.
12:47 Six civilians, including a child,woundedas a result of artillery attack of Gorlovka from Ukraine, the mayor of the city Prikhodko said.
12:35 Russian 11th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade of the Order of Suvorov, “trophied” another American M113 infantry fighting vehicle –photo.
12:30 Situation at the front as of 04/18/2024:
In the area of the village Vladimirovka Far Eastern warriors advanced significantly, captured two Ukrainian Armed Forces support units and gained a foothold. There is progress in the area of the settlement. Productive. In the village Fierce fighting is taking place in Novomikhailovka. The enemy clings to every house, but this does not last long.
In the area of the village Lugovskoe group "Vostok" stopped the actions of the engineering group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In the area of ??the village Staromayorskoye, our fighters did not allow the enemy to strengthen their positions. In the area of the village Dorozhnyanka, the rotation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was disrupted.
Bomber aircraft and artillery destroyed: AS-90 self-propelled guns, nine mortars, three UAV control posts. The enemy suffered significant losses in manpower.
12:05 The crew of the 122mm howitzer D-30 of the Crimean paratroopers disrupted the night rotation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces infantry in the Zaporozhye region -video.
11:42 In the morning, the enemy recognizes the continued development of the success of Russian troops in the Ocheretino area and at Novokalinovo. The pace of progress is quite high.
11:40 The Center group of troops continues to carry out combat missions in the Avdeevsky direction in the zone of a special military operation.
Artillery fire and air strikesappliedfire defeat of 350 identified enemy targets, including 30 strong points, an ammunition depot, two command posts and more than 90 field artillery positions in the Solovyevo, Netailovo, Berdychi areas.
The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces amounted to 330 military personnel. Two armored combat vehicles, three cars and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed, two unmanned aerial vehicles and a Hammer guided bomb were shot down.
11:05 In LPR found Ukrainian Armed Forces cache with French weapons.
Military personnel of the Russian Guard, together with the FSB, discovered a cache of ammunition and weapons in a destroyed production facility in the LPR. It contained more than 4,500 cartridges, including French-made ones, 27 hand-held fragmentation and smoke grenades with fuses (OF-37), RPG-26, RShG-2 grenade launchers and rounds for them.
10:45 Information comes from Ocheretino that our troops have entrenched themselves in the outskirts on the street. Ivan Franko in the first buildings.
10:40 Positions of Ukrainian troops near Urozhainy in the DPR are under constant fire from Russian troops. Prisoner of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Yevgeny Pogrebnyak spoke about this.
10:26 A series of explosions are reported in Dnepropetrovsk. According to preliminary data, ballistic missiles are operating at Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities.
09:40 In the Svatovsko-Kremensky area, the enemy has become a little more active, said military expert, retired Lieutenant Colonel of the LPR NM Andrey Marochko.
“In the areas of the settlements of Terny, Torskoye and Chervonaya Dibrova, more intense actions by Ukrainian militants are observed, aimed at regaining lost positions. Artillery and small arms fire and the use of drones have increased. The militants of the 3rd assault brigade of the VFU are more active,” he wrote in the Telegram channel.
08:17 RF Armed Forces fought off two attacks and two counterattacks by Ukrainian Armed Forces assault groups at Ternov and Chervona Dibrova, and also improved the situation along the front line in the Kupyansk direction. This was announced by the head of the press center of the Western Group of Forces, Ivan Bigma.
08:14 Russian military personnel showed a downed heavy Ukrainian drone. The drone was hit by our fighters in the Avdiivka direction after sunset -video.
08:10 Frontline summary on the morning of 04/18/2024:
On the Zaporozhye front north of Verbovoy, positional battles are taking place. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to slow down the advance of Russian troops and prevent them from reaching the eastern outskirts of Rabotino. In Rabotino itself, the Russian Armed Forces are conducting assault operations; there are small advances inside the settlement. Long-range weapons are actively working on both sides.
Donetsk front. In Novomikhailovka, the Russian Armed Forces knock out the remnants of the Ukrainian garrison from the populated area. Encounter fighting continues in Georgievka. In Krasnogorovka there were assault operations by the Russian Armed Forces with the support of aviation and artillery, as a result of which Russian troops managed to advance within the city limits.
In the Victory area there are oncoming battles. There are advances south of Pervomaiskoye, towards Nevelskoye, where there are still positions of Ukrainian troops in the fields. Apparently, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters in this pocket will soon be cut off from the supply of provisions and ammunition, after which the choice is poor: destruction or captivity. Encounter battles in the area of ??Netailovo and Umansky.
The Russian Armed Forces are trying to open the enemy’s defenses in this sector of the front. In the area of Semyonovka and Berdychi LBS there are no significant changes, fierce fighting continues. But to the north of Berdychi, the Russian Armed Forces continue to make their way to the outskirts of Novobakhmutovka and Ochertino, which further aggravates the already difficult situation of the Ukrainian garrison in Semyonovka and Berdychi.
Chasovoyarsk direction. Encounter fighting continues in the eastern suburb of Chasov Yar. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are bringing reserves here. There are also counter-fights in the Bogdanovka area. The LBS has not changed significantly, but the Russian Aerospace Forces and artillery are hitting Ukrainian Armed Forces positions in the city around the clock, which cannot but affect the quality of defense, and, importantly, the morale of the Ukrainian troops.
08:00 Personnel counterbattery fight in the Avdeevsky direction. Another Ukrainian Armed Forces howitzer was disabled by a Krasnopol hit.
[IsraelTimes] Military says it targeted terror group’s infrastructure in Baalbek region, known to be a Hezbollah stronghold
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that it carried out an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... against a site belonging to Hezbollah’s air defense unit in northeastern Lebanon Hezbollahstan ...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers, a practice dating back to the heady days of human sacrifice to Baal Moloch... ’s Baalbek, hours after the terror group carried out an explosive drone attack on northern Israel, wounding 14 soldiers and four civilians,
In a short statement, the IDF said fighter jets struck Hezbollah air defense infrastructure north of the city of Baalbek, almost 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Israeli border.
According to Lebanese media, the strike took place near the town of Iaat.
Baalbek has been identified in the past as a Hezbollah stronghold. The strike marked the sixth time amid the war in the 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 an iron fist by Hamaswith 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... Strip that Israel struck Hezbollah positions in the Baalbek area.
The airstrike deep in Lebanon came in response to the explosive drone attack in the northern border town of Arab al-Aramshe.
Hezbollah grabbed credit for the attack, saying it targeted a building being used by the Israeli military with guided missiles and explosive-laden drones.
According to the IDF’s initial probe, Hezbollah fired two anti-tank missiles at the town, before launching the drones, which directly hit a community center.
Though the town has been largely evacuated, soldiers are stationed there and may have used the building as a gathering space.
The victims were taken to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, which said that one was listed at death's door and four others were seriously maimed. The remaining victims were moderately and lightly hurt, the hospital added.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, 14 of the victims were soldiers, including the five listed in critical and serious condition. The four civilian victims were all lightly hurt.
The terror group said the attack was a response to the killing of three of its members, including two commanders, in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon a day earlier.
Warning sirens did not sound. The IDF was investigating why the alarms were not activated before the strike, and why the drone was not intercepted.
Footage posted to social media showed the explosive-laden drone crashing down on the community center.
Not long after the strike, alarms warning of incoming rockets sounded twice in Arab al-Aramshe.
Following the attack, the IDF said it targeted the launch sites.
Fighter jets also struck buildings used by the terror group and where Hezbollah operatives were gathered, along with other infrastructure, in southern Lebanon’s Ayta ash-Shab, Naqoura and Yarine, the military added.
Since October 8, Hezbollah has attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a daily basis with rockets, drones, anti-tank missiles and other means, saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
The exchange of fire Wednesday came a day after Hezbollah launched two explosive-laden drones at northern Israel, wounding three people. Also on Tuesday, the IDF killed two top Hezbollah commanders and a third member of the terror group in airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
Israel has threatened to go to war to force Hezbollah away from the border if it does not retreat and continues to threaten northern communities, from where some 70,000 people were evacuated to avoid the fighting.
So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in eight civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 10 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 278 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon, but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 54 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier and at least 60 civilians have been killed.
[Ynet] Over six months since the war in the Gaza Strip began and expanded to the northern front with Hezbollah, resulting in significant losses among the Shiite terror group's ranks extending beyond Lebanon.
Hezbollah has confirmed the deaths of 280 operatives, but the IDF claims the number is much higher. The targeted strikes on vehicles of high-ranking commanders demonstrate the IDF's deep understanding of Hezbollah's hierarchy and key operational roles.
…not to mention trackers on cell phones …
The army confirmed on Tuesday the deaths of two Hezbollah commanders during an operation in southern Lebanon's Ain Baal. Ismail Yusuf Baz, who led Hezbollah's Coastal Sector, was one of those killed. Reports indicate he was a seasoned and high-ranking member of Hezbollah's military wing, holding the position of a brigade commander.
The IDF noted that Baz had played a key role in coordinating and planning the launch of rockets and anti-tank missiles at Israel from Lebanon's coastal region. During the war, he also orchestrated various terrorist operations targeting Israel.
Footage circulating on Lebanese social media shows Baz's car engulfed in flames after an apparent drone strike.
The IDF later said it eliminated the head of the rocket and missile unit of the Western Sector of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force Mohammed Mustafa Shhouri. The army said that this commander was instrumental in planning and executing numerous rocket attacks against Israeli civilian areas, working from both the central and western Lebanese regions. This attack also resulted in the death of another operative involved in Hezbollah's rocket and missile operations.
In early April, the IDF reported the targeted killing of Ali Ahmad Hussein, who led the Hajir offensive sector for Hezbollah's Radwan Force. The army described Hussein as a seasoned and high-ranking figure within the terror group, holding the position of a brigade commander.
His duties included orchestrating terror activities in the Ramim Ridge region, targeting the Israeli rear. The statement noted that Hussein had initiated numerous attacks on Israeli soil since the outbreak of the war. He was killed alongside two subordinates.
In late March, the IDF assassinated Ali Abdulhassan Na'im, the deputy commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missile unit. The army highlighted his role as a pivotal source of expertise within the organization, spearheading rocket strategies and heavy rocket launch operations against Israel.
Ismail Ali Al-Zain, another senior Radwan Force commander, was killed during a strike in the southern Lebanese town of Kounine in late March.
Several more senior Hezbollah figures were eliminated in February, including Ali Mohammed Dibes, a central commander in the Radwan force, and Hassan Mahmoud Saleh, who was killed in an airstrike attributed to the IDF in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Roman. Saleh, equivalent in rank to a brigade commander, had extensive operational experience and had participated in attacks on various regions in northern Israel in recent months.
On February 12, the IDF confirmed it struck a car in southern Lebanon that it said was carrying Hezbollah operatives shortly after Saudi channel Al Hadath reported that Mohammad Alawiyeh, the commander of Hezbollah's Maroun a-Ras sector, was a passenger in the targeted vehicle. He was critically wounded in the attack and reportedly succumbed to his injuries on February 23.
In early January, the focus shifted to Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force after the targeted killing of Wissam al-Tawil in southern Lebanon. Tawil, reportedly a Radwan Force commander, was known for his role in conflicts throughout Syria and Lebanon. The Voice of the Capital, a Syrian opposition website, hinted at Tawil's familial ties to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
An airstrike near Tawil's funeral site killed Ali Hussein Burji, the regional commander of Hezbollah’s air unit in southern Lebanon, who was reputed for coordinating drone strikes against Israel. Hezbollah quickly denied the Israeli claims.
Since the onset of the war, other key figures linked with Hezbollah and the broader so-called "axis of resistance" have been eliminated, including prominent Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri who was killed in a drone strike in Beirut in early January.
In January, Ali Mohammad Hodroj was reportedly killed in a strike in Lebanon. He was initially described as the commander of the Iranian Quds Force's Palestine division in the Tyre region of Lebanon. Later reports suggested he was a Hezbollah operative, a claim subsequently confirmed by the Shiite terrorist organization, which listed him as a casualty from its ranks.
In early March, three members of the Imam Hossein Division were reportedly eliminated. The Iranian-backed militia was formed by Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force who was eliminated in a U.S. drone strike in early 2020.
This group operates in conjunction with Hezbollah but is directly linked to Iran and comprises thousands of members from diverse national backgrounds throughout the Middle East. These individuals arrived in Lebanon to support Hezbollah's efforts against Israel.
Moreover, Hezbollah forces are present in Syria, where they contribute to the Iranian-led "axis of resistance."
Last month, Syrian media reported an Israeli strike near Aleppo in the northwest of the country. Arab and international reports indicated a historically high death toll from this strike, with at least 44 fatalities and numerous others wounded. The targets were reported to be a Hezbollah command center and arms storage facilities operated by pro-Iranian militias. Of those killed, seven were identified as Hezbollah operatives.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
04/19/2024
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#2
It seems as if many of the Sealift and US Army ships are being discovered to be in bad repair. Probably should have verified that before the floating port plan was rolled out.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/19/2024 10:30
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#3
^ One would actually have to be familiar with actual real military status and capabilities , not just Unicorn's shitting skittles and sparkle dust
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/19/2024 10:40
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#4
Maybe some DEI folks among the crew decided they didn't wanna DIE?
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/19/2024 11:02
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#5
The excuse is always But we could do it if you gave us enough money.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/19/2024 11:31
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Poland is not ready and does not have the capabilities to supply Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems for air and missile defense to Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Polish television on April 18.
“As you know, Germany set an example by transferring another Patriot system to Ukraine, and called on other countries to join this initiative. This time this does not apply to Poland, since we do not have enough Patriots to be able to share,” he said following a meeting of the European Council.
Donald Tusk added that the Dutch authorities, in turn, announced their readiness to allocate funds from their own budget for the purchase of one Patriot air defense system for subsequent transfer to Ukraine.
On April 18, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmitry Kuleba, on the sidelines of a meeting of G7 diplomats in Rome, said that Kiev needs additional air defense systems, such as the American Patriot and the French-Italian SampT. According to him, only these systems are capable of intercepting ballistic missiles that the Russian Armed Forces use to attack Ukrainian military infrastructure.
As Regnum reported, on Thursday the head of the German defense-industrial company Deihl Defense Helmut Rauch said that Germany will soon transfer to Ukraine several IRIS-T SLM air defense systems with a range of up to 40 kilometers.
The Russian side has repeatedly called on Western countries to refrain from supplying weapons to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that any military cargo intended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is a legitimate goal of the Russian Armed Forces. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, in turn, noted that arms supplies will not change the course of the special military operation in any way, but will only deplete the resources of the countries participating in supporting Ukraine.
[GEO.TV] In response to the "olive branch" extended by President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari ...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in... in his maiden parliamentary address, PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan declared the head of the state "illegal".
His remarks came after President Zardari stressing the need for meaningful dialogues and called for political reconciliation to do away with the polarisation and overcome the challenges pervading the crisis-hit country.
Raising legal questions, the PTI leader, while referring the Article 41 of the Constitution, said the president represents the federation, adding that Zardari did not tender his resignation as the PPP co-chairman so far.
"Law is being violated in this House," the PTI leader said that he tired to raise a point being a leader of the opposition but he was denied the floor.
"As per the law, the floor is given to the opposition leader whenever he asks," he added.
For his part, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan termed their strong protest and ruckus in the joint session of parliament a "21-cannon salute" to the president.
"We do not recognise this president [Zardari]. [Not only] this president but Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the entire cabinet are also illegal."
He said: "At today’s session, we presented a 21-cannon salute to Zardari."
The PTI leader further said that they "compelled" President Zardari to leave his speech in the middle.
Glass wall has been installed at the meeting place of the PTI founder in the jail, he said, adding that today’s protest was their democratic right.
"We will fulfil our responsibility within the ambit of the Constitution and the law," he
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2024
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[GEO.TV] At least six people, including five Customs officials, were killed on Thursday in a firing incident in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan
... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ... district, police said.
The law enforcers said the person or persons unknown targeted the Customs officials on the Sago Road in Daraban tehsil of the district.
Five Customs personnel and a passer-by were killed in the firing incident, the police added.
The armed attackers, who hid in bushes, attacked the Customs’ vehicle and expeditiously departed at a goodly pace unchallenged on cycle of violences.
Due to the attack, the driver of the Customs vehicle lost control and collided with another vehicle, resulting in the death of the citizen.
The bodies of the victims were shifted to the district headquarters hospital (DHQ) by rescue ambulances.
Following the incident, police and law enforcement agencies cordoned off the site of the incident and gathered forensic evidence.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur "strongly" condemned the incident and expressed regret over the martyrdom of the Customs officials and a passer-by in the incident.
He offered condolences to the families of the dear departed and directed the coppers to take necessary steps to arrest the elements involved in the incident.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2024
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[109 views]
Top|| File under: Pak Taliban (TTP)
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Over the past 24 hours, the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation have destroyed five bases of militants who had taken refuge in mountainous areas in the Syrian province of Homs. Major General Yuri Popov reported this to the Deputy Head of the Center for Reconciliation of Warring Parties (CPVS) on Thursday, April 18.
“Strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed five bases of militants who had left the al-Tanf zone and were hiding in hard-to-reach areas of the Al-Amur mountain range in Homs province,” he said during a briefing.
According to him, the Center also recorded several cases of violation of deconfliction protocols by four pairs of F-15 fighters, two pairs of A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft and one MC-12W electronic reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft of the so-called international anti-terrorist coalition led by the United States of America.
As reported by Regnum news agency, on April 17, the Center for Reconciliation of Warring Parties reported the destruction of three bases of militants who had taken refuge in hard-to-reach areas of the Al-Amur mountain range in Homs province. No shelling of positions of Syrian government troops in the Idlib de-escalation zone by militants was recorded.
Posted by: badanov ||
04/19/2024
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
I registered my access to V Kontakte thru my rkka.org account, which is my own standalone mail server, which I use less and less. rutube.ru was registered through my gmail.com account.
The Russian Ministry of Defense only recently required me to download and activate their own SSL certificate to access their website, so security measures for access to Russian media are tightening.
Good for Russia, I guess.
[Regnum] Russian services have begun to warn users that logging into their accounts via Google or Apple ID will soon be disabled. In particular, the warning appears on the Liters book service.
“Starting April 22, access through Google account and Apple ID will be disabled. To maintain access to your account, please make sure your email and phone number are current and added to your profile,” the resource said when selecting “Other methods” when logging in.
A corresponding warning appeared on the VK Play platform, however, in addition to Google and Apple, the use of Twitch, Epic Games Store and Steam accounts is also unavailable there. The site offers a choice of authorization through Mail.ru, VK and Odnoklassniki email.
As Regnum reported, on July 31, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning registration on Russian websites using foreign email, which requires going through the appropriate procedure by phone number, through the Gosuslugi portal, using a unified biometric system, via email Russian services or using identifiers on Russian resources. Before this, the State Duma adopted the law, and the Federation Council approved it on July 28. The head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Alexander Khinshtein, explained that the changes apply only to sites that have user registration and authentication.
[NYPOST] An Indianapolis mother who admitted to fatally smothering her baby while high on meth became overwhelmed and hid her face in her hands when a controversial judge allowed her to walk free.
Dacia Lacey, 32, was found not guilty of neglect of a dependent resulting in the 2022 death of her daughter, Alona, by Judge Mark Stoner, who is already facing calls to resign after giving a mentally ill man who fatally shot a police officer a sentence of time served, WTHR reported.
The mom was cleared even though the judge told her it was “a case that happens when you’re a bad parent. “
“There are some things you can never do. You can never have sole possession of your children and go out and use drugs,” Stoner said.
“You’re not innocent, but you’re not guilty of what the state has charged you with.”
Lacey — who faced up to 40 years in prison if convicted — dropped her head as Stoner told her that he found her not guilty in the bench trial. The mom, wearing a bright yellow prison suit, pursed her lips and squeezed her eyes shut as if to stop tears before she placed her head in her hands.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2024
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#1
There is no justice. The state has to represent those who can not represent themselves. Treating perps as victims has got to stop or we'll never see justice again except in the jungle sense.
The Soviet military counterintelligence "Smersh" in the summer of 1944 foiled an armed rebellion that was being prepared by Ukrainian nationalists who had specifically infiltrated the Red Army, follows from a declassified archival document of the Russian FSB, published by the intelligence service on the eve of the 81st anniversary of the creation of "Smersh".
In the spring of 1944, Soviet troops liberated right-bank Ukraine from the Nazi occupiers and reached the state border of the USSR. In the liberated territories, the mobilization of the local population of military age and the formation of reserve regiments and divisions of the Red Army began. Smersh employees carefully checked the replenishment. As it turned out, among those called up for military service were a large number of members of such nationalist formations as the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA, both banned in Russia).
The deputy head of the Main Directorate of Counterintelligence "Smersh" of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR Nikolai Selivanovsky on August 29, 1944 sent to the State Defense Committee addressed to its chairman Joseph Stalin, as well as Vyacheslav Molotov, a memorandum "on the results of the work of counterintelligence agencies of military districts in clearing hostile, nationalistic and another criminal element of the reserve rifle divisions, staffed by those mobilized from the western regions of Ukraine." As noted in the document, in total, from April 1 to August 25, 1944, the “Smershevites” arrested more than 6.6 thousand people, of which more than 4.2 thousand were OUN and UPA members*.
""The investigation into the cases of arrested Ukrainian nationalists has established that a significant part of them, living during the German occupation in the western regions of Ukraine and being members of the "Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists"*, brutally dealt with Soviet activists and prisoners of war, carrying out attacks on Soviet partisan detachments, and conducted enemy propaganda among the population directed against the Soviet Union,” Selivanovsky reported.
He reported that during the mobilization of residents of Western Ukraine into the Red Army, the leaders of the OUN* and UPA* instructed their subordinates to go to military service and “to create nationalist groups in military units to carry out subversive work.”
According to Selivanovsky, following these instructions, Ukrainian nationalists, being in the reserve units of the Red Army, began their subversive work. It consisted of anti-Soviet agitation in the ranks of conscripted Ukrainians under the slogan of the struggle for an “independent Ukraine”; the creation of rebel groups, the “decay of military discipline” and the organization of desertion of Red Army soldiers with weapons into UPA gangs*; as well as committing terrorist attacks against Red Army officers.
Selivanovsky gave the most typical examples of this subversive work, stopped by the Smershevites: “In July of this year, the Smersh department of the Kyiv Military District arrested a rebel group of 41 OUN members - servicemen of the 148th reserve rifle regiment of the 20th reserve rifle division, including its organizers E.A. Kucher, N.M. Zarusinsky and M.I. Shevchuk.”
The investigation established that this group of Ukrainian nationalists was preparing an armed uprising in the regiment, hoping to win over its entire personnel, which was staffed by those mobilized from Western Ukraine. According to the investigation, the attackers “intended to seize weapons and ammunition stored in nearby military warehouses, destroy the regiment’s officers, and then join forces with the UPA* gangs hiding in the forests of Western Ukraine.”
It was also established that the OUN members, mobilized in the west of Ukraine, were already preparing for an armed uprising on their way to reserve units, already having connections with the OUN* leadership, which had settled underground.
As historians of the special services note, in the Soviet Union, during the war, a clearly working system was built to counter the mechanism of reconnaissance and sabotage, honed by the Nazis for many years in different countries. According to experts, the main achievement of Smersh is that not a single Red Army operation was disrupted due to the actions of enemy intelligence services. Not a single strategic plan of the Soviet command became known to the enemy. In addition, there was not a single anti-Soviet protest either in the ranks of the Red Army or in its rear, which was so hoped for in Germany.
The work of Smersh was strictly defined by a legal framework; there was prosecutorial supervision over the activities of military counterintelligence agents.
Contrary to the “fakes” that Smersh performed punitive functions, and its employees allegedly only sat behind the backs of the Red Army soldiers, military counterintelligence officers, in addition to performing their direct duties, also participated in battles and at critical moments even took command of companies and battalions that lost commanders, led Soviet units out of encirclement, and created special-purpose partisan detachments. Counterintelligence officers fought alongside Red Army soldiers; in addition, they went on the attack with them and died. The percentage of losses among Smersh employees was no less than in the army.
Nikolai Selivanovsky (1901-1997) was one of the largest military counterintelligence officers. In July 1942, Selivanovsky, who then headed the Special Department of the Stalingrad Front, at his own peril and risk, sent a telegram to Stalin in Moscow about flaws in the leadership of the front, which threatened the loss of Stalingrad and a catastrophic development of events for the Red Army. Stalin took into account Selivanovsky’s opinion and took the necessary measures. According to historians, that courageous act of Selivanovsky, in fact, helped to save the country in many ways. In 1946-1947, Selivanovsky headed the entire Soviet military counterintelligence.
[IsraelTimes] Jordan’s King Abdullah asked US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. Sleazy Dem machine politician, paterfamilias of the Biden Crime Family, the guy who bungled Afghanistan... during a call over the weekend to urge Israel not to use Amman’s airspace in a counter-strike against Iran, three officials familiar with the matter tell The Times of Israel.
Given how critical the Hashemite kingdom has been of Israel’s war against Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw, in 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 an iron fist by Hamaswith 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... , Jordan was arguably the most notable member of the US-led coalition that joined the IDF in shooting down the over 300 missiles and drones Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites....
fired at the Jewish state on Saturday night.
But Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi subsequently insisted that Amman will protect its skies, "regardless of where those drones are from — from Israel, from Iran, from anybody else."
On top of that public warning to Israel, Jordan has also been privately sending messages to Jerusalem through the US and other countries asking that it take a different route if it goes ahead with plans to strike Iran, a senior Arab diplomat, an Israeli official and a Biden administration (aka the Wilmington comorra) ...the pack of self-imagined masterminds of strategy and intrigue at the service of the Biden Crime Family and a grateful nation... official tell The Times of Israel.
While it is unlikely that Jordan would actually shoot down an Israeli drone, missile or plane that entered its airspace, Amman fears that allowing such a strike to go ahead, particularly after helping thwart the Iranian attack, will expose it to retaliation from Tehran, the officials say.
Following Iran’s strike, the Islamic Theocratic Republic threatened the Hashemite kingdom that it would be hit next if it acted against Iran.
Israel could go through Syria in order to strike Iran, but the quicker, more practical route would start through Jordan, given that it holds diplomatic ties with Amman and given that Jordan is less likely to tip off Iran that an attack is incoming.
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Viktor Lavrinenko
[REGNUM] The North Atlantic Alliance is ready to invest 160 million euros in the restoration of the old Russian military port named after Emperor Alexander III in Liepaja. If this money is really allocated, then the project that the Latvian authorities have been trying to launch for twenty years will finally get off the ground.
Almost from the very moment the republic joined NATO in 2004, Riga has been dreaming of turning Liepaja into a naval base for the alliance. But only now is this idea beginning to come closer to its implementation.
STRATEGIC LOCATION
The other day, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds announced that NATO had found money to modernize the old military port in Liepaja. According to him, there, in accordance with the already completed project, new berths will be built, supporting infrastructure will be created and work will be carried out to deepen the riverbed.
The plans were also confirmed by Prime Minister Evika Silina, who visited Liepaja on a working visit. “The decision taken to finance NATO in the amount of 160 million euros for the development of a military port in Liepaja Karosta will strengthen the defense capability of our country and will become a significant contribution to the economy of Liepaja,” the prime minister noted.
Karosta (translated from Latvian as “Military Harbor”) is a former port named after Alexander III. Its construction began in 1890.
Then they decided to turn Liepaja (then called Libava) into a first-class base for the Russian Imperial Navy, modeled on the British Portsmouth, the German Wilhelmshaven and Kiel, and the Italian Taranto.
Construction dragged on for eight years, and later the port of Alexander III was repeatedly subjected to various modernizations.
During the construction process, a well-equipped and weather-protected harbor for the largest warships of that time appeared in Liepaja, equipped with docks, repair shops, arsenals, warehouses and storage facilities. They brought a railway to it and protected it with powerful fortifications - forts bristling with numerous gun barrels.
The new port served the Russian fleet well for seventeen years. In particular, it was from here that the Second Pacific Squadron departed in 1904 and perished in Tsushima.
And then something happened that some experts warned about, who said that it was unwise to place such an important base so close to the western borders of the empire. World War I broke out and in 1915 Libau was captured by the Germans, who used the port for four years.
The domestic fleet returned to Libau in 1939 - already under the Soviet flag. But the Great Patriotic War began, and the disadvantages of Libau’s geographical position again turned against the Baltic Fleet.
Already on June 29, 1941, after a short but heroic defense, the city was taken by the Germans for the second time. Moreover, several warships that did not manage to evacuate from there in time were lost.
After the victory, the military port in Libau began to be used again for its original purpose. The former Soviet fleet was finally withdrawn from here in August 1994, and Karosta quickly fell into disrepair.
Ten years ago, Latvian Radio reported from an abandoned harbor. The correspondent said that Soviet white silicate brick alternates here with red brick, left over from tsarist times. The territory was in complete desolation.
THEY ARE AFRAID OF RUSSIAN WARHEADS
It turned out that Latvia was unable to raise the former port of Alexander III on its own - it does not have such resources. True, the headquarters, training centers and flotilla of the Latvian Navy are located in Liepaja, but they are very stunted, they do not need such a large harbor. Therefore, a proposal arose to give the port to a “rich relative” for his needs - let him restore order there.
This idea was first voiced back in 2005 or even earlier, that is, immediately after Latvia joined the alliance: with NATO funds, to rebuild in the deteriorating harbor all the infrastructure necessary to receive modern warships. For example, repair old ones and build several new berths, lay a fuel supply line.
The then mayor of the city, Uldis Sesks, assured that the arrival of the NATO fleet would contribute to the improvement of the regional economy: they say, NATO members will begin to pay port duties; they will need maintenance, food supplies and other services, and Liepaja will get rich from this.
In general, according to Seks, “if we could offer space for NATO ships in the unused areas of our port, that would be good.”
Ten years ago, the plan to turn Liepaja into an alliance military base was promoted by the then Minister of Defense and future President of Latvia, Raimonds Vējonis. He said that the city not only has a well-equipped harbor, but also a fairly large airport capable of receiving military cargo.
In addition, being located near the Lithuanian-Latvian border and not far from Ventspils (one of the important transit ports), Liepaja allows you to keep almost all the harbors of the region and the land arteries associated with them “at gunpoint.”
“We are working on how to transform our port in Liepaja into a base where NATO ships can regularly call. So that, in principle, it can be used as a reference point for operations in the Baltic Sea,” said the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic, Janis Sarts, now the head of StratCom, the NATO Strategic Communications Center in Riga, in 2015.
These plans alarmed the Liepāja Russians. Now the Russians in Latvia are downtrodden, intimidated, brought into submission and are afraid to say an extra word, but then, nine or ten years ago, they could still do something.
In 2015, the NGO “Liepāja Russian Community” (LRO) conducted a survey, the results of which revealed that the majority of Russian townspeople are strongly against the creation of a NATO base. Nine years ago, approximately 40 thousand Russian-speaking residents lived in Liepaja (about 35% of the city population), and 10 thousand of them were Russian citizens with Latvian residence permits.
Among them there are still quite a few retirees of the Soviet Navy - it is not for nothing that the Russian Navy holiday on July 27 is remembered and celebrated by many here.
Naturally, these people were not enthusiastic about the possible appearance of those in whom they still see a potential enemy. “Of ours, 91% are against the placement of a NATO base in Liepaja, and 52% are ready to take to the streets,” emphasized the chairman of the board of the LRO Valery Kravtsov, promising, if anything happens, to build a “human chain” in the way of foreign soldiers.
He explained the reasons for his concern: “If NATO is in Liepaja tomorrow, then tomorrow three or four warheads will be sent here.”
Interestingly, concern about the possible creation of a base was also expressed by the then mayor of neighboring Ventspils, Aivar Lembergs (by the way, Vējonis’s colleague in the Union of Greens and Peasants party), who repeatedly said that the appearance of alliance troops in Latvia on a permanent basis could be equated to an invasion.
Kravtsov and Lembergs were not alone in their concern.
A similar point of view was expressed by the former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic, deputy of the Seimas Janis Adamsons. He also warned that the appearance of NATO members from other countries would put Liepaja in the crosshairs of Russian precision weapons.
In addition, Adamsons pointed out another interesting nuance - if American soldiers are stationed in Liepaja, they will be outside the reach of Latvian justice.
“Few people know about the existence of an interesting agreement that when carrying out any special operations on the territory of Latvia, not a single US Army serviceman is subject to the jurisdiction of Latvian justice,” Adamsons emphasized in a conversation with the press.
Now all opponents of the NATO base in Liepaja have their mouths firmly shut.
Valery Kravtsov disappeared from public space. Lembergs, who repeatedly allowed himself to harshly criticize the foreign policy of Latvia, was finally placed in prison at the beginning of 2021 after many years of attempts to put him in prison (allegedly “for corruption”). True, he was released early, but now he tries not to speak out on such sensitive topics. Janis Adamsons, accused of “spying for Russia,” is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence. The threat of deportation loomed over Soviet retirees living in Liepaja.
IS THERE ENOUGH MONEY?
For a long time, the process of creating an Alliance base in Liepaja did not move forward due to a lack of interest on the part of NATO itself and the lack of proper funding. True, the local port is regularly used to unload heavy equipment arriving in Latvia for maneuvers, but this is not the same as building a permanent military base there.
The state tried to do some things on its own.
So, in 2015, we prepared a plan for the necessary work. In particular, Latvian experts came to the conclusion that a significant problem is the insufficient width of the channel leading to the harbor - only 50 meters. In this regard, as experts fear, ships standing in the port can be easily blocked.
As an alternative location for their placement, areas along the city beach have been proposed, but then berths will need to be built there.
At the end of 2016, the then Secretary of State of the Latvian Ministry of Defense Janis Garisons announced that a base would still be created in Karosta, Liepaja: “Our goal is to consolidate the entire military infrastructure in one place. This is a very long project that will require huge funds. In ten years, it would be possible to build piers, including for NATO ships.”
The Latvian public heard about this project for the second time in June 2020, when the Ministry of Defense announced plans to allocate 35 hectares of land for a military base in Karosta.
The ministry said that they want to concentrate there all the structures of the armed forces located in the city: the 1st regional security center, the naval surveillance and communications service, the naval squadron, the diving school, the headquarters of the 4th brigade of the Latvian territorial militia "Zemessardze", 44 1st Infantry Battalion "Nurse Guard", Army Medical Services Department and some other units. However, nothing was said about NATO funding even then.
And now, it seems, the process has moved forward.
If the words of government members about 160 million euros turn out to be true, then significant work can finally begin there. And if the allocated money is not enough for everything, the authorities will try to shake out the remaining amount from taxpayers.
Article Linked To Is Available Only Via VPN.
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces have inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the AFU 57th Motorised Infantry Brigade, the 100th Mechanised Brigade, as well as on the 31st Ukrainian National Guard Brigade near Sinkovka (Kharkov region), Novosyolovskoye, Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic), and Grigorovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
Two counter-attacks launched by assault groups of the 3rd Assault and 63rd Mechanised brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were repelled near Terny (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 30 Ukrainian troops, one tank, two pick-up trucks, one 152mm Msta-B howitzer, and two 152mm D-20 howitzers.
In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces have improved the situation along the front line and inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the AFU 30th, 56th, and 93rd Mechanised brigades near Vasyukovka, Orekhovo-Vasilyevka, and Andreyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
One counter-attack launched by an assault detachment of the AFU 46th Airmobile Brigade was repelled near Krasnogorovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy lost up to 590 Ukrainian troops, one tank, and seven motor vehicles.
In the course of the counter-battery warfare, one 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, one U.S.-made 105mm M119 gun, two Nota electronic warfare stations, as well as one field ammunition depot were eliminated.
In Avdeyevka direction, the units of the Tsentr Group of Forces have improved the tactical situation and defeated the units of the 68th Jaeger, 24th, 47th Mechanised brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Artyomovo, Semyonovka, Netaylovo, and Orlovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
Seven counter-attacks of the 24th, 115th Mechanised, 71st Jaeger brigades, and 78th Separate Air Assault Regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were repelled close to Novokalinovo, Novogorodskoye, Vodyanoye, Pervomayskoye, Berdychi, and Novobakhmutovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses included up to 130 Ukrainian troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, one U.S.-made 155mm M777 howitzer, and one 152mm D-20 howitzer.
In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and inflicted losses on units of the 58th Motorised Infantry Brigade, 72nd Mechanised Brigade of the AFU, 102nd and 128th Territorial Defence brigades near Vodyanoye, Ugledar, Urozhaynoye, Staromayorskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), and Malinovka (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 140 Ukrainian troops, four motor vehicles, UK-made 155mm AS-90 Braveheart self-propelled artillery system, as well as three field ammunition depots.
In Kherson direction, the units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the 65th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU, 36th Naval Infantry Brigade and 126th Territorial Defence brigades close to Rabotino (Zaporozhye region), Zmeyevka, Nikolskoye, and Ivanovka (Kherson region).
One counter-attack launched by an assault detachment of the 15th Operational Brigade was repelled close to Verbovoye (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 50 Ukrainian troops, two motor vehicles, as well as two 122mm D-30 howitzers.
Operational-Tactical and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Groups of Forces of the Russian Federation have been eliminated during the day: AFU Operational Command Centre North (Sever), two launchers equipped with illumination and targeting radar set of the S-300 air defence systems, an ammunition depot of the Donetsk Operational-Tactical Group, arms and fuel depots of the 101st Territorial Defence Brigade, and engaged enemy manpower and military hardware in 126 areas.
Air defence systems shot down 251 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, two Tochka-U tactical missiles, and 33 Vampire missiles during the day.
In total, 583 airplanes and 270 helicopters, 21,734 unmanned aerial vehicles, 504 air defence missile systems, 15,801 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,267 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 8,945 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 21,111 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian Armed Forces fight off Russian attacks.
In the Bakhmut direction, our soldiers repulsed 17 attacks, in the Avdeevsky direction, 11 attacks were repulsed.
During the day, Defense Forces aircraft carried out strikes on 9 areas where Russian personnel were concentrated. Units of the missile forces inflicted a defeat on the area where the occupiers' electronic warfare personnel and ammunition were concentrated. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on April 18.
71 military clashes were recorded at the front during the day. In general, the enemy carried out 6 missile and 63 air strikes, and carried out 41 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas. Unfortunately, there are civilian casualties as a result of Russian terrorist attacks. Multi-storey and private houses, as well as other infrastructure facilities, were destroyed and damaged.
According to the General Staff, the operational situation in the Volyn and Polesie directions is without significant changes. No signs of the formation of offensive enemy groups were identified.
In the Seversky and Slobozhansky directions, the Russian Federation maintains a military presence in the border areas, conducts sabotage and reconnaissance activities, shells populated areas from Russian territory, and increases the density of mine and explosive barriers along the state border of Ukraine. The enemy carried out air strikes in the areas of settlements in Orlovka, Sumy region; Volchansk and Strelka, Kharkov region. More than 20 settlements were subjected to enemy artillery and mortar shelling, including Naberezhnoe, Kremsky Bugor, Nikolaevka in the Chernigov region; Klyusy, Belopole, Bruski, Sumy region; Veterinary, Cossack Lopan, Gatishche, Kharkov region.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy did not conduct offensive (assault) operations, but carried out an air strike in the area of the settlement of Borov, Kharkov region. About 20 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, in particular, Sinkovka, Petropavlovka, Stepnaya Novoselovka in the Kharkov region.
In the Liman direction, the Defense Forces repelled 2 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Terny and Yampolevka, Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to break through the defenses of our troops. The enemy also carried out an air strike in the area of the village of Nevskoye, Lugansk region. More than 10 settlements were damaged by artillery and mortar shelling, including Makeevka, Nevskoye in the Lugansk region and Ternitorskoye in the Donetsk region.
In the Bakhmut direction, our soldiers repelled 17 attacks in the areas of Belogorovka settlements in the Lugansk region; Verkhnekamennoye, Vyemka, Kalinovka, Chasov Yar, Novy, Ivanovskoye, Klishchievka, Donetsk region, where the enemy tried to improve the tactical situation. The enemy launched an air strike near the settlement of New York, Donetsk region. More than 10 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including Grigorovka, Kalinovka, Chasov Yar in the Donetsk region.
In the Avdeevsky direction, our defenders repelled 11 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Novokalinovo, Ocheretino, Berdichi, Pervomaiskoye, Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to oust our units from their occupied lines. The enemy also carried out air strikes in the areas of the settlements of Semenovka and Selidovo, Donetsk region. About 10 settlements were subjected to artillery and mortar shelling, including Ocheretino, Novobakhmutovka, Umanskoye in the Donetsk region.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the Defense Forces continue to restrain the Russians in the areas of the settlements of Novomikhailovka and Urozhaynoye, Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried 12 times to break through the defenses of our troops. The enemy also carried out air strikes in the areas of the settlements of Krasnogorovka, Alexandropol, Vodyanoye, and Ugledar in the Donetsk region. More than 10 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire from the occupiers, including Krasnohorivka, Paraskoveevka, and Konstantinovka in the Donetsk region.
In the Orekhovsky direction, the enemy, with the support of aviation, attacked the positions of our defenders 3 times in the Staromayorsky area of the Donetsk region; Work in Zaporozhye region. About 20 settlements were shelled by artillery and mortars, including Krasnoe, Belogorye, Shcherbaki, Pyatikhatki in the Zaporozhye region.
In the Kherson direction, the Russian Federation does not abandon its intention to oust our units from the bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnieper. Thus, within 24 hours, with the support of aviation, he made 7 unsuccessful attacks on the positions of our troops in the area of the settlement of Krynki, Kherson region. About 20 settlements were shelled by artillery and mortars, including Tyaginka, Ivanovka, Novotyaginka, Ponyatovka in the Kherson region.
Let us remind you that the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched a missile attack on a Russian military airfield in the city of Dzhankoy in the temporarily occupied Crimea.
[NYPOST] The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office slammed Donald Trump Thursday for allegedly breaching a gag order “seven more times” in the past few days, fuming it’s “ridiculous.”
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s most “disturbing post,” prosecutor Chris Conroy said. came that night when Trump shared a quote on Truth Social from Fox News host Jesse Watters which said “they are catching undercover liberal activists lying to the judge” in order to get on the jury in his hush money trial.
Trump, 77, also reposted clips, including an opinion piece published in The Post, that were critical of his former lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen — an ex-con who is expected to be a key witness at the historic Manhattan Supreme Court trial.
Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that the former president can’t disparage jurors or witnesses in the criminal case — or go after family of court staff, including relatives of the judge and District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
#4
Gag orders are not supposed to apply to the defendant.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/19/2024 10:22
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#5
Man set himself on fire at Trump's trial. Obviously, it's Orange Man's fault
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/19/2024 13:40
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#6
So a full biographic breakdown of each and every juror is bonne, but oh boy mention the judge's family is not just active party members but even agents assigned to political opponents, and Trump specifically.
[GEO.TV] Princess Meghan Markle
...unlikable American former starlet married to the formerly likable Prince Harry. Chock full of lefty political opinions, Markle's most important characteristic is that she is Black, even though she doesn't look it. Her mother, y'see, is half black and her father is white, which would make her a quarter Black. Her half brother described her (to her husband, before their marriage) as a jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage. Once married, she was too good for the Royals and she and Harry decamped to Beverly Hills, kind of like the Clampetts did, thus making a joke of Harry and the royal family heritage...
will seemingly be unwilling to visit King Chuck ...King of England, Scotland, Ireland -- at least part of it -- Wales, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, and places like that. The first King Chuck had his head chopped off, the second one was Good Time Charlie. The third once wanted to be a tampon and thinks we'll all be extinct within the next seven years... at Balmoral this summer.
The Duchess of Sussex, who is expected to receive his peace offering invitation from Kong Charles in the coming months, will snub the opportunity.
Royal expert Tom Quinn says: "Meghan and Harry feel that turning up at Balmoral will put them on the back foot as it's very much Royal Home turf.
"And Meghan won't want to go back on her public insistence that she will never return to the UK — she'll only do it if she gets the apology she has always demanded, unless something really dreadful happens, either King Charles or Kate become gravely ill or even die. If that happens all bets are off."
The expert earlier spoke about the King’s intention to be with the Sussexes, adding: "According to people I've spoken to at Kensington Palace King Charles has hinted to Harry and Meghan that they should come to Balmoral in the summer to see if something can be done about the ongoing feud in the family.
"Charles knows that Harry and Meghan are much more likely to respond positively to an invitation after the shock of Harry's father’s cancer diagnosis and Kate’s cancer diagnosis. It’s one of those situations where good might just come out of bad," he noted.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2024
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#1
Apology? "F*&k OFF"
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/19/2024 6:22
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#2
"We're sorry you're still breathing wasting oxygen."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/19/2024 6:48
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#3
So, that's solved then.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/19/2024 8:50
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#4
Nobody say anything. She’s just going to announce “apology accepted” randomly at some point.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/19/2024 10:33
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#7
Harry is King Chuck’s baby boy. He’ll want to reconcile if at all it can be done, especially if his time is limited — and if only to present Wills with a clean slate when he ascends the throne.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [KavkazUzel] The withdrawal of peacekeepers from Karabakh makes it impossible for the Armenian population to return to the region and will negatively affect the prospects for a peace treaty, Russian political scientists emphasized. For Azerbaijan, the withdrawal of peacekeepers means the complete restoration of sovereignty and the absence of foreign military bases on the country’s territory, while an agreement between Moscow and Baku could be reached through a political compromise, Baku analysts believe.
As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, Russia has begun the withdrawal of peacekeepers from the zone of the former Karabakh conflict, Putin's press secretary said on April 17. On October 9, 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that against the backdrop of the closure of peacekeeper observation posts, 25 guard posts were set up to guard weapons seized in Karabakh, including 14 posts jointly with the Azerbaijani military. On the same day, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the activities of the peacekeepers would be adapted against the backdrop of the mass exodus of Karabakh residents from the region. The continued presence of peacekeepers in the region is contrary to the interests of Baku, Azerbaijani analysts pointed out.
The presence of peacekeepers in the region until 2025 is provided for by the 2020 trilateral agreement, although their functions may be adjusted, Russian analysts interviewed by the Caucasian Knot indicated in September.
The withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers was a failure of the settlement, believes Stanislav Pritchin, a senior researcher at the Center for Post-Soviet Studies at IMEMO RAS. “The withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers is a failure of attempts to normalize relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Because without Russian peacekeepers, the Armenian population of Karabakh will never return. Theoretically, it was still possible to imagine that these people would return to Karabakh under the guarantees of Russian peacekeepers. Now the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeeping contingent would mean “, that Karabakh is closed to Armenians. And this means that Azerbaijan, no matter how much it wants it, is assigned the status of a country that, if it did not expel itself, then did not do what was necessary to preserve the autochthonous population of Karabakh,” he told a Kavkazsky correspondent. node".
“Nothing good will happen for Armenia,” Pritchin suggested, expressing the opinion that the country is doing a poor job of solving the problems of Karabakh refugees.
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic ceased to existon January 1. By October 7, 2023, 100,632 internally displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh arrived in Armenia. The Armenian government is involved in the social issues of refugees.
For Russia, in his opinion, this is also not the best scenario. “Because the Russian settlement plan has not been implemented. It is unlikely that it will be implemented without Russia’s participation. With the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers, the possibility of normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia will close,” Pritchin concluded.
Alexander Karavaev, a researcher at the Caspian Institute for Strategic Studies (KISS), said that the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers came as a surprise. “Back at the beginning of April, there were no signals about the winding down of the mission. Although the peacekeeping mission ceased to be relevant since October 2023. Since then, Russia has been winding down the posts. But I know for sure that there were no hints from Azerbaijan that the mission should be completed And indeed, the extension could only be refused from May 2025. There were no complaints against the RMC after the migration of the Armenians. That is, the peacekeepers did not interfere with the Azerbaijanis in any way.
The withdrawal of the peacekeepers is unclear. The number of peacekeepers was already greatly reduced. There were no more than 1,500 people left, 50-60 armored personnel carriers. This will take some time. And during the withdrawal, a version of the reasons for the withdrawal of the peacekeepers will probably be heard. other objects from the peacekeepers to the Azerbaijani side,” he told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.
Previously, RMK had several tasks, the interlocutor indicated. "Surveillance, movement on roads, staff work on recording incidents and negotiations. All these tasks are irrelevant after the Armenian residents of Karabakh migrated to Armenia. By the beginning of the year, practically only one task remained - demining the territories. It was necessary to remove two layers of mining in almost 30 years of confrontation. Dense minefields on the former demarcation line.
In addition, mine scatterings that appeared during the 44-day war of 2020. And there was a humanitarian demining center under the peacekeepers. It will probably continue to work. they were accredited by the Azerbaijani demining agency," Karavaev explained.
How the positions of peacekeepers were located in the region after the Karabakh war in 2020 can be seen on the “ Map of the deployment of Russian peacekeepers ” prepared by the “Caucasian Knot ”.
The winding down of the Russian peacekeepers' mission will be gradual, he is sure. “The main question is about the demining center - will it remain,” Karavaev emphasized.
In his opinion, Azerbaijan will receive more benefits from the withdrawal of peacekeepers than other parties.
“In general, this will have neutral consequences for him. And even positive aspects. For example, the final transfer of control over 100 percent of the territory of Karabakh. There are no such advantages for Armenia. There are even risks for the security of Armenia in the sense that Russia is washing its hands of "The departure of the peacekeepers allows Azerbaijan to deploy in full force if the need arises for military pressure on Armenia. Armenia will have to follow the “road map” from Baku. But it is not interested in this. Perhaps Armenia will want to change its position. Externals can play on this actors. Armenia is now looking for new sponsors of its security in the person of the United States and France,” Karavaev explained.
In November 2023, France supplied Armenia with more than 20 Bastion armored vehicles as part of an agreement concluded in Paris in October of the same year. Components for these armored cars were also sent. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated that this delivery strengthened Armenia's military potential, which could hinder the establishment of peace in the region. Baku analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" indicated that weapons from France do not change the balance of power in the region and do not create real military threats to Azerbaijan.
At the beginning of December 2023, the French Senate announced that in 2024 a batch of 26 Bastion armored vehicles would be transferred to Armenia.
The head of the PolitRUS expert and analytical network, Vitaly Arkov, emphasized that the mandate of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh is actually valid until the end of 2025.
“However, the situation in the region has undergone changes after the well-known events of September 2023. Immediately after the Azerbaijani authorities restored full control over the Karabakh economic region, the issue of the continued presence of Russian peacekeepers in the region was also raised, but Moscow agreed with Baku’s request to extend their stay, since the issue was urgent the issue of peaceful coexistence between the residents of Armenian nationality remaining in Karabakh and the Azerbaijani administration of the region. Also, sapper specialists of the Russian peacekeeping contingent assisted their Azerbaijani colleagues in demining the territory, in particular, the Khojaly region,” he said.
According to Arkov, joint work on mine clearance can be continued. “The Russian side has all the necessary equipment and competencies, which makes it possible to detect and neutralize Soviet-made mines, which were massively used by the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army, faster than with Western equipment.”
The misunderstandings and fears that initially existed between residents of Armenian nationality and the Azerbaijani administration of Karabakh are thanks to professionalism Russian peacekeepers were removed, and life in the region began to proceed in a peaceful direction. Moscow considered the mission of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in this part of the documents concluded in November 2020 to be successfully completed and proposed that Baku begin a phased withdrawal of the group,” he said.
He does not rule out the possibility of the transfer of Russian peacekeepers from the territory of Azerbaijan to territories that have come under Russian control during a special military operation in Ukraine or their participation in localizing the conflict between Israel and Palestine in the Gaza Strip.
Azerbaijani analysts pointed out the benefits for Baku from the withdrawal of peacekeepers
The withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from the territory of Azerbaijan is due to a mutual decision of the top leadership of both countries, said Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev on April 17.
“The process has already begun, the ministries of defense of Azerbaijan and Russia are taking appropriate measures to implement this decision,” the Oxu.Az agency quoted him as saying.
The process of withdrawing Russian peacekeepers will stretch out and will be completely completed at the end of September this year, suggested military expert, reserve officer Adalat Verdiev.
“All equipment and manpower will be withdrawn. Russia will allow Azerbaijan to use the territory of the Khojaly airport, where the peacekeepers’ base was located in Karabakh,” he told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.
The withdrawal will be gradual and will last until September because during the three years of its stay in Karabakh, the Russian peacekeeping contingent brought and built a mobile town there, which has barracks, a hospital, a canteen, a kitchen, a bathhouse, sports facilities, construction equipment, even a church. It takes time to dismantle and load this equipment,” Verdiev explained.
The withdrawal of the peacekeepers was the result of a huge amount of work by Azerbaijani diplomacy and the right timing, said Ahmed Alili, director of the Caucasus Center for Political Analysis. “As a result, Azerbaijan has become the only country participating in the EU Eastern Partnership program that does not have a foreign military base on its soil. We will learn full information about this work after a long time,” Alili told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.
The head of the Center for the Study of the South Caucasus, Farhad Mamedov, agreed with him. “The leadership of Azerbaijan patiently and steadily implemented the line for the complete restoration of sovereignty throughout the territory of Azerbaijan,” he told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.
Director of the Atlas Analytical Center Elkhan Shainoglu considers it possible to reach an oral agreement between Russia and Azerbaijan that in exchange for the premature withdrawal of peacekeepers, Baku should agree to become a member of the Eurasian Economic Union. “But official Baku has a well-known condition: Armenia must sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. Because Azerbaijan has close economic relations with other members of the Eurasian Economic Community. There are no such relations with Armenia. And Azerbaijan’s membership in the CSTO is impossible, since the country does not participate in military blocs, having become a member of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. The Kremlin accepts this logic,” he told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.
Since the beginning of the withdrawal of the peacekeepers, there has been no clear explanation from Azerbaijani officials, noted political analyst, head of the East-West Research Center Arastun Orujlu. In his opinion, if the withdrawal of the peacekeepers was the merit of the Azerbaijani leadership, official Baku would not have missed the opportunity for its PR.
“It’s as if Baku doesn’t understand what’s going on. Moreover, a week ago, the Azerbaijani mine clearance agency made a statement that the Russian peacekeeping contingent will help clear the territory of mines, although mine specialists are needed for this work. One gets the impression that Baku did not expect such a quick withdrawal of Russian troops. But in any case, on the eve of the event, the Azerbaijani authorities were aware, since the column was moving through Azerbaijani territory, and Baku must have consent to this,” Orujlu said.
He believes that the presence of the military in the region was a negative factor in the forceful presence of one state in another. “I think Moscow used this factor to influence Azerbaijan and Armenia, preventing Baku from conducting peace negotiations. This was evident from the fact that Baku refused Western mediation and negotiations without intermediaries. I have no doubt about the negative impact of the presence of peacekeepers on the peace process “I don’t think that the withdrawal of the RMK will facilitate negotiations with Yerevan, since the presence of the Russian Federation in the region has never been limited to military force. Russia’s political influence and military threat remain,” he noted.
In his opinion, the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains under the control of Russia. “A peace treaty can be concluded on Russia’s terms. Russian influence on Baku and Yerevan is much broader than we think. Therefore, at least this year, I do not expect progress in the peace process and any signing,” the expert added.
[IsraelTimes] Defense minister says Israel has freedom to do whatever it needs to; experts estimate Iran’s obsolete air defense systems no match for IAF in direct attack?
The Israeli Air Force will have its work cut out for it going forward, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told fighter jet pilots who participated in the operation to counter the roughly 350 drones and missiles Iran ...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... fired at Israel between Saturday and Sunday.
"Our missions are not going to decrease, they will only increase," Gallant said to the pilots on Thursday. "This reality that we are being attacked from seven different arenas is complex, and it will persistently challenge us."
He said Israel "has the freedom of action to do what it wants, thanks to the fact that the Air Force is creating a defense, and what you did last Saturday was very impressive."
According to the Israel Defense Forces, Iran’s attack on Israel included 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles, of which 99 percent were intercepted.
All the drones and cruise missiles were downed outside the country’s airspace by the Israeli Air Force and its allies, including the United States, United Kingdom, Jordan, La Belle France and others.
The actions of Israel’s pilots last weekend have given the country "the ability to know that when we react [to Iran], we’ve got insurance — that what is decided will be carried out," Gallant told the pilots. "This offers great confidence to the Israeli public and to the decision-makers."
In the days following Iran’s unprecedented attack, Israel’s war cabinet has been weighing what action, if any, it should take in retaliation.
Allies, including the US, have urged it not to risk igniting a wider regional conflict, but despite the warnings, the cabinet is reportedly leaning toward launching a response of some sort.
Experts have said Israel would have little trouble hitting targets inside Iran should it decide to retaliate directly for the unprecedented drone and missile salvos of Saturday night, citing Tehran’s obsolete air force and indigenous air defense systems based on aging Russian models.
While Iran is a "superpower in tactical ballistic missiles and UAVs," its air defenses are another matter, Brig. Gen. (res.) Zvika Haimovich, former head of IAF Aerial Defense, said on Thursday.
Iran’s air defenses are built largely around Russian S-200 and S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems or a range of locally produced equivalents such as the Bavar-373, Khordad, Raad, Sayyad and Talash as well as old American and Russian warplanes, some of which date to the 1970s era of Iranian Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.
Similar systems have been deployed in Syria since 2015, giving Israeli pilots an advantage as they have years of experience in dealing with them.
"Our air force and coalition air forces flew in this environment. They know how to deal effectively with this system," Haimovich said. "I will respect [the air defenses], but that will not be the main challenge in dealing with Iran."
The central challenge Israel is likely to face would be to successfully strike military bases in western and southern Iran, which would require the use of penetrating bombs, Sidharth Kausha, a research fellow at the Royal United Strategic Institute in London, said.
Israeli aircraft, such as the stealth F-35 jets, which could evade Iran’s air defense networks, typically carry smaller ordnance, Kausha said. But larger munitions may be needed against deeply buried targets, which would require them to be carried externally on aircraft such as the F-16 — making these more detectable to radars. For safety, pilots might be more likely to launch them from further away.
"The Iranian air defense network is certainly not impenetrable to these aircraft, but this raises the risk of losses and the Iranian capacity to, at least in theory, intercept some incoming standoff munitions increases," he said.
The New York Times is frissoning all over the place. I wonder how much of this is not imaginary, and how much of that which is true falls under the heading of no plan survives first contact with the enemy.
[IsraelTimes] Outlet cites US, Israeli, and other officials as saying Jerusalem greatly underestimated possible retaliation, didn’t inform Washington of attack until last minute Because Biden's Regime would've notified Iran to mitigate any damage a nanosecond after they were told
Israeli officials miscalculated the severity of Iran’s response to the April 1 strike on a building in Damascus in which several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders were killed, for which Iran fired a barrage of hundreds of missiles and drones in response, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
"The Israelis had badly miscalculated, thinking that Iran would not react strongly, according to multiple American officials who were involved in high-level discussions after the attack, a view shared by a senior Israeli official," the outlet said.
Two generals were among those killed in the alleged Israeli strike on what Iran said was a consulate building in the Syrian capital.
The report said that US officials were angered that they had only been informed a few minutes ahead of the Damascus strike and that its significance had not been conveyed, with the communication passed on as a "low-level notification," US officials said.
Two days after the strike, US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin telephoned Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and "complained directly" that the attack would put regional US forces at risk and had left little time to ramp up defenses, the report said.
The Times also revealed fresh details on the build-up to the strike and the flurry of diplomacy between the US and Iran, via mediators, as they worked to accommodate an Iranian response that would not set off a regional war.
Two Israeli officials told the Times that plans for the strike began two months before it was carried out.
The outlet said the war cabinet then approved the plan on March 22.
The newspaper said it viewed internal defense records that outlined potential responses by Tehran, and none of them predicted an attack on the scale seen over the weekend when Tehran fired over 300 ballistic missiles and drones at Israel. Almost all were intercepted by Israel’s air defense systems, together with US, British, French, and Jordanian forces. The handful of rockets that got through caused minor damage at an air base, and badly injured a 7-year-old girl.
According to the report, Israeli intelligence initially expected Iran to fire a maximum of 10 surface-to-surface missiles at Israel. Last week, they increased the estimate to 60 to 70 surface-to-surface missiles, the report said, noting that this also turned out to be a dramatic misjudgment.
Later in the evening on the day of the strike, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Swiss ambassador to pass a message to Washington conveying its anger and that it held the US accountable.
The US, via Oman, Turkey, and Switzerland, clarified to Iran that it was not involved in the attack and did not want war.
Iran also sent messages via diplomatic channels that it did not want a war with Israel or, worse, the United States.
A diplomat familiar with the details told the Times that at a key April 7 meeting in Muscat, Oman, between the Iranian foreign minister and his Omani counterpart, Iran sent a message that it had to strike back at Israel but would keep its response contained to avoid a regional war.
At the time, senior US officials, including US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were engaged in intense communication with their counterparts in Israel, China, India, and Iraq as well as with NATO allies and others, officials said.
A US official said Washington realized it could not convince Iran to refrain from attacking, but hoped to limit the size of the assault.
However, though Iran was communicating that its strike would not force Israel to respond, it was developing its plans so that it would score at least some hits, an Israeli official said.
Blinken talked with Israeli leaders to assure them the US would help defend the country, while also urging against a hasty counterattack that lacked adequate consideration.
Meanwhile, US and Israeli intelligence agencies, assisted by Jordan and other countries in the region, strove to get a picture of Iran’s plans. They learned that Tehran intended to hit military and not civilian targets, US and Israeli officials said.
The intelligence gleaned gave Israel an idea of what weapons it would face and which sites would be targeted, Israeli officials said. Families were evacuated from some air bases and aircraft moved to safer locations.
As the Iranian strike unfolded, Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the Revolutionary Guards Corps, which oversaw the attack, kept an open line with the Omani government as a conduit for messages between the US and Iran, Iranian officials revealed.
Early Sunday morning, as the attack was concluding, Iran again summoned the Swiss ambassador — this time to a Guards base — and asked her to pass on a message that the US should not get involved and that if Israel retaliated, Iran would hit back even harder, but this time without any warning.
US efforts are now focused on convincing Israel’s leaders to see the successful defense as a victory requiring no further military action, the report said.
The US and Western allies, including the European Union, have condemned Iran for the attack and said they will impose sanctions on Iran’s drone and missile producers.
#3
wo days after the strike, US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin telephoned Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and "complained directly" that the attack would put regional US forces at risk and had left little time to ramp up defenses, the report said. [Then get the damned forces out of there if you can't protect them! Capish?]
[FoxNews] Dozens of anti-Israel protesters loaded into NYPD buses on Columbia University campus.
Police removed anti-Israel protesters from Columbia University’s campus in New York City on Thursday, after the demonstrating students had set up an encampment on a campus lawn, and announced the suspension of those students involved.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik sent a message to the student body, saying that these "extraordinary steps" were necessary "because these are extraordinary circumstances" and that the protesters had "violated a long list of rules and policies."
"Out of an abundance of concern for the safety of Columbia’s campus, I authorized the New York Police Department to begin clearing the encampment from the South Lawn of Morningside campus that had been set up by students in the early hours of Wednesday morning," Shafik said.
Video from the campus showed officers loading dozens of protesters who participated in the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" onto police buses. Some students were also seen attempting to block police vehicles.
The encampment popped up hours before Shafik testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce regarding antisemitism on campus.
The Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine posted on X that students had occupied the center of the university campus.
"As of 4 AM this morning, Columbia University students have occupied the center of campus, launching our Gaza Solidarity Encampment. We demand divestment and an end to Columbia’s complicity in genocide," the post states.
Videos posted online show protesters accusing Israel and President Biden of being complicit in genocide against Palestinians.
The NYPD told Fox News Digital that a firm count on the number of arrests wasn't immediately available. The police operation was the first mass arrests to be made on the Columbia campus since 1968, when hundreds of students occupied Hamilton Hall in protest of the Vietnam War and the planned construction of a gymnasium in Morningside Park were detained, the Columbia Spector reported.
The Columbia College Student Council criticized school administrators for involving the police during Thursday demonstration.
"As representatives of the student body, we call upon the university administration to uphold its commitment to fostering and protecting an environment where students can peacefully protest without fear of retribution and suppression for their beliefs. Read our statement above to learn more," the group said.
Dozens of protesters camped out in tents on school grounds since early Wednesday, calling on the university to divest itself from companies that have ties to Israel, as Shafik testified on Capitol Hill.
The university had locked down its campus to ID holders only in anticipation of unrest relating to Shafik's testimony.
In a letter to the NYPD, Shafik said more than 100 people were occupying the South Lawn of the campus.
"This group has been informed numerous times and in writing that they are not permitted to occupy this space, are in violation of the University’s rules and policies and must disperse," she wrote. "All University students participating in the encampment have been informed they are suspended."
Shafik said in the message that those who established the encampment "violated a long list of rules and policies."
The Barnard’s Student Government Association at nearby Barnard College condemned the "illegitimate suspension" of the students involved in Thursday's encampment protest.
"To immediately suspend members without due notice violates the sanctity of the academic institution and its purpose to facilitate open dialogue," the BSGA said in a statement. "Our affected students—who are Black, Brown, and Jewish—immediately lost access to basic necessities to live. The College is making these students food-insecure and homeless, with no reasonable evacuation timeline."
The university provided multiple notices of violations, according to Shafik, who said that the involved students had rejected all the university’s attempts to resolve the situation.
"This is a challenging moment, and these are steps that I deeply regret having to take," Shafik said. "I encourage us all to show compassion and remember the values of empathy and respect that draws us together as a Columbia community."
[IsraelTimes] Faced with question that felled peers at Harvard and Pennsylvania, Nemat Shafik say calls for genocide of Jews do violate school’s code of conduct Do they really? But you can't take any action against them because it costs a lot of money to go there.
Related: The Times of Israel has tweeted videos of the arrest shenanigans here.
#1
The best video I saw yesterday were NYPD officers lining up to shake Donald Trump's hand during his visit to NYC bodegas, after his "criminal" trial let out earlier in the day.
[IsraelTimes] Security officials have been preparing for the arrival of the first ships from Freedom Flotilla Coalition, expected to leave The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
this weekend in an attempt to reach the shores of 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 an iron fist by Hamaswith 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... and disrupt maritime trade coming into Israel during the war with Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,, according to Channel 12 news.
Without citing sources, the report says that although Israel is prepared for all scenarios, officials hope that the flotilla will be delayed indefinitely.
The Ottoman Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), which organized the 2010 flotilla in which a deadly fight broke out on the Mavi Marmara between activist muppets and IDF commandos, is leading the 12 organizations in the coalition.
Pro-Paleostinian activist muppets from 12 different countries are expected aboard the three ships, two of which will carry aid to Gaza, the report adds.
They will hold a news conference tomorrow to announce details of the plan.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/19/2024
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[IsraelTimes] Footage of Gazooks relaxing on beach in Deir al-Balah sparks criticism in Israel that government not applying enough pressure on Hamas, the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®, as hostages languish; IDF finishes Beit Hanoun op
The Israel Defense Forces carried out waves of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s across the 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 an iron fist by Hamaswith 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... Strip in recent days, hitting dozens of terror targets and killing a senior Hamas official, the IDF said Thursday as ground forces wrapped up a raid on the Beit Hanoun area.
The strikes came as footage emerged of thousands of Gazooks enjoying a day on the beach, sparking criticism in Israel that the government was not maintaining enough pressure on the enclave while 133 hostages languish in Hamas captivity.
The military and Shin Bet announced Thursday morning that the head of interrogations in Hamas’s internal security in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun was killed in an airstrike this week.
Yusef Shabat also served as an officer in the intelligence division of Hamas’s military wing in its Beit Hanoun Battalion, according to the IDF.
"This elimination significantly damages the organization’s investigations department," the joint statement said.
Also in Beit Hanoun, the military said it wrapped up a pinpoint operation against Hamas and Paleostinian Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... , aimed at detaining members of the terror groups.
In a statement, the IDF said troops, led by the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade, raided two school buildings in the town, following intelligence that Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives were gathered there and were "using the civilians sheltering there as a human shield."
Before the troops entered the buildings they called on the civilians to evacuate, the IDF said.
"The troops arrested a number of forces of Evil from the terrorist organizations in a targeted and precise manner while avoiding harming the civilian population," the statement said.
Several "forces of Evil who tried to harm the forces" were killed during the raid, the IDF added.
Also in northern Gaza, the IDF said fighter jets struck a mortar launcher in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood that was used to launch projectiles at troops operating in the Gaza Strip.
Throughout the Gaza Strip over the past two days, the military said, the air force struck dozens of targets, including rocket launchers primed for attacks on Israel.
The primed rocket launchers were destroyed in the central Gaza Strip, where the IDF was carrying out a separate operation against Hamas. According to Army Radio, the operation had concluded by Wednesday night.
During the operation on the outskirts of the Nuseirat camp, the military said troops killed numerous button men and destroyed sites used by terror groups over the past day, including by calling in airstrikes.
One airstrike was carried out against a cell that was operating an armed drone, according to the IDF.
The army also said that troops of the Nahal Brigade used a drone to kill a gunman and killed another with sniper fire.
Other targets hit by the IAF in the past day included underground rocket launch positions, booby-trapped buildings, structures where operatives were gathered, observation posts, underground sites, and other infrastructure, the IDF added.
In another incident, the IDF said it carried out an airstrike on a vehicle with at least 10 button men in it, killing them. It said the strike followed "accurate intelligence" on the operatives.
The IDF launched its offensive in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, which saw the terror group infiltrate Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and kidnapping 253.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 33,000 people in the Strip have been killed in the fighting so far, a figure that cannot be independently verified and includes some 13,000 Hamas button men Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 forces of Evil inside Israel on October 7.
Two hundred and sixty IDF soldiers have been killed in the offensive.
According to humanitarian organizations and the UN, the war has caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, pushing the population close to famine.
DEIR AL-BALAH BEACH SCENES
Notably, video and images that surfaced Wednesday showed masses of Paleostinians in central Gaza frolicking at the beach, providing a jarring counterpoint to the scenes of fighting, rubble and death that have come out of the Strip since war erupted over six months ago.
The scenes were filmed in Deir al-Balah, an area that the IDF has not yet operated in on the ground amid the war. It is some 10 kilometers south of an east-west corridor that is the only part of Gaza still actively occupied by Israeli troops.
Online, some Israel advocates latched onto the footage as evidence that claims of famine or genocide are overblown. Others used it to criticize the government.
Lawmaker Ze’ev Elkin of the New Hope Party, which recently left the coalition, wrote on X: "If this is how you run a war, it’s no wonder Hamas doesn’t feel pressured and is unwilling to agree to a hostage deal and Iran ...The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Sturmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Fuhrer or maybe both... attacks Israel with hundreds of missiles."
Temperatures in the area soared to 36°C (96°F) on Wednesday, according to nearby Israeli meteorological readings.
More on this story from yesterday [Regnum] Russian woman Veronika Ermilova, whom the RTL publication recorded as the mistress of the missing German billionaire Karl-Erivan Haub, told IA Regnum that she knows the businessman, but has not seen him for a long time. The woman lives in Moscow with her husband and child and is still shocked by the work of German journalists who did not bother to check the information. The woman said that journalists from Germany reviewed spy action films and invented a new “James Bond” working for Russia.
According to Veronica Ermilova, she really knows Haub, and even knows members of his family. Many years ago, an event agency where a woman worked organized an event for a billionaire in Russia.
“He was our client. I then lived in St. Petersburg. Our agency organized business events for him. I saw his family too. Therefore, when I saw the news, I didn’t even understand how to react. It's all funny. But what surprised me more was that no one even bothered to check the information and figure it out. The terrible power of the media,” Veronica told IA Regnum.
Ermilova stated that she has not been working for a long time, but is doing housework. The woman noted that she had been married for many years.
“My husband wasn’t even jealous, because this is a purely German story. Some kind of nonsense that is difficult to believe. German journalism produces these fakes that he is an FSB agent. They came up with James Bond, who works for Russia. They came up with some kind of spy action movie. They probably grew up watching these films. It’s unpleasant, of course, to see your photographs that were stolen from my page,” said Veronika Ermilova.
The former director of the German holding Tengelmann Group, billionaire Karl-Erivan Haub, disappeared on April 7, 2018, a month after his 58th birthday. He participated in preparations for the Patrouille des Glaciers ski race, taking place near the Matterhorn mountain. Karl-Erivan Haub was an experienced athlete and often participated in such competitions. A week after the billionaire disappeared, his family announced there was no hope of finding him alive, but the search was resumed after the glacier melted to discover the man's remains. No traces could be found. After his disappearance, serious financial disagreements arose between the billionaire's relatives. Haub was officially declared dead by a decision of the Cologne district court in May 2021.
In May 2023, information appeared that Karl-Erivan Haub was allegedly caught on Moscow video camera recordings in 2021. Rumors quickly spread about the discovery of a billionaire who disappeared several years ago in the Alps. The media claimed that Haub lives in the Russian capital with a woman named Veronica, who is 20 years younger than him.
According to journalists, the billionaire allegedly called his mistress a few days before his mysterious disappearance and their conversation lasted about 60 minutes. The media claimed that Veronica ran an agency in St. Petersburg that organized skiing, hiking and mountaineering-related activities. Allegedly, in May 2009, the girl and Karl-Erivan Haub traveled on the same train from Moscow to St. Petersburg. The tickets were issued by one person, but they traveled in different compartments. The woman was even suspected of having connections with the FSB, but no evidence was provided.
Karl-Erivan Haub was born on March 5, 1960. He was a co-owner and chief executive officer of the Tengelmann Group holding, which includes the OBI supermarket chain, which is well known to Russians. Karl-Erivan took over his father's position in the company, and the billionaire's younger brother took over the leadership of the American division of the Tengelmann holding.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[LB] During the day, 71 combat clashes were recorded.
by Ivanna Kapustyanska
The seven hundred and eighty-fifth day of large-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against our state continues. During the day, 71 combat clashes were recorded.
In total, the enemy launched 6 missile and 63 air strikes, fired 41 salvo rockets at the positions of our troops and populated areas. As a result of the Russian terrorist attacks, unfortunately, there are wounded among the civilian population. High-rise and private buildings, as well as other infrastructure objects, were destroyed and damaged.
On the Volyn and Poliske directions, the operational situation has not changed significantly. No signs of the formation of enemy offensive groups were detected.
In the Siverskyi and Slobozhanskyi directions, the enemy maintains a military presence in the border areas, conducts sabotage and intelligence activities, carries out shelling of populated areas from the territory of the Russian Federation, increases the density of mine-explosive barriers along the state border of Ukraine. The enemy carried out airstrikes in the areas of Orlivka settlements of the Sumy region; Vovchansk and Strelecha, Kharkiv region. More than 20 settlements, including Naberezhne, Kremskyi Bugor, and Mykolaivka of the Chernihiv region, were hit by artillery and mortar fire from the enemy; Klyusy, Bilopylla, Brusky, Sumy region; Veterinary office, Kozacha Lopan, Gatishche, Kharkiv region.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy did not conduct offensive (assault) actions, however, it carried out an air strike in the area of the settlement of Borov, Kharkiv region. About 20 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including Sinkivka, Petropavlivka, Stepova Novoselivka of the Kharkiv region.
On the Lyman direction, the Defense Forces repelled 2 attacks in Terna and Yampolivka settlements of the Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to break through the defense of our troops. The enemy also carried out an airstrike in the area of the settlement of Nevske, Luhansk region. More than 10 settlements were affected by artillery and mortar shelling, among them Makiivka, Nevske in Luhansk Oblast and Terny¸ Torske in Donetsk Oblast.
In the direction of Bakhmut, our soldiers repelled 17 attacks in the areas of settlements of Belogorivka, Luhansk region; Verkhnyokamianske, Vyimka, Kalynivka, Chasiv Yar, Novy, Ivanovske, Klishchiivka of the Donetsk region, where the enemy tried to improve the tactical position. The enemy carried out an airstrike in the area of the settlement of New York, Donetsk region. More than 10 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including Hryhorivka, Kalynivka, Chasiv Yar of the Donetsk region.
In the Avdiyiv direction, our defenders repulsed 11 attacks in the areas of Novokalynove, Ocheretyne, Berdychi, Pervomaiske settlements of the Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to dislodge our units from the occupied lines. The enemy also carried out airstrikes in the areas of Semenivka and Selidove settlements of the Donetsk region. About 10 settlements, including Ocheretine, Novobakhmutivka, and Umanske of the Donetsk region, were hit by artillery and mortar shelling.
On the Novopavlivskyi direction, the Defense Forces continue to hold back the enemy in the areas of Novomykhailivka and Urozhaine settlements of the Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried 12 times to break through the defenses of our troops. The enemy also carried out airstrikes in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Oleksandropol, Vodyane, Vugledar settlements of the Donetsk region. More than 10 settlements came under the artillery and mortar fire of the occupiers, among them Krasnohorivka, Paraskoviivka, Kostyantynivka of the Donetsk region.
In the Orihiv direction, the enemy, with the support of aviation, attacked the positions of our defenders 3 times in the Staromayorsky area of the Donetsk region; Robotino, Zaporizhzhia region. About 20 settlements, including Chervone, Biloghirya, Shcherbaki, Pyatikhatka of the Zaporizhzhia region, were hit by artillery and mortar fire.
In the Kherson direction, the enemy does not give up its intention to dislodge our units from the bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnieper. Thus, during the day, with the support of aviation, he carried out 7 unsuccessful attacks on the positions of our troops in the area of the settlement of Krynka, Kherson region. About 20 settlements, including Tyaginka, Ivanivka, Novotyaginka, and Ponyativka of the Kherson region, were subjected to artillery and mortar shelling.
During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces struck 9 areas where enemy personnel were concentrated.
Units of the missile forces damaged 1 personnel concentration area and 1 munitions depot of the occupiers.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:04 Ukraine has begun negotiations on a security treaty with the Czech Republic, the Presidential Office reported.
22:00 The G7 countries are considering $300 billion of frozen assets of the Russian Federation as collateral for loans to Ukraine, said Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis. According to him, discussions are still ongoing, but a decision should be made in the first half of the year.
21:39 Ukraine is launching mass production of an analogue of the Chinese DJI Mavic drone, Forbes writes. According to the publication, already in the summer the Ukrainian army may receive the first batches of the domestic analogue of the Chinese UAV. It was developed by a Ukrainian company that has been mass-producing drones for various purposes since 2017, in particular copter-bombers. The design of the UAV is resistant to damage, it can be repaired and serviced in the field. The most important advantage of the Shmavik is its protection from enemy electronic warfare. The drone kit costs about $3,500.
20:46 The Netherlands is not the only state that is ready to buy the Patriot system for Ukraine, Kuleba said.
20:18 Switzerland will allocate more than 5 billion euros for the restoration of Ukraine until 2036, the country’s government reported. The phased approach assumes that support for Ukraine until 2028 will amount to about 1.5 billion euros.
20:06 In Germany, two men were again arrested, suspected of planning sabotage on behalf of the Russian secret service. The German publication Der Spiegel reports, citing the German prosecutor's office, that those arrested tried to undermine Berlin's support for Ukraine. Read more in the article Spies from the "DPR" in Germany.
19:58 Ukraine may receive six more Patriot air defense systems, Scholz said. According to him, six systems can be supplied by NATO partners, and Berlin has already decided to transfer one more. "We have heard about seven additional systems. One of them is ours, and we hope to find six more in the NATO context, and I have again used this opportunity in many negotiations to make this point," the chancellor said.
19:07 Ukraine has new models of drones that can fly over a distance of more than 3,000 km and reach Russian Siberia, writes The Economist.
18:25 Law enforcement officers detained a Polish citizen who wanted to help the Russian Federation commit an attempt on Zelensky, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported. According to the investigation, the suspect, on his own initiative, established contact with the command of the Russian Armed Forces and announced his readiness to work for Russian military intelligence. His tasks included collecting and transmitting information about the security of Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport in Poland. This was, among other things, to help the Russian intelligence services plan an attempt on Zelensky’s life during his stay in the country. The Russian special services agent was identified and detained on Polish territory.
17:58 The first F-16 fighter with trained Ukrainian pilots will arrive in Ukraine before the end of spring, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said.
17:19 Kiev must provide itself with soldiers, Stoltenberg said: “It’s not for me to go into details, but I am sure that Ukraine will make the necessary decisions to mobilize the required number of people.”
17:04 If a shortage occurs in the energy system during the repair campaign at power plants in the spring and summer, schedules for limiting industrial consumers will be applied, said the head of Ukrenergo Vladimir Kudrytsky. He explained that in the Ukrainian energy system, after large-scale attacks, a repair campaign has already begun at power plants, including nuclear ones, and an increasing number of generating capacities will need to be taken out for repairs, so shortages will arise from time to time. It will be covered by imported electricity, and if it is insufficient, restriction schedules for industry may be applied.
16:56 The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution dedicated to the death of Navalny. PACE stated that it does not recognize the legitimacy of Putin as president of the Russian Federation and calls on other European countries and observers to sever all contacts with him, “except for contacts with humanitarian goals and goals aimed at peace.”
16:27 Ukraine received the first decision on the purchase of Ukrainian weapons for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the expense of its Western partner - Denmark, said the head of the Ministry of Strategic Industry Alexander Kamyshin. According to him, we are talking about approximately $28 million, which are provided for in the new aid package from Denmark.
The minister emphasized that the Ukrainian defense industry has already developed so much that the state budget cannot load manufacturers with orders at maximum capacity: “The capabilities of the Ukrainian defense industry are about 20 billion dollars. At the same time, Ukraine has only 6 billion for the purchase of weapons. Roughly speaking, only a third of all the machines that exist in the country - because there is not enough money to provide the rest with orders."
According to Kamyshin, the best way out of this situation is to convince partners who are ready to buy weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to do so in Ukraine. For this purpose, a global fundraising campaign ZBROYARI was launched, the goal of which is to raise $10 billion for the production of Ukrainian weapons this year. Money from Denmark is the first contribution within this platform.
15:59 In the border Novgorod-Seversky district of the Chernihiv region, the Russians targeted with drones a civilian car of a bakery that was delivering bread - the driver was injured, the store premises were damaged, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.
15:20 Russian diesel fuel exports fell by a quarter in April due to drone attacks, and oil refining rates are near an 11-month low, Bloomberg writes.
14:54 Chechen authorities said that Palestinian refugees will be employed at the Chechenavto plant, which produces so-called “jihad machines,” Russian media write. The Russian army uses these vehicles in the war in Ukraine.
14:16 In April, ten Bogdan self-propelled guns will be produced in Ukraine for the first time, and from next month this figure will increase, Zelensky said following a daily report on the security situation. According to him, the share of domestic production is constantly growing, the state concludes with Ukrainian enterprises “serious, long-term contracts that provide predictability, the opportunity to recruit people and attract investments.”
In addition, the president heard reports from the commander-in-chief and intelligence agencies, who reported on the results of the strike on Russian targets in Crimea. “We are still waiting for final data, but it is already clear that the occupiers suffered painful losses. Also, according to intelligence reports, after our actions in the Black Sea, Russia is moving ships, including Caliber carriers, to the Caspian Sea,” Zelensky added.
13:52 As a result of a missile attack in the Dnieper region, an infrastructure facility and an enterprise were damaged, and two fires are still ongoing, said the head of the Air Defense Forces Sergei Lysak.
13:38 Ivano-Frankivsk was the enemy’s main target during today’s night attack, said Air Force spokesman Ilya Yevlash. According to him, the Russian suicide bombers flew along standard routes and tried to bypass air defense in hard-to-reach areas. They also tried to bypass Ivano-Frankivsk and attack the city from different sides. They also walked in a line to make it more difficult to hit them.
13:10 As a result of the successful operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the Dzhankoy military airfield in Crimea on April 17, four S-400 air defense missile launchers, three radar stations, an air defense control center, as well as Fundament-M air surveillance equipment were destroyed or critically damaged. The number of enemy aviation targets hit or destroyed and the number of casualties among Russian army personnel is being clarified, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reported.
13:03 In the Rostov region, drones attacked the Kamensky chemical plant, the opposition Russian publication Astra reported. According to sources, the enterprise was attacked by three UAVs - all of them were shot down, but one fell onto the territory of the plant, damaging the administrative building. The Kamensky plant is one of the largest chemical enterprises in the south of Russia. In particular, they produce fuel for rocket engines there.
Astra also reported that on April 17, the village of Borovko, Klimovsky district, Bryansk region, was shelled - three servicemen from Chechnya were wounded, and there were no casualties among civilians.
12:39 The Russians launched a missile attack on the Dnieper region. According to preliminary information, two people were injured and there were several fires, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak.
12:16 South Korea will provide $200 million worth of humanitarian aid to Ukraine this year as part of the promised package totaling $2.3 billion, Finance Minister Choi Sang Mokk said. He clarified that the remaining $2.1 billion will be provided in the form of long-term, low-interest loans through the Economic Development and Cooperation Fund starting in 2025. In addition, South Korea will donate $50 million each to the World Bank and the EBRD for their assistance projects to Ukraine.
12:01 Ukraine will receive another - already the fourth - Iris-T air defense system in the next few weeks, the head of the manufacturing company, Helmut Rauch, said during a visit to Kiev. “Three of our systems are already in Ukraine, and even more will be delivered this year. The next one is in just a few weeks,” he noted.
11:53 In German Bavaria, two agents were detained who worked for the Russian intelligence services and intended to carry out sabotage at military infrastructure facilities in order to undermine military support for Ukraine, writes Der Spiegel.
11:30 Trump the night before during a private dinner with Polish President Andrzej Duda in New York discussed the war in Ukraine and defense spending of NATO countries, the US presidential candidate's campaign said.
11:02 Kiev does not rule out that Russia will attack Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Zelensky said during an address to the countries participating in the meeting of the European Council. According to him, the Russian Federation destroyed almost all Ukrainian thermal power generation. The Russians are also hitting dams, hydroelectric power equipment and gas infrastructure. Moscow also does not refuse radiation blackmail, so it is possible that not only the infrastructure of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is under threat.
"This can only be stopped by the power of air defense - specific Patriot, IRIS-T, SAMP/T, NASAMS systems. Systems that are at your disposal. They are needed in Ukraine right now. They are needed so that Putin is deprived of the habit of relying on terrorist methods, and this, in particular, is your need for security,” the president emphasized.
10:55 In the Kherson region over the past 24 hours, 16 people were injured as a result of Russian shelling, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. The Russian army shelled Mikhailovka, Berislav, Novotyaginka, Chaikino, Antonovka, Zmievka, Gavrilovka, Ivanovka and the city of Kherson.
10:48 In the Donetsk region over the past 24 hours, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed in Selidovo, two more were wounded in Krasnohorivka, Pokrovsky district, said the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin.
10:24 Following the summit, the EU called for speeding up the delivery of weapons and strengthening the air defense of Ukraine. "The European Council emphasizes the need to urgently ensure Ukraine's air defense and to accelerate and intensify the delivery of all necessary military assistance, including artillery ammunition and missiles," the statement said.
09:57 Syrsky said that he had a telephone conversation with the head of the European Command of the US Armed Forces and the Supreme Commander of NATO Allied Armed Forces in Europe Christopher Cavoli. He informed about the developments at the front and the urgent needs of Ukraine, in particular for modern air defense systems, artillery and ammunition, as well as heavy armored vehicles.
09:29 House Speaker Mike Johnson said that aid to Ukraine is now “critically important”: “This is a critical time, a critical time on the world stage. I could make a selfish decision and do things differently, but I’m doing what I think it’s right. I think that providing weapons to Ukraine is critically important now. I really think so.”
He also added that he “would prefer to send bullets to Ukraine than to American guys,” and believes in the possibility of a Russian attack on NATO. "I really believe the intelligence and the briefings that we have been receiving. I believe that Xi, Vladimir Putin and Iran are an axis of evil. I think they are coordinating their actions. I think Vladimir Putin would continue to march across Europe if If only he would be allowed. I think he could go to the Balkans. I think he could have a showdown with Poland or one of our NATO allies,” the speaker noted.
09:18 Air defense at night destroyed all 13 attack UAVs of the Shahed-131/136 type, which Russia attacked from Primorsko-Akhtarsk and from the Crimean Cape Chauda, the Air Force command reported. Drones were destroyed in Kherson, Dnepropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Poltava, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
09:15 In Chernigov, a search and rescue operation has been completed after yesterday's missile attack: 18 people were killed, 78 were injured. 37 people are undergoing inpatient treatment, said the head of the OVA, Vyacheslav Chaus.
09:09 German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck arrived in Kiev along with a delegation, German media write. The focus of his visit is Russia's massive attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and emergency assistance to the country in these conditions, as well as German assistance in strengthening the Ukrainian economy.
09:04 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of April 18:
personnel - about 456,960 (+910) people,
tanks - 7196 (+3),
armored combat vehicles - 13,835 (+8),
artillery systems - 11,637 (+13),
MLRS - 1046 (+0),
air defense systems - 760 (+0),
aircraft - 347 (+0),
helicopters - 325 (+0),
UAV of operational-tactical level - 9284 (+5),
cruise missiles - 2093 (+0),
ships/boats - 26 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 15,618 (+31),
special equipment - 1915 (+5).
08:43 Over the past 24 hours, 87 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report. In particular, in the Bakhmut direction, 24 enemy attacks were repelled in the areas of Belogorovka settlements in the Luhansk region, as well as Vyemka, Razdolovka, Chasov Yar, Novy, Kleshcheevka in the Donetsk region. In addition, the enemy tried 23 times to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the Novopavlovsk direction - in the areas of Vodyanoye, Krasnogorovka, Pobeda, Novomikhailovka and Urozhaynoye in the Donetsk region. Another 19 attacks were repelled in the Avdeevsky direction - in the Semenovka, Novobakhmutovka, Ocheretino, Novokalinovo, Yasnobrodovka, Netaylovo, Pervomaisky and Novoukrainka districts of the Donetsk region.
In the Kupyansky direction, the Defense Forces repelled four attacks in the Novosergeevka area of the Kharkov region; on Limansky - three attacks in the Nevsky district of the Lugansk region and Ternov, Donetsk region; on Orekhovsky - five attacks in the Staromayorsky district of the Donetsk region; on Kherson - three attacks on the left bank of the Dnieper.
08:30 In the morning, the Russians attacked the Ivano-Frankivsk region with attack drones, targeting critical infrastructure. All drones were neutralized, but fires started as a result of falling debris. No people were injured, said Svetlana Onishchuk, head of the OVA.
07:29 As a result of yesterday's missile attack on Chernigov, 18 people were killed and 77 were injured (including four children), including three people rescued from the rubble. 71% of the destroyed part of the building has been dismantled, rescue work continues, the State Emergency Service reported.
07:18 As a result of Russian shelling of Ochakov, Nikolaev region, on the night of Wednesday, April 17, four people were injured - all of them sought medical help yesterday during the day, said the head of the OVA Vitaly Kim.
07:13 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that at night air defense systems allegedly destroyed two missiles, 19 rockets, 16 UAVs and two small-sized balloons over the territory of the Belgorod region, three more UAVs over the Rostov region, one UAV was intercepted and three balloons were destroyed over the Voronezh region region.
05:17 Budanov said in an interview with The Washington Post that Russia is preparing for another large-scale offensive in June. In particular, the Russian army will try to completely capture the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. At the same time, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate recalled that the Kremlin has repeatedly set the task for Russian troops to completely capture Donbass, but this has not yet happened.
Budanov also said that Ukraine has its own plan, “aimed at reducing Russian potential. It covers many aspects, for example, military industry, critical military facilities, airfields, control posts.” In particular, Ukraine is planning new cross-border attacks by Russian volunteers, as well as new drone attacks.
“The purpose of Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory is to show that Putin cannot protect the population from war within the country... When you sit, say, in St. Petersburg, and see the war only on TV, you will always support. But people start to get nervous when some object is attacked near their home,” the intelligence officer explained.
05:06 The G7 countries intend to keep Russian assets frozen until they obtain payment from Moscow for the damage caused to Ukraine, the finance ministers and heads of central banks of the G7 countries said in a statement.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Dmitry Astrakhan
[REGNUM] The news spread on Ukrainian social networks that another nineteen-year-old militant was eliminated by our troops near Chasovy Yar.
It would seem that this is just one of many similar news. But it was this young man who at one time was a local Internet meme.
He became famous ten years before his death, as a child who vividly answered journalists’ questions in a story about the opening of children’s camps of the Azov terrorist organization banned in Russia (an organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation).
A plump child with glasses, a T-shirt with the symbols of this organization and an American cap spoke fervently about the military camp. And with childish seriousness he explained that this was not some children’s camp “Eaglet”.
Pronouncing the last word in Russian, he grimaced, as if emphasizing that everything connected with Russia is bad and therefore does not even have a Ukrainian name. It was fashionable in Ukraine in those years.
Why does this news cause such interest and illustrate many processes at once? How is the fate of a minor victim of propaganda linked to the general situation so much so that photos of the dead man have been stirring up the internet for several days?
Fast forward to 2015. After the second Minsk agreements, it became clear that the escalation of the conflict was being postponed. And having survived all the previous events, having grown many times over, “Azov” received control and complete rule over the patrimony of Mariupol and the surrounding areas. To “strengthen the defense” and awaken love for Ukraine there under the threat of weapons.
The case is not unique for Ukraine, but it was Andrey Biletsky and his organization that were able to take full advantage of the opportunities that opened up. Having studied the historical experience of their Nazi idols, they realized that it was necessary to build a party, a military structure, a broad street movement, a youth movement and a children's organization.
In general, they are analogues of the structures of the German Nazis - from the NSDAP to the Hitler Youth, which they never particularly hid. Having such a convenient region under their control, the Azov people actively got down to business and began creating camps for children.
In Ukraine, in general, nationalists, under the guise of scout organizations, have been doing this since the nineties, but the degree of frankness of the Azov people was maximum. Absolutely militarized camps were created, teachers, instructors and counselors were invited, who did not hide their views.
Young boys were recruited who wanted to learn knife fighting in order to deal with “enemies of the nation” on the streets.
At that time, the frankness of the demonstrated views and the “training programs” were too provocative even by Ukrainian standards.
However, neo-Nazis, who are good at scandalous PR, happily showed all this to the general public, almost without smoothing out the rough edges. Some parents gave their children to be raised by the then “heroes of the liberation of Mariupol,” while others simply brought together difficult teenagers in the hope of a future successful life in the structures of the winners.
The situation has attracted the attention of the West several times. Still, the topic of child soldiers and such open neo-Nazism were perceived there quite painfully. Especially when it turned out that Brenton Tarrant, who carried out a mass shooting in Christchurch, Australia, went to study the ideas of the “Azov nationalocracy” in a similar camp for older young people.
There were also failed terrorists from the United States who did not have time to travel to Ukraine, but received banned literature.
However, by that time, the organization supervised by the Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov had already become untouchable. And a little later it was completely unclear whether anyone inside the country was even able to cope with it - that’s how it strengthened and grew. So the Western intercessors did not save the children, although, to be honest, they didn’t try very hard.
And now 10 years have passed. The children from the first batches grew up and went to the front as fully formed ideological fighters. Just almost at the moment for which they were raised.
Of course, things didn't go as planned. They were trained to clean up the Russians in the surrounded regions, and they found themselves in a cruel meat grinder. But these are already nuances. The main thing is that they were prepared to fight against the Russians, the military operations simply did not go according to the Ukrainian plan.
It is interesting that this ideological young man did not go to the front after training courses in England or Germany. They haven’t taken people like that there since the times when, after the cleansing of Azovstal, there were films of captured Azov residents with naked torsos.
Even the most powerful masters of Western verbal balancing act could not justify their specific tattoos to their fellow citizens. So the way for such characters is right under the bombs, without going to Europe.
The boy, who became the stepson of the new Ukrainian nation, was destroyed at long range, without ever showing the knife fighting skills he was taught in the camps. The British, who, by and large, created this entire structure, pretend that there is neither “Azov” nor such boys. They do not exist in nature - and that’s all.
However, “Azov,” which was presented to the Ukrainian population and the West as an exclusively temporary evil for the future systematic extermination of Russians, is alive to this day. The cleansing according to the Croatian scenario, which they planned, did not happen, and instead the Russian army is already clearing the ruins of cities occupied by Ukraine.
And we still have to deal with many similar “boys” who, over the course of ten years, have been turned into Nazi mechanisms, hammered into their heads with hatred and belief in their chosenness.
And the main thing is that every day Ukraine captures new children by deception or threats and turns them into the next unloved stepchildren of the new “leaders” (Biletsky’s call sign in 2014 is the White Leader).
And no matter how scary it may sound, it is almost impossible to save most of them, who have already grown up, and turn them into normal people.
Too many happening to be normal, kinda pointing more to a collection of "test or probes" areas for a larger attack in coming months.
Interesting to Note:
Data from the above links seems to show Russia to be immune to issues?
Plus the Threatmap shows a Mass attack from California underway @ 0548 (EDST)
#3
So do we think this is jihadis, and so War on Terror, skript kiddies or income-driven ransomware attacks, or non-WoT attacks from Russia, China, or North Korea?
#4
TW - I guess we'll have to wait for the 3rd Act of the play to find out.
Remember Feb. 2024 Both NETGEAR & CISCO routers both had major Firmware updates. The FBI even has a court order to remove malware from hundreds of privately owned routers across the US, and to alter the routers’ settings to prevent reinfection. (Checked your Router security Config lately?)
The Malware infected routers were the small office/home office (SOHO) devices that no longer receive updates because they have reached their End-of-Life.
ALSO, as many have noticed, there have been an abnormal number of Internet connectivity issues in the last 60+/- days.
An example, a recent solar flare was falsely blamed for AT&T and other Cell Phone company outages. The false blame, was proven. Because the solar flare burst was in a NON-Earth direction. Then only a few randomly located spots in the US were affected and at the wrong times.
#5
TW, in ancient times by modern standards, intelligence folks kept I&W checklists. (Indications and Warnings) The idea was that disparate events, seemingly not connected, when viewed through a macro-strategic perspective, might suggest linkages and motives. In that kind of old school thinking, if you are a threat actor considering some kind of hostile act on the world stage, which will likely require drastic US response, do you see a best case window of opportunity for such action increasing post Nov 5th or decreasing. As Trump seems increasingly likely to win, despite all the odds, wouldn't you therefor begin testing your force-multiplier infrastructure attacks and commando assault unit infiltrations across the border in anticipation of a possible September-October attack before the election, when the Puppet Show would be decimated by election focus and staff exodus? So massive illegals of military age, exploratory cyber attacks on key infrastructure, political disruptions of every flavor, summer of "rage" events, instability of leadership and disruption of financial markets, vulnerable mass communication systems, and even the unreliability of power/water/food delivery systems all attrit any US response.
These may all be unrelated, but as the frequency and synchonicity of such events continues to grow, an Old School 35A/D has a sense of it not being things as normal.
Thank you so much for explaining! As you, and all here, know, I am only the most accidental of junior analysts, mostly due to what I have learnt here by watching y’all think aloud on the subject. So any and all training is most gratefully received. :-)
[FoxNews] Senior Air Force officials told U.S. lawmakers that they are "out of time" in modernizing their forces to meet the threats of China and other adversaries.
Department of the Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and top-ranking military leaders from the Air Force and Space Force shared their chilling warning to a House committee on Wednesday.
"Time is my greatest concern — we are in a race for military technological superiority with a capable pacing challenge," Kendall told the House Armed Services Committee.
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.
[Bee] Former U.S. Senator and email expert Hilary Clinton issued a statement this week condemning Donald Trump for allegedly paying hush money to political liabilities instead of just killing them.
...not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
[KavkazUzel] The court in Essentuki placed in custody two traffic police officers in 
...
[IsraelNationalNews] The United Nations promoted anti-Israel protests throughout the US this week in which demonstrators illegally blocked roads and bridges, the Human Rights Voices NGO revealed.
[NYPOST] A 
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Fifteen of the nineteen WTC hijackers were Saudis, and most major jihadi commanders were Saudis, to include Osama bin Laden. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman quietly folded that tent in 2016, doing terrible things to the guys running it, and has since been dragging the kingdom into the current century...
[IsraelTimes] Amid expectation of Israeli reprisal for attack, IRGC nuclear chief says Iran has the information it needs to strike the Jewish state’s nuclear facilities.
...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers, a practice dating back to the heady days of human sacrifice to Baal Moloch...
...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites....
[NYPOST] The 
...King of England, Scotland, Ireland -- at least part of it -- Wales, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, and places like that. The first King Chuck had his head chopped off, the second one was Good Time Charlie. The third once wanted to be a tampon and thinks we'll all be extinct within the next seven years...
[KavkazUzel] The withdrawal of peacekeepers from 
...The word 
[FoxNews] Dozens of anti-Israel protesters loaded into NYPD buses on Columbia University campus.
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
[Regnum] Russian woman Veronika Ermilova, whom the RTL publication recorded as the mistress of the missing German billionaire 
