[IsraelTimes] Palestinian workers, villagers targeted while plowing West Bank land in work coordinated with the IDF; 5 Palestinians, 2 Israelis injured in clashes
Ultra-nationalist Israeli extremists attacked Palestinian farmers and residents conducting agricultural work on Palestinian land in the South Hebron Hills region of the West Bank on Wednesday, injuring five Palestinians.
Settler activists claimed that two Israeli youths were also injured in the incident, accusing Palestinians and “left-wing anarchists” of attacking them while they were grazing sheep in the area.
The IDF said, however, that the incident took place on Palestinian land during agricultural work coordinated by Palestinian landowners with and approved by the military authorities.
The Palestinian landowners had sought to plow their land located between the settlement of Susya and the illegal settlement outpost of Mitzpe Yair, west of the Palestinian village of Qawawis.
Palestinian farmers frequently need to coordinate access to their land with the IDF, especially in cases where the land is close to a settlement or outpost, supposedly to protect the Palestinians from attacks by extremists settlers.
Coordination for the agricultural work scheduled for Wednesday was only approved after a year of legal wrangling, following a petition to the High Court of Justice filed by attorney Dr. Quamar Mishiriq-Assad of the Haqel human rights organization, who frequently represents Palestinian residents of the region in legal proceedings.
Israeli extremists vandalize a tractor belonging to Palestinian farmers during an attack against Palestinian laborers and villagers close to the village of Qawawis in the South Hebron Hills region of the West Bank, January 22, 2025. (Courtesy Haqel – In Defense of Human Rights)
But despite the presence of IDF soldiers on the land to ensure the coordinated agricultural work went ahead, Israeli extremists attacked the Palestinian laborers, and reportedly the military personnel at the scene.
The IDF stated that “violent friction occurred between Palestinians and Israeli citizens during land work that was pre-planned on Palestinian territory, close to Mitzpe Yair.”
The IDF said that the incident included “mutual rock throwing and the use of pepper spray,” and that when reports of the incident were made IDF and Border Police forces “hurried to the spot and dispersed the incident.”
The IDF said no arrests were made, although Mishiriq-Assad said that two Palestinians were detained by the police and held at the Kiryat Arba police station. They were released later on Wednesday night.
Video footage taken by Palestinian and civil rights activists shows Israelis, some with tzitzit, ritual fringes, vandalizing a tractor belonging to the Palestinian laborers.
Photos from the scene also show the laborers and village residents suffering from the effects of the pepper spray which was sprayed in their eyes.
According to Mishiriq-Assad and other civil rights activists, the Israeli assailants attacked the Palestinians with rocks and clubs, sprayed them with pepper spray, and punctured the tires of a tractor being used to plow the land.
Five of the Palestinians injured in the incident were taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment, one of whom was still in the hospital late Wednesday night.
Commander of the IDF’s Yehuda Territorial Brigade Col. Shahar Barkai was reportedly at the scene and cancelled the agricultural work due to the violence, Mishiriq-Assad said.
But the Israeli assailants then made their way to Qawawis itself, attacking residents on the village’s land and vandalizing property, she added.
During the attack, Palestinian workers and villagers threw rocks at the Israelis, in an effort to fight them off activists said, causing head injuries to two of them. According to a statement by settler activists one of the injured Israelis was taken to the hospital, although Palestinian activists said they did not see Israeli ambulances arrive at the scene.
[IsraelTimes] Cop who shot two settlers amid attack on Palestinian towns reportedly tells investigators that the masked suspects maced him with pepper spray: ‘I was afraid they would lynch us’
[PJMedia] Around 3:15 on Monday, just hours after President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... was sworn in for his second presidential term, Border Patrol Agent David "Chris" Maland was murdered during a traffic stop on Interstate 91 between Newport and Orleans, Vermont, about 20 miles from the Canadian border.
While it's not exactly clear what Maland was looking for, authorities say Maland and one of the stopped car's two passengers engaged in a shoot-out. Both Maland and the passenger were killed, while the third person was injured and is currently at a local hospital.
Vincent Illuzzi, who serves as the state's attorney in nearby Essex County, told the News Agency that Dare Not be Named that he saw what he believed to be the traffic stop and didn't think much about it. It appeared that the agent's white pickup truck had its red and blue lights flashing, and a small blue car was parked in front of it. The agent and another person were talking in front of the truck and behind the car.
Initially, some media outlets reported that the suspect was possibly an undocumented Democrat, but according to the FBI, he was actually a German national who appears to be in the United States with a current visa. The FBI's Albany field office told Fox News that it is currently investigating the incident: "FBI Albany has numerous resources in the area, to include our Evidence Response Team (ERT), Victim Services, Digital Forensics, and dozens of Special Agents."
According to Paul Perez, president of the National Border Control Council, Maland was a canine handler. Perez told Fox News that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was involved, and the agencies were working together based off some intel they received. He says it wasn't a "targeted" operation, but it wasn't random, and Maland suspected the person or people he was looking for might be inside the car. He added that there are less Border Patrol Agents at the Canadian border compared to Mexico, so it's not unusual for them to work independently. Perez couldn't confirm whether the situation involved border security in any way, but he also confirmed that the suspect was not a U.S. citizen.
Either way, the situation highlights the fact that our national security threat isn't limited to the Mexican border. Last month, I wrote about how the number of terror suspects who enter the country illegally through Canada has grown exponentially since Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. The man who made Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter look competent, if only by comparison.... took office. In the last fiscal year, 358 potential terror suspects were encountered at the Canadian border, compared to just 52 at the Mexican one. Compare that to 2021 when only 54 suspected terrorist came in from Canada, while 103 came in from Mexico
Maland was 44 years old and a veteran of the United States Air Force. He'd been with the U.S. Border Patrol for nearly a decade, and he had reportedly transferred from Texas to Vermont to cover the northern border.
#3
I’ve held Mr. Wife’s hand like that across a table, Anomalous Sources. Of more concern to me as an omen is that she didn’t bother to dress up for that big date — hair not done (lots of fancy things to do with corn rows that do not involve just covering it all with a cheap nylon do-rag), no make-up, ugly, inexpensive casual dress with practically no accessories… I can understand her copying the new fashion of going make-up free, but usually she is much more polished. Honestly, she looks like she’s suffering from clinical depression, though of course I am not a psychiatrist and one mustn’t diagnose from afar under any circumstances.
🚨#BREAKING: Numerous emergency crews are on the scene of an active shooter situation after four police officers were shot while responding to a suicide in progress call.
[PJMedia] The wheels of justice are turning again as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has resumed its enforcement of immigration laws with vigor.
Tom Homan, the former ICE acting director and now Trump’s border czar, told Fox News’ John Roberts on Tuesday that ICE raids have already begun.
"Based on your initial schedule that today, roundups of criminal, illegal aliens in the process of deporting them would begin," Roberts began. "It seems to have been put on hold for a little while. When can we expect that to happen? Where will it begin?"
"No, it started," Homan clarified. "All these teams are out there as of today. We gave them the direction to prioritize public safety threats that we're looking for. So we've been working on the target list."
Homan also appeared on CNN ...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for... to talk about the efforts to deport illegals and told CNN’s Dana Bash that after years of being hamstrung, ICE officers are back to doing their job.
"ICE is out there enforcing the law today," Homan said. He emphasized that their primary focus is on public safety threats. "That will be our priority right out of the gate."
Homan made it clear that these operations are anything but random. "I wouldn’t call them raids," he said. "They’re targeted enforcement operations. They know exactly who they’re looking for... These are well-planned operations. They’re well-investigated."
While he didn’t reveal specific locations, citing officer safety concerns, he confirmed, "This happens throughout the nation."
When pressed on who ICE is targeting, Homan didn’t mince words: "It’s people in the country illegally who have a criminal conviction, that makes them a public safety threat—that’s our priority." ICE officers, he explained, rely on detailed investigative work. They track individuals on the non-detained docket — those who fail to show up in court, violate deportation orders, or have been involved in violent mostly peaceful crimes.
But Homan also highlighted a significant challenge that these sanctuary cities pose. In these jurisdictions, local jails refuse to cooperate with ICE, forcing officers to track down dangerous individuals in neighborhoods instead of the safer confines of a jail.
"It’s safer for the community, safer for the officers, and safer for the alien," Homan explained. "But when you release a public safety threat from a sanctuary jail and won’t give us access to them, that means we’ve got to go to the neighborhood to find them — and we will find them."
Of course, Homan didn’t shy away from addressing the reality that non-criminal illegals may get arrested and deported as well. "When we find them, they may be with others, others who don’t have a criminal conviction but are in the country illegally. They will be arrested too," he confirmed.
"ICE is going to enforce the immigration law," he said. "There’s nothing in the Immigration and Nationality Act that says you’ve got to be convicted of a serious crime to be removed from this country."
[X]
SNEAK PEEK: We embedded exclusively w/ ICE Boston today as they targeted egregious criminal aliens. We witnessed 8 arrests, including multiple MS-13, Interpol Red Notices, murder & rape suspects, & a volatile Haitian gang member w/ 18 convictions in recent years who told our… pic.twitter.com/LgerOp8dU8
…who told our cameras he “ain’t going back to Haiti” and “f**k Trump, Biden forever!”.
We also witnessed a “collateral” arrest, where ICE arrested an illegal alien who wasn’t their initial target - but was with a MS-13 gang member who had been released by a sanctuary jurisdiction yesterday with an ICE detainer not honored. These collateral arrests are something that border czar Tom Homan has warned would happen in sanctuary jurisdictions. At one point, a woman yelled out “thank you” to ICE as a violent illegal alien was being arrested in her neighborhood.
Story to come tomorrow on
@FoxNews
.
You won’t want to miss it.
#3
I wonder if the ICE will pay a visit to those factories that have illegals bussed to work and back. Seems like it would be easy pickins, but it seems like it would be bad for business.
#7
ICE will pay a visit to those factories that have illegals bussed to work
I suspect many of them will join the long columns self-deporting to Mexico, because airports and bus stations already have law enforcement on site. From Mexico they can fly/ride to elsewhere.
#10
If ICE wants to pick up some Haitians there's a couple hundred camped out by the railroad tracks just east of Snyder Park in Springfield, Ohio. That won't make a dent in the 15,000 plus that have been dumped here in the past couple years but its a start
[IsraelTimes] Senior UN aid official says some kids tried to loot food baskets, water; believes issue will be resolved when Gazans realize there’s enough for everyone.
There would have been plenty long since, but Hamas has been hoarding it to control the population and profit off the black market they created and controlled.
#1
No surprise: after all, the same "western elites" that support the poor, oppressed "Palestinians"; support Muslim colonists' oppression of their own native populations.
I call BS.
Stop and imagine for a second the lines at the limited number of inspection stations and the limited number of usable roads leading into GAZA now.
[IsraelTimes] It expanded because it was tolerated where not encouraged. President Trump changes that equation, so I expect the reverse will spread as rapidly.
Hamas sabotaged Iran-U.S. nuclear talks, says Iran's Vice President for Strategic Affairs Javad Zarif:
“We didn’t know about October 7. We were set to meet Americans on JCPOA renewal on October 9, but the operation destroyed it.” pic.twitter.com/Y8rMEJmvEg
In Davos, Mohammad Javad Zarif also says Israel failed in its Gaza war objectives, Tehran not building nukes; report says Iran to receive missile fuel shipment from China.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2025
2025-01-23 00:53 ||
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#1
And you can believe as much of that as you want.
[KhaamaPress] The head of an organization assisting Afghan refugees, Shawn VanDiver, expressed concerns over President Trump’s executive order suspending refugee admissions. He noted that at least 2,000 eligible Afghan refugees, already approved by the U.S. government for resettlement, are now left in limbo.
A White House adviser, Tom Homan, stated that the Trump administration’s immigration policies, including the refugee program, are under review. He cited security concerns as a significant issue that needs to be addressed before continuing with the admissions process.
VanDiver, representing the Afghan Evac initiative, highlighted the plight of Afghan refugees who remain in hiding and uncertainty, particularly those who collaborated with the U.S. government during the Afghanistan war. He emphasized the urgent need to ensure their safety.
According to Trump’s new executive order, signed yesterday, refugee admissions have been suspended for at least 90 days starting January 27. During this period, the Departments of Homeland Security and State will evaluate whether the program serves U.S. interests.
Critics of the Biden administration, including Republican politicians, have accused it of mishandling the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. They argue that the failure to evacuate all Afghan allies has left many at risk of persecution and retribution from the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... While over 180,000 Afghans have been evacuated to the U.S. since the withdrawal in August 2021, concerns persist over the fate of those still stranded in Afghanistan and Pakistain, as well as the security vetting process for those seeking resettlement.
Many stranded Afghans in Afghanistan and Pakistain are facing dire situations, including persecution, economic hardships, and fear of retaliation from the Taliban. These individuals, who risked their lives by working alongside U.S. forces, feel abandoned by the very government they supported.
With limited access to resources and international assistance, these individuals often resort to hiding, unable to lead normal lives due to constant threats. The prolonged uncertainty has exacerbated their suffering, leading to a worsening humanitarian crisis.
#1
The Afghanistan engagement was at best an amoral, realpolitik based temporary engagement with an "enemy-of-my-enemy."
This engagement ultimately ended in catastrophic failure and dangerously weakened Western deterrence.
Afghans who were in allegiance with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan cannot logically be allies of Western nations since the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was a hostile and evil entity.
"Liberated Afghanistan's" redeeming quality was the more passive nature of its aggression compared to the Taliban, but in absolute terms its rejection of peaceful coexistence with Western nations made it an entity that was officially more hostile than the post-Stalin Soviet Union.
The West owes Afghanistan and the Afghan people nothing.
#4
From '01 to '21 the Afghans let us know in no uncertain terms that they not only rejected Western style freedom in Afghanistan but that they also wanted to abolish Western civilization globally.
The Afghans coming to the West see themselves as conquerors and subjugators, and any Western polity would be suicidally foolish to allow Afghan immigration.
The average Afghan might only have born limited responsibility for 9/11.
This could justify abstaining from collective punishment of Afghanistan as a whole, but it would be no justification for any form of collective reward.
#6
There are individuals who believe in the West and honestly tried to help us defeat the jihadis, and they and their families are at risk from the Taliban. There are plenty more who took advantage of the good paycheck. They’re also at risk from the Taliban unless they secretly helped the other side, which many did.
There are some ugly moral questions here. But regardless, we owe it to them and ourselves to make a decision about how we’re going to handle the situation so these people can get on with their lives, one way or another.
#7
Like Iran, Afghanistan has had Western-Civilization-compatible societies in the past, so there is hope that such could return, but 'we' can't impose it on them.
The Islamic Republic was committed to the abolition of Western civilization in the West. They didn't accept an arrangement of peaceful coexistence.
The West went into Afghanistan in the first place because of an heinous, treacherous mass fatality attack.
I do think that it was a grave mistake not to retaliate after 9/11 as this decision made sure that Western deterrence would erode, but that is a matter of judgment; opinions can differ.
I see absolutely no justification for collectively rewarding the Afghans in any way, shape or form.
There has been and there is a puzzling lack of outrage over the Afghans' disturbing and appalling behavior in Western public opinion.
As they do, periodically, because Baha’i is a heresy of Islam, and so as far as the Mad Mullahs are concerned, they need to be strongly encouraged to revert to the Master Religion.
[IsraelTimes] Bahai organization calls arrests part of Tehran’s ‘escalating campaign of persecution’ against members of the religion, including ‘systematic targeting of women’
Iranian authorities on Wednesday arrested 10 women members of the Bahai community, a representative group said, warning of escalating repression against one of the country’s biggest non-Moslem religious minorities.
"Security forces arrested 10 Bahai women, without arrest warrants or prior notification, in a series of shocking home raids," the Bahai International Community (BIC), which represents, at the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... , the interests of faith members worldwide, said in a statement.
It said security agents scaled walls, coerced neighbors and even posed as utility workers to force entry into the women’s homes, "subjecting them to distressing and invasive searches."
The women face charges including participation in conducting "deviant" educational and propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law.
"The Iranian government has once again shown its true face," said Simin Fahandej, BIC representative at the UN in Geneva, calling the raids "yet another senseless act against women who are completely innocent."
"Their so-called ’crime’ was to serve their local communities, and now the Iranian government has detained them in violent mostly peaceful home raids," she said.
The BIC called the arrests "part of a systematic and escalating campaign of persecution against the Bahai."
In December, UN experts in a statement voiced concern over "what appears to be an increase in systematic targeting of women" belonging to the Bahai minority throughout Iran.
US-based rights group Human Rights Watch said in April that the Iranian authorities’ persecution of the Bahais since the Islamic revolution of 1979 constitutes a "crime against humanity of persecution."
Unlike other minorities, Bahais have not had their faith recognized by Iran’s constitution, and have no reserved seats in parliament.
How many members of the community remain 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... is not known, but activists believe there could still be several hundred thousand.
The Bahai faith is a relatively young monotheistic religion with spiritual roots dating back to the early 19th century in Iran.
Senior community figures Mahvash Sabet, a 71-year-old poet, and Fariba Kamalabadi, 62, were both arrested in July 2022, and are serving 10-year jail sentences. Both women had previously been tossed in the clink Please don't kill me! by the authorities over the past two decades.
Sabet risks being sent back to prison after being given leave for open heart surgery, supporters have warned, while Kamalabadi remains in jail.
#1
I remember looking at the Baha’i back in the early 2000’s. They had some influencer that I devoted a dislike for. Maybe I would agree with his point of view now but I expect not.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2025 10:08
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[NYPOST] Columbia University erupted in another round of anti-Israel protests Tuesday, with masked people disrupting classes and passing out flyers showing a boot stamping on a Star of David, witnesses told The Post.
Video shows the masked protesters bursting into a History of Modern Israel class on campus and handing out flyers showing an Israeli flag on fire and the words “Burn Zionism to the ground.”
The incident comes as Columbia was named the “national model” for anti-Israel protest — setting a template copied by others for coordinated protests across the country, according to a watchdog group.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2025
2025-01-23 00:35 ||
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#1
Some of the consequences of the (brilliant) idea that everyone should go to college.
In its report looking at protests on campus last year, the Canary Mission identified more than 300 Columbia faculty, students and others who were “influential in promoting Hamas ideology at Columbia” after the terror group’s October 7 attacks on Israel, which left 1,200 Israelis dead and saw 250 taken hostage.
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However, most of the people who took part in the protests were “outside agitators” and only 68 were Columbia students, according to the 53-page study “From Tehran to Columbia: Inside America’s Student Intifada.”
Current University President Katrina Armstrong later made a statement, saying: “We strongly condemn this disruption, as well as the fliers that included violent imagery that is unacceptable on our campus.
“Disrupting academic activities constitutes a violation of the Rules of University conduct … We will move quickly to investigate and address this act.
“Any act of antisemitism, or other form of discrimination, harassment, or intimidation against members of our community will not be tolerated.”
Elsewhere across Columbia Tuesday — despite a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war — protesters banged drums, chanted and distributed the clearly antisemitic propaganda.
Vowing to continue their protests in 2025, the groups Columbia University Apartheid Divest and Within Our Lifetime wrote “We will not stop” in a social media post calling on people to attend their rally.
Columbia students Aidan Parisi as well as Andrew Timberg, a student in the Department of Religion, have also been heavily involved in the protests. Timberg was the spokesman for Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a coalition of 80 anti-Israel groups, the study says.
“SJP chapters on college campuses across the US serve as student arms of Iran’s terror proxy, Hamas,” the report says, adding that Columbia hosted the first national SJP conference, during which it adopted “points of unity,” which included the destruction of Israel.
A spokesperson for Columbia said the school “strongly condemns antisemitism.”
“We are resolute that calls for violence or harm have no place at our University,” the spokesperson said.
“Since assuming her role in August, Interim President [Katrina] Armstrong and her leadership team have taken decisive actions to reinforce Columbia’s academic mission, make our community safe, and strengthen and clarify our disciplinary processes.”
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2025 11:07
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#4
I suspect New York City has anti-KKK laws about covered faces to hide identities while in public. They, like so many others, have just chosen not to enforce them for favoured groups.
[IsraelTimes] MBS says he plans to invest $600b in US during 2nd Trump term; Netanyahu fields first call from new Secretary of State Rubio, who vows to ‘work tirelessly’ for the hostages’ freedom.
[IsraelTimes] Yehud is thought to be held by Islamic Jihad, leading to apparent concern that Hamas could attempt to put off her release; IDF says troops killed gunman posing threat amid ceasefire
Israel has conveyed to Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... that it expects the terror group to free hostage Arbel Yehud in this weekend’s upcoming release of four hostages from 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 a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip, under the ceasefire deal, according to multiple Hebrew media reports on Wednesday.
Yehud is among the civilian hostages held by Gaza terrorists, and, as a female civilian, should be in the next batch freed. However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... she is thought to be held by the 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... terror group and not Hamas, apparently leading to concern in Jerusalem that Hamas may attempt to put off her release.
Under the agreement, Hamas is expected to provide the names of the four female hostages to be freed by Friday, a day before their scheduled release.
Yehud, now 29, was taken hostage with her boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, from their Kibbutz Nir Oz home on October 7. Her brother, Dolev Yehud, was killed on October 7, while defending the kibbutz, and his remains were identified on June 3, 2024.
She is one one seven female hostages remaining from the original list of 33 to be released in the first phase of the hostage ceasefire deal. The others are Shiri Silberman Bibas, 33; Liri Albag, 19; Karina Ariev, 20; Agam Berger, 21; Danielle Gilboa, 20 and Naama Levy, 20.
Yehud and and Silberman Bibas are both civilians, while Albag, Ariev, Berger, Gilboa and Levy are soldiers. Bibas’s two young sons Ariel and Kfir, now aged 5 and 2, are also held and are on the list, as is her husband, Yarden Bibas.
For each of the female soldiers, Israel will release 50 Paleostinian prisoners, 30 of them convicted turbans who are serving life sentences. On Monday, Israel released 30 prisoners for each of the three civilian female hostages — Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher — Hamas set free the previous afternoon.
TROOPS KILL ISLAMIC JIHAD GUNMAN IN GAZA
Earlier Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said troops deployed inside the enclave amid the ceasefire opened fire on several threats in the past day.
In one incident in southern Gaza, the military said troops identified several button men "who posed a threat." At least one of the button men, identified by the IDF as Paleostinian Islamic Jihad operative Akram Zanoun, was killed.
In other areas of Gaza, the IDF said troops fired warning shots, after identifying masked suspects approaching them.
"The IDF is determined to fully implement the terms of the agreement to return the hostages. The IDF is prepared for any scenario, and will continue to take all necessary actions to remove any immediate threat to IDF soldiers," the military said.
"The IDF once again calls on Paleostinian civilians to obey IDF instructions and not approach the forces deployed in the area," it added.
Separately, the IDF acknowledged that it did not kill the commander of Hamas’s Beit Hanoun battalion back in May, after footage published today showed the commander, Hussein Fiad, alive.
In a statement, the army said that, after Fiad was targeted in May, "it was determined with a high level of probability by the IDF and Shin Bet that he had been eliminated, following which an IDF spokesperson statement on the subject was issued.
"After further examination, it emerged that the intelligence findings upon which the Intelligence Directorate and Shin Bet relied were not accurate enough," the military said.
Also Wednesday, reports in Paleostinian media claimed that the Hamas operative who killed Border Police officer Staff Sgt. Barel Hadaria Shmueli during a riot on the Gaza border in August 2021 was killed during fighting in Jabalia.
The reports identified the operative as Muhammad Maher Abu Jasser, and said his body was recently found during the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The military and Shin Bet did not confirm the details.
On August 21, 2021, Paleostinians in the Gaza Strip held a large demonstration along the Gaza border, near the defunct Karni Crossing. At one point during the demonstration, dozens of rioters rushed the border barrier, up to a hole in the concrete wall that was being used by Israeli snipers as a firing position.
One man, apparently Abu Jasser, armed with a gun, approached the hole in the wall, stuck his pistol through it, and fired three times. One of these shots struck Shmueli in the head, critically wounding him. He died of his injury days later.
#1
Fifty Hamas prisoners released per Israeli hostage? How many Israels will they kill later? How many IDF will die trying to recapture or kill them? And it eliminates any deterrence value of IDF efforts to date. Sorry, I am cruel-hearted, I know, but IMO the hostages should have been regarded as 'dead' as far as their impact on strategy or (mostly) tactics.
#2
There will be some murders by released terrorists, Glenmore, but the vast majority will have reason to be re-arrested in short order. And now their Shin Bet files are crammed full biometric information and the names of their friends, relations, and jihadi org. table of organization. So it’s not quite as bad as it might have been.
[IsraelTimes] Foreign Minister Sa’ar tells UN envoy to Lebanon no compromise on security; strategic affairs minister said to discuss with US security chief extending ceasefire grace period
Israel Defense Forces troops operating on the Lebanese side of Mount Dov in recent days captured numerous weapons, the military said Wednesday, as it swept the area for Hezbollah caches, ahead of a planned withdrawal under the terms of a November ceasefire that ended a war with the Iran-backed terror group.
Members of the 810th "Mountains" Regional Brigade located and seized anti-tank missiles and launchers, rocket launchers, machine guns, and other weapons, it said.
The IDF is still deployed to some areas of southern Leb ...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.
Israel has accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire hundreds of times with terror operatives moving ammunition, attempting to attack Israeli soldiers, and preparing to launch rockets toward northern Israel among other things.
As part of the truce agreement signed by Israel and the terror group on November 27, the IDF is required to cede all of its positions in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese army within 60 days. At the same time, Hezbollah is required to retreat north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border with Israel.
With the exit deadline approaching next week, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told the visiting UN envoy to Lebanon that Israel is committed to upholding the agreement as long as its security is maintained.
"I emphasized that Israel is committed to implementing the ceasefire agreement, but will not compromise on its security," Sa’ar said of his meeting with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis. "There is an opportunity for Lebanon to break free from the Iranian occupation and build a better future!"
By January 26, Israeli troops are scheduled to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon to complete the ceasefire deal reached in November, with the Lebanese Army deploying in the area alongside international peacekeepers. Israel has warned that any violations of the deal by Hezbollah be answered in kind.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel is entitled to act against immediate threats posed by Hezbollah, but must forward complaints about longer-term threats to an oversight committee comprised of representatives from the US, La Belle France, Lebanon, and the international peacekeeping force UNIFIL.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer spoke on Tuesday with US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, the Kan public broadcaster reported. A source familiar with the call said the two officials discussed lengthening the ceasefire grace period, an idea that has previously been floated.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to hold a meeting with security bigshots about the withdrawal date on Thursday, Kan said.
According to the network, IDF officials have repeatedly warned about Hezbollah violations including three weeks ago when IDF Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at a special session held in the north that Hezbollah has broken the terms of the ceasefire hundreds of times.
Gordin told the forum members that the Lebanese army, which is supposed to be enforcing the ceasefire by preventing Hezbollah’s presence along the border, is in some places instead helping the terror group. He reportedly said that is happening in areas where the Lebanese army commanders on the ground and their units are Shia Moslems, in line with the ideology of Hezbollah and its sponsor Iran.
According to the report, army representatives gave a similar update during a closed-door meeting of the committee that was held this week at the Knesset. Among the examples cited were that Hezbollah is manufacturing and storing weapons, as well as deploying forces in areas prohibited under the truce. Some of the violations are not being dealt with, even by Israel, the representatives said according to the report.
The army told MKS that, given the situation, it cannot withdraw from south Lebanon next week on the 60th day of the ceasefire as was agreed in the deal.
The IDF did not respond to the report, Kan said.
Speaking to The Times of Israel last month, a military source confirmed that the IDF was gearing up for the possibility that troops would stay beyond the 60-day period as the Lebanese army is currently deploying too slowly to the southern Lebanon area, allowing Hezbollah time to regroup.
In addition to slow deployment rates, the Lebanese army is failing to attack Hezbollah targets when the opportunity arises. Nevertheless, the source said that while extending the length of the IDF’s deployment would test the ceasefire agreement, it would not necessarily collapse.
Lebanon has accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement and last month submitted a complaint to the UN Security Council alleging that Israel launched some 816 "ground and air attacks" between the start of the ceasefire and December 22, 2024.
The complaint said that the attacks have hindered the Lebanese army’s efforts to deploy in the south and uphold its end of the agreement, a claim that Israel disputes.
Israel has also complained to the UN Security Council about Lebanese violations.
[TN Con News]Republican lawmakers’ plan for immigration includes a new division within Tennessee’s Department of Public Safety and punishment for sanctuary cities.
The Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division would be led by someone appointed by the governor to work with the Trump administration, according to information released by Gov. Bill Lee and Republican legislative leaders Wednesday.
The package up for consideration at Monday’s special session includes the creation of a new Class E felony for local officials who agree to become sanctuary cities. The punch line:
3. Local accountability: Creates a Class E felony offense for local officials who adopt or maintain sanctuary city policies in violation of state law and empowers the Tennessee Attorney General to initiate removal proceedings for officials convicted of violating anti-sanctuary city provisions. Awaiting proof - like many "Red" States, there is a strong RINO contingent
The text of the 14th Amendment contains two requirements for acquiring automatic citizenship by birth: one must be born in the United States and be subject to its jurisdiction. The proper understanding of the Citizenship Clause therefore turns on what the drafters of the amendment, and those who ratified it, meant by “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.
...
So which understanding of “subject to the jurisdiction” did the drafters of the 14th Amendment have in mind?
Happily, we don’t need to speculate, as they were asked that very question. They unambiguously stated that it meant “complete” jurisdiction, such as existed under the law at the time, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which excluded from citizenship those born on U.S. soil who were “subject to a foreign power.”
The Supreme Court confirmed that understanding (albeit in dicta) in the first case addressing the 14th Amendment, noting in The Slaughterhouse Cases in 1872 that “[t]he phrase, ‘subject to its jurisdiction’ was intended to exclude from its operation children of ministers, consuls, and citizens or subjects of foreign States born within the United States.” It then confirmed that understanding in the 1884 case of Elk v. Wilkins, holding that the “subject to the jurisdiction” phrase required that one be “not merely subject in some respect or degree to the jurisdiction of the United States, but completely subject to their political jurisdiction, and owing them direct and immediate allegiance.”
#3
Illegals using birthright to stay at the taxpayers expense. Are benefiting from a crime they commited. US law has always disallowed criminals from getting or keeping what is taken illegally.
#4
Not just illegals. There is an entire industry around birthright tourism, where Chinese Communist Party and similar wealthy, connected husbands around the world send their wives to our shores to deliver their babies, so that the “American” kids can return here for university and work or refuge later.
That was how it worked for Al Qaeda in the Arabia Peninsula big turban Anwar al-Awlaki,who was born here while his father was at grad school on a Fulbright scholarship.
#5
The intent was to shortstop the southern states from classifying former slaves and their children as non-citizens. I think we've move well beyond the expiration date that.
The illogical aspect of foreigners born in the US having American citizenship runs against our over half century of experience of our troops and their families overseas with births in those nations. If the principle is that where one is birthed, then those children of those servicemembers are foreigners not American citizens. However, they're considered American because at least one of the parents (or sperm/egg donor) is American which should be the same principle applied here.
#9
based upon past experience, don't assume our judges really know the law.
The executive order was always a trial balloon, to see if President Trump could do it the easy way. This shows they’ll need to push it to the Supreme Court, then if it fails there, Congress will need to pass a law. Which then will probably need to go to the Supreme Court, but this was never going to be one of the easy ones.
Reversing LBJ’s EO will probably have to go the same route, given the number of precedents and regulations based on the thing. But that was always the plan — try a presidential executive order first, then do the hard work.
atb that time "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" embraced only those who were subject to the complete jurisdiction of the United States, which could not be properly said of Indians in tribal relations (e.g. they could not be taxed).
That is not true for non-citizens (legal status or not) on U.S. soil. They are (fully) subject to the jurisdiction of the United States (they have to follow all the laws of the U.S. and are taxed, of course).
As we were when we (legally) lived and worked in the U.S. Our second daughter was born in the U.S. and is, of course, a U.S. citizen (currently studying in the U.S.).
The only exception nowadays are diplomats who are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/23/2025 17:46
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[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives appeared to try and avoid Donald Trump's anti-DEI executive order by switching the job title of its Chief Diversity Officer.
On Tuesday, Trump's administration ordered federal agencies to place all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) hires on paid leave pending review and warned authorities not to use 'coded or imprecise language' to circumvent the move.
But within a day of the order being announced, eagle-eyed online sleuths noticed the ATF's Chief Diversity Officer Lisa T. Boykin had a new job title, appearing to have been updated to 'Senior Executive.'
The ATF did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the claim it tried to go around Trump's executive order.
The move came after Trump signed an executive order on Monday within hours of being sworn-in that aimed to eradicate all DEI programs within the federal government.
The next day, the White House released a memo to federal agencies ordering them to not only place all DEI hires on paid leave by 5pm Wednesday, but to quickly form plans to fire every one of them.
In a letter first obtained by CBS News, the agencies were ordered to 'take prompt actions' against all DEI departments, with all employees warned to report 'any efforts to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language' - or risk 'adverse consequences.'
Monday's order was one of a raft of executive orders Trump moved quickly on, also including withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization, ordering all federal employees return to in-person work, and rescinding 78 Biden-era executive orders.
[X]
What’s beautiful is that thanks to the Interwebs and X, they can’t hide this stuff anymore.
We are unleashing the power of thousands of autistic guys with time on their hands to dig in deep and uncover the lies and deceptions. https://t.co/AGqViv1WrG
#1
I thought I would always remember ATF as the agency that smuggled assault rifles to the Mexican cartels. Now I have another reason.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/23/2025 12:36
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#2
The ATF may be the dumbest federal agency. This is like a kid crouching under a blanket in Hide and Seek.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2025 14:57
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#3
As if I didn't hate the ATF enough...
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
01/23/2025 15:47
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#4
The ATF made some egregious mistakes during Waco operation against the Branch Davidians.
Four ATF agents were killed in that operation.
The ATF makes mistakes all the time but that is partly because the it gets involved in complex situations where intel is sketchy or wrong. The working level of agents are mostly good people and well trained. The political appointees are typically sub competent. In many Federal positions, sub competent people at the top can be ameliorated by competent people at the working level. Unfortunately, this is sometimes not the case at the ATF.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
01/23/2025 15:55
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#5
You know, there's a solution generally used when employees lie to you.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/23/2025 16:05
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#6
Terminate the DEI head and then terminate the ATF supervisor that tried this little hornswoggle -- pour encourager les autres.
#1
AI is bad with facts but good with art, even free AI on the internet can generate a themed mascot character design within seconds, for the cost of looking at some cheap ads.
This $1.8 billion budget item looks more like a front for a serious kickback / money laundering scheme.
[FoxNews] On Tuesday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order revoking President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s Executive Order 11246 from September of 1965 (and many other similar orders and memoranda from over the decades since). Trump’s new order is true to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 14th Amendment. Trump’s order can be read here.
The horrible turn taken by Johnson towards "counting by race," was a deep one, a turn extended by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in the 1978 Bakke decision and only finally and fully repudiated by SCOTUS in recent years is now federal policy that can be enforced by the Civil Rights Division at DOJ and the Office of Civil Rights at Department of Education.
This is neither a "liberal" nor a "conservative" action. It is the Constitution speaking, as the Constitution was amended to eradicate the great stain of slavery after the long and bloody Civil War.
The path to the original public meaning of the 14th Amendment has taken from 1868, when the 14th Amendment was ratified, until Tuesday to complete: Citizens of the United States may not have penalties inflicted upon them or awards given them based on any immutable characteristic or religious belief. No institution, from Harvard College, founded long before the Constitution was ratified, or the local convenience store, may lawfully violate this first principle of the 14th Amendment.
Do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity or religious belief. Period.
The 19th century SCOTUS took a horrible turn in the Slaughterhouse Cases which mangled the interpretation of the 14th Amendment and then the Plessy decision and the Supreme Court righted itself in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. The Congress enshrined the core principle above in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Johnson did not understand what he launched, but in the past 20 years, "counting by race, gender, sexual orientation," along with hardships and discrimination against people of faith have taken deep root in government and elite institutions.
The Supreme Court has flailed for almost 50 years to finally, and I hope irreversibly, settle on what Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King and most recently Chief Justice John Roberts has concisely and eloquently stated in the 2007 case Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 when he wrote, "The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."
The chief justice lacked sufficient originalist allies on the highest court to infuse this bedrock principal of sound constitutional law into every fiber of government at every level of government until President Trump nominated and the United States Senate confirmed three new justices during Trump’s first term. Now the originalist majority is a solid six votes.
Trump’s executive order may be challenged. I hope it is.
The Supreme Court, built in part by President Trump, has already affirmed the original meaning of the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in recent years. Let any institution challenge this new EO and they will discover it is on the firmest of constitutional grounds.
Bravo to the many hands that crafted it and especially to President Trump who signed it.
#2
This is only one of the many, many reasons why I consider Johnson the absolute worst president in my memory. Carter was inept. Obama was bad and Biden was merely a bumbling continuation of Obama. LBJ was rotten to the core.
What was it Martin Luther King said?
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
The only way to get from there to Affirmative Action is with a pandering, evil, twisted politician like Lyndon Baines Johnson. This is only one step away from his poisonous legacy. Many, many more are needed.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/23/2025 12:27
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[FoxNews] The House Homeland Security Committee is highlighting threats posed by homegrown extremists inspired by foreign jihadist networks.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., said Wednesday the "national security blunders of the past four years" have "emboldened" foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and homegrown violent extremism.
The committee on Wednesday morning released an updated version of its Terror Threat Snapshot assessment, highlighting threats posed by homegrown extremists inspired by foreign jihadist networks like ISIS in America and around the world.
Image of the snapshot can be seen at the link.
The updated report comes less than a month after Texas native and U.S. military veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar killed 14 civilians Jan. 1, when he drove a truck through crowds of New Year's revelers on Bourbon Street around 3 a.m. in what federal authorities described as an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack.
"The New Orleans terrorist attack was a stark reminder that the terror threat to America is alive and persistent," Green said. "The House Homeland Security Committee highlighted this fact back in October, and, sadly, Americans have witnessed major escalations in these threats just in the past three months."
The report details more than 50 jihadist cases across 30 states between April 2021 and January 2025, including "dozens of attempts to provide material support to ISIS," "providing material support to Hizballah and al Qaeda," "receiving military-type training from ISIS and Hizballah" and "vehicle ramming attacks."
From the botched Afghanistan withdrawal in August 2021 to the New Orleans attack, the report includes a detailed list of all alarming terrorist-inspired attacks and arrests since former President Biden took office four years ago.
The New Orleans terrorist attack was a stark reminder that the terror threat to America is significant and growing.
Our updated "Terror Threat Snapshot" reflects the ongoing threats that the U.S. faces from individuals radicalized to commit violence against Americans. pic.twitter.com/Fx3DRWanLg
[FoxNews] Biden administration claimed violent crime rate in US was at 50-year low
A law enforcement expert is poking holes in the now-former Biden administration Department of Justice's repeated claims that violent crime sank to a 50-year record low, saying the agency "manipulated data" to reach its conclusion.
In 2024, the Biden administration repeatedly claimed that violent crime was at a 50-year low, based on FBI statistics. The FBI defines the following as "violent crime": murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
But Ken Alexandrow, a security expert who served for 26 years as a Nashville, Tennessee, police officer, said the former administration "manipulated data" to reach a certain outcome.
"The way crime statistics are developed is that police departments around the nation send all their category 1 crimes, which are violent crimes, to the FBI. And then the FBI develops nationwide statistics," Alexandrow said. "But the changes happen when a new administration comes in, and they change the reporting conditions."
CHANGE OF REPORTING PROGRAMS
The Biden administration did just that, Alexandrow alleged. He said the administration changed reporting from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).
"If you ask anybody on the street, no one will tell you that they feel safer or that crime is going down. However, it's the job of any leader, whether they're local, state or federal, to make your constituency feel safe. So how can we do that? Well, several police chiefs and city managers have been in trouble for manipulating stats," he said.
Alexandrow, who founded Agape Tactical LLC, said police departments will remove "pieces of the pie" to show constituents that crime is going down.
"A city may remove domestic murders one year, and then the next they'll remove drug-related murders so they're taking two pieces of the pie out," he said. "So to manipulate their statistics, they take sections of the population out to prove that they're doing their job."
"The government has done the same thing by changing the way that crime is reported," he said.
PERCENTAGE OF POLICE DEPARTMENTS NOT REPORTING
He said that in 2023, 70% of police departments that were reporting under the UCR program stopped reporting under the NIBRS program.
"And keep in mind, those are cities, including L.A., Chicago and New York City, along with 45% of Florida departments, not reporting," he said. "When you have these major cities not reporting, you're going to have a tremendous drop in crimes and, therefore, your statistics and your percentages will drop."
BIDEN ADMIN PREVIOUSLY SHIFTING CRIME STATS
In 2022, the Biden administration's FBI quietly updated its crime data to show an increase in violent crimes despite previous data showing violent crimes had fallen that year, which was touted as a victory for the administration.
The data was lauded by Democrats and the media as part of a turning point for crime woes in the U.S. after the crime wave of 2020, when defund-the-police protests and riots swept the nation and the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders upended daily life.
#2
At some point here shortly Trump is going to send the Canadian government into crisis with tariffs. Justin is trying to stall things by keeping Parliament out of session, but Trump can choke him out at will. Trudeau probably has his overnight kit packed for his emergency trip to DC for another helping of humiliation. He made fun of Trump in his first term. That was a bad mistake.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2025 15:03
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In a post on X, Altman wrote that watching Trump “more carefully recently has really changed my perspective on him,” noting, “I’m not going to agree with him on everything, but I think he will be incredible for the country in many ways!”
Trump announced on Tuesday a “Stargate” AI infrastructure deal funded by OpenAI, Oracle, Japan-based SoftBank and Emirati-based MGX, which Trump said would help develop the technology in the U.S. and create more than 100,000 jobs.
Altman said he wished he had “done more of my own thinking” and “fell in the NPC trap,” echoing a phrase often used by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who appears to refer to his critics and media outlets as “non-playable characters” (NPCs) to imply their opinions are controlled by someone else.
#4
Also, I do have to wonder if he still wanted a real assassination after the Butler assassination came so close to succeeding, and if he still feels that way now. Wishcasting a flippant remark is one thing; wanting to be the one to make something real happen is another thing altogether, especially after all that’s come out since. And how many of his acquaintance have come around to supporting President Trump? The preference cascade is broad and deep, shockingly (to people like him) encompassing Blacks and Latinos, union members, 18-34 year olds — especially the men in that age group — Zionists, Silicon Valley/tech types, and severely disappointed major Biden/Harris donors. The only ones standing firm are government bureaucrats, wine moms who watch The View, and Antifa fans.
#1
A FOIA request to uncover the policy would be the beginning. If the response does not turn anything up, a look by the IG and Harmeet’s office would be worthwhile.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2025 7:28
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This is my home, my pregnant wife @WifeOfCombatVet, and my then 4-year-old son the Thursday morning when our home was raided by the FBI. The following day we lost our baby.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A hero Los Angeles County fire captain thwarted a suspected looter as she allegedly attempted to steal an Emmy award from the rubble of an Altadena home.
Captain Craig Heard was with a crew fighting the Eaton Fire in north east LA when he spotted a woman with a white Ram truck full of items – including what appeared to be one of the coveted Hollywood TV awards.
Heard confronted the woman and grabbed the golden statue, while she protested that she was not a looter and the items were her own.
The incident was caught on video by a witness and shared with DailyMail.com.
'No way,' Heard told the woman. 'You are not doing this. These are our houses. We tried to save all these people. You're not stealing from them.'
'I'm not looting sir,' she yelled back. 'I'm not stealing that. This is my stuff. I'm calling my lawyer.'
As she strode back towards her truck, Heard said: 'You're not going anywhere.'
A witness said Heard jumped in the passenger side of the truck and grabbed the keys to prevent the suspected looter driving away.
LA sheriff deputies showed up and arrested the woman at the scene, on the 400 block of West Harriet Street in Altadena.
#1
She is on video. If she isn’t prosecuted, recall the DA.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2025 7:40
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#2
It is just poor Liberal Democrats stealing redistributing wealth. This time from Richer Liberal Democrats.
After all, it's a very common practice of Liberals & Democrats, that we have seen time and time again, during their looting and pillaging peaceful protests.
#8
To misquote Markus Ramius:
Some of the things here don't react well to bullets.
That said:
We did a practice shooter event a few years back, and our unofficial AAR a Truck Gun, as the ranchers call it, was brought up. It was turned down, with obvious safety reasons with lots of equipment getting moved around for a, locally, very unlikely event, as well as legal and insurance reasons, "Under what authority and training did you use a firearm?"
Here, they could claim active fire scene which includes commandeering equipment and vehicles in order to make the scene safe. With the current systems in place, it is best that the 'suspect' didn't act the fool.
Normally, police are on scene to do just that, secure the scene for safe firefighting operations. An around on that, considering the scope and stretching of resources, certain firefighters, such as command and safety officers, could be deputized, but again if there is an incident the training aspect would come under scrutiny.
#9
Exactly the problem Glenmore. In an active fire situation, firefighters control the scene until released to police, so even if it was her place, she can be denied entrance until a proper fire investigation is concluded and then is released to police, who both have powers to deny access to everyone until both agencies have had their say an the site is declared not under investigation and is safe.
Trespassing on your own property is a sour taste, but that is the system in place, locally at least, not familiar with California laws.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Disturbing ramblings that school shooter Solomon Henderson reportedly posted online in the moments before he opened fire at Antioch High School offer a terrifying look into his mind.
The supposed 47-page manifesto included a layout of the Tennessee school, along with photos of the weapons he wanted to use and his thoughts about why he wanted to commit a shooting.
His final writings came on November 18 - the same day the Metro Nashville Police Department received a call indicating there was a school shooting at Antioch High School, which they later determined was a hoax, according to News Channel 5.
'I was so miserable. I wanted to kill myself. I just couldn't take anymore. I am a worthless subhuman, a living, breathing disgrace,' the 17-year-old gunman allegedly wrote.
'All my [in real life] friends outgrew me, act like they didn't f***ing know me. Becoming me was so f***ing humiliating. That's why I spend all day dissociating.'
Much of the rest of the document, which was said to be linked to a social media account linked to Henderson, deals with his struggle with race and racial issues.
Henderson allegedly said that he was 'ashamed to be black,' before he goes on to use anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim language.
'The difference between good and bad criminals depends on how well they were dressed. It depends on what weapon they used. It depends on their posture, their voice, their plan of attack,' Henderson apparently mused.
'It depends on how they carried it out. It depends on their height, their bone structure, their body fat percentage, their haircut. It depends on who their victim was.
'Even the very worst of criminal acts are forgiven by simply looking good. Or cool. Or interesting in some way,' he wrote, before listing his plans to get in better shape.
In a question-and-answer section of the document, Henderson noted that he did not plan to kill any law enforcement officers and did not consider himself a victim of bullying.
'Personally in my life, I can't remember a single instance of being bullied, at least not [conventionally],' the manifesto says. 'I was bullied in the culture sense, which everyone is bullied in.'
He then went on to share his thoughts about Antioch High School, just outside of Nashville, which has a majority of black and Hispanic students.
'School is a daycare,' he wrote. 'It's impossible for you to actually think. You say things because other people have said it before, then go repeat ad nauseum somewhere else.
'In school, we're taught to wake up early, shut up, sit for long periods of hours, do tasks you hate, then repeat.'
Henderson even allegedly included links to other manifestos, a link on how to carry out a mass killing with targets ranked by how easy it would be to murder them, as well as photos of a handgun, a lockpicking kit and cartridges to load into a handgun he planned to use in the shooting.
The teen then arrived at the school on Wednesday from the bus, and entered a bathroom, where police believe he retrieved a weapon.
He seen wearing a hoodie just after 11am, when he 'confronted' Josselin Corea Escalante, 16, and fired multiple rounds using a pistol, before he turned the gun on himself. Another student was also injured with a graze wound to her arm, and was rushed to Vanderbilt University Hospital in stable condition. Police also said a fourth boy was being treated for an injury to the face caused during the commotion, but they were not shot, Channel 5 reports.
The teen livestreamed the shooting online, and had written on his X page that he saved up enough money to buy a GoPro camera 'but it was hard to explain to my parents why I needed it, so I couldn't buy it,' Raw Story reports.
#1
I get the feeling that every teen now has a manifesto. I may create one for myself in retrospect. It will include sinful behavior and general stupidity.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2025 9:58
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#2
Generation Lockdown. Thanks Fauci, Thanks Biden, Thanks Democrats.
'School is a daycare,' he wrote. 'It's impossible for you to actually think. You say things because other people have said it before, then go repeat ad nauseum somewhere else.
Can't really disagree with this, even in my neck of the woods. Thanks Department of Education.
Not to excuse this, if he really felt this way he would have empathy for his fellow travelers instead of murdering them, so there was something off upstairs, but to not consider he could be a product of policy would be incurious.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] CNN has started laying off the first of what is set to be hundreds of staffers as mainstream media begins to cut jobs with Donald Trump returning to the White House.
What's more, the struggling cable network has plans to do major surgery on its TV lineup, attempt to expand digital subscribers and move production to its Atlanta home base.
The layoffs were initially reported in November and follow about 100 cuts the network made over the summer.
At least one big name producer has reportedly learned they're out of a job on Wednesday, with many more set to be told on Thursday, Status reported.
Many shows are also rumored to be moving from New York and Washington to Atlanta, where production costs are cheaper, according to CNBC.
On the schedule, virulently anti-Trump anchor Jim Acosta may be headed to the dead zone of cable news, going from 10am to a two-hour show airing at midnights.
The network's former chief White House correspondent may leave the network altogether, according to the LA Times, if he doesn't except a timeslot that's been described as 'the Siberia of cable news.'
Insiders told Puck back in November that the firings were likely to lean closer to the production side of things.
New CNN CEO Mark Thompson - who personally asked Acosta to accept the midnight show - said in a meeting last month that the layoffs were not to cut costs but to 'change CNN' and 'make it better.' Puck reported he's told staffers 'dispassionate, open-minded coverage of the incoming president.'
Employees at the network have described the vibes as 'anxious' and 'nauseous' as closed-door meetings take place to determine the future of the network.
Their competitors are set to do the same, as NBC News is also planning to lay off 'a few dozen' workers Thursday as well.
Staffers at ABC News - following the network's highly publicized settlement with Trump - are also worried that cuts are about to come, though no specific date has been set.
However, a source at the network said that 'everyone is on edge' and despite all three being 'highly profitable,' their business models are said to be broken.
Status added that there are likely to be more cuts to follow in the years to come.
President Trump commented on the matter on Truth Social: 'MSDNC is even worse than CNN. They shouldn’t even have a right to broadcast - Only in America!'
DailyMail.com has reached out to CNN, ABC News and NBC News for comment.
The network has just gone through an embarrassing lawsuit after they defamed an Afghan war veteran by falsely accusing him of running a 'black market' for Afghanistan evacuations and must pay him $5 million damages.
The network has been battling sagging ratings and vows from conservative lawmakers including Trump himself to crack down on what they claim is an unfair liberal bias.
CNN's exodus was first reported on in November, as stalwart Chris Wallace, and amid reports senior stars like Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper have both been denied raises.
The highest paid remaining stars include Anderson Cooper - who rakes in $20million a year - Erin Burnett ($6million) and rising star Kaitlan Collins ($3million).
As a result, reporters and correspondents will be required to cover their slack, they said - describing how on-air workers will be 'asked to assume more of the responsibilities once handled by teams of producers and production assistants.'
Puck News' Dylan Byers wrote: 'Redundant assignments will be nixed, and various divisions will be reduced or even eliminated.
'Some of the on-air talent are also likely to be affected,' he went on to reveal.
Sources who spoke to the reporter, who worked at CNN for three years before founding Puck, added how the looming layoffs are part of an overarching plan - one that puts a premium on the station's digital platforms.
The man behind it, they said, is none other than new CEO Mark Thompson - the former New York Times boss brought in to overhaul the network under its Warner Bros. Discovery parent.
The old BBC boss filled the position left by then-languishing leader Chris Licht this past August, and since then, ratings have fallen more than 20 percent.
Under Licht - a tenure that lasted a little over a year - the station fell from being the most-watched cable news network on election nights, to one of the least.
In 2016, when it was headed by since-ousted leader Jeff Zucker, it was the most watched network overall - a distinction that's now held by Fox News.
At the time, CNN had averaged 13.3million viewers in primetime. Today, it's only around 800,000.
Right-leaning Fox hosts like Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity, and Greg Gutfeld, meanwhile, are averaging 2.8 million viewers in the same timeslots - the most in a field that's currently being affected by streaming and other forms of media.
Adding insult to injury was CNN's struggles on election day - a day that eight years ago would've seen it score a decisive ratings victory.
However, following a Trump presidency and a term from the Biden Administration, it lost to MSNBC in terms of ratings - something never seen before as it only drew in 5.1million sets of eyes that night.
MSNBC, meanwhile, raked in 6million - a number eclipsed almost twofold by Fox News' 10.3million.
The numbers, aired this week in the form of Nielsen statistics, appear to show a shifting field when it comes to cable news - one seemingly set to continue with Trump's second term in office.
To combat this, CNN plans to create new positions that will service Thompson’s new digital-first vision, the unnamed insiders told Byers - with one source positing how the incoming changes may even yield a net gain of employees.
Still, if the insiders warning prove true, hundreds of others will lose their positions, the sources said - describing to Byers a climate at the outfit's Manhattan office rife with 'stress and high anxiety.'
As for high-paid figures like Cooper and Burnett, their fates remain uncertain.
Days earlier, The Ankler had reported that Tapper and Blitzer were denied raises, and that officials were mulling a pay cut for Wallace.
The newsletter also revealed how Tapper was instead resigned to a three-year contract - one that would seem him paid the same $7million annually that he had earned in years past.
#2
Maybe some cut backs in the department of whining are in order. They could ask the CIA to cover a higher percentage of the salaries of on air talent.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2025 10:00
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[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] President Donald Trump shut down Fox News' Sean Hannity with three words as he went on a tirade about President Joe Biden during the first TV interview of his second term Wednesday.
Trump spent portions of the interview expressing dismay over Biden's decision to issue preemptive pardons to some of the Democrat's family members and some of the Republican president's political enemies.
As their time came to a close, the Fox News host told Trump 'let me get to the economy' and 'I'm running out of time.'
'I don't care,' the new president responded.
He then turned back to bashing Biden's decision-making skills, including the ex-president's decision not to pardon himself.
'This is more important because right now the economy is going to do great. I'm here, so the economy - but you have to understand, he had bad advisers on almost everything,' Trump said of Biden.
Hannity interjected saying he was being yelled at for time - but Trump kept going.
'It's like in the old days when the secretary of State said he never made a correct decision on foreign policy,' Trump said, meaning to quote a former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Over the course of Hannity's hour-long program, Trump also hinted at another government agency he wanted to scrap and revealed the latest on the JFK assassination files.
But the issue of pardons was front-and-center.
In a clip shared earlier Wednesday by Fox, Trump is heard giving a cryptic warning about Biden making a mistake in not pardoning himself.
Trump repeated that point several times during the full interview with Hannity.
'The precedent that he set on pardons is amazing. That's a much bigger story but people don't like talking about it. He pardoned everybody,' Trump said. 'But he didn't pardon himself.'
'Remember this, those people that he pardoned are now mandated, because they got a pardon, to testify and they can't take the Fifth,' Trump claimed.
Hannity asked Trump if he would like to see Congress investigate Biden's pardons.
House Speaker Mike Johnson already expressed openness to that.
'I think we'll let Congress decide,' Trump said.
When talking about disaster relief, Trump suggested that he'd be open to killing FEMA - the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
'All it does is just complicate everything,' he complained. 'FEMA has not done their job for the last four years.'
'Unless you have certain types of leadership, it gets in the way. And FEMA is going to be a whole big discussion very shortly because I'd rather see the states take care of their own problems,' Trump said.
He then spoke glowingly of Oklahoma's 'very competent' disaster response - and how the state voted for him in the last election.
[FoxNews] 2,500 US service members were already stationed along southern border
The Pentagon is sending an additional 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border by the end of the month, a U.S. official told Fox News on Wednesday.
A senior U.S. military official told reporters the 1,500 troops will consist of 1,000 Army personnel and 500 Marines.
"This represents a 60% increase in active-duty ground forces since President Trump was sworn-in Monday," acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said in a statement late Wednesday.
There are already 2,500 U.S. service members stationed at the southern border. The troops were ordered there in May 2023 during the Biden administration under title 10 authorities, were approved by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and are planned to be in place until the end of FY2025, according to a U.S. Northern Command spokesperson.
The 1,500 additional service members will be deployed to El Paso and San Diego, and are expected to arrive by the end of the week. A "couple hundred" were already en route, though it was not immediately known if they had yet arrived at their destinations.
The added troops will work on the placement of physical barriers and other border missions, though it has been years since the troops have worked on building physical barriers.
"We will also be providing aerial support, rotary wing and airlift capability and deploying some intelligence analysts for enhanced detection and monitoring activities and potentially some intelligence assets as well," the senior U.S. military official said.
Some of the troops being deployed to the southern border were on call or actively working in support of the California wildfires, though they were released from that mission and are now being reassigned, the senior official added.
Unlike previous border missions, the 500 Marines being sent will be armed and have magazines in their weapons. The Marines are also treating this deployment like any other emergency contingency, a senior Marine official told Fox News.
"Our response will be immediate. We are going in ready to respond. If the cartels shoot at us, we will not stand by," the Marine official told Fox News Chief National Security correspondent Jennifer Griffin. "We will be taking whatever equipment we would send if a Marine Expeditionary Unit, or MEU, were deploying overseas."
The first wave of 1,000 Army soldiers and 500 Marines will not be engaged in law enforcement, but the rules of engagement will allow for self-defense.
The troops will also be taking airlift, helicopters and intelligence assets, though the first troops will likely assist with building barriers.
Additionally, there will be two C-17 and two C-130 airplanes to be used for deportation flights, the official said.
"The Department will provide military airlift to support DHS deportation flights of more than 5,000 illegal aliens from the San Diego, California, and El Paso, Texas sectors detained by Customs and Border Protection," Salesses said in the statement. "DHS will provide inflight law enforcement, and the State Department will obtain the requisite diplomatic clearances and provide host-nation notification."
The announcement will mark the third time that U.S. troops have been sent to the southern border in the last two years.
In May 2023, former President Joe Biden and Austin approved a request from former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to send an additional 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border for 90 days to assist with the influx of migrants after pandemic era health restrictions ended in May 2023.
In March 2024, Austin approved another DHS request for 2,500 service members, including national guardsmen under Title 10 duty status.
Unlike previous border missions, the 500 Marines being sent will be armed and have magazines in their weapons. The Marines are also treating this deployment like any other emergency contingency, a senior Marine official told Fox News.
"Our response will be immediate. We are going in ready to respond. If the cartels shoot at us, we will not stand by," the Marine official told Fox News Chief National Security correspondent Jennifer Griffin. "We will be taking whatever equipment we would send if a Marine Expeditionary Unit, or MEU, were deploying overseas."
The first wave of 1,000 Army soldiers and 500 Marines will not be engaged in law enforcement, but the rules of engagement will allow for self-defense.
#6
If the cartels are now classified as international terrorist organizations that does a couple of things -
1 - aiding and abetting touches the definition of aiding the enemy during time of war, thus treason.
2 - enforcement is no longer along the lines of domestic police work, opening operations outside the limits of Posse Commitatus.
#9
If the cartels shoot at us, we will not stand by
Yeah the Marines get annoyed when shot at. They'll certainly shot back, fairly accurately I might say, and they might even hunt the shooter(s) down just for fun.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
01/23/2025 18:37
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#2
I criticized Britain's Keir Starmer for announcing a similar program. It just sounds like another big government boondoggle. Let this technology simmer in the private sector until it becomes a lot more clear what it can and cannot do. Maybe hand out a few grants for university or private sector research but $500 billion would be better spent reducing the national debt.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/23/2025 12:56
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[NYPOST] A Brooklyn man is facing at least 20 years behind bars for the senseless stabbing death of a community activist who was slashed to death in front of his girlfriend in a shocking caught-on-video attack.
Brian Dowling, 20, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder charges in the random Oct. 2, 2023, slaying of activist Ryan Carson as he ran for his life on Malcolm X Boulevard.
''Many of us still shudder when recalling the horrific video showing this defendant viciously attacking Ryan Carson and stabbing him to death for no reason at all,'' Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez said in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2025
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#2
So much violence I since then that I only remember this vaguely. The media simmered on this for a short term but eventually discarded it because there was no available agenda to leverage.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2025 10:17
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[NAHARNET] Hezbollah's official for the West Bekaa region, Sheikh Mohammad Hamadi, was assassinated Tuesday evening by unknown button men, the state-run National News Agency said.
The button men, who arrived in two cars, shot up Hamadi outside his house in the West Bekaa town of Mashghara, NNA added.
''Hamadi was rushed to a hospital in the region where he succumbed to his wounds,'' the agency said.
Citing preliminary reports, An-Nahar newspaper said "the killing of the holy man is part of a vendetta with another family that dates back to four years ago" and that "there are no political motives behind the issue."
Media reports said the button men were masked and arrived in tinted-glass cars. al-Jadeed TV said six gunshots were fired at Hamadi.
Hezbollah is yet to issue a statement on the incident.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2025
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[Jpost] US President Donald Trump redesignated the Yemen Houthi group, known formally as Ansar Allah, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), the White House announced on Wednesday.
The White House said the decision was a reversal of the Biden administration's previous removal of the Houthis from the Foreign Terrorist Organization list.
Trump had initially designated the Houthi group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization back in January 2021, during his first presidency.
The White House statement noted that after one month in office, the Biden administration reversed the Houthis designation.
The statement also pointed out the effects of this decision, adding that "As a result of the Biden administration’s weak policy, the Houthis have fired at US Navy warships dozens of times, launched numerous attacks on civilian infrastructure in partner nations, and attacked commercial vessels transiting Bab al-Mandeb more than 100 times."
WORKING TO 'ELIMINATE' THE HOUTHIS
The White House claimed that with Trump in office, it will be "the policy of the United States" to work with regional partners to "eliminate the Houthis capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources, and thereby end their attacks on US personnel and civilians, US partners, and maritime shipping in the Red Sea."
Additionally, the statement called on United Nations partners, nongovernmental organizations, and contractors operating in Yemen to be jointly reviewed by the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Secretary of State.
"Following this review, the President will direct USAID to end its relationship with entities that have made payments to the Houthis or which have opposed international efforts to counter the Houthis while turning a blind eye towards the Houthis terrorism and abuses," the statement concluded.
[IsraelTimes] History shows dangers and possible benefits of setting killers loose in West Bank or Gaza, but also points to risks that come with exiling terror leaders beyond Israel’s reach
Recent polling conducted before the clinching of a hostage release and ceasefire agreement with Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... this month found consistently high levels of support for an agreement that would free captives stuck 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 a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... for over 15 months, even if many Israelis disagreed over the exact contours of the truce or what concessions should be on the table.
Earlier surveys conducted over the course of the war had shown significantly lower levels of support, indicating impatience had grown over the fate of the hostages and exhaustion with the war and with the mounting corpse count among Israeli soldiers still fighting in the Strip.
Hostage release deals provide a hurting nation with a sense of elation at the sight of the emotional reunions between the hostages and their families. That collective euphoria can be fleeting, though, as the realization of the price paid begins to sink in.
For Israel, that price includes nearly 2,000 Paleostinian inmates to be released for the first 33 hostages alone, with more expected to be released in exchange for the remaining hostages in the second and third stages of the agreement.
While the first stage will see several Paleostinian Lions of Islam serving multiple life sentences for murder walk free, many of the worst offenders — the "heavies" in Israeli parlance — are expected to be let go only in the latter phases of the deal.
Israel had little choice but to agree to the terms of the agreement if it wanted to recover the 97 hostages in Gaza at the time of the deal’s signing, including at least 35 bodies. While a handful were rescued by Israeli commandos, military officials had made clear that future attempts would be nearly impossible and endanger the lives of the hostages, whose conditions are deteriorating.
However,
by candlelight every wench is handsome... Israel does have choices to make regarding how best to ensure the worst released Lions of Islam are unable to repeat their deadly attacks. One of the choices is whether the freed murderers are authorized to live in the West Bank or Gaza or exiled outside the region once released.
Within the Shin Bet security service, opinions remain divided.
Israel has demanded that the most prominent murderers — those deemed certain to return to terrorist activity — be deported outside the region
However,
by candlelight every wench is handsome... some hold the view that it would be preferable to release them to the West Bank, where Israel has full operational freedom and can reach them immediately and relatively easily.
Sadly, Israel has experience to draw on.
DANGERS NEAR AND FAR
In 2011, when Israel released 1,027 prisoners for captured soldier Gilad Shalit, it allowed many of them to return to the West Bank. According to Israel, some resumed terror activities, taking advantage of their easy access to Israeli targets.
But three years later, when Israel launched a major crackdown on Hamas following the abduction and murder of Israeli teenagers Gil-ad Shaer, Naftali Fraenkel and Eyal Yifrach, it was able to quickly rearrest many of them.
The seeds of that deadly kidnapping can be traced to another released Paleostinian prisoner, Saleh al-Arouri, who was let out of prison in 2010 and exiled abroad.
Working from his new home in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants... member, but not the most reliable... , and later Leb ...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , Arouri established Hamas’s "West Bank headquarters," an operational hub that orchestrated dozens of attacks, including the June 2014 kidnapping of the three teenagers, which led to the 2014 war in Gaza.
Arouri was also a key figure in building up Hamas’s armed wing in Gaza, leveraging his ties with 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... and Hezbollah.
In Lebanon, he helped establish a Hamas foothold with the tacit approval of Hezbollah, which was able to draw on Paleostinian operatives from refugee camps in Tyre as proxies.
A barrage of dozens of rockets fired at Israel in April 2023 was a show of Hamas’s capability and willingness to open another front against Israel under Hezbollah’s watchful eye.
Israel assassinated Arouri in Beirut in early January 2024, but decision-makers initially balked at attacking the senior Hamas figure due to fears of how Hezbollah would respond, underlining the downstream complexities that can arise from deporting terror leaders.
Neither Israel nor the Paleostinian Authority have disclosed what countries could take in the high-profile prisoners who are deported. Where they end up will determine how Israel may deal with them if and when these deportees return to terrorist activities. Turkey and Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... are off-limits for Israeli operations, while actions in other countries would depend on political circumstances and operational opportunities.
In Lebanon, for instance, Israel has retained a policy of taking action against any emerging threat, even after agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah in November.
Jerusalem has insisted on applying the same to Gaza following the war and Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to assert that both former US president Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. Joe's wife and daughter weren't killed by a drunk driver. He didn't graduate with three or even two degrees, wasn't in the top half of his law class, and his daddy didn't come home from a hard day's work in the mines and play football with the guys. The NAACP hasn't endorsed him every time he's run.... and current president Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... have promised to back Israel should it return to fighting.
Israel could decide to deport some of these Lions of Islam to Gaza. That is where many of those released in the Shalit deal ended up, including Yahya Sinwar, the late Hamas leader who criminal masterminded the October 7 massacre.
THE GAZA CHALLENGE
Beyond attempting to ensure that it does not free the next Sinwar into the fecund terror environment of Gaza, Israel is also focusing on the interim goal of preventing Hamas from rebuilding its military capabilities to a level that poses a renewed threat.
This can only be achieved through the tightest possible closure of smuggling routes from Egypt — a matter currently at the heart of Israeli-Egyptian negotiations in Cairo.
It’s unclear whether a proposal for a new border crossing at the Gaza-Egypt-Israel border triangle remains in play. The idea had been pushed by former defense minister Yoav Gallant, who envisioned the site being monitored by Israel, Egypt and international actors.
Israeli officials emphasize that they have not abandoned the war’s primary objective: preventing Hamas from retaining any governmental or military control. It remains an open question who could take its place, though.
Meanwhile,
...back at the buffalo wallow, Standing Buffalo drew a bead on his old enemy and squeezed the trigger... new challenges are being created with the looming influx of hundreds of terror convicts into the West Bank, administered by a weakened and financially drained PA.
One of Israel’s key achievements in the war has been maintaining relative stability in the West Bank, continuing security coordination with Paleostinian security forces, and preventing the eruption of another front. Nonetheless, Hamas still views the West Bank as a place where it can operate with relative ease, and Israel knows it.
Both Israel and the PA would like to clamp down on Hamas. But while the PA wants to act, it lacks the capability, thus raising major doubts about its ability to govern Gaza.
In the absence of an alternative, Hamas will fill the power vacuum. On Sunday, when transferring the three freed hostages to the Red Thingy, Hamas demonstrated that it still maintains some control over Gaza’s streets — a grip that is liable to strengthen as calm there persists.
#1
If they're released into West Bank or Gaza, they can be killed when (no ifs) returning to activity. If they're sent away, they'll end in the West - where (with few exceptions) they'll be able to attack Jews with total impunity.
[Rudaw] Syria is expected to join the Iranian-led "resistance front" soon, a member of the Expediency Council said on Wednesday, despite the ousting of key Tehran ally Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama...
"The Syrian nation will join the resistance front very soon and 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... is also seeking the independence and illusory sovereignty of Syria. In Syria, an inclusive government should be formed, consisting of all groups in Syria," Mohsen Rezai, a member of the Expediency Council, said, as cited by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Expediency Discernment Council of Iran is a top body established by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> that adjudicates on differences between the parliament and the hardline Guardian Council, which can block legislation.
Iran was a staunch supporter of Assad’s Syrian regime, which was toppled by a coalition of rebel groups spearheaded by the Islamist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS) on December 8.
Rezai criticized the interference of external powers in Syria and emphasized its detrimental impact on the country.
" The Americans have strengthened their base in eastern Syria, and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... is present in the north and Israel in the south of Syria," he said.
But Tehran also faced regular accusations of interference in Syria’s internal affairs during Assad’s reign, when it stationed military advisors around the country and established cultural centers aligned to its agenda during the brutal civil war.
Assadist Syria was a key component of Iran’s so-called "Axis of Resistance®," a network of influence in the Middle East to expand Iran’s hegemony and counter Western interests.
Iran last month blamed the US and Israel for being behind the recent developments in Syria since the fall of Assad and accused them of having a "master plan" for the Middle East after a Washington official said there would be no place for Iran in the new Syria.
The new Syrian authorities subsequently warned Iran against "spreading chaos" in their country and called on Tehran to respect the will of the Syrian people.
Syria has also warned Iran against "spreading chaos" in their country and called on Tehran to respect the will of the Syrian people.
[FoxNews] President Donald Trump has revoked a Biden-era order allowing transgender people to serve in the military.
After taking the oath of office on Monday, the new president signed an order revoking former President Joe Biden's order known as Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform, which was signed in 2021.
On the campaign trail, Trump promised to reinstate the ban on transgender troops he imposed during his first term. In his inauguration speech, he said he would formally recognize that there are only two genders: male and female.
There are an estimated 9,000 to 14,000 transgender service members.
The new executive order was part of a rapid-fire succession of moves Trump has taken to undo Biden's policies. In a statement, the White House called out diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the federal government that "has corrupted them by replacing hard work, merit, and equality with a divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy."
#3
I never understood the service of people that were on all sorts of psych meds and hormones from their first day of service.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/23/2025 7:22
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#4
If they want to do that after they get out, go for it and even through the VA (gods help you) as they earned that right. But while in? Oh fuck no. War is hard enough on supply and logistics without adding fucking hormones to the list of things they need.
I thought the VA is supposed to take care of necessary health care. This is indulging a dangerous mental health disorder. I support psychiatric treatment for body dysphoria to help them accept the body they were born with, but if they want expensive cosmetic surgery and disruptive hormone treatments to create a poor facsimile of something they cannot become, let them do that on their own dime. The public purse is not infinite.
#7
Fielded this question the other day using points from 3, 4, and 5, feeling better about it.
They are doing the same thing the pedos were doing 4 years ago, get into a gaming group, build relationships, and start messaging, sometime building multiple accounts who will then start 'totally agreeing with each other' to start that peer pressure energy.
[Rudaw] Iraq’s legislature on Tuesday passed three controversial bills regarding the return of land confiscated under the Baath regime to the original Kurdish owners, the amendments to the controversial personal status law pushed for by the Shiite blocs, and the general amnesty bill that would change the definition of affiliation with terror groups desired by Sunni groups after months of disagreements.
Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni politicians last year introduced three bills which later became a headache for the parliament as discussions and voting on them were repeatedly delayed due to agreements.
However,
it's easy to be generous with someone else's money... in a surprising move on Tuesday, the politicians agreed to pass all three bills, ending months of disputes.
One of the bills seeks the return of properties to their original Kurdish and Turkmen owners. The land was taken from them and given to Arab settlers by the Baathist Revolutionary Command Council decades ago.
"The Iraqi parliament took a big step to dissolve the decisions that were made to occupy Kurdish and Turkmen lands 20 years after being saved from the previous regime and after 50 years of occupation, " Shakhawan Abdullah, deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament said at the parliament building while surrounded by fellow Kurdish politicians from rival parties.
Abdullah thanked the Kurdish blocs for their "unified stance" and attributed the bill’s passing to "vigilance and continuous efforts."
The disputed and diverse areas, particularly oil-rich Kirkuk, ... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time... have long been a flashpoint between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government. Under the Baath regime in the 1970s, Kurdish and Turkmen lands were confiscated and given to resettled Arabs. After the US toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, Iraq's constitutionally mandated de-Arabization policy under Article 140 aimed to reverse these demographic changes. In July 2023, the Council of Ministers approved a draft law to revoke Baath-era land confiscations.
"I would like to congratulate the Iraqi parliament presidency and the Kurdish factions and all those who played a role in the passage and approval of this bill," Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani said in a statement.
"I hope this will be the beginning of correcting all the mistakes and falsehoods that have been committed against the interests of Iraqi citizens throughout the history of the Iraqi state," Barzani added.
The general amnesty bill seeks to amend the 2016 law’s definition of affiliation with terrorist organizations, a key Sunni demand for joining the ruling State Administration Coalition. Sunnis argue that thousands from their community have been unjustly imprisoned in Shiite-dominated Iraq since 2003 over alleged terror links.
"A decision was made to pass the general amnesty bill which is a very important decision at this stage and a positive message to the component that feels oppression due to the security situation around the country," Iraqi parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani said in a statement.
Mashhadani, who is a Sunni, added that the process was accelerated thanks to cooperation with Kurdish and Shiite "brothers."
He said the law applies to all Iraqis but has benefited some groups more than others, not just the Sunni component.
The 1959 Personal Status Law governs marriage, divorce, and inheritance. The amendment, introduced by independent politician Raed al-Maliki and widely supported by Shiite politicians, allows religious rules to dictate personal status matters. The proposed changes faced strong opposition, with over 130 politicians signing a petition against it and activists warning it could legitimize child marriage and erode legal protections for women.
sThe proposed bill states that for Shiites, the Jaafari school of law would apply, which allows marriage for girls as young as nine and boys at fifteen.
"This [false or heretic] innovation is alien to the principles of legislation and serves the agenda of the politicians to achieve their narrow interests in a way that increases the division of society and threatens its security and stability in these difficult circumstances," Shiite politician Haider al-Salami said in a statement on Facebook.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] On January 21, the Iraqi parliament adopted amendments to the personal status law, effectively allowing marriage to girls aged nine and older. This was reported by the CNN television channel.
The changes would expand the powers of Islamic courts in family matters, including marriage and divorce. The country's law sets 18 as the minimum age for marriage. But the amendments would give clerics the ability to make decisions based on their interpretation of Islamic law. Some argue that it would be acceptable for girls to marry in their "early teens." However, the Ja'fari school of Islamic law, which is revered by some religious authorities in Iraq, suggests nine years as the minimum.
Activists say the changes undermine the country's 1959 Personal Status Law, which unifies family law and provides guarantees for women. Supporters of the changes say the law has been brought "in line with Islamic principles" to reduce the influence of Western culture on Iraqi culture.
The article notes that half of the legislators present at the session did not vote, which violated the legal quorum. Some parliamentarians shouted protests, and some even went up to the podium.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, investigators in the Moscow region opened a criminal case against a 39-year-old Syrian for sexual intercourse with a minor. The couple registered their marriage in Aleppo, Syria, back in 2022, when the bride was only 14 years old. After some time, the husband moved her to Russia. The laws of the Syrian Arab Republic allow such early unions, but in the Russian Federation, the couple attracted the attention of law enforcement officers. At the same time, the young wife gave birth to her first child at the age of 15 in a perinatal center in the Moscow region. At the moment, she is pregnant again. According to the sanctions of Part 1 of Article 134 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the man may face up to four years in prison.
The editor-in-chief of the Regnum news agency, Marina Akhmedova, noted in her Telegram channel that, according to Russian law, the Syrian will probably be released from liability. To do this, it is enough to establish that the person and the crime he committed have ceased to be socially dangerous due to his marriage to the victim. At the same time, she emphasized that the man quite consciously violated the law of the country in which he lived for a long time, and did not even hide it too much. In her opinion, such behavior leads to the breakdown of taboos in people's subconscious, as a result of which foreigners can calmly violate Russian law in their homeland, and "bring the consequences."
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21.27 An explosion was heard in Kharkiv on Wednesday, January 22. An air raid alert has been declared in the region, and "shahids" are circling over the regional center. This was reported by Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov.
20.59 German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius believes that a Russian attack on NATO countries is possible in 2029-2030. The official notes that this is why it is especially important to ensure defense capability by that time.
20:33 The Biden administration's farewell sanctions have caused Russian oil shipments by sea to fall to their lowest level since late 2023 to early 2024, The Moscow Times reports.
19:48 The State Bureau of Investigation officers have again detained the former commander of the Kharkov OTG, Yuriy Galushkin - new facts have been discovered in the case of breaking through the border in the Kharkov region. This was announced by the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation.
18:59 Russian occupiers, under the guise of "nationalization of ownerless property," are confiscating unattended property of residents of Melitopol and other occupied territories. This was reported by RIA Yug, citing the website of the city's occupation authorities.
18:44 US President Donald Trump called on the Russian leadership to conclude a peace agreement with Ukraine, otherwise he will impose tough sanctions. He wrote about this on the Truth Social social network. The American leader noted that to end the war, one can choose "the easy way or the hard way - but the easy way is definitely better."
18:25 The court has chosen a preventive measure for the former commander of the 125th Separate Troops Brigade, Lieutenant General Artur Gorbenko, who is suspected of inadequate defense of the Kharkiv region during the Russian offensive in 2024.
18:11 Any international peacekeeping force that might be deployed to Ukraine in the future should include US troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg.
17:44 Since the beginning of the current day, 67 combat clashes have occurred on the front, two thirds of them in the Pokrovsk direction. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report as of 16:00.
17:23 Six new schemes for evading mobilization have been exposed in Ukraine; 19 organizers of illegal schemes have been detained in different regions of the country. The SBU press service reported the details.
16:59 The US will expand production of barrels for the Ukrainian Armed Forces' artillery due to "unprecedented demand" for them. Today, the only manufacturer of M776 barrels is Watervliet Arsenal, but its capacity is insufficient.
16:37 Bail of UAH 5 million has been posted for Brigadier General, former commander of the operational-tactical group of troops Kharkiv Yuriy Galushkin. He is one of three suspects in the inadequate defense during the Russian offensive in the north of Kharkiv region in 2024. At that time, Galushkin commanded the operational-tactical group of troops Kharkiv.
15.56 The occupiers committed another war crime on January 22 - they launched an artillery strike on Konstantinovka. An investigation is currently underway into the death of one and the wounding of seven city residents. Two victims were previously known. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
15:53 A former military man was detained in Kropyvnytskyi who distributed a video of military equipment moving through the frontline territory of Ukraine on his social media pages.
According to the investigation, in order to "promote" his information resource on the social network TikTok, the man posted a video showing military equipment and servicemen. In a matter of hours, this video was viewed by 220 thousand users, who could have used Russian troops to adjust strikes on the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
15.41 North Korea is preparing reinforcements for its military contingent fighting the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. This was reported by The New York Times, citing a high-ranking Pentagon official.
14.49 The aggressor country Russia does not yet have the military potential for a quick offensive in Ukraine, because there are problems with manpower. This was stated the day before by the American general, commander of the joint NATO forces in Europe, General Christopher Cavoli, during a discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
14.35 A Russian plane dropped a half-ton bomb on the temporarily occupied Makeyevka in Donetsk Oblast. This was reported by the Telegram channel ASTRA.
The FAB-500 "abnormally came off" from a Russian plane on the outskirts of Makeyevka and fell one and a half kilometers from the nearest houses in the urban settlement of Nizhnyaya Krynka.
14.30 FSB agents in Donetsk Oblast who were adjusting Russian strikes on Ukrainian troops holding the line in the Kramatorsk and Novopavlovsk directions have been detained. This was reported by the SBU. According to the investigation, the enemy henchmen were two local residents: a 41-year-old nurse and a 56-year-old driver of a private company.
13:01 Konstantinovka is under constant artillery and air fire on the morning of January 22. There are currently two known wounded: a 74-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman. This was reported by the head of the Donetsk OVA Vadim Filashkin. According to him, at least 5 private houses, a power line, a gas pipeline and a car were damaged.
12:02 When the border opens for all categories of the population, 20.7% of Ukrainians want to leave for another country for permanent residence. The majority (70%) would like to stay in the country. This is evidenced by the survey data of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Razumkov Center.
11:34 On the evening of January 21, Russian troops attacked Goptovka in the Dergachev community of the Kharkiv region with drones, killing two men. This was reported by the head of the city military administration, Vyacheslav Zadorenko.
10:56 Special Operations Forces fighters killed 21 and wounded 40 North Korean soldiers who were advancing on Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. This was reported on the SSO Telegram channel.
8:55 There have been 121 combat clashes on the frontline in the past 24 hours. Pokrovskoe remains the most difficult area. This was reported on January 22 by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Aviation, missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces hit sixteen areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment, two command posts, four warehouses, two artillery weapons and one more important enemy facility.
8:39 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that after the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement, Ukraine will need at least 200 thousand European peacekeepers to prevent a new attack by Russia, Reuters reports.
8:20 In Mykolaiv, all fires caused by the attack of Russian attack drones launched by the occupiers late in the evening of January 21 have been extinguished. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine published a photo of the aftermath of the shelling. It is noted that seven explosions thundered in the city, there is destruction and fires broke out in two districts of Mykolaiv.
7:46 Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have destroyed 1,950 Russian occupiers. The total combat losses of the Russian troops in Ukraine from February 24, 2022 to January 22, 2024 amount to about 823,980 people. This was reported by the General Staff.
7:23 On the night of January 22, the Ukrainian Defense Forces successfully pushed back the occupiers near the settlements of Shevchenko and Udachnoye. At the same time, Russian troops advanced near other settlements in the Donetsk region. This is reported by DeepState.
[NAHARNET] President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that ''the first positive sign that should be shown to the world is the formation of a government as soon as possible, instead of obstructing formation over narrow sectarian and political interests.''
''We should not waste the chances that are before us but must rather rise above all petty issues so that the government can be formed and work can begin,'' Aoun said during a meeting with a delegation from the Constitutional Council.
''The most important goal from speeding up the government's formation would be expediting the reconstruction of the regions that were affected by the last war,'' Aoun added.
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[CNN] Thousands of Southern California residents were under evacuation orders Wednesday as fire crews battled the out-of-control Hughes Fire near the town of Castaic, a suburb in the foothills and mountains of northern Los Angeles County.
As of 5 p.m., the fire impacting both Los Angeles and Ventura counties had burned more than 9,400 acres and was 0% contained, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone. No structures have been reported damaged or destroyed, Maronne said at a Wednesday evening news conference.
"We have over 4,000 firefighting personnel assigned to the incident," Marrone said, noting the "robust" ground and air response to the fire.
The National Weather Service extended a red flag warning through Friday morning for most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties as moderate Santa Ana winds continue to move through the area, Marrone added.
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fire started on 22 January; already about as big as DFW airport
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
01/23/2025
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It was because the acreage is just about the same.
LAX is about 3500 acres.
DFW is about 9000 acres which is what the fire covered at the time.
DIA is about 33000 acres.
Maybe I should've said, about 3x the area of LAX
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
01/23/2025 12:40
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#8
Apologies, conversions for us in The American Sector.
Linked article is available only through a VPN.
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kharkov direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces defeated formations of a motorised infantry brigade close to Volchansk (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses were up to 40 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, and three field artillery guns.
The Zapad Group of Forces' units liberated Zapadnoye (Kharkov region), delivered strikes at manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades, one jaeger brigade of the AFU near Kamenka, Zeleny Gai, Dvurechnaya, Glushkovka, Lozovaya (Kharkov region), Yampol, Seversk, and Kolodezi (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were more than 460 troops, one tank, and seven armoured fighting vehicles, including two U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers. In addition, 14 pickup trucks, six field artillery guns, and two field ammunition depots were eliminated.
The Yug Group of Forces' units improved the tactical situation and defeated formations of three mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one mountain assault brigade, and one assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Druzhkovka, Slavyansk, Nikolayevka, Konstantinovka, Predtechino, Verkhnekamenskoye, Ivano-Daryevka, Orekhovo-Vasilevka, and Chasov Yar (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were up to 250 troops, four armoured fighting vehicles, including one U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carrier, and seven motor vehicles. Two ammunition depots were destroyed.
The Tsentr Group of Forces' units continued advancing into the depths of enemy defences, inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one heavy mechanised brigade, three mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one National Guard brigade, three territorial defence brigades close to Krymskoye, Petrovka, Zelenoye, Dzerzhinsk, Lysovka, Timofeyevka, Baranovka, Sergeyevka, Novoyelizavetovka, Novopavlovka, and Novovasilevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were up to 630 troops, one tank, five armoured fighting vehicles, including two U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers, six motor vehicles, and three artillery guns.
The Vostok Group of Forces' units captured more advantageous lines and positions, defeated formations of three mechanised brigades of the AFU, one National Guard brigade, and territorial defence brigade close to Velikaya Novosyolka, Zeleny Kut, Konstantinopol, Novy Komar, and Bogatyr (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses were up to 175 troops, three tanks, five motor vehicles, and three foreign-made 155mm artillery guns.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces engaged manpower and hardware of two coastal defence brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, one National Guard brigade close to Malye Shcherbaki (Zaporozhye region), Pridneprovskoye, Veletenskoye, Belozerka, and Antonovka (Kherson region).
The AFU losses were up to 50 troops, eight motor vehicles, and one electronic warfare station.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces engaged missile-artillery weapons, UAVs, POL depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as well as clusters of enemy manpower and military hardware in 136 areas.
Air defence facilities shot down 114 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 652 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 41,148 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 anti-aircraft missile systems, 20,724 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,510 MLRS combat vehicles, 20,860 field artillery guns and mortars, and 30,582 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise an enemy group, which broke into the territory of Kursk region.
During offensive actions, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on formations of one tank brigade, one heavy mechanised brigade, four mechanised brigades, two air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, and three territorial defence brigades of the AFU close to Viktorovka, Goncharovka, Guyevo, Lebedevka, Malaya Loknya, Makhnovka, Nikolayevka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Nikolsky, Sverdlikovo, and Staraya Sorochina.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Gogolevka, Zaoleshenka, Kazachya Loknya, Pervy Knyazhy, Kolmakov, Kruglenkoye, Kurilovka, Loknya, Martynovka, Melovoy, Mirny, Mikhaylovka, Oleshnya, Sudzha, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye, Yuzhny as well as Basovka, Belovody, Veselovka, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, Miropolye, Obody, and Yunakovka in Sumy region.
On the course of the day, the AFU losses were more than 390 troops, four tanks, one armoured personnel carrier, 11 armoured fighting vehicles, 12 motor vehicles, six artillery guns, four mortars, one electronic warfare station, one piece of engineering equipment, six UAV command posts, and two ammunition depots.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 54,000 troops, 313 tanks, 237 infantry fighting vehicles, 179 armoured personnel carriers, 1,601 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,586 motor vehicles, 387 artillery guns, 44 MLRS launchers, including 13 of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the USA, 16 anti-aircraft missile launchers, eight transport-loading vehicles, 97 EW stations, 14 counter-battery warfare radars, four air defence radars, 32 units of engineering and other materiel, including 13 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, nine armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
[FoxNews] Colette Peters led the BOP since August 2022 but left on the same day Trump was inaugurated.
The director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has resigned from her position, while a Biden-era executive order that sought to phase out the use of private prisons has been repealed amid President Donald Trump's efforts to implement drastic reforms to the Justice Department.
Colette Peters, who has led the BOP since August 2022, is out as director of the beleaguered agency, and she has been replaced by William Lothrop, who had been serving as deputy director of the BOP.
Peters was appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 and touted as a reform-minded outsider tasked with rebuilding an agency plagued for years by staff shortages, widespread corruption, misconduct and abuse.
The agency has nearly 36,000 employees and is responsible for more than 155,000 federal inmates.
Lothrop, who says he has more than 30 years’ experience working in the BOP, announced the change via a statement on Tuesday, the day after President Trump was sworn into office. The BOP director is not subject to confirmation by the Senate, per the legal news service Law 360.
"On Jan. 20, 2025, Director Peters separated from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and I will be serving as the Acting Director," Lothrop said. "As we face ongoing challenges, including staffing shortages and operational issues, I am committed to working alongside you to find real solutions that strengthen our facilities. We will continue collaborating with our law enforcement partners and stakeholders to maintain robust programming and support services for inmates."
"Our mission remains clear: to provide a safe, secure and humane environment, ensure public safety, and prepare those in our custody for successful reentry into society," his statement added.
Soon after Trump was elected, Peters announced the closure of six male federal prison camps and one female facility, including the scandal-hit Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, per Forbes.
FCI Dublin had garnered the nickname "rape club" after the Justice Department in December was ordered to pay almost $116 million to 103 women who say they were abused there.
The prison's former warden, Ray Garcia, and at least seven other employees are now in prison themselves for sexually abusing inmates.
During her tenure, Peters appeared before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees and spoke about the challenges the BOP faced, but she had trouble getting results.
In September 2023, Peters was scolded by Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, who said Peters forced them to wait more than a year for answers to written follow-up questions they sent her after she first appeared before the committee in September 2022, leaving them without information critical to fully understanding how the agency runs.
Peters also irked senators by claiming she couldn’t answer even the most basic questions about agency operations — like how many correctional officers are on staff — and by referring to notes and talking points on a tablet computer in front of her.
In 2024, then President Biden signed the Federal Prison Oversight Law, which allowed the Office of Inspector General to conduct more unannounced prison inspections, per Forbes.
Of the inspections OIG has done over the years, it found significant shortages of staff, poor medical care for prisoners, rotten food and dirty living conditions. Peters said she welcomed the law, but that it had not yet been funded.
Trump reversed Executive Order 14006, which had eliminated Justice Department contracts with private prisons. The reversal now allows for new contracts between private prison corporations and the U.S. Marshals Service.
#1
I remember reading an article by Jerry Pournelle (from the 80es, I think) where he argued that Americans are fixated on short-term economics. Russia's history, on the other hand, is an history of generational struggles.
[NAHARNET] The Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... accused Wednesday Hezbollah and its allies of delaying the new government's formation through attempting to "impose certain candidates for certain portfolios."
The statement said Hezbollah's obstruction policy will no longer work, adding that their attempts are rejected by all blocs that believe in a future state.
"The Axis of Resistance®'s attempt to impose certain candidates for certain portfolios and to oblige the Prime Minister to include certain items in the ministerial statement, is rejected by all political forces who believe in forming a government that will pave the way for a state project and put an end to the statelet's project once and for all," the statement said.
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#1
Hezbollah's obstruction policy will no longer work, adding that their attempts are rejected by all blocs that believe in a future state
[IsraelTimes] Iran-backed Yemeni rebels say they freed sailors from Philippines, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Mexico after Oman’s mediation, ‘in support of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza’
Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... ’s Iran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... rebels said Wednesday they released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier seized in November 2023 at the start of their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea corridor at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... 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 a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... "This step comes in support of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza," the Houthis said in a statement on rebel-controlled SABA news agency.
Israel and the Hamas terror group reached a hostage-ceasefire deal that went into effect Sunday and has so far seen the release of three Israeli hostages from Gaza and 90 Paleostinian security prisoners, and a stop to fighting, more than 15 months after the terror group attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
The Houthis said they released the sailors after mediation by Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula that’s long been an interlocutor with the Houthis.
Oman did not immediately acknowledge the release, though an Omani Royal Air Force jet took a flight to Yemen earlier Wednesday.
The Houthis also said Hamas separately requested the Houthis release the ship’s crew of 25, who included mariners from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico.
A representative for the Galaxy Leader’s owners had no immediate comment.
The Bahamas-flagged, Japanese-operated Galaxy Leader is owned by a British company, which in turn is partially owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham "Rami" Ungar.
The Houthis — whose motto calls for "death to Israel" and "a curse upon the Jews" — hijacked the Galaxy Leader with a helicopter-borne raid on November 19, 2023, ostensibly over its connection to Israel.
Propaganda footage of the raid has been played constantly by the Houthis, who even shot a music video aboard the ship at one point and have turned it into a tourist attraction.
The rebels then conducted a campaign attacking ships in international waters, targeting over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, seizing one vessel and sinking two, and killing four sailors.
The rebels have maintained that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However,
a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... many of the ships attacked have had little or no connection to Israel or its allies, including some bound for Iran.
On Monday, the Houthis signaled they now will limit their attacks in the Red Sea corridor to only Israeli-affiliated ships after a ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip, but warned wider assaults could resume if needed.
As late as Saturday the rebels were still launching drones and missiles targeting Israel, which has warned it will continue to strike Houthi leadership.
The Houthis have launched more than 40 ballistic missiles and some 320 drones at Israel since they started attacking the country in 2023.
Israel and Western allies carried out several sorties against Houthi targets in Yemen, but they have failed to stem the attacks.
In the vast majority of the Houthis’ attacks, the missiles have been intercepted by Israeli air defenses, or have fallen short before reaching the country. However,
a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... a few drones and missiles have hit Israel, causing casualties and damage in several cases.
[NAHARNET] Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam on Tuesday briefed President Joseph Aoun on the developments of the cabinet formation process without submitting a draft line-up, the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Aoun and Salam discussed the ''obstacles that are impeding formation, which are related to distributing three key portfolios -- finance, health and public works -- and to a hurdle invented by the (Shiite) Duo, which is its attempt to place conditions on the management of cabinet sessions and the decision-taking mechanism, in a bid to establish new norms,'' the daily said.
''There is insistence from Salam that should the finance portfolio go to Shiites, it should be allotted to an independent figure not related to Amal or Hezbollah, who would be named by Salam in consensus with Aoun, something that is being rejected by the Hezbollah-Amal duo,'' Nidaa al-Watan added.
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[NYPost] President Trump announced Tuesday night that he had granted a “full and unconditional” pardon to Ross Ulbricht, founder of the notorious dark website Silk Road.
Trump, 78, announced his grant of clemency, first reported earlier Tuesday by The Post, on Truth Social.
“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright [sic] to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross,” he wrote.
“The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!”
A source close to the White House told The Post at midday Tuesday that executive action to turn Ulbricht loose was “incoming.”
“Ross Ulbricht and his family are deeply and eternally grateful to President Trump for his extraordinary act of grace in granting Ross a full and unconditional pardon. After enduring over a decade of incarceration, this decision offers Ross the opportunity to begin anew, to rebuild his life, and to contribute positively to society,” lawyer Brandon Sample told The Post via email.
“This moment marks the end of a long and challenging journey for Ross and his loved ones, and they are overwhelmed with gratitude for this life-changing gesture of mercy and justice.”
Trump had vowed in May to reduce Ulbricht’s life sentence on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering “down to time served” if he won the 2024 election.
Ulbricht was arrested in October 2013 in San Francisco and accused of running the notorious website — which sold drugs and other illegal products while accepting bitcoin as payment — under the pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts.”
Now 40, Ulbricht was convicted in February 2015 on charges including drug trafficking and conspiracies to commit money laundering and computer hacking. He was sentenced that May to two life terms in prison, plus 40 years.
Ulbricht had unsuccessfully appealed his conviction and sentence up to the Supreme Court, leaving him to serve out his time at a maximum-security prison in Arizona.
On Tuesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) sent a letter to Trump asking him to show mercy.
“I write to urge you to follow through on your stated intention to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht. Mr. Ulbricht is serving two life sentences plus forty years without parole for nonviolent offenses related to the website he launched in early 2011,” Paul’s letter read.
“Like so many others, I am shocked by the harsh sentence imposed on this first-time offender.”
Paul argued that Ulbricht’s sentence is “vastly disproportionate to his crimes,” since “the worst drug sellers on the site received significantly more lenient sentences.”
Trump’s campaign vow pleased many Libertarians, who champion Ulbricht as a pioneer of free markets and held up “Free Ross” signs as Trump spoke at their national convention.
The White House did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Post.
Young people are waking up: In the Harvard-Harris poll conducted a few months ago, it found 18-24-year-olds were split 50/50 on support for Israel or Hamas (left photo).
In their most recent poll (right photo), it found that 79% of them support Israel. pic.twitter.com/L652vRVh4Q
[IsraelTimes] Support for terror group highest among Democrats; 82% of all respondents back the ceasefire-hostage release agreement
Twenty-one percent of US voters support the Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... terrorist group over Israel, according to a Harvard/Harris poll conducted as the two sides agreed to a ceasefire.
One-quarter of US Democrats ...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy,white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects... supported Hamas, according to the survey released over the weekend. For Republicans, 19% backed the terror group, and for independent voters the number was 20%, the survey said.
Support for the gunnies was highest among 25- to 34-year-olds, at 32%. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, 21% backed Hamas; in the 35-44 age group, 29%; in the 45-54 age group, 23%; in the 55-64 age group, 17%; and among those over 65, 10%.
Eighty-two percent of respondents backed the ceasefire deal. Democrats were most in favor of the agreement, at 87%, followed by Republicans, 81%, and independents, 78%. Older voters were more supportive, with 64% of 18- to 24-year-olds in favor, versus 88% of those 65 and above.
Among all voters, 57% believed Hamas agreed to the hostage deal because of the incoming Trump administration, and 43% credited the Biden administration.
Support for US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. You're a lyin' dog-faced pony soldier... ’s handling of the war declined since the conflict started, with 44% in favor in October 2023, down to 33% this month.
The poll asked Americans about their opinions on 19 domestic and foreign entities. The three least popular were Hamas, Russia and the Paleostinian Authority. Israel was ranked in the middle.
The Israel-Hamas conflict was the top personal issue for 2% of voters, and 2% said antisemitism was the most important issue facing the US.
Respondents favored the incoming Trump administration, at 53% approval rating, over Biden, whose approval rating was 39%. Support for the Republican party was 52%, compared to 41% for Democrats.
Support for Hamas has remained relatively steady throughout the war. In October 2023, shortly after the Hamas invasion of Israel that started the war, 16% of voters sided more with Hamas than Israel.
The monthly poll was carried out by Harvard University’s Center for American Political Studies and The Harris Poll, a US survey company.
The survey was conducted on January 15-16 and questioned 2,650 registered voters. The margin of error was 1.9%.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A rare emission of black plasma with neutral hydrogen was recorded on the Sun. This was reported on January 22 by the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
"A very rare, beautiful and even slightly eerie phenomenon occurred today on our star. Right in the center of the visible disk, a ghostly structure of a distinctly black color formed, and then was partially ejected into space, and partially dissipated in the corona. Honestly, it is simply very beautiful, and even knowing what it is, it is still difficult to shake off some kind of mystical feeling," the laboratory's website says.
IKI RAS specialists explained that such colors are produced by neutral hydrogen, which is capable of almost completely absorbing short-wavelength radiation falling on it from behind.
According to scientists, the flare most likely ejected and scattered a cold prominence with a large amount of neutral hydrogen across the Sun's corona, as a result of which the prominence's substance was completely destroyed and disappeared.
“But while this process was going on, for about three hours a black cloud of plasma was observed in the corona, living and spreading along the magnetic lines,” the scientists noted.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on January 1, the Earth was engulfed by a magnetic storm that reached the G3 level, classified as “strong” on the five-point scale of the Institute of Applied Geophysics. Possible problems with satellite systems and radio communications were reported, and residents of mid-latitudes could see the polar lights in the sky.
On January 4, scientists recorded five M-class solar flares and two more of the highest level, X. Class M is considered the fourth most powerful. Flares usually result in emissions of solar plasma, clouds of which, reaching the Earth, are capable of provoking magnetic storms on the planet.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian Armed Forces Contain Russian Attacks in Eastern and Southern Ukraine.
The enemy attacked in the area of 14 settlements in the Pokrovsky direction. Most of the assaults have already been repelled.
Since the beginning of the current day, 67 combat clashes have occurred on the front, two thirds of them in the Pokrovsk direction. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report as of 16:00 on Wednesday, January 22.
Thus, in the Kupyansk direction, Russian troops carried out four assault actions near Lozovaya, Zagryzovoye and Petropavlovka. Two combat clashes are ongoing.
In the Liman direction, the invaders attacked five times near Pervomayskoye, Novosergeevka, Zelenaya Dolina, Kuzminoye and in the direction of Serebryansky Forest. There is one battle going on there.
In the Kramatorsk direction, our soldiers are repelling two attacks near Chasovy Yar.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy attacked eight times in the Toretsk area.
In the hottest Pokrovsk direction, the aggressors carried out 44 assaults in the areas of the settlements of Zelenoe Pole, Mirolyubovka, Elizavetovka, Lisovka, Pervoe Maya, Zverevo, Pokrovsk, Novosergeevka, Kotlino, Andreevka, Shevchenko, Dachnoye, Ulakli and Yantarnoye. The defense forces repelled 41 attacks, three combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the Russians advanced five times near the settlements of Konstantinopol and Vremovka. One clash continues to this day.
In the Dnieper direction, our troops repelled one enemy attack.
In the operational zone in Kursk region, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled three attacks by Russians, and three more are ongoing.
" The enemy did not conduct offensive operations in the Kharkov, Seversk, Orekhov, and Gulyai-Polye directions. The situation in other directions of the front did not undergo significant changes," the General Staff added.
Let us recall that in the course of 24 hours on January 21, Russia lost about 2,000 fighters killed and wounded. The total number of losses of the aggressor country is approaching 830 thousand people.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] In Stavropol Krai, a court found four defendants in the case of mass riots at the Makhachkala airport guilty. This was reported on January 22 by the press service of the regional prosecutor's office.
The Kochubeevsky District Court found Akhmed Magomedbekov, Murtazali Murtazaliev, Shamil Mugutdinov and Radzhab Mutayev guilty under articles on participation in mass riots accompanied by violence, pogroms, destruction of property, as well as armed resistance to government officials, and on failure to comply with safety requirements at transport infrastructure facilities by a group of persons by prior conspiracy.
The investigation established that the men participated in the riots at the Uytash airport
…formally Makhachkala Uytash Airport, Uytash Airport is a civilian facility near Makhachkala City, the capitol of Dagestan…
on the basis of national and religious hatred and hostility towards Israeli citizens and refused to comply with the demands of law enforcement officers.
“The unlawful actions of the rioters destroyed and damaged airport property worth more than 24 million rubles, and violated transport and aviation security requirements... Unlawful actions were committed against 30 government officials, 23 of whom suffered bodily injuries of varying severity,” the statement reads.
The court sentenced the accused to 8 to 10 years and 3 months in a general regime penal colony.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on the evening of October 29, 2023, over 1,200 people rioted at the Uytash airport, first breaking into the building and then onto the airfield. There they surrounded a bus with passengers from a plane arriving from Tel Aviv.
The riots occurred against the backdrop of the escalation of the Middle East conflict and the situation in the Gaza Strip. Security forces stopped the actions of the hooligans, and the passengers of the flight were not harmed.
On July 9, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan, Abdurashid Magomedov, reported that about 1,200 people from among the hooligans were brought to administrative responsibility and about 140 were taken into custody.
On October 30, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the riots at Makhachkala airport were organized by Western intelligence agents. The head of state added that they were organized through social networks, including from Ukraine.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:57 Official summary of the Office for Documentation of War Crimes of Ukraine from 00:00 01/22/2025 to 00:00 01/23/2025.
A total of 19 facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
There were reports of one civilian being killed and seven injured.
DAMAGED:
Two residential buildings,
Five civil infrastructure facilities,
Two cars.
A total of 19 armed attacks in the Gorlovka direction.
A total of 59 units of various ammunition were fired.
19:48 Footage of work of Russian assault troops in the South Donetsk direction. First, the assault group commander with the call sign "Mir" approached the building and destroyed the machine gun crew on the roof with an RPG-7V, after which, under the cover of riflemen, the assault troops threw an anti-tank mine into the building, simply collapsing the house.
19:04 122mm BM-21 "Grad" thwarted the enemy's plans. Crews of the MLRS "Grad" of 103rd Guards Motorized Rifle Division of the "Southern" group of forces stopped an attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to prepare for a counterattack in one of the areas of the Kurakhovsky direction. Rocket artillery crews from the 103rd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment were deployed to destroy the enemy's concentration of manpower and equipment.
18:18 You can't hide from persecution. In the Khar'kov region, scouts of the "North" group discovered a pickup truck that the enemy used for rotation. UAV operators worked on the vehicle by dropping ammunition. The enemy tried to hide from the "birds", but was destroyed thanks to the prompt actions of our drone operators.
17:27 The command post of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed.
Sakhalin attack aircraft of the "Vostok" group of forces destroyed enemy command post in the South Donetsk direction.
An enemy firing point was located on the roof of a fortified building. The assault group commander secretly approached the building and destroyed the machine gun crew with RPG-7V fire. Under the cover of the shooters, the assault troops threw an anti-tank mine into the building, destroying about a dozen militants.
17:15 Around 14.50 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle over the territory of Kursk region.
16:11 Another Ukrainian tank did not survive an encounter with our Lancet. The crew of the Lancet loitering munition of the North group of forces destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces tank in the border area of ??Kursk Oblast. Objective control footage shows a precise hit on the tank and an explosion.
14:57 Crushing thermobaric strikes on enemy positions. Crews of TOS-1A "Solntsepek" of Tula paratroopers destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces strongholds with personnel in one of the border areas of the Kursk region.
13:59 Kursk direction.
Marines in Kurilovkaare finishing take the remaining positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Nikolayevo-Daryino is ours. The landing force is moving further along the landings. In Makhnovka there are fierce counter battles.
12:43 Night hunt by Rubicon drone operators. Scouts from the Rubicon center operating in the Kupyansk direction, discovered a self-propelled artillery unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Despite counteraction from electronic warfare systems, the drone operators destroyed the identified target.
11:40 A Rosgvardia UAV operator destroyed a Ukrainian Armed Forces tank in the Kursk region. The enemy combat vehicle was destroyed using a kamikaze drone in one of the districts of the Kursk region. The objective control footage clearly shows the silhouettes of several Ukrainian Armed Forces combat vehicles destroyed by Rosgvardia during a clash with militants of the armed formations of Ukraine –MAP.
11:14 Near Velikaya Novosyolka continues burning out the remnants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison. Some of the Ukrainian military are trying to escape across the fields, while others are sealed in positions that they can neither leave nor defend stably. The Ukrainian Armed Forces' line of defense in this area is beginning to resemble what it was like in Bakhmut (Artemovsk) before its liberation - there is no even "front line", and the flanks are torn and uneven, which makes it difficult for the Ukrainian military to take any active actions.
11:01 Foreign analysts think, that in the Pokrovsk area the situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces continues to deteriorate. The attack on the flank through the southwest allowed the Russian Armed Forces to bypass most of the Ukrainian fortifications, and soon another attack may be made, this time to the northwest. If this is the tactic, then Pokrovsk will face approximately the same thing as Velikaya Novosyolka at the moment.
In order for this plan to be implemented, almost everything is ready: additional forces have been assembled, and a large amount of Russian artillery is located at a relatively short distance.
07:15 During the past night, air defense systems on duty destroyed eight Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles: six UAVs over the territory of the Rostov region and one each over the territories of the Kursk and Voronezh regions.
06:38 203mm rounds smashed enemy stronghold in the Krasnoarmeysk direction. Servicemen of the "Center" group of forces fired a series of salvoes of 203mm high-explosive fragmentation rounds, destroying identified targets at a distance of more than 25 kilometers. The strike by the 2S7 "Malka" self-propelled gun crew on the Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold located in a forest belt was adjusted using the Orlan-30 unmanned aerial vehicle.
05:18 One launch – one target. The crew of the Tor-M2 air defense missile system combat vehicle of the North group of forcestookfiring position and using a circular-view radar station detected an approaching enemy UAV. Having captured the target, the servicemen launched a missile and destroyed the Ukrainian Armed Forces drone.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Having barely agreed on the contours of a ceasefire with Hamas, Israel has turned its attention to the West Bank (WB), where, according to the country's authorities, there has been a "sharp increase in the terrorist threat."
The counter-terrorist operation, dubbed "Iron Wall," initiated by Tel Aviv has been launched in the Jenin province. In addition to army units, members of the Magav (Border Police) and the General Security Service (Shabaq) have also been deployed.
The Israelis insist that the current operation is planned and differs little from previous raids on the West Bank. However, in reality it is perceived more as an attempt by the Israeli establishment to quickly switch attention from domestic problems to countering a common enemy.
RESTLESS JENIN
On Israeli operational maps, Jenin is traditionally classified as a "red zone" and is considered a key "sore spot" in the Judea and Samaria region (the Israeli term for the West Bank).
One of the reasons is the weak governance of these territories. Despite the fact that Jenin is under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), much more than officials in the PNA capital Ramallah, the influence "on the ground" is exercised by the commanders of the Palestinian battalion "Jenin", hostile to official Tel Aviv.
The Israelis explicitly call the city among themselves the “center of Palestinian terrorism” and the “capital of suicide bombers,” which causes the security forces to constantly pay attention to it, especially after the bloody battles in Gaza.
Attempts to fight the enemy using raid methods are interspersed with periodic large-scale operations. Thus, the previous counter-terrorist operation in the vicinity of Jenin (August 2024) resulted in significant destruction of suburban neighborhoods and public infrastructure.
This time, Israeli security forces targeted the administrative center directly.
The Israeli offensive came amid sporadic clashes between the Palestinian Authority and armed groups in Jenin.
For a month, security forces loyal to the official Ramallah tried unsuccessfully to force opponents to surrender, as well as to disarm them.
Interestingly, at the height of the confrontation, in December 2024, Ramallah even tried to get “patronage” from the US President in the form of urgent deliveries of ammunition, helmets, body armor, radios, night vision devices, explosive disposal suits and armored vehicles.
However, Israel blocked the supplies out of fear that the ammunition and supplies could fall into the hands of Palestinian battalions.
The situation in Jenin was relatively stabilized by mid-January, when the PNA security forces and the commanders of local armed groups agreed to a gradual withdrawal of forces and the voluntary surrender of weapons by the “Jenin freebooters.”
However, the Iron Wall brought these efforts to naught: the Palestinian security forces were replaced by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
IRAN AS A COVER
Despite the fact that the IDF action in Jenin is positioned primarily as an operation to disorganize the terrorist underground in the West Bank, the Israeli authorities do not hide the fact that they are fighting on a broader front.
Thus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, commenting on the results of the “Iron Wall,” indicated that the efforts of the army and intelligence services in Jenin are part of a strategy to counter Iranian influence.
"This is an additional step in achieving our goal of strengthening security in Judea and Samaria. We act methodically and decisively against the Iranian axis, wherever it penetrates - Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Judea and Samaria - and we continue to act actively," the Israeli prime minister concluded.
The Iranian side has not commented on the events in Jenin. Moreover, Iranian strategists do not include the West Bank in the “resistance zone.” And if they do, then only in passing, prioritizing support for loyal forces in the Gaza Strip. This positioning is due to both the unstable positions of anti-Israeli groups in this area and fears of violating the consensus with the PNA’s regional partners — Egypt and Jordan.
However, the return of official Tel Aviv to promoting the theme of “Iranian influence” in Palestine is not accidental.
With the ruling coalition in Israel continuing to split and some far-right politicians leaving it, Netanyahu desperately needs to keep the remaining right-wing parties in his orbit. This can only be done through quick and decisive victories.
And “restless Jenin” is perfect for such adventures – especially since there are still many in Netanyahu’s entourage who want to strengthen Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, including under the guise of fighting the terrorist threat.
Moreover, by skillfully juggling the thesis of the "Iranian trace" in Jenin, the current prime minister can undermine the position of the parliamentary opposition. Especially since it was under the government of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, whose parties today form the backbone of the opposition in the Knesset, that Tel Aviv's attention to this area weakened.
In this context, the implementation of the “Iron Wall” is also positioned as a correction of other people’s mistakes, as well as proof that Israel maintains control over the situation in Palestine.
And this already somewhat shades the recent miscalculations of official Tel Aviv in Gaza and calms down the right-wing politicians who were about to leave. At least, this is what Netanyahu himself thinks.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Ilya Ropshin
[REGNUM] Exactly ten years ago, on January 22, 2015, after a massive artillery barrage, the Donbass militias launched an offensive on the Debaltseve arc. The battles for the capture of the city of Debaltseve, one of the largest railway hubs of the DPR, became the last episode of the "hot phase" of the Donbass conflict and culminated in the signing of the Second Minsk Agreements.
From the point of view of military strategy, the battles for Debaltseve became the largest battle of the transition period. They were very different from the 2014 campaign, some experts call them almost a manifestation of the "new Makhnovshchina" and semi-guerrilla warfare. And at the same time, they cannot be classified in scale as combat operations of the SVO. At the same time, some of the problems that emerged during the storming of Debaltseve will also emerge during the current special operation of the Russian Armed Forces.
THEATER OF OPERATIONS
The Debaltseve salient on the combat contact line was formed at the end of July 2014. At that time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to completely capture the city, which had been controlled by the Novorossiya militia since April 13. However, the success of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was incomplete. The Ukrainian military managed to cut the Donetsk-Luhansk railway, but they failed to reach the rear of Yenakiyevo and organize an offensive on Gorlovka.
In August, the militia attempted to recapture Debaltseve. However, due to the lack of coordination between the Luhansk and Donetsk militias, as well as threats to the Donbass republics from other directions, this was not possible.
By the fall of 2014, Ukraine controlled the Debaltseve salient, which jutted out to the south, encircled Gorlovka from the east, and cut off the roads between Lugansk and Donetsk. The Ukrainian group located on the salient threatened the same Gorlovka, as well as the cities of Yenakiyeve, Shakhtyorsk, Alchevsk, and Stakhanov. At the same time, the salient itself was under fire from the artillery of the Donbass republics.
It was no secret to anyone that sooner or later the militia would try to cut off the ledge.
BALANCE OF POWER
At that time, the Ukrainian group in the Debaltseve area included: units of the 128th Mountain Infantry, 25th Airborne and 17th Tank brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, territorial defense battalions from the Chernihiv, Kyiv and Kirovograd regions, police and National Guard special forces units.
As well as formations that are not formally part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: the battalion of the “Volunteer Ukrainian Corps” of the “Right Sector”* and the Chechen battalion named after Dzhokhar Dudayev.
On the side of the DPR and LPR, the Kalmius and Prizrak brigades fought in the battles, as well as battalion tactical groups of the 1st Army Corps of the DPR and the 2nd Army Corps of the LPR. Let us explain: after the first Minsk agreements (signed on September 5, 2014), in October, on the basis of disparate volunteer units, People's Militia corps were created - the 1st Corps of the DPR and the 2nd Corps of the LPR, respectively.
For example, the famous Sparta unit (now named after its first commander Arsen Pavlov - Motorola) became part of the 1st Corps of the DPR People's Militia. Sparta participated in the battles for Debaltsevo, among other things.
The corps of the people's republics were formed, among other things, by contract soldiers - for the men of Donbass, which was experiencing mass unemployment, this was also an opportunity to earn money.
The number of units on the opposing sides was approximately equal - according to various sources, it ranged from 7 thousand to 8-9 thousand people.
Ukraine was quickly turning Debaltseve into a powerful fortified area. The militia was replenishing its equipment reserves, especially artillery. At the same time, there were also problems related to the personnel of the opposing sides.
It would seem that Ukraine had a motivated and seasoned sergeant and junior officer corps. And many privates had already had a taste of gunpowder.
The defenders of Donbass were supposed to have already gained enough experience during the battles of the “Russian Spring” – from the defense of Slavyansk to the battles at Saur-Mogila.
However, in reality, things were not so optimistic - and not only in the aggressor's troops, but also, alas, in the ranks of the defenders of the people's republics.
PROBLEMS OF THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES: FREEDOM, CONFUSION AND SLOWNESS
"The Maidan activists are the worst, many of them are unemployed and have no goals in life. They joined the army but do not want to learn discipline. When I tried to teach them something, they said: who are you to teach us, I threw Molotov cocktails on the Maidan," a British citizen of Ukrainian origin, call sign Shafran, who fought near Debaltseve, complained to BBC correspondents in February 2015. He introduced himself as a "military instructor."
According to his estimates, 6 out of 10 losses among Ukrainian volunteers were the result of friendly fire and inability to properly handle weapons.
"It was clear from the start that Debaltseve would be a disaster for Ukraine, but the military command and political leaders watched it unfold with a sluggish air," the British instructor lamented.
According to him, the Ukrainian military leadership was then “so incompetent that it puts the lives of personnel at risk”: “Commanders confuse tactics with strategy, they launch offensives without warning each other, and without any strategic necessity.”
The Ukrainian volunteer units lacked coordination of actions at that time. And they had problems with communication: they used ordinary mobile phones.
At the same time, British instructor Shafran noted the high level of training of Ukrainian special forces.
MILITIA PROBLEMS: WEAKNESSES OF COMMANDERS AND FIGHTERS “BY AD”
On the other hand, the DPR and LPR corps had a problem of a different nature: poorly trained personnel.
"One of the main problems has become the individual training of soldiers, whose level of training, especially in infantry units, does not fully meet the modern requirements of combined arms combat. The main reason for this is the acute shortage of trained junior officers and sergeants at the platoon and company level," military correspondent Vladislav Shurygin stated in his blog in March 2015.
In his opinion, on average, a battalion had at best two or three platoon commanders with a military education. The shortfall had to be covered by appointing university graduates and fighters who gained experience in June–September 2014, with their subsequent accelerated training already in the units.
"But this problem was never fully resolved. As a result, during the battles the infantry had to be constantly reinforced by well-trained special forces and reconnaissance units, which were ultimately used for the most part as assault groups," Shurygin noted.
Similar difficulties were observed in tank units. Many crews had only basic driving and shooting experience, but when it was necessary to urgently fix a breakdown of a combat vehicle, problems already began. As a result, equipment was often abandoned during battles "with minimal breakdowns and damage," Shurygin stated.
The armored vehicle crews lacked experience in “team play,” which led to large and unjustified losses of equipment and personnel.
Shurygin also directly pointed out that some of the people accepted into service in September–October 2014 “actually had no other motivation for service other than material incentives.”
Andrey Morozov, the head of communications for the August Battalion of the LPR People's Militia, spoke even more harshly: "Everyone understood perfectly well how recruitment into the army by advertisements would end. It was impossible to establish any filtering or screening of recruits at the level of large units in such a short time."
Ultimately, this led to the desertion of a certain number of fighters from the DPR and LPR Armed Forces.
So, before the fighting began, the sides had enough problems. But the battle for Debaltseve still took place.
FIRST PHASE OF THE OPERATION. STRIKING AT WEAK LINKS
On January 22, Ukraine officially acknowledged the loss of Donetsk airport. On the same day, the offensive operation of the armed forces of the DPR and LPR began to eliminate the Debaltseve salient.
Initially, the plan was to cut off the salient at its "base" - near Svetlodarsk. On January 22, the militia launched artillery strikes on Debaltsevo, Olkhovatka, Redkodub, Popasnaya and Sanzharovka.
The DPR and LPR Armed Forces attempted to close the cauldron near Debaltseve with counterattacks in the direction of Svetlodarsk, but the attack was unsuccessful. In response, Ukrainian formations launched a counterattack in the direction of Troitske and Krasny Pakhar, which the militia had previously managed to recapture.
The armed forces of the Donbass republics tried to achieve success further south. On January 25, in the area of Sanzharovka, the "August" battalion attacked height 307.9. Morozov's text in "Live Journal" was dedicated to the battles for the height :
"Sanzharovka itself was really taken almost without problems. It was a great tank attack through the fog, with infantry on the armor. However, how much infantry was there? Battalion reconnaissance. A platoon, about 20 people. The motorized rifle company assigned to us according to the organization chart was partly in another place on the front at that time, partly scattered along the entire route of advance to the front, guarding rear bases and transit points."
According to the chief of communications of the August battalion, the militia artillery fire in that battle, if it was adjusted, was unsatisfactory. And then the Ukrainian military realized that the militia did not have enough infantrymen.
"There was no infantry there. Neither our own, nor that attached to one of the brigades. And the command knew that it would not be there during the attack. The tanks went to 307.9 "naked", without infantry," Morozov noted.
The militia tanks were burned. Sanzharovka itself continued to be shelled until the end of the battle for Debaltseve.
However, the armed forces of the DPR and LPR managed to drive the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of the settlement of Nikishino. The Ukrainian garrison went north to Redkodub, which was later also liberated.
The Donbass republics' command also concentrated its efforts on Uglegorsk, a weak link in the Ukrainian defense. As a number of experts pointed out, the Ukrainian military prepared the fortifications there poorly, which the militias took advantage of.
The militia's goal was to organize a "small cauldron" along the line of heights that controlled the M-103 highway running northwest from Debaltseve. The highway itself came under heavy artillery fire from the Kalmius Brigade.
THE FALL OF UGLEGORSK AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE ARC INTO A CAULDRON
On January 26, the head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, announced the encirclement of Ukrainian units in the Debaltseve area, calling on Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms in exchange for their lives.
In Debaltsevo and Uglegorsk, as well as Dzerzhinsk, a catastrophic humanitarian situation has developed: due to military action, the main water pipelines were damaged.
On January 31, the militia entered Uglegorsk. Street fighting began. On February 3, an attack began on the village of Logvinovo on the M-103 highway.
The next day, on February 4, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the parties to a ceasefire to evacuate residents of Debaltseve and other settlements. A ceasefire was declared, and more than 5,000 civilians were evacuated from Debaltseve and other settlements.
The next day, the fighting resumed. That same day, February 5, the militia established full control over Uglegorsk. It is noteworthy that at the height of the fighting for this settlement, the head of the DPR Zakharchenko visited it, which demoralized those Ukrainians who believed the official media information that the attacks on Uglegorsk were "repulsed."
Two days later, on February 7, Redkodub was liberated, and on February 9, Logvinovo. Ukrainian paratroopers tried to recapture the latter, but they failed. After that, the DPR and LPR announced that the M-103 highway was blocked.
Thus, the cauldron near Debaltseve was formed. However, the Ukrainian side did not admit this. On February 11, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak stated that "the units located in Debaltseve are receiving weapons and ammunition, there is communication and interaction with the command." But in fact, even in Ukraine itself, they did not believe in this.
FIGHTS AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF MINSK
The next morning, February 12, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to break out of Debaltseve. Logvinovo was attacked. Moreover, the attack was carried out both from within the cauldron and from outside.
By that time, negotiations had taken place in Minsk between Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. On February 12, the heads of the DPR and LPR, Aleksandr Zakharchenko and Igor Plotnitsky, also arrived in Minsk.
Militiamen of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) on the road to Debaltseve.
As a result of the Minsk agreements signed that day, the troops of both sides were to cease fire from 00:00 Eastern European Time on February 15. Zakharchenko and Plotnitsky announced their readiness to allow the Ukrainian formations to leave the cauldron if they left behind their weapons and equipment.
In reality, the fighting did not stop. OSCE representatives who arrived to record the ceasefire were unable to get to Debaltseve. DPR leader Zakharchenko was wounded during the fighting for Debaltseve on February 17.
FEBRUARY FINALE
On the night of February 18, the Ukrainian command decided to withdraw all the blocked units from Debaltseve. Their backbone was made up of units of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade. The Ukrainians went for a breakthrough. In total, more than 2,500 people tried to leave the cauldron. The majority of them succeeded. Although three roads leading out of the city were mined and were under close fire control of the militia, the enemy had the opportunity to retreat along paths and rough terrain. But there were also prisoners and dead.
Later that day, the DPR Ministry of Defense announced that Debaltseve was under full control. And the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in turn, announced the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Debaltseve. At the same time, Poroshenko tried to claim that the withdrawal of Ukrainian units was organized, which caused criticism both in the DPR and in Ukraine itself, since it was a case of flight at random, with personal weapons, but without heavy weapons and equipment.
According to various sources, Ukraine's losses amounted to 250 people killed and 110 captured. Some authors also estimate the militia's losses at almost 240 people killed. The armed forces of the Donbass republics took quite a lot of trophies, primarily equipment and weapons. But militia officers were rather skeptical about the battles for Debaltseve.
"The offensive on Debaltseve began on the 22nd. I would call it "disgustingly planned", but I seriously doubt that anyone planned it at all. Tanks without infantry, infantry without cover, no communication between units... In general, everything ended as it should have. A week later, everyone sent their superiors to a well-known address and began coordinating actions among themselves at the grassroots level. But there were no reserves left," noted Alexey Markov, commander of the Luhansk Prizrak brigade, on February 1, 2015.
According to him, the liberation of Debaltseve, the neutralization of the Ukrainian group threatening Gorlovka, and the straightening of the front line were a victory achieved in spite of the circumstances and at a rather heavy price.
Later, in 2019, the "Coordination Center for Assistance to Novorossiya", of which Markov was a member, prepared a report "How Russia is Losing the War in Donbass". The report covered in detail the problematic aspects of the battles for Debaltseve. In particular, it discussed the personnel, their training, as well as problems with communication and coordination of the units of the Armed Forces of the Donbass republics.
Some of the problems later "surfaced" at the initial stage of the SVO. But that's a completely different story.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] January 2025 may become the second warmest second month of winter in the history of meteorological observations. This was stated on January 22 by the scientific director of the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia Roman Vilfand.
“Apparently, this month will be in second place in terms of the highest values after 2020,” TASS quoted him as saying.
The weather forecaster explained that the warmest month in meteorological observations to date was January 2020, when the average monthly air temperature was 0 degrees.
Vilfand added that no significant change in air temperature is expected until the end of January and it will exceed the climatic norm by approximately 1 degree.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on January 20, the press service of the Moscow Botanical Garden reported that the first snowdrops of the year had blossomed in the open-air Apothecary Garden. The flowers appeared near the main entrance to the Shadow Garden.
Vilfand said on January 16 that 2024 was the hottest year in the history of meteorological observations, which began in 1850. The forecaster added that on July 22, 2024, the average daily temperature across the entire Earth was 17.16 degrees, as a result of which this day was recognized as the hottest in history.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The new Syrian authorities are negotiating with the Russian Federation on the future of Russian military bases located on Syrian territory, but the parties have not yet been able to reach an agreement. This was statedby the Minister of Defense in the transitional Syrian government, Murhaf Abu Kasra, in an interview with the Al Araby TV channel on January 22.
"It is still unclear what the final solution [to this issue] will look like. We have not yet received any instructions [from our leadership on this matter]," the minister noted.
He added that the country's leadership is conducting negotiations together with the Syrian Foreign Ministry.
Good luck, guys. I’m not sure working with the local Al Qaeda franchise is a good idea — they’re jihadi, donchaknow — but the world will benefit from having a reasonably responsible party on site. Enjoy being Johnny-on-the-spot.
Earlier, on January 22, the new Syrian authorities terminated the contract for the expansion and modernization of the Tartus port, which was concluded between the country and a Russian company in 2019. Tartus Customs Director Riyad Judi clarified that all revenues from the port's activities will be used in the interests of the Syrian state.
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Bogdanov said on December 12 last year that Russia expects to maintain military bases in Syria due to their important role in the fight against international terrorism. The diplomat said that Moscow has established contacts in Syria with the political committee of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (a terrorist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation).
On December 8, Bashar al-Assad resigned as president and left Syria, ordering a peaceful transfer of power. He and his family arrived in Russia, where they were granted asylum.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A former CIA operative has revealed the agency pursues people with a certain mental disorder as it makes them the best agents.
John Kiriakou, who had a 14-year career as a CIA officer, said the agency 'actively seeks to hire people who have sociopathic tendencies,' but avoids individuals with a full-blown disorder.
A 'sociopath' is someone who lacks empathy, disregards the feelings of others and may manipulate or harm people without remorse, often for their own personal gain.
'Sociopaths are impossible to control,' said Kiriakou. 'They slip through the cracks because they have no conscience and they pass the polygraph very easily because they don't feel guilty.
Someone who has some of these qualities tend to rise to the highest levels of the CIA.
'People who have sociopathic tendencies do have a conscience but are still perfectly happy to work in moral legal and ethical gray areas,' said Kiriakou.
Kiriakou admitted that he falls into the category of having sociopathic tendencies, explaining how he was 'happy to break into people's houses and plant bugs.'
The former officer used the idea that he was part of the good guys and that his country needed him as a way to feed his sociopathic tendencies.
The CIA has admitted that spies have pathological personality features that help them with their espionage efforts, such as a sense of entitlement or a desire for power and control.
While employed by the CIA, Kiriakou was involved in critical counterterrorism missions following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He was involved in the capture of terrorist Abu Zubaydah.
However, he refused to be trained in so-called 'enhanced interrogation techniques.'
Kiriakou has claimed that he never authorized or engaged in these techniques.
After leaving the CIA, he appeared on ABC News where he said the CIA waterboarded detainees and labeled the action as torture.
The interview led to Kiriakou being arrested in 2012 and charged with one count of violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act for allegedly illegally disclosing the identity of a covert officer.
He was also charged with two counts of violating the Espionage Act for allegedly illegally disclosing national defense information to individuals not authorized to receive it, and one count of making false statements for allegedly lying to the Publications Review Board of the CIA in an unsuccessful attempt to trick the CIA into allowing him to include classified information in a book he was seeking to publish.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
'A CIA psychiatrist told me one time that the CIA looks to hire people with sociopathic tendencies–not sociopaths because sociopaths have no consciences,' said Kiriakou, speaking to The Real News Network.
When asked if he thinks that is what the CIA saw in him, he responded: 'I think they probably did.'
Kiriakou provided a question he was asked during the CIA hiring interview.
'They said, 'You know that Mr X has something in his house that you need, whether it’s a file or whatever. You need it. And you work on him to recruit him so that eventually he turns that file over to you.'
'But he’s not recruitable. And in the end, when you ask him for the file, he tells you, no. What do you do?'
'I said, I break into the house and take the file.' Seemed like a perfectly logical answer to me.'
The former CIA officer explained that because he believed he was part of the good guys, Mr X was surely a bad guy, such as a Russian scientist.
Another former CIA agent, Jim 'Mad Dog' Lawler, has echoed Kiriakou's remarks about sociopathic tendencies in the agency.
Lawler had a 25-year career with the agency as a nuclear weapons expert and spy.
He was a specialist in the recruitment of foreign spies, and he spent over half of his CIA career battling the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
During his career, Lawler served as chief of the A.Q. Khan Nuclear Takedown Team, which resulted in the disruption a nuclear weapons network led by Abdul Qadeer Khan.
The network was active in the 1980s and 1990s and involved countries including Iran, Libya, and North Korea.
Lawler recently said the CIA wants people who are dangerously on the line or straddling the line of being a sociopath.
'A good friend of mine he was an operational psychologist at the CIA and he would review the criteria for hiring more folks like me and he wondered you know how much sociopathy are we dialing in to, he said while speaking on the Julian Dorey Podcast.
'What I did is rather sociopathic. I'm manipulating people. I'm exploiting people. I found out doing it against foreigners was as hell of a lot of fun.
'Its that sociopathic part where we enjoy breaking people's laws because that's what we do we break foreign countries laws. We are convincing people to become Traders.'
He also explained that he would do virtually anything that's legal to get people in foreign countries to be spies for the US.
Lawler admitted that he had only used his 'special skills' three times, including to avoid a traffic ticket and get an upgrade to first class on an airplane.
The former CIA officer shared that he is also extremely empathic, which is the complete opposite of a full-blown sociopath.
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.
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