[KhaamaPress] A 36-year-old Afghan immigrant woman has been found guilty of terrorism offences after planning to travel to Afghanistan with her children to join the terrorist group ISIS. Farishta Jami was convicted of two counts of engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorism under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006 at Leicester Crown Court.
The court heard that Jami, a refugee who settled in the UK, had saved over £1,200 to fund one-way flights for herself and her children to Afghanistan. Her intention was to join ISIS and martyr herself. Jami had conducted extensive research into available flight options and was planning the trip as early as July 2023. Investigators found that she had carried out 22 separate flight searches in late October and early November 2023, with a focus on one-way tickets.
During a search of her home, detectives seized multiple electronic devices, sim cards, hidden cash, and concealed passports. Jami had been active online, sharing violent mostly peaceful bad boy material across social media platforms, including graphic videos and documents. She was also an administrator in several pro-ISIS groups, overseeing the distribution of propaganda and instructional videos, further solidifying her commitment to the terrorist organization.
Detective Chief Superintendent Alison Hurst of Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands highlighted that while Jami had claimed she was traveling to visit family in Afghanistan, no evidence was found to support this. Authorities were able to confirm that she had no plans to contact relatives, and her actions pointed to a clear intention to join ISIS.
Jami is scheduled for sentencing on February 14, 2025. The case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat posed by individuals attempting to travel abroad to join terrorist groups. UK authorities urge the public to report any suspicious activities, stressing that timely action can help prevent tragedies.
[KhaamaPress] The General Prosecutor’s Office of Tajikistan has announced that more than 30 individuals have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 8 to 20 years for attempting to poison participants at a festival.
According to Rooters, a security source in Tajikistan reported that all of the convicted individuals are linked to ISIS-Khorasan.
On Friday, February 14th, Tajikistan’s prosecutors revealed that the defendants attempted to poison festival-goers at the Nowruz celebration last year in the city of Vahdat, located east of the capital, Dushanbe. They attempted to contaminate food served at the event with poison.
Said Ahmadzadeh, head of the counterterrorism and extremism department of Tajikistan’s General Prosecutor’s Office, stated to news hounds that 10 more individuals connected to the plot are being pursued by authorities.
Earlier this month, Tajikistan media reported that nine ISIS-Khorasan prisoners were involved in an attempt to escape from a prison in Vahdat, where they killed five fellow inmates during the escape attempt.
Tajikistan’s foreign minister had previously stated that bandidossnuffies carried out three attacks in the country in 2024, while two other attacks were successfully prevented. Tajik authorities have repeatedly expressed concerns over the activities of ISIS-Khorasan in Afghanistan and their growing influence in Tajikistan.
Tajikistan continues to grapple with the influence of krazed killer groups like ISIS-Khorasan within its borders. With ongoing security challenges, the government remains focused on counterterrorism efforts to ensure the safety of its citizens.
[KhaamaPress] The German federal government has stated that deporting Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan before the upcoming parliamentary elections on February 23 is "unlikely" due to the "difficult agreement with the Taliban ...Arabic for students... ." A government spokesperson clarified that Berlin is working on plans to address this issue.
Speaking on February 14, Stefan Hebstreit, the spokesperson for the German government, said he could not "raise undue expectations" regarding deportation flights before the elections. However,
there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly... he emphasized that Germany continues to prepare for this process.
He also mentioned that Germany does not have a diplomatic presence in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, making deportations particularly challenging. He added that Berlin is engaging in discussions with international partners, although the timeline for deportations remains uncertain.
A German Foreign Ministry official also stressed that the government cannot predict the timing of deportations, as announcing such actions in advance could jeopardize their execution and potentially alert the individuals involved. Germany remains committed to facilitating deportations to Afghanistan, despite the ongoing difficulties.
The situation surrounding the deportation of Afghan refugees has become more complex following the recent car attack in Munich. The attack, committed by an Afghan refugee, has sparked renewed calls for stricter measures on Afghan deportations. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser affirmed that deportations to Afghanistan would continue despite the growing concerns.
The car attack in Munich, which injured 36 people, has heightened tensions around immigration policies. The attack, carried out by an Afghan asylum seeker, has prompted political debates on the safety of allowing refugees from Afghanistan to remain in Germany. The incident has added fuel to the ongoing discussions about asylum and deportation.
[KhaamaPress] On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... announced that the United States would extradite a suspect involved in the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks to India for trial.
Ten terrorists rampaged through to the city and kept many hostage in various hotels and a Chabad House before killing 166, including the rabbi, his wife, and several of their children. The horror lasted nearly 60 hours before Mumbai police gunned down the bad guys. The lone surviving terrorist, Ajmal Kasab sang like a canary, was found guilty and subsequently hanged a few years later at a jail in Pune.
Trump did not disclose the identity of the suspect but Rooters reported that the individual is a Canadian-Pak citizen. The U.S. president made the announcement after a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House.
In a joint presser, Trump expressed his satisfaction in confirming the extradition of one of the criminal masterminds behind the horrific Mumbai terror attacks, stating that this person would face justice in India.
The 2008 Mumbai attacks, carried out by four gangs, targeted luxury hotels, train stations, and a Jewish center. The attack resulted in 166 deaths and over 300 injuries, lasting three days.
India has stated that the attacks were carried out by the Pakistain-based Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI...> group, though Pakistain denied involvement at the time. Reports indicate that the suspect being extradited is Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian-Pak businessman who was previously sentenced to 14 years in prison in the U.S. for supporting Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Mr. Rana is accused by the Indian government of participating in the planning and execution of the Lashkar terrorist attacks in Mumbai by collaborating with his childhood friend David Coleman Headley, also known as "Daood Gilani," and others. He was convicted in 2011 of providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, which planned the Mumbai terror attack and for supporting a never-carried-out plot to attack a Danish newspaper that printed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed (PTUI!) in 2005. Specifically, he was accused of allowing David Coleman Headley to open a branch of his Chicago-based immigration law business in Mumbai as a cover story and to travel as a representative of the company in Denmark. So now, upon finishing his sentence here, he will get to trade the luxurious accommodations of an American federal prison for an Indian one.
This move strengthens the U.S.-India relationship as both countries work together to combat terrorism. The extradition is a significant step in holding individuals accountable for their involvement in international terrorism, demonstrating a shared commitment to justice and security.
It’s their culture, so there’s nothing to be done.
[KhaamaPress] Local authorities in Samangan province said two individuals have been arrested in connection with injuring four worshipers in Samangan. The incident occurred during Friday prayers on February 14 at a Mosque in the city of Aybak.
According to a statement from Hashmatullah Rahmani, spokesperson for the Samangan Police, the two individuals, residents of Samangan, threw a hand grenade inside the mosque, resulting in injuries to four worshipers. The attack was reportedly motivated by personal grievances with the mosque’s community.
Rahmani confirmed that after being informed of the incident, the Deputy Security Commander and personnel from the third security district of the Samangan Police responded quickly. They apprehended the suspects, who were attempting to flee, along with a firearm. They are now under investigation.
The wounded victims were immediately transferred to the provincial hospital in Mazar-e-Sharif for medical treatment. The authorities have stated that the situation is under control.
In a separate incident, Kabul witnessed a suicide bombing on Thursday, February 13, which resulted in two deaths, including the attacker, and three others being injured.
This attack follows a similar suicide bombing in Kunduz on Tuesday, February 11, where an attacker detonated explosives outside a Kabul Bank branch, targeting civilians and Taliban members waiting to collect their pay. The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack.
13 FEBRUARY 2025
[ToloNews] In a suicide kaboom today (Thursday, February 13) at the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, one person was killed, and three others were maimed.
The ministry’s spokesperson Mohammad Kamal Afghan stated that a jacket wallah attempting to enter the ministry was eliminated by security forces of the Islamic Emirate.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing provided further details about the incident: "When he was attacked, the explosives he was carrying detonated, resulting in the martyrdom of one of our Mujahid comrades and the death of the attacker. Additionally, three civilians were maimed."
Abdul Mateen Qani, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, said the suicide bomber was neutralized before reaching his target, and further investigations are underway.
The spokesperson said: "The security forces are conducting a thorough investigation, and just as perpetrators have been brought to justice before, they will be punished again."
"Intelligence and security forces are responsible for identifying the perpetrators and the root causes of such attacks, as the continuation of such incidents damages public morale," Sayed Muqaddam Amin, a political analyst, told TOLOnews.
This comes after a suicide kaboom near the Kabul Bank gate in Kunduz on Tuesday, which killed eight people and injured four others.
[ToloNews] The Islamic Emirate considers the United Nations ...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense... Security Council's sanctions monitoring committee report on the presence of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan to be inaccurate and contrary to the current realities of the country.
Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, told TOLOnews that the interim government will never allow any group to use Afghan soil to act against other countries.
According to Mujahid, some countries and intelligence circles within the United Nations are using this narrative to conduct propaganda against Afghanistan.
Mujahid said: "The Islamic Emirate does not allow any foreign, rogue group to operate in Afghanistan, and such groups are not present here. Unfortunately, some countries and intelligence circles, through organizations like the United Nations and the Security Council, are tarnishing public opinion and waging propaganda and campaigns against Afghanistan."
The United Nations Security Council's sanctions monitoring committee reported that the Islamic Emirate has provided favorable conditions for al-Qaeda's presence, offering safe houses and training camps across Afghanistan.
The report states: "Low-profile members resided with their families under the protection of the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... intelligence service (General Directorate of Intelligence) in Kabul neighbourhoods, while big shots were placed in rural areas outside Kabul. Some Member States noted that Hamza al Ghamdi (not listed) was in the highly secured Shashdarak area in Kabul with his family."
"The unconfirmed killing of al-Zawahiri ...Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area assuming he's not dead like Mullah Omar. He lost major face when he ordered the nascent Islamic State to cease and desist and merge with the orthodox al-Qaeda spring, al-Nusra...> should not reflect Afghanistan's decision or the will of the Afghan people, and the fate of Afghanistan should not be determined based on that. It must be addressed according to Afghanistan's situation, logic, and evidence, not through malicious policies or blind speculations for self-interest," said Abdul Sadiq Hamidzoi, a political analyst.
Meanwhile,
...back at the secret hideout, Scarface Al sneeringly put his proposition to little Nell... Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, has stated that the situation in Afghanistan poses a serious threat to neighboring countries.
In a presser, Lavrov emphasized the need for regional cooperation to counter security threats in Central Asia, particularly Afghanistan. He said: "The situation in Afghanistan remains difficult and has a significant impact on neighboring countries, including Tajikistan."
Although the international community has repeatedly expressed concerns about potential terrorism threats from Afghan soil, the Islamic Emirate has stated that, just as Afghan soil has not been used against other countries so far, it will not be used for such purposes in the future.
[IsraelTimes] March to US Embassy, organized by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, sees antisemitic chants and slogans; draws small band of pro-Israel counterprotesters
Thousands of pro-Paleostinian and anti-Israel demonstrators marched through central London to the United States embassy on Saturday to protest against US President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... ’s proposal that the US "take over" 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... and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
Waving Paleostinian flags and placards saying "Hands off Gaza," several thousand people walked from Whitehall in Westminster over the River Thames to the embassy in Nine Elms, chanting, among other slogans, "From the river to the sea, Paleostine will be free," according to the Daily Mail.
Among those in attendance was former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was seen at the front of a bloc marching under a banner demanding to "stop arming Israel."
Of course. How could he possibly stay away?
Several attendees could be seen holding signs with inflammatory language or symbols emblazoned on them, including a man identified as 69-year-old John Hamilton, who the Daily Mail reported was carrying a placard featuring two swastikas that he claimed were a way to "draw comparisons between the Zionists and the Nazis." The sign was inside an evidence bag, to draw attention to an identical sign that had been taken from him when he was arrested during a November 2023 protest.
Earlier this month, Trump stunned the world when he suggested the US could redevelop the war-torn Gaza Strip into a prime real estate location as a means of rebuilding it. His proposal envisages resettling Paleostinians elsewhere, chiefly in Jordan and Egypt, apparently with no plan for them ever to return, despite other members of his administration and Israel insisting it would be a temporary measure. Other Western leaders and the Arab world have widely condemned the idea.
Protesters held banners that read, "Stand up to Trump" and "Mr Trump, Canada is not your 51st state. Gaza is not your 52nd."
"I think it’s completely immoral and illegal and also impractical and absurd," 87-year-old Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos told AFP.
"You simply cannot deport two million people, especially that the surrounding countries already said that they wouldn’t take them, not out of the goodness of their heart but because it would destabilize those countries," he said.
"So it’s not going to happen but it does a lot of damage simply stating that as an endgame," he added.
The march, organized by the Paleostine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), was the 24th major pro-Paleostinian and anti-Israel protest in Britannia’s capital since Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... ’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel.
The assault — in which thousands of bully boyz invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault — sparked immediate demonstrations worldwide, even prior to Israel’s response.
The PSC has faced heavy backlash in recent weeks, after newly obtained information from the Metropolitan Police Service showed that the group first filed a request to hold an anti-Israel protest shortly after noon on October 7, some eight hours after Hamas breached the Israel-Gaza border in multiple places, invaded Israel and began its slaughter.
At the time that the request was filed, the massacre was ongoing and the IDF was scrambling to regain control of the southern communities invaded by Hamas. Israel was still far from fully understanding the scale of the unfolding disaster.
A heavy police presence was deployed as officers kept protesters away from a counter-march led by the "Stop the Hate" group, founded post-October 7 to respond to the frequent anti-Israel marches.
The Telegraph reported that protestors from the main demonstration shouted, among other things, "Zionist pig," and "Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Mohammad will return" — an Arabic chant referring to an ancient battle between Moslems and Jews — at the pro-Israel counterprotestors.
Stop the Hate also shared a series of signs on social media that it found particularly egregious, including a map labeled "Paleostine" with the borders of the entire State of Israel, several comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany and the war in Gaza to the Holocaust, and a sign alleging that both major parties in the UK and the US are "owned by Israel."
"Antisemitic tropes were popular at today’s PSC protest. Placards about Jewish power are never called out by the organisers," the group said on X.
[IsraelTimes] 1,800 munitions weighing 2,000 lbs apiece unloaded at Ashdod Port, taken by trucks to Israeli airbases, weeks after Trump lifts hold on delivery
A shipment of some 1,800 heavy bombs from the United States that had been held up by the previous American administration arrived in Israel overnight, the Defense Ministry announced on Sunday.
A ship carrying the MK-84 2,000-lb munitions docked at Ashdod Port and was unloaded onto dozens of trucks and taken to Israeli airbases, the ministry said.
Defense Minister Israel Katz hailed the arrival of the bombs, saying in a statement: "The munitions shipment that arrived in Israel tonight, released by the Trump administration, represents a significant asset for the Air Force and the IDF and serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between Israel and the United States."
"I thank President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... and the US administration for their unwavering support of the State of Israel. We will continue working together to strengthen our security," Katz added.
According to the ministry, since the beginning of the war in October 2023, over 76,000 tons of military equipment have arrived in Israel on 678 transport planes and 129 ships, the vast majority from the US.
The US rushed billions of dollars in military aid to Israel throughout the past 16 months of 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... , sparked by the Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... terror group’s October 7, 2023, assault in southern Israel.
But the Biden administration acknowledged that it stopped fast-tracking weapons to Israel later in the war, and instead required each transfer to go through the usual approval process, as is the case for other countries.
In May, the White House announced a decision to withhold a shipment of 1,800 2,000-lb bombs and 1,700 500-lb bombs, with then-US president Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. We hold these truths to be self-evident. All men and women created ... by the — you know — you know, the thing... threatening to freeze additional offensive weaponry if Israel launched a major military offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, where over one million Paleostinians were sheltering at the time.
In July, the 500-lb bombs were eventually released by the Biden administration after the IDF entered Rafah. The Paleostinian civilian population in the Strip’s southernmost city had largely evacuated by then.
The Biden administration had asserted that only the 2,000-pound bombs were withheld, over concerns that Israel would use them in densely populated parts of Gaza, and that all other shipments had been processed.
In October, the US warned Israel in a letter that it had a month to significantly alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza caused by the war or risk the US withholding weapons shipments. But the threat never materialized, and the Biden administration acknowledged in November that Israel had taken some — though not all — of the steps demanded of it.
Last month, shortly after becoming president, Trump announced that he had lifted the hold put in place by Biden on the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs for Israel.
[IsraelTimes] After enduring decades of isolation amid border disputes, residents of Ghajar are focused on their Syrian kin, who face retribution for belonging to sect of deposed leader Assad.
On a recent morning in the Alawite village of Ghajar, straddling the border between Israel, Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... , and Syria, children played in the school playground, a woman hung her laundry on the clothesline and another lit incense to bring blessings to the day.
It could have been a morning like any other. But in reality, the hilltop village was open to visitors for the first time since October 8, 2023, when the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah began near-daily cross-border attacks on northern Israel.
Although their businesses are reopening and tourists are slowly returning, the 2,900 residents of Ghajar, all Alawites, have other, more pressing concerns as members of the same religious minority as the recently deposed Syrian president Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now... The new acting head of Syria, Jihadi rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, has reassured Syrians and the international community that he will respect the rights of minorities. Still, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported last Monday that fighters affiliated with the new leaders carried out 35 summary executions to "settle old scores" with members of the Alawite minority.
The residents of Ghajar deeply fear for the lives of their Alawite relatives across the border.
In Syria, "it’s an extreme government," said Mohammed Shemali, owner of Besan Restaurant in the center of the village. "Our relatives say they are okay, but from what they are not saying, we know that they are in danger."
Israel Defense Forces troops operating in a buffer zone in southern Syria came under fire on Friday evening, the military said, in the first such incident since Israeli forces deployed to the buffer zone on the border between Israel and Syria, following the fall of the Assad regime last month. The IDF said soldiers returned fire toward the source of the shooting.
On January 23, local officials welcomed this Times of Israel news hound as one of the first outsiders to walk around the village. Still, they cautioned that they did not want to discuss the situation of Alawites in Syria.
"We don’t want to jeopardize anyone on the other side," one official said on condition of anonymity.
SHAKY CEASEFIRE
No signs mark the way to Ghajar (pronounced RA-zhar) except for a warning that surrounding areas contain minefields. The road unfurls and then stops at a dead-end where a flowing fountain marks the entrance to the village.
The village promenade overlooks a steep drop into Lebanon, with clear views of the Hasbani River and an abandoned United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... guard post.
During the war, Hezbollah’s rocket fire caused extensive damage to buildings in Ghajar. Several residents were maimed, one seriously.
A ceasefire agreement in Lebanon in late November ended two months of full-scale war that followed months of lower-intensity exchanges.
The fragile ceasefire has generally held thus far, even as the warring sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating it, and was extended this week until mid-February.
On January 23, the village — with its houses painted in bright shades of pink, blue, and green — seemed peaceful. Then a kaboom shattered the silence.
"They’re putting on a show," a female Israeli soldier on duty in the village quipped about Hezbollah, underscoring the shaky ceasefire between the terror group and Israel.
On Sunday, Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend the deadline for Israeli troops to depart southern Lebanon until February 18.
The extension followed on the heels of festivities in southern Lebanon earlier that day, when hundreds of Lebanese, among them Hezbollah operatives, tried to reach villages close to the Israeli border by force, according to Israeli military officials.
The Lebanese health ministry said 22 people were killed, including a Lebanese soldier, and some 124 maimed by IDF fire, with another two killed on Monday.
Hezbollah has reportedly rejected the extension and is urging south Lebanese residents to continue confrontations with the IDF.
GHAJAR’S WAR-TORN HISTORY
Although Ghajar straddles the current border between Israel and Lebanon, the village belonged to Syria until Israel captured it along with the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. It officially annexed the village in 1981.
In the 1980s and 1990s, as Ghajar’s population grew, the village expanded north on lands belonging to the residents.
When Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000, the United Nations split the village into two sections, one Lebanese and one Israeli. However,
there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly... the residents objected to the potential division of the village and the UN’s decision to annex its northern half to Lebanon.
"We have nothing to do with Lebanon," said one Ghajar resident who wished to remain anonymous.
Ghajar remained closed to outside visitors for years until the IDF lifted restrictions on September 8, 2022. All at once, the village was packed with visitors who could come from 8 a.m. and stay until 8 p.m. Now that the town is open again, that rule is still in place.
Ghajar opens to visitors on January 23, 2025. (Diana Bletter/Times of Israel)
A WALK THROUGH THE PASTORAL VILLAGE
"We love art, order and cleanliness," said Ali Shemali, Mohammed Shemali’s brother, who led this news hound on an informal walk through the village where residents exchanged friendly greetings.
Ali stopped at the carpentry shop of his cousin, Gamel Wnos, 60, who took a break from work to serve strong black coffee to his visitors.
Wnos said he has work again, now that some of the 60,000 people who had been evacuated from 32 communities in the north during the war have trickled back into the area.
Wnos, a carpenter for the past 20 years, has hands to show for it: The top joint of one finger is missing. After he took a sip of coffee, he said that he thought the new Syrian leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, "would be okay."
"I feel peace is coming," Wnos said optimistically, adding that he hoped that one day he could visit his Alawite relatives in Syria.
However,
there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly... because the Alawites fought for Assad’s government against the Sunni Moslem majority, some are now victims of retribution killings.
The Alawites also fear persecution by radical Islamists who view them as heretics for their split with Islam in the ninth century.
Since coming to power in December, Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, has preached religious coexistence, promising not to enforce strict adherence to Islamic fundamental principles.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in early December that Israel has signaled its desire to have "correct ties" with the new regime. Yet some Israeli leaders cautioned against readily believing in the transformation of Sharaa, who created the jihadist al-Nusra ...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ... Front to fight Assad.
Wnos said he heard from people in Syria that food was entering the country and they were more satisfied. But his voice dropped when he spoke about the country’s new leader.
"He is okay but the people around him aren’t good," Wnos said.
THE MYSTERIOUS ALAWITE RELIGION
There are approximately 2.1 million Alawites in the world, but most are found in Syria, where they make up 10% of the population. They believe in Jesus, Mary and the prophet Elijah in a unique blend of faiths. They also believe in Moses, Ali said, "the prophet mentioned the most in the Koran."
Their religious doctrine and rituals remain secretive, and guarded by male followers. The ceremonies are often unknown even to the sect’s women, who dress modestly but do not cover their hair, and are mostly camera-shy.
Village residents, who are highly educated, Ali said, hold Israeli passports.
"My parents were born in Syria," said Ali’s wife, Magday. "I was born in Israel. I’m Israeli."
The villagers do not serve in the Israeli army but some residents do national service.
"Everyone can believe what they want. We respect all religions and beliefs," Ali said, pointing out the Path of Coexistence in the lovely park in the village’s center lined with rose bushes and featuring a statue of an Alawite sword, a menorah, the Koran and a statue of the Virgin Mary.
A few streets away, Mohammed Shemali said he was looking forward to "finally" opening his restaurant, which serves traditional Alawite cuisine, after it had been closed for more than a year because of the conflict.
"War is tragic for everyone," he said.
"My dream and that of my friends is for peace," Ali said. "But I have mixed feelings because of the unstable situation in our region."
"I don’t want to talk about al-Julani," Mohammed said, using Sharaa’s former name. "The people now in power in Syria hate the Alawites. It’s dangerous for our relatives there. They work and try to stay out of harm’s way."
He looked around the restaurant that he hoped to open in the next few days.
"We’re not scared for ourselves here in Israel," he said. "We speak to our relatives daily in Syria. We are scared for them."
[ShabelleMedia] A near 10-day ban on the importation of khat from Kenya to Somalia has raised concerns about the growing impact on trade relations and the wider economy. The ban has led to uncertainty, with no clear indication of when Kenyan khat will return to the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
New information from sources within the Somali government suggests that the ban could extend further, exacerbating tensions between the two neighboring countries. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, linked the issue to the political dynamics surrounding trade policies related to khat.
In Nairobi, sources revealed that khat traders visited the Kenyan capital earlier this month to meet with senior government officials. The traders reportedly discussed the high prices charged for khat exports to Somalia, urging the Kenyan government to lower the cost for Kenyan farmers to remain competitive in the Somali market.
The traders expressed growing concerns over the rising prices in Somalia, which they argued were unsustainable for Kenyan farmers, who have struggled to see full profits due to the inflated costs. The business dispute appears to be compounded by political factors, particularly with the administration of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, which may seek to address the tensions in a bid to improve trade relations between the two nations.
The ongoing ban also poses a significant economic challenge for Somalia, where khat is an essential commodity, particularly in Mogadishu, and widely consumed. The disruption to the supply of khat could further worsen Somalia’s already precarious economic situation, which has been exacerbated by inflation and limited resources. khat is an essential commodity. Instead of food
Both governments are expected to engage in diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue. However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package… the continuation of the ban threatens to impact not only the many Somalis who depend on the khat trade but also Somali traders involved in the importation and distribution of the commodity.
Shabelle Media Network has reported on the latest developments, noting that the dispute between Somalia and Kenya over khat is becoming a key issue in bilateral trade relations.
The Khat market in Somalia is experiencing a slowdown after farmers in Kenya suspended exports, following the decline in prices, with the group now demanding $3 per kilogram and at least $1550 per sack of the product which is predominantly grown in central parts of Kenya.
In Mogadishu, the farmers argue, a kilogram of Khat goes even at $50 but despite these fortunes, exporters insist on giving them $3 per kilogram a move they say is both exploitative and demeaning leading to the acute imbalance.
Intermediaries, they said, are the greatest beneficiaries of the imbalance which threatens the stability of the market. The Khat association wants the imbalances to be fixed as soon as possible for posterity.
"We cannot sustain farming under these conditions when everyone in the supply chain profits except us," said Karuiru, chairman of the Kenyan Khat Farmers Association.
"He stressed that the cost of transporting khat to Mogadishu surpasses Ksh 3,000 ($27) per kilogram, yet farmers struggle with razor-thin margins. "All we're asking for is an additional Ksh 1,000 ($8) per kilogram to secure a fair deal."
The standoff's impact is already felt in Somalia, where traders accuse the government of maintaining policies that favour select importers while leaving local sellers to grapple with soaring costs. In mid-January, Somali female traders staged protests in Mogadishu against high taxation on Kenyan khat, claiming it was eroding their profits.
Already, the Kenya Agriculture and Food Authority has acknowledged the plight of the farmers, vowing to consult stakeholders for further actions. Mogadishu, the agency adds, will have to intervene and fix the imbalance.
Adding another layer to the controversy, Kenyan farmers point to an illegal levy of USD 4.5 per kilogram allegedly imposed by a "cartel" at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). The hidden cost, they said, undermines the Khat farming in the country.
[ShabelleMedia] At least two Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s, believed to have been carried out by the U.S. military hit the Sheebaab area in the Calmiskad Mountains of Bari Region in Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... The overnight airstrikes have resulted in significant casualties among ISIS fighters, with reports indicating that at least 30 bully boyz were killed.
According to a statement from Puntland’s Forces, the airstrikes targeted a weapons manufacturing facility used by ISIS in the mountains. Additionally, a vehicle loaded with explosives, which ISIS had prepared for a suicide kaboom, was destroyed in the strikes.
In other developments, a Moroccan national affiliated with ISIS was captured by locals in the city of Bosaso. The suspect has confessed to being a member of ISIS, and local security forces are currently interrogating him.
Puntland officials also confirmed the success of their ongoing operations in the mountainous areas of Bari. The Puntland military has reportedly seized several strategic positions and strongholds previously controlled by ISIS bad boys.
At least two airstrikes, believed to have been carried out by the U.S. military hit the Sheebaab area in the Calmiskad Mountains of Bari Region in Puntland.
The overnight airstrikes have resulted in significant casualties among ISIS fighters, with reports indicating that at least 30 militants were killed.
According to a statement from Puntland’s Forces, the airstrikes targeted a weapons manufacturing facility used by ISIS in the mountains. Additionally, a vehicle loaded with explosives, which Daesh had prepared for a suicide bombing, was destroyed in the strikes.
Puntland authorities reported that the operation dealt a severe blow to Daesh, significantly weakening the group’s presence in the region.
In other developments, a Moroccan national affiliated with Daesh was captured by locals in the city of Bosaso. The suspect has confessed to being a member of Daesh, and local security forces are currently interrogating him.
Puntland officials also confirmed the success of their ongoing operations in the mountainous areas of Bari. The Puntland military has reportedly seized several strategic positions and strongholds previously controlled by Daesh militants.
13/02/2025
[ShabelleMedia] The Somali National Army (SNA) and local forces have jointly carried out an operation in the rural areas of Jowle, located at the boundary between the Mudug and Galgaduud regions.
The operation specifically targeted the Death Eater group al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... , resulting in the death of Abdullahi Said Bulxiye, the al-Shabaab leader responsible for the Jowle area.
In addition to Bulxiye, 10 other individuals accompanying him, who were part of his security detail, were also killed during the operation, according to the Somali state media.
The SNA and local tribal forces have confirmed that the operation is still ongoing, with efforts focused on removing al-Shabaab from areas under their control.
Jowle, a strategic town linking the Mudug and Galgaduud regions, has become an important focal point in the ongoing battle against al-Shabaab in Somalia.
[ShabelleMedia] Jubaland forces conducted a meticulously planned operation in Lafo Guri, Dhoobley district, resulting in the destruction of an al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... -controlled courthouse and the arrest of its leader, local sources reported on Saturday.
The operation, which took place in the Lower Juba region, saw Jubaland troops engage with al-Shabaab murderous Moslems, leading to the death of at least four fighters. Jubaland authorities described the offensive as a strategic move designed to dismantle al-Shabaab’s influence in the area.
"This operation was executed with precision," a Jubaland official stated, emphasizing the region’s commitment to counter-terrorism efforts. The successful raid is seen as a pivotal moment in the ongoing campaign against the group, which has long plagued the region with its insurgency.
Residents of Lafo Guri have reported a noticeable improvement in local security following the operation, with Jubaland’s administration pledging further actions to consolidate peace and stability in territories once dominated by al-Shabaab.
The latest military operation underscores the regional government’s resolve to curb the activities of al-Shabaab, contributing to a broader national effort to stabilize Somalia.
Jubaland is getting military support from Kenya, which said it created the regional state in 2013 as a buzzer zone to protect its security from al-Shabaab within Somalia.
[Rudaw] Iraq announced on Wednesday that at least two suspected Islamic State (ISIS) militants were killed in an Iraqi airstrike in the vicinity of Kirkuk province.
The airstrike conducted on Monday targeted an ISIS hideout near Kirkuk, Baghdad’s Security Media Cell explained. An army dispatch which visited the location of the strike found “the bodies of two terrorists,” the cell added.
ISIS seized control of large swathes of territory in Iraq north and west in 2014. After several years of battles, Iraq in 2017 announced the group’s defeat, however its remnants continue to pose a security threat, particularly in disputed areas across Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Salahaddin.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday reported that Iraqi forces on Monday “conducted precision airstrikes in the vicinity of Kirkuk,” killing “two ISIS operatives” who had explosive materials in their possession. CENTCOM described the operation as “part of the ongoing Defeat-ISIS campaign to disrupt and degrade” the group’s “capabilities, dismantle their attack networks, and ensure its enduring defeat.”
The latest strike is seemingly part of Iraq’s continued effort to eliminate ISIS sleeper cells. On Saturday, Baghdad announced that at least three suspected Islamic State (ISIS) leaders, including the group’s so-called “governor of Kirkuk,” were killed in an Iraqi airstrike late last month.
[Rudaw] Stockholm’s District Court on Tuesday convicted a 56-year-old woman to 12 years in prison for crimes against humanity, genocide, and gross war crimes committed against Yazidi women and kiddies in Syria’s northern province of Raqqa.
The woman was found to have had "a strong ideological inclination to destroy members of a religious group," according to a statement by Stockholm’s District Court. In total, nine victims, including seven children, suffered severe mental harm as a result of the convicted woman’s actions "which will affect them for the rest of their lives," the statement added.
In 2014, the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) launched an assault on the predominantly Yazidi region of Shingal (Sinjar) in northern Iraq, abducting some 6,417 Yazidi women and kiddies. Many of these victims were subjected to forced labor and sex slavery.
The Yazidi women and kiddies involved in the case in Sweden were held captive and enslaved by ISIS gunnies for around five months before being transferred into the custody of the convicted woman. There, she "imprisoned and treated them as property for a period of, in most cases, five months," the statement explained.
The Yazidis were subjected to various types of abuse by their captors who forced them to adhere to Islam, forbade them from using their native language, and subjected them to sexual assault and molestation. Additionally, they were forced to do chores "in a slave-like manner," and their freedom was severely restricted.
Stockholm’s District Court emphasized that the comprehensive enslavement of members of the Yazidi community by ISIS members was one of the key components in the perpetration of the genocide against them. "The enslavement of Yazidi women and kiddies was a precursor for forced labour, conversion [to Islam], and sex slavery," said the Court.
The convicted woman was sentenced to 12 years in jail for her involvement in crimes against humanity, genocide, and gross war crimes committed in Raqqa. The injured parties were awarded 150,000 SEK (almost $14,000) each, in compensation.
Accused of keeping Yazidi women and children as slaves at her home in Syria in 2015, Lina Ishaq
… Ms Ishaq returned from Syria in 2020. She was the first person charged and convicted in Sweden for aiding in the recruitment of her minor son, age 12, as a child soldier. The boy died in Syria when he was sixteen, in 2017…
was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, the Stockholm district court said in a statement.
The crimes warranted a sentence of 16 years, but taking a previous sentence into account it ordered her to spend 12 years behind bars, the court said. Prosecutors had demanded a life jail sentence.
The woman, a Swedish citizen, had already been sentenced to six years imprisonment in 2022 for allowing her 12-year-old son to be recruited as an IS child soldier.
Prosecutor Reena Devgun said she was happy with the convictions but she would likely appeal against the sentence.
“These are very, very severe crimes, and compared to other Swedish jurisprudence or Swedish sentencing traditions, I do think that there is room for a more severe sentence,” she told AFP.
The court said the case concerned nine Yazidi, six of whom were children at the time.
All the plaintiffs were captured by IS in attacks on Kurdish-speaking Yazidi villages that began in August 2014 in Sinjar, Iraq. Their male relatives were executed and thousands of women were taken.
After about five months of captivity, they arrived at Ishaq’s home in Raqqa.
“The woman kept them imprisoned and treated them as her property by holding them as slaves for a period of, in most cases, five months,” the court said.
– FORCED CONVERSION –
Their movement was restricted, they were made to perform chores and some were photographed in preparation to be transferred to other people as slaves.
“Given the fact that she participated in the onward transfer of the injured parties, she is also responsible for enabling their continued imprisonment and enslavement,” the court said.
Ishaq also forced the Yazidis, who practice their own religion, to “become practising Muslims” by making them recite Koran verses and pray four or five times a day.
She also called the injured parties “demeaning invectives such as ‘infidels’ or ‘slaves'”, the court said.
The court stressed “that the comprehensive system of enslavement” was one of “the crucial elements” implemented by IS in “the perpetration of the genocide, the crimes against humanity and gross war crimes that the Yazidi population was subjected to”.
As such, the court said “the woman shared the IS intent to destroy a religious group”.
Ishaq’s lawyer Mikael Westerlund said the woman had not decided whether to appeal, but said they were pleased the court had not handed down a life sentence as requested by the prosecution.
“It was important for the prosecution to sentence her for life,” he told AFP.
Around 300 Swedes or Swedish residents, a quarter of them women, joined IS in Syria and Iraq, mostly in 2013 and 2014, according to Sweden’s intelligence service Sapo.
Ishaq grew up in a Christian Iraqi family in Sweden but converted to Islam after meeting her late husband and Islamist Jiro Mehho, with whom she had six children, in the 1990s.
She travelled to Syria with her children in 2013. Mehho died in August 2013, and Ishaq moved to Raqqa in 2014 and re-married.
How much more in losses will Israel inflict when Hezbollah erupts again?
[Rudaw] The recent war between Israel and Hezbollah has inflicted an estimated $25-30 billion in economic losses on Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... , Beirut’s former economy minister said on Tuesday.
Amin Salam told Rudaw’s Hawar Abdulrazaq on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit in Dubai that field assessments indicate that Lebanon faces "somewhere between $25-30 billion worth of destruction and indirect negative effects on the economy."
The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel began on October 8, a day after the eruption of the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with 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... between Israel and Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... , when Hezbollah launched a "back-up front" from the Lebanese side to ease pressure on its Paleostinian allies in Gaza.
The Hezbollah-Israel war intensified after Tel Aviv in mid-September carried out the "Pagers Operation," remotely detonating communication devices used by members of the Lebanese group, and later killed Hezbollah's secretary-general His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...The late, lamented satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...> in an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... on a residential neighbourhood in Beirut.
The war continued until November 27 when the two sides reached a ceasefire deal that was central to United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... Security Council resolution 1701, which requires the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and the disarmament of all Lebanese gangs - including Hezbollah. However,
denial ain't just a river in Egypt... Lebanon has repeatedly accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal by continuing to launch sporadic strikes on Lebanese territories and maintain its forces in south Lebanon border villages.
Salam asserted to Rudaw Lebanon’s "main international commitment" to uphold UN resolution 1701 in the coming months, hoping that the war would end soon following "the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces" from southern Lebanon by February 18.
The ex-minister further highlighted that the Hezbollah-Israel war erupted at a time when Lebanon had already been grappling with the stifling economic crisis that began five years ago and saw Lebanon's real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decline by more than 38 percent, according to the World Bank.
The Lebanese Presidency announced on Saturday the formation of a new government consisting of 24 ministers, following weeks of intensive consultations amid changes in the political balance of power after Hezbollah was weakened by the devastating war with Israel.
According to Salam, the newly-formed Lebanese government has "a major economic project and agenda" to implement. While Lebanon is receiving "a lot of international support" from its "allies and friends in Iraq, Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... , the United Arab Emirates, 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... , the United States and other European countries to get back on its feet," Beirut "has a lot of work it needs to do," Salam explained.
[Rudaw] Some 10,000 asylum seekers from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are at risk of deportation from Germany as political parties increasingly blame immigrants colonists for the country’s problems ahead of elections, a member of an Iraqi refugee union said on Saturday.
"Political parties want to blame their political crisis on refugees. While in recent years, due to the corona [virus] and the war in Ukraine, an economic crisis has emerged in Germany," Irfan Karim from the Iraqi Refugees Union in Germany told Rudaw, adding that 10,000 asylum seekers from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are at risk of being deported.
According to Karim, around five to six thousand people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region go to Germany annually seeking refugee status.
Germany hosts one of the largest refugee populations worldwide. As of September, nearly 175,000 asylum claims were made in the country in 2024, according to figures from 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... German parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on February 23. Support is at an all-time high for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right party that opposes migration. The party has also publicly condoned mass deportations.
In late January, the German parliament passed a motion that tightens migration rules. It contains five points: preventing illegal immigration, deporting illegal immigrants colonists, deporting foreign criminals, imprisoning immigrants colonists who must leave Germany, and ending family reunification.
Tens of thousands of mostly young people leave Iraq and the Kurdistan Region for Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... annually in search of a better life, using smuggling routes. Many hope to settle in Germany.
[Rudaw] Families of Peshmerga who disappeared a decade ago are hoping that they may finally get some closure after Iraqi forensic officials uncovered the remains of 17 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters killed by the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS).
Mohammed Mahdi has been looking for his son Barzan for 10 years.
"All our days are bad because whatever news or calls we get late at night makes our hearts jump. I would be proud to get his body back, do you understand? His martyrdom is a source of pride. If my other three sons and I were killed for this land, we would be proud," he told Rudaw on Thursday.
He is hoping that his son will be identified in a mass grave discovered in Kirkuk’s western Hawija district.
"The remains found belong to 17 members of the Peshmerga," confirmed Yasmine Mounther, head of the Mass Graves Department - an affiliate of Iraq’s Department of Forensic Medicine - in a press briefing on Thursday.
For Sherwan Qadir, whose brother is another missing Peshmerga, it will be a relief to be able to mourn properly.
"Thank God, we are very hopeful that these bodies have been found. We hope that they are the bodies of our sons because we all hope for a body, a grave that we can visit to get comfort. Their mothers, their fathers, their brothers, all want to have the remains of their sons. We ask the government to bring the bodies back to us as soon as possible," he said.
In an effort to identify the remains, Mounther explained that a two-day campaign was held in the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil, to collect blood samples from families who may be related to the Peshmerga fighters. Additional samples will be collected from potential relatives in the coming week.
ISIS captured large swathes of territory in Iraq’s north and west in 2014. The Kurdish Peshmerga forces fought on numerous fronts against ISIS to prevent the group’s advance into regions administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Baghdad announced the group’s defeat in 2017.
The Hawija district, where the mass grave was discovered, had long been a stronghold for ISIS and was one of the last jihadist-controlled territories in Iraq.
Over 2,000 Peshmerga fighters were killed and more than 10,000 others were maimed in the years-long war against ISIS, according to KRG figures.
[RUDAW] The Iraqi Forensic Medicine Department announced on Thursday that it has successfully identified 53 victims killed by the Islamic State (ISIS) and buried in mass graves in northern Iraq.
The director general of the department, Zaid Ali Abbas, confirmed that 32 of the victims were Yazidis killed by ISIS and buried en masse in the predominantly Yazidi district of Shingal (Sinjar). With the new identifications, the total number of identified Yazidi victims has reached 275, according to Abbas.
Since 2019, the Forensic Medicine Department has uncovered numerous mass graves in Nineveh province, especially in and around Shingal.
Moreover, the identities of 21 Iraqis from the Arab-majority district of Hamam Al-Alil in Nineveh were also determined.
All that oil money and you can’t be bothered to bring back your ISIS citizens from prison camp where the Kurds have been supporting your citizens on a shoestring budget? Shameful.
[Rudaw] Baghdad is considering putting a halt to its repatriation of Iraqi nationals linked to the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) from al-Hol camp in northeast Syria (Rojava) due to a lack of funds after Washington suspended foreign aid, a ministry official told Rudaw on Saturday.
Migration and displaced ministry spokesperson Ali Abbas said they lack funds at al-Jada camp in Nineveh province, where repatriated individuals are taken to be prepared for reintegration into their communities.
The "budget issues" arose because organizations operating in Jada rely on funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Abbas said.
US President Donald Trump ...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried.... has temporarily suspended funding for the agency as part of his plan to reorganize the government.
The migration and displaced ministry also does not have the necessary funds to run the camp, Abbas said, but added discussions are underway to possibly transfer funds from other government sectors.
According to the latest statistics from the ministry, more than 20,000 Iraqis, including women and kiddies, remain in al-Hol camp. Baghdad had set 2027 as the deadline to finish returning all its citizens from the camp.
Iraqis and Syrians make up the majority of the 40,000 ISIS-linked people being held at the camp, which has been branded a breeding ground for terrorism.
The repatriation of ISIS-linked citizens has sparked opposition in Iraq. Some tribes and communities are unwilling to accept people associated with the group that committed heinous human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... abuses and war crimes from 2014 to 2017, when they controlled vast swathes of the country.
On Sunday, Iraq repatriated 155 families from al-Hol.
[Rudaw] A Yazidi woman from Shingal (Sinjar) kidnapped by Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) murderous Moslems in 2014 has been reunited with her family in Duhok province after she was rescued from an undisclosed location, a source affiliated with the Kurdistan Region Presidency said on Saturday.
The 34-year-old woman identified only by her initials F.S, was "kidnapped by ISIS in 2014" and "was living with an ISIS family," Hussein Qaidi, head of the Office of Rescuing Abducted Yazidis, told Rudaw. The office is affiliated with the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
She was rescued on Saturday, ending more than 10 years of captivity, and "reunited with her family who lives in one of the camps in Duhok," Qaidi said, noting that her family requested that the location where she had been held not be disclosed.
She is the third Yazidi woman to be rescued from ISIS captivity in the past two months. A 30-year old was rescued on January 5 and a 29-year-old on December 9 - both were located in northwestern Syria’s Idlib province.
In its assault on Shingal in 2014, ISIS murderous Moslems kidnapped 6,417 Yazidi women and kiddies, many of whom were subjected to sexual slavery and forced labor. Although the group was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, it continues to pose a security risk.
To date, 2,590 individuals are still missing, according to statistics provided by Qaidi.
Many Yazidi women and kiddies have been rescued from al-Hol, the notorious camp in northeast Syria (Rojava) that houses tens of thousands of ISIS families and supporters. Others have been found in areas of Syria controlled by rebels or Ottoman Turkish-backed gangs, and some have been located in third countries.
A bizarre tale.
Update at 1:50 p.m. ET: The man went nuts, so not properly War on Terror. Moved to page 3: Non-WoT.
—tw for the moderators.
[NYPost] A Utah man who allegedly threatened to shoot up New York City synagogues in a series of social media posts was arrested as he tried to cross into Manhattan via the Lincoln Tunnel Friday night, according to police and sources.
Luis Ramirez, 23, was taken into custody around 5:30 p.m. by Port Authority cops in New Jersey after authorities were alerted to a rash of antisemitic posts he allegedly made on his X account, the NYPD and sources said.
In one post, Ramirez cited Central Synagogue on Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, police said.
The NYPD was made aware Ramirez was traveling to the Big Apple from out of state and Port Authority police was able to nab him before he made it to Manhattan, police said.
The Community Security Initiative, a joint program run by the UJA-Federation and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York to bolster security for Jewish institutions, flagged the threats and worked with law enforcement to notify synagogues across the city, sources said.
Ramirez, who has no criminal record, was allegedly found in possession of a firearm when he was stopped earlier on the road trip in Kansas City, ABC News reported, citing police sources.
He had no weapons in his car when he was stopped outside the Lincoln Tunnel on Friday night, sources said.
No charges have been filed as the investigation is ongoing, police said.
On Friday afternoon, CSI picked up on threats that Ramirez had posted on social media.
“The Jews killed me in my past life,” Ramirez said on X on Friday. “Today in NYC when I pull up to Shabbat I will kill you first.”
“That’s not antisemitic or hate speech that’s called self defense,” he said in a follow-up post.
On Thursday, he wrote, “I will be visiting my brothers and sisters in NYC tomorrow pull up to Shabbat at the Central Synagogue.”
CSI passed the threats to the NYPD’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau and issued a warning bulletin to Manhattan Jewish locations. Law enforcement said Ramirez owned weapons and tracked Ramirez as he traveled toward New York.
Mitch Silber, the director of CSI, said Ramirez was a US military veteran. Ramirez’s account on X identifies him as a Marine officer candidate.
It was unclear how Ramirez was radicalized or why he chose to target Jews in New York.
On Thursday he posted, “I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is a messenger of God,” in English and Arabic.
The incident is the latest in a series of attempted attacks on US Jewish targets.
Last month, an armed man was arrested in Florida for planning an attack on an AIPAC office.
In December, the FBI arrested a college student for a planned mass casualty terror attack against the Israeli consulate in New York City.
In September, a suspect was arrested in Canada while attempting to enter the US to attack a Jewish center in Brooklyn in support of ISIS.
In July, a neo-Nazi was indicted for planning mass casualty attacks against Jews in New York City by distributing poisoned candy to Jewish children.
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it carried out a drone strike earlier today in central Gaza as a warning after several vehicles tried to travel to the Strip’s north via an unapproved route.
Northbound vehicular traffic is only permitted on the Salah a-Din road, where a private company is inspecting Palestinian cars heading to northern Gaza.
The vehicles attempting to bypass the inspection on Salah a-Din, in violation of the ceasefire deal, returned south after the strike, the military says.
And the New York Times published it. Truly we live in an age of miracles!
[FoxNews] Two law professors wrote of the Supreme Court: 'When they finally consider this question, the justices will find that the case for Mr. Trump’s order is stronger than his critics realize'
A Georgetown Law School professor and a University of Minnesota law professor may have surprised the liberal readers of The New York Times. The pair argued in a guest opinion essay that President Donald Trump may hold a powerful legal case on the issue of birthright citizenship.
"When they finally consider this question, the justices will find that the case for Mr. Trump’s order is stronger than his critics realize," Georgetown Law professor Randy E. Barnett and University of Minnesota law professor Ilan Wurman wrote of the Supreme Court in a guest essay published on Saturday.
The headline firmly stated, "Trump might have a case on birthright citizenship."
Trump's decision to issue an executive order ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants has faced significant opposition in the federal court system, with U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante in New Hampshire temporarily blocking the order on Monday.
After explaining the historical and legal history behind birthright citizenship, including the text of the 14th Amendment which states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside," Barnett and Wurman tackled the issue of children of parents who are "present in the United States illegally."
"Has a citizen of another country who violated the laws of this country to gain entry and unlawfully remain here pledged obedience to the laws in exchange for the protection and benefit of those laws?" the professors asked.
"Clearly, the parents are not enemies in the sense of an invading army, but they did not come in amity," Barnett and Wurman wrote, referencing legal definitions of citizenship. "They gave no obedience or allegiance to the country when they entered — one cannot give allegiance and promise to be bound by the laws through an act of defiance of those laws."
"Such persons can even be summarily removed from the country without judicial procedures of the sort that would protect citizens," the professors continued. "If the allegiance-for-protection view informed the original meaning of the text, then they and their children are therefore not under the protection or 'subject to the jurisdiction' of the nation in the relevant sense."
Barnett and Wurman also addressed the executive order's "exclusion of children born to mothers who are 'lawful but temporary' residents is a more complicated question not addressed here."
"And whether Congress ought to grant naturalized citizenship to children born to those illegally present in the United States is a policy issue distinct from whether the 14th Amendment has already done so," the professors wrote. "The Supreme Court has, in a footnote, presumed that the 14th Amendment’s jurisdictional phrase applied equally to people who are here illegally, but the issue was neither briefed nor argued in that case; nor was it material to its outcome."
[HotAir] I have intimated this before, but it bears repeating after JD Vance's epic takedown of European powers, about which Beege wrote an outstanding post earlier today.
Vance was, in swamp terms, not very diplomatic. In more colloquial terms he let them have it with both barrels, pissing off the Germans fiercely enough to earn a rebuke for the totalitarian leftists who run that failing country.
Vance, channeling many of my posts I am sure, had this to say: X post with video
That is exactly right, and I would go a bit further (and have). Europe in recent years has become a greater threat to the United States of America, or at least the rights of American citizens, than Russia is.
Short of initiating a nuclear war--which they would never do--Russia presents no military threat to our country. We could wipe out their conventional military power in a weekend. Russian influence in the United States is minuscule because, aside from oil, which we can do without, they have little that we want, and they are little more than a gas station with nuclear weapons.
The Ukraine war shows that they cannot defeat a small country, no less the United States, and until we made Ukraine an issue of national importance, nobody in America, including business people, cared much about the country. The idea that Russia would invade a NATO country is a fantasy. They would get crushed.
We do compete with them for resources, but let's face it: China is our main adversary, not Russia.
So what about the Europeans? Over the past decade or two, they have become a massive thorn in our side. By pushing ESG, NetZero, and censorship that impacts American citizens and direct interference in our political campaigns, the Europeans have made a direct attack on Americans' rights. None of these is a theoretical threat. Americans' lives have been made worse, our rights have been restricted, and this is happening all while American taxpayers have been footing the bill for Europe's defense.
I was an ardent cold warrior, and I still despise the current Russian regime. They are akin to a mafia and profoundly illiberal. But Russia presents no direct threat to the US, Europeans, and especially our rights. If Russia disappeared from the face of the Earth little would change for Americans.
If the EU disappeared, however, Americans' rights would be more secure and our corporations would become far less woke. And while the disappearance of the market would cost us dearly, the reduced military expenditures would be a nice bonus. Western Europe is the Vatican of Globalism.
#3
More so in Brussels than DC but also in Moscow & Beijing.
The enemy of my enemy can also be my enemy.
It is however true that for a large faction of the Western political class the dispute with Moscow isn't about the establishment of a European slave empire but about who gets to be the ruler, the Moscovite of the Brusselite elites.
The West in toto has adopted the bad habits of despotism during the last years.
We have become more like China, Russia and the Muslim world.
This is true for Europe and also for the Anglosphere outside of Europe.
The difference is that there's a chance of a revival of free societies in the West, especially after the reelection of Trump.
I see no such chance for China & Islam. WRT Russia I don't know.
#4
Russians will be busy re-establishing their empire: access to Black sea & Baltic, etc ... for the next generation. And that's only if the things work out for them.
Also Russia is your best potential ally against China - because China wants Russian far East. In fact, I sometimes wonder if American anti-Russian sentiment is a Chinese intelligence operation.
#5
In fact, I sometimes wonder if American anti-Russian sentiment is a Chinese intelligence operation.
It would also make sense for the Chinese to simultaneously nudge Russia into a limited sub-nuclear conflict with the West which would exhaust and distract Russia and the West.
#7
Getting back to the central thesis, you have to ask: When was the last time Russia sucked the US into a war? How 'bout Europe? (Specificaly Britain.)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
02/16/2025 9:26
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#8
While modern Europe is an increasingly insipid descendant of its past, it does not, yet, pose a threat to the United States except through its increasing cultural decline. But a future "Europistan" does, and that frightful possibility looms larger each passing year.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/16/2025
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#1
She's mostly off her rocker. Nice pic though.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
02/16/2025 3:53
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#2
I like the fact that she’s not wearing Crocs. Saw a teenage boy entering church this morning wearing Crocs. It was snowing out. He was also wearing socks. I believe he is on a high school football team. I can’t makes sense of it.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/16/2025 13:27
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A suspected Ebola exposure at a Manhattan urgent-care facility had two patients rushed to the hospital by emergency workers in hazmat suits Sunday – but the infection may be norovirus, sources said.
Whew! One of the reasons why it’s important to have control of our borders.
#6
Before there were Tevas or Crocs,
We rocked Birkenstocks down on the blocks
Where great apes with degrees
Grazed and lazed in the trees.
[our grave saviors swap favors and POCs]
And then we saw the condition of those returned, and listened to their reports of their treatment. Every word emitted by the Hamas spokesman is a vicious lie.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] The military front man for the al-Quds Brigades, Abu Hamza, stated on Saturday that releasing the Israeli enemy's prisoners by the Paleostinian resistance highlights its humane treatment toward them.
In a statement, Abu Hamza criticized the Israeli enemy for oppressing and torturing Paleostinian prisoners, even stripping away their joy of freedom at the moment of release.
He noted that forcing released prisoners to wear clothing with hostile messages and exposing their poor health reflects the enemy's brutality.
''What is required of all countries of the world, especially America, which demands the Paleostinian resistance to release all enemy prisoners, is to demand the same from the enemy,'' Abu Hamza said.
He stressed that America should not ignore the horrific scenes of suffering, abuse, and systematic killing of Paleostinian prisoners who are subjected to all kinds of torture in the enemy's prisons.
Unlike those kidnapped by Hamas&Friends, those held in Israeli jails have been visited by the Red Cross and others to check on their treatment. Stop lying.
All three of the hostages freed today endured “very harsh captivity, including physical abuse.”
All three were very hungry when released. All three have learned Arabic in captivity.
Sagui Dekel-Chen and Iair Horn were held together, and with other hostages, in recent days. For most of their captivity, they were in tunnels.
They were held with other hostages and have returned with signs of life regarding at least three.
Both men were wounded when they were abducted and suffered abuse that exacerbated their injuries.
Sasha Troufanov was held alone.
All three were held in Khan Younis, from where they were freed today, mere hundreds of meters from their homes on Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Iair Horn has told his family that he and his brother Eitan were held together early in their captivity, but not recently. He has said Eitan is injured in the leg. He was compelled by his captors to film a video in which he talks about Eitan, Kan reports.
He has lost tens of kilograms in weight, and received almost no medical treatment.
His captors gave Horn an hourglass with a picture of Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held hostage, which the IDF intends to give to her, according to Kan.
Dekel-Chen was “tortured during interrogations” by his captors, Channel 12 reports. He has scars on his body, the report says.
He was held in a Gaza hospital for the first few weeks of his captivity along with other hostages, Kan reports. One of them was Itzik Elgarat.
The report says that Dekel-Chen knew nothing about what had become of his family for the entire time he was held hostage. He was completely cut off from all media. “He both mourned and cried” for his family, and also “held out hope for them and was optimistic.”
He only found out two days ago that he was going to be released.
Kan says Dekel-Chen’s captors told him, apparently shortly before his release, that he had a daughter born while he was in captivity, and gave him earrings for his wife. Dekel-Chen didn’t believe what they told him, and asked the IDF representatives he met on his release to confirm it.
Dekel-Chen was wounded in his shoulder on October 7, 2023, but told the IDF representatives it was not important, and that “the most important thing is that I meet my family already.”
In recent hours, he reunited with his daughters, the Channel 12 report says.
Sasha Troufanov did not know that his father was killed on October 7 and burst into tears when told today by IDF representatives.
He barely saw TV or heard the radio in captivity. He did not know that his family was struggling to get him released. But he did hear the radio at the time of the first truce in November 2023 and learned that his mother and girlfriend had been freed.
Palestinian media report that some Hamas terrorists arrived at Khan Younis for the handover wearing IDF uniforms and military vests, carrying weapons seized on October 7.
The source adds that Hamas presented hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen with a gold coin as a “gift” for the birth of his daughter, who was born four months after he was taken captive.
[X]
تغطية صحفية | مقاتلون من يحملون أسلحة اغتنمت من جيش الاحتلال في يوم العبور إلى مستوطنات "غلاف غزة" بالسابع من أكتوبر. pic.twitter.com/xNJFptPlO3
Syrian intelligence arrests a senior ISIS leader, Abu al-Harith al-Iraqi, responsible for attack planning and recruitment. The operation disrupts a terror network linked to high-profile assassinations and planned bombings. #Syria#ISIS#Securityhttps://t.co/L3TBYuIYwG
Syrian intelligence forces arrested Abu al-Harith al-Iraqi, a senior Iraqi commander of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS), in Damascus on Saturday, marking a major breakthrough in counterterrorism efforts against the group’s underground networks.
According to a security source, al-Iraqi played a key role in ISIS operations in Iraq and Syria, overseeing foreign recruitment and managing logistical support for terrorist attacks. His capture comes as Syrian authorities intensify operations against ISIS sleeper cells operating in government-controlled areas.
KEY ISIS FIGURE BEHIND ASSASSINATIONS AND ATTACKS
The Syrian security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that al-Iraqi was deeply involved in orchestrating attacks, including the liquidation of former ISIS leader Maisar al-Jubouri, who had defected from the group.
"Al-Iraqi held a crucial role in planning and executing operations," the source said. "He was responsible for organizing assassinations and large-scale attacks, including a foiled plot to bomb the Sayyed ...Arabic term meaning your/his lordship. Groveling in His Exalted Presence is encouraged... a Zainab shrine near Damascus."
The Sayyida Zainab shrine, a highly symbolic religious site, has been a frequent target of jihadist groups due to its significance for Shiite Moslems. Security agencies claim the arrest of al-Iraqi disrupted an active ISIS cell that had been preparing for an attack in the area.
COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS INTENSIFY
The arrest is part of an ongoing security crackdown against ISIS remnants, who have maintained a presence in Syria despite losing their territorial control in 2019. The group continues to operate through covert cells, launching sporadic attacks in both regime-held areas and regions under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
In recent months, Syrian security forces have arrested multiple ISIS operatives accused of planning attacks on infrastructure, military convoys, and high-profile targets. Intelligence reports indicate that ISIS is attempting to rebuild networks by infiltrating local communities, using tactics such as bribery and extortion to regain influence.
REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS
The capture of al-Iraqi has drawn attention from regional security analysts, who view it as a significant step in dismantling ISIS’s ability to conduct high-profile attacks in Syria and beyond.
While Syrian intelligence has not disclosed details about where al-Iraqi was hiding, sources suggest he may have been operating under a false identity before being tracked down through a months-long surveillance operation.
The arrest also comes as the U.S.-led coalition continues Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s against ISIS hideouts in eastern Syria, particularly in Deir ez-Zor and the Badia desert, where the group has been attempting to regroup.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Syrian government has yet to announce whether al-Iraqi will face trial in Syria or be extradited to Iraq, where he is wanted for multiple terror-related crimes. Experts say his arrest could lead to valuable intelligence on ISIS’s underground networks, potentially aiding future operations against terrorist cells in both Syria and Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/16/2025
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] In Ingushetia, an unknown armed man shot several times at the former head of the Karabulak city department of internal affairs (GOVD). This was reported on February 16 by the Telegram channel "112".
“In Ingushetia, an attempt was made on the life of the former chief of police of Karabulak, Ilez Nalgiyev, who served time for torturing a detainee, ” the source clarified.
The moment of the assassination was caught on video cameras. The footage showed the criminal repeatedly shooting at the former police officer and escaping in a passenger car. Later, the car the killer got into was found burned in the village of Surkhakhi.
The wounded Nalgiev was hospitalized. According to law enforcement, members of the Batalkhadzhin organization may have been involved in the attack.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, in Ingushetia, late in the evening of October 11, 2024, unknown persons opened fire on a car in which four people were traveling. Three of them died in the hospital from their wounds.
On the afternoon of June 6, 2024, on Sviridov Street in Moscow, a masked man dressed in all black opened fire with a machine gun at a passerby. The victim died. Investigators opened a criminal case under articles on murder and illegal arms trafficking. The "Intercept" plan was announced in the capital.
A 23-year-old man carried out a knife attack in the centre of Villach on Saturday afternoon, killing a 14-year-old and injuring four others. The suspect, a Syrian citizen with a residence permit, was arrested shortly after the attack.
According to police, the attack happened shortly before 4:00 pm near the main square. Witnesses reported that the man randomly stabbed several passers-by before being stopped by a 42-year-old food delivery driver, also from Syria, who hit the suspect with his car. Police arrested the attacker at the scene.
Police brought in helicopters to help search for possible further suspects but eventually determined the man acted alone.
Authorities have not yet determined a motive.
Police did say the man was carrying valid asylum documentation when he was arrested. They are also looking into witness reports the man shouted an Islamist call to prayer while carrying out the attack.
The suspected attacker was arrested. He is a Syrian asylum seeker with a valid residence permit and no criminal record, according to preliminary information, police spokesman Rainer Dionisio told the French AFP news agency.
According to the Austrian Ministry of Interior, 24,941 foreigners applied for asylum in Austria in 2024. The largest group of applicants comes from Syria, followed by Afghanistan.
Over the past two years, the number of asylum seekers has decreased significantly. In 2022, applications peaked at over 100,000, while approximately 59,000 individuals sought asylum in 2023.
Several European countries, among them Austria, said in December they are suspending decisions on asylum claims by Syrian nationals because of the unclear political situation in their homeland following the fall of Bashar Assad.
A horrific act in Villach led to a large-scale police operation on Saturday afternoon. A Syrian man laughingly and indiscriminately stabbed passers-by - killing one teenager and injuring five others. An Islamist motive is being investigated. The Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) is looking for witnesses.
COURAGEOUS FOOD DELIVERY DRIVER HITS THE PERPETRATOR OF THE CRIME
The elite Cobra police unit is alerted. But things could have been even worse if a courageous eyewitness, himself a Syrian, had not intervened. The food delivery driver hits the suspect with his car: "He was heading towards the city center, there were children on the street. I couldn't let that happen. I have children of my own!"
Meanwhile, police and ambulance vehicles race to the scene. What initially looks like a degenerate argument could actually have been a planned act of terrorism. Shocked eyewitnesses describe how the 23-year-old stabbed him "laughing". "As things stand at the moment, it's a good thing that the witness hit the perpetrator," says Dionisio.
The perpetrator is said to have shouted "Allahu Akbar". The recognized Syrian asylum seeker - who has so far been inconspicuous to the police - also showed the raised index finger, also notorious as an IS gesture, in circulating pictures. Whether there is an Islamist motive behind the knife terror is now the subject of intensive investigations, including by the local state security service. The suspect's contacts are being closely scrutinized. A manhunt is currently underway throughout Carinthia under the direction of the State Office for State Protection and the State Office of Criminal Investigation.
His intervention probably prevented worse: Alaaeddin Alhalabi (42) actually just wanted to deliver food and ended up in the middle of a rampage! Without further ado, he ran down the perpetrator with his car. The "Krone" spoke to the hero.
Austrian minister says 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker was radicalized online before killing 14-year-old boy, wounding five others.
The suspected perpetrator of a deadly knife attack in the southern Austrian town of Villach on Saturday had sworn allegiance to Islamic State and had its flag in his apartment, Austrian officials said on Sunday.
At a press conference in Villach, the police chief for the state of Carinthia, Michaela Kohlweiss, said she could confirm an oath of allegiance. She and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the ISIS flag had been found in his apartment.
The 23-year-old suspect, who was detained shortly after the stabbing, is a Syrian asylum seeker with a residence permit in Austria. The assailant, named in reports as Ahmad G., stabbed six passersby, killing a 14-year-old and injuring five others, in what police said was a random attack.
That’s because killing those of Dar al Harb, the House of War, is the object, not killing anyone specific. Actually, even killing or harming does not matter, so long as fear of the conquering Moslems is learnt by the target population and its government.
The Free Syrian Community of Austria issued a statement on Facebook distancing itself from the attack and expressing its deepest condolences to the victims’ families. “We all had to flee Syria, our home country, because we were no longer safe there — no one left their country voluntarily. We are grateful to have found asylum and protection in Austria,” the association said.
“Finally, we would like to emphasize: Anyone who causes strife and disturbs the peace of society does not represent the Syrians who have sought and received protection here,” the statement concluded.
Villach, a popular tourist destination near the borders of Italy and Slovenia, is known for its laid-back atmosphere, which blends Mediterranean and Alpine traditions. The city hosts annual carnival processions in March and an event on Saturday was canceled in the wake of the attack.
Posted by: q ||
02/16/2025
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#1
The perpetrator is said to have shouted "Allahu Akbar". The recognized Syrian asylum seeker - who has so far been inconspicuous to the police - also showed the raised index finger, also notorious as an IS gesture, in circulating pictures.
The picture of the grinning killer can be found here (no blood or gore.)
Whether there is an Islamist motive behind the knife terror is now the subject of intensive investigations, including by the local state security service.
Pay no attention to the "Allahu Akbar" and "Tauhid Finger" behind the curtain 'state security service' spokesman Quincy Magoo admonished the public...
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The General Staff reported significant enemy activity at the front.
In particular, in the Pokrovsk direction, since the beginning of the day, the Russians have tried to advance on the positions of Ukrainian units 67 times.
Compared to the previous day, the enemy has significantly stepped up its efforts, the total number of assault actions has increased two and a half times, with the greatest activity in the Pokrovsky direction. In total, 250 combat clashes have occurred since the beginning of this day. This is stated in the General Staff report on Saturday, February 15.
The invaders carried out 33 air strikes on Ukrainian territory, used 47 guided aerial bombs. In addition, they used more than 500 kamikaze drones for destruction and carried out about four thousand shellings on the positions of our troops and populated areas.
In the Kharkov direction, the enemy stormed the positions of our units five times in the areas of Volchansk, Tikhoye and in the direction of Kazachya Lopan. The battle continues in the Volchansk area, the situation is under control.
In the Kupyansk direction, the aggressor carried out offensive actions in the areas of the settlements of Dvurechnaya, Petrovpavlovka, Stepnaya Novoselovka, Kolesnikovka, Lozovaya and in the direction of Novoosinove, where Ukrainian defenders stopped 26 enemy attacks, and another 11 clashes continue.
In the Liman direction, Russian invaders attacked the positions of the Defense Forces 26 times near the settlements of Zeleny Gai, Novoyegorovka, Grekovka, Kolodets, Yampolevka, Terny, Torskoye and Dibrova. Six clashes are still ongoing.
Five enemy assaults were repelled by Ukrainian defenders in the Seversky direction, another five clashes are still ongoing, the occupiers are trying to advance in the areas of Verkhnekamenskoye and Ivano-Daryevka.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy stormed the positions of our defenders near Predtechino, Stupochki, Belaya Gora and in the area of Chasovy Yar. The defense forces repelled 24 attacks by the invaders, five combat contacts are ongoing.
Seventeen times the Russians stormed the positions of Ukrainian units in the Toretsk direction in the areas of Toretsk, Dilievka and Krymskoye, and two combat clashes are currently ongoing.
In the Pokrovsk direction, since the beginning of this day, the occupiers have tried to advance on the positions of Ukrainian units 67 times, the enemy attacked in the areas of the settlements of Zelenoye Pole, Tarasovka, Vodyanoye Vtoroy, Mirolyubovka, Elizavetovka, Luch, Lisovka, Dachenskoye, Shevchenko, Peschanoye, Kotlino. Our defenders stopped 47 assault actions of the enemy. Fighting continues in twenty locations.
Today, according to preliminary data, 536 occupiers were neutralized in this direction, 261 of them irretrievably. Ukrainian soldiers also destroyed 23 armored combat vehicles, four units of automotive equipment, one electronic warfare system and two motorcycles. In addition, three tanks, ten armored combat vehicles, four cars and an artillery system of the Russians were damaged.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the enemy tried to break through the defense of our defenders 24 times in the areas of Zelenovka, Razliv, Novy Komar, Novosyolka and Velikaya Novosyolka. Fourteen combat clashes have not subsided to this day.
In the Orekhov direction, the enemy twice attacked the positions of our defenders in the direction of Novoandreyevka, but had no success.
In the Dnieper direction, our troops repelled eight unsuccessful attempts by the enemy to attack Ukrainian positions.
In the Kursk direction, the invader has undertaken offensive actions nine times since the beginning of the day; all enemy attacks have been repelled.
"Today, it is worth noting the soldiers of the 59th separate assault brigade of the 1st brigade" and the 406th separate artillery brigade, who are effectively destroying the enemy, inflicting significant losses in manpower and equipment," the General Staff noted.
Let us recall that over the past 24 hours, the aggressor country Russia lost 1,180 servicemen killed and wounded on the battlefield.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:58 Official summary of the Office for Documentation of War Crimes of Ukraine from 00:00 02/15/2025 to 00:00 02/16/2025.
Nine facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
There were reports of three civilians being injured.
DAMAGED:
Six residential buildings,
One car,
Two civil infrastructure facilities.
Nine armed attacks in the Gorlovka direction.
A total of 29 units of various ammunition were fired.
21:01 FPV drones calculations of the "North" force group burned two-link transporter-tractor of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Khar'kov region.
20:59 Situation in the Uspenovka area on the Krasnoarmeysky direction
– Fighting continues in the village.
- The enemy is bringing in reserves from the Novooleksandrivka area. Their artillery is actively working, covering even those points where the Ukrainian Armed Forces are located.
19:33 UAV operators GV "North" around the clock on duty in the skies over the Khar'kov and Kursk regions, detecting and shooting down Ukrainian military drones.
18:35 It is reported that the Russian Armed Forces launched a missile strike which destroyed hangars with HIMARS installations hidden inside them.
The video shows the ammunition detonating.
18:06 Captured Ukrainian serviceman told about the real state of affairs in the much-hyped 155th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
"I fight with a Kalashnikov assault rifle - a rusty one. The command told us that there would be a uniform, simplified bulletproof vests, but there is nothing. I did not undergo any special training, I only completed the usual courses, and I was immediately thrown to "zero", - said prisoner of war Sergei Cherednichenko.
During the storming of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold by Russian servicemen, Cherednichenko decided to save his life and surrendered.
17:53 Our aviation with the X-38 missile destroyed crossing over the Oskol in the Kupyansk-Uzlovaya area.
17:29 Sappers of the Dnepr troop group, using a metal detector and a probe to scan the surface of the earth, clear forest plantations and fields of unexploded ordnance in the Orekhov direction.
17:22 FPV drone caught up occupiers in the Kursk region.
17:16 The Russian army has regained control over the industrial zone and most of Peschanoye –MAP
17:13 Drones of the 20th Army of the Russian Armed Forces of the "West" group of forces hit the platform with a drone on fiber optics, and then finished it off with a precise drop.
17:09 Advance of the Russian army in Shcherbinovka –MAP
17:02 Significant damage reported advanced assault detachments of the Russian Armed Forces in the village of Shcherbinovka in the Toretsk (Dzerzhinsk) area.
16:29 In the Kursk region, an FPV drone operator discovered four Ukrainian occupiers who were hiding at a bus stop.
16:01 UAV crews of the 51st Guards Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District discovered and destroyed American-made M-113 armored personnel carrier and Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower in the Dzerzhinsky direction.
15:42 The Russian army is waging a powerful offensive for Kurakhovo, breaking through the enemy’s defenses.
– Since the morning, Russian troops with armored vehicles have been advancing on the settlement of Ulakly, and heavy fighting continues.
– Also, Russian units are trying to put pressure on the settlement of Uspenovka, intensifying attacks in the area of the settlement.
15:48 The Russian Armed Forces have begun to storm settlements of Ulakly and Constantinople in the DPR.
14:42 In the Khar'kov direction, FPV operators of the Timurovtsy detachment of the North Guard continue to knock down enemy aerial targets. Three more enemy drones were destroyed during the night patrol.
14:27 Operators of attack UAVs of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army of the West Forces Group discovered and destroyed robotic platform of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Donetsk People's Republic.
13:35 In a forest plantation in the Khar'kov direction, an operator of a UAV of the 44th Army Corps of Guards "Sever" discovered an ATV of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The target was quickly damaged by discharges.
12:55 Units of the Center group of forces, as a result of decisive actions released settlement of Berezovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
12:50 Crews of the Molniya-2 UAV aircraft type of the 40th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade as part of the North group of forces are being destroyed military facilities, personnel and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of the Kursk region.
12:19 Novopavlovsko-Bogatyrskoe direction
– The units of the Group of Forces “Vostok” continue to break through enemy defense in the Novosyolka - Privolnoye - Burlatskoye area.
– Battles are underway to take control of the enemy’s defensive area near Privolnoye and Burlatskoye.
– North of Novy Komar, our units went in the direction of Otradny to the ravine that runs west of Razdolny.
– Northwest and northeast of Zelenovka, our assault forces occupy the starting area for the assault on Constantinople and Ulakly.
– Southwest and west of Dachny, assault units are leaving from Ulakly from the east.
– The battles to eliminate the former Kurakhovsky pocket are systematically moving into their final stage.
In the north of the "pocket" in Andreyevka, the 114th Motorized Rifle is clearing out the enemy in the northwestern part and preparing to continue the offensive towards Alekseyevka (there are battles for the stronghold between Andreyevka and Alekseyevka), and also keeps the northern part of Constantinople under fire control.
12:18 Special forces fighters "Anvar" GV "North" inflicted fire damage to NATO armored vehicles with Ukrainian fascists inside.
11:15 The Ukrainian Armed Forces abandoned the eastern part of the pocket near Dachnoye –MAP
11:06 During aerial reconnaissance in the Khar'kov direction, the operator of the UAV 44th Army Corps GV "Sever" was opened stronghold of the Ukrainian military. It was decided to quickly mine the forest plantation by dropping "petals" from a drone.
10:48 Specialists of the Rubicon Center destroyed hexacopter "Baba Yaga" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the help of an FPV drone in the Kupyansk direction.
10:27 Russian Army liberated Yampolovka, expanding his bridgehead on the right bank of the Zherebets River
In the Liman direction, Russian troops again expanded their bridgehead on the right bank of the Zherebets River, effectively driving the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of Yampolevka, advancing towards Liman to a depth of more than one km.
09:15 The Russian Armed Forces are almost completely in control of the northern part of Chasy Yar, the southern part - by 50%.
07:34 Drone operators of the BARS-3 squad homeland destroyed positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Zaporizhia direction.
07:13 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 40 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles:
17 UAVs over the territory of the Volgograd region,
12 UAVs over the territory of the Kaluga region,
nine UAVs over the territory of the Rostov region and
two UAVs over the territory of the Saratov region.
06:37 Attack aircraft of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army of the "West" group conducted training sessions on the use of small unmanned aircraft at one of the training grounds in the rear of the SVO zone.
Military personnel study the basics of drone control: operating principles, navigation, tactical use, aircraft maintenance, technical and software components of various types of drones, as well as the vulnerabilities of heavy and lightly armored vehicles.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Denis Davydov and Mikhail Kucherov
[REGNUM] February became a truly fateful month in the relations between the Muscovite state and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1667, after many years of war and division of territory, the Truce of Andrusovo was concluded, establishing the border between the states and laying the foundation for the "Eternal Peace".
Negotiations on its terms began almost 20 years later, in 1686, when a large embassy arrived in Moscow, headed by the Polish voivode Krzysztof Grzymultowski and the Lithuanian chancellor Marcian Oginski.
The need not to fight, but to negotiate was dictated by the international situation: aggressive Sweden was pressing from the north, and mighty Turkey was stretching out its hands to Europe in the south. Therefore, the previously unsolvable question was somehow resolved: the ownership of the "God-saved city of Kyiv", the mother of Russian cities, and control over the Zaporizhian Sich.
The truce was concluded for 13 years, which was considered to be a sufficient period to discuss all the important issues.
But already at this stage, thanks to his dexterity and ability to gain the trust of the Poles, the leader of the negotiations, Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin, a man from a family of humble Pskov nobles who became a prominent diplomat of that era, was able to negotiate Kiev for two years.
Although no one wanted to return it later for obvious reasons: the place where Rus was baptized had to belong to Rus. The city had been part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1362, and after the conclusion of the Union of Lublin in 1569, it fell under the rule of the Polish kings. The emerging alliance opened a window of opportunity for Moscow.
So the private issue of Kyiv was resolved within the framework of the global problem of uniting the efforts of Russia and European powers, which has happened in history more than once or twice.
DIPLOMATIC SUCCESS
In truth, Ordin-Nashchokin was a Polonophile and consistently advocated the conclusion of a Russian-Polish union, for which he was ready to give the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth not only all of Russia’s conquests in Lithuania, but also the Little Russian cities, leaving only Smolensk for Russia.
The far-sighted diplomat, who was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs (that is, head of the Ambassadorial Prikaz) following the negotiations in Andrusovo, considered it more important to conclude an alliance to counter the Turks and Crimean Tatars and to gain access to the Baltic Sea by punishing Sweden, which is what ultimately happened.
However, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich strictly forbade him to squander state lands. “You do not rely on God, but on your great, glorious, variable, fickle mind,” the sovereign wrote, so the chief negotiator patiently overcame obstacles on the way to concluding peace. He persistently convinced his counterparts of the need to make concessions - suffice it to say that 37 ambassadorial congresses, or, in modern language, rounds of negotiations, took place in Andrusovo
Meanwhile, they had before their eyes a living example of Ordin-Nashchokin being right: on the right bank of the Dnieper, Hetman Petro Doroshenko was in full swing, having decided to stake on Turkey. In December 1666, together with the Crimean Tatars, he dashingly defeated the crown army in the Battle of Brailov. Returning to Chigirin, the Hetman began the siege of the Polish garrison of the castle, and in February 1667, just during the negotiations in Andrusovo, he besieged Bila Tserkva.
So the border was drawn along the Dnieper, Kyiv became the Russian "bridgehead", and subsequently the border with Poland ran along the Irpen River, and they agreed to govern the Zaporizhian Sich together. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich returned the north-eastern part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania conquered by Russia - Vitebsk region, Polotsk, and also Livonia - to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
And Ordin-Nashchokin won universal honor and respect, expanding the activities of the Ambassadorial Prikaz as never before: for the first time in the history of Russia, he organized international mail, did much to develop duty-free trade with Western neighbors. The diplomat consistently promoted the idea of creating a fleet: on his initiative, the first Russian sailing ship, the Oryol, was built, assembled according to the Western European model, and Ordin's foreign policy strategy would then be picked up by the son of his sovereign, Peter I.
Meanwhile, the Poles themselves were looking for an opportunity to form an alliance with Russia against the Porte: they wanted Moscow to join the coalition of Christian empires. So they gave up on Kyiv – although they did not forget to present a hefty bill for it later.
The northern enemy, who had already launched a large-scale invasion of Poland (and had not allowed the Russians to break through to the Baltic Sea), was not to be touched for now. In the south, the growing appetite for conquest of the Ottoman Empire, which was striving for expansion, was fully felt. So, having finally made peace, Moscow and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth concluded an agreement in 1672, according to which the first party was obliged to send Don and Zaporozhian Cossacks and detachments of vassal nomadic peoples to help Poland in the event of an attack by Turkey or the Crimean Khanate.
Soon this happened - the army of Sultan Mehmed IV crossed the Danube and destroyed the fortress city of Kamianets-Podilskyi, brutally killing or taking its inhabitants into slavery. The Poles were terribly frightened and concluded the Buchach Peace Treaty with the Ottoman Empire that same year, giving them Podolia and pledging to pay 22,000 chervonets annually - although four years later the latter condition was cancelled. It somehow immediately became clear that a weakened Poland would no longer be able to give a worthy rebuff, and the Turks clearly had their eye on Left-Bank Ukraine.
NEW VECTOR
In view of the circumstances that had opened up, the Russians decided to act against the Ottomans for the first time. The war lasted a long time - until 1681, when, as a result of the Treaty of Bakhchisarai in Istanbul, Kyiv and the Left Bank were recognized as Russia's and they finally abandoned campaigns in these lands. Which also soon became an argument regarding the belonging of the ancient capital to Rus'.
It is interesting that it was at that time that embassies began to emerge - with the beginning of the war with Turkey, the Muscovite kingdom and Poland sent permanent representatives to each other, who were called residents. Although the effectiveness of their work seemed dubious: for example, representatives of the Lithuanian opposition in Poland accused the resident in Moscow Pavel Svidersky of being unable to reach an agreement, claiming that he supplied the king with "many fables" because of which "strange lampoons" about Russia were spread throughout Europe. So the experiment was considered unsuccessful, and both sides recalled the residents.
Meanwhile, the Turks were developing their success where they had failed: in 1684, the Treaty of Vasvar between the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire expired, so they decided not to wait. In 1683, a huge army, according to various estimates, up to 300 thousand people, entered Austria, immediately rushing to Vienna and laying siege to it. The combined efforts of the troops of the Holy Roman Empire, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Saxony, Franconia, Bavaria and Swabia under the general command of the Polish king and Grand Duke of Lithuania Jan III Sobieski managed to fight back.
Incidentally, according to legend, the famous crescent-shaped Viennese croissant appeared from that time. The Orthodox nobleman from Galicia, Yuriy-Franz Kulchitsky, an expert in the Turkish language and customs, who worked as an Austrian diplomatic courier and translator in Istanbul, played an important role in the victory, passing through the enemy camp with messages. For this, he received many favors - and, at his own request, all the coffee found among the Turks.
Kulchitsky promoted the new drink by opening the first coffee shop in Vienna, and the bagels were offered to be eaten to symbolically defeat the enemy. A century and a half later, the French began baking them from puff pastry, and this is how croissants appeared.
However, the Porte did not go anywhere, and Moscow began to be even more actively inclined towards a military alliance, where an additional incentive was precisely the preparation for signing the "Eternal Peace" with Poland. Although intelligence reported that with it, everything was far from simple.
A certain Andrei Kallistratov, a native of the Polish lands, interrogated in the Hetman's chancery, recalled a conversation between King Jan III and a Venetian resident, which he allegedly overheard by chance:
"I trust in God that I will bring Moscow [to] the Turkish war, for that reason great ambassadors have been sent to Moscow. And when the Turkish is enraged at Moscow, I will also strive to establish peace with the Turks, and I will turn the war against the Moscow kingdom. In what way will I be able to conveniently take Zadnepriye and other places, and I will not hold them in any other way, only I will attract them to the Roman Unes, so that they never look back at Moscow, and then everything will be possible to fix."
Nevertheless, negotiations continued, ending on May 6, 1686: the final version of the treaty was signed by Krzysztof Grzymultowski and the head of the Ambassadorial Office, Prince Vasily Golitsyn.
The results of the Andrusovo Truce were finally confirmed. Russia retained all the conquered territories - this was one of the key conditions for entering the war with Turkey. And the border line established by the agreement existed unchanged until the first partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772.
At the same time, the Poles agreed not to accept back the inhabitants of the territories that had been ceded to Russia, including the Smolensk gentry: after 1654, many Smolensk residents remained in the service of the Russian tsar and converted to Orthodoxy.
Kyiv greeted the news joyfully, and after the Truce of Andrusovo, the local clergy took an active pro-Moscow position: the northern neighbor was the best guarantor that the rights of the Orthodox would be respected. Although the Poles still stood for the city to the last in the negotiations, and the Russians did not get it for free, having paid compensation of 146 thousand rubles, more than 10% of the state budget. Well, Russia finally joined the anti-Turkish league, and already in 1687 and 1689 Vasily Golitsyn made two campaigns against the Crimean Khanate.
The signing of the “Eternal Peace” completed the “unification of a torn people” – this is how the abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Innokenty Gizel, called this process, which began with the Pereyaslav Rada.
It took Moscow more than 20 years of diplomatic efforts to secure the “mother of Russian cities,” but the time was well spent.
[IsraelTimes] Unexploded bombs and shells buried in the ruins of Gaza could kill or injure thousands of people in the future, an aid organization warns.
The volume of ordnance dropped on Gaza during 15 months of conflict between Israel and Hamas is “mind-boggling,” says Simon Elmont, a demining expert with Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion.
“The amount of ordnance that has been fired is an enormous quantity,” Elmont tells AFP, adding that between nine and 13 percent of munitions fail to explode on initial impact.
“It is going to be tens of thousands of unexploded ordnance, that’s for sure,” he adds.
And that is in addition to the all the IEDs Hamas, et al wired in to buildings and tunnels, aiming to blow up incoming IDF troops. Requiring Gazans to remain in this environment is unconscionable.
He says that the contamination level in Gaza is massive, and much of the ordnance “lies mainly within the rubble and underneath the surface.”
Hamas and Israel have agreed on a ceasefire, which came into effect on January 19 and ushered in a fragile calm.
Elmont warns of the risk of multiple deaths and injuries as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians return home to recover their belongings and try to rebuild.
Citing recent video footage, the expert says a Gazan child was hospitalized after another child threw a grenade at him, “believing it was a toy.”
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the Supreme Political Council, issued a stern warning to former US President Donald Trump ...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons... on Friday, cautioning that 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 military power would unleash an unprecedented response if Trump proceeds with plans to forcibly displace the people of Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with 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...
So sorry dudes, he is also the current president, and will be for the next four years. Enjoy!
Speaking during mass rallies in Saada province held in solidarity with Paleostine and in defiance of US-Israeli threats, al-Iran's Houthi sockpuppets ...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... directly addressed Trump, stating: "Your missiles, fighter jets, tanks, and all the weapons you have supplied to the temporary occupying Zionist entity have failed to displace the people of Gaza, and your statements will not succeed either."
He further warned, "If you attempt to forcefully displace the people of Gaza, our Armed Forces are on high alert and ready to respond. Our strikes will be more painful than ever before, and you will witness Yemen’s strength, resilience, and unwavering faith in action."
Al-Houthi also referenced the recent collision of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman with a commercial vessel, attributing the incident to the heightened anxiety among American sailors.
He underscored that Yemen’s growing military capabilities—ranging from ballistic and cruise missiles to drone technology and naval forces—are a serious force to reckon with.
He stressed that Yemen’s military arsenal has been revitalized and is fully prepared, awaiting orders from the leadership.
"All options are on the table for the Ministry of Defense, and following the leader’s directive yesterday, our forces are at the highest level of readiness."
Al-Houthi reminded that for the past 15 months, the Yemeni people have stood in unwavering support of Paleostine and continue to endorse military actions taken by Yemen’s armed forces.
"The Yemeni people remain steadfast in their backing of the Paleostinian cause and will not waver in their support," he affirmed.
In his address, al-Houthi urged Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... , the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab states to take a firm stand against Israeli aggression. "Arab national security requires real support—let your missiles, air forces, and armies refuse the displacement of our brothers in Gaza and instead direct their fire at the occupying entity."
He called on Saudi Arabia and other nations to halt their aggression against Yemen and to put an end to side conflicts, such as those in Sudan ...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans... , in order to shift focus toward the true enemy of the Arab world.
"We are not concerned about the past hostilities you waged against us, but today we urge you to stand with your brothers against the real enemy of the nation," he said.
Additionally, he urged Arab nations that have labeled Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... as a terrorist organization to reconsider their stance and remove the movement from terrorism lists.
He asserted that the true bandidosgunnies are those who betray the Paleostinian cause and fail to confront Israeli and American aggression.
Al-Houthi concluded his speech with a stark message: "If you do not act to stop the terrorism being inflicted upon your Paleostinian brothers, then you yourselves are enabling Arab terrorism."
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[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kharkov direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on formations of two territorial defence brigades close to Volchansk and Liptsy (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 50 troops, one armoured personnel carrier, two motor vehicles, three artillery guns, and one ammunition depot.
The Zapad Group's units improved the tactical situation. The Group inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, one jaeger brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defence brigade near Zeleny Gai, Novoosinovo (Kharkov region), Shandrigolovo (Donetsk People's Republic) and Novoyegorovka (Lugansk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 185 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, including two U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers, five motor vehicles, five field artillery guns, with three of them manufactured by NATO countries.
Three electronic warfare stations and three ammunition depots were eliminated.
The Yug Group's units took more advantageous lines and positions. They also hit units of three mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, and one assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Kramatorsk, Konstantinovka, Katerinovka, Kleban-Byk, Ivanopole, and Pleshcheyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy losses amounted to 205 troops, five armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and four field artillery guns. Two electronic warfare stations were neutralised.
As a result of decisive actions, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces liberated Berezovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
They inflicted fire damage on units of four mechanised brigades, one airmobile brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two territorial defence brigades, and one National Guard brigade close to Shcherbinovka, Udachnoye, Zverevo, Kotlino, Novoandreyevka, and Nadezhdinka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy lost up to 490 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, five motor vehicles, and six field artillery guns.
The Vostok Group's units continued to advance to the depths of the enemy's defence. They inflicted losses on one tank brigade, two mechanised brigades of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades near Konstantinopol, Komar (Donetsk People's Republic), Ternovatoye, and Gulyaipole (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 150 troops, one tank, three armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, and four field artillery guns, including two Western-made guns. Two field ammunition depots were destroyed.
The Dnepr Group's units inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of three coastal defence brigades of the AFU close to Sadovoye, Ponyatovka, and Veletenskoye (Kherson re-gion).
The AFU lost up to 50 troops, nine motor vehicles, and one electronic warfare station.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack UAVs, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation inflicted damage on the enemy's military airfield infrastructure, depots storing ammunition and missile and artillery weapons, launch preparation sites for unmanned aerial vehicles, and manpower and hardware clusters in 143 areas.
Russian air defence systems shot down two French-made Hammer guided aerial bombs, three HIMARS projectiles, as well as 130 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 653 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 43,472 unmanned aerial vehicles, 594 anti-aircraft missile systems, 21,464 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,517 MLRS combat vehicles, 21,743 field artillery guns and mortars, and 31,700 special military vehicles of the AFU 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.
In the course of the offensive actions, the Sever Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on formations of two tank brigades, one heavy mechanised brigade, five mechanised brigades, one assault brigade, three air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, one territorial defence brigade, and three assault regiments of the AFU near Viktorovka, Goncharovka, Guyevo, Kolmakov, Kositsa, Kubatkin, Kurilovka, Lebedevka, Malaya Loknya, Nikolsky, Sverdlikovo, and Sudzha. Three counter-attacks of the enemy were repelled.
Operationa-Tactical and army aviation and artillery hit enemy manpower and hardware close to Gogolevka, Zamostye, Kazachya Loknya, Loknya, Martynovka, Makhnovka, Melovoy, Nikolayevka, Novaya Sorochina, Oleshnya, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye, as well as Basovka, Belody, Zhuravka, Obody and Yunakovka in Sumy region.
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 280 troops, four infantry fighting vehicles, one armoured personnel carrier, seven armoured fighting vehicles, 12 motor vehicles, two mortars, one electronic warfare station, two bridge launchers, and four armoured recovery vehicles, including two German-made Bergepanzer 2 armoured recovery vehicles, as well as three UAV command posts.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost more than 60,780 troops, 363 tanks, 268 infantry fighting vehicles, 216 armoured personnel carriers, 1,879 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,986 motor vehicles, 439 artillery guns, 48 MLRS launchers, including 13 of HIMARS and six of MLRS manufactured by the USA, 21 anti-aircraft missile launchers, eight transport and loading vehicles, 109 electronic warfare systems, 15 counter-battery radars, six air defence radars, 48 units of engineering and other equipment, including 18 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine-clearing vehicle, five bridge launchers, one engineering reconnaissance vehicle, and 14 armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 22:58 The Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells from third countries has already allowed 1.6 million rounds of ammunition to be transferred to Ukraine, Czech President Petr Pavel noted. Reuters reported this on Saturday, February 15.
22.39 The enemy has significantly stepped up its efforts over the past 24 hours, the total number of assault actions has increased two and a half times, with the greatest activity in the Pokrovsky direction. In total, 250 combat clashes have occurred since the beginning of this day. This is stated in the General Staff report on Saturday, February 15.
21.59 Russian military is actively sabotaging military operations in the Pokrovsky direction. Every day, cases of armored vehicles being disabled, artillery being damaged, and weapons being deliberately damaged are recorded. This is reported by the ATESH partisan movement.
20.16 US Presidential Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg stressed that Russia must make territorial concessions. He noted this during his speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, February 15.
19:34 The G7 foreign ministers announced at the Munich Conference that new sanctions against Russia would be introduced if Moscow refused to hold "good faith" peace talks with Ukraine. This was reported by Reuters on Saturday, February 15.
16:38 Several European countries, concerned by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth's statement that U.S. security priorities are not in Europe, are secretly working on a plan to send troops to Ukraine to help secure a possible peace deal with Russia, AP reports.
15.37 The State Emergency Service rescuers continue to eliminate the consequences of the Russian drone strike on the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. This was reported by the Chairman of the State Emergency Service Andrey Danik during a briefing near the damaged confinement of the plant.
14:55 Ukraine's plan for 2025 is to put pressure on Russia, prepare security guarantees together with partners and achieve sustainable peace. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the main session of the Munich Security Conference.
14.14 European countries must develop a common action plan for their own security and Ukraine as soon as possible. If this is not done, then the future of Europe will be decided by other global players, said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
13.55 Ukraine continues dialogue with the United States on the agreement on rare earth minerals. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the Munich Security Conference. The memorandum should have already been agreed upon. However, today the media reported that Zelensky did not sign this document.
13.39 Ukroboronprom will create a joint venture with the French Thales. It will specialize in creating advanced technological solutions to enhance air defense, radars, electronic warfare systems, tactical communications, and optical-electronic systems.
13:13 Ukraine is preparing a meeting of the leaders of partner countries in Kiev. The summit is to take place on the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the main session of the Munich Security Conference.
12:56 A fire continues at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after a strike on the Shelter facility above the destroyed fourth power unit. The existing through destruction covers an area of approximately 15 square meters. This was reported by the State Agency of Ukraine for Exclusion Zone Management.
12.24 Europe must create its own armed forces to counter Russian aggression. The time has come. This statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the main session of the Munich Security Conference.
11.49 As a result of the attack by Russian invaders on a checkpoint in the Kherson region, two police officers were wounded. This was reported by the National Police.
11:00 The media learned details of a possible agreement between Ukraine and the United States. At present, President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to sign the document, sources claim.
10.35 Servicemen of the active operations units of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine carried out successful strikes on the aerial reconnaissance crew of the Russian occupiers in the Zaporizhia region.
9.32 On Saturday night, Russian aggressors launched 70 drones of various types into Ukraine. All of them were either destroyed or were affected by RES systems, the Ukrainian Air Force reported .
9.12 In the Kiev region, the remains of the Russian Gerber drone were found on the ice of a reservoir - approximately 300 meters from the shore. This was reported by the State Emergency Service.
8.51 Over the course of 24 hours on February 14, 112 combat clashes occurred on the front, a third of which were in the Pokrovsk direction. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported the details in an operational summary as of 8:00.
7.31 Over the past 24 hours, the aggressor country Russia lost 1,180 servicemen killed and wounded on the battlefield in Ukraine. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian troops burned about 30 units of Russian armored vehicles, 59 artillery systems, air defense systems and other enemy equipment.
[IsraelTimes] IDF investigators reportedly moved to tears by testimony of Brig. Gen. Yisrael Shomer, a resident of Kfar Aza
As Israel Defense Forces Sherlocks in past months delved into its failures surrounding the October 7, 2023 Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... attacks, Brig. Gen. Yisrael Shomer, a resident of Kibbutz Kfar Aza who set out to defend his home armed with just a knife, testified about his experiences that day.
According to a report Monday by the Walla news site, published as the IDF finalizes parts of its investigations, Shomer choked up at times while explaining what had occurred, and the details he recounted caused some of the generals present to well up with tears.
Shomer has spoken publicly in the past about his experiences on October 7, when he found his kibbutz under attack by more than 100 armed Hamas terrorists, who slaughtered 62 people and took another 19 as hostages.
He told the Israel Hayom daily that he had woken up a few minutes before the attack began to go on a morning run, and was drinking water in his kitchen at 6:29 a.m. when the sirens started blaring and the rockets began flying overhead.
After the first few minutes of sirens, he peeked outside to see what was going on, and saw two paragliders flying toward the kibbutz. He understood immediately what was happening.
"I didn’t understand the magnitude, but I understood that this was an invasion of Kfar Aza," he told Channel 13 news in December 2023, when returning to his home for the first time since the attack.
Without a firearm at home, he left his wife and three children in their reinforced saferoom, told them to lock the door, and set out armed with only a knife, clad in sportswear.
He headed outside, took photos of the two paragliders that had been used to invade the kibbutz, and called a number of IDF generals, including chief of staff Herzi Halevi, Shomer told Israel Hayom.
For about three hours, he fought back against Hamas button men with just the knife until he picked up a weapon from a maimed member of the local security squad, he said. For hours, he fired at gunnies he encountered inside the kibbutz, carefully preserving his ammo, estimating that he killed around 20 invaders.
"I was constantly on the move," he said, "searching, jumping out, firing two bullets and moving on."
A few hours after the attack began, he said he began to understand that this was not only an attack on Kfar Aza. As soldiers began to arrive in the kibbutz as reinforcements and told him about the attacks on almost every community along 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... border, the magnitude of the catastrophe was becoming clear.
When still more troops, including units from the Golani, Paratroopers and Givati Brigades, arrived, "I felt for the first time that day that we were turning the tables," Shomer said.
At around 6 p.m., his wife contacted him and said that there were gunnies in the house and that she could hear gunshots, but by the time Shomer got there, the gunnies had left.
"I only realized it then, when we got there, how close it was," he added. "What a miracle."
Once he knew his family was safe and that the IDF had started to regain control of most of the kibbutz, Shomer decided it was time to meet up with his own IDF unit, which had been charged with deterring Hezbollah at the northern border.
"It wasn’t an easy decision because there were still gunnies on the kibbutz and my family was still there, but I knew there were already a lot of soldiers and commanders, so I thought that I should go and join my division," he said.
He then got in his car, which was riddled with bullet holes, loaded his rifle, and headed north to join his unit.
His wife’s younger brother Yuval Salomon was murdered that day in Kfar Aza. Shomer told Israel Hayom that Salomon fought back against the gunnies and succeeded in stabbing one of them. He then called Shomer, who recalled: "I spoke to him on the phone, and then they [the terrorists] came back and he didn’t survive. He was 29."
At the time of the October 7 attack, Shomer was serving as the commander of the 146th Division, the IDF’s largest reserve division. In June 2024 he took up the position as head of the IDF’s Operations Division.
In December 2024, Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to wrap up its investigations into October 7 by the end of January, though it has yet to complete them.
When IDF chief Herzi Halevi announced last month that he was stepping down from his role on March 6, he promised to complete the IDF’s investigations into the October 7 onslaught by his resignation date.
"Upon completing the IDF’s investigations, we will better understand what happened to us, why it happened and how to fix it," he said at the time, calling to also appoint an external committee to investigate the army’s failures.
The IDF’s investigations at the General Staff level include four main subjects: the development of the IDF’s perception of Gaza, with an emphasis on the border, starting in 2018; the IDF’s intelligence assessments of Hamas from 2018 until the outbreak of the war; the intelligence and decision-making process on the eve of October 7, as well as the days leading up to it; and the command and control, formations, and orders given during battles between October 7 and 10, when troops restored control over all communities and army bases in southern Israel that had been invaded by Hamas.
The investigations have been carried out by units seen as having had a role in the failure to notice Hamas preparations or adequately prepare for the terror group’s October 7 onslaught. In addition, the IDF is investigating 41 separate battles and major incidents that took place during the October 7 attack.
Outrage in Syria after photos show commercial ads inside Sednaya Prison, infamous for mass atrocities under the previous regime. Activists call it a desecration of victims’ suffering. #Syria#HumanRights#Sednaya#Justicehttps://t.co/gM3RdBrVeG
[IsraelTimes] Craig and Lindsay Foreman held on security-related charges after being arrested while motorcycling around world; Tehran has long been accused of taking Westerns as hostages
Relatives of a British couple who have been detained 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... said Saturday that their situation was distressing and causing "significant concern," and that the family was working hard on securing their safe return.
Iran’s official news agency reported on Wednesday that the pair were held in the southern Iranian city of Kerman on security-related charges.
The report did not name the couple or provide details about their case, but a family statement released Saturday through the UK Foreign Office identified them as Craig and Lindsay Foreman.
The two were reportedly traveling around the world on cycle of violences when they were detained in January. British media, citing social media posts, reported that they had crossed into Iran from Armenia on December 30 and were planning to enter Pakistain next.
"This unexpected turn of events has caused significant concern for our entire family, and we are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and well-being during this trying time," the family said in a statement, adding that it was working with UK officials to navigate the situation.
"The family are united in our determination to secure their safe return," it added.
The UK ambassador met with the couple earlier and the UK Foreign Office said that it was providing consular assistance to them.
Iran has a history of detaining and releasing Western nationals on security charges. The country has long been accused of holding those with Western ties as prisoners to be used as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Iran denies those accusations.
In 2022, Iran released British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe after more than five years. She had been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of plotting to overthrow Iran’s government, a charge that she, her supporters and rights groups denied.
Survey: 83% of Jewish US college students have experienced antisemitism since Oct. 7
[IsraelTimes] Poll by ADL and Hillel International finds two-thirds of Jewish students not confident in their universities’ abilities to prevent antisemitism on campus. Published on Thursday, the survey found that two-thirds (66%) of Jewish students and 60% of non-Jewish students said they were not confident in their university’s ability to prevent antisemitic incidents.
Jewish professor quits Columbia, citing ‘systematic’ anti-Israel bias on campus
Prof. Avi Friedman, award-winning business school instructor, lashes NY university for having anti-Zionist activist professor Joseph Massad, who celebrated the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, teach a class on Israel. Massad received tenure from Columbia in 1999 and has long taught about Israel and the Middle East. His Israel course, called “Palestinian and Israeli Politics and Societies,” drew widespread criticism ahead of the spring semester this year.
Another professor, Lawrence Rosenblatt, said in December he was resigning due to the course. Days later, Columbia released a statement saying Massad’s comments about the Hamas attack “created pain for many in our community and contributed to the deep controversy on our campus.”
Friedman added that Columbia’s role as an “epicenter of the intifada movement” in the US was not an accident, but resulted from “years of institutional cultivation.” (One of the student protest leaders who said “Zionists don’t deserve to live” claimed in a recent court filing that the statement was partially based on university reading material.)
US Justice Department launches task force aimed at combating campus antisemitism
[IsraelTimes] The US Justice Department on Monday announced a task force to combat antisemitism at schools and colleges, the latest move by the Trump administration to crack down on anti-Jewish discrimination on campuses. The task force will include officials from the Department of Justice, Department of Education, and Department of Health and Human Services, the Justice Department said in a statement. The group will be led by Leo Terrell, senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights.
Georgetown University Law student group to host speaker linked to Israeli teen’s killing
The university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter will host Ribhi Karajah, a member of the U.S.-designated terrorist group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, on Feb. 11, Jewish Insider reported. The “former Palestinian political prisoner” will give a talk on “arrest, detention, and torture in the Israeli military system,” according to an Instagram post by LSJP.
BREAKING: The Bowdoin Encampment students have been suspended by the administration. They have until 5 pm to "vacate campus." pic.twitter.com/GHwNGxXi5x
Wesleyan SJP group hosts "Anti-Zionist" Tu Bishvat, Israeli Arbor Day
[ToniAiraksinen] Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the elite Wesleyan University are hosting a Tu B'Shvat Seder for the [anti-Israel] community to rally around. Notably, the event has the approval of the school’s Office of Religious and Spiritual Life as it is giving the students space to host their seder. The event was coordinated with a shadowy group called “Beyond Empire” which claims to be founded by Wesleyan University students, according to their Instagram page.
Tu B’Shvat (the 15th of the month of Shvat, roughly February) is an agricultural holiday marking the best time to plant food trees in Israel. It refers back the commandment in Leviticus 19:23 about when trees in ancient Israel might first be harvested. Without the Jewish-Israel connection it has no meaning.
Bowdoin College disciplines SJP students after pro-Palestine encampment violates policies
[CampusReform] A Justice in Palestine chapter recently hosted an encampment at Bowdoin College, for which various protesters were immediately disciplined, with some receiving suspensions. The SJP group posted to Instagram on Monday following the announcement of the suspensions, condemning the school and blaming it for the 'weaponization of a disciplinary process.'
[IsraelTimes] Army says Abbas Ahmad Hamoud was involved in launching drones, which Katz calls ‘a red line and blatant violation of the ceasefire’
The military carried out an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in southern Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel... on Saturday evening, saying it targeted a prominent Hezbollah operative after he "repeatedly violated" the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon over the past few weeks.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the member of Hezbollah’s aerial forces was involved in launching drones at Israel amid the ceasefire. The operative was later named as Abbas Ahmad Hamoud by Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Lebanese media outlets reported two people were killed in the Israeli strike, which hit a car near the town of Jarjouaa in the Nabatieh District.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.
"As I warned, if there are drones, there will be no Hezbollah," Katz said in a statement.
"We will not allow drone launches toward Israel. The launch of the drones crosses a red line and is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon," he added.
Hezbollah’s aerial forces, known as Unit 127, are responsible for explosive-laden drone attacks on Israel and flying surveillance drones to collect intelligence. During the ceasefire, Hezbollah has fired surveillance drones at Israel, according to the IDF.
Saturday’s strike came as Hezbollah supporters demonstrated around the Beirut airport for a third consecutive day over a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing there, with rioters wounding UNIFIL’s outgoing deputy commander during an attack Friday on a convoy of peacekeepers.
[IsraelTimes] Man in his 60s said lightly wounded after assault in backyard of his West Bank-adjacent home, as IDF counterterrorism operation rages on across security barrier
A Paleostinian from the West Bank city of Jenin was detained Saturday for allegedly attacking an Israeli man in the northern community of Gan Ner on Friday, police and the Shin Bet said.
The suspect, a 25-year-old resident of Jenin, was captured Saturday morning while hiding in a horse stable in a nearby community, police said.
The victim, an Israeli man in his 60s, was hit in the head with a hoe in his backyard, sustaining light wounds, according to medics.
The attacker was initially thought to have been Israeli, but further investigation indicated he was a Paleostinian from the West Bank, police said.
Channel 12 quoted the victim’s wife as saying the attacker stood outside the door of their balcony.
"It’s very concerning when you’re certain that the town is secured, and suddenly it happens in the most sensitive place, the entrance to your house," she said. "My husband struggled with him, tried to protect himself... we just felt powerless, not knowing how to act."
Gan Ner, which is not in the West Bank, stands near the territory’s northern security barrier — close to Jenin, where the IDF last month launched a counterterrorism operation dubbed "Iron Wall." The operation has since been expanded to other areas of the West Bank.
On Thursday, the IDF said it had killed over 60 Paleostinian terror operatives and detained more than 210 in the ongoing operation.
Violence has spiked in the West Bank since the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with 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... was sparked on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... -led Lions of Islam stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
In that time, according to the IDF, troops have arrested some 6,000 wanted Paleostinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,350 affiliated with Hamas.
The Paleostinian Authority’s health ministry says more than 900 West Bank Paleostinians have been killed during the war in Gaza. The IDF says the vast majority were button men killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops, or Lions of Islam carrying out attacks.
In the same period, 48 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another eight members of the security forces were killed in festivities with terror operatives in the West Bank.
[IsraelTimes] An Israeli couple was attacked in Greece overnight, Hebrew media outlets report, apparently after the attacker overheard them speaking Hebrew.
The attack occurred shortly after midnight between Friday and Saturday, as the couple headed to their hotel from a restaurant on Ermou Street, in central Athens
The attack occurred shortly after midnight between Friday and Saturday, a local Greek media outlet reports. The couple were heading to their hotel from a restaurant on Ermou Street, in central Athens when the assailants attacked them in an alley.
One of the Israelis suffered light injuries to his leg and head, but neither of them required hospitalization, the reports add.
The attackers were heard speaking Arabic ahead of the incident, according to an eyewitness. One of them fled the scene after the attack and has yet to be apprehended, but the other has been charged with racist violence, the Greek media outlet adds.
In response to the reports, the Foreign Ministry says it is aware of the incident, and that it is being handled by the Foreign Ministry’s department for Israelis abroad in coordination with the Israeli Embassy in Athens.
The Foreign Ministry adds that the apprehended suspect is known to police for having previously participated in “pro-Palestinian demonstrations.”
“The two recognized the group of Israelis after noticing them speaking Hebrew and wearing a Star of David necklace,” it adds.
Still working off leftover USAID funds, or fresh donations from frustrated rich Progressives trying to change the world in their image? What vile people these are.
[IsraelTimes] About a thousand people
…down to the hard, reactionary cadres of the anti-Bibi protest movement that dates back about a quarter century…
gather for the weekly pro-hostage deal, anti-government protest in front of the Begin Road entrance to the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.
The protest takes place as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom protesters accuse of trying to thwart the continuation of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, holds security consultations about the future of the agreement.
Speaking at the protest, Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, says she sometimes imagines herself reunited with her son, “having coffee, smoking a cigarette.”
“These moments are approaching with giant strides,” she says.
To jeers, she adds: “The prime minister has tried to thwart the agreement again and again and again.”
“One person stands between us and all the hostages,” she says, referring to the premier.
“Netanyahu — we’re sick of the procrastination,” she says.
Assailing the protracted multi-stage hostage releases, she says, “Shorten the stages, release everyone, give us a victory image without loved ones.”
About an hour earlier, Zangauker had spoken at a separate rally at Hostages Square, a block away, where she also accused Netanyahu of abandoning the captives to keep his coalition intact: “How can you play politics on their backs when you know the Holocaust they are enduring in Hamas’s tunnels?”
The Begin Road demonstration is bolstered by protesters against the government’s judicial overhaul plan who have marched over from Habima Square.
In front of the IDF headquarters, protesters chant: “A deal that’s not completed murders everyone.”
The main block of protesters is flanked by activists from various civil society groups: Members of the Israeli Gay Youth movement, who wave pride flags; a coalition of left-wing groups including Standing Together, Women Wage Peace and Socialist Struggle, and the Movement for Quality Government.
The display involved four demonstrators wearing scant clothing and covered in fake blood, kneeling on the ground during the procession and raising their hands, bound together with rope.
Echoing Trump, hawkish hostage forum demands release of all abductees or Hamas to face ‘hell’
[IsraelTimes] The hawkish Tikva Forum, which represents a group of hostage families, congratulates the hostages released today, and states that the next phase of hostage releases must look “completely different,” with “no humiliations and no staged events,” referring to the Hamas ceremonies parading the hostages before they are released to the Red Cross.
“We demand the release of all the remaining hostages on one day, on one bus, and if this doesn’t happen, then all hell must break out on Hamas,” states the Tikva Forum, echoing US President Donald Trump’s threat from earlier this week. “Stop the electricity, stop the water, a total siege and re-occupation!
“We need to hit the Hamas-Nazi terror organization hard until they release all the hostages, until they understand that holding hostages is a burden and not an asset.”
The Forum states that the next phase of the hostage deal must begin with an ultimatum, with the backing of the president of the United States, and not from a position of weakness.
“In our region, only force is understood,” says the Forum.
Just think, habibis: had Hamas & Friends not crashed out through the security fence on 10/7, you wouldn’t have driven Israel to take action, resulting in this second Nakhba.
[IsraelTimes] In an interview with “Meet the Press” on Channel 12, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says that Israel is actively in touch with Washington to discuss the implementation of US President Donald Trump’s plan to move residents of the Gaza Strip abroad.
“The process of emigration from Gaza will begin in the coming weeks,” Smotrich states.
“Gazans will have nothing to look for in Gaza in the next 10-15 years. After we return to fighting and all of Gaza looks like Jabalia — they will have nothing to look for there at all.”
In a joint appearance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump last week called to permanently relocate the entire population of the Gaza Strip, insisting the Palestinians “have no alternative” but to leave the “big pile of rubble” that is Gaza after over 15 months of Israeli bombardment targeting Hamas.
Afterward, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had instructed the military to prepare a plan that would enable Gazans seeking to leave the Strip voluntarily to do so.
In January, Smotrich said that he was working to turn Trump’s ideas about Gaza into an actionable policy. He has previously stated that Israel should occupy Gaza and “encourage” half of the Strip’s 2.2 million Palestinians to emigrate within two years.
Smotrich has threatened to quit the government if it doesn’t resume fighting after the ongoing first phase of the ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas.
#1
"Palestinian Cause" is a part of worldwide Jihad. The only difference between "Palestinians" and Muslim colonists in the rest of the world is that "Palestinians" started earlier - and can act more openly because most of "the World" doesn't really believe Jews are entitled to country of their own.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Full data on the orbit of asteroid 2024 YR4, which may collide with Earth in 2032, will not appear earlier than in three to four years. This was reported on February 15 by Vladimir Busarev, a leading researcher at the Sternberg State Astronomical Institute of Moscow State University named after M. V. Lomonosov (GAIS MSU).
The scientist noted that this is the period of 2024 YR4's revolution around the Sun. Only after its completion will comprehensive information about the entire orbit of the celestial body appear and it will be possible to answer the question of whether it will collide with the Earth.
“I think that the orbit of asteroid 2024 YR4 will remain insufficiently studied until 2028,” TASS quoted Busarev as saying.
The astronomer added that the object belongs to the Apollo family, which are considered potentially dangerous and require regular observations, as their orbits change relatively quickly under the influence of the gravitational fields of the Earth, as well as Mercury, Venus, Mars and the Sun. At the same time, according to Busarev, there is currently no reason for concern.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the asteroid with the designation 2024 YR4 was discovered in December by specialists from the ATLAS observatory in Chile. Its diameter is presumably between 40 and 90 m, which roughly corresponds to the Tunguska meteorite.
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said on February 7 that the chance of the newly discovered asteroid 2024 YR4 colliding with Earth in December 2032 has increased from 1% to 2.3%.
According to Stanislav Korotky, scientific director of the Ka-Dar observatory and the Astroverty astrofarm, the range of estimates of the threat of YR4 colliding with Earth is due to the short period of observations of this cosmic body. So far, the supposed area of the object's fall is considered to be Central Africa or the Atlantic Ocean.
On February 11, the British publication The Independent reported, citing new calculations, that the potentially Earth-threatening asteroid 2024 YR4 may not reach the planet and crash into the Moon. This is the conclusion reached by a group of asteroid hunters from the University of Arizona and NASA.
In China, YR4 has prompted the formation of a planetary defense team.
#2
yes we have to wait until 2028 for better data, but at this point collision with earth or the moon is very unlikely
however in case a collision looks likely, by 2032 we will have better rockets and thus a much better defense against a rouge asteroid
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#3
I remember when I was but a wee lad (the 1960s), MIT did a study based on the asteroid Icarus hitting Earth:
"Project Icarus" was a student project conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the spring of 1967 as a contingency plan in case of an impending collision with 1566 Icarus.
This project was an assignment by Paul Sandorff for his group of MIT systems engineering graduate students to devise a plan to use rockets to deflect or destroy Icarus in the case that it was found to be on a collision course with planet Earth.[29][30][31] Time magazine ran an article on the endeavor in June 1967[30] and the following year the student report was published as a book.[29][31][32]
The students' plan relied on the new Saturn V rocket, which did not make its first flight until after the report had been completed. During the course of their study, the students visited the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, where they were so impressed with the Vehicle Assembly Building that they wrote of "the awesome reality" that had "completely erased" their doubts over using the technology associated with the Apollo program and Saturn rockets.
The final plan hypothesized that six Saturn V rockets (appropriated from the then-current Apollo program) would be used, each launched at variable intervals from months to hours away from impact. Each rocket was to be fitted with a single 100-megaton nuclear warhead as well as a modified Apollo Service Module and uncrewed Apollo Command Module for guidance to the target. The warheads would be detonated 30 meters from the surface, deflecting or partially destroying the asteroid. Depending on the subsequent impacts on the course or the destruction of the asteroid, later missions would be modified or cancelled as needed. The "last-ditch" launch of the sixth rocket would be 18 hours prior to impact.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Representatives of Russia and the United States will meet in Saudi Arabia next week, February 17–23, to prepare for possible negotiations between the presidents of the two countries, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported on February 15,citing an informed source.
"Officials from the United States and Russia will meet next week in Saudi Arabia to set the stage for a possible leaders' summit later this month," the publication said.
According to sources, the details of the meeting and the list of participants are currently being clarified. Participation of the Ukrainian side in the negotiations is possible, but Kiev has not yet been notified of this, the report says. According to preliminary data, the negotiations will be conducted by Saudi Arabia's National Security Advisor Musaed Al-Aiban.
Trump announced his intention to meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia on February 13. During a telephone conversation on February 12, the presidents agreed to meet in person.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the head of the Kyiv regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced on February 14 that he was planning to visit Saudi Arabia in the near future, where negotiations on the Ukrainian conflict would take place. At the same time, he noted that he would not hold meetings with the Russian delegation. Zelensky insists that a “common position” of the US, Europe and Ukraine must first be developed.
[Regnum] Ukraine did not send its delegates to Saudi Arabia to participate in negotiations with Russia and the United States to resolve the conflict. This was stated on February 15 by adviser to the head of the office of Volodymyr Zelensky Mykhailo Podolyak.
“There are no Ukrainian negotiators who will represent Ukraine in Saudi Arabia,” he emphasized on the Ukrainian news telethon.
According to him, there is currently nothing on the negotiating table that can be discussed.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, on December 23, 2024, Zelensky's office chief adviser Serhiy Leshchenko acknowledged the inevitability of negotiations with Russia due to Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election. At the same time, he suggested not to expect agreements similar to the Minsk agreements of 2015 and the Istanbul agreements of spring 2022.
Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 12. The conversation lasted about an hour and a half. The leaders of the United States and Russia agreed to arrange a personal meeting and agreed that the time had come to work together. On February 13, Trump announced his intention to meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia.
Zelensky said on February 14 that he would soon visit Saudi Arabia, where negotiations on the Ukrainian conflict would take place. He noted that he would not hold meetings with the Russian delegation. Zelensky believes that a “common position” between the US, Europe and Ukraine must first be developed.
A US delegation flew to Saudi Arabia on February 15 to begin peace talks with Russian and Ukrainian representatives.
A Fox News journalist said that Ukraine was not informed about the upcoming US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia and was not invited to participate in them.
#1
So the three largest energy producers are going to sit down and have a little chat. Right now battalions of elite Chinese eavesdropping teams are deploying to the kingdom.
(They say not to expect something like the Minsk or Istanbul agreements; let's hope not, they were farces.)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
02/16/2025 9:32
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The coldest day since the beginning of the year has arrived in Moscow — at night, the thermometer at the VDNKh weather station showed 9.5 degrees below zero. This was reported by Mikhail Leus, a leading specialist at the Phobos weather center,in the Telegram channel “Weather from the Chief.” Golly. Winter
According to the weather forecaster, February will have its final say. By mid-month, winter weather returned to the central and northwestern regions of the European part of Russia.
"The previous night in the capital was the coldest since the beginning of the year. According to the metropolis's base weather station, VDNKh, the thermometer dropped to -9.5°," the report says.
Before that, the strongest frost was observed on February 12 — minus 8.7 degrees. Now the snow cover has grown to 2 cm, which is the highest figure since January 18, Leus added.
Frosts intensified in the Moscow region - in Elektrostal the thermometer showed -11.9°C.
In the coming days, the capital will be 3-5 degrees colder than the climatic norm. The peak of the frost wave will probably be on February 17, when at night in Moscow it will be up to -12…-14°, and in the region - up to -17°, the specialist predicted.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, earlier the scientific director of the Hydrometeorological Center Roman Vilfand predicted that in mid-February the air temperature in the center of European Russia will fall below the climatic norm for the first time since the beginning of the year. He also noted that 2025 could be among the three warmest years on the planet.
On February 9, Yevgeny Tishkovets, a specialist at the Phobos weather center, said that the last winter month is preparing a surprise for Muscovites and will "work off" snowfalls and frosts for the entire season. In the last ten days of February, 100% of the ten-day precipitation norm is expected - about 9-13 mm, he specified.
French President Macron is convening the European leaders for an emergency summit on Ukraine in Paris on Monday, according to Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski at the Munich Security Conference.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 was recorded in southwestern Siberia on the night of February 15, the event occurred on the border of Mongolia and the Altai Republic. This is according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC).
The tremor was recorded at 01:48 UTC (04:48 Moscow time) 26 km from the village of Kosh-Agach with a population of 5,700 people. The source was located at a depth of 10 km.
There is no information about casualties or damage.
According to the Altai-Sayan branch of the Federal Research Center of the Unified Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences (seismic station), a seismic event with a magnitude of 6.4 was recorded on the territory of the republic. The tremors were felt in the eastern part of the region - the railway stations of the Zarinskaya, Biyskaya, Belokurikhinskaya zones and in Barnaul.
A little later, experts clarified that the intensity did not exceed 3 points, and the seismic event was felt in the territory of 29 municipalities.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the probability of a powerful earthquake of magnitude 8–9 in Japan has increased in the Nankai fault, located southeast of the Japanese island of Honshu. In the next 30 years, experts estimate the probability of such an event at 80%. Seismologists warned about this in January.
The Turkish Disaster Management Authority (AFAD) has warned the population about the possible consequences of earthquakes in the Aegean Sea; a mobile siren has been installed in a number of regions.
Unidentified button men attempted on Friday to assassinate an official of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, though his lover companion was injured.
A military source from the SDF in Deir ez-Zor told North Press that unknown button men on a cycle of violence targeted the vehicle of the official, who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons, with machine guns near the main road in the village of Jazrat al-Buhamid.
The attackers aimed to eliminate the SDF official responsible for military relations in the area.
The source added that while the official managed to flee, his lover companion sustained a gunshot wound.
Eyewitnesses reported that the button men shouted slogans in support of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) during the attack.
Lebanon detains 25 people for questioning over attack on UN peacekeepers convoy in Beirut
'As of now, more than 25 people are being held by the Lebanese Army Intelligence and the Internal Security Forces Information Branch for questioning,' says the country's interior minister… pic.twitter.com/rrq31QvPgs
[IsraelTimes] Lebanese president vows perpetrators ‘will receive their punishment’ as Hezbollah and its allies seek to distance themselves from assault by Iran-backed terror group’s supporters
Lebanese authorities said Saturday that more than 25 people had been arrested following an attack by Hezbollah supporters on a United Nations ...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense... convoy the day before that maimed two peacekeepers, including the force’s outgoing deputy commander.
UN and Lebanese officials have condemned Friday’s attack, which came as Hezbollah supporters blocked the road to the country’s only international airport for a second night over a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing there.
"More than 25 people have been arrested by Lebanese army intelligence," with another person detained by the security services, Lebanese Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar told news hounds after an emergency security meeting Saturday.
"This does not mean these detainees carried out the attack... but the investigations will show who is responsible," he continued.
The army and security agencies would bolster measures to "maintain security and stability," Hajjar said, adding that violations would be treated "with all seriousness."
The UN Interim Force in Leb ...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?... (UNIFIL) has demanded an investigation after one of its vehicles was set on fire during the incident, which maimed outgoing deputy force commander Chok Bahadur Dhakal, a Nepalese national who was heading home after ending his mission.
UNIFIL deputy spokesperson Kandice Ardiel told AFP that a second Nepalese peacekeeper was also maimed and hospitalized.
On Saturday, Hezbollah supporters again demonstrated around Beirut airport, with the Lebanese army firing tear gas to disperse them. A politician from the terror group Hassan Fadlallah called on the army to hold those who fired at the protesters to account.
The Lebanese army and government "should have held immediate meetings to prevent the Israeli enemy from imposing its dictates on the airport and from continuing its occupation of Lebanese territory ... instead of using force against a peaceful sit-in on the airport road," Fadlallah added in a statement.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun vowed that "the attackers will receive their punishment," adding that "security forces will not be lenient with any party that tries to upset stability and civil peace," according to a statement from the presidency on X.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam strongly condemned the "criminal attack" and promised to arrest the perpetrators during a conversation with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL Commander General Aroldo Lazaro.
’CIVIL PEACE’
In a meeting with Hajjar on Saturday, Salam emphasized the importance of maintaining security across the country, a statement from his office said. The premier was set to meet other "relevant ministers" later in the day.
The presidency’s statement said Aoun had stressed that the incident "cannot be allowed to be repeated," adding that the judiciary "has begun investigations on the ground."
The army said Friday that several areas around the airport had seen "demonstrations marked by acts of vandalism and festivities, including assaults on members of the armed forces and attacks against vehicles."
Videos circulating on social media showed demonstrators, some hooded and carrying Hezbollah flags, attacking a man in military garb and another in civilian clothes near the torched UNIFIL vehicle.
There was no immediate official comment from Hezbollah, which, together with its allies, appeared to be scrambling to distance themselves from Friday’s attack.
Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV said in a statement posted on its social media accounts that "unruly elements caused chaos with suspicious objectives on the Beirut airport road."
The Lebanese terror group’s ally, the Amal Movement, which is led by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri
...perennial Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, head of the Amal Shiite party aligned with Hezbollah, a not very subtle sock puppet of the Medes and Persians... , said: "The attack on UNIFIL is an attack on south Lebanon" and that "blocking roads anywhere is an assault on civil peace."
’ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE’
Several countries have condemned the incident, as did UN Secretary-General António Guterres ...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years... "Such attacks are absolutely unacceptable... The safety and security of UN personnel and property must be respected at all times," said Stephane Dujarric, Guterres’s front man.
"Attacks against peacekeepers are in breach of international law... and may constitute war crimes," the statement said, adding that "UNIFIL must be allowed unrestricted freedom of movement throughout Lebanon."
The French foreign ministry released a statement that "calls on the Lebanese security forces to guarantee the security of blue-helmet peacekeeping forces, and calls on Lebanon’s judicial authorities to shed all light on this unacceptable attack and to go after those responsible."
Israel has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of using the Beirut airport to transfer weapons from Iran, claims Hezbollah and Lebanese officials have denied.
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... said Saturday that it was ready for "constructive talks" with Lebanon on restoring Tehran-Beirut flights.
In a telephone call, the two countries’ foreign ministers discussed "how to resolve the problem of civil flights" and "confirmed their readiness to hold constructive talks in good faith," an Iranian foreign ministry statement said.
Iran-backed Hezbollah has a large popular base in Lebanon, though a year of hostilities with Israel and the ousting of its ally Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... in neighboring Syria have left the group weakened.
Lebanon’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said Thursday it had "temporarily rescheduled" some flights, including from Iran, until February 18 as it was implementing "additional security measures."
The date coincides with the deadline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon and for Hezbollah to vacate positions there, under a ceasefire deal that began on November 27.
Beginning on October 8, 2023, Hezbollah-led forces attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis for months, with the group saying it did so to support 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... amid the war there.
Hezbollah eventually expanded its attacks to also target cities in central and northern Israel with rockets, in addition to the attacks on the border.
Some 60,000 Israeli residents were evacuated from northern towns on the Lebanon border shortly after Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... ’s October 7 onslaught, amid fears Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, and increase rocket fire by the terror group.
Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since October 2023 have resulted in the deaths of 46 civilians. In addition, 80 IDF soldiers and reservists died in cross-border skirmishes, attacks on Israel, and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September.
Two soldiers were killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and there have also been several attacks from Syria without any injuries.
The IDF estimates that some 3,500 Hezbollah operatives were killed in the conflict. Around 100 members of other terror groups, along with hundreds of civilians, were also reported killed in Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/16/2025
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#1
Wanna bet most of these 25 "suspects" are just people they grabbed of the street?
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Two prominent leaders of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, including a Saudi national, were killed in separate Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s in the governorates of Abyan ...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an Islamic Emirate after seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues... and Shabwah, which are under the control of the Saudi-led coalition in southeastern 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... Informed sources confirmed that a senior figure, known by the alias Abu Muhammad al-Hudhali al-Makki—a Saudi national—was killed in a US airstrike on the Musayna'ah area in the al-Saeed district, south of Ataq in Shabwa governorate, which is controlled by UAE-backed factions, last Wednesday.
The sources also reported the death of another leader, Ayoub al-restive Lahj ... a Yemeni governate located in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. It is the stomping grounds on the southern secessionist al-Harak movement i, in a similar airstrike in Mudiyah district, Abyan governorate, last week.
These operations targeting the organization's leaders followed the death of another leader, Abu Yusuf al-Mahdi al-Hadrami, earlier in February. He was killed in a kaboom involving a booby-trapped cycle of violence in the Wadi district, east of Ma'rib city, which is controlled by the Islah Party.
The governorates of Abyan, Shabwah, and Ma'rib have witnessed a significant presence of terrorist elements, especially after Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... gathered these groups into training camps following the cleansing operations carried out by Sana'a forces in the al-Bayda districts in recent years.
[AA.COM.TR] 'The only place where 1.5M refugees living in Gaza should return to is their cities, villages from which they were displaced in 1948,' says Mahmoud Abbas.
From which they displaced themselves in the hope of collecting booty and concubines when they returned on the heels of the five victorious Arab armies. Unfortunately, the Arab armies were not victorious, a situation they repeated in each of the wars that followed. The problem with losing wars is that the losers don’t get back what they fled from.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/16/2025
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Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
#1
The problem with losing wars is that the losers don’t get back what they fled from.
Former Prussian Germans understand that. They only lost theirs 3 years before.
[IsraelTimes] As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds security consultations tonight on the future of the hostage-ceasefire deal, a Channel 12 report says Netanyahu wants to expedite the release of the six more living hostages who are currently scheduled for release on the coming two Saturdays.
Beyond that, the report says, the premier wants to extend the current first phase of the deal beyond the designated 42 days, which are set to end on March 1, and secure the freedom of more hostages as part of phase one, including more hostages Israel now knows are in poor health.
He wants Israel’s negotiators to explain to the Qatari and Egyptian mediators, with US support, that it’s also in the interests of Hamas to extend phase one since this would ensure the ceasefire remains in place for longer.
The prime minister is hoping to secure what the report says are being called “Ramadan releases” — additional phase one releases of hostages coinciding with next month’s Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Israel’s negotiators, however, are warning that unless Israel begins serious negotiations on phase two, which were required under the deal to start almost two weeks ago, it risks jeopardizing the rest of the scheduled phase one releases.
Israel’s negotiators really need to learn to shut up.
Participating in tonight’s consultations are Defense Minister Israel Katz, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, IDF Chief Herzi Halevi and his imminent successor Eyal Zamir, Mossad Chief David Barnea, Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar and IDF hostage talks negotiator Nitzan Alon.
#2
While President Trump is all for that idea, Seeking Cure, the Arab countries ‘aiding’ negotiations are not willing to push Hamas to let go of the remaining human shields they believe are all that is keeping Israel from ArcLighting them.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] At least 11 people have been killed and seven others injured in an improvised bomb attack on a vehicle transporting coal miners in Pakistain's Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... province, local officials say.
The attack was carried out on Friday as the vehicle was traveling through the Harnai area, located over 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Quetta, the thriving provincial capital.
According to reports, the bomb had been planted on the roadside and detonated as the vehicle passed.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, reiterating his ''commitment to actively working towards eradicating the menace of terrorism from the country.''
No group has grabbed credit for the bombing yet. However,
a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) remains the most active hard boy group in the region and has frequently carried out deadly attacks against security forces and Paks from other provinces.
Earlier this month, the same region witnessed a major assault in which 18 Pak soldiers were killed.
Balochistan, a resource-rich but long-neglected province, has been at the center of violence led by separatist groups, particularly the BLA, and other Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... terrorist groups. The group claims that Islamabad exploits the province's natural resources, such as gold and copper while neglecting the local population.
Energy projects, especially those involving Chinese investments, have been key targets of BLA attacks, as the group argues that foreign powers and Pakistain's central government are looting the region's resources without benefiting its people.
Pakistain saw a sharp rise in terrorist attacks last year, making it the deadliest year in a decade, with at least 1,500 people killed in violence across the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/16/2025
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Top|| File under: Baloch Liberation Army
🚨 Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades and Islamic Jihad's Saraya Al-Quds handed over three Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Khan Younis as part of the sixth phase of the prisoner exchange deal https://t.co/Gs3K3z0k6fpic.twitter.com/ckb9Y64loR
Hundreds of Syrian government employees protested in Damascus against mass dismissals, citing economic concerns and lack of due process. Workers demand fair labor rights amid growing instability. #Syria#Damascus#Protestshttps://t.co/NqkLEpmXFX
Guys, you’re not their people. Why would they keep you on when they can put their own people to work doing those jobs? To the winner go the spoils, remember?
Posted by: Fred ||
02/16/2025
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
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.
...Arabic for 
...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania...
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
...
... the personification of Somali state failure...
... the personification of Somali state failure...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...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 
...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel...
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed...
