[IsraelTimes] The more we learn, the clearer it becomes that Israel struck in the nick of time: Iran was very close to the bomb. Its ballistic missiles were becoming a dire threat. And then there’s that derided ‘Destruction of Israel Plan’
A version of this Editor’s Note was sent out earlier Wednesday in ToI’s weekly update email to members of the Times of Israel Community. To receive these Editor’s Notes as they’re released, join the ToI Community here.
How close was 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... to the bomb, and how far has Israel now pushed it off?
Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN’s nuclear weapons watchdog, the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency, warned a few weeks ago that "they’re not far off," and also cautioned that Tehran’s obstruction of his agency’s inspectors has meant that the IAEA has not been able to keep track of recent progress by the regime on the various aspects of its program.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was still more dramatic, characterizing Israel’s resort to force on Friday as preemptive action against an imminent "existential" threat. In a video address at the start of the campaign, Netanyahu said Iran had stockpiled enough uranium to build nine bombs, had taken unprecedented steps in recent months to weaponize that enriched uranium, and could get to the bomb "in a very short time — it could be a year, or it could be a few months." (The IDF at the launch of the attacks said Iran could enrich enough uranium to weapons-grade level for 15 bombs "within days," and did not specify how long it would take the regime to complete its nuclear weapons project.)
By contrast, CNN ...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for... on Tuesday cited a host of American sources assessing that Iran was "up to three years away" from being able to build, deliver and detonate a bomb and asserting that it was not even "actively pursuing" one — an implausible claim, not least in light of the regime’s documented production of increased quantities of near-weapons-grade uranium with no civilian application.
As far as I have been able to determine from interactions with several sources familiar with the matter, Israel’s intelligence assessments are that Iran was very close indeed to attaining nuclear weapons — as in, building and delivering a working bomb. Closer, that is, even than Netanyahu’s public estimate.
The Iranians have the enriched uranium, produced at their now largely destroyed main enrichment facility at Natanz. It has likely been stockpiled at the Isfahan site, also targeted by the IAF. In 2023, the IAEA reported evidence of uranium enriched further, to 83.7 percent purity, just short of weapons-grade, by the advanced centrifuges at the relatively invulnerable Fordo facility.
Critically, too, they have developed the highly complex nuclear detonator — the engineering device that causes the nuclear explosion of the bomb’s uranium core. And they have long had the missile capacity to deliver such a device.
Putting all the required components together, should Iran have chosen to do so, I was given to understand, was a matter of no more than two months, and possibly as little as a week.
Or, rather, it would have been — before Israel launched its attacks.
Why is that no longer the case, given that the 60%-enriched uranium would be headed to the thus-far impregnable Fordo, and given that Iran has the knowledge — which cannot be destroyed in aerial attacks — to complete its program?
Well, for one thing, Israel believes that its raids are relentlessly destroying the knowledge.
At a presser on Monday evening, Netanyahu said Israel had killed 10 of Iran’s senior nuclear scientists and would soon reach several more. (Indeed, that number is now understood to have risen to 14.) These scientists, I was told, are the elite of the nuclear weapons program, the small group of experts with the knowledge and experience to bring Iran’s nuclear weapons drive to fruition. They can be replaced, of course, but their successors are less adept.
Additionally, having raided Iran’s nuclear weapons program archive in Tehran in 2018, in one of the most daring operations in Mosssd ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... history, and brought home vast quantities of material in a convoy of trucks, Israel in a barely reported air assault this week blew up all manner of documentation and other materials relating to the project, including the archive’s computer backups.
What Israel believes it is managing to do, in other words, is set back the program by eliminating its key personnel, and depriving their successors of the institutional memory to efficiently and rapidly revive the program.
Physically tackling the centerpiece Fordo facility would plainly be more straightforward were President Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... to bring the United States into the conflict and order B-2 bombers to drop a series of the ultimate bunker-busting "Massive Ordnance Penetrators," the GBU-57," consecutively through a hole into the site, built into a mountain, until it was destroyed — a potential scenario sketched out by the New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... on Tuesday.
Trump "will decide on what is good for America," said Netanyahu on Monday. "We will accept any assistance."
But Israel does not believe Fordo is impenetrable. "We are continuing to destroy nuclear targets systematically," said Netanyahu. Others in the know suggest cryptically that there is more than one way to breach even the most inaccessible and fortified targets.
A central characteristic of Israel’s attacks on Iran since Friday is the intelligence material that has enabled them. Israel achieved air control through western Iran to Tehran, took out all air defenses en route, destroyed vast numbers of missile factories and launchers, is battering nuclear sites, and has eliminated those nuclear scientists and the regime’s key military chiefs, and their deputies and their successors, in pinpoint strikes.
I wrote on Friday that "The assessment in the security establishment is that this was the right and necessary moment to strike — before Iran has rebuilt defenses destroyed in Israel’s far less dramatic attack last October, and at a time when intel on the Iranian [nuclear] program is regarded as particularly strong."
The concern in the security establishment is that its intelligence on the regime’s nuclear program would not have been "particularly strong" for very much longer — another indication that the ayatollahs’ push for the bomb was entering its final phase.
All the signs are that Israel is responding just in time, and moving to separate an ideologically and territorially rapacious regime from the weaponry with which it intended to pursue the destruction of Israel and hegemony in this region and beyond.
REGIME CHANGE: ’WE’LL BE VERY HAPPY’
Regime change is not a formal Israeli government goal of the war itself, but there can be no doubt that it is a desired result.
From the start of the attacks, Netanyahu has declared to the Iranian people that their "liberation from tyranny is closer than ever," and IAF strikes on symbols of the regime, notably including its state media facilities, are overtly intended to weaken its hold on the public. In an interview on Tuesday with his favorite Hebrew TV outlet, Channel 14, Netanyahu asserted that 80 percent of Iranians "hate" their rulers.
As is frequently the case, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi has been among the most revelatory government officials on this issue.
Bringing down the regime is "certainly not a defined goal of the operation," he said in a Channel 12 interview on Tuesday night, "because we know that the only people who can bring down the Iranian regime are the Iranians."
"But we’ll be very happy if, as the very important, consequential result" of Israel’s attacks on this "extremist leadership," it suffers the same fate as other such regimes, Hanegbi went on, referring in particular to the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria.
"Not only would we not be sorry, it would be the best thing that could happen for the world, for the region and certainly for Israel," he said. "Do we have the means to carry this out ourselves? Absolutely not. Will what we are doing today lead to this kind of result? There are those who believe so."
ASYMMETRY
A wise man pointed this out to me, and I am happy to share it: "In the coverage of the conflict between Israel and Iran, we need to really emphasize the asymmetry between the interests of the two states: Iran would like to destroy Israel and Israel... would like not to be destroyed by Iran. This is not a situation where evenhandedness is appropriate."
HOW MANY ARROWS?
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday morning that the IDF is "running low" on Arrow missile interceptors. The IDF responded to the report with a bland statement that it was "ready to handle any scenario" but does not comment on "matters related to munitions."
It seems highly improbable that the IDF, having directly planned this operation for many months and worked on it more broadly for years, would have gone to war with insufficient supplies of its prime missile defense interceptors.
The IDF had anticipated that Iran would fire 600 ballistic missiles in its initial response to Israel’s strikes early on Friday. In fact, Iran fired none at all in those opening hours. To date, it has fired some 400, and is believed to have some 1,800 left.
’THE DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL PLAN’
The stunning early success of Israel’s assault on Iran’s nuclear and military capacities and personnel has refocused Israeli anguish on the failures of October 7, 2023. As was the case when Israel detonated thousands of explosive-laced pagers on their Hezbollah owners in September, we agonize anew at the unfathomable, willful blindness of the political, military and intelligence echelons that left Israel wide open to the monstrous mass-murdering Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... and that still sees 53 hostages held 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... , 20 of them believed to be alive.
By the same token, however, it is worth pausing to internalize what might have become of Israel had Hamas fully coordinated its invasion with its then-far more potent fellow proxy Hezbollah, and with their Iranian sponsor.
A scenario in which not only was Hamas leading thousands of snuffies through the useless border fence under cover of heavy rocket fire, but Hezbollah was also attacking full force in the north, and Iran was firing hundreds of ballistic missiles all across Israel, is too terrible for words.
The likelihood of any such coordinated attack taking Israel by complete surprise would have receded the more widely it was discussed and planned, with Israeli intel presumably far more likely to have realized what was about to unfold and the political and military leadership able to prepare in time.
But it is important to highlight that the four designated goals of this attack on Iran, as approved by the security cabinet and revealed by Hanegbi on Friday, include attacking Iran’s capacity to destroy Israel via a multifront ground invasion.
Hanegbi stressed that while some may deride this ambition, the Iranian leadership continues to believe it is absolutely feasible.
Similarly, the IDF on Friday issued a statement specifying that its Intelligence Directorate "has collected and analyzed vast quantities of intelligence materials that reveal the regime has a concrete plan to destroy the State of Israel, which they call ’The Destruction of Israel Plan.’"
And it put out video material to underline the point.
"In parallel to the efforts of the Iranian regime to obtain nuclear weapons, the regime has focused on manufacturing tens of thousands of missiles and UAVs, and is advancing plans for a combined ground offensive against Israel on multiple fronts simultaneously," the IDF said, in a bombshell statement that was barely reported in the fast-moving early hours of the Israeli operation.
"Materials collected during the war show the coordination between the Iranian regime and the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, including after the October 7th Massacre, which demonstrates how the regime plans to re-arm the terrorist organizations," it added.
Military sources have elaborated that Iran’s ground invasion plan involves undermining the regimes in Egypt and Jordan, to enable a coordinated attack across every frontier. In recent days, again barely noticed, the IDF has announced that it is bolstering deployments on the Jordan border and in the north.
Via its nuclear program, with its ballistic missile development, and with an intended multifront ground offensive, Iran’s ayatollahs were confident they were on the way to wiping Israel out. In initiating a preemptive campaign to stop them, the IDF Spokesman said on Friday, "the State of Israel was left with no choice."
[IsraelTimes] In central Israel, where Iranian missiles have caused the largest loss of life and property, community and social workers fan out to help with everything, from basic supplies to filing paperwork
Local authorities across central and northern Israel continued to work Wednesday to survey damaged buildings and to support the thousands of residents evacuated to dozens of hotels following Iranian ballistic missile attacks that damaged or destroyed their homes.
Since Israel launched its surprise offensive against Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... early Friday, Tehran has launched over 400 missiles and some 1,000 drones at Israel, with the former killing 24 people and injuring more than 500 (none of the drones have hit). One person is still missing but feared dead in the central city of Bat Yam.
The damage has been concentrated mainly in central Israeli cities, as follows:
RAMAT GAN
Two missiles have hit Ramat Gan, killing one person and injuring 11, one of them critically. Nearly 1,000 affected residents have been evacuated to hotels following the impacts, among them more than 300 children, with more evacuees thought to have gone to friends and family, a front man for the municipality said.
Demolition orders were issued Tuesday for two buildings. Several more have been declared unfit for habitation, and dozens need repairs, the front man said.
First responders evacuate a victim from a building hit by a missile fired from Iran, in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv on June 13, 2025. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
Rishon Lezion
In Rishon Lezion, three people were killed and dozens maimed by two missile landings. Fifty buildings were heavily damaged, and more than 150 were slightly damaged, a spokeswoman for the city said. Four to six buildings will need to be demolished, and more than 200 will require renovation.
Approximately 350 families are currently staying in two hotels in Tel Aviv and Rehovot, with dozens more having relocated to stay with family or friends.
The spokeswoman added that the council had helped some 1,000 residents in the affected neighborhood in arranging property damage surveys, applying for support from the National Insurance Institute, and securing basic equipment and shopping vouchers. In one case, it located an optician who could immediately assist a six-year-old boy whose glasses had been broken.
BAT YAM
In Bat Yam, nine people in a high-rise building were killed on the night of June 14, including five Ukrainian nationals and three Ukrainian children.
On Wednesday, the Ynet news site identified the three dead children as Ukrainian Nastia Borik, 7, who was undergoing treatment in Israel for leukemia, and two of her cousins, Konstantin Totvich, 9, and Ilya Peshkurov, 13, of Bat Yam. Nastia’s mother, Maria Peshkurova, 30, and her grandmother, Lena Peshkurova, 60, were also killed in the blast. Her father is understood to be in Ukraine, fighting in the war there.
Around 1,000 Bat Yam residents have moved to hotels in Bat Yam and nearby Tel Aviv, and dozens of buildings have been damaged. A spokeswoman said there was no final decision yet on how many buildings would need to be pulled down.
TEL AVIV
In Tel Aviv, which has suffered several missile hits, 1,196 residents have been evacuated to 13 hotels throughout the city. As in the other affected cities, municipal staff, including community managers and social workers, are being deployed, and efforts are being made to meet basic needs such as clothing and medicine for evacuees.
A front man for the city said it was too early to provide details on the damage to buildings.
PETAH TIKVA
Around 1,500 people (400 families) from Petah Tikva are meanwhile living in nine hotels in Petah Tikva, Tel Aviv, Herzliya, and Ra’anana, following a direct hit on one of four 23-story tower blocks, which killed four people.
A city front man said three of the blocks would probably be fit for habitation in a few weeks.
Shockwaves from the blast blew out the balcony windows of several dozen apartments nearby, he added.
BNEI BRAK
In Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, where an elderly man was killed in a missile attack, 750 people from 146 families were evacuated to hotels in the city and other facilities suitable for the ultra-Orthodox evacuees in Netanya, Kibbutz Hefetz Haim near Gedera, Ramat Gan, and northern Tiberias.
Early on Monday, a missile struck a religious girls’ school in the city, which collapsed, and caused heavy collateral damage to the neighboring ALEH rehabilitative facility — a critical refuge for nearly 300 children and young adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.
Two old four-story tenement blocks will need to be demolished and rebuilt as part of the city’s urban renewal program, a front man said.
Several other old buildings that sustained damage could be repaired, the front man said. Still, the city was also considering including them in its program for urban renewal, which involves pulling down old low-rise buildings and replacing them with modern tower blocks.
NORTH
In northern Israel, which has sustained repeated missile attacks from Iran, damage has been limited to the Arab town of Tamra, east of Haifa, and the Bazan oil refinery and a residential street in Haifa.
In Tamra, a missile struck a two-story home, killing a child and three women from the same family and injuring another 10.
Around 50 people were evacuated, according to the city’s security officer, Muhammad Awad, all of them choosing to move in with relatives. Two three-story buildings will need to be demolished, and repairs will have to be carried out to over 100 others, Awad estimated.
He explained that the damage was extensive because the city was so densely populated. He added that a lack of bomb shelters meant around 1,500 residents were taking shelter in local schools.
In Haifa, three workers were killed, and substantial damage was caused to the Bazan oil refinery complex, which has since been shuttered.
Elsewhere in the city, a missile caused extensive damage to four blocks. Around a dozen families are being accommodated in two city hotels.
[IsraelTimes] Army says it has hit more than 1,100 Iranian assets in hundreds of strikes since Friday; Defense Minister Katz vows to ‘continue to target symbols of Iran’s rule’
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that Israel had destroyed Iran’s police headquarters in Tehran, as the IDF kept up heavy strikes across the Islamic Theocratic Republic on the sixth day of fighting between the two countries, and as thousands continued to flee the Iranian capital.
Israeli Air Force fighter jets "destroyed the headquarters of the Iranian regime’s internal security, the main arm of the Iranian dictator’s oppression," Katz said. "As we promised, we will continue to target symbols of [Iran’s] rule and strike the Ayatollah regime wherever it may be."
Israeli officials have said they would welcome regime change in Tehran, while noting that it is not the purpose of the offensive, which is intended to take out Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile capabilities.
The IDF said Wednesday afternoon that the Israeli Air Force had carried out a wave of strikes on some 40 Iranian military targets in western 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... earlier in the day. Some 25 fighter jets were involved in the action, and the targets included missiles aimed at Israel, missile storage facilities and Iranian soldiers, according to the military.
Late Wednesday night, the military announced that some 60 fighter jets carried out another wave of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s in Tehran, which the IDF said hit "weapons production sites, centrifuge production sites, as well as research and development sites of the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons development project."
The nuclear-related sites "were designated to allow the Iranian regime to expand the scale and pace of its uranium enrichment purpose of developing nuclear weapons," the military said in a statement.
The other targets included "factories producing raw materials and components for missile assembly, as well as sites for the production of Iran’s air defense systems," the IDF added.
The army earlier said that overnight it had targeted an Iranian centrifuge production site and several weapon-production facilities, as well as an Iranian Emad ballistic missile launcher that was primed for an attack on Israel. It released footage showing the strike on the launcher, as well as on Iranian soldiers at a different ballistic missile launch site.
Also Wednesday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, along with ministers, aides, and security chiefs, as Israel awaited US President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... ’s decision on whether he will join the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
If Trump does join the attacks, "it would be behind us in a week," a senior Israeli official told Channel 13. "The duration would be significantly shortened."
The goal of the war, said the official, is not to fight "an existential war against Iran."
"The main goal is to harm the nuclear [program], and if we cause unrest among the Iranian public — great."
Since Friday, Israel has hit more than 1,100 Iranian assets in hundreds of strikes in Iran, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a presser Wednesday afternoon.
"We are operating systematically to neutralize the nuclear threat," he said, adding that the strikes are "deepening the significant damage" caused to Iran’s ballistic missiles and air defenses.
Defrin said the IAF had also bombed five Iranian AH-1 helicopters at a military airbase in Kermanshah Wednesday morning: "Their mission was to try and harm our aircraft." Later in the day, the military said it had bombed another three AH-1 helicopters at Kermanshah.
The military also published footage showing the air force’s 120th Squadron’s aerial refueling of fighter jets during strikes in Iran. According to the IDF, more than 600 separate aerial refuelings were carried out over the skies of the Middle East, allowing dozens of IAF fighter jets to operate in Iran, located over 1,500 kilometers from Israel.
An IAF Boeing 707 refueling plane refuels a fighter jet over the Middle East, in a handout video issued on June 18, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Iranian officials have reported at least 224 deaths in Israeli attacks, claiming those were mostly civilians, though that toll has not been updated since Monday. The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists estimates the corpse count at at least 585 people, including 239 civilians, and estimates that more than 1,300 have been maimed.
Israel says its sweeping assault on Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites and ballistic missile program launched early Friday morning is necessary to prevent the Islamic Theocratic Republic from realizing its avowed plan to destroy the Jewish state.
Iran has retaliated by launching over 400 missiles and some 1,000 drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 maimed by the missiles.
Shops have been closed across Tehran, including in its famed Grand Bazaar, as people wait in gas lines and pack roads leading out of the city to escape the onslaught.
A major explosion was heard in Tehran around 5 a.m. Wednesday, following other explosions earlier in the predawn darkness. Authorities in Iran offered no acknowledgement of the attacks, which have become increasingly common as Israeli strikes have intensified.
At least one strike appeared to target Tehran’s eastern neighborhood of Hakimiyeh, where the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards has an academy. Loud blasts were heard throughout Tehran on Wednesday, and a major road in the capital was partially closed.
The official IRNA news agency claimed that an Israeli strike had targeted a building of the Iranian Red Islamic Thingy Society in Tehran. The Red Islamic Thingy itself said an attack took place near its building. There was no immediate comment from the IDF.
The IDF said that its overnight operations had included strikes on an Iranian centrifuge production site and several weapon-production facilities. The centrifuge production site in Tehran was used by Iran to expand the scope and rate of its uranium enrichment to develop nuclear weapons, the military said.
The IDF stated that the weapon-production factories hit included a site for the production of raw materials and components for the assembly of surface-to-surface missiles that the Iranian regime has been firing at Israel, as well as facilities for making systems and components for surface-to-air missiles designed to hit aircraft.
The ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency identified the two facilities struck by Israel as the TESA complex in Karaj and the Tehran Research Center.
"At the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested," the IAEA wrote on X. "At Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured."
Both sites had been under IAEA monitoring as part of the 2015 JCPOA agreement between Iran and world powers.
The TESA complex, near the capital Tehran, housed a workshop where components for centrifuges were built, the machines used to enrich uranium. In 2021, Iran said cameras at the site were damaged during what it called an Israeli "sabotage" operation.
Centrifuges are vital for uranium enrichment, the sensitive process that can produce fuel for reactors or, in highly extended form, the core of a nuclear warhead.
Iran has long insisted its nuclear program was peaceful, though it is the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
[IsraelTimes] Staff Sgt. Stav Halfon shot by sniper in Khan Younis; Hamas claims 140 killed in Strip over past day, including people shot seeking aid; IAF strikes 75 targets throughout Strip
An IDF soldier was killed during fighting in southern Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... on Wednesday, as fierce fighting continued throughout the Strip despite being overshadowed by Israel’s escalating conflict with Iran.
Staff Sgt. Stav Halfon, 20, of the 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion, from Petah Tikva, was killed by sniper fire in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, according to an initial IDF probe.
The military said later Wednesday that an IDF reservist with the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade’s 8105th Battalion was also seriously maimed in southern Gaza, without elaborating on the circumstances.
The news comes two days after two other IDF soldiers, Cpt. (res.) Tal Movshovitz, and Staff Sgt. Naveh Leshem, were killed in separate incidents, also in Khan Younis. Halfon’s death brought Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... in Gaza and military operations along the border with the Strip to 433.
The IDF said Wednesday that it was continuing to push ahead with its ground offensive in Gaza even while resources and attention have been diverted to the exchanges of fire with Iran. Hamas claimed that more than 140 people had been killed in the Strip over the past day, including the now-daily claim that Paleostinians seeking aid boxes were targeted by IDF troops.
The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on over 75 targets in the Gaza Strip in the past day, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Wednesday.
"In the Gaza Strip, we are fighting according to a structured plan with four divisions," he said.
Also Wednesday, a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip fell in an open area near the border community of Nirim, setting off sirens in the area. There were no injuries.
In northern Gaza, the IDF’s 162nd Division has pushed into Jabalia. In one incident Tuesday night, the military said troops spotted three terror operatives approaching forces and called in an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... . A building used by Hamas was also targeted in the area.
The 252nd Division operating in the Strip’s center killed two "suspects who posed a threat" and directed a strike on Hamas tunnel infrastructure, the military said.
In southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, where the 36th Division has been operating to capture and clear the area of Hamas infrastructure, the IDF said that troops spotted what appeared to be humanitarian aid in a building, but after further investigation it was suspected to be a booby trap.
The soldiers threw two bombs into the building, causing the bomb planted by Hamas there to explode and collapse the building, the IDF said.
Forty of 140 people killed over the past day died as a result of Israeli gunfire and airstrikes on Wednesday, the Hamas-controlled health ministry claimed.
These figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified.
Medics said that separate airstrikes on homes in the Maghazi refugee camp, the Zeitoun neighborhood and Gaza City killed at least 21 people, while five others were killed in an airstrike on an encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Fourteen more people were killed when soldiers fired at crowds of Paleostinians awaiting aid trucks brought in by the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... along the Salahuddin road in central Gaza, medics claimed.
Asked about the Salahuddin road incident, the army said that despite repeated warnings that the area was an active combat zone, individuals approached troops operating in the Nuseirat area in the central Gaza Strip in a manner that posed a threat to forces. Troops fired warning shots, it said, adding that it was unaware of injuries. Regarding other strikes, the IDF said it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" while taking "feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm."
’A TINY FRACTION’ OF HUMANITARIAN AID Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, Butch started the buffalo stampeding...... 85 humanitarian aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced Wednesday.
Israel resumed aid deliveries to Gaza on May 19, after a pause since March 2. Since then, 1,710 trucks have entered the Strip. The aid underwent inspection by Israeli authorities before entering via Zikim Crossing in the Strip’s north and Kerem Shalom Crossing in the south, the IDF.
Israel is now channeling much of the aid into Gaza through the new US and Israeli-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which uses private US security and logistics firms and operates a handful of distribution sites in areas guarded by Israeli forces.
Israel has said it will continue to allow aid into Gaza, home to more than 2 million people, while ensuring it doesn’t get to Hamas. The terror group denies seizing aid, saying Israel uses hunger as a weapon.
The World Food Program called on Wednesday for a major increase in food distribution in Gaza, saying that the 9,000 metric tons it had dispatched over the last four weeks inside Gaza represented a "tiny fraction" of what was needed.
"The fear of starvation and desperate need for food is causing large crowds to gather along well-known transport routes, hoping to intercept and access humanitarian supplies while in transit," the WFP said in a statement.
"Any violence resulting in starving people being killed or injured while seeking life-saving assistance is completely unacceptable," it added.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Terror groups in Gaza continue to hold 53 hostages, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the IDF, and 20 who are believed to be alive. There are grave concerns for the well-being of three others, Israeli officials have said.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 53,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January and another 1,600 bandidosbully boyz inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.
Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
[GEO.TV] There appear to have been "direct impacts" on the underground part of Iran's Natanz nuclear site during Israel´s attacks, the UN´s atomic watchdog said on Tuesday.
"Based on continued analysis of high resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday's attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz," the International Atomic Energy Agency said on X, formerly Twitter.
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#1
I'm not sure what modern nuke sites are like, but remember what happened when "three mile island" and Japanese nuke site was destroyed! This is not a minor thing. I know about these things from first hand experience
Posted by: Old Salty ||
06/19/2025 12:58
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[GEO.TV] Loud blasts were heard Tuesday across Tehran, AFP journalists reported, as intense fighting raged between Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and Israel for the fifth consecutive day.
The blasts were heard in north, west and central Tehran, according to the journalists. It was not immediately clear whether the blasts were the result of incoming Israeli strikes or Iranian air defence fire.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2025
2025-06-19 01:43 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[GEO.TV] A fire broke out on Tuesday at the headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran, the broadcaster said, a day after an Israeli strike severely damaged one of the buildings and killed three people.
"The smoke seen in the Iranian radio and television building is due to a fire that reignited due to the wind," the broadcaster said. An AFP journalist nearby saw a plume of white smoke.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2025
2025-06-19 01:43 ||
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[GEO.TV] Iranian forces have launched a new wave of missiles and drones at Israel "minute ago", Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday.
Earlier today, a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry of 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 that the Iranian Armed Forces employed a new missile in the latest round of retaliatory strikes against the Zionist regime.
Brigadier General Alireza Talaee Nik, in a televised interview, said that Iran will fully exploit its offensive capacities against the Zionist enemy after it imposed a war against the country.
Lauding the successful retaliatory strikes by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and highlighting the advanced homegrown weapons at Iran’s disposal, he claimed that the Israeli enemy failed to intercept the advanced Iranian missile that was employed for the first time.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2025
2025-06-19 01:43 ||
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[GEO.TV] Iran's armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi urged residents of the major Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv to evacuate, warning of imminent "punitive" attacks.
"Punitive operations will be carried out soon," Mousavi said in a video statement carried by state TV on the fifth day of the deadly confrontation triggered by Israeli air raid on Friday.
Referring to Israel, Mousavi said that "residents of the occupied territories, especially Tel Aviv and Haifa, are strongly urged to leave these areas for the sake of their lives".
#3
There is doubt the GBU will get to the research facility in the mountain. So maybe not, but, sending in a god rod may or may not get to it either. But hit it with the rod and follow on with the GBU to drive it deep enough to do damage will work...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/19/2025 14:08
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#4
I'm waiting for the Haliburton earthquake division.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[RIA] Researchers from Cybernews have discovered a leak of logins and passwords from 16 billion accounts in various popular services, Forbes writes.
The article notes that the leaked archive includes account data from Apple, Google, Facebook*, GitHub, Telegram, as well as social networks, VPN services and government platforms. The publication points out that most of these sets of logins and passwords are new and have not been published before.
"These credentials are the basis for phishing attacks and account takeovers," the publication says.
For this reason, cybersecurity experts advise users to immediately change passwords for all online accounts, use password managers and, if possible, enable multi-factor authentication, Forbes writes.
[FoxNews] Trump's National Guard deployment protects federal property while local officers face injuries from violent demonstrators
As the protests against Los Angeles’ immigration raids spread, state law enforcement leaders are sounding the alarm on the dangers facing officers on the front lines of the riots.
"I’ve been around a very long time, and I have seen similar to what we're facing now," Jake Johnson, president of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen (CAHP), told Fox News Digital. "But I've never seen the amount of onslaught."
Thousands of protesters descended on Los Angeles in the last two weeks after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers began conducting raids throughout the sanctuary city. The violence included rioters hurling projectiles at law enforcement officers and lighting numerous self-driving electric vehicles on fire.
In response to the protests, over 640 highway patrol officers have been sent to Los Angeles. Additionally, nearly 400 additional CHP Special Response Team officers have been deployed to aid law enforcement.
"There's hundreds of state troopers [and] highway patrolmen that are deployed in both the Bay Area and particularly in Los Angeles," Johnson said. "[They] are working very long hours, anywhere from 16 to 20 hours a day, trying to keep the peace down there. It's been a very dangerous situation."
Los Angeles police have made more than 500 arrests related to protest activity, with the most serious charges ranging from assault against police officers to possession of a Molotov cocktail and gun, according to the police department.
Arrests are lovely. Convictions and long jail sentences are even better — any chance of that?
Nine police officers have been injured in the protests, with the majority being minor injuries.
The LAPD and CHP did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Several CHP cars were damaged along the 101 Freeway as officers tried to clear protesters from the road, marking yet another assault on law enforcement operations in the midst of the riots.
"I witnessed one of our officers get hit in the head with a rock," Johnson said. "Had he not had his helmet and mask on, [there is] no doubt in my mind he would have been killed. It smacked him right in the face and he was actually pulled to safety by an [officer] I know very well."
While on the ground, CHP officers are faced with the task of identifying in real-time who is following the law and who is looking to break it, a situation that Johnson called "very difficult."
"The persons that are down there participating in their First Amendment rights are quickly overtaken by these bad actors that are definitely in the crowd," Johnson told Fox News Digital. "There's a significant amount of them in the crowd, and it really takes over the peaceful protests that there are hundreds of people participating in. It really turns these into bad situations where now we have to decide who's a peaceful protester and who is a bad actor."
Johnson believes the answer to ensuring the safety of both law enforcement and demonstrators who may be acting peacefully is by civilians reporting sightings of violent protesters to police.
"It’s time to start turning these people in," Johnson said. "It’s time to start recording them, getting information for the crimes that you see committed and turning them in to the police."
The call for cooperation between peaceful protesters and law enforcement comes as an appeals court blocked a federal judge’s decision forcing President Donald Trump to return control over National Guard troops to California last Thursday.
Trump has deployed more than 4,000 Guard soldiers to Los Angeles, along with roughly 700 Marines, Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman said.
The appeals court declined to rule on the status of the Marines, since they had not taken to the streets yet.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump thanked the appeals court for its ruling, writing: "If I didn’t send the Military into Los Angeles, that city would be burning to the ground right now."
Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom continue to clash in a legal battle over control of the National Guard and the troops' role in the riots.
The Guard has been sent to protect federal property and accompany officials on immigration raids. While the troops do have the ability to temporarily detain people who attack officers, any arrests must be made by law enforcement.
"As far as the interaction with [the National Guard], I haven't seen any interaction with them," Johnson said. "For the three or four nights I was out there, I didn't see any National Guard. I saw what [was] on the news. They're guarding federal facilities, but they haven't been integrated with any of us."
Johnson leads a union that represents approximately 7,000 patrolmen deployed throughout the state. However, he points to staffing shortages caused by attractive retirement packages, leaving a gaping hole in the department’s headcount.
"We’re almost down one thousand bodies for highway patrolmen in California," Johnson said, adding, "We have a really hard time filling in the positions."
As the anti-ICE protests stretch into their second week, law enforcement throughout Los Angeles is bracing for the unknown.
"When you're out there and it's a very dangerous situation, you don't think about the politics or your personal politics," Johnson said. "Cops are very good at that. I've been around these guys for decades and they're my brothers and sisters. And I know they're very, very good people. And although they might have their personal views, it doesn't spill over into these situations."
#4
I seem to remember something about the effectiveness of a whiff of the grape (Not Welch's) according to some French guy.
If the rioters are waving the flag of a foreign country while they destroy property, attack police and block freeways it should be considered an act of war. Grape would be appropriate.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
06/19/2025 12:02
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#5
In response to the protests, over 640 highway patrol officers have been sent to Los Angeles. Additionally, nearly 400 additional CHP Special Response Team officers have been deployed to aid law enforcement.
Dunno where they came from. Only rarely do we see them enforcing the law on our freeways. People zip on down the road at 100 mph, engaged in speed contests while others poke along at 45 mph in the fast lane causing severe traffic jams. I'd love to see some of them get pulled over and cited but I never do.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
06/19/2025 12:20
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#6
Johnson leads a union that represents approximately 7,000 patrolmen deployed throughout the state. However, he points to staffing shortages caused by attractive retirement packages, leaving a gaping hole in the department’s headcount.
Ah. So that's the problem. It's a sweet deal for the patrolmen. Just watch out for the races while you're driving on the freeway.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
06/19/2025 12:25
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#7
Could this crap be a distraction by our enemies to distract our attention from the mid-east wars?
Posted by: Old Salty ||
06/19/2025 13:07
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#8
Seems a bit convoluted, Old Salty, but mine is a simple mind. Why do you think it’s a possibility?
#9
TW it could have been if laid before to coincide with a war. We do know China is doing this. But this latest round, I think is more coincidence with Iran and Russia.
[FoxNews] Republican lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee admonished Democratic colleagues for boycotting and walking out of a Wednesday morning hearing examining former President Joe Biden's health decline while he was in the Oval Office.
"I will note that few of my Democratic colleagues are here today," Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn said Wednesday. "Thank you to Sen. Welch from Vermont for being here, leaving us with no other option than to take the boycott of this hearing as an admission of guilt for their role in this crisis.
"We must not turn away from the search for answers, and it is not an overstatement to say that the future of our country could one day hinge on how we choose to act or not act on this very issue," Cornyn continued.
The Senate committee held a hearing Wednesday morning dubbed, "Unfit to Serve: How the Biden Cover-up Endangered America and Undermined the Constitution."
Vermont Democrat Sen. Peter Welch and Illinois Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin did attend the start of the hearing, with Durbin abruptly walking out after describing the hearing as a distraction and accusing Republican colleagues of being "asleep at the wheel" with other legal issues within the Trump administration due to their focus on Biden.
"In the last week alone, several events have demanded this committee's immediate attention," Durbin said Wednesday. "The horrific assassination in Minnesota, the treatment of our colleague Sen. Padilla by federal agents in Los Angeles, and President Trump's unprecedented deployment of the U.S. military in Los Angeles.
"We should hear without delay from Attorney General Bondi and FBI Director Patel about what they are doing to address the unacceptable political violence in our country, including threats to Article III judges and justices, as well as members of Congress," Durbin said. "And we need to hear from the Homeland Security Secretary Noem about the treatment of our colleague, Sen. Padilla, and this administration's mass deportation campaign against immigrants."
Welch also left the hearing after declaring it would not benefit his constituents.
There are 10 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, including lawmakers such as Sens. Klobuchar of Minnesota, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Adam Schiff of California. The press secretary for Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats directed Fox Digital to Durbin's initial participation in the hearing and his remarks when asked about GOP lawmakers arguing Democrats' boycott of the hearing was an admission of guilt.
Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz seethed that Democrats and the media "lied" and covered up Biden's health decline, while slamming Democrats for their lack of participation.
"Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a d--- about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years," Cruz said at the hearing. "They knew. Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was mentally not competent to do the job. The White House press secretary, she knew, when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again. And they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise, for four years, the White House hid President Biden from Republican senators. Would not let him meet with us."
Posted by: Skidmark ||
06/19/2025
04:39 ||
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Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#2
Until the "Rs" we put in Congress have the balls to actually do what the American people elected them to do (like enact Trump's agenda), "hearings" are a complete waste of time. We could get a full confession from multiple sources and Collins, Murkowski, Lankford, and some other asshats would find a reason not to vote for charges.
#2
Being mentally ill does not bestow extra constitutional rights to the individual. This will need to be demonstrated in rather harsh terms. The longer this gets pushed out, the harder the remedy.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
06/19/2025 13:35
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#3
Once you become an adult, you can do whatever. But kids can't make those type of decisions.
Also cut all federal funding to Nonprofits that still push this shit.
#5
Using the Pedro Liberal logic applied to this.
Then parents have the right to train their kids for sexual services? Or force them to do other immoral acts or even perform crimes?
[TWZ] Iran’s primary presidential plane and two other government airliners have touched down in the Omani capital Muscat. The highly unusual arrivals come amid reports that the regime in Tehran is looking to negotiate an end to the ongoing conflict with Israel, as well as growing speculation that the United States may be about to directly enter the fighting in a major way.
Where exactly the Iranian aircraft, a pair of Airbus A321s and an Airbus A340, originally departed from is unclear. The trio of aircraft used the callsigns JJ25, JJ26, and JJ28. At the time of writing, there has been no official word about the purpose of the flights or who might be on them.
#1
SpaceX
@SpaceX
On Wednesday, June 18 at approximately 11 p.m. CT, the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase. A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for.
Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue
10:37 PM · Jun 18, 2025
Posted by: Difar Dave ||
06/19/2025 8:59
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#7
StarShip on a test stand in the test area Not launch pad just totally blew up! Even worse it is right on the edge of the Rio Grande river with a bad part of Mexico just across from it. It could be an accident. It could be a gun shot. It could be anything. As to day/night.. they work 24 hours/day there. I like what Musk is trying to do but would never ever work for him. There are rattle snakes up a 6 inches thick there, with all sorts of dangerous critters like alligators and even rumors of jaguars. The area where that test pad is used to be a gun range.
Just like that famous photo with Stalin, where over successive year successive people disappeared from the official image.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Kim PudgeJong-un ...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished... has erased a top military commander and another senior official from state photos after the North Korean leader was reportedly left fuming over a failed warship launch.
Navy Commander Admiral Kim Myong Sil and and shipyard boss Hong Kil Ho were airbrushed from images showing them with their leader back in March, sparking speculation that they may have been executed.
Original snaps showed Admiral King and the shipyard boss gathered next to the North Korean leader as he inspected the ship.
But now, in a move reminiscent of Joseph Stalin's tactics to erase his enemies from Soviet history, the officials have seemingly disappeared from the photos that were originally broadcast on state television.
Founder of NK Leadership Watch Michael Madden told The Sun that the removal of a North Korean official from a state media image was a 'strong indication that the person in question has been executed.'
Admiral Kim and Hong Kil Ho are understood to have been among the four officials arrested at the northern Chongjin shipyard after Kim Jong-un's guided-missile destroyer sank during its launch on May 21.
The North Korean leader was left fuming after the disastrous launch last month, and he accused those responsible for 'severely damaging the [country's] dignity and pride.'
Satellite images appeared to show the naval destroyer languishing on its side alongside the dock where the launch ceremony had been held.
State media said the 5,000-ton ship, which had been due to enter service next year, is designed to carry weapons systems including near-capable ballistic and cruise missiles.
Kim Jong Un, who wants bigger warships to deal with what he calls escalating US-led threats against his country, declared the mishap a 'criminal act caused by absolute carelessness' that 'could not be tolerated'.
He ordered the destroyer be restored by June, but Admiral Kim and Hong Kil Ho were both noticeably absent from the relaunch ceremony.
In April Kim unveiled the nuclear-capable naval destroyer that he says will bolster North Korea 's ability to defend itself in the face of perceived aggression from the US and its regional allies.
The North Korean leader attended the warship's launch ceremony at the western port of Nampo with his teenage daughter Kim Ju Ae, according to state-run media.
Ju Ae has been widely regarded by analysts as the likely successor to Kim since she was referred to as a 'great person of guidance' in an official report last year.
Kim said the 5,000-ton vessel would bolster efforts to expand the operational range and preemptive strike capabilities of his nuclear-armed military.
The 'multi-purpose' destroyer, designed to handle a variety of arms including nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles, was touted as the first in a new class of heavily armed warships.
Kim, who has framed the arms buildup as a response to the supposed danger posed by the US and its allies in Asia, said the destroyer would be handed over to the navy early next year before beginning active duty.
Jo Chun Ryong, a secretary in the ruling Workers' party, claimed the ship was equipped with the 'most powerful weapons' and was built 'within 400-odd days'.
Kim also took aim at efforts by the US and South Korea to expand joint military exercises and update their nuclear deterrence strategies, which he portrayed as preparations for war.
He vowed to 'respond decisively to this geopolitical crisis and ongoing developments,' the Korean Central News Agency reported.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A powerful solar flare erupted from the sun on Tuesday, prompting warnings from NASA about potential blackouts and communication disruptions.
The solar flare, classified as an X1.2 flare, one of the most severe types, exploded from the sun's Earth-facing side at around 6pm ET.
'X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about their strength,' NASA shared in a release.
The eruption unleashed a burst of ionizing radiation, magnetic energy and heat capable of interfering with technology on Earth.
Dr Tamitha Skov, an independent space weather physicist, said the flare's impact was strongest in the western hemisphere, affecting areas including the US West Coast, Alaska, eastern Russia, the Asia-Pacific region and potentially New Zealand.
Almost immediately, the flare triggered a shortwave radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean, with ham radio operators in Hawaii reporting sudden signal loss.
NASA and other space weather agencies are now closely monitoring sunspot region 4114, the source of the flare. Sunspots are cooler than other parts of the surface.
Sunsport 4114 is expected to remain active in the coming days, and scientists warn that another major flare could erupt as soon as today.
'Another flare may be in the offing today. Sunspot 4114 is large and unstable, with a 'delta-class' magnetic field that harbors energy for strong explosions,' the team at SpaceWeather.com shared.
A delta-class magnetic field is like a pressure cooker of magnetic energy on the sun, and it is often a warning sign that a big solar flare is to come.
Officials said in a Wednesday update that the solar flare likely came with a huge burst of charged solar particles, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), which will take about 15 to 72 hours to reach Earth.
A G1 geomagnetic storm watch has been issued for Friday, which is the least powerful on the scale of five.
However, it has the potential to cause minor fluctuations in power grids, slight impacts on satellite operations and make the aurora borealis visible at high latitudes.
In May, experts revealed they conducted an extreme space weather scenario and found Earth may not survive.
They conducted a 'solar storm emergency drill', simulating what would happen if a major geomagnetic storm hit our planet.
Results showed power grids failed, blackouts were triggered and communication broke down across the US.
#2
^
Skidmark - thank-you for the posted warnings.
Given the collected data, is pointing to another 14 V/km event. Like what took out Canada's power grid back in March 1989 will happen again soon. Plus, we are likely to see another 23+V/km event within the next 10 years.
So, I've been looking for a Family/Homeowner level preparedness manual. But most of what I am finding is Business and Government level manuals. eg. https://securethegrid.com/plan-prepare/
Which point to numerous tidbits of needed info.
Question: Can you point us to a User level focused preparedness manual link?
The vast majority of NOAA Geomagnetic Scale 5 level storms (G5) will not cause catastrophic damage to the electric grid. On average, the Earth is impacted by such storms about four times during every 11-year solar cycle, so many large storms have impacted the planet since the Carrington Storm with much less signification impact.
#8
The actual headline on the article reads "NASA warns blackouts could hit TODAY as sun releases colossal burst of radiation"
Not USA hit by blackouts. There are no blackouts due to solar flares in the US currently.
#9
Solar storm effects vary strongly with latitude and ground geology. They peak in the North Eastern States due both to latitude and granite geology. You are much safer down in the southern states. Somewhere online there is a color-coded map of relative risk ares.
Posted by: Difar Dave ||
06/19/2025 16:31
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Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] Iran has released a video of a new solid-fuel hypersonic missile, Fattah-1, used at night, which hit a target in the center of Tel Aviv at night. The missile is said to have a speed of Mach 13-15 and can maneuver both in the atmosphere and beyond it due to its movable nozzle. It took less than five minutes to cover the 1,400 kilometers from the launch area to Tel Aviv.
Twelve launched anti-missiles were unable to stop it.
Below is a video of the missile landing in Tel Aviv at night (Iran claims the missile hit the Israeli Defense Ministry building).
If Iran had nuclear weapons, installing nuclear warheads on such missiles would fundamentally change the entire balance of power in the region.
So far, Iran has only demonstrated the presence of an effective means of delivering nuclear warheads. But without the warheads themselves, the value of such a missile is obviously not complete.
It also remains unknown how many such missiles Iran has, what is the speed and cost of their production. But we will probably find out in the course of further military actions.
For now, the exchange of blows continues.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/19/2025
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#1
It's nice of Russian to provide emotional support for their allies - as long as that's all they do.
#2
If a gang of hoodlums broke in to the homd of Bannon or Massie or Tucker
and kidnapped wives, children, other family, friends,
they'd remain at home watching one another on tv.
Whh?
Because the hoodlums said it would be worss -- "It will be WAR" -- if any attempt is made to rescue yhose captured.
-- or if any attempt is made to prevrnt future attacks.
This is what passes for Thoughtful Conservative Sophistication in 2025.
.......
Perhaps our time might be better spent accepting the reality that a people-who-hate-us are taking over the country, the culture, and they do not intend to stop.
Mark Levin e.g. calls them isolationists but paradoxically these political pundits are comfortable with alien tyranny influencing Western and US political processes.
[JPost] The same group, which is reportedly affiliated with Israel, also hacked the IRGC-controlled Sepah bank on Tuesday
The hacker group known as "Gonjeshke Darande" (Predatory Sparrow), announced on Wednesday that it stole $48 million in cryptocurrency used by Iran to fund terror and will release more crucial internal information.
In the statement, the group said it would “release Nobitex’s source code and internal information from their internal network” in 24 hours.
Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, deals in digital currencies and cryptocurrency. According to the group, the crypto company assists the regime in funding Iranian terrorism and uses virtual currencies to bypass sanctions.
The hacker group, which is reportedly affiliated with Israel, targeted Nobitex and warned Iranians: “Collaborating with a terrorist financing infrastructure puts your assets at risk! Act before it’s too late.”
CYBERATTACK ON IRGC-CONTROLLED BANK
A cyberattack on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-controlled Bank Sepah on Tuesday morning caused disruptions in the bank’s online services, IRGC-run Fars News Agency reported.
The bank’s online systems are also connected to many of Iran’s gas stations, causing disruptions to services there, Fars added. The report did not assign responsibility for the attack.
However, Gonjeshke Darande claimed responsibility for the attack, which they claim “destroyed” Bank Sepah’s data.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Near one of the schools in Kolpino, plumbers found a wooden box with a human skull and bone fragments. This was reported on June 18 by the press service of the Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for Saint Petersburg.
“During excavation work on Vavilov Street in the city of Kolpino, the remains of a wooden box containing a human skull and bone fragments were discovered at a depth of about 2 meters,” follows from the department’s publication on the Telegram channel.
A procedural investigation was organized into this fact. Investigators examined the scene of the incident, the bone remains were sent to an expert institution to establish the person's gender, age, and how long the remains had been in the ground, the Investigative Committee concluded.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding back the Russian offensive in the east and south of Ukraine.
The enemy organized the largest number of attacks in the Pokrovsky direction. There, fighting continues in the areas of 10 populated areas.
Since the beginning of the current day, the total number of combat clashes on the front has reached 95. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report on the situation as of 16:00 on Wednesday, June 18.
Thus, in the Severo-Slobodskoy and Kursk directions, our soldiers repelled 17 enemy attacks, and four more clashes continue.
In the Yuzhno-Slobodskoy direction, the Russians attacked three times in the areas of Vovchansk, Liptsy and Dolgenkoye.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy twice advanced in the direction of Stepova Novoselovka and near Zagrizovoye. One combat clash continues.
In the Liman direction, the invading army carried out eight attacks in the areas of the settlements of Novy Mir, Olgovka, Grekovka, Lipovoe, Zelenaya Dolina, Torskoye and in the direction of Karpovka. Two combat clashes are currently ongoing.
In the Seversky direction, the enemy twice attacked the Grigoryevka area.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy is trying to advance in the areas of Orekhovo-Vasil'evka, Belaya Gora, Kurdyumovka, Predtechnoye, Novomarkovoye, Bondarnoye and Stupochki. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have repelled all 12 attacks.
In the Toretsk direction, the Russians are trying to penetrate the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defense in the areas of Toretsk and Dilievka. Five assaults have been stopped.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the Russians organized 24 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Malinovka, Mirolyubovka, Mirnoye, Promen, Mirnograd, Udachnoye, Novosergeevka, Kotlyarovka, Alekseyevka and in the direction of Novopodgorny. The defense forces have already repelled 19 attacks.
Eight assaults were stopped in the Novopavlovsk direction , three more clashes are currently ongoing. The enemy tried to advance in the areas of Zaporizhzhia, Veseloye, Mirny, Volny, Novosyolka, Volny Pole and Shevchenko.
In the Orekhov direction, one enemy attack in the direction of Shcherbaki was repelled.
Let us recall that in one day on June 17, Russia lost more than 1,000 soldiers and dozens of armored vehicles on the front. The total number of Russian losses exceeded 1 million people.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Valery Gerasimov, visited the fighters of the Center group of forces and set them new tasks, one of which is the complete liberation of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). This was reported by the Russian Defense Ministry on its Telegram channel.
"Valery Gerasimov checked the progress of combat missions by the combined arms army units and military units of the Center group of forces operating in the Red Army direction in the area of the special military operation," the statement said.
It is specified that the Chief of the General Staff heard reports from the army commander, commanders of units and other officials on the results of the tasks in the area of responsibility. After that, he summed up the interim results with the command of the "Center" group of forces and set tasks for further actions.
The Defense Ministry also added that Gerasimov presented state awards to the servicemen of the Center group of troops who distinguished themselves most in the liberation of the DPR, and praised them for their courage and valor.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] An air raid alert has been declared in northern Israel. This was reported on June 18 by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) press service.
"Sirens are sounding in northern Israel due to the penetration of an enemy aircraft," the army press service clarified on social media.
The IDF did not provide any other details.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on the night of June 17, Iran destroyed a long-range air defense system during strikes on Israel. It is noted that this operation was planned in advance. Iranian stealth drones were used in it. The attack was carried out in the central part of Israel. The official representative of the Iranian Defense Ministry, Reza Talaei, assured that Tehran used "one new missile" to strike Israel on June 17.
On the evening of June 17, Iranian state television IRIB broadcast a message that the world was in for a "surprise" in the coming hours. This will be remembered for centuries, the source claimed.
The same day, Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Abdulrahim Mousavi called on the Israelis to leave Tel Aviv and Haifa, saying that previous Iranian operations against Israel were only a warning.
IRNA reported on June 18 that Iran had secured full control over the Jewish state's airspace during a nighttime attack on Israel. According to a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, Iran's elite military unit), the Israelis were completely defenseless against Iranian missile attacks. They achieved dominance through the use of Fateh missiles.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/19/2025
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Alexander Shchegolev
[REGNUM] The official reason for Israel's attack on Iran was the Iranian nuclear program: supposedly, in this way, Tel Aviv was trying to prevent Iran from creating nuclear weapons. But was there (and is there still) a risk that Iran would actually acquire a nuclear bomb?
Iran, like many other countries outside the "nuclear club," has a nuclear power plant, the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. Until now, it has been running on Russian nuclear fuel.
But Iran wanted, at least in words, to produce fuel on its own, so as not to depend on external suppliers, and to recycle nuclear waste on its own. That is why it launched a uranium enrichment program for energy purposes.
There is nothing criminal or unique about this. Some of the non-nuclear countries that have nuclear power plants independently enrich uranium. Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Brazil and even South Korea have the corresponding technologies and sometimes even full-fledged production facilities.
And this does not cause any heartburn in the world community in general, nor in Israel and the Americans in particular. Why? Because the mere presence of uranium enrichment plants does not mean that a country can create a nuclear bomb.
PHYSICS OF THE PROCESS
A nuclear reactor and a nuclear bomb require slightly different uranium. Natural uranium, which can be extracted from ore, contains only 0.7% of the uranium-235 needed for a fission chain reaction, the remaining 99.3% is inert uranium-238.
To use uranium as nuclear fuel, the uranium-235 content must be increased to at least 2–3, and preferably to 5 percent. This long and complex process of increasing the concentration of "fuel" uranium-235 is called enrichment.
But enrichment to 5% is not enough for a bomb; it needs to reach at least 90%. Iran, according to official IAEA data, is not yet capable of this. The maximum enrichment level it has managed to achieve so far is 60%.
Why does Iran need fuel enriched to 60%? Officially, it is for the TRR research reactor in Tehran (built, by the way, in cooperation with the US back in 1967), which needs highly enriched uranium.
In any case, 60% is not enough for a bomb.
Could Iran theoretically achieve 90% enrichment?
Of course, the technologies are generally known, but this will be far from the easiest task. And to solve it in such a way that the preparations are not noticed by the specialists from the IAEA monitoring mission will be almost impossible.
When Iran is ready to start producing uranium enriched to 90%, we can say with certainty that it is preparing to build a bomb. Until that happens, there is nothing to talk about.
THE PLUTONIUM PATH
True, there is an alternative way: to make a bomb not from uranium, but from plutonium, or more precisely, plutonium-239. It is obtained from uranium, or more precisely, passive uranium-238 in a nuclear reactor, where powerful neutron flows are simply present during its natural operation.
Uranium-238 absorbs one of these neutrons, turns into uranium-239, and then, through a chain of nuclear decays, into plutonium-239, which can then be isolated from spent nuclear fuel and used as a “nuclear explosive.”
But this is in theory.
In practice, this path is not available to Iran. Iranian power reactors are essentially Russian WWER-1000 reactors, which are not suitable for producing weapons-grade plutonium.
The fuel in them is replaced once a year or even less often, which means that the already produced plutonium-239 remains in the reactor's active zone for a long time in powerful neutron flows. And now it can absorb neutrons, turning into plutonium-240, which is not suitable for the production of nuclear weapons.
More precisely, in usable weapons-grade plutonium there can be no more than 7% plutonium-240, while in spent fuel of WWER-type reactors there is more than 20%. Such “dirty” plutonium, by the way, can be used as nuclear fuel, but it is not suitable for creating a nuclear bomb.
To produce weapons-grade plutonium, a different type of reactor is needed, with less powerful neutron fluxes, and also allowing partial replacement of fuel, when some fuel rods are removed from the reactor and others are put in their place without stopping the reactor. In addition, the neutron fluxes in the reactor must be weaker - and in VVER-type reactors they are quite high.
IR-40 REACTOR AND DONALD TRUMP
In principle, Iran was trying to build a reactor that would meet all the requirements for producing weapons-grade plutonium - the IR-40 heavy water reactor in Arak. Its construction began in 2004, and that's when serious and well-founded concerns emerged that preparations were indeed underway to make nuclear weapons.
Under pressure from the international community, construction of the reactor was stopped in 2015, and the site where the active zone was to be located was filled with concrete. Later, as part of an international agreement between Iran, the United States, Russia, China, Great Britain, France and Germany, a new reactor design was approved, which was no longer suitable for plutonium production.
Iran even began reconstructing the IR-40 in accordance with the new design, and international inspectors, including US representatives, confirmed that the requirements were being met.
But in 2018, the US withdrew from the agreement, reimposing sanctions on Iran.
By the way, the initiator of the withdrawal from the agreement was Donald Trump : he demanded that the deal be expanded to include restrictions on Iran's missile program, as well as demands to provide American inspectors with access to all military facilities in the country, including those that are not directly related to the nuclear program.
Iran refused, and when the US imposed new sanctions, it threatened to resume the IR-40 project in its previous form. However, things did not go beyond threats, and at present the IR-40 remains in its previous state.
That is, the “plutonium path” is also closed for Iran, and there are no signs of attempts to revive it at the moment.
***
US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard recently stated directly that Iran is not developing nuclear weapons, and that all such developments are directly prohibited by the country's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
So at the time the Israeli missile strikes on Iran began, there was no indication that Tehran was actually trying to develop nuclear weapons.
But what will happen after the war is hard to say. Escalation has taught Iran that no concessions on the nuclear program will guarantee its security, unlike the nuclear bomb itself, if it were to be created.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/19/2025
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#4
So lets chat regime change. The media is spinning on it, seems no one really wants it. I think we need to define what regime change looks like. I think we can all agree that defeating Iran and installing a democracy has a high chance of failure. We dont do very well at installing democracies around the world. So what I believe we should do is erase Iran from the map. We should divide the nation up amongst their neighbors, thus removing the last remnants of the Persian empire from the face of the earth. Give the northern area to Turkey, they are fairly western. Give central area to Saudi, they can make it the model for the new western agenda, the southern area, oil fields and ports can go to the UAE, another very western state. It would buffer the arab states from Pakistan and the rest of the stans and enrich the US friendly and somewhat western friendly arab states.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/19/2025 10:29
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#5
I hold a grudge against Erdogan’s Turkey, 49 Pan - he is an active troublemaker seeking to create a neo-Ottoman empire that would dominate Western Europe and erase Israel.
I would not see Recep Tayip Erdogan rewarded or enabled in any way.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/19/2025 14:05
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#8
If they win it, Israel gets it. Remember, not stolen land, conquered land.
Posted by: Regular joe ||
06/19/2025 14:25
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#9
Unfortunately, Israel does not have the troops to hold it. We do but my vote is no, not worth it. Stone age it, conventionally and they'll spend the next 100 years rebuilding.
[Walsh Blog] Lindsey Graham is calling for a full scale invasion of Iran for the sake of "fighting for our freedom."
No.
This is insane, reckless madness from a warmongering asshole who's been in office for 30 years and never done a single thing to make life better for Americans. Every true America First conservative should reject this maniac and everyone like him. A regime change war in the Middle East has never made Americans freer. It has nothing to do with our freedom whatsoever. He's feeding you the same lie that these types have been pushing for three decades and hoping you're dumb enough not to notice. Lindsey can f*&k right off
Posted by: Besoeker ||
06/19/2025
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#2
Lindsey is playing an important role in this effort. The Iranian leadership know Trump is the only thing between boots on the ground and total destruction and a peaceful ending. Trump is holding the leash on the dogs of war. At least that is how the world see's it.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/19/2025 0:34
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#3
I think Graham is a Democrat in sheep's clothing, working to undermine whoever's trying to actually get stuff done with unhelpful statements. Like suggesting trench warfare.
#13
Long past fucking time.
I has been clear since 1979 that the only thing that will cure the Iran disease is a full Iraq-style regime change operation.
The "Iranian people will overthrow them" idea looks like it's failing. If it was going to work, I'm pretty sure it would be working by now.
Hell, we have more riots and violent opposition to government in America than there is in Iran.
Netanyahu was on Fox a few days ago and he confirmed that Iran will have ICBMs that can hit the East Coast soon.
He also confirmed that Iran was behind the assassination attempt on Trump.
What else do we need?
LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
[FoxNews] Environmental waivers clear path for development in multiple sectors as border encounters drop significantly
Arizona and Texas are expected to have more of the border wall constructed following recent actions from the federal government.
In the Grand Canyon State, U.S. Customs and Border Protection gave Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. over $300 million to build 27 miles of the wall in the Tucson Sector, which was a hotbed of illegal crossings during the Biden administration. The contractor was used throughout Trump’s first term in office.
Specifically, the development will be in Santa Cruz County – a largely rural county that includes Nogales, and the funds were already allocated in the CBP’s 2021 budget, according to CBP. While Biden was in office, many border wall contracts were scrapped, leading to materials left sitting at the border, including in the Tucson Sector.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has taken multiple steps to speed up border wall construction in areas where there are gaps in Arizona, California, and Texas, mostly through granting environmental waivers to avoid "administrative delays."
The Wednesday announcement noted that a fifth waiver was signed off by the secretary, which will be used for 17 miles of wall in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley Sector.
Earlier this month, DHS cleared the way for 36 miles in wall development in Arizona and New Mexico, including in the Tucson, El Paso, and Yuma Sectors. In addition, the Golden State is also expected to have further wall construction with environmental waivers being cleared earlier this year.
"We applaud President Trump's commitment to border security, and we look forward to the completion of the wall across the entire southern border," Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines said at the time.
"The border crisis is not yet over, and our federal government must continue to equip the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents with the tools, technologies, and resources necessary to provide adequate national security to keep America safe," Lines continued.
Opponents of wall construction have long cited environmental concerns, such as a risk to wildlife. Blue states, as well as advocacy groups like the Sierra Club and the American Civil Liberties Union, have sued the federal government in the recent past over the wall.
Meanwhile, the southern border has been quiet since President Donald Trump took office in January.
In May, zero individuals who crossed illegally were released into the U.S. interior, compared with 62,000 last year, according to CBP. Migrant encounters have also taken a significant tumble, with just under 9,000 encounters last month compared with nearly 118,000 last year.
"Under the leadership of this administration, CBP has received historic support resulting in another 93% decrease in illegal crossings along the southwest border this month when compared with last year," Pete Flores, Acting Commissioner of CBP, said in a statement. "Border numbers continue to trend at historic lows, reinforcing the sustained success of our enforcement efforts in securing the homeland and protecting American communities."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Semenov
[REGNUM] The direct military confrontation between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) that began in June has had a profound and paradoxical impact on the position of the Hamas movement and the dynamics of the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.
Instead of the expected weakening of the group and its positions, the escalation provoked an ultimatum of toughness in the movement and an even greater readiness to go to the end.
I think Israel is quite willing to keep killing Gazan jihadis and destroying Hamas infrastructure — the tunnel complex, command & control points, etc — and war matériel, while continuing to close in on the remaining hostages, living and dead, day by day making it ever harder for Hamas to continue their war to wipe out the Jews until the point is reached that they can neither continue nor later recover and resume the effort. While they would prefer that Hamas, et al surrender, disarm, and leave the Gaza Strip for points far away, it’s clear that Hamas, et al have not yet reached that point.
As Israel and Iran trade blows, the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip has reached unprecedented proportions, becoming an instrument of political terror by Benjamin Netanyahu's government and an unbearable reality for its 2.5 million residents.
An imaginary number based on double and triple counting sectors of the actual population on top of completely unjustified assumptions about birth and death rates.
GAZA DISASTER
According to the UN World Food Programme, food supplies in Gaza are completely depleted, and Israel is openly using the restriction of humanitarian aid as leverage.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned of catastrophic shortages of essential medicines, exacerbated by delays in vital supplies at the border. The March strikes on Rafah paralysed the last functioning hospitals, completing the collapse of the health system.
Palestinian sources put the total casualties at 51,495, which, given the size of the enclave, would be equivalent to the loss of 7 million people in the United States. And that is far from the final death toll, as many bodies are still under the rubble. In essence, the stage has been set for a long-term demographic catastrophe in Gaza.
The deadlock in the negotiations before the Iran-Israel standoff began was a direct consequence of the changing positions of the parties and the deepening crisis of confidence. Israel and Hamas are becoming increasingly irreconcilable on key issues, and hopes for a compromise have all but dried up.
Hamas demands an immediate and complete ceasefire for five years with the mandatory withdrawal of Israeli troops, while Israel offers only temporary “pauses” lasting 45-60 days (with a possible extension to 90) without guarantees of the withdrawal of its army.
Another blocking factor remains Israel's demand for the complete disarmament of Hamas, which the group categorically rejects as its "red line".
The failure of the second phase of the truce in March, when Hamas accused Israel of failing to meet its withdrawal commitments, finally undermined the basis for compromise.
HAMAS INTENDS TO GO TO THE END And so they shall...
The international context is also not conducive to resolving the crisis.
Attempts by mediators Qatar and Egypt to propose a “Five-year truce for all prisoners” plan have been met with Israel’s categorical rejection of any scenario that would involve Hamas maintaining a presence in Gaza after the end of active hostilities.
The G7's final statement, while supporting Israel's right to self-defense and calling Iran "the main source of instability," also called for restraint.
The US administration has reportedly discussed giving Israel bunker buster bombs to strike Iranian targets while trying to revive Gaza talks through Oman and Qatar, showing a dual approach that is unlikely to produce results.
According to sources of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, including a senior Palestinian official involved in the negotiations, the Hamas leadership perceived the regional conflict as evidence that the main pressure from Israel and the United States after they resolve the issue with Iran will be focused exclusively on them.
This sense of isolation and siege, compounded by the prospect of losing its strategic rear – Iran (which may be unable to support its allies after unprecedented attacks) – has pushed Hamas to categorically demand legally binding guarantees of a complete and unconditional end to the war as the only condition for the release of all Israeli captives.
Internal discussions in the movement, according to sources, reflect a readiness for an "existential battle" and resistance to the end. Even at the cost of the death of all their leaders or in the event of a final loss of support from Tehran, they refuse to capitulate or make partial agreements, seeing in putting forward their own ultimatums the last lever of influence on the situation.
EMISSARY IN MOSCOW
Against the backdrop of an unprecedented regional escalation, a delegation from the Hamas movement, headed by one of the leaders of the organization and deputy head of the Politburo, Dr. Musa Abu Murzuq, paid an official visit to Moscow, where they held relevant consultations at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which also touched on the topic of Israeli aggression against Iran.
Abu Murzuq also shared his assessment of the current situation with Regnum News Agency. He confirmed that Iran's defeat would be a heavy blow for both Hamas and the "Axis of Resistance" as a whole. However, Hamas does not intend to surrender or lay down its arms under any circumstances.
The Hamas leader stressed that Netanyahu had planned to strike Iran back in 1997. Since then, this task has always remained on the agenda of his cabinet, and now he has been able to move on to practical implementation.
"Gaza and Iran are two of Netanyahu's problems that he was going to solve by force," the Palestinian leader noted. At the same time, he emphasized that while there is no consensus in Israel regarding the continuation of the operation in Gaza, there is one regarding the attack on Iran.
Netanyahu took advantage of this by attacking the Islamic Republic, since ending the war would cost him not only his political career, but also his freedom due to the criminal cases opened against him, the progress of which is only hampered by martial law.
According to the Hamas spokesman, Tel Aviv has set itself far-reaching goals that go beyond dismantling Iran's nuclear and missile programs. Netanyahu is planning to destroy the Islamic Republic itself, that is, the Iranian state in its current form.
And here the main question is the position of the American administration.
While Donald Trump is against a major Middle East war, Netanyahu is ready to cross any “red lines,” including moving to a new level of escalation with the involvement of the entire region and the United States itself.
At the same time, as the Palestinian leader notes, if the aggression against the Islamic Republic does not lead to a change of power, and Iran retains the ability to continue its nuclear program, this can be called a success for Tehran.
Iran has all the opportunities to do this, he said. The IRI is a large state with a significant population, army and industry, and it is resistant to such influence. However, the country has internal problems, and Iranian society is divided. This is what Netanyahu will try to take advantage of.
According to the deputy head of the Hamas Politburo, Iran lacks confidence and readiness to go all the way without retreating from its intended goal. This concerns both the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and the current standoff with Israel and the goal-setting in this conflict.
PALESTINIANS WILL NOT LEAVE GAZA
They would if they could, as they do from the West Bank, but Hamas has kept tight control of the border since they took control.
Touching on the prospects for Hamas, Abu Murzuk noted that continuing the war certainly weakens Hamas, but it also weakens Israel, increasing the rift in society and leading to serious economic costs for the Jewish state.
Not nearly as great as the costs would be were Israel to stop the war and surrender. Besides, The Innovation Nation can afford to finance their survival.
The conflict with Iran could refocus the world's attention from the Gaza problem to the problem of resolving this crisis. For the deadlocked humanitarian situation around the enclave, this promises only greater difficulties.
At the moment, it seems that the tragedy of Gaza has reached its climax: civilians are dying not only from bombs and diseases, but also from a political stalemate in which humanitarian aid is reduced to a bargaining chip and life is devalued.
The forecasts remain extremely alarming.
Hamas' hardline stance, coupled with Israel's refusal to accept a political solution, risks a protracted and even bloodier guerrilla war of attrition, no matter how the conflict between Israel and the United States develops.
The continuation of the blockade and destruction threatens the complete collapse of the civil administration in Gaza, with the prospect of growing influence of clan structures and criminal groups.
At the same time, Iran, if Israel and the US fail to break it, will seek to use the Palestinian crisis to restore its regional influence and will continue to provide all possible assistance to Hamas.
Therefore, without the creation of an effective international peace enforcement mechanism and the launch of a parallel process that determines the political future of Palestine outside the logic of immediate military confrontation, the humanitarian and political crisis in Gaza risks becoming permanent, sowing the seeds of future, even more destructive conflicts.
At the same time, according to Abu Murzuk, Trump and Netanyahu's hopes that they will be able to force the Palestinians to leave Gaza under these conditions are unfounded.
Of course, as the Palestinian leader notes, some residents will leave the sector, and this is inevitable. He recalled that both Syrians and Iraqis fled because of wars. And after October 7, 2023, up to a million citizens left Israel.
But Palestinians have a special attachment to their homeland and have demonstrated this throughout history by trying to return to their homes whenever the opportunity presented itself, as happened in Gaza.
Therefore, the majority of Gazans certainly do not intend to leave and will remain on their land until the end.
#3
I imagine it will be a group project, Abu Uluque — certainly Hamas Big Turbans, protected in Turkey and Qatar, won’t be spending their personal billions to reequip their remaining troops.
#4
He's right, but not in the way he thinks.
All over the place right now, eyes are being opened at just how much control Israel has over our government. Their grip is so strong they can even overpower Trump, who made "no war" a central plank of his campaign.
to say nothing of being seen to give foreign aid to a country that doesn't need it. It's not like Israelis need water wells dug for them or measles vaccinations.
Americans are just furious tight now at being forced into another war.
Hell, at least in Ukraine there were trillions in resources to plunder.
Now Israel attacks just like Russia and what does America get if we win?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 20:41 In the area of Pokrovsk and Novoekonomichesky, camouflaged launch and control points for Ukrainian Armed Forces UAVs were discovered and destroyed —video. 20:25 Russian military saved residents of Fedorovka. Servicemen of the 5th Guards Tank Brigade of the "East" group of forces evacuated eleven residents from the village of Fedorovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Constant attacks on the village by Ukrainian militants using artillery, heavy hexcopters "Baba Yaga" and FPV drones forced local residents to leave everything and flee their homes. Taking only the most necessary things with them, people were forced to flee from enemy drones, hiding in dilapidated houses and buildings.
During the conversation, residents said that Ukrainian servicemen regularly fired and aimed attack drones at houses and shelters in which people who refused to be evacuated to Ukrainian territory lived.
19:59 The Russian Aerospace Forces hit a temporary deployment point of the 118th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with an RBK-500 aerial bomb with a universal planning and correction module and a cluster warhead.
The area of the settlement Malaya Tokmachka, Zaporizhia region —video.
19:26 The 152mm 2S5 Giatsint-S gunner with the call sign "Stepan" told how the aiming mechanism of the gun entrusted to him works. According to him, it is not difficult to figure it out, but for effective work the gunner needs to be especially attentive.
He is confident that in the hands of a competent specialist, the Giatsint works like a sniper rifle: it is capable of hitting even a small target, such as a mortar. video.
18:22 Russian Ministry of Defense:
From 14:25 Moscow time to 15:15 Moscow time, air defense systems on dutyintercepted and destroyed five Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
– Two UAVs each – over the territories of the Kaluga and Oryol regions,
- One UAV - over the territory of the Kursk region.
17:57 Destruction of a Ukrainian UAV control point in the area of the village of Kleshcheyevka by drone operators and artillerymen of the “Yug” group —video.
17:26 Drone operators from one of the tank battalions of the Russian army armed themselves with kamikaze drones "Molniya", loaded them with explosives and went to destroy various targets of the Ukrainian Armed Forces —video.
16:54 Iskander OTRK calculation inflicted a missile strike on the permanent deployment point of the 58th Separate Motorized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Konotop area of Sumy Oblast.
As a result of the strike, the following were destroyed:
- Four warehouses of military-technical property,
- Two trucks,
– More than 60 Ukrainian nationalists.
A total of 13 control points for unmanned aerial vehicles and up to 50 units of Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicles were damaged.
16:25 Russian Ministry of Defense:
From 11:05 Moscow time to 14:20 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 13 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
- Seven UAVs - over the territory of the Kursk region,
– Four UAVs – over the territory of the Oryol region,
– One UAV each – over the territories of the Belgorod region and the Republic of Crimea.
15:52 Guards Junior Lieutenant of the 10th Guards Tank Regiment with the call sign "Realist" started his service on the Varshavyanka-class submarines of the Black Sea Fleet. After the end of his contract, he decided to go to the special operations zone to carry out tasks as part of the Ground Forces.
The unit in which the serviceman operated clashed armour to armour with the enemy in a tank duel, repeatedly covering and taking our attack aircraft out from under fire, and also liberating populated areas from the enemy. The tanker remembered one of the battles well. Then they reported over the radio that our soldiers had ended up in a fire trap.
"We're driving, but we don't see our own. I ask the guys on the radio to let out smoke so they can be identified. We see smoke coming from behind. By this time, we've almost reached the forest belt occupied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Everyone was picked up and taken away," says "Realist."
Read more about the daily combat life of tank crews in material newspaper correspondent "Red Star" Yuri Borodin.
15:21 Servicemen of the 114th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army told about the storming of Alekseevka in the DPR.
The offensive was conducted using covert force accumulation tactics and methodical assault, which allowed for minimizing losses and effectively suppressing the enemy's defense. Before the assault, the fighters crossed open areas surrounding Alekseyevka, using individual camouflage equipment - anti-drone ponchos and blankets.
"You put on a poncho, and you can't see the person. That is, you can't see them with a thermal imager. The servicemen sewed them themselves to fit their height. They sewed them themselves for themselves, so that their hands, as you say, and their faces wouldn't show," said Nikita Galik, commander of the assault company.
Immediately before the assault, artillery, FPV drones and tank crews struck the enemy fortifications and suppressed the identified firing points. This allowed the assault groups to enter the settlement. The enemy suffered significant losses and retreated.
14:54 Assault groups advanced in the Shevchenko area along Konstantinovskaya Street, –MAP.
13:22 FPV drone operators of the "Southern" group of troops destroyed mortar crew, pickup truck and armored vehicle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
– Drone operators of the Center group of forces destroyed camouflaged enemy equipment near Krasnoarmeysk.
– Operators of attack drones from the Vostok group of forces destroyed a Ukrainian Armed Forces truck transporting ammunition.
13:18 Summary of Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation as of June 18, 2025
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct the Special Military Operation.
Units of the North troop group advanced deep into the enemy's defenses and liberated the settlement of Novonikolaevka in Sumy Oblast.
Concentrations of manpower and equipment of three mechanized, motorized infantry, ranger, three airborne assault brigades, an airborne assault and two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as the center of special operations forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) in the areas of the populated areas of Novaya Sich, Andreyevka, Alekseyevka, Konotop, Leninske, Varachino, Mogritsa, Sadki, Ryzhevka, Bessalovka and Kondratovka in Sumy Oblast were defeated.
– In the Khar'kov direction, units of the mechanized and motorized infantry brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and five territorial defense brigades were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Volchansk, Komissarovo, Udy and Gatishche in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 165 servicemen, three combat armored vehicles, three automobiles, six field artillery pieces, two ammunition depots and a warehouse of logistics equipment.
As a result of decisive actions by units of the "West" military group, the village of Dolgenkoye in the Khar'kov region was liberated.
Formations of two mechanized brigades, a regiment of unmanned aerial vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and two territorial defense brigades were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Boguslavka, Shiykovka, Peschanoye, Novosergeevka, Kupyansk, Kovsharovka in the Khar'kov region and Kirovsk in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost more than 220 servicemen, a Cossack armored vehicle, eight vehicles, two artillery pieces, two electronic warfare stations, a US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar station, and four ammunition depots.
- Units of the "Southern" group of troops improved their tactical position. They inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of eight mechanized, mountain assault, assault, airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Seversk, Zvanovka, Serebryanka, Pazeno, Ivanopolye, Vyemka, Minkovka, Fedorovka, Dyleevka, Aleksandro-Kalinovo, Kleban-Byk and Konstantinovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 175 servicemen, three field artillery guns and four pickups. A warehouse of materiel was destroyed.
- Units of the "Center" group of forces have taken up more advantageous lines and positions. They have defeated the formations of four mechanized, airborne assault, ranger, assault brigades, a brigade of unmanned systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two brigades of naval infantry and a national guard brigade in the areas of the settlements of Petrovskoye, Dimitrov, Novonikolayevka, Grodovka, Krasnoarmeysk and Novotoretskoye of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy's losses amounted to 490 servicemen, two infantry fighting vehicles, four US-made M-113 armored personnel carriers, seven armored combat vehicles, four automobiles and two field artillery pieces, including a 155mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery unit.
– Units of the "East" group of forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defense, inflicting losses on the manpower and equipment of four mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and three territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Veseloye in the Donetsk People's Republic, Gulyaipole, Poltavka and Temirovka in the Zaporizhia region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 185 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, six cars, three artillery pieces, including a British-made 155mm FH-70 howitzer, and an electronic warfare station.
– Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of two mechanized, mountain assault brigades, two coastal defense brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and four territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Kamenskoye, Mala Tokmachka, Novoandriyevka in the Zaporizhia region, Otradokamenka, Belozerka and Antonovka in the Kherson region.
Up to 80 enemy servicemen, 15 vehicles, a field artillery gun, an electronic warfare station and two ammunition depots were destroyed.
Operational-tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces groups have damaged workshops for the production and assembly of strike unmanned aerial vehicles, their storage sites, ammunition depots, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian Armed Forces units and foreign mercenaries in 147 districts.
Air defense systems shot down four JDAM guided aerial bombs and seven US-made HIMARS multiple launch rockets, as well as 236 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
12:43 Ministry of Defense RF:
From 09.30 to 11.00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 14 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
– 12 UAVs – over the territory of the Kursk region,
– 2 UAVs – over the territory of the Oryol region.
11:45 How the paratroopers stormed Yablonovo in Sumy region.
Artillery and UAV crews of the 11th Separate Guards Airborne Assault Brigade destroyed enemy command posts and firing points in forest plantations adjacent to the settlement.
After that, the paratroopers went to storm the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in small groups. Drone operators accompanied the assault units and adjusted their actions.
The fighters of the "winged infantry" captured the settlement. The enemy fled, and some of the fighters laid down their arms and surrendered.
11:12 Governor of Belgorod Region Vyacheslav Gladkov:
Information about inflicted Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes in the region over the past 24 hours:
– In the Belgorod district, seven drones attacked the villages of Dubovoye, Oktyabrsky, Razumnoye, the villages of Solomino, Solokhi and the farm Tserkovny, of which four were shot down by the air defense system.
In the village of Oktyabrsky, the fence of a private house was damaged, in the farm Tserkovny - the building of an agricultural enterprise.
– In the Valuysky municipal district, the settlement of Urazovo, the villages of Borki, Dvuluchnoye, Dolgoe and Kukuyevka were attacked by 17 drones, 13 of which were suppressed. In the village of Dvuluchnoye, a warehouse was damaged on the territory of a social facility.
– In the Volokonovsky district, the villages of Volchya Aleksandrovka and Grushevka were attacked by three drones. In the area of the village of Volchya Aleksandrovka, the equipment of a commercial facility was damaged, in the village of Grushevka – a power line.
– In the Grayvoronsky municipal district:
Four munitions were fired at the city of Grayvoron, the villages of Gora-Podol, Novostroyevka-Vtoraya and Spodaryushino, and 11 drone strikes were carried out.
In the city of Grayvoron, three women were injured by a drone detonation near a commercial facility. Doctors at Belgorod City Hospital No. 2 conducted the necessary examinations, but the barotrauma diagnoses were not confirmed. Another victim later sought medical help on his own. He was diagnosed with a closed craniocerebral injury and barotrauma. He is being treated on an outpatient basis. A commercial facility and five vehicles were damaged in the city. This morning, a car was damaged by a drone strike in the village of Gora-Podol.
– In the Krasnoyarsk region, the village of Prilesye, the villages of Vyazovoe, Grafovka, Demidovka, Kolotilovka, Popovka, Staroselye, Terebreno and the village of Vysoky were subjected to 14 attacks with the use of 70 rounds of ammunition and attacks by eight drones. Information about the consequences is being clarified.
– In Rakityansky district:
The villages of Boryspil and Ilek-Koshary were attacked by 3 FPV drones. In the area of the village of Boryspil, the head of the Goncharovskoye rural settlement of the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region died from a drone strike on a passenger car. The car was damaged.
In the village of Ilek-Koshary, the roof of a private house caught fire - the fire was extinguished. In addition, yesterday evening in the village of Boryspil, an emergency power outage was recorded. Emergency services restored the power supply.
– In the Shebekinsky municipal district:
In the city of Shebekino, the villages of Voznesenovka, Dmitrievka, Dobroe, Murom, Starovshchina, and the hamlets of Rzhavets and Stadnikov, 11 drones were attacked, one of which was suppressed.
In the city of Shebekino, a man was injured as a result of an FPV drone attack. The victim received medical care at the Shebekinskaya Central District Hospital and continues to receive treatment on an outpatient basis.
In the city, a GAZelle, 5 cars, a commercial property, and 2 private homes were damaged, in the village of Starovshchina — a truck, in the village of Voznesenovka — a power line and a private home, and in the village of Murom — a private home. Yesterday evening, there was an emergency power outage in the area. The villages of Dmitrievka, Dobroe, and Yablochkovo remain without power. Emergency services will begin restoration work after coordination with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
– Five aircraft-type drones were suppressed over the Yakovlevsky municipal district. There were no consequences.
10:48 Criminal Kyiv regime continues shelling civilian infrastructure of populated areas of the left bank of the Kherson region
Yesterday, during the day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces released:
– Six rounds in the village of Novaya Kakhovka;
– According to n.p. Kakhovka seven rounds;
– Three rounds to the settlement of Dnepryany;
– Three rounds to the village of Knyaze-Grigorovka;
– Four rounds to the settlement of Velikaya Lepetikha;
- Five rounds to the village of Aleshki.
As a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the village of Aleshki, two civilians were injured. In the village of Korobki, a civilian was killed as a result of an attack by Ukrainian drones on a civilian car.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the villages of Kakhovka, Kazachi Lagerya, Mala Lepetikha, Aleshky, and Dnepryany, firing a total of 19 rounds from cannon artillery. Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure are being clarified.
10:04 Fearless motorized riflemen brok stubborn resistance of the enemy and liberated the settlement of Novonikolaevka in the originally Russian Sumy region.
09:55 Yablonovka under control: Sever paratroopers released a settlement in Sumy region
Units of the 11th Separate Guards Airborne Assault Brigade of the Northern Group of Forces liberated Yablonovka, expanding the security zone in the Sumy region.
09:21 Published frames of defeats of the antitank missile system of the 118th separate brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces using the RBK-500 in the area of the settlement of Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporizhia region.
07:49 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 48 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
- 14 over the territory of the Bryansk region,
- 11 over the territory of the Kursk region,
- 10 over the territory of the Oryol region,
- Five over the territory of the Belgorod region,
- Three over the territory of the Tula region,
- Two over the territories of the Kaluga region and the Moscow region,
- One over the territory of the Lipetsk region.
07:34 Changes to map over the past 24 hours:
Advance in the Fedorovka area
Control zone in the Dyleevka area has been expanded
Control zone in the Fedorovka area has been expanded
05:11 Calculation of the 152mm Msta-B of the Dnepr group of forces destroyed storage point for ammunition of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kherson region.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Artemy Sharapov
[REGNUM] The military standoff between Iran and Israel has been going on for five days now. Both sides are actively using aircraft, drones and missiles, and both military and civilian facilities are being hit.
The battle is accompanied by a "fog of war": an unprecedented number of fakes and censorship of information coming from the field. But despite this, the chronology and "plot" of the fighting is quite clear.
"LEV" WAS GREETED WITH "PROMISE"
On the night of June 12-13, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a military operation that is referred to in Israeli documents as "The People Like a Lion" and in English-language sources as "Rising Lion." Both names refer to a verse from the Old Testament Book of Numbers, which in the Synodal translation sounds like this: "Behold, the people arise like a lioness, and rise like a lion; they will not lie down until they have eaten the prey and drunk the blood of the slain."
On the afternoon of June 13, in response to a series of Israeli air force attacks on Iranian territory, the Islamic Republic of Iran announced the launch of Operation True Promise 3. It involved ballistic missiles and UAVs.
The slogan "True Promise" is a reference to modern Iranian political mythology. The founder and leader of the pro-Iranian Lebanese group Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, promised to release Hezbollah fighter, Druze Samir Kuntar. He was captured by the Israelis back in 1979 and convicted as a terrorist. In 2008, the promise was fulfilled: Israel released Kuntar, who had served a quarter of a century, and four other Arabs in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers.
The “third number” of the current Iranian operation is explained more simply: in April and October 2024, the Iranian army and the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), with the support of proxy forces - Hezbollah and the Yemeni Houthis - already carried out two “True Promise” operations.
Both involved missiles and drones, and both were responses to Israeli actions. The first was in response to a missile attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which Tehran blamed on the “Zionist state.” The second, “True Promise,” was Iran’s response to the assassinations of Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Israel was clearly behind these actions.
In all three cases, including the current one, Israel is the attacker, Iran is the defender. The political, including international political aspects of the Iran-Israel war have already been considered earlier. From a strategic and tactical point of view, what is happening looks like this.
WHAT WERE ISRAEL'S PRIMARY GOALS?
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, the goal of the operation was to destroy facilities related to the Iranian nuclear program.
The first wave of the attack hit four key targets: the Fordow nuclear enrichment plant in Qom province, the uranium enrichment center and nuclear research institute in Isfahan province, and the nuclear complex in Arak (Central Ostan province of Iran).
In addition, during the first wave of attacks, Israel targeted military bases, headquarters and IRGC headquarters. A number of high-ranking Iranian officers were also killed.
HOW THE BLITZ ATTACK BECAME POSSIBLE
The possibility of starting not just another exchange of missile salvos, but a full-scale Israeli campaign against Iran was not seriously considered.
The countries do not border each other, moreover, they are separated by more than a thousand kilometers and the territories of Iraq and Syria. Until recently, Syria remained a key ally of Iran, so Tehran believed that the country's western borders were reliably covered. However, in December 2024, Bashar al-Assad's regime collapsed, and power was taken by people from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* group, who quickly established good relations with the United States, the European Union and, according to rumors, Israel.
On the night of June 12-13, a large group of Israeli aircraft flew through Syrian airspace and then crossed into Iraqi Kurdistan, a region whose government has always been opposed to Iran. The IDF was thus able to launch a massive strike from outside the Iranian air defense zone.
A special role in the first day of the conflict was played by sabotage and reconnaissance groups created in Iran by the Israeli intelligence service Mossad. Groups of saboteurs armed with Spike anti-tank missile systems and small kamikaze drones transported on trucks attacked radar stations and anti-aircraft positions.
WHAT ALLOWED IRAN TO RESPOND QUICKLYy
The response came fairly quickly. Experts conclude that the Iranian military doctrine envisages the death of the top brass in the first hours of aggression. Therefore, the Iranian Armed Forces and IRGC had several "benches" of senior officers on duty who were competent enough to plan and carry out a retaliatory strike.
The second factor that allowed for a quick and at the same time “economical” counterattack was the massive use of drones. In the first echelon, dozens of kamikaze UAVs were launched into Israeli territory.
In the current operation, Iran is using models that were adopted in the early 2020s. These are the Arash (a heavy kamikaze drone designed to strike stationary objects and radars) and the Shahed-136, which is similar in characteristics to our Geranium-2. The Shahed-107 drone, made of carbon materials, was officially presented during the current conflict. The range of Iranian combat drones is from 1,000 to 1,500 km one way.
The overload of Israeli air defense systems allowed the Iranians to hit several strategically (and symbolically) important targets already in the first wave of attacks: in particular, to strike the Israeli Defense Ministry and IDF General Staff complex in Tel Aviv. During the conflict, the Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system proved to be fundamentally unsuitable for intercepting ballistic targets. During the first wave of attacks, at least one Iranian missile not only managed to overcome the resistance of the Israeli missile defense system, but also hit an object in the immediate vicinity of the Iron Dome battery.
At the same time, the IDF leadership anticipated the rocket attack from Iran, announcing “retaliatory strikes” in advance.
HUNTING FOR SAMS AND THE OIL "EXCHANGE OF FIGURES"
The second stage of the "duel" began with a change in the nature of Israeli attacks. After hitting stationary targets, the IDF Air Force and Mossad saboteur groups began hunting for mobile targets - anti-aircraft systems and mobile ballistic missile launchers.
For this purpose, Hermes-900 attack drones were actively used, equipped with small-sized guided air bombs "Miholit" with semi-active laser guidance systems and a range of 12-15 km. Subsequently, at least one such drone was shot down by Iranian air defense forces.
In the second stage, the Israelis' actions were not as effective as in the first. At least some of the targets destroyed were "decoys." Later, photos of one of the destroyed targets, which was a model of a ballistic missile, appeared on the Internet.
The main targets of Israeli missile strikes during the fighting on June 14-15 were Iranian energy facilities. The IDF attacked a strategic fuel storage facility on the outskirts of Tehran. Iran responded symmetrically - on the night of June 15, the city of Haifa on the Mediterranean Sea came under a massive missile attack. At least two missiles hit an oil refinery and the seaport area.
The Tehran leadership, led by the Rahbar, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, also announced a transition from “retribution operation” to a full-scale war.
"EVICTION ORDERS"
Beginning on June 15, both sides in the conflict began destroying secondary targets that could be used for military purposes.
Already on Sunday morning, Iran launched ballistic hypersonic missiles at Israeli territory for the first time. The target of the attack was the leading scientific and technical Weizmann Institute in Tel Aviv. Israel, in turn, focused on strikes against military facilities in Iran's western provinces. First and foremost, against the air defense bases responsible for protecting the Iranian capital.
On the night of June 15-16, Iran again launched a massive missile attack on targets in central Israel. The Haifa thermal power plant was hit, as well as facilities in Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva and Tel Aviv. One of the attacks caused significant damage to the US embassy building, the Israeli Air Force base "Nevatim", and the Rafael military-industrial complex.
In response, Israel issued the first "warning order" demanding that residents of several areas in western Tehran immediately leave their homes.
This was followed by a double strike on the building of the Iranian national television and radio network IRIB, as well as on unidentified targets in the mountains on the outskirts of the Iranian capital. Presumably, the strike targeted a complex of underground shelters for the country's top military and political leadership. Israel uses a proven tactic for attacks on underground facilities located at significant depths: the entrances and exits of underground structures, air purification systems, and electricity supply systems are all hit. Thus, any bunker, even the deepest one, is temporarily put out of action.
The next day, Iran used a new tactic: instead of silo-based missiles, it used mobile launchers that actively maneuvered around the country.
THE STAKES ARE RISING
On the fourth or fifth day of the conflict, the scale of mutual attacks is clearly expanding. On June 17, Iran struck the Mossad complex in Herzliya and the Aman military intelligence headquarters. It is noteworthy that in the first case, at least four Iranian ballistic missiles were able to bypass the counteraction of the Iron Dome missile defense battery, located directly on the territory of the complex.
The IDF Spokesperson's Office, in turn, reported the destruction of several F-14 fighters at the Mahabad airport in Tehran. However, online observers reported that the aircraft had been withdrawn from the Air Force since 2020 and were left at a reserve parking lot. An even more powerful attack followed on the night of June 18. Iran launched several dozen missiles at intervals of 20-30 minutes.
In the latest wave of attacks, Iran used the latest Kheibar Shekan ballistic missiles, with a combat weight of over 500 kg and a range of up to 1,500 km. One of the missiles hit the Israeli Air Force's Meron electronic intelligence center in the north of the country.
During the latest wave of missile strikes, a failure of the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system was also recorded. The interceptor missile that was fired deviated from its intended target and hit a residential area of Tel Aviv. It is noteworthy that this is the third recorded failure of Israeli missile defense systems in recent times.
INTERIM RESULTS
In the first five days of military action, Israel has failed to inflict critical damage on Iran's missile program. Moreover, each subsequent strike is more extensive and destructive than the previous one. And most likely, it will not be possible to inflict decisive damage with the forces already involved.
At the same time, Israel can count on military support from the United States. According to the latest data, over the past week the Pentagon has deployed dozens of tanker aircraft to the Middle East, accompanied by groups of fighters.
Two US Navy carrier groups are concentrated in the Persian Gulf. The intervention of American troops could, in a sense, draw off some of the Iranian forces involved in attacks on Israel. However, on the other hand, the conflict risks spilling out beyond the Middle East, which could lead to unpredictable consequences.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/19/2025
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#2
Update: about 20 lightly wounded in Soroka. There is no leak of hazardous materials.
P.S. I "promise" all of you that we will remove Iran's Nuclear threat with or without U.S. participation. I also hope (but cannot promise) the regime will de decapitated and the Iranian people will get the freedom they deserve.
Posted by: Elder of Zion ||
06/19/2025 2:02
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#3
Stay safe, dear Elder of Zion, and thank you. You and all Israel are in our thoughts and prayers.
Also, I am buying more Israel bonds, to help share the burden a little.
#6
Why not bury Iran in SCAN TRON FORMS from CHINA ya know the real rulers of the UNITED STATES! Save the bunker busters that will not get the job done for the CHINA SCAN TRON NEW NATIONAL HOLIDAY where we replace hotdogs with dog and cat burgers and cold salads with FETUS SOUP and little boy PISS SOAKED EGGS! CHAZIS CHEWIES CHAMEICANS CHANAIDIANS CHUROPEANS well ya get it huh when do they start doing their fucking jobs and such ?
Iran Claims Israeli F-35 Fighter Jet Destroyed
[Regnum] Iranian military shot down an Israeli F-35 fighter jet near Tehran, IRNA reported, citing Varamin County authorities.
"The army's air defense forces hit and destroyed an enemy Israeli F-35 fighter jet in the Javadabad area of Varamin," the agency quoted the head of Varamin district as saying on his Telegram channel.
Security forces and military officials investigating the details will provide more information later, the statement said.
On the evening of June 16, Tasnim reported the destruction of an F-35 near the city of Tabriz in northwestern Iran. It was noted that this was the fourth such aircraft shot down by Iranian air defense forces.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on the night of June 13, Israel began to strike Iran as part of a large-scale military operation, "Rising Lion," under the pretext of eliminating the threat of nuclear weapons. Tehran responded by launching Operation True Promise 3 and began to strike Israeli military and military-industrial facilities.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, Iran's elite military force) said Iran had gained full control of Israeli airspace during the attack on the night of June 18.
In an apparent first, an Israeli Air Force drone was shot down over the Isfahan area in central 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... overnight, the Israeli military and Iranian media said. Footage broadcast by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB on Wednesday morning showed what appeared to be a crashed Israeli Air Force Hermes 900.
"During operational activity, a surface-to-air missile was launched at an air force unmanned aerial vehicle," the Israel Defense Forces said later, confirming the drone crashed in Iran.
The IDF said that "there is no fear of information leaking."
The IAF has been operating over Iran, at a distance of more than 1,500 kilometers from Israel, since early Friday. The military says it has air supremacy over western Iran and Tehran, and is working to extend it to other parts of the country, to thwart Iranian ballistic missile attacks on Israel. More than 70 Iranian air defense batteries have been destroyed in strikes so far, according to the IDF.
"Achieving air superiority involves initiative and offensive actions, which come with costs that were accounted for in the plan. We are constantly engaged in the struggle to maintain air superiority," the military said.
The IDF said the incident over Isfahan was being investigated further.
The military has denied previous Iranian claims of shooting down Israeli aircraft, which were not backed by any evidence.
Several Hermes drones were downed during the war with Iran’s proxy Hezbollah terror group.
Now in its sixth day, the Israeli operation in Iran was launched Friday with the objective of removing the "existential threat" of the Iranian nuclear program and ballistic missile capabilities. Israel says its sweeping assault on Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites, and ballistic missile program is necessary to prevent the Islamic Theocratic Republic from realizing its avowed plan to destroy the Jewish state.
Iran has retaliated by launching more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 maimed.
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 224 people, according to Iranian officials.
More from regnum.ru Khamenei says Iran has no intention of surrendering
Iran intends to “stand firm” and will not give up, the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an address to the nation on June 18.
The Iranian people never surrender, the ayatollah said. Tehran will respond to any possible US military intervention and will cause irreparable damage to Washington, Khamenei also stressed.
“The Americans should know that any military intervention will certainly result in irreparable damage for them,” he noted.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump demanded Tehran's unconditional surrender. American media reported that Trump was considering the possibility of the US entering the war, including striking Iran's nuclear facilities. According to journalists, US troops in the Middle East have been put on high alert.
Even more from regnum.ru and the noted military defense experts at the Washington Post Israel's air defense will collapse in 10 days without US help - American media
Without help from the United States, Israel's air defense systems will fall under Iranian strikes in 10 days due to a shortage of ammunition. This is reported by the American newspaper The Washington Post (WP), citing an informed source.
"Without resupply from the United States or greater U.S. military involvement, Israel could maintain its missile defenses for another 10 to 12 days if Iran maintains a steady pace of attacks," the report said.
According to the source, by the end of this week Israel will be able to intercept only a small part of the missiles launched by Iran. The publication also specified that air defense costs Israel $285 million per day.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on the night of June 13, Israel began to strike Iran as part of a large-scale military operation, "Rising Lion," under the pretext of eliminating the threat of nuclear weapons. Tehran responded by launching Operation True Promise 3 and began to strike Israeli military and military-industrial facilities.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, Iran's elite military force) said Iran had gained full control of Israeli airspace during the attack on the night of June 18.
“Iranian missiles headed towards the occupied territories (Israeli territory. — Ed.),” the publication says.
The Israeli army said that they had already detected the missiles and were intercepting the shells. Residents of the country were urged to remain in shelters.
Shortly before this, the Iranian authorities called for the evacuation of the population of one of the districts of the Israeli city of Haifa. Similar statements had been published before, in particular, before the strikes on Tel Aviv.
On the night of June 18, the Israeli army recorded two rocket attacks from Iran within an hour. The population was called to take shelter in shelters and remain there until further notice.
Later, a source in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, the elite units of the Iranian Armed Forces) said: Tehran was able to secure full control over Israeli airspace during the night attack. The IRGC noted that the Israelis were defenseless against Iranian missile attacks. According to this information, dominance was achieved through the use of Fateh missiles.
Again, more from regnum.ru IRGC: Iran used super-heavy ballistic missile Sajjil for the first time
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite forces of the Iranian Armed Forces) said that it used super-heavy ballistic missiles "Sajil" for the first time in an attack on Israel. This was reported on June 18 by the Tasnim agency.
“During the twelfth wave of Operation Sadeq’s Promise, the IRGC fired three Sajjil missiles,” follows from a publication on the publication’s Telegram channel.
According to these reports, Iran has struck Israeli Mossad headquarters, military intelligence and Israeli air bases. The IRGC also said that missile attacks from Tehran would be "effective and continuous."
Open sources indicate that the range of the Sajjil is 2,000 km. The surface-to-surface missile was first tested in November 2008. The Sajjil differs from the basic version in its increased accuracy and increased speed at the initial stage of flight. The length of the missile is 17.5 m, and its weight can reach 500 to 1,500 kg.
Earlier on June 18, the IRNA news agency reported that Iran had launched a new missile attack on Israel. Shortly before this, Iranian authorities called for the evacuation of the population of one of the areas of the Israeli city of Haifa. Similar statements had been published before, in particular, before the strikes on Tel Aviv.
On the night of June 18, the Israeli army recorded two rocket attacks from Iran within an hour. Later, a source in the IRGC said: Tehran was able to secure full control over Israeli airspace during the night attack. According to this information, dominance was achieved through the use of Fateh missiles.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/19/2025
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Wonder how much the unhoused Vets get?
[FoxNews] Massachusetts taxpayers are forking out around $1,000 per person per week under the program.
Massachusetts taxpayers are on course to spend $1 billion on the state’s emergency shelter program for FY25 with migrant families making up a significant share of those receiving assistance, according to a new report.
Gov. Maura Healey’s administration has already spent $830 million so far in FY25 – which started on July 1 – accommodating more than 4,000 families who have been receiving taxpayer-funded shelter, food, education, legal aid and case management.
The costs work out at about $3,496 per week per family, or around $1,000 per person per week for the program, known as the Emergency Assistance (EA) system.
The report, a June 16 biweekly update from the Massachusetts Executive Office for Housing and Livable Communities, notes that $679.6 million was spent on direct shelter costs and another $149.7 million on wraparound services, including education aid, work programs, National Guard payroll for security and rental assistance to help individuals exit the system.
Around 1,600 of the total 4,088 families currently in the system are migrants, per the report, although that figure is likely much higher as many migrant families are counted as "Massachusetts residents" for the purpose of eligibility.
The state was overwhelmed by an influx of migrants under the Biden administration and struggled to accommodate them. Many migrants ended up sleeping at Logan Airport as the Healey administration worked to set up temporary shelters, many of which are at hotels.
There are currently 599 hotel rooms being used under the program and the report states that all hotels being used under the program will be shuttered this year.
Already, the number of hotels being used as shelters has dropped to 28, down from a peak of more than 100, according to the report.
"The administration is on track to reduce [the] caseload to 4,000 families and close all hotel shelters by the end of the calendar year," the report states. It follows Healey, a Democrat, saying last month too that all hotel shelters would be shuttered by the end of the year. She said the number of people in the EA system had dipped below 5,000 last month, as well.
"Closing hotel shelters is essential to making sure that families are set up for success and to save our state hundreds of millions of dollars a year," said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said last month.
The report comes as the influx of new migrants has all but ended given border crossings are at historic lows.
On Tuesday, Trump administration border czar Tom Homan said Border Patrol encountered just 95 illegal immigrants in a single day and that zero migrants were released into the U.S. last month.
Mike Kennealy, a Republican running for governor who previously served as housing and economic development secretary, blasted the report.
He said that taxpayers are "being forced to bankroll billions to an unaccountable, broken system that perpetuates the migrant crisis—and we’re fed up," per the Boston Herald.
Brian Shortsleeve, who is also running for governor as a Republican, criticized the governor's leadership and said her polices were unfair to taxpayers.
"Maura Healey has made Massachusetts a migrant magnet with the value of their taxpayer-funded state benefits, nearly doubling the household income of the typical Massachusetts family," Shortsleeve said. "At a time when our people are struggling just to get by under Healey’s smothering cost of living, her warped sense of justice adds insult to injury."
Fox News reached out to Healey's office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
#4
^I escaped MA during the Dukakis administration. He was shaking hands at Ashmont station. It was like shaking hands with a dead fish. Soon after I put both in the rear view mirror.
Posted by: Difar Dave ||
06/19/2025 15:56
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] On June 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg Conservatory, where large-scale restoration work was completed. The conservatory, founded in 1862 by Anton Rubinstein, is the first higher music educational institution in Russia.
In March 2015, the historic conservatory building was closed for reconstruction. In September 2020, Putin ordered the reconstruction to be completed.
The building's facades are painted in the historical light beige color, the house church has been restored to its paintings by Andrei Ryabushkin and Vasily Belyaev. The Rubinstein Great Hall for 1,100 seats is equipped with variable acoustics technology.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, in 2021, after a year of scientific research, building inspection and project update, workers began restoration of the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. The conservatory was founded in 1862 and is located in the building of the Bolshoi (Kamenny) Theater, which was completely rebuilt in 1896 by the architect Vladimir Nikolay. In fact, the walls and foundation of the theater were included in the new building.
In 2015, the Main Directorate of State Expertise of Russia issued a positive conclusion on the restoration of the building, but due to problems with contractors, work on the site was stopped several years later. Following the intervention of federal authorities in 2021, the site was transferred to the management of the Single Customer in the Sphere of Construction (SCC) and underwent a re-examination in connection with the updating of design solutions.
A year after the survey, work began, and restorers began work on the facade of the historic building.
Text taken from the Telegram page of kalashnikovnews
[ColonelCassad] Kalashnikov to Start Production of Upgraded 7.62mm AK-308 Assault Rifle After Qualification Tests
Specialists from the Design and Technology Center (DTC) of Kalashnikov Concern JSC have improved the 7.62mm AK-308 assault rifle of the 2018 model. Production of the upgraded AK-308 of the 2025 model will begin after the product passes qualification tests.
Initially, the AK-308 was developed on the basis of the AK-12 of the 2018 model for delivery to countries whose armies use the 7.62x51 NATO (.308 Win) cartridge as the main ammunition for infantry small arms. However, when the AK-12 was used in a special operation, significant changes were made to its design. Therefore, on an initiative basis, the employees of the Kalashnikov DTC unified the designs of circuit solutions in the AK-308.
Taking into account the individual features of the model, a number of design changes were made to the product during the modernization. In particular, the fore-end has been lengthened: now it provides a comfortable and secure grip of the weapon with your hands while shooting. The folding, adjustable buttstock of the AK-12 with a machine gun rest installed on it has been borrowed.
The receiver cover with a long Picatinny rail allows you to use all modern sighting systems, including optical and night ones. Windows for visual control of the number of cartridges have appeared in the detachable magazine. The design of the diopter sight has also been borrowed from the AK-12 model 2023: a flip-up rear sight with holes of different diameters ensures ease of aiming at different illumination levels.
The 7.62 mm Kalashnikov AK-308 assault rifle is an individual weapon. It is designed to destroy manpower and defeat enemy fire weapons. It is important to note that the interest of foreign customers in this product remains at a consistently high level.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the assault rifle
∙ Caliber, mm – 7.62
∙ Applicable ammunition, mm – 7.62×51
∙ Assault rifle weight with an empty magazine, no more than, kg – 4.3
∙ Overall length/with bayonet-knife, mm – 885–945/1050–1110
∙ Length with folded butt, mm – 705
∙ Barrel length, mm – 415
∙ Height, mm – 244
∙ Width, mm – 72
∙ Butt type – folding, adjustable in length
∙ Magazine capacity, rounds – 20
∙ Sighting device type – diopter
[SkyNews] The Irish prime minister will make an official state apology after an investigation found evidence of widespread abuse.
Unmarried mothers in Ireland faced a "brutally misogynistic culture" for decades, a minister has said after the publication of a report into the deaths of 9,000 children and babies.
A five-year investigation by a judicial commission of investigation details how the children died at 18 institutions for unmarried mothers and their babies between 1922 and 1998.
9000/76 years = 118.4 deaths per year, which doesn’t sound nearly so awful. Yes, brutally mysogynistic, but how does that compare to deaths of infants and children in Ireland to married women during that period? Or to unmarried women who gave birth outside of Irish institutions for unmarried mothers ditto?
The commission's 3,000-page report confirms that 9,000 babies died - about 15% of all the children who were in the institutions - and a figure far higher than the national mortality rate at the time.
A partial answer — quantify please so we can judge for ourselves.
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin will make an official state apology to those affected on Wednesday in the Dail.
He said the report describes "a dark, difficult and shameful chapter of very recent Irish history", and called on the Church to issue its own apology.
The Irish government will also provide financial recognition to the specific groups identified in the report, and push ahead with laws to support excavation, exhumation and, where possible, identification of remains at burial sites.
Additionally, the government has established a counselling support service for survivors, who were given access to it for the first time earlier on Tuesday.
#3
Yea, well - since fatherless children are fucked (regardless of socioeconomic background: I've seen artificial insemination children of women of middle middle class in my son's old school - all have serious psychological problems) ...
#4
Let's see what the excavation reveals before passing judgment. Remember the Canadian scandal a couple years ago that had nuns abusing and killing 100s of First Nation children? IIRC the FNs even received an apology from the pope. Later on the examination of the supposed "mass burial" site revealed nothing.
Posted by: Difar Dave ||
06/19/2025 16:16
Comments ||
Top||
[FoxNews] Pentagon deploys 2,000 additional National Guard troops to protect federal property amid continued violence and looting
The Department of Defense is sending thousands more National Guard troops to protect federal property amid anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) riots in Los Angeles.
"By direction of the Secretary of Defense and in coordination with U.S. Northern Command, 2,000 additional California Army National Guard soldiers have been activated in a Title 10 status to support the protection of federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area," according to a Tuesday release from U.S. Northern Command.
The release says that the 49th Military Police Brigade will be sent to serve alongside the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat team and the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, under the direction of Task Force 51, which is commanded by Maj. Gen. Scott M. Sherman.
The task force, which has been the subject of controversy since it was deployed to the West Coast city after an eruption of violence stemming from immigration operations carried out by ICE, will now be comprised of 4,100 National Guardsmen and 700 active duty Marines.
Gov. Gavin Newsom last week sued the Trump administration for deploying troops to California in the first place, accusing the president of having "commandeered" 2,000 of the state’s National Guard members "illegally, for no reason" without consulting with California’s law enforcement leaders.
"The INCOMPETENT Governor of California was unable to provide protection in a timely manner when our Ice Officers, GREAT Patriots they are, were attacked by an out of control mob of agitators, troublemakers, and/or insurrectionists," Trump said on TRUTH Social in response to the lawsuit. "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled in favor of Newsom.
An appellate court is currently reviewing the matter.
Northern Command said that the troops will not be used in a civilian law enforcement capacity, but rather they will "provide Task Force 51 with adequate numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the lead federal agency."
"The soldiers are completing training on de-escalation, crowd control, and use of the standing rules for the use of force in advance of joining the federal protection mission," the release said.
"This is clean up from the Pentagon," Newsom spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday morning statement. "This isn’t a new deployment — it’s the same group of soldiers who have been diverted from critical wildfire work and work at the border, now twiddling their thumbs for Donald Trump’s political theater. This is the deployment of the second set of 2,000 federalized Guard soldiers, under the June 9 order. The description of what they are and aren’t going to be doing is meant to be consistent with their legal position, rather than the immigration enforcement support we’ve seen them doing in Los Angeles."
About two weeks ago, riots erupted in Paramount, California, just south of Los Angeles, after ICE conducted immigration sweeps in the city. Those riots quickly spread north, leading to several nights of showdowns between law enforcement and unruly bad actors.
Stores in downtown Los Angeles were broken into and looted, and some of the downtown area was vandalized with anti-ICE and anti-Trump graffiti.
Several "Kill Trump" messages were graffitied in the city's downtown. The U.S. Secret Service told Fox News Digital last week it was "aware" of the threatening messages.
Meanwhile, violent behavior continues to flare up.
A mob of 100 looters ransacked an AutoZone in southern Los Angeles early Monday morning, resulting in the reported loss of $67,000 in merchandise.
Detectives are investigating whether the looting episode is related to a "street takeover."
#3
Given the Open Push Back and support of Illegals and their gangs, by LIBERAL DEMOCRAT STATES & CITIES. A reader could interpret their actions as open rebellion.
#4
And to think, if Harris had won, these riots would be the white supremacist Right rising up, with guns.
And their 58-year-old flabby out of shape asses would be getting kicked by fit soldiers, all the while screaming about DA JOOOOOZ who are really pulling the strings in DC.
But instead the feds are being used against the Demos like Eisenhower did to forcibly integrate schools in the 50s.
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.
...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
...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 
...
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
...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 
[GEO.TV] A fire broke out on Tuesday at the headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran, the broadcaster said, a day after an Israeli strike severely damaged one of the buildings and killed three people.
...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 
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...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 
