At least 23 wounded by Iranian missile in Haifa Friday afternoon, woman dies of heart attack in Karmiel; Friday morning an Iranian missile hit Beersheba for 2nd day, wounding 7 after the IAF did its thing over Iran overnight
[IsraelTimes] Turkish president says buildup ‘ensures deterrence’ in light of recent developments; officials, analysts see little chance of war spreading to Turkey, but fear regional arms race
The escalating Iran-Israel confrontation is quickly reaching "the point of no return," Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... said on Friday and announced plans by Ankara to boost production of medium- and long-range missiles so no country dares attack The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... member, but not the most reliable... , sparking fears of a regional arms race.
Iran and Israel have been at war for eight days after Israel, claiming that the Islamic Theocratic Republic — sworn to Israel’s destruction — was on the brink of acquiring a nuclear weapon, launched a massive wave of strikes on its arch-rival, triggering an immediate response from Tehran.
"Unfortunately, the genocide in Gazoo and the conflict with Iran are quickly reaching the point of no return. This madness must end as soon as possible," Erdogan said, warning the consequences could affect the region, Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... and Asia "for many years."
"It is imperative that fingers are removed from the triggers and buttons before more destruction, bloodshed, civilian casualties and terrible disaster occur, that could affect our region, as well as Europe and Asia for years to come," he said.
His remarks were made at an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) youth forum in Istanbul ahead of a gathering of OIC foreign ministers over the weekend.
Among those due to attend was Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, with the ongoing crisis with Israel likely to feature high on the agenda at the two-day talks.
Erdogan also discussed the Israel-Iran war with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a telephone call on Friday, telling Merz that the Iranian nuclear issue can only be resolved through negotiations, according to Erdogan’s office.
Erdogan has indicated that Turkey needs to boost its deterrence capabilities to ensure nobody attacks the country amid the war, which began last week.
Following a cabinet meeting on Monday, he said: "We are making production plans to bring our medium- and long-range missile stockpiles to a level that ensures deterrence, in light of recent developments."
"God willing, in the not-too-distant future, we will reach a defense capacity that is so strong that no one will even dare to act tough toward us," Erdogan said.
In a separate address days later, the Ottoman Turkish leader highlighted Turkey’s progress in its domestically developed defense industry, which includes drones, fighter jets, armored vehicles and navy vessels, but stressed that continued effort was needed to ensure full deterrence.
Despite Ankara’s tense relations with Jerusalem, analysts and officials don’t see an immediate threat of the Israel-Iran war spreading into NATO-member Turkey. Still, some see Erdogan’s plans to increase missile production as a sign that the conflict could trigger a new arms race in the region, with countries not directly involved ramping up their military efforts to preempt future conflicts.
Ahmet Kasim Han, a professor of international relations at Istanbul’s Beykoz University, said Turkey was reacting to what he described as an unraveling world order.
"The Ottoman Turkish government is drifting toward what is the name of the game in the Middle East right now: an escalation of an arms race," said Han.
Israel and the US have set a high standard in aerial warfare, creating a technological gap that Turkey and others are eager to close, he said.
Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, a Turkey analyst at the German Marshall Fund think tank, said that "although Turkey has a very large army — the second largest in NATO — its air power, its air defense is relatively weaker."
The ongoing conflict has reinforced the importance of air superiority, including missiles and missile defense systems, prompting "countries in the region, including Turkey, to strengthen their air power," he said.
IRAN CONFLICT EFFECTS FURTHER DETERIORATION IN ISRAEL-TURKEY TIES
Since the start of the conflict, Erdogan has been scrambling to end the hostilities. He has held a flurry of phone calls with leaders, including US President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering to act as a "controller" for the resumption of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
There are deep concerns in Turkey that a prolonged conflict will cause energy disruptions and lead to refugee movement from Iran, with which it shares a 560 kilometer-long (348 mile) border.
Turkey relies heavily on energy imports, including from Iran, and rising oil prices due to the conflict could aggravate inflation and further strain its troubled economy.
Turkey has strongly assailed Israel’s Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s in Iran and said the Islamic Theocratic Republic has the right to defend itself. The strikes have triggered deadly Iranian missile attacks across Israel.
Once close allies, Turkey and Israel have grown deeply estranged, especially after the Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza. Erdogan, who supports Hamas, has been one of the fiercest critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct in the Strip.
Relations further deteriorated after the ouster in December of Syrian President Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... ’s government, as Israel grew increasingly wary of expanding Ottoman Turkish influence in Syria.
Earlier this year, however, Turkey and Israel established a "de-escalation mechanism" aimed at preventing conflict between their troops in Syria. The move came after Syria’s foreign ministry said that Israeli jets had struck a Syrian air base that Turkey reportedly hoped to use.
Israel hasn’t commented on Turkey’s announcement that it plans to ramp up missile production, but Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded to Erdogan’s criticisms of Israel over its attack on Iran in an X post on Wednesday. He accused Erdogan of having "imperialist ambitions" and of having "set a record in suppressing the freedoms and rights of his citizens, as well as his country’s opposition."
Erdogan’s nationalist ally, Devlet Bahceli, suggested that Turkey was a potential target for Israel, accusing the country of strategically "encircling" Turkey with its military actions. He didn’t elaborate.
Analysts say, however, that such statements were for "domestic consumption" to garner support amid growing anti-Israel sentiment in Turkey.
"I don’t think that Israel has any interest in attacking Turkey, or Turkey has any interest in a conflict with Israel," Han said.
[IsraelTimes] Order will allow international students to continue studying at Ivy League university while case plays out in court; US president claims deal possible ‘over the next week or so’.
The order by District Judge Allison Burroughs will allow international students to continue to attend the elite university while a lawsuit filed by Harvard plays out in the courts.
Sure, but the mind of international students who go to Harvard really, really dislike uncertainty. So every time a judge changes things in either direction, more international students look at transferring somewhere else. So President Trump wins, whether his win is finals or he is handed a loss that can be appealed or reworked as the next stage of the proceedings.
Q: Didn’t Elon Musk recently offer limited but free Starlink to Iranians to enable them to communicate despite the government internet blackout?
A: Yes he did — we had the story here a week ago.
[IsraelTimes] Iranians seeing only images of missiles hitting Israel amid fears from the regime that the public could rise up when they see how the leadership has been weakened
As the war between Israel and Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... hits the one-week mark, Iranians have spent nearly half of the conflict in a near-communication blackout, unable to connect not only with the outside world but also with their neighbors and loved ones across the country.
Civilians are left unaware of when and where Israel will strike next, despite Israeli forces issuing evacuation warnings through their Persian-language online channels.
When the strikes hit, disconnected phone and web services mean not knowing for hours or days if their family or friends are among the victims, even though Israelis jets have been targeting Iran’s military leadership, air defenses, nuclear and missile programs and not firing into random civilian areas like Iran’s missile strikes on Israel
That’s left many scrambling on various social media apps to see what’s happening — again, only a glimpse of life able to reach the internet in a nation of over 80 million people.
Activists see it as a form of psychological warfare for a nation all too familiar with state information controls and targeted internet shutdowns during protests and unrest.
"The Iranian regime controls the information sphere really, really tightly," Marwa Fatafta, the Berlin-based policy and advocacy director for digital rights group Access Now, said in an interview with The News Agency that Dare Not be Named. "We know why the Iranian regime shuts down. It wants to control information. So their goal is quite clear."
WAR WITH ISRAEL TIGHTENS INFORMATION SPACE
But this time, it’s happening during a deadly conflict that erupted on June 13 with Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 maimed, according to a Washington-based group called Human Rights Activists.
Iran has retaliated by firing more than 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli military estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel’s multitiered air defenses, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds of others maimed. Guidance from Israeli authorities, as well as round-the-clock news broadcasts, flows freely and consistently to Israeli citizens, creating in the last seven days an uneven picture of the death and destruction brought by the war.
The Iranian government contended Friday that it was Israel who was "waging a war on truth and human conscience." In a post on X, a social media platform blocked for many of its citizens, Iran’s Foreign Ministry falsely asserted Israel banned foreign media from covering missile strikes.
The statement added that Iran would organize "global press tours to expose Israel’s war crimes" in the country. Iran is one of the world’s top jailer of journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, and in the best of times, news hounds face strict restrictions.
Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org reported on Friday that Iran had been disconnected from the global internet for 36 hours, with its live metrics showing that national connectivity remained at only a few percentage points of normal levels. The group said a handful of users have been able to maintain connectivity through virtual private networks.
FEW AVENUES EXIST TO GET INFORMATION
Those lucky few have become lifelines for Iranians left in the dark. In recent days, those who have gained access to mobile internet for a limited time describe using that fleeting opportunity to make calls on behalf of others, checking in on elderly parents and grandparents, and locating those who have fled Tehran.
The only access to information Iranians do have is limited to websites in the Islamic Theocratic Republic. Meanwhile,
...back at the alley, Bugs Moroni was holding Slats from behind while his brother Greasy Thumb was pounding his face into paste ... Iran’s state-run television and radio stations offer irregular updates on what’s happening inside the country, instead focusing their time on the damage wrought by their strikes on Israel.
The lack of information going in or out of Iran is stunning, considering that the advancement of technology in recent decades has only brought far-flung conflicts in Ukraine, the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip and elsewhere directly to a person’s phone anywhere in the world.
That direct line has been seen by experts as a powerful tool to shift public opinion about any ongoing conflict and potentially force the international community to take a side. It has also turned into real action from world leaders under public and online pressure to act or use their power to bring an end to the fighting.
But Mehdi Yahyanejad, a key figure in promoting internet freedom in Iran, said that the Islamic Theocratic Republic is seeking to "purport an image" of strength, one that depicts only the narrative that Israel is being destroyed by sophisticated Iranian weapons that include ballistic missiles with multiple warheads.
"I think most likely they’re just afraid of the internet getting used to cause mass unrest in the next phase of whatever is happening," Yahayanejad said. "I mean, some of it could be, of course, planned by the Israelis through their agents on the ground, and some of this could be just a spontaneous unrest by the population once they figure out that the Iranian government is badly weakened.
#2
Iran's new Starlink service only works for text messages.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
06/21/2025 8:55
Comments ||
Top||
#3
the Israeli's have a blackout on reporting missile impacts
Israel’s news media report where and how bad with plenty of photos within hours of each impact, Clem+Elmish4239, all of it picked up and blasted round the world b the international press. We’ve been overwhelmed by a collection of domestic and international reports daily since this thing began — we’ve been going short of sleep here, trying to keep up.
[IsraelTimes] Israel on Friday launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran and appeared to continue its campaign against Iran’s nuclear program, with reports emerging from Tehran that an IDF drone targeted and killed an Iranian nuclear scientist who had been holed up in a safe house.
The strike came as Defense Minister Israel Katz said that he instructed the IDF to "intensify strikes on regime targets in Tehran" to "destabilize" the Iranian regime.
An Iranian news website said a drone had struck an apartment in a residential building in central Tehran on Friday, but did not give details.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the scientist who was attacked specialized in weaponry and was being kept in a hiding spot outside of his home. An official speaking to the Journal refused to provide the scientist’s name.
The Israel Defense Forces have not yet commented on the reported strike, but the military has already confirmed the liquidation of 10 Iranian nuclear scientists who were killed during the opening attack of Israel’s campaign 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... in "Operation Narnia."
The air campaign also saw some 25 Israeli fighter jets destroy on Friday morning some 35 missile launchers and storage sites in Iran’s Tabriz and Kermanshah, the military said. The IDF issued evacuation orders to local residents the previous night.
The IDF also said on Friday that air force strikes in Tehran earlier in the week struck Iran’s "Internal Security headquarters" and the headquarters of Iran’s "special internal security unit," which are part of Iran’s armed forces.
Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s also reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early Friday, Iranian media reported. The Israeli military had warned the public to flee the area around Rasht’s Industrial City, southwest of the city’s downtown. But with Iran’s internet shut off to the outside world, it’s unclear just how many people could see the message.
Moreover, the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday in a post on X that it has information that key buildings at Iran’s Arak heavy water research site in Khondab were damaged in Israeli strikes, including the distillation unit.
The information is an update on an assessment from Thursday, in which the IAEA said the reactor had been hit, but there were no radiological effects.
Iran did not immediately acknowledge the losses, and has not discussed the damage done so far to its military in the weeklong war.
[IsraelTimes] Hamas-run health agencies claim at least 44 Gazans killed by IDF, including 25 who waiting for aid in central Strip; in response, army says suspected terrorists had approached troops
An Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip this week eliminated a senior commander in the Mujahideen Brigades terror group, who was involved in burying the bodies of slain hostages Gadi Haggai and Judih Weinstein, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday.
The IDF said Ali Saadi Wasfi al-Agha was killed in a strike on a hideout in central Gaza on Monday.
Al-Agha headed the terror group’s southern Gaza unit and was set to take over the organization after its leader, Asaad Abu Sharia, was killed in a strike earlier this month, according to the military.
"Al-Agha, along with other senior members of the terror group, led the abduction, murder, holding in captivity and burial of Israeli civilians" during the October 7, 2023, onslaught, the military continued.
He was specifically responsible for the burial of Haggai and Judih Weinstein, Israeli hostages whose bodies were recovered from al-Agha’s home in Khan Younis this month, said the IDF.
Al-Agha was also involved in "directing terror activity under Iranian guidance" in the West Bank and Israel, and recruiting terror operatives, as well as carrying out attacks on troops in Gaza.
In a separate statement later Friday, the IDF also announced that it had killed the chief of Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... ’s finances and an aide to former deputy military wing chief Marwan Issa in an airstrike in central Gaza this week.
Ibrahim Abu-Shamala was struck on Tuesday.
The IDF said "Abu-Shamala served as the financial chief of the military wing of the Hamas terror organization" and was an aide to Issa until he was killed in a strike in March 2024.
"As part of his role, he planned and oversaw the military wing’s budget during the war and implemented it by transferring and smuggling terrorist funding worth millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip for the military wing," the IDF said.
"With these funds, Abu Shumala contributed to Hamas’s rearming and enabled the distribution of salaries to the Hamas organization’s terrorists, providing meaningful support for Hamas’ ongoing terrorist activity throughout the war," it added.
This past week, amid the conflict with Iran, the IDF said it struck some 300 "terror targets" in Gaza, including operatives, buildings used by terror groups, weapon depots, and missile and sniper posts.
Also Friday, a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip hit an open area near the border community of Be’eri, resulting in no injuries.
Meanwhile,
...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Nunzio wondered: Where the hell was Chumbaloni? And where was his $600?... health officials in the Hamas-controlled enclave claimed Israeli forces killed at least 44 people on Friday, including at least 25 who had gathered near an aid distribution center south of Netzarim in central Gaza.
Gazook outlets in the territory reported that IDF gunfire also injured dozens more, in the latest in a string of deadly incidents involving aid seekers in the Paleostinian territory.
The reports did not specify whether the incident occurred near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution center, the US- and Israel-backed aid distribution body, although there is one in the area. Aid trucks from other organizations including the UN also move through the area.
Commenting on the incident, the Israel Defense Forces said troops fired warning shots at suspected holy warriors who advanced in a crowd toward them. Israeli aircraft then fired a missile and "eliminated the suspects," it said in a statement.
The military said it was aware that people other than the suspected holy warriors were hurt and it was conducting a review. GHF said the incident did not occur at or near its distribution location.
On Thursday, 95 humanitarian aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced. The trucks underwent an inspection by Israeli authorities before entering Gaza via the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said that on Friday it distributed 31,680 boxes of food — amounting to 33 truckloads — at three different sites in Rafah, Khan Younis and central Gaza. According to GHF, the boxes contain enough food for 5.5 people for 3.5 days, but the contents are dry food products that need to be prepared elsewhere in war-ravaged Gaza, where community kitchens and cooking supplies are limited
The World Food Program says roughly 300 trucks a day are needed to serve Gaza’s population, which IDF officials acknowledged was on the brink of starvation before it resumed allowing aid in last month.
Since Israel resumed allowing in aid, 1,879 trucks have entered the Strip.
[IsraelTimes] CIA director cited saying Tehran ‘very close’ to nuclear weapons; US officials tell NY Times assassination of Khamenei, US strike on Fordo could prompt breakout to bomb
Despite Iran’s development of a large stockpile of enriched uranium that cannot serve any peaceful purpose, US intelligence agencies continue to differ with more foreboding Israeli assessments that the Islamic Theocratic Republic is actively pursuing a nuclear weapon, according to a Thursday report.
According to The New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... , the Mosssd ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... believes that 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... could assemble a nuclear weapon within 15 days, while US assessments are more conservative, estimating it would take Tehran several months or up to a year to make a bomb, and that it is not currently actively pursuing one.
Citing intelligence and other US officials, the report said the current US assessment has not changed since the issue was last evaluated in March, even though Israel has since launched an extensive bombing campaign against Iran’s nuclear facilities, research centers and scientists, along with its ballistic missile program and other military infrastructure.
Senior US intelligence officials cited in the report, however, that Tehran could decide to actively break out to the bomb should Israel assassinate Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> Israel has not ruled out killing Khamenei, with Defense Minister Israel Katz saying on Thursday at the site of an Iranian missile strike that the Iranian leader "cannot continue to exist."
A second possible instigator of an Iranian breakout, mentioned in the report, would be a US attack on Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Fordo.
The site, located north of the city of Qom, is buried deep underground underneath a mountain, leading experts to assess that only bunker buster bombs, possessed exclusively by the US, could destroy the facility. However,
a clean conscience makes a soft pillow... Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview on Thursday that Israel could destroy Fordo without US assistance.
The White House said on Thursday that US President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... would decide within the next two weeks whether to join the Israeli offensive against Iran.
The announcement came following an intelligence briefing in which CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Iran was very close to attaining an atomic bomb, the report said, noting that he was echoing the Mossad assessments.
While some senior US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, said that new information has come in since intelligence agencies declared in March that Iran was not seeking a weapon, officials were quoted as saying that Vance was, in fact, referring to new analysis of existing information.
On June 13, Israel launched a campaign of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s in Iran to decimate its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which Jerusalem characterized as an imminent, existential threat. Iran has responded with deadly barrages of ballistic missiles at civilian population centers and military targets in Israel.
A Washington-based Iranian human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 maimed.
#3
15 to 365+ days.
Either way, any day that these murderous Islamic Radicals, with their openly stated and aggressive agenda, acquire a Nuke (Clean or Dirty), it is 1 day too soon.
BTW: Remember when the USSR broke up, they lost a bunch of nukes (100). Of which 18 were highly enriched uranium hand-carry nukes, that a suicide bomber could carry. I wonder who has them and if IRAN could buy one?
#9
It’s my understanding that underground nuclear tests were 300 meters deep to preclude the explosion significantly breaking the surface. That suggests a greater kiloton bomb would need to be used to reach 300 meters deep (although collapsing the deep tunnels may be possible). A surface blast would create significant fallout. What direction is the wind blowing in 2 weeks?
18/06/2025
[ShabelleMedia] Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... security forces have seized the last remaining hideouts of Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (IS) Lions of Islam in the Baallade valley of the Calmiskaad mountains in Puntland’s Bari region, officials said Wednesday.
The forces launched a coordinated offensive from multiple directions, securing all water wells and positions previously held by fleeing IS fighters from the nearby Miraale valley, according to a statement from the Puntland regional administration.
Security sources in Puntland told local media that troops are still pursuing a small number of IS Lions of Islam who narrowly escaped the recent operation and remain in the surrounding area, monitoring the movements of Puntland forces.
The Puntland military continues efforts to secure the area and prevent Lions of Islam from regrouping or launching further attacks.
Puntland says ISIS Leader Escaped Amid Ongoing Offensive in Cal-Miskaad Mountains
16-06-2025
[Garowe] Authorities in Somalia’s northeastern Federal State of Puntland confirmed that Abdulkadir Mumin, the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) branch in Somalia, has fled the Cal-Miskaad mountain range amid an ongoing military offensive.
The spokesperson for Operation Hillaac, Gen. Mahmoud Ahmed Faadhigo, told local media that intelligence shared by international partners revealed Mumin had escaped the area earlier, although the exact timing and method of his departure remain unclear.
“Abdulkadir Mumin is no longer in Cal-Miskaad,” Faadhigo said, noting that security forces have regained control of 98% of the mountain range, which has been a stronghold for ISIS fighters over the past six months.
While the group's top leader has reportedly escaped, his deputy, Abdirahman Faahiye Isse Mahmoud — the operational commander of ISIS in Somalia — is believed to still be hiding in the area. “We are confident our forces will soon apprehend him,” Faadhigo added.
Due to the difficult terrain, which is inaccessible to vehicles and lacks suitable airstrips, US warplanes have airdropped troops, supplies, and military equipment to Puntland forces actively engaged in counterterrorism operations against entrenched ISIS fighters in the area.
In addition to logistical support, US aircraft have carried out heavy airstrikes targeting ISIS bases and infrastructure in the mountainous region, significantly degrading the extremist group’s operational capabilities.
This military assistance forms part of a broader security partnership between the US and the Puntland administration aimed at dismantling ISIS networks and enhancing regional stability.
Puntland forces have been conducting intense ground operations to reclaim territory from militants who have long used the Calmiskaad mountains as a stronghold.
The operation is seen as a crucial step in curbing the threat posed by ISIS in northeastern Somalia, improving security in the Bari region and Puntland as a whole.
Speaking before the Puntland parliament, Deni said militants aimed to establish the remote mountain range in northeastern Somalia as a base for directing extremist attacks worldwide.
"The terrorists planned to make Cal-Miskaad the main base for directing heinous acts around the world, but the courageous forces of Puntland dismantled that plot,” he said.
Deni added that the fourth phase of the region’s ongoing counterterrorism operation is scheduled to begin Monday. The campaign will target remaining militant-held positions and prepare for Operation Onkod, a major offensive focused on the nearby Cal-Madaw mountains.
Puntland forces have been battling both ISIS and al-Shabab militants entrenched in rugged terrain. In December 2024, Puntland launched Operation Hilaac in the Cal-Miskaad mountains, killing several foreign fighters and reclaiming large areas from ISIS control.
Puntland Forces Capture Turkish ISIS Fighter Amid Major Anti-Terror Offensive
14-06-2025
[Garowe] The Puntland Counter-Terrorism Forces have arrested a Turkish national fighting with the ISIS militants group in the northeastern state of Somalia, a significant step towards defeating the terrorists who have been on the receiving end for the last five months.
Puntland Defense Forces, working closely with the US Africa Command and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Forces, have managed to penetrate the Cal-Miskaad mountains, a major stronghold of the ISIS terrorists since the start of the Hilaac operation in December 2024.
Photos published by the Puntland Television show a Turkish national believed to be a member of ISIS militants in the remote Cal Miskaad mountains, where a security operation is ongoing in what is currently known as Operation Lightning.
The man was reportedly carrying an AK-47 and was collecting water from a well when troops spotted him within Baalade valley, Bari region, which is a major stronghold of the ISIS terrorists, whose presence in the state has drastically waned.
It may not be a surprise because since the operation started in December 2024, many foreign nationals, especially fighters from Yemen, Morocco, Ethiopia, and even Kenya, have been either killed or captured in Puntland state.
With the intelligence reports suggesting a growing number of foreign nationals fighting alongside ISIS militants in Somalia, the regional government of Puntland instructed locals to report foreigners within key towns and market centers in the state for action.
Several foreigners were arrested following the order, with a number of them currently in police custody as investigations continue. Puntland maintains that the victory against ISIS militants is inevitable while accusing the federal government of Somalia of failing to support the troops.
The US and the United Arab Emirates have been providing aerial surveillance throughout the operations, managing to eliminate several terrorists. In February, President Donald Trump announced the death of a key ISIS fighter following an operation.
Last year, the Americans thought they had eliminated Abdulkadir Mumin, the ISIS global leader, but intelligence reports suggested otherwise. The group, however, has lost the strategic Cal-Miskaad mountains, which served as their command base.
A few days ago, the Puntland forces took control of areas along the Sadow, Cadalle, and Raa-raha valleys in Baallade (Calmiskaad) after 3 days of air and ground Operations. Several ISIS terrorists were killed, and weapons and equipment were seized, officials said.
Turkey is a major security and development partner of Somalia, and the news about its national serving alongside ISIS militants could trigger national debate. Turkey trains the elite Gorgor troops who are critical in the fight against Al-Shabaab within the southern and central regions.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has routinely worked with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on counterterrorism strategies, with Somalia being a huge beneficiary. Hassan Sheikh is under intense criticism over his approach in the fight against terror groups.
Thirty-four minute video interview can be watched at the link or on YouTube here.
[IsraelTimes] Welcome to The Times of Israel’s newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what’s behind the news that spins the globe.
Israel has experience in attempting to stop a nuclear weapons program. Twice before striking Iran on June 13, 2025, Israel attempted to thwart two neighboring nations’ nascent nuclear programs.
This week on the Friday Focus, we’re talking about the covert surprise 1981 Operation Opera in Iraq and the 2007 Israeli airstrike on Syria, called Operation Outside the Box or Operation Orchard.
Berman fills us in on the back story of both, and weighs in on how successful they were, of course, with an eye to the current Israel-Iran war and Israel’s goal to stop Iran from reaching a nuclear bomb.
We learn how Operation Opera, also known as Operation Babylon, took place under prime minister Menachem Begin on June 7, 1981, at 16:00 when 14 fighter jets departed from Etzion (Efrat) Airport in Israel. At approximately 17:30, they struck and destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq, and within about 90 seconds of bombing, they successfully completed their mission.
Berman speaks about the resultant “Begin Doctrine,” which, since 1981, guides Israel in how it reacts to imminent threats of weapons of mass destruction.
We then turn to the second preemptive strike that Israel carried out to stop the bomb in 2007, under prime minister Ehud Olmert. Ten Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-15 fighter jets, along with F-16 fighters and electronic-warfare aircraft, bombed a Syrian radar site and took over Syrian air defenses, feeding them a false picture of empty skies.
We discuss the overriding themes of both operations and compare them with what is currently happening in the Israel-Iran war.
17-06-2025
[Garowe] The Somali National Army (SNA) has confirmed the death of a senior commander of the Al-Shabaab militants, who have been fighting to control the country for the last two decades, but have been periodically subdued on the frontlines.
Abaas Mohamed Hool was eliminated by the Somali National Army following years of tracking by intelligence teams in the country, having been linked to masterminding deadly attacks within the capital, Mogadishu, and Shabelle regions.
Senior security officers said Hool died after sustaining serious injuries in an operation that was launched by the Somali National Army. His health deteriorated significantly, leading to his death, officials said.
A veteran militant, Hool joined the militant group in 2007 and rose through the ranks to become one of its most notorious operatives. He was earmarked for arrest and or elimination for the last two decades in the country.
Multiple security sources said he was implicated in various attacks, mostly targeting civilians and public institutions within Mogadishu. His activities disrupted businesses, besides leading to the deaths of innocent civilians.
“Abas Mohamed Hool, a top operative [was] responsible for Al-Shabaab’s plots and terror activities in the Banadir region and both Shabelle provinces,” the statement read
19/06/2025
[ShabelleMedia] Dozens of clan-based fighters known as “Macawiisley” have reportedly surrendered to the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group in parts of Somalia’s central Middle Shabelle region, local sources said on Thursday.
The defections come in the wake of a significant withdrawal of Somali government and African Union forces from several key areas, including the strategic village of Xawaadleey, which was recently abandoned after flooding from the Shabelle River.
According to local elders and officials, the Macawiisley fighters had long relied on logistical and military support from Burundian troops stationed in the area. Following the troop withdrawal, the fighters were left without supplies or reinforcements, prompting some to negotiate their surrender to Al-Shabaab.
“More than 20 of our fighters have surrendered to Al-Shabaab,” a Macawiisley spokesperson confirmed, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. “They had no choice after support was cut off.”
Local elders are said to be playing a key role in mediating between the clan militias and the Islamist group to ensure a peaceful handover. Witnesses report that Al-Shabaab has disarmed those who surrendered and absorbed them into its ranks or detained them.
The Macawiisley militia, composed largely of local clan volunteers, had been fighting Al-Shabaab in the region for several years with government backing. Their recent collapse marks a significant gain for the militants, who have intensified their campaign in central Somalia amid faltering counter-insurgency efforts.
13/06/2025
[ShabelleMedia] Somalia has signaled a major shift in its foreign policy by strengthening diplomatic ties with Russia while distancing itself from its traditional international allies.
In a notable move, the Speaker of Somalia’s Upper House, Abdi Hashi Abdullahi, paid an official visit to Moscow, where he met with the Chairman of the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin. The discussions focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation in the areas of security, economy, and political affairs.
The visit comes amid Somalia’s growing discontent with the C6+ group – an informal international coalition including the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, United Nations, African Union, IGAD, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sweden.
This week, the Somali government formally called for the dissolution of the group, arguing that its existence perpetuates the notion of external control over Somali affairs and undermines the country’s political sovereignty.
The twin developments mark a clear pivot in Somalia’s foreign strategy — away from long-standing Western partners and toward emerging alliances with countries such as Russia. Somali officials have characterized the new approach as one grounded in mutual respect, equality, and shared interests.
While no formal agreements with Russia have yet been announced, the tone and symbolism of the high-level meetings in Moscow suggest that the Kremlin could become a key strategic partner for Mogadishu in the coming years.
[Breitbart] Vice President JD Vance warned Democrat governors that if they allow rioters to “burn great American cities to the ground,” the Trump administration would “send federal law enforcement in to protect the people.”
While speaking from Los Angeles, Vance explained that the “good news” was that the rioting in Los Angeles had “gotten a lot better.” Vance added that he had “heard from everybody” that the soldiers and U.S. Marines who had been deployed to quell the violence of the Los Angeles riots were “still very much a necessary part” of what was happening.
Vance also criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for having “actively encouraged illegal migration,” and accused them of having “strained” law enforcement and public services in the community.
When asked about his reaction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruling that President Donald Trump was allowed to federalize the California National Guard, Vance explained that the Ninth Circuit basically said that federalizing of the National Guard “was a completely legitimate and proper use of federal law enforcement.”
“The President has a very simple proposal, to everybody and every city, every community, every town — whether big or small, if you enforce your own laws, and if you protect federal law enforcement, we’re not going to send in the National Guard because it’s unnecessary,” Vance explained. “But, if you let violent rioters burn great American cities to the ground, then of course we’re going to send federal law enforcement in to protect the people the president was elected to protect.”
As Breitbart News previously reported, on Thursday, in a 38-page opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that Trump was allowed to federalize the California National Guard.
Earlier this month, as riots broke out in Los Angeles, Trump federalized 2,000 California National Guardsmen to quell the violence. In response to Trump deploying the National Guard, Democrats such as former Vice President Kamala Harris and Newsom described the move as a “dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos.”
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell later revealed that an “additional 2,000 California National Guard” were being federalized.
Additionally, the Trump administration also sent hundreds of U.S. Marines to Los Angeles to support the California National Guard.
[BREITBART] Fifty-five illegal aliens were arrested during an operation targeting illegal cockfighting in Blount County, Alabama, on Saturday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Monday.
The agency said the Gulf of America Homeland Security Task Force partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency for the joint operation:
The multiagency team executed search warrants related to the prohibition of animal fighting ventures, presence of illegal aliens, and the prohibition of illegal gambling. The Homeland Security Task Force is comprised of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, IRS ...the Internal Revenue Service; that office of the United States government that collects taxes and persecutes the regime's political enemies... , Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, and supported by the United States Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection, ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations and the United States Attorney's Office.
ICE said 60 people were arrested, 55 of whom are illegal aliens, and the remaining five are American citizens. Four of the illegal aliens were charged for illegally re-entering the country after they had been deported.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/21/2025
09:10 ||
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#1
So will PETA denounce these ILLEGALS for animal cruelty, or will they remain quiet and make a special exception?
[BREITBART] An Iranian missile that hit Haifa, Israel, on Friday morning damaged a historic local mosque and injured several imams who were there.
Shortly after sunrise, 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... launched a barrage of 20-30 missiles in three waves, according to Israel's Army Radio. Sirens were sounded in the north, and then throughout the entire country. Most of the missiles were intercepted by Israel's air defenses; the missile that hit the port city of Haifa, where Arabs and Jews live side-by-side, was the only one that caused injuries on the ground.
It turns out that one of the damaged buildings was the al-Jreena Mosque, one of the most important Moslem houses of worship in the city.
Moslemholy mans, or imams, were in the mosque, presumably ahead of weekly juma'ah services held on Fridays.
Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, condemned the attack on civilian population centers, and on a religious building in particular, as ''war crimes'' by the Iranian regime.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/21/2025
09:09 ||
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[BIZPACREVIEW] An Obama judge on Tuesday held Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in civil contempt of court for not following her orders.
In early April, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a 14-day restraining order blocking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' new law, signed in February, making it a state crime for illegal aliens to enter his state.
Williams issued the temporary restraining order (TRO) in response to a suit filed by the Florida Immigrant Coalition, according to Fox News.
After discovering that the Florida Highway Patrol had, despite her TRO, arrested over a dozen people, including a citizen, using the new law, she extended the restraining order by another 11 days.
During an April 18 hearing, Williams also ordered Uthmeier to notify all Florida law enforcement officers of her order. The AG reportedly initially complied with a letter to law enforcement, but with a twist.
''In the notice, the attorney general said he disagreed with the order, calling it 'both wrong on the merits and overbroad on its scope,''' according to The Independent.
He added that his office would ''continue to press these scope-of-relief arguments in the district court and, as appropriate, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.''
On April 23, he sent a follow-up letter to law enforcement telling them that ''no judicial order—properly restrains you from'' enforcing the new law, adding that he had no intention of trying to ''prevent you from enforcing'' the challenged law.
''It is my view that no lawful, legitimate order currently impedes your agencies from continuing to enforce Florida's new illegal entry and reentry laws,'' he wrote.
[THECONSERVATIVETREEHOUSE] While it is a strong win, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision to fully stay the lower court order was not unexpected. The temporary restraining order issued by District Judge Charles Breyer was obviously political and legally weak, very weak.
The Ninth CCA simply affirmed that a violent mostly peaceful crisis was afoot in Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,; federal officials and buildings were under attack; the local police and state government did nothing to stop it; so President Trump took legally authorized action to intervene, and took control of the national guard.
The decision is not complicated. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously concluded President Trump lawfully exercised his authority in federalizing control of the guard. The ruling affirmed the Trump administration presented enough evidence to show it had a rationale for doing so, citing violent mostly peaceful acts by protesters.
''The undisputed facts demonstrate that before the deployment of the National Guard, protesters 'pinned down' several federal officers and threw 'concrete chunks, bottles of liquid, and other objects' at the officers. Protesters also damaged federal buildings and caused the closure of at least one federal building. And a federal van was attacked by protesters who smashed in the van's windows,'' the court wrote. ''The federal government's interest in preventing incidents like these is significant.''
The court also found that even if the federal government failed to notify the governor of California before federalizing the National Guard as required by law, Newsom had no power to veto the president's order. A common sense straightforward interpretation of the law.
[FOXNEWS] President Donald Trump ...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!... announced on Friday he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... had secured a "wonderful" treaty between Rwanda and Congo, as Pakistain formally nominated him for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
"I am very happy to report that I have arranged, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a wonderful Treaty between the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material... , and the Republic of Rwanda, in their War, which was known for violent mostly peaceful bloodshed and death, more so even than most other Wars, and has gone on for decades," Trump wrote in a Truth Social announcement.
The president noted representatives from Rwanda and the Congo will be in Washington on Monday to sign documents.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/21/2025
09:00 ||
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Sucking up to The Big Guy, because they think he’s simple. Not that the Nobel Prize Committee is likely to give it to him — they’ve made it clear they don’t like him, and they’d rejected his nomination for the thing the last time he was president.
[OffThePress] Pakistan Nominates ‘Genuine Peacemaker’ Trump For Nobel Prize
Pakistan government has formally nominated US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his “decisive diplomatic engagement and pivotal leadership” during the 2025 India-Pakistan crisis, which it credits with preventing a potentially catastrophic conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations.
In a formal statement posted on the government’s verified account, Islamabad praised Trump for what it called a critical intervention that led to a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, preventing what could have escalated into a full-scale regional war.
President Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship by engaging both Islamabad and New Delhi at a critical moment. “His efforts led to a ceasefire that averted a catastrophic conflict,” the statement said.
Pakistan said the crisis began with what it described as “unprovoked and unlawful Indian aggression” that violated its sovereignty and caused significant civilian casualties. In response, Islamabad launched Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos, described as a “measured and precise military response” aimed at restoring deterrence while minimizing harm to civilians.
As tensions rose rapidly, Pakistan claimed it was Trump’s “back-channel diplomacy” that helped de-escalate the situation and restore calm.
Posted by: Mercutio ||
06/21/2025
08:34 ||
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[Jpost] The US military is ready to carry out any decision that President Donald Trump may make on Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday.
American B-2 stealth bombers took off from the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri towards a strategic base in Guam in the western Pacific, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported on Saturday.
The bombers were reportedly accompanied by four Boeing KC-46 Pegasus refueling aircraft. Two of them have already performed refueling for the B2 aircraft over the Pacific Ocean, according to reports. The other two are about 75 kilometers behind them.
Two additional refueling aircraft took off from north of San Francisco and are heading north, the report added. Their next refueling point is said to be in Hawaii later.
[WND] Former President Barack Obama said at a forum Tuesday that the U.S. must address what he called misinformation and said government must regulate social media platforms to ensure facts are separated from opinions.
During an appearance on The Connecticut Forum's "An Evening with President Barack Obama," the former president said he worries about the current state of discourse and spoke of a growing disregard for facts. He said that this undermines trust in society.
"I've said this before, but I always repeat it. You and I can have an opinion about this little side table. You know, you might not like the design. You might not like the color or how it's finished, but we can have that discussion. If I say to you this is a lawnmower, you'll think I'm crazy," Obama said. "And if I really believe it, I'll think you're crazy. And we're now in a situation in which we are having these basic factual arguments. And that further undermines trust."
Obama then spoke of Vladimir Putin.
"Vladimir Putin and the KGB had a saying that was then adopted proudly by Steve Bannon, which was if you want propaganda to be effective [then] you don't have to convince people that what you are saying is true. You just have to flood the zone with so much poop. They use a different word. But you have to flood the zone with so much untruth, constantly, that at some point people don't believe anything," Obama added.
"So it doesn't matter if a candidate running for office just is constantly, just hypothetically, saying untrue things, or if an elected president claims that he won when he lost and that the system was rigged, but then when he wins, then it isn't rigged, because he won. It doesn't matter if everybody believes it. It just matters if everybody starts kind of throwing up their hands and saying 'Well, I guess it doesn't matter.'"
#4
You just have to flood the zone with so much poop. They use a different word. But you have to flood the zone with so much untruth, constantly, that at some point people don't believe anything," Obama added.
Says Mr. 25 # of shit in a 5 # bag
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/21/2025 10:01
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#5
This Mincing butthead can't even keep his wife from gnashing her donkey chompers in public, but wants to muzzle the citizenry. A bag of Richards for thee.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
06/21/2025 10:02
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#6
Hilarious it comes on the heels of Michelle saying she is glad she didn't have a son because he would have turned out like Barry.
I suppose asking for a recommendation for a chef is opinion.
[WND] Leftists, Marxists, activists for illegal immigration into America and even gangs have objected to President Donald Trump's agenda to secure America's borders and deport illegal alien criminals.
His plans come after Joe Biden essentially unlocked the doors, opened the borders and let millions of illegal aliens into America to take jobs, benefit from government social programs and more.
Trump's work has shown results: Statistics show during May border agents released no illegal aliens into the U.S., compared to more than 60,000 given that privilege under Biden a year earlier.
But this the agenda has come criticism, legal opposition, organization resistance and even riots, like those in Los Angeles that activists tried to spread across the country in their "No Kings" protests.
But one state now is offering an addition to Trump's program that takes will take a few breaths away.
It's proposed by Florida and it's called "Alligator Alcatraz," a secure detention facility to be located in the Everglades on land surrounded by alligators and pythons.
[WND] If extremism is a competition, Democrat lawmakers in Oregon are in the finals.
They arranged for a drag show to highlight their resolution, from Portland Rep. Travis Nelson, that honors the black drag industry in the state.
That’s an awfully specific form of decadence. Why are they prejudiced against Asians, Pacific Islanders, Latinos, blonds and redheads…
Oregon Live waxed eloquent about the event, with, "Isaiah Esquire danced his way through the Oregon House of Representatives on Wednesday to the sounds of Aretha Franklin, followed closely by fellow Black drag performer Aqua Flora, who held a pride flag aloft as they sashayed down the chamber's center aisle."
The report noted Speaker Pro Tempore David Gomberg said it was "appropriate" for lawmakers to applaud during the performance.
Nelson said, "Your presence, artistry and courage are a powerful reminder of the joy, resilience and cultural impact of drag in Oregon and beyond. Thank you for sharing your light with us this morning."
Nelson, as Oregon's first openly LGBTQ African American lawmaker, offered the self-promoting resolution weeks ago, pointing out that resolutions in the body rarely recognized members of the state's LGBTQ community.
[IRANINTL] Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed Israeli officials that he would be flying to Geneva for talks with European powers, as Israel currently controls Iranian airspace, ZDF reported Friday.
[ABC] Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson unloaded on her Supreme Court colleagues Friday in a series of sharp dissents, castigating what she called a "pure textualism" approach to interpreting laws, which she said had become a pretext for securing their desired outcomes, and implying the conservative justices have strayed from their oath by showing favoritism to "moneyed interests."
The attack on the court's conservative majority by the junior justice and member of the liberal wing is notably pointed and aggressive but stopped short of getting personal. It laid bare the stark divisions on the court and pent-up frustration in the minority over what Jackson described as inconsistent and unfair application of precedent by those in power. "I'm not a biologist. Or a genius"
Jackson took particular aim at Justice Neil Gorsuch's majority opinion in a case brought by a retired Florida firefighter with Parkinson's disease who had tried to sue under the Americans with Disabilities Act after her former employer, the City of Sanford, canceled extended health insurance coverage for retirees who left the force before serving 25 years because of a disability.
Wiki - Textualism is a formalist theory in which the interpretation of the law is based exclusively on the ordinary meaning of the legal text, where no consideration is given to non-textual sources, such as intention of the law when passed, the problem it was intended to remedy, or significant questions regarding the justice or rectitude of the law.[1]
#3
It's not "textualism" just because she says it is, although I give her credit for using a big word. The case of the 14th Amendment (at the Supreme Court) will be interesting. The discussions will be primarily about the authors' intent rather than modern interpretation.
#5
In Diamond Alternative Energy LLC v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Jackson dissented:
“I worry that the fuel industry’s gain comes at a reputational cost for this Court, which is already viewed by many as being overly sympathetic to corporate interests,” she wrote.Link
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/21/2025 8:43
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She really did just say forget law and proceedings, do what I say.
Here's yet another Black Woman In Charge, bringing down all Black People, shrieking about how reading is racist.
[Field Ethos] The year was 1896, and the newly minted British cavalry officer was reporting to his first operational posting in Bombay, India. He was 22 years old and justifiably terrified. Born into the English aristocracy, the ruddy youth, like so many rambunctious young men of means who had come before, sought out military service for its quickening and maturation. Now, amid the steaming, sweaty milieu that was imperial India, he was about to test his mettle.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Sandhurst had taught him the rudiments of how to be an officer. However, a lieutenant’s first posting is invariably a voyage of discovery. As the small boat puttered up to the quay, the enthusiastic young firebreather reached out to steady the vessel. In so doing, he badly wrenched his right shoulder.
The injury was agonizing. It also never fully healed. A severe rotator cuff tear back in the days before arthroscopic orthopedic surgery was the gift that kept on giving. This represented an ignominious start to the young officer’s military career.
[PJ Media] Have you wondered why the story of the Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter has suddenly vanished from the news? Now we have a pretty good idea why.
Boelter, who murdered State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband while also shooting State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, unleashed terror that sparked a massive manhunt before his capture late Sunday. Initial media coverage was rife with speculation, with left-leaning outlets eager to cast Boelter as a MAGA Republican, hastily blaming the GOP and even President Donald Trump for inciting his shooting spree.
Yet the letter found in Boelter’s abandoned vehicle tells a radically different story, one that not only exposes the media’s rush to judgment and political opportunism but sudden drop in coverage.
According to Minnesota’s largest newspaper, the Star-Tribune, Boelter believed he was acting under the supposed orders of Democrat Gov. Tim Walz. Boelter’s incoherent letter, about a page and a half long, bizarrely claimed that killing Sen. Amy Klobuchar was necessary to clear the way for Walz to run for the U.S. Senate.
[Townhall] Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, released their first statement after being shot last week by a gunman accused of murdering Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, the same day.
In the statement, the two describe having attended the Humphrey Mondale dinner on June 13th, returning home that evening to their daughter, Hope. Around 2 a.m., they woke up to pounding on the door and a man identifying himself as a police officer. All three were in the entryway when the door opened, with John getting hit nine times as he lunged toward the gunman. That’s when Yvette stepped in to push the attacker out and shut the door. And while she was successful, she was shot eight times during her efforts.
"Hope then rushed to shut the door and secured the lock; she got to the phone and shared with the 911 operator that Senator John Hoffman had been shot in his home," explained the statement, reported by KARE 11. "Her brave actions and quick thinking triggered the notice to public safety officials that a politically-motivated act was potentially underway."
As the Department of Justice explained, law enforcement was in the process of conducting a welfare check on the Hortmans when the attacker opened fire.
Boelter then traveled to the homes of two other Minnesota elected officials, still disguised as a law enforcement officer. Boelter did not manage to make contact with either of those officials or their families.
Next, Boelter drove to the home of Speaker Emerita and Representative Melissa Hortman. Meanwhile, local law enforcement, having heard of the shooting at the Hoffman residence, drove to the Hortman household to conduct a safety check. Upon arriving, officers saw Boelter’s car, a black Ford Explorer SUV designed to look like a law enforcement vehicle. It was equipped with police-style lights that were on and flashing. Officers saw Boelter, standing several feet from and facing the front door of the Hortman home. Moments later, Boelter fired several gunshots into the home, repeatedly striking Mr. Hortman. As Boelter did so, he rushed into the home and fired several additional shots, repeatedly striking Representative Hortman. Officers provided medical aid to the Hortmans and attempted to pursue Boelter, who abandoned the SUV and fled, initially, on foot. Both Hortmans died from their wounds.
Law enforcement searched Boelter’s SUV and recovered five firearms, including semi-automatic, assault-style rifles, a large quantity of ammunition, and several notebooks filled with handwritten notations. Those notes listed out the names of dozens of Minnesota state and federal elected officials. The notes often identified those officials’ home addresses. (DOJ)
The Hoffmans went on to thank first responders, the hospital workers who have cared for them as they recover, and those who have contributed to a GoFundMe to help them "pick up the broken pieces of our lives." John is in critical but stable condition, while Yvette was released from the hospital on Thursday.
The suspect, Vance Boelter, was apprehended Sunday evening after the largest manhunt in the state’s history. He was charged with second-degree murder, but the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said it intends to seek first-degree murder charges, carrying a mandatory life sentence without possibility of parole. He also faces six federal counts.
[Townhall] President Donald Trump on Friday called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the outcome of the 2020 election, which he has long claimed was stolen.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump touted the results of his immigration policies compared to former President Joe Biden’s performance. "Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD!" Trump wrote. "The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING."
[Red State] With Israel continuing to hit Iran's nuclear and military capacity, including its ballistic missile capabilities, the Islamist nation is getting more and more desperate. On Friday morning, the Iranian foreign minister took off from Turkey for Europe to meet with France, the United Kingdom, and Germany in what is an obvious attempt to push for a ceasefire that prolongs this issue for decades to come. Unfortunately, it's not just the perpetually weak Europeans who are looking to stop Israel from finishing the job, though.
According to a new report, "officials" are leaking U.S. intelligence reports claiming that the only way to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is to allow them to preserve their ability to get a nuclear weapon. No, I'm not kidding.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
06/21/2025
04:56 ||
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#1
Tulsi has a cleanup on aisle 9.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/21/2025 9:07
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[InformationWarfare] Signs of an Eroding Democracy in the United States.
This analysis, titled "Signs of an Eroding Democracy," outlines ten critical indicators of democratic decline.
As we see more and more, DC Swampers, Elites and certain radical groups enjoying immunity and accountability. Plus, many have offshore hidden assets and/or funding from anti-USA sources. It does call into question what stage of decline the USA is in and can it be reversed?
Posted by: NN2N1 ||
06/21/2025
04:52 ||
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[KYIV Post] According to the call, intercepted by Ukraine’s HUR, a Russian serviceman using the call sign "Brelok" is said to have killed as fellow soldier and lived off his remains for two weeks.
An intercepted call released by Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate (HUR) captured Russian soldiers discussing an alleged case of cannibalism within their own ranks.
According to the call, a serviceman with the call sign "Brelok" is said to have killed his fellow soldier "Foma" — and then lived off his former comrade’s remains for two weeks.
"No one ran anywhere," the first speaker says. "Brelok f**ing took him out, and then ate him for two weeks."
[Politico] Beijing’s subsidies should be a reason to work together, not tariff each other, Ursula von der Leyen argues.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday tried to find common ground with Donald Trump by criticizing China's export restrictions on raw materials used for cars, batteries and wind turbines.
During a session on the global economy at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, von der Leyen slammed Beijing for disrupting global trade by deploying subsidies to boost its own companies, according to an EU readout of the event. The chief of the EU executive accused China of "weaponizing" its leading position in producing and refining critical raw materials, and of ignoring global trade rules to undercut competitors.
Since April, Beijing has significantly restricted exports of permanent magnets and the minerals needed to make them. While that move came in response to Trump's tariffs on China, Beijing has applied the restrictions globally, hurting Europe too.
[FoxNews] Agriculture Secretary Rollins vows to defeat flesh-eating New World screwworm fly after suspending cattle imports
The U.S. government announced plans Wednesday to build an $8.5 million fly-breeding facility near the US-Mexico border as part of an initiative to prevent a flesh-eating parasite from infesting cattle.
The planned site, slated to be located at Moore Air Base in Texas, will breed millions of sterile male New World screwworm flies. The males will then be released into the wild to mate with females, preventing them from laying eggs that turn into flesh-eating larvae, the Associated Press reported.
A female New World screwworm fly lays eggs in the wound of an animal. The eggs then hatch into larvae, or maggots, that burrow into the flesh, causing potentially deadly damage, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The United States has defeated [New World screwworm] before, and we will do it again," U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a statement.
The Texas facility would be only the second of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, AP reported.
Recent appearances of the fly in Mexico — as close as 700 miles from the Southern border — have raised concerns among officials. Last month, authorities responded by suspending cattle, horse and bison imports along the US-Mexico border, according to a news release from the USDA.
Taking further measures, the USDA said it may also create a companion breeding center at the Texas location so that as many as 300 million flies could be produced each week. The executive department also plans to spend $21 million to convert a separate facility near Mexico's border with Guatemala into one for breeding for the fly. That site won't be ready until the end of 2026, according to AP.
"The United States has defeated [New World screwworm] before, and we will do it again," U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a statement. "We do not take lightly the threat [New World screwworm] poses to our livestock industry, our economy and our food supply chain."
The U.S. has previously bred and released New World screwworm flies into the wild, completely eradicating the insect from the country for decades. While there are treatments for infestations of the fly, officials worry about the economic impacts on farmers. Household pets and humans can also be infested by the larvae, AP reported.
"We trust the enthusiasm for cooperation that Secretary Rollins mentioned, and based on objective results and the reports from the USDA mission visiting us this week, we will be able to restart exports of our cattle as soon as possible," Mexican Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué said in a post on X on Wednesday.
New World screwworm flies are endemic in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and some South American countries, according to the USDA.
"Curbing the spread of the destructive New World screwworm is critical to protecting the Texas agriculture and livestock industry, and this new sterile fly distribution facility in Edinburg is a significant step in the right direction," Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in a statement. "I will continue to work alongside Secretary Rollins and my colleagues in Congress to halt the spread of New World screwworm and increase our sterile fly production capacity through my STOP Screwworms Act."
[IsraelTimes] Eyal Zamir says Iran had 2,500 missiles at start of campaign, was set to reach 8,000 in two years; military sources indicate Israel not running low on interceptors
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Friday that Israelis must prepare for a “prolonged campaign” against Iran to “eliminate a threat of this magnitude,” indicating that a quick end to the campaign was unlikely.
In a video statement, Zamir said Iran had been “building for years a clear plan to destroy the State of Israel” and that in recent months, “the plan reached the point of no return, where the capabilities reached operational capability.”
Zamir said Israel launched its opening attack on Iran knowing that “Iran possessed around 2,500 surface-to-surface missiles, with a high production rate, such that within approximately two years, they were expected to possess around 8,000 missiles.”
Iran’s ballistic missile efforts, nuclear advances and regional terror proxies “compelled us to strike and deliver a preemptive blow,” said the general.
“The IDF will not stand by and watch as threats develop,” he said. ”
As part of an emerging doctrine, we will act proactively and in advance to prevent an existential threat and to face any challenge.”
Israel launched the operation against Iran following some 20 months in which the Jewish state has significantly degraded the Islamic Republic’s proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen, in a series of conflicts that began with the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023.
According to Zamir, the IDF “prepared for this operation for years” and launched it “thanks to the convergence of operational and strategic conditions.”
“Had we delayed, there was a risk of losing these conditions and entering the campaign in the future from a position of clear disadvantage,” he said. “We understood that history would not forgive us if we failed to act now to defend the existence of the Jewish people in the State of Israel.”
The IDF’s opening “surprise” strikes on Iran “achieved extraordinary results,” said Zamir.
“We eliminated the enemy’s senior command, inflicted deep damage to components of the nuclear program, opened an aerial corridor to Tehran, identified and destroyed about half of the missile launchers, some just minutes before launch, and surprised the enemy despite its heightened state of alert,” he said.
“Dear citizens of Israel, he continued. “Alongside the offensive operations, the defense of the home front continues. This is a different challenge from what we have known until now. The enemy, in its weakness, deliberately targets civilians, as we have experienced once again in the recent barrage. Our enemies do not understand that the Israeli home front is the source of the IDF’s strength, not its weakness.”
“We are preparing for a range of possible developments. We have embarked on the most complex campaign in our history. We launched this campaign in order to eliminate a threat of this magnitude, against such an enemy, which requires readiness for a prolonged campaign,” said Zamir.
“The IDF is prepared for this. With each passing day, our freedom of action is expanding, and the enemy’s is shrinking,” he said. “The campaign is not over. While we have achieved significant results, challenging days still lie ahead, and we must remain alert and united until the mission is complete.”
“I am confident that together, we will finish this campaign with Israel’s hand on top,” added Zamir.
His caution to gird for a long campaign came as Channel 12 reported that Israel’s security establishment has realized that the military campaign against Iran, which began last Friday, will take longer than thought just days ago.
IDF officials told reporters on Tuesday that the campaign’s goals would be reached within a week or two. The shift is likely connected to US President Donald Trump saying that he would take up to two weeks to decide whether the US would join the campaign.
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 Republic from realizing its avowed plan to destroy the Jewish state.
Iran has retaliated by launching over 470 ballistic missiles and around 1,000 drones at Israel. So far, Iran’s missile attacks have killed 24 people and wounded thousands in Israel, according to health officials and hospitals.
Some of the missiles have caused heavy damage to apartments and other civilian infrastructure, including a university, a hospital and an oil refinery.
IDF INDICATES IT’S NOT RUNNING LOW ON INTERCEPTOR MISSILES
Answering the question discussed yesterday.
As Israel prepared for a longer conflict, the IDF said Friday that it is “prepared and ready to handle any scenario,” appearing to belie US media reports that Israel would have to begin rationing its interceptor missiles.
The military has officially declined to comment on specific munitions matters.
Military officials have told The Times of Israel that the operation in Iran was months in the planning, and that preparations took into account Iran’s stock of ballistic missiles and drones that it could fire at Israel.
Huh. One wonders where certain news media got the idea that Israel was about to be defenseless, or if once again certain media were making stuff up to advance their preferred narrative.
This means the IDF had prepared ahead of time for the roughly 2,500 surface-to-surface missiles that Zamir said Iran possessed at the start of hostilities.
Additionally, the IDF is actually running through fewer interceptors than it anticipated at this point in the operation. The IDF estimated that Iran would fire several hundred ballistic missiles at Israel in its initial response. In reality, it launched just 100.
The 470 ballistic missiles that Iran has fired at Israel in the past week were also below the IDF’s “reference scenario” for the operation, military officials said.
According to the military, most of the Iranian missiles fired at Israel in recent days have been intercepted, at similar rates to Iran’s two first-ever attacks on Israel, in April and October of last year.
Military officials said 5-10 percent of the missiles “leak” through and impact Israel. This includes missiles that the IDF says it does not try to shoot down “according to protocol,” allowing them to strike open areas without causing damage to any critical infrastructure, as well as missiles it failed to intercept which hit urban areas and caused casualties and damage.
The military has routinely emphasized that, as good as Israel’s multilayered air defenses may be, they are not hermetic.
NETANYAHU SAYS IRAN OP WILL SAVE ISRAELIS AND IRANIANS ALIKE
Standing in front of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Netanyahu said in an English-language statement Friday that the world-renowned institution was “smashed by a rocket from this evil regime.”
On Sunday morning, an Iranian ballistic missile destroyed two buildings at the Weizmann Institute — a life science building and an empty building that was still under construction. Dozens more were damaged.
The premier said Iran was working “to destroy human progress. That’s what this regime is about.”
“They subjugate their own people,” said Netanyahu. “They’ve trampled on them for almost 50 years — the long-suffering Iranian people whom we embrace. We understand what they’ve been going through, and we understand what the region has been going through and what the world has been going through.”
Netanyahu argued that Israel is operating against Iran to save itself from annihilation, “but by doing so, we’re saving many, many others.”
The premier said he had warned then-US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ahead of the 2003 Iraq invasion, “you will finish this very quickly. But your primary goal is the Iranian regime. And the Iranian regime is trying to develop a nuclear weapon, even then.”
The comment came as some US media have ridiculed Netanyahu this week by airing his 2002 congressional testimony, when the premier, then a private citizen, urged the US to invade Iraq, insisting that it would stabilize the region.
#3
While the world is focused on Israel/Iran war, Israel should take the opportunity to lay waste to Gaza and permanently remove land the Gazans have access to.
#4
"Israel would never invade Iran. We would find a rifle behind every blade of grass." Isoroku Netanyahu (well, except there aren't many blades of grass in Iran...)
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Nadezhda Durova
[REGNUM] On June 16, several aggressive men beat up a traumatologist at the regional clinical hospital No. 2 in Tyumen. The reason for the attack on the doctor was his refusal to immediately see a certain respected aksakal, who came accompanied by relatives. According to Wikipedia: Aqsaqal or aksakal (literally meaning "white beard" in Kipchak languages) metaphorically refers to the male elders, the old and wise of the community in parts of Central Asia, the Caucasus and Bashkortostan. Traditionally, an aqsaqal was the leader of a village or aul until the Soviet times.
Tyumen is a city in central Russia, in Siberia.
At that time, another patient was bleeding in the office, but his health was of no importance to the attackers. In addition to the traumatologist, several other doctors and patients who came to the doctor's aid were injured.
THEY TRAMPLED ON US HERE!
The beaten medic, 33-year-old Ruslan Tolemishov, was hospitalized — he has multiple bruises, abrasions, and a suspected concussion. Tyumen residents sympathize with the doctor and are indignant: hospital staff are already working themselves to the point of exhaustion, and the loss of an experienced traumatologist means that they will have to wait longer for help.
According to patients who took part in the brawl, the attackers were quite drunk. The video from the surveillance cameras shows that there were girls among the hooligans - however, they did not fight themselves, but only tried to stop the fight. But they did not succeed.
The Tyumen attack is not an isolated incident. Just six months ago in Rostov, an aggressive patient almost killed a doctor. Abvel Avakyan tore a metal rod from a bed, hit the doctor with it at least 15 times, then broke the glass with the same rod and cut the victim's neck with it. The guard arrived in time - the doctor was saved.
But Irkutsk ambulance paramedic Alexander Pechelatov was not saved. The drunk 53-year-old patient, who was being transported to the hospital from the territory of the shift camp, stabbed the paramedic in the chest. He later explained that he "just wanted to ride next to the driver, but he was not allowed."
Often, complaints against medical workers are that they enter an apartment without shoe covers: in Vladivostok, doctors were beaten for refusing to put on shoe covers when entering an apartment, and in Barnaul, a patient, using foul language, demanded that medical workers wash the floors in his apartment because they had “trampled and brought in germs.”
At the end of 2022, the Russian Ministry of Health created a special working group “on issues of reducing the risks of violence against medical workers in the performance of their official duties.”
Monitoring of cases of aggression is carried out according to three parameters: mental violence, physical violence, and other types of violent actions, which include shouting and insults, snatching objects from hands or damaging property, and other actions with signs of obvious disrespect.
According to the Ministry of Health, more than 1,700 attacks on health workers were committed in the country in 2023. The most aggressive regions were Omsk Oblast, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kemerovo and Saratov Oblasts.
The medical community has repeatedly drawn the attention of legislators to the problem of violence against doctors. In 2019, amendments were made to the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses (the rules of conduct for citizens in medical organizations were defined, a fine for obstructing the provision of medical care was approved). In 2021, the Civil Code confirmed the right of doctors to protect their honor and business reputation in court.
Today, ambulance crews are equipped with panic buttons, and hospital corridors and clinic offices are equipped with video cameras.
But the doctors themselves are quite determined.
— Three things need to be done: put ambulance doctors on cameras, like they did for police officers, so that no one can say that "the doctor started it." Create a blacklist of those who attacked or threatened doctors, so that they cannot call a doctor to their home, but only come to the clinic in person, — says Evgeniya Komarova, an ambulance paramedic and a blogger with 200,000 followers, to Regnum. — And, of course, increase fines — not one and a half to two thousand, but 150-200, and a real prison term. Once they show it on TV for the whole country, all these troublemakers will be wary of raising their hands.
SERVICE VS. MAINTENANCE
Emergency physician, writer, author of the books “While the Ambulance is Driving,” “Ambulance,” and “What Doctors Talk About” Andrey Zvonkov believes that the root of evil is in the attitude toward medicine as a service sector.
Attacks are most often motivated by two reasons — seeking some kind of benefit or hostility. A person has something negative towards health workers: for example, one pensioner beat a therapist with a stick because he did not prescribe him a medicine. Then it turned out that it was another doctor who replaced the first one. How should such a situation be interpreted? As general hostility, not personal, A. Zvonkov tells IA Regnum. It happens that doctors are threatened with a weapon with a demand, for example, “urgently hospitalize mom.” Or “revive her,” or something else. The behavior is dangerous, inadequate, the motive is clear. And faith in the omnipotence of doctors, who supposedly “can,” but “don’t want to.” And that means they need to be forced.
Zvonkov also recalls that doctors were beaten during the ambulance robbery: the doctor’s kit contains narcotic analgesics for pain relief in case of injuries, heart attacks, and severe pain situations.
For example, I worked in the emergency room without any narcotics at all. Apart from Relanium and Baralgin — no painkillers. Ketanov, Ketorol — they didn’t give us anything else. But in the ambulance service in the 90s there was promedol, morphine in five ampoules, and it was dangerous to work with such an arsenal: gangs of drug addicts attacked ambulances specifically with the purpose of taking away drugs. The management had different opinions on this matter: some said “stand to the death”, others “give it up, life is more important”.
But in general, Andrei Zvonkov believes, the problem lies in the attitude towards medicine as a service sector, like a dry cleaner or a vegetable stand.
Remember that notorious story with shoe covers? Thank God, the Ministry of Health issued an order that not only ambulances are not required to have shoe covers, they have no right to, so to speak, change shoes at all on a call, because their task is to provide emergency medical care, not to monitor the cleanliness of other people's apartments. This is the lot of the owners who called a team to help them.
The essence of the problem is that doctors provide assistance, not services. And this fact must be conveyed to the population, just as the status of teachers must be reviewed: they, too, should not be perceived as service personnel.
Each of us will sooner or later be forced to see a doctor. And everyone should understand - using examples from criminal proceedings - how a row in a doctor's office or a blow to a paramedic can end.
So, it turns out that reports of Israeli agents recruiting individuals to assist them during the airstrikes and attacks were, after all, true....
That is what spy masters do. Just like Iran’s spy masters hired a bunch of Israeli Jews and Arabs, and Palestinians to spy and act up for them. We’ve had an entire series of articles over the past six months or so about the people Shin Beth arrested for doing stupid stuff and reporting common knowledge information to Iran for relatively small payoffs. I guess Mossad picks better agents, and trains them to better effect.
by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Iran continues to hunt for the Israeli agents who organized the "air breakthrough" of the Israeli army in the first days of Operation Lion Force.
A wave of arrests and raids swept across the country, resulting in the detention of a large number of foreign citizens, mostly migrant workers and illegal refugees, all of whom Iranian security officials believe were assisting the Mossad.
And while the presence of Indians among the detainees was not a big surprise - given New Delhi's characteristic sympathy for Tel Aviv - the capture of individuals with links to the Afghan Taliban movement has prompted Tehran to ask its neighbors some uncomfortable questions.
EASY MONEY
In less than a week, Iranian special services have detained, according to various sources, between forty and eighty people. Most of them are labor migrants who were recruited several months before the start of Operation Lion Force. In all cases, the recruiter was one of their fellow countrymen who offered to earn easy money.
At the same time, there was no talk of building a centralized sabotage network.
The agents acted independently of each other and received instructions through special chats. Most of them cannot identify the "customers" or remember the identifying features of their "fellow countrymen".
The Israelis, for their part, do not hide the fact that at the initial stages of the operation they outsourced some of the tasks. The commandos deployed to Iranian territory were assigned primarily a coordinating role, while the removal of imported weapons from hiding places and their installation at designated points was carried out by third-party mercenaries.
Some of them even subsequently took part directly in the strikes on the illuminated objects - motivated, according to the Israelis, by “patriotic and ideological impulses” and not by financial reward.
AFGHAN CONNECTION
The Iranian law enforcement officers were most concerned about the appearance of Afghan citizens among the detainees. There were almost two dozen of them among the agents, most of whom were from Kandahar.
The majority of the Pakistani Jewish population fled first to India following partition, then settled in Israel in Ramla, though there are also groups in Bombay and Toronto. So it would be easy enough for Mossad to get native speakers to train their controllers.
According to the latest data, about 4.5 million Afghans live in Iran, most of whom moved here after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in 2021. At the same time, only 50 thousand are officially listed as refugees - the rest prefer to live on "bird rights" and create semi-legal communities far from big cities. Most of those detained were from such closed communities.
Iran, along with Pakistan and Turkey have been sending their Afghan refugees home in a steady stream — we’ve had a number of articles on the subject.
There were, however, exceptions.
One of the detainees was a student at Tehran University who lived in the city of Rey. According to investigators, he was responsible for installing covert surveillance systems near Iranian missile bases in the Israeli operation and also participated in assembling several homemade drones.
Getting salable skills for later — was he an engineering student, perchance?
It turned out that the detainee knew nothing about Mossad’s plans, and allegedly coordinated his actions with Mawlawi Talib, the chief of police in Kandahar Province, who in the past specialized in conducting sabotage operations behind enemy lines.
See? I bet Mawlawi Talib was very pleased at the idea of getting a trained tech specialist.
Other detained Afghans also had interesting connections.
For example, at least three of them corresponded with Qari Yasser, a mid-level functionary working in the Ministry of National Intelligence. Another two had deleted chats on their phones with unknown people calling themselves “assistants to the commander of the Afghan special forces.”
Could it be that their contacts were not actually such eminent Islamist persons back home??
The message in all cases boiled down to one thesis: Iran's geopolitical ambitions are growing, and Tehran is increasingly "looking predatorily" at neighboring countries. And especially Afghanistan, which is weakened by a long-standing civil war and looks like a promising direction for a throw. An unexpected blow in the Iranian rear was supposed to thwart the "plans of conquest."
In addition, in gratitude for their service, the refugees were promised safe return to their homeland, immunity from prosecution for “serving the old regime,” and expanded social guarantees for family members.
So not for the the Jewish Entity at all, or so they were informed. Those Mossad agents are tricksy liars, indeed.
INTERFERED IN SOMEONE ELSE'S GAME
A combination of signs indicates that most of the Afghan refugees were indeed used “in the dark”: under the guise of Taliban commanders, Israeli intelligence officers interacted with them.
Tel Aviv's calculation was simple: the scandal with the Afghan refugees was supposed to provoke mass raids and arrests (and possibly deportations) and start a process of fermentation in the Afghan community in Iran.
The formation of such a large group of dissatisfied people within the country would become a convenient “pain point” that the Israelis could press on to achieve new tactical victories.
On the other hand, upon a more detailed analysis of the connections of the detainees, Iranian law enforcement officials unexpectedly discovered new threads leading to Afghanistan.
In particular, a group of Afghan construction specialists was identified who came to the country to exchange experiences, but in fact collected information about public sentiment in Iran and the local Afghan diaspora.
So there really were Taliban spies? And they were revealed in the hunt for Mossad? Golly.
Most likely, the strengthened Taliban government tried to organize its own spy network to keep a closer eye on the plans of its powerful neighbor. However, the unexpected intervention of the Mossad exposed it before its time.
They were not involved in the Israeli attack, but they were compromised: Iranian law enforcement officers discovered archives of data they had collected about the operational situation in the country.
So far, Tehran has preferred to keep its dirty linen in public and has not brought any charges against the Taliban. The arrested Afghans are considered exclusively as agents of Israeli intelligence.
This is seriously funny.
However, there are still hints that Afghanistan should not interfere in someone else's game.
Thus, the head of Iran's border police, Brigadier General Ahmad-Ali Goodarzi, warned that Tehran will not tolerate the use of foreign territory for carrying out covert attacks or espionage operations, and any attempts to create influence structures on its territory "will be met with a decisive response."
Afghanistan will likely heed Tehran's warnings and curtail its work with local diasporas for some time. At least until Iranian intelligence stops hunting for Israeli moles.
Things are waaaay more convoluted over there than I was prepared for.
[Rudaw] Iranian authorities have arrested a European national accused of spying while traveling in the country as a tourist, media reported on Friday.
Was he really a spy, or is Iran just refilling its store of useful and lucrative hostages?
The foreigner, from an unnamed European country, was arrested by the intelligence wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad province in southwestern Iran, according to the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News.
Tasnim said the European national had entered Iran as a tourist at the start of Israel’s attacks and was on a mission to gather information about “sensitive and important centers” in desert areas of the country. Images of these sites were found in the person’s possession.
The European national had reportedly been residing in an Iranian city with the help of a local contact and was in possession of a SIM card registered to an Iranian citizen, along with several mobile phones, Tasnim said.
Iranian authorities and state-affiliated media have reported the arrests of dozens of civilians accused of spying for Israel or cooperating with it since the conflict began.
More than 80 foreigners have been arrested in Qazvin province, northwest of Tehran, over the past two days, the IRGC’s local office said, Tasnim reported. On Tuesday, a foreigner was arrested and accused of filming near Bushehr nuclear power plant.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced a June 22 deadline for individuals who were “deceived” into cooperating with Israel to voluntarily turn themselves in to authorities in exchange for potential amnesty, Fars news agency reported on Friday.
After the deadline, anyone who acted as collaborators with Israel during wartime will face a harsh punishment, it said.
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#1
Potential amnesty?
That means cutting off only one arm and burning you only from the waist down.
[FoxNews] DOGE's financial audit of USAID prompted Democrat cries that thousands would die without its funding
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an agency essentially dismantled by DOGE amid complaints from Democrats that cutting waste would harm impoverished countries, is at the center of a massive bribery scandal.
A federal contracting officer and three businessmen have pleaded guilty in a scheme involving bribes like cash, NBA tickets, and a country club wedding in a scandal the Department of Justice (DOJ) said was part of a $550 million scam, Fox News Chief Washington Correspondent Mike Emanuel reported Friday.
Roderick Watson, 57, worked as a USAID contracting officer, according to a DOJ press release, and pleaded guilty to "bribery of a public official."
According to the DOJ, Watson sold his influence starting in 2013, with contractors Walter Barnes, owner of Vistant, and Darryl Britt, owner of Apprio, funneling payoffs through subcontractor Paul Young to hide their tracks.
"During the scheme, Britt and Barnes paid bribes to Watson that were often concealed by passing them through Young, who was the president of another subcontractor to Apprio and Vistant," the press release explained.
"Britt and Barnes also regularly funneled bribes to Watson, including cash, laptops, thousands of dollars in tickets to a suite at an NBA game, a country club wedding, downpayments on two residential mortgages, cellular phones, and jobs for relatives. The bribes were also often concealed through electronic bank transfers falsely listing Watson on payroll, incorporated shell companies, and false invoices. Watson is alleged to have received bribes valued at more than approximately $1 million as part of the scheme."
Vistant was awarded in November 2023, as part of a joint venture, a contract worth up to $800 million with one of the focuses of that contract being to address "a variety of issues affecting the root causes of irregular migration from Central America to the United States," an issue that President Joe Biden tasked then-Vice President Kamala Harris with during his presidency.
Several days later, that contract was canceled after USAID published a notice that said Vistant was excluded from government contracting due to "evidence of conduct of a lack of business honesty or integrity."
The joint venture then successfully sued the government over being put on that exclusion list and was re-awarded the contract and given a $10,000 payment in August 2024.
"Corruption in government programs will not be tolerated. Watson abused his position of trust for personal gain while federal contractors engaged in a pay-to-play scheme," Acting Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Sean Bottary of the USAID Office of Inspector General (USAID-OIG) said in the press release.
During DOGE's sweep, it was revealed that U.S. dollars were ending up in the hands of terror-linked groups, such as funds reportedly providing "full funding" for al-Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki to attend college in Colorado.
"USAID-OIG is firmly committed to rooting out fraud and corruption within U.S. foreign assistance programs. Today’s announcement underscores our unwavering focus on exposing criminal activity, including bribery schemes by those entrusted to faithfully award government contracts. We appreciate our longstanding partnership with the Department of Justice in holding accountable those who defraud American taxpayers."
USAID was one of the public faces and most drastic examples of DOGE's efforts to cut waste, fraud, and abuse in government, and the effort resulted in the agency's programs being cut by 83%, while the programs deemed vital were moved to the State Department.
USAID's website went dark, and employees were barred from entering its headquarters on Feb. 3, while others had their work put on hold. The Trump administration then announced that all USAID direct-hire personnel would be put on administrative leave.
The agency came under fire for many funding choices, including allocating $1.5 million for a program that sought to "advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities" and a $70,000 program for a "DEI musical" in Ireland.
During DOGE's sweep, it was revealed that U.S. dollars were ending up in the hands of terror-linked groups, such as funds reportedly providing "full funding" for al-Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki to attend college in Colorado, Fox News Digital previously reported.
How very interesting. I seem to recall reading something about him getting scholarships, but I do not ecall knowing who had awarded him the funds.
As DOGE was dismantling USAID, many Democrats and media outlets blasted the cuts, claiming they would harm impoverished recipients of aid across the globe and some, including U2 frontman Bono, who said the cuts would lead to over 300,000 deaths.
Several House and Senate Democrats protested outside of USAID's headquarters in early February, expressing outrage over the layoffs and cuts, The Hill reported.
"Anybody who cares about good and effective government should be concerned about the waste, fraud, and abuse in government agencies, including USAID," Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said in the DOJ's press release.
[Townhall] President Donald Trump ...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried.... on Thursday announced he is giving 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... two weeks to re-engage with negotiations about its nuclear program. This move is reportedly aimed at preventing the creation of "another Libya" if further military action results in the destruction of the Iranian regime.
Trump’s announcement came amid military hostilities between Israel and Iran. Israel has been conducting Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s on Iran’s nuclear and military facilities over the past week to prevent the regime from acquiring nuclear capabilities.
During a presser, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt recited Trump’s message in which he stated that "there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future," which means Trump "will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks."
Administration insiders told The New York Post that Trump does not want to repeat the same mistakes of the B.O. regime, which took out former Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy ...a proud Arab institution for 42 years, now among the dear departed, though not the dearest...> in a comprehensive NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... bombing operation. Qadaffy’s subsequent death left a vacuum that various regional powers fought to fill, making the situation even worse.
The sources told The Post they heard Trump privately state that he was "worried about Iran becoming like Libya before Israel began its aerial assaulton Iran."
However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... another source told the outlet that if President Trump takes military action, it will come in the form of limited airstrikes to finish destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz using "bunker buster" bombs.
"Libya was a much more extended kind of bombing commitment, and it ended up being regime change," the individual explained, further noting that if the Iranian regime is ousted, "then it’s not on Trump, because that’s not the goal of his very limited strike."
However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... there is a concern that "we get somebody worse than Khamenei."
#2
Libya should have taught the Western political class about the ultimate futility of "deals."
After Bush & Blair unleashed Gaddafi by lifting the sanctions in exchange for some compensation payments, the dismantling of the nuclear program and the extradition of a Lockerbie bomber Gaddafi soon reverted to form.
Gaddafi used the cash he gained after lifting sanctions to buy cheap(!) wh***s in the Western ruling elites and resumed his thuggish aggression against Western nations, violating 'international law' with impunity.
Ultimately the point of contention was the Gaddafi regime demanding the right to wield its own government monopoly violence on the sovereign territory of Western nations.
This insane demand was made by a non-nuclear Libya which had nonetheless proven its skill at asymmetrical warfare over decades.
Chaos is still better that the stability of a mortal enemy regime.
As for 'refugees' they will flood Europe if Europe lets them in and they will have to stay out if Europe denies them entry, irrespective of what happens in the sh**hole countries they come from.
#3
Grom: Aside from being Libya?
Fox is reporting 6 B-2s departed Whiteman AFB heavily loaded (had to air refuel immediately), supposedly heading towards Guam.
Like they're carrying 15 ton bombs or something.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
06/21/2025 12:32
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#4
Just taking them out for a spin, nothing to see here
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/21/2025 13:01
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[Townhall] The mainstream media has been getting plenty wrong when it comes to the delivery of aid to 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... , including stories that portray Israel and the IDF in a negative light. There's also been muddled reporting on attacks taking place from Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... , and where they're happening. While outlets such as the News Agency that Dare Not be Named and the BBC have updated their reports after being called out by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)--outlets who have put out notoriously bad reporting on the issue in the past--there are still more not issuing the necessary corrections.
To recap, the GHF sent out a blurb on Tuesday calling for media to correct their reports claiming that Paleostinians were killed at a GHF site. In reality, they were killed near a United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... World Food Programme (WFP) location. That highlights plenty of problems with the UN which has been less than friendly to Israel, with the GHF also calling on the body to take more security measures.
While the outlets above corrected their reports, still more did not. A GHF Operational Update from Wednesday called out The Washington Post, Rooters, and CNN ...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for... in particular, with Rooters putting out multiple problematic articles, including those citing the UN.
The update from Wednesday also further called out the UN [emphasis original]:
Yesterday, several news outlets, including the Washington Post, Reuters and CNN, refused to correct their news reporting after the Associated Press confirmed with the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) that reported casualties at a GHF distribution site were false. Sadly, the casualties occurred at a UN WFP food delivery event, unassociated with GHF. We appreciate the confirmation from OCHA in revealing the truth about this terrible attack.
We continue to experience a growing pattern of false information seemingly formulated by the Gaza Health Ministry, an arm of Hamas, and then reported first by Al Jazeera and then echoed by the UN. It is unfortunate that both organizations, especially the UN, continue to push false information regarding our operations. We understand the UN is also trying to deliver aid into Gaza, but yet are unaccountable about the percentage of their deliveries that are being looted versus arriving at a final destination. We continue to support their efforts and call on them to work with us to ensure more aid reaches the people of Gaza, not Hamas and other criminal elements
.
Another GHF Operational Update, this one from Thursday, continued to call out the media and the UN [emphasis original]:
UPDATES AND CORRECTIONS
INACCURATE NEWS REPORTING: Our GHF news monitoring continues to reveal inaccurate news coverage by the international media outlets linking GHF sites to violent incidents that did not occur near our sites but occurred at United Nations’ (UN) convoy sites.
We continue to experience a growing pattern of false information seemingly formulated by the Gaza Health Ministry, an arm of Hamas, and then reported first by Al Jazeera and then echoed by the UN. It is unfortunate that both organizations, especially the UN, continue to push false information regarding our operations. We understand the UN is also trying to deliver aid into Gaza, but yet are unaccountable about the percentage of their deliveries that are being looted versus arriving at a final destination. We continue to support their efforts and call on them to work with us to ensure more aid reaches the people of Gaza, not Hamas and other criminal elements.
Such outlets have also been notorious for their bias when it comes to the Israel-Hamas conflict, even parroting pro-Hamas propaganda. Many have cited not only the UN, but also the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
Al Jazeera in particular is problematic, as the propaganda outlet has been kicked out of Israel and has also been banned in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates for inciting terrorism. The BBC ran into trouble over their reports claiming that the IDF killed those seeking aid, and blamed Al Jazeera in a fact-checking post of sorts earlier this month, though the outlet also doubled down on their reporting on the conflict.
[X]
GHF OPERATIONAL UPDATE - THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2025
Nearly 3 million meals today across three distribution sites⁰More than 33.5 million meals distributed to date  The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) continued its operations today to provide vital food aid for the Palestinian… pic.twitter.com/4hIy6TB2Ps
[FoxNews] President's seemingly contradictory moves align with reviving the stalled India-Middle East-Europe Corridor project
President Donald Trump came back into office promising no new wars. So far, he’s kept that promise. But he’s also left much of Washington — and many of America’s allies — confused by a series of rapid, unexpected moves across the Middle East.
In just a few months, Trump has reopened backchannels with Iran, then turned around and threatened its regime with collapse. He’s kept Israel at arm’s length — skipping it on his regional tour — before signaling support once again. He lifted U.S. sanctions on Syria’s Islamist leader, a figure long treated as untouchable in Washington. And he made headlines by hosting Pakistan’s top general at the White House, even as India publicly objected.
For those watching closely, it’s been hard to pin down a clear doctrine. Critics see improvisation — sometimes even contradiction. But step back, and a pattern begins to emerge. It’s not about ideology, democracy promotion, or traditional alliances. It’s about access. Geography. Trade.
More specifically, it may be about restarting a long-stalled infrastructure project meant to bypass China — and put the United States back at the center of a strategic economic corridor stretching from India to Europe.
The project is called the India–Middle East–Europe Corridor, or IMEC. Most Americans have never heard of it. It was launched in 2023 at the G20 summit in New Delhi,
…a Biden Politburo initiative? Interesting…
as a joint initiative among the U.S., India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the European Union. Its goal? To build a modern infrastructure link connecting South Asia to Europe — without passing through Chinese territory or relying on Chinese capital.
IMEC’s vision is bold but simple: Indian goods would travel west via rail and ports through the Gulf, across Israel, and on to European markets. Along the way, the corridor would connect not just trade routes, but energy pipelines, digital cables, and logistics hubs. It would be the first serious alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative — a way for the U.S. and its partners to build influence without boots on the ground.
But before construction could begin, war broke out in Gaza.
The October 2023 Hamas attacks and Israel’s military response sent the region into crisis. Normalization talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel fell apart. The Red Sea became a warzone for shipping. And Gulf capital flows paused. The corridor — and the broader idea of using infrastructure to tie the region together — was quietly shelved.
That’s the backdrop for Trump’s current moves. Taken individually, they seem scattered. Taken together, they align with the logic of clearing obstacles to infrastructure. Trump may not be drawing maps in the Situation Room. But his instincts — for leverage, dealmaking and unpredictability — are removing the very roadblocks that halted IMEC in the first place.
His approach to Iran is a prime example. In April, backchannels were reopened on the nuclear front. In May, a Yemen truce was brokered — reducing attacks on Gulf shipping. In June, after Israeli strikes inside Iran, Trump escalated rhetorically, calling for Iran’s "unconditional surrender." That combination of engagement and pressure may sound erratic. But it mirrors the approach that cleared a diplomatic path with North Korea: soften the edges, then apply public pressure.
Meanwhile, Trump’s temporary distancing from Israel is harder to miss. He skipped it on his regional tour and avoided aligning with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s continued hard-line approach to Gaza. Instead, he praised Qatar — a U.S. military partner and quiet mediator in the Gaza talks — and signaled support for Gulf-led reconstruction plans. The message: if Israel refuses to engage in regional stabilization, it won’t control the map.
Trump also made the unexpected decision to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria’s new leader, President Ahmad al-Sharaa — a figure with a past in Islamist groups, now leading a transitional government backed by the UAE. Critics saw the move as legitimizing extremism. But in practice, it unlocked regional financing and access to transit corridors once blocked by U.S. policy.
Even the outreach to Pakistan — which angered India — fits a broader infrastructure lens. Pakistan borders Iran, influences Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and maintains ties with Gulf militaries. Welcoming Pakistan’s military chief was less about loyalty, and more about leverage. In corridor politics, geography often trumps alliances.
None of this means Trump has a master plan. There’s no confirmed strategy memo that links these moves to IMEC. And the region remains volatile. Iran’s internal stability is far from guaranteed. The Gaza conflict could reignite. Saudi and Qatari interests don’t always align. But there’s a growing logic underneath the diplomacy: de-escalate just enough conflict to make capital flow again — and make corridors investable.
That logic may not be ideologically pure. It certainly isn’t about spreading democracy. But it reflects a real shift in U.S. foreign policy. Call it infrastructure-first geopolitics — where trade routes, ports and pipelines matter more than treaties and summits.
To be clear, the United States isn’t the only player thinking this way. China’s Belt and Road Initiative has been advancing the same model for over a decade. Turkey, Iran and Russia are also exploring new logistics and energy corridors. But what sets IMEC apart — and what makes Trump’s recent moves notable — is that it offers an opening for the U.S. to compete without large-scale military deployments or decades-long aid packages.
Even the outreach to Pakistan — which angered India — fits a broader infrastructure lens. Pakistan borders Iran, influences Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and maintains ties with Gulf militaries.
For all his unpredictability, Trump has always had a sense for economic leverage. That may be what we’re seeing here: less a doctrine than a direction. Less about grand visions, and more about unlocking chokepoints.
There’s no guarantee it will work. The region could turn on a dime. And the corridor could remain, as it is now, a partially built concept waiting on political will. But Trump’s moves suggest he’s trying to build the conditions for it to restart — not by talking about peace, but by making peace a condition for investment.
#2
If you remove Iran’s funding and machinations in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Lebanon and other places, won’t things calm down? I don’t think that outcome requires regime change, boots on the ground or a Victoria Nuland color revolution. Turn off the money spigot and turn Iran’s attention to their own internal issues and the world is safer. They promised us a safer Libya. Let’s not follow the Lindsey Graham play book. I trust Trump.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/21/2025 9:00
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#3
China factors on a land route from Iran for oil to bypass embargo in the event of bad behavior. A process put in place a decade ago to secure that by US foreign policy is now in jeapordy.
[9Gag] The best anti-war poster I've seen in a long, long time. No Iranian ever called me "goy". It's a reference to The Champ and his famous statement resisting yet another American foreign war, "I can't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong. No Viet Cong ever called me nigger."
The Champ was clearly a stereotypical parochial American, since it never occurred to him to ask if the Viet Cong had insulting terms for African Americans in their own language. Ditto for that silly person above, who doesn’t understand that to the Muslim fanatics of the Mullahcracy, to be an unbeliever contains all the insults they need, and so they don’t care that this particular gentleman is unable to get a date.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] In fact, Iran's ability to wage a long war depends not on whether the US manages to bomb Fordow and still penetrate the Natanz facility, but on the ability to continue launching missiles at Israel and US facilities in the region over a long distance.
In fact, we do not know how many missiles Iran actually has (almost all missile cities are now functional) and whether Iran has the ability to produce missiles in underground structures.
It is simpler with drones, because, as the example of Ukraine shows, hidden production can be quite easily dispersed throughout the country.
As it seems to me, the main risks for Iran in this kind of war are the under-suppressed internal agents of Israel, the integrity of the command and the stability of society in the medium term when socio-economic security facilities are damaged.
You cannot win a war with airstrikes alone. To plant a puppet regime in Tehran, either direct intervention is needed, which is unlikely. Or destruction from within (a coup, a military mutiny, mass protests of the dissatisfied). If Iran can control the negative factors for itself, it will be able to exist quite confidently in the conditions of a long campaign against Israel and those who stand behind it. If not, at some point everything may break down. As it was with Yugoslavia, which went to the Dayton Accords and signed its own death warrant. Actually, this is what the US and Israel are counting on. So Iran may indeed lose.
But if it maintains control, the struggle may lead to completely unpredictable results for the entire region.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/21/2025
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The previous administration admitted that the United States invested $5 billion in organizing a coup d'etat in Ukraine. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
In 2014, Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland publicly stated that $5 billion had been spent on Ukraine since 1991. These funds, according to Nuland, were allocated to bring a “democratic” government to power in Ukraine.
"This is a state bloody anti-constitutional coup in Ukraine. What is this? This is also an action from a position of strength. The previous US administration said directly that it spent billions of dollars on this coup - without embarrassment, they said this publicly," the Russian leader was indignant.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, Victoria Nuland also indirectly admitted earlier that Kiev refused to conclude the Istanbul agreements with Moscow after consultations with Washington and London. It became obvious to the US that Russia's conditions were allegedly unfavorable for Ukraine, she added.
[IsraelTimes] Israeli official slams review of pact governing Israel-EU ties for ‘exemplifying the double standards’ of the European Union; bloc’s FMs to discuss report but concrete decisions unlikely
The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... ’s diplomatic service said on Friday there were indications that Israel had breached its human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... obligations under the terms of a pact governing its ties with the bloc, according to a document seen by Rooters.
Citing assessments by independent international institutions, the European External Action Service said "there are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement."
The report comes after months of deepening concern in European capitals about Israel’s operations against Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip and the humanitarian situation in the enclave.
"Israel’s continued restrictions to the provision of food, medicines, medical equipment, and other vital supplies affect the entire population of Gaza present on the affected territory," the document said.
Asked about the EU review, an Israeli official called it "a one-sided report that exemplifies the double standards the EU uses towards Israel."
Under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which came into force in 2000, the EU and Israel agreed that their relationship "shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles."
The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced in May that the bloc would examine whether Israel was complying with the terms of the pact, after over half of EU members backed the conducting of a review.
The report includes a section dedicated to the situation in Gaza, covering issues related to denial of humanitarian aid, attacks with a significant number of casualties, attacks on hospitals and medical facilities, displacement, and lack of accountability.
The report also looks at the situation in the West Bank, including settler violence.
The document relies on "facts verified by and assessments made by independent international institutions, and with a focus on most recent events in Gaza and the West Bank," it said.
Israel has said that it respects international law and that operations in Gaza are necessary to destroy Hamas, the Paleostinian terror group responsible for the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, which started the ongoing war in the Strip.
EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the review during a gathering in Brussels on Monday. Member countries remain divided in their approach to Israel.
While some ministers could advocate for moving toward taking action based on the review, no concrete decisions are expected at Monday’s session.
Diplomats expect EU officials will reach out to Israel with the outcome of the review in an effort to influence it, and that ministers will return to the subject during a July meeting.
Several European diplomats said they expected Kallas to propose some options during that meeting, with one stressing no action was likely to be agreed on before the end of the summer, adding the war in Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... has moved the goalposts — pushing some nations to voice renewed support for Israel.
The EU is Israel’s biggest commercial partner, with 42.6 billion euros ($48.2 billion) traded in goods in 2024. Trade in services reached 25.6 billion euros in 2023.
More than 100 aid groups and other organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, on Thursday urged Brussels to suspend the EU-Israel agreement "at least in part."
Suspending the EU-Israel accord outright would require unanimity among member states — something diplomats have said from the outset was virtually impossible.
Halting diplomatic dialogue with Israel — a measure that was already rejected last year — also requires backing from all EU countries.
Trade measures could instead be adopted with a qualified majority, diplomats said, cautioning however that agreeing on those might also prove tricky.
[NAHARNET] Hezbollah will certainly not join the Israel-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... war, the group's ally Parliament Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri
...perennial Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, head of the Amal Shiite party aligned with Hezbollah, a not very subtle sock puppet of the Medes and Persians... has reportedly told his visitors.
Berri's visitors told al-Jadeed, in remarks published Friday, that the speaker is "certain" that Leb ...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... will not join the war.
On Thursday, Berri said Lebanon will "200 percent" not enter the war. "It has no interest in that and would pay the price if it did," he said, adding that Iran "does not need us."
A Lebanese government source also told al-Jadeed Thursday that Hezbollah will not join the fray after an Iranian official told al-Jazeera that Hezbollah would act if the United States intervened to back up its ally Israel.
- HEZBOLLAH CHIEF SAYS GROUP WILL 'ACT AS WE SEE FIT'-
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem ... the Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies... said on Thursday that the group would "act as we see fit" in response to the ongoing war between Iran and Israel.
In a statement, Qassem said Hezbollah was "not neutral" in the conflict between the two regional superpowers, saying that the group would "act as we see fit in the face of this brutal Israeli-American aggression".
Berri said Qassem's remarks are only aimed at showing "solidarity" with Iran and certainly do not mean that Hezbollah will join the war.
Earlier this week, Hezbollah political bureau member Mahmoud Qmati denied that Hezbollah would get involved and said that "Iran is strong enough and does not need military support from anyone".
- HEZBOLLAH HAS NOT FIRED A SINGLE ROCKET -
U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on Thursday warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war between Iran and Israel, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the entire "Shiite axis" is not responding to Israeli attacks on Iran and that "Hezbollah has not fired a single rocket".
Caroline Rose, a director at the Washington-based New Lines Institute think tank said that "Iran-backed proxies across the region — particularly Hezbollah— just do not have the capacity" to enter the fray. But Israel could still target them, she said.
Geagea tells Hezbollah's Qassem only state ''can act as it sees fit''
[NAHARNET] Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... leader Samir Geagea ....Geagea was imprisoned by the Syrians and their puppets for 11 years in a dungeon in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense. He was released after the Cedar Revolution in 2005.... said Friday that only the Lebanese state "can act as it sees fit" after Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said that the Death Eater group would "act as we see fit" in response to the ongoing war between Iran and Israel.
"Sheikh Naim, you cannot act as you see fit. Only the Lebanese government can do that because it represents the majority of the Lebanese people," Geagea said, adding that it is "absolutely unacceptable" for anyone to allow themselves to act as they like.
"Leb is a country and a state," Geagea said. "This is absolutely unacceptable, otherwise Lebanon will turn into a chaotic place with no rules or laws."
This comes after the U.S. special envoy for Syria warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war.
Geagea urged Qassem to propose his ideas through Hezbollah's ministers in the government. "Only there, such matters can be discussed," he said.
FPM calls for ''Lebanon's neutrality'' in Israel-Iran conflict — Naharnet
[NAHARNET] The Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... said Wednesday that Leb should not take part in the Israeli-Iranian conflict as the arch foes shot it out for the sixth day.
"The war in the region is concerning and is threatening peace and stability in the region and in Lebanon," the statement said, describing the Israeli strikes on Iran as an aggression and condemning it. "The FPM is against any aggression on the illusory sovereignty of any county."
The statement, despite the condemnation, stressed that Lebanon must stay neutral and should not get involved, in order to preserve national interests and the security of the Lebanese people.
"Lebanon's national interests require a full commitment to a policy that keeps Lebanon out of foreign conflicts, fortifies the domestic front, enhances stability, and prevents Lebanon from becoming an arena for regional festivities," the FPM said, as it urged international powers to restart nuclear talks and look for peaceful solutions that "preserve countries' illusory sovereignty and spare people in the region more destruction and divisions."
Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem to tread carefully Friday after the latter said his terror group would "act as we see fit" in the war between Israel and Iran.
"The Hezbollah leader hasn’t learned from his predecessors and is threatening to act against Israel," said Katz, referring to former Hezbollah chief His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...The late, lamented satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...> , who was killed by Israel last
September.
"I suggest that the Lebanese proxy be careful, and understand that Israel has lost patience with the murderous Moslems who threaten it," Katz added, warning: "If there is terror — there will be no Hezbollah."
On June 13, Israel launched a campaign of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s in Iran to decimate the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which Jerusalem characterized as an imminent, existential threat.
Iran has responded with deadly barrages of ballistic missiles at civilian population centers and military targets in Israel.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed proxy, has largely stayed out of the fray in the recent conflict.
The group was severely weakened by last year’s fighting with Israel and remains under the tight watch of the Lebanese government, which issued a warning to the group not to involve Leb in the war.
But Qassem said Thursday that the Iran-backed proxy is "not neutral" in the conflict between the two regional superpowers, saying that the group would "act as we see fit in the face of this brutal Israeli-American aggression."
The remarks came after US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war, saying it would be a "very bad decision."
Since a ceasefire agreement went into effect in Lebanon in November 2024, Israel has continued to launch targeted strikes on Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure, claiming violations of the truce by the terrorist organization.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, over 180 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in Israeli strikes since the deal was reached.
The military has continued to attack Hezbollah targets in dronezaps on southern Lebanon since the fighting with Iran broke out.
The IDF announced Thursday morning it had killed Yassin Izz a-Din, commander of Hezbollah’s rocket artillery unit in the Litani River sector, in a strike on Barish, in southern Lebanon, the night before.
The IDF said he had advanced numerous rocket attacks on northern Israel during the war, and was involved in "attempts to restore Hezbollah’s artillery forces."
Northeast of Harish that same night, in Nabatieh, the IDF said it killed Mohammad Ahmad Khreiss, who it said was the commander of Hezbollah’s anti-tank unit in the Shebaa area.
"During the war, the terrorist advanced numerous attacks against the State of Israel," including an anti-tank missile attack on Mount Dov on April 26, 2024, which killed Sharif Sawaed, an IDF civilian contractor, the military said.
The IDF on Thursday killed a third Hezbollah operative in a strike, saying he had been involved in efforts to restore the terror group’s infrastructure in the Houla area.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/21/2025
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[IsraelTimes] Three in Haifa, including a teenager, seriously injured; footage indicates Iran shot cluster bomb at Beersheba, daycare hit but no injuries reported from impacts in center, south
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... fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel on Friday afternoon, setting off alarms across the country and sending some 10 million people running to bomb shelters. One woman had a heart attack and died in a shelter in the northern city of Karmiel, while a missile impacted in Haifa, wounding at least 23 people, three of them seriously.
The three seriously maimed in Haifa included a 16-year-old boy who sustained shrapnel wounds to his upper body, and two men, aged 54 and 40, who sustained wounds to their lower bodies, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.
The other 20 maimed sustained light injuries, MDA said, adding that all the maimed were taken to hospitals.
The woman who died in Karmiel was identified as Yelena Sadowski, 51. Sadowski collapsed while running to the shelter amid the missile sirens. Medics who arrived at the scene were forced to declare her dead.
Haifa mayor Yona Yahav told news hounds at the scene that the barrage hit "two strategic areas" in the city, without elaborating.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the missile barrage hit the al-Jarina Mosque in Haifa’s Wadi Nisnas neighborhood.
"The missile attack injured Moslemholy mans who were in the mosque," wrote Sa’ar, adding footage from the scene. "The Iranian regime is targeting Moslem, Christian and Jewish civilians, as well as civilian sites. These are war crimes."
The Israel Defense Forces estimated that the attack included some 25 missiles.
Shockwaves from the missile knocked out stained glass windows and caused infrastructure damage at the Al Jarina Grand Mosque, built in 1775 and extended in 1901.
The low, thick-walled stone building near Haifa’s port usually attracts up to 200 people for Friday prayers, but just 15 turned up because of a Home Front prohibition on large gatherings, according to Wakf representative Khalid Dagash.
He said prayers had ended by the time the missile fell and nobody was left in the building.
One person whose identity he didn’t know was lightly injured outside, he said.
The building was undergoing renovation, said Dagash, adding that he feared government compensation would not be enough to repair the damage.
Windows were also blown out at the even older Masjid al-Saghir, built in 1761. No other damage was visible from the cordon outside.
CLUSTER BOMB ON A DAYCARE CENTER
Footage from Beersheba showed Iran likely targeted the city with a cluster bomb.
Videos and photos showed several impacts of small munitions at multiple locations in the southern city, indicating that a ballistic missile carrying a cluster bomb warhead was used in the attack.
One of the small munitions hit a daycare. Two homes in Beersheba also sustained damage, but no one was hurt, police and medics said.
One of the impacts caused significant damage to the Colel Chabad Daycare Center in Beersheba, the organization said.
"Miraculously, no children or staff were physically harmed, as the strike occurred Friday afternoon outside the center’s regular operating time. However,
a woman is only as old as she admits... the destruction of classrooms and play areas has deeply impacted dozens of local families who rely on the center for stability, safety and childcare," Colel Chabad said.
Israel’s fire service said it was putting out a fire that broke out at an impact site in Beersheba.
The apparent targeting of Beersheba with a cluster bomb came after the IDF Home Front Command on Thursday confirmed that Iran had launched at least one ballistic missile carrying a cluster bomb warhead at central Israel.
According to the military, the missile’s warhead opened up while descending, at an altitude of around 7 kilometers (4.3 miles), spreading about 20 smaller munitions with roughly 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of explosives, in a radius of some 8 kilometers (5 miles). Neither Israel nor Iran is a signatory to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the weapons.
Missile fragments were also reported in central Israel. No injuries were caused.
NEW SHELTERS
The Israeli government on Friday approved a Defense Ministry and Home Front Command plan to renovate 500 public bomb shelters and deploy 1,000 mobile roadside shelters across the country, with an estimated cost of 100 million NIS.
"In light of the security situation, the government approved via a phone vote a plan to accelerate home front defense," the Defense Ministry said.
The ministry said the 500 public shelters that will be refurbished are mostly in central Israel, which has been repeatedly targeted by Iran in the past week.
The 1,000 roadside shelters will be placed "in sensitive areas nationwide," it added.
Despite the holdup, several locales in the Gush Dan area have already received portable shelters from the Home Front Command, including Bnei Brak and Ramat Hasharon.
An Iranian ballistic missile struck Beersheba in southern Israel on Friday morning, lightly wounding seven people and causing substantial damage to homes, as Israel and Iran continued their exchange of fire. The southern city’s Soroka Hospital, which was hit by an Iranian strike a day earlier, said it had received seven casualties, all lightly injured.
The missile struck a road near several apartment blocks, creating a large crater and setting several cars on fire. Firefighters rushed to the scene to extinguish the blaze. The shockwave from the impact ripped apart the adjacent apartment building’s balconies and blew out the windows in other surrounding structures, sending glass shards and chunks of debris flying.
Residents of the damaged buildings, the vast majority of whom were sheltering in their bomb safe rooms, were evacuated by police, Magen David Adom medics, and Home Front Command search and rescue soldiers.
MDA said it treated five people who were slightly hurt by the shockwave, blunt trauma, smoke inhalation, as well as acute anxiety. They were taken to Soroka hospital, along with others in the city who were hurt after falling while running to shelters.
Speaking to reporters at the scene, Beersheba Mayor Ruvik Danilovich said, “The self-discipline of the residents who immediately entered safe spaces saved lives.”
“There’s major damage, but people acted according to Home Front Command guidelines and saved themselves. Our challenge is to gather the residents and find a solution for them. We’ve prepared for this,” he said.
One missile was fired from Iran in the attack, which was not intercepted by air defenses, an Israel Defense Forces official told The Times of Israel. The IDF reported striking other primed ballistic missile launchers in Iran, foiling a larger attack.
“The Iranians planned this morning a larger barrage at Beersheba. Before the launch, we identified preparations of three primed launchers… we destroyed them,” IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a press conference.
Defrin said the Israeli Air Force’s continued strikes on Iran “reduce the harm to the home front.”
Earlier in the night, around 3 a.m., the Israel Air Force said it intercepted three Iranian drones that had triggered sirens in the Dead Sea. Another drone was intercepted over Haifa shortly after midnight, the military said.
TEHRAN STRIKES CONTINUE
The military said on Friday that the IAF had carried out a wave of strikes overnight, targeting dozens of Iranian military facilities and a nuclear research site. More than 60 fighter jets were involved in the strikes, dropping 120 munitions, according to a statement by the military, which added that the targets included “several industrial missile production sites” in Tehran, which had served as “the industrial core of Iran’s Defense Ministry.”
“Among the targets were military industrial sites producing missile components and facilities for manufacturing raw materials used in casting missile engines,” the IDF said.
The strikes also hit the “headquarters of the SPND nuclear project,” the statement added, referring to a site that had already been targeted since the current conflict with Iran began.
“SPND serves as a hub for research and development of advanced technologies and weaponry for the Iranian regime’s military capabilities. It was established in 2011 by Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the founder of Iran’s nuclear weapons program,” the statement said.
Another site that was struck had been used to manufacture a “component essential to the regime’s nuclear weapons program.”
The military said that on Friday morning, the IAF struck three ballistic missile launchers primed for an attack on Israel, along with an Iranian military commander who was operating at the launch site in Iran, and issued footage of the strikes.
The strikes, according to the IDF, took place shortly before the missile attack on Beersheba and had foiled a larger attack on the southern city. It issued footage of the strikes.
Earlier in the night, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for Iranian civilians in the Sefidrood Industrial Park and the village of Kalash Taleshan in the country’s northwest. The warning was issued ahead of what the IDF said is a continuation of its strikes on Iranian military infrastructure across the country, but no strikes in the area have so far been reported.
With Iran’s internet being shut off to the outside world, it is unclear just how many people in Iran would be able to see the message.
Additionally, on Friday, the military said IAF fighter jets in recent days struck several Iranian air defense batteries in Isfahan and Tehran, as part of efforts to expand its air supremacy in Iran. The military said the strikes hit the surface-to-air missile launchers and radars, “that were intended to target IDF aircraft and prevent their operations.”
IAF fighter jets and drones “continue to operate freely over Iran, striking military targets of the Iranian regime in western and central Iran,” the IDF said, adding that it will “continue working to expand aerial freedom of action in Iranian skies and to achieve air superiority.”
#1
Not prominently mentioned are the economic costs to Israel of their recent activity. Those include:
* Maersk stopping port calls at Haifa
* Primary refinery no longer in operation
* Reserve troops not in the workforce
* Tourism shut down (and residents restricted from leaving - although boat trips to Cyprus are suddently quite popular)
That's in addition to ongoing costs to fund the direct strikes. Just as they are running through their ADA stocks, they are rapidly increasing the cycles on their aircraft (pushing A/B/C/D checks) closer and accruing incremental fatigue to their EW systems.
So the bottom line is it's a slugfest. Can Israel continue to absorb the current level of damage longer than Iran? Keeping in mind the Israeli's have a limited goal of regime change in Iran whilst the Iranians have the goal of survival as a nation (different thresholds of pain acceptable).
…eradicating the Jewish Entity. At least that’s why they started this round of fighting, just like they planned, financed, and trained the last several premature eruptions from Gaza. But they never planned on feeling any real pain for it, being as they knew themselves to be The Favoured of Allah. Possibly they don’t think that anymore.
Cogent points. Some of that was in this article, or one of the others today, but I trimmed it because there’s an awful lot of text there. Thank you for covering my lack, Clem+Elmish4239. :-)
Merely thousands? Historically they got tens or hundreds of thousands — huge crowds competing to see who could shout their devotion to their overlords and hatred of Israel and America the loudest.
[IsraelTimesDemonstrators chant ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel,’ burn the two nations’ flags, as Iran proxies and other Shiite Muslims rally after noon prayers in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen
Thousands of people rallied in Tehran, Baghdad and Beirut on Friday after weekly prayers to protest Israel’s strikes on Iran, chanting slogans against Israel and its main backer, the United States.
Images on Iran’s state television showed protesters in Tehran holding up pictures of commanders killed since the start of the war last week. Other protesters waved the flags of Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah. Protesters could be heard chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” in footage from the protests.
“This is the Friday of the Iranian nation’s solidarity and resistance across the country,” the news anchor said.
“I will sacrifice my life for my leader,” read a protester’s banner, referring to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to state television, protests took place in other cities around the country, including in Tabriz in northwestern Iran and Shiraz in the south.
Last Friday, the IDF launched a sweeping assault on Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites, and ballistic missile program. Israel says the operation is necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from realizing its avowed plan to destroy the Jewish state.
Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari, the Imam leading Tehran’s prayers, told worshippers that Israel had attacked Iran out of “despair,” the official IRNA news agency reported.
He accused Israel of launching a “psychological war” to “pit the people of the country against the government.”
Israel launched a real war, buddy. The psychology follows instead of replacing it.
“Their plans were precise, but their calculations were laughable,” the imam said.
Iran has retaliated to the IDF strikes by launching over 470 ballistic missiles and around 1,000 drones at Israel.
So far, Iran’s missile attacks have killed 24 people and wounded thousands in Israel, according to health officials and hospitals. Some of the missiles have hit apartment buildings, causing heavy damage.
With warnings of all-out regional war intensifying, fears are growing over an intervention by Iran-backed Iraqi factions, who have threatened Washington’s interests in the region if it were to join Israel in its war against Iran.
‘NO RIGHT’
In Iraq, thousands of supporters of powerful cleric Moqtada al-Sadr rallied after Friday prayers in Baghdad and other cities, AFP correspondents said.
Again, only thousands?
Sadr, who has previously criticized Tehran-backed Iraqi armed factions, retains a devoted following of millions among Iraq’s majority community of Shiite Muslims.
“No to Israel! No to America!” chanted demonstrators gathered in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, the cleric’s stronghold in the capital.
“It is an unjust war… Israel has no right” to hit Iran, said protester Abu Hussein.
“Israel is not in it for the [Iranian] nuclear [program]. What Israel and the Americans want is to dominate the Middle East,” added the 54-year-old taxi driver.
In the city of Kufa, protesters set fire to Israeli and American flags.
Iraq is both a significant ally of Iran and a strategic partner of the United States.
In Lebanon, hundreds of Hezbollah supporters took to the streets in the group’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
To be fair, most of Hezbollah is dead, which interferes with marching and screaming.
Men, women, and children waved the flags of Iran, Hezbollah, and Lebanon, with some holding pictures of Khamenei.
“It is my duty to stand with [Iran] against the Zionist Israeli enemy,” said Adnan Zaytoun, 60.
To supporters like Zaytoun, “if anyone attacks us, we will defend ourselves, but we do not support war.”
Hezbollah has not expressed any intention to intervene militarily on Iran’s side against Israel.
They are fanatics, not stupid…
The terror group emerged severely weakened from a nearly 15-month war it launched against Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas invaded Israel and sparked the war in Gaza.
“We are here to show the American and Israeli enemies that we are resilient and will not be defeated… even if they destroy our homes over our heads,” said Fadel Saad, an 18-year-old student.
In Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and other areas, tens of thousands of people gathered for protests organized by the Houthi authorities, according to their official media outlets.
They haven’t anything better to do in Yemen except protest and chew khat.
The Iran-backed rebels — whose banner includes the words “death to America, death to Israel, a curse on the Jews” — have launched ballistic missiles and drone attacks on Israel, and attacked Red Sea shipping, since November 2023, a month after the Hamas onslaught.
"Some time ago, the Israel Defense Forces detected missiles fired from Iran towards Israeli territory. Defense systems are working to eliminate the threat," the military clarified on the Telegram channel.
It is noted that an air raid alert was declared in a number of areas of the Jewish state. The population was advised to take shelter from a rocket attack in protected areas.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, a former Israeli intelligence officer admitted in an interview with NBC News that the Iron Dome air defense system is unable to intercept Iran's high-speed missiles. Despite the losses in the Islamic Republic's leadership after the Israeli attacks, Iran still has significant stockpiles of missiles, the source noted.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council said the military would stop launching missile strikes once Israel was punished and compensated for the damage it had suffered.
More from regnum.ru Israeli Air Force Launches Series of Strikes on Tehran Targets Overnight
[Regnum] At night, the Israeli Air Force carried out a series of strikes on a nuclear research center and dozens of military facilities in the capital of Iran. This was reported on June 20 by the press service of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
“Dozens of targets were hit, including military missile production facilities and the SPND headquarters, which is engaged in research and development of Iranian nuclear weapons,” the IDF Telegram channel clarified.
More than 60 fighters were involved in the bombing, dropping about 120 munitions.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on June 20, the Israeli army recorded the launch of missiles from Iran. Air defense systems intercepted them. An air raid alarm was declared in a number of areas of the Jewish state. The population was advised to take shelter from the missile attack in protected areas.
Attacks on nuclear facilities are extremely dangerous and could lead to an irreversible catastrophe similar to Chernobyl, warned Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev in connection with the escalation of the Iranian-Israeli conflict.
Even more from regnum.ru Iran warns Qatar of possible strikes, media reports
Iranian authorities have warned Qatar of possible strikes on American military bases in the Persian Gulf. This is reported by The Washington Post (WP).
"Iranian officials warned Qatar this week that US bases in the Persian Gulf would be legitimate targets in response to an American attack," the publication said.
In particular, the strikes could target the US Air Force base Al Udeid, located 20 km from Doha, Qatar. The US Navy base in Bahrain and military facilities in Kuwait could also be targeted.
The publication also clarified that the targets could be US embassies and diplomatic missions in the region.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/21/2025
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Moscow is ready to transfer to Kiev about 3 thousand more bodies of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This was stated on June 20 by the aide to the President of Russia, the head of the Russian delegation at the negotiations with Ukraine Vladimir Medinsky.
"About 3,000 more [bodies] are ready to be sent to the Ukrainian side, if they are ready to accept them. We have them in refrigerated trucks, our military will hand them over so that their relatives have the opportunity to bury them, identify them finally and bury them in a Christian manner," Medinsky said in an interview with RT.
He also commented on the statement by Kyiv representatives, according to which the body of a Russian serviceman was allegedly handed over to Ukraine along with the bodies of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters. Medinsky called this statement propaganda.
On June 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to transfer another 3,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to Kiev. In addition, the head of state once again pointed out the need to hold negotiations to resolve the conflict. According to him, the crisis in Ukraine must not only be resolved, but also find a solution for the future.
[BusinessToday] What’s fueling suspicions is their listed destination: Luxembourg. Yet none were spotted anywhere near Europe, flight data shows.
Three massive cargo jets departed China in quick succession just days after Israel’s strike on Iran and then vanished near Iranian airspace, triggering fears of secret Chinese arms transfers to Tehran.
The Boeing 747 freighters, known for hauling heavy military gear under government contracts, lifted off from various Chinese cities, including Shanghai, over three consecutive days. Each followed a near-identical westward route over northern China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan — before disappearing from radar as they approached Iran, The Telegraph reported.
“These cargos cannot but generate a lot of interest,” Andrea Ghiselli, a China-MENA relations expert at the University of Exeter was quoted as saying in a Telegraph report.
He noted growing expectations that Beijing could step in to support Iran as tensions rise across the region.
The stakes are high. Iran, a key oil supplier to China with nearly 2 million barrels a day flowing east, is a strategic partner in Beijing’s push against the US-led world order. Supporting Iran’s regime, analysts suggest, may be a way for China to preserve its energy lifeline and maintain influence in the volatile Middle East.
“The collapse of the current regime would be a significant blow,” Ghiselli warned, citing the economic and geopolitical shockwaves it could send through the region and into China’s core interests.
Still, no direct evidence has confirmed the nature of the flights’ cargo. Independent inspections would be needed to verify whether the aircraft were carrying weapons, aid, or other materials. Publicly available flight logs only add to the mystery, with similar routes repeatedly terminating near the Iran-Turkmenistan border.
The flights’ disappearance and strategic timing have amplified concerns about a deepening axis between Tehran and Beijing — one that may soon challenge not just regional stability, but global balance.
#2
You may want to check flight aware to track the frequency of 5Y / Atlas Air cargo flights to Tel Aviv. They aren't slowing down. Makes sense for the Chinese to set down their MU flights East of the AO to minimize liability for their aircraft
[IsraelTimes] Netanyahu agreed to ensure the safety of Russian personnel at Russian-built Bushehr nuclear reactor, Russian president says, as he threatens to seize more land from Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin ...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... said Friday he has secured Israel’s pledge to safeguard Russian personnel at Iran’s Russia-built nuclear power plant and that he has reached out to both sides to try to end the week-old war.
Answering questions on a variety of issues at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin also warned Ukraine that it could lose more territory if it keeps rejecting Russia’s conditions for peace.
Putin said Russia has proposed "some ideas" for a possible settlement 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 that are currently being discussed.
He said Moscow asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure the security of Russian personnel who are working to construct two more reactors at the nuclear power plant in Iran’s port of Bushehr, and that he also raised the issue with US President Donald Trump ...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down... "Prime Minister Netanyahu has agreed with that, and President Trump has promised to support our legitimate demands," Putin said.
But he strongly rejected allegations that Moscow has failed to back its ally, Tehran, saying the Kremlin has maintained good ties with both Iran and Israel. He noted that Israel is home to nearly 2 million people from Russia and other former Soviet nations, "a factor that we always have taken into account."
At the same time, Putin said, Russia has always met its obligations to Iran, adding that Moscow has firmly backed Tehran’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
He voiced concern about the spiraling conflict, saying we "are strongly worried about what’s going on around the Iranian nuclear facilities and possible consequences."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:56 On frames: objective control, naval infanry of the 177th Separate Guards Regiment destroy an enemy armored personnel carrier in the Pisarevka area with an FPV strike. 19:53 S-300V anti-aircraft missile systems crews of the North group of forces are being destroyed enemy UAVs, multiple launch rocket systems and aerial bombs in the special operation zone, ensuring reliable protection of our units, as well as civilian and government facilities.
18:32 Operators of the Geranium-2 UAV struck:
Bridges in the area of the settlements of Shakhovo and Vladimirovka in the DPR,
Enemy UAV control points in the Yablonovka area in the DPR,▫️
Training camp for the operational-tactical group "Donetsk" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the settlement of Popasnoye in the Dnepropetrovsk region.
17:32 Far Eastern soldiers continue to occupy strongholds west of Vesyoloye, –MAP.
16:56 Northerners scouts opened deep in the Sumy region, a camouflaged position of an enemy self-propelled gun was found, which was firing in the direction of the positions of our advancing troops.
The Fearless FPV operators quickly worked on the target and destroyed the artillery weapon.
15:47 12.00 to 15.00 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type:
One over the territory of the Astrakhan region and
One over the territory of the Rostov region.
14:15 In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached on June 2 in Istanbul, from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime returned a group of Russian military personnel.
In exchange, a group of prisoners of war from the Ukrainian Armed Forces was transferred.
Currently, Russian military personnel are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance.
All Russian military personnel will be transported to the Russian Federation for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
13:51 On frames: strikes with Geraniums in order:
Bridge in the area of the village Shakhova;
Bridge in the area of the settlement Vladimirovka;
Control point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces UAVs in the area of the settlement of Yablonovka;
Training camp of the Donetsk OTG of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement of Popasnoye in the Dnipropetrovsk region, with subsequent detonation of the ammunition.
12:17 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation from June 14 to 20, 2025
From June 14 to June 20 this year, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out six group strikes with high-precision weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles, which resulted in the destruction of enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, fuel and energy infrastructure facilities providing the Armed Forces of Ukraine, air defense radar stations, arsenals, production workshops, storage and launch sites for attack unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations, special operations forces and foreign mercenaries.
Over the course of a week, units of the North group of forces advanced deep into the enemy’s defenses and liberated the settlement of Novonikolaevka in Sumy Oblast.
Air strikes, unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery fire hit concentrations of manpower and equipment of a tank, four mechanized, motorized infantry, ranger, three airborne assault brigades, an airborne assault, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades.
In the Khar'kov direction, units of the mechanized, two motorized infantry brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, five territorial defense brigades and a national guard brigade were defeated.
Over the course of a week, in the area of responsibility of the North group of forces, the enemy's losses amounted to over 1,250 servicemen, 22 combat armored vehicles, 25 cars and 24 field artillery guns. Two electronic warfare stations, 11 ammunition and material depots were destroyed.
As a result of active actions by units of the "West" military group, the settlements of Moskovka and Dolgenkoye in the Khar'kov region were liberated.
Defeat was inflicted on the formations of three mechanized, two assault, and airborne assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, three territorial defense brigades, and a national guard brigade.
The enemy lost more than 1,480 servicemen, a tank, seven combat armored vehicles, 58 cars and four field artillery guns. 12 electronic and counter-battery warfare stations were destroyed, as well as 25 ammunition depots.
The units of the "Southern" group of forces improved the situation along the front line. They defeated the manpower and equipment of eight mechanized, motorized infantry, ranger, airmobile, assault, mountain assault, two airborne assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and two territorial defense brigades.
Over the course of a week, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 1,390 servicemen, a tank, 10 combat armored vehicles, including three US-made M-113 armored personnel carriers, 16 vehicles, and 12 field artillery guns. Seven electronic and counter-battery warfare stations, 14 ammunition and supply depots were destroyed.
Units of the Center group of forces continued to develop the offensive on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Dnepropetrovsk region.
As a result of decisive actions, the settlements of Zeleny Kut, Ulyanovka and Novonikolaevka of the Donetsk People's Republic were liberated.
Formations of six mechanized, two Jaeger, an assault, two airborne assault brigades, a brigade and regiment of unmanned systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two brigades of naval infantry, three brigades of the National Guard and an assault brigade of the National Police of Ukraine were defeated.
12:09 As a result of active actions by units of the West military group released settlement Moskovka, Khar'kov region.
12:08 From June 14 to 20, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federationinflictedsix group strikes with high-precision weapons and strike unmanned aerial vehicles, which resulted in the destruction of enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, fuel and energy infrastructure facilities providing the Armed Forces of Ukraine, air defense radar stations, arsenals, production workshops, storage and launch sites for strike unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations, special operations forces and foreign mercenaries.
11:51 Ministry of Defense RF:
Crews of 122mm howitzers D-30 of the "West" group of forces struck the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Krasnolimansk direction, destroying the mortar crew and enemy manpower.
The crew of the 152mm Msta-B gun of the Center group of forces ensured the advance of assault groups in the Krasnoarmeysk direction, hitting a stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Crews of 152mm Giatsint-B guns of Anapa airborne artillerymen destroyed the enemy's UAV control point in the Orekhov direction.
The Msta-B crew of the Dnepr troop group destroyed an observation post of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kherson region on the right bank of the Dnieper.
09:56 On frames: objective control drone operators of the 382nd Separate Battalion of the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade uncovered the movement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in a "loaf".
The vehicle was filled with Ukrainian Armed Forces property, which was destroyed along with the vehicle after our FPV accurately hit the enemy target.
08:15 Calculations of the Geranium-2 UAVamazeda workshop for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles in the area of the settlement of Zaporizhia, as well as a stronghold and temporary deployment point of the 82nd Separate Airborne Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the settlement of Sofiyivka.
07:33 Changes to map over the past 24 hours:➡️
Advance in Aleksandro-Kalinovo
Control zone south of Orekhovo has been expanded
Novonikolaevka has been liberated
Russian Armed Forces entered the settlement of Zaporozhye
07:14 During the past night, from 20:00 on June 19 to 07:00 on June 20, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 61 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type:
22 UAVs over the territory of the Oryol region,
14 UAVs over the territory of the Kursk region,
Seven UAVs over the territory of the Belgorod region,
Five UAVs over the territory of the Voronezh region,
Three UAVs over the territory of the Volgograd region,
Three UAVs over the territory of the Rostov region,
Three UAVs over the territory of the Tula region,
Three UAVs over the territory of the Bryansk region,
One UAV over the territory of the Moscow region.
05:05 Attack UAV crews of the Vostok group of forces overtook enemy Baba Yaga hexacopters in the area of the Shevchenko settlement in the DPR.
FPV drone operators of the Southern Group of Forces destroyed a mounted anti-tank grenade launcher and a pickup truck of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the settlement of Konstantinovka in the DPR –VIDEO
[FoxNews] An ICE representative said that the investigation is still ongoing and that the exact number of individuals impacted is still unknown.
ICE has uncovered a massive identity theft scheme led by illegal immigrants and possibly tied to organized criminal networks following a workplace raid at a meatpacking plant in Omaha.
According to an ICE statement, approximately 70 illegal aliens working at the plant were discovered to be using stolen Social Security numbers and identities to unlawfully obtain employment authorization, wages and benefits at the expense of over 100 victims. The statement said that the victims have faced "devastating financial, emotional and legal consequences" as a result of the identity theft.
Working with other federal and state partners, ICE agents conducted a major workplace raid at Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha on June 10. The raid resulted in over 70 illegal immigrants being arrested, which sparked protests both in the community and across the country.
While the arrests have sparked outrage from some in both the local community and nationally, ICE said the illegals’ identity theft proves they were not innocent, hardworking members of society, as some have suggested.
Another ICE representative told Fox News Digital that the illegal aliens who were apprehended at Glenn Valley Foods were behind the crime and that "some may have used organized criminal networks" to carry out the crime.
The representative said that the investigation is still ongoing and that the exact number of individuals impacted is still unknown.
The ICE spokesperson pointed to a few examples of those victimized by the apprehended illegals’ identity theft scheme.
The spokesperson said a disabled person in Texas, who was unable to work, struggled to get their Social Security disability payments because an illegal alien was fraudulently using their identity and earning wages at Glenn Valley Foods.
Another victim in Colorado received a notice from the IRS to repay more than $5,000 after their income was falsely increased due to an illegal alien using their identity to work at the plant.
In Missouri, a full-time nursing student lost their college tuition assistance because it was fraudulently reported that they earned too much money due to an illegal alien at Glenn Valley Foods using their Social Security number.
Another person living in California has had to work for nearly 15 years to regain their identity and fix the financial damage done by an illegal who was working at Glenn Valley Foods, according to the spokesperson.
Mark Zito, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City, which covers Omaha, said in a statement emailed to Fox News Digital that "the criminals who stole these identities didn’t just break the law, they upended lives."
There have been individuals who have gone on the record recently referring to the identity thieves we arrested last week as ‘good, hardworking, and honest,’" he said. "These so-called honest workers have caused an immeasurable amount of financial and emotional hardship for innocent Americans. If pretending to be someone you aren’t in order to steal their lives isn’t blatant, criminal dishonesty, I don’t know what is."
"These victims aren’t faceless statistics; they’re real people who are being denied healthcare and have lost educational opportunities," added Zito.
So much for the claim that honest citizens benefit because illegals with stolen Social Security numbers donate to the fund without ever getting anything back.
#2
ICE has uncovered a massive identity theft scheme led by illegal immigrants and possibly tied to organized criminal networks following a workplace raid at a meatpacking plant in Omaha.
"Criminal networks" or Deep State mischief. You decide.
#4
Given E-verify, shouldn't we be seeing arrests and $$$$$$$ fines of the business owners/Mgr's.?
As much as I am against ILLEGALS to ensure National Safety and Security. They are doing the jobs, that this Lazy-A$$ smartphone generation would either demand 4x the wages to do, or break down and cry to mommy about.
#6
I vote for criminal networks. Along with transportation, food, shelter, those that supported by the NGOs (and USAID) get documents, including social security cards. They pass E-Verify.
The big contractor I worked eith for ten years always used E-Verify, but one April, one of the workers discovered he had the same SSN as his cousin. At an ICE 'raid' at Dulles Airport, half the laborers split and half of those never came back. 30 or 40 were detained.
On the other hand, I guess NGOs and USAID could be considered part of the deep state...
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/21/2025 8:16
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#7
^ Their operations fall entirely with the DS, even if not directly administered by them.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
06/21/2025 9:48
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[NAHARNET] Hezbollah condemned Thursday Israel's threats to kill Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> after an Israeli hospital was hit during an Iranian missile attack.
"Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed -- he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal," Israel's defense minister Israel Katz told journalists in Holon near Tel Aviv. "Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist."
Hezbollah said the Israeli threat is "foolish and reckless" and "would have grave consequences".
It "constitutes an offence to hundreds of millions of believers", the group added.
Iraq's top Shiite holy man Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani also warned against targeting Iran's leadership and said it would have "dire consequences on the region".
Sistani, an Iranian, is the highest religious authority for millions of Shiite Moslems in Iraq and around the world, with the power to mobilize a huge portion of that base in Iraq.
Despite his Iranian roots, Sistani is seen as an essential figure in Iraq's recent history and has been known for pushing back against Tehran's growing clout in the country.
Shiite Moslemholy mans rallied late Wednesday, wearing military fatigues in southern Iraq, near the Iranian border. They held Iraqi and Iranian flags and shouted slogans condemning Israel's attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/21/2025
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[IsraelTimes] Justices uphold 2019 law allowing American citizens harmed in attacks outside the United States to file lawsuits against the Palestinian entities
The US Supreme Court upheld on Friday a statute passed by Congress to facilitate lawsuits against Paleostinian authorities by Americans killed or injured in attacks abroad as plaintiffs pursue monetary damages for violence years ago in Israel and the West Bank.
The 9-0 ruling overturned a lower court’s decision that the 2019 law, the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, violated the rights of the Paleostinian Authority and Paleostine Liberation Organization to due process under the US Constitution.
Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, who authored the ruling, said the 2019 jurisdictional law comported with due process rights enshrined in the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment.
"It is permissible for the federal government to craft a narrow jurisdictional provision that ensures, as part of a broader foreign policy agenda, that Americans injured or killed by acts of terror have an adequate forum in which to vindicate their right" to compensation under a federal law known as the Antiterrorism Act of 1990, Roberts wrote.
The US government and a group of American victims and their families had appealed the lower court’s decision that struck down a provision of the law.
Among the plaintiffs are families who in 2015 won a $655 million judgment
Goodness! Any chance they’ll actually get anything like that amount out of the other side?
in a civil case alleging that the Paleostinian entities were responsible for a series of terror shootings and bombings around Jerusalem from 2002 to 2004. They also include relatives of Ari Fuld, who was fatally stabbed by a Paleostinian terrorist in 2018.
"The plaintiffs, US families who had loved ones maimed or murdered in PLO-sponsored terror attacks, have been waiting for justice for many years," said Kent Yalowitz, a lawyer for the plaintiffs.
"I am very hopeful that the case will soon be resolved without subjecting these families to further protracted and unnecessary litigation," Yalowitz added.
The ongoing fighting involving Israel and the Paleostinians served as a backdrop to the case, with Fuld’s murderer released as part of a hostage-prisoner exchange earlier this year between Israel and the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... -ruling Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... terror group.
US courts for years have grappled over whether they have jurisdiction in cases involving the Paleostinian Authority and PLO for actions taken abroad.
A fair question.
Under the language at issue in the 2019 law, the PLO and Paleostinian Authority automatically "consent" to jurisdiction if they conduct certain activities in the United States or make payments to people who attack Americans.
Roberts in Friday’s ruling wrote that Congress and the president enacted the jurisdictional law based on their "considered judgment to subject the PLO and PA (Paleostinian Authority) to liability in US courts as part of a comprehensive legal response to ’halt, deter and disrupt’ acts of international terrorism that threaten the life and limb of American citizens."
New York-based US District Judge Jesse Furman ruled in 2022 that the law violated the due process rights of the PLO and Paleostinian Authority.
Do terror orgs have due process rights?
The New York-based 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling.
President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. Joe's wife and daughter weren't killed by a drunk driver. He didn't graduate with three or even two degrees, wasn't in the top half of his law class, and his daddy didn't come home from a hard day's work in the mines and play football with the guys. The NAACP hasn't endorsed him every time he's run.... ’s administration initiated the government’s appeal, which subsequently was taken up by President Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... ’s administration. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case on April 1.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] ZSU destroys Russians in 11 directions.
The enemy army is most active in the Pokrovsky direction. There are battles in the areas of 12 settlements.
Since the beginning of the day, 91 combat clashes with Russian invaders have occurred on the front. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report as of 16:00 on Friday, June 20.
Thus, in the Severo-Slobodskoy and Kursk directions our soldiers repelled 18 enemy attacks. Another six combat clashes are ongoing.
In the Yuzhno-Slobodskoy direction, the Russians have attacked five times in the areas of Zeleny and Volchansk, three attacks are still ongoing.
In the Kupyansk direction, Russian occupiers carried out one attack in the direction of Stepnaya Novoselovka.
In the Liman direction, the invading army carried out 12 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Novy Mir, Olgovka, Grekovka, Ridkodub and in the directions of Karpovka and Glushchenkovo. Currently, four combat clashes are ongoing.
In the Seversky direction, the enemy attacked once in the Grigoryevka area.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the Russians unsuccessfully attacked four times in the areas of Belaya Gora, Predtechnoye and Stupochki.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy tried to penetrate the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defenses in the Toretsk and Yablunovka areas five times. Four assaults have already been stopped.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the Russians organized 28 attacks near the settlements of Poltavka, Mirnoye, Malinovka, Mirolyubovka, Promen, Lisovka, Udachnoye, Nadeyevka, Serebnoye, as well as in the directions of Vladimirovka, Novopavlovka, Novopodgorny. The defense forces have already repelled 22 assaults.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, our defenders stopped six attacks, three more clashes are currently ongoing. The enemy tried to advance in the areas of Oradnoye, Bogatyr, Svobodnoye Pole and Shevchenko.
In the Orekhov direction, two enemy attacks were repelled in the direction of Novoandreyevka.
Let us recall that on June 19, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked 22 areas where Russians were concentrated. The enemy army lost almost 1,100 fighters killed and wounded. The total number of Russian losses has exceeded 1 million people since the beginning of the war.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Ukrainian military are “containing” the Russian offensive in the Sumy region. This was stated on June 20 by the head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, in a daily address on the Telegram channel.
He explained that the situation in Sumy Oblast was discussed at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters meeting on June 20, and that this was the main issue. Zelensky, according to him, received "a very detailed report on the front."
"Special attention should be paid to Sumy region. The Russians had different plans and intentions there. The situation is serious," Zelensky admitted.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that the depth of the buffer zone in the Sumy region is from 10 to 12 km.
Putin noted that next is Sumy, the regional center. At the same time, according to the president, there is no such goal to take Sumy, but, in principle, this is not excluded.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, Russian troops eliminated more than 60 fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the settlement of Konotop in the Sumy region. This data was confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry on June 18. The Iskander OTRK crew launched a missile strike on the permanent deployment point of the motorized infantry brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area.
[X] *Shudder* Someone pleeeeeese drag him to a department store to be shown how to apply make up correctly. That’s seriously distressing. Also, buddy — if you’re going to pretend to be a girl, wax your face.
Six more Portland Antifa militants have been federally charged for various violent crimes related to the ongoing insurrection against the local ICE facility.
Samuel Tate Berry, a 2020 trans Antifa rioter who faced no consequences back then, was charged with assaulting a federal… pic.twitter.com/n9d2KU1IV2
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Denis Davydov
[REGNUM] Somewhat credible sources claim that the all-powerful head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, spent the entire day after the article was published in the influential American publication Politico running around on the ceiling.
He demanded that everyone he could reach completely block any mention of the fact that from now on the head of the OP is officially “a Ukrainian official who cannot be tolerated in Washington.”
As Politico reports, citing 14 sources (including congressional staff, former US and Ukrainian officials), Yermak is called a “rare case of consensus” in Washington: both Democrats and Republicans have accumulated dissatisfaction with his behavior. Following his June visit to the US, he (despite his impeccable suit) is perceived as a negotiator who “irritates both parties.”
"Many in Washington believe that Yermak is ignorant of U.S. policy, abrupt and overly demanding of American officials — and generally incapable of understanding the inner workings of the Washington establishment on Capitol Hill. Some are also concerned that he has not accurately communicated U.S. positions to Ukraine's leadership," the publication writes.
But even then, the attempt to pass off a photo in a doorway with a clearly irritated Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a “successful meeting” at which Ukraine’s needs for air defense systems were discussed was met with general laughter. Now it has been confirmed that the news was a complete fabrication – in fact, no one wanted to meet with Yermak.
For the simple reason that American top officials did not understand why he had come and what the agenda of the meeting was. In addition, Zelensky's "gray cardinal" is acutely irritating everyone with his incompetent categoricalness.
“He thought, for example, that the critical minerals deal was so important to Trump that in exchange for it, Ukraine would get security guarantees,” the person told Politico, commenting on the well-known issue of creating a joint investment fund giving the U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals.
The source called the idea "ridiculous" (which we knew all along), but it's now clear who came up with it in the first place.
And in a private conversation with allies, Yermak accused Trump administration officials of being Russian agents, including Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has already met with the Russian president four times.
Biden's entourage, despite the declared readiness to "work to support Ukraine," has also repeatedly requested to hold meetings with Zelensky without Yermak.
The Ukrainian side refused to follow the requests, so one of the American experts called Yermak an “existential threat” to relations between Ukraine and the United States, while another noted: “Anyone who wants the United States to curtail support for Ukraine is happy to see Yermak in this role.”
Thus, it is easy to see that on the Ukrainian side there are no longer any high-ranking negotiators capable of entering the highest offices of American politics.
Zelensky himself, after the famous barking in the Oval Office, became completely unwilling to shake hands.
So he missed a planned meeting with Trump at the G7 summit, as the US president left early under the pretext of escalating tensions in the Middle East. And there is probably no chance of meeting Trump at the NATO summit next week either.
Now Yermak has been told quite clearly not to come again - either in a suit or without one. The accumulated irritation towards the head of the OP, which IA Regnum reported in detail back in April of last year, has finally found an outlet.
Even then, we explained that all the talk about Andriy Borisovich being appointed by the West to the role of head of state in order to push Zelensky aside is nonsense. Since he has already betrayed more than once, violated gentlemen's agreements and tried to portray himself as a master of intrigue, pitting London and Washington against each other "in the interests of Ukraine."
For example, at the end of 2023, behind the Biden administration's back, he tried to establish relations with Republicans in Congress and the Senate, but was denied support. The US president has not forgiven the story of the leaked recording of a conversation between Giuliani and Yermak, where Trump's lawyer demanded that the investigation into Joe Biden's corruption be accelerated.
And the British The Times published an article with devastating criticism back in June of last year: the headline itself says that Zelensky’s entourage is “shocked by Yermak’s thirst for power,” and he himself is called the “de facto head of state,” “Zelensky’s main problem,” the source of all his troubles and defeats, and the cause of the terrible corruption in the country.
Moreover, these revelations appeared before the visit of the “gray cardinal” to the Vatican for negotiations with the Pope - the British made it clear that they see this game, understand it and will not let it pass.
The Americans' current decision to put an end to their relationship with this man can be considered the peak of his career.
In fact, in this case, not even half a word of untruth makes it onto the pages of the press: Zelensky’s Ukraine, as we know it, was largely molded by the efforts of his “right hand” and one of the very few people he trusts.
Just at home, sitting in the former headquarters building of the Kyiv Special Military District on Bankova Street, Andrei Borisovich Yermak, not without reason, feels like an all-powerful arbiter of fates, the ruler of the world to which all the threads of the complex web of Ukrainian politics lead.
It is precisely based on this exciting feeling of his own greatness that he travels around the world to “resolve issues” in exactly the same style as he rules in Ukraine in the name of his boss – never laying claim to his personal glory.
Well, for the Western establishment, the status of the "master", not described by any law, is incomprehensible, as are his powers, and his style of behavior is not without reason perceived as extreme impudence. Although the West itself did everything to make both Zelensky and his head of the administration incurably ill with it: "the whole world" has been revolving around Ukraine for too long.
It's just that while the "white masters" thought that they were ruling this country through their puppets, the latter saw continuous personal growth. During which they came to the realization that a simple guy from Kyiv has the right to open the door to any office on this tiny planet with his foot.
And last year's Time magazine rating in the "Leaders" category says a lot about his self-perception: Andriy Yermak was included in the list of the 100 most influential people in the world and became the only Ukrainian to make it there.
For a modest fee, they say, of $27 million.
As part of the budget, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen even wrote a short essay in which he described Yermak as a man who “has been delivering Zelenskyy’s message to the world since the full-scale invasion, building a powerful network of Ukraine’s friends, from the West to the Global South, uniting them around issues from sanctions to the environment.”
And Andrey Borisovich appeared in Zelensky’s orbit in a completely different capacity: in connection with film production. Within the framework of this business, relationships were formed that subsequently brought him to power – as well as many other members of the “Kvartal 95” constellation.
Having become president, the former comedian did set an ambitious goal – ending the war in Donbass and took on the task of renewing the Ukrainian delegation to the trilateral contact group. Yermak, as a graduate of the Kyiv Institute of International Relations, served as an assistant for international affairs, but then it turned out that he was being received in Moscow.
Here he was known both through business affairs and through his parents’ connections: the son of an employee of the Soviet trade mission in Afghanistan managed to get the necessary contacts in Russia and Europe.
In the summer of 2019, it was decided that Yermak and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian government Dmitry Kozak (a native of the Kirovograd region of Ukraine) would conduct an official dialogue on the Minsk agreements and their future implementation.
This dialogue, as is well known, failed – including because attempts to establish real work on a peaceful settlement were systematically torpedoed by Yermak himself, who clearly had a clear goal in mind.
Gradually expanding his sphere of influence, he began to take over a number of functions that were within the competence of the first assistant to the president, Sergei Shefir, and the head of the office, Andriy Bogdan.
And he quickly became the closest employee to the president, demonstrating efficiency and loyalty.
Then the lover of a beautiful pose Bohdan, on the contrary, who challenged Zelensky's authority, was fired with a scandal, and the umbilical cord connecting the president with the old team was cut (there was even an assassination attempt on Shefir). Then there was a hard break with the sponsor and patron of the actor-president - the oligarch Igor Kolomoisky.
The president's office was thoroughly cleaned out, but all seven full-time and 18 part-time advisers to Yermak, 14 advisers to the deputy heads of the office, and eight advisers to the office remained in place.
The head of the OP had four times more personal staff than Zelensky, including a unique "matryoshka" - the head's office, an office within an office. And the "gray cardinal" appointed the head of this office in 2022 as a member of the working group to create a tribunal that will judge the Russian authorities for aggression.
The level of ambition is beyond the pale. But it is quite appropriate to the situation.
How Andrei Borisovich felt two years earlier should be clear from the congratulations to Biden on his election victory: they were voiced separately by Zelensky, and separately by Yermak. The clerk who ensures the work of the head of state's office sends personal greetings to the leader of a world power - isn't it beautiful?
In fact, as Ukrainian political scientist Kost Bondarenko writes, since February 2020, "we can talk about the establishment of a special form of governance - semi-democratic-semi-authoritarian, based on favoritism and excessive concentration of power, right-wing nihilism and populism. In the expert community of Ukraine, this form was called "Yermakovshchina."
In early March, Yermak suggested that Zelensky consider the issue of forming a new government, effectively forming it for himself - the secret of the political longevity of the inexpressive and absolutely loyal Denis Shmyhal is explained precisely by this.
In fact, the odd Dmitry Kuleba received the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs because his parents had once worked together with the Yermakovskys. So the Foreign Ministry was transferred to manual control by Yermak, and the lover of cigars and sparkling wine was given exclusively representative functions.
The well-known Kiev lawyer Oleksiy Reznikov, also a long-time friend of Yermak (with whom he closely collaborated on dubious “small architectural forms” projects in Kiev), became the vice-prime minister and minister for reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories.
So the logic behind Reznikov’s subsequent transition to the post of Minister of Defense, his participation in organizing monstrous thefts in purchases for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and his surprising immunity from prosecution after their disclosure are explained very simply.
As well as the ever-growing discontent of “Western partners”.
Having visited the head of British MI6 Richard Moore in October 2020, Yermak, together with Zelensky, "swore allegiance" to old England. On the other hand, there was a vertical of control built for itself by the United States. However, the self-confident gray ruler of Ukraine stuck his people everywhere, building a system of blocks for foreign masters.
That is why, for example, the SBU has long ago abandoned its legal powers, turning into a terrorist structure competing with the GUR - Andrey Borisovich personally set this task for Malyuk. He also dragged the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine Oleg Ivaschenko to an interview - to show the so far invulnerable Kirill Budanov, sitting under the "roof" of the British, that "we have no irreplaceable people."
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky has long been considered Yermak's favorite, and the servile general got this position because his predecessor's political ambitions greatly irritated the "first person". Andrei Borisovich took the popular Zaluzhny out of the game, pleasing the boss, and simultaneously strengthened his own position.
Apparently, Zelensky is completely satisfied with Yermak’s efficiency in solving such problems, and he is not afraid of competition from him.
In fact, the very complex problem of destroying the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has also been dumped on the head of the OP. There is a task set at the highest level, but for Zelensky, the main thing was to give consent (since he did not want to do this in 2019).
He was "bitten", and then his loyal assistant suggested not to worry about anything: the Servant of the People deputies are being pressured on one line, law enforcement officers on another, and local authorities have their own tools. Yermak's concept assumes that a criminal case for corruption is being opened against the mayor, and in order to get rid of him, "community votes" on the transition of churches to the political OCU must be organized directly at the local level.
By the way, the close communication of the head of the OP with the Vatican and the constant presence of its representatives at various kinds of negotiations may be evidence of the assertion that Yermak has long had connections with certain Catholic orders.
Returning to the beginning, he really did have a plan to become prime minister, sharing power with the US protégé Oksana Markarova, who was offered the post of first vice-president. And not just to move the center of power from Bankova to Grushevsky, to the cabinet, but to take advantage of the "Kuchma incident" of 1992. Then the head of government received the right to issue decrees that had the status of laws.
If you look at it through the eyes of the harried and exhausted Zelensky, it is also a super-effective system that allows you to simply pass on orders to Andrei Borisovich and be confident that they will be carried out.
But this unprecedented form of “freedom and democracy,” which means the complete lack of control over the system on their part, does not suit Western partners so much that the active no-name from Kyiv ended up on another list. But not in Time magazine.
Text taken from the X account of William Ho. China’s Photonic Chips
China just unveiled a chip that could end the era of the GPU. Over 100 channels of light. 2,560 TOPS. No heat. No bottlenecks. It makes NVIDIA look old by comparison. This could be the biggest shift since the microprocessor. A 50 GHz optical clock. Fits on a fingernail. Meanwhile, the US is still pretending that NVIDIA is a strategy.
China didn’t just build a faster chip. They broke through in a new field of physics. Optical computing uses light, not electrons. They don’t get hot. They operate at multiple wavelengths. They shatter the wall that silicon erected a decade ago. The US has nothing like this. Nothing.
Where is the US version? It doesn’t exist. No photonic chip foundries. No pilot lines. No industrial policy. No ecosystem. Just tenured physics professors and DARPA slides who never left defense contractors.
Every American “AI breakthrough” is just another GPU with more transistors and more power. Put water cooling on it and pretend it’s progress. NVIDIA is now an energy company with marketing.
China is already ramping up production of thin-film lithium niobate photonic devices. They have the physics, the materials, and the manufacturing. This is not a demo. It’s a roadmap. And it’s government-backed from start to finish.
America, on the other hand, is stuck in its own mythology. It still thinks it leads the world in innovation. In reality, it leads the world in lawsuits and export controls. That’s not leadership. That’s fear.
The US military-industrial complex is too big to change. Optical computing doesn’t make Raytheon rich. So it’s ignored. Meanwhile, the Pentagon keeps writing checks to Lockheed for useless things.
Optical chips won’t just power AI. They will destroy the current cloud model. They will destroy the GPU cartel. They will make American silicon look like steam engines. That’s why no one in Washington wants to talk about it.
China is playing to win. Not with press releases. With physics, fabrications, and government coordination. The US response? Sue everyone, sanction everyone, and pray Taiwan doesn’t reunify.
This isn’t just a story about chips. This is another story about how America is not the greatest country in the world. No vision. No leadership. Just a bloated tech sector struggling to keep the lights on using yesterday’s tools. Wake up.
On the China-US standoff and why China is helping Russia
The Western media pretends that China doesn’t know what BlackRock, Vanguard and NATO are doing in Europe. They don’t. Beijing sees the entire chessboard. No illusions, no noise. Just the moves. Whatever China does for Russia, it does it with clarity, not confusion.
The US outsourced European sovereignty to Wall Street. BlackRock is now presiding over the “reconstruction” of Ukraine. Defense contractors are financing Europe’s rearmament. The IMF and Brussels are imposing financial discipline on the ruins. This is not aid. This is terraforming.
China watched Iraq being plundered. Then Libya. Then Syria. It watched NATO gobble up Eastern Europe and place missile systems on Russia’s doorstep. It saw what 2014 was in Ukraine: a hostile merger backed by Anglo-Saxon capital. It knew what was coming next.
So no, China’s support for Russia is no accident. This is a deliberate counterweight to the Anglo-financial-military complex reshaping Eurasia. The same complex is now eyeing Taiwan and the South China Sea. Everything is connected.
Look at the data. China is not supplying tanks. It is supplying CNC machines, sensors, microelectronics – the same stuff the West was selling before sanctions. Now it is just going through a different channel. Quietly. Relentlessly.
Beijing does not pretend to be neutral. It does not join blocs of its own free will. Its diplomacy is slow, its countermeasures are targeted, and its weapons are economic. Russia is a buffer. A testing ground. A living textbook.
The West made a fatal mistake: it assumed that China would play by the same rules it wants to rewrite. Instead, China is creating parallel institutions, parallel logistics, and a parallel currency sphere. And it is doing this with partners who have nothing to lose.
China is not supporting Russia out of sentimentality. He is protecting the Eurasian continent from becoming another profit zone for JPMorgan and Raytheon. He is fighting the privatization of sovereignty.
And lastly, if you are still pretending that China is naive, you are not serious. It knows what the West is. It has seen what it has done. And it is preparing for what comes next.
On the tech competition in AI and hardware.
The West has hailed Jensen Huang and Sam Altman as visionaries. China sees them as two hucksters. One is selling obsolete chips wrapped in hype. The other is hyping the GPU shortage as if it were the next oil crisis. Both are backed by Wall Street. Here is the full story.
Start with CUDA. Nvidia's real moat. Not the hardware. A bloated compiler stack inherited from the gaming era. It was never designed for AI. It became dominant by inertia, not merit.
Every Western AI startup is tied to it. The H100 is not chosen for performance. They are chosen because everything depends on Nvidia’s proprietary stack. It’s vendor lock-in disguised as innovation.
China is unimpressed. It doesn’t want access to CUDA. It wants to get rid of the lock-in. So it built a new stack from scratch. Da Vinci cores. CANN compiler. Completely sovereign.
Then comes the interconnect. Nvidia keeps NVLink as a monopoly. No open access. No third-party innovation. Only a select few hyperscalers get the best. Everyone else waits their turn.
Huawei’s answer: CubeAI. A proprietary interconnect protocol. Then came CloudMatrix 384. A national AI cluster with 384 Ascend 910B processors. No CUDA. No NVLink. No asking.
CloudMatrix is vertically integrated. The hardware, the compiler, the network, the orchestration — all built in-house. No Jensen. No TSMC waste. No US bottlenecks.
Meanwhile, in the West, startups spend their time rewriting cores to suit Nvidia’s quirks. They’re not building AI. They’re writing drivers for someone else’s hardware monopoly.
From China’s perspective, Jensen Huang is no genius. He’s a salesman in a leather jacket. Creating artificial shortages. Giving away chips. Recycling the same GPU every cycle.
Sam Altman is even worse. A PR golem hiding behind AGI buzzwords. His job is to cause a computing panic, attract government capital, and drive up prices. It’s a slow-motion exit strategy from Silicon Valley.
China refused. Not because it had to. But because it saw a trap. CUDA is a cage. NVLink is a leash. Jensen is a gatekeeper. CloudMatrix is a prison break.
Huawei isn't playing catch-up. It's building a separate ecosystem. One where Nvidia and OpenAI don't matter. No need to install drivers. No need to please middlemen.
The West's AI boom is built on hype, subsidies, and shortages. China is building real infrastructure. Using local silicon, local software, and not looking at Nvidia's games.
Jensen and Sam are selling dreams. China is reading the fine print. The future belongs to those who can build outside the Wall Street casinos.
[IsraelTimes] Khalil was the first arrest under Trump’s crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel
A federal judge on Friday ordered the US government to free former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil
…at age 30 the Damascus-born Palestinian (with dual Algerian citizenship through his mother, whose family were revolutionaries back home) got a Masters in Paleo Protest from Columbia, applying his training as Apartheid Divest’s frontman supporting Hamas since 10/8/2023, which overlapped his work as a UNWRA political affairs officer. Since his arrest by ICE he’s been represented by 19 attorneys, including CUNY law prof Ramzi Kassem, himself a Paleo student activist at Columbia back in the day, and the ACLU. Mr. Khalil worked his way through college in Beirut as a popular, MI-6 vetted local staffer at the British embassy leading soft power projects, on one of which he worked with his future wife — Leb-American dentist Noor Abdalla, who interestingly is a hijabi, suggesting either Muslim Brotherhood or Hezbollah connections. No doubt it was for her sake he went to Columbia instead of Oxford…
from the immigration detention center where he has been held since early March while the Trump administration sought to deport him over his role in pro-Paleostinian, anti-Israel protests.
US District Judge Michael Farbiarz announced the decision from the bench in New Jersey, responding to a request from Khalil’s lawyers to free him on bail or, at the very least, move him from a Louisiana jail to New Jersey so he can be closer to his wife and newborn son.
A mere federal district judge? This will need to go through the appeals court, then the US Supreme Court before the ruling is final. And then, either Mr. Khalil’s lawyers will file another lawsuit trying a different argument orthe US Justice Department will ditto. Either way, Mr. Khalil probably isn’t going anywhere until the last idea has been tried, at which point he will be sent
Khalil was the first arrest under US President Donald Trump ...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down... ’s crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel’s war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... , launched after the October 7, 2023, Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... massacre.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... has said Khalil must be expelled from the country because his continued presence could harm American foreign policy.
Farbiarz had ruled earlier that the government can’t continue to hold Khalil on those grounds, but the government argued the legal US resident was instead being held based on allegations that he lied on his green card application. Khalil disputes the accusations that he wasn’t forthcoming on the application.
Khalil was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan over his participation in pro-Paleostinian demonstrations. His lawyers say the Trump administration is simply trying to crack down on free speech.
Khalil isn’t accused of breaking any laws during the protests at Columbia. The international affairs graduate student served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists. He wasn’t among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics.
The Trump administration has argued that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be expelled from the country, as it considers their views antisemitic.
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.
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
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..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka 
[WND] Former President Barack Obama said at a forum Tuesday that the U.S. must address what he called misinformation and said government must regulate social media platforms to ensure facts are separated from opinions.
[IRANINTL] Iran’s Foreign Minister 
[ABC] Justice 
[PJ Media] Have you wondered why the story of the Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter has suddenly vanished from the news? Now we have a pretty good idea why.
[Townhall] President Donald Trump on Friday called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the outcome of the 2020 election, which he has long claimed was stolen.
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..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
...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 
...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 very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
