[IsraelTimes] A US official says American military and intelligence officials have detected signs of Iran-backed groups preparing to attack US bases in Iraq and possibly Syria, according to The New York Times.
So far, the groups have held off on striking the American targets, and Iraqi officials are working to dissuade them from attacking, the official says.
#3
Yup, just like I called it. Prepping us for the false flag that will kick off a major war.
Remember when they lied about Saddam? Those same people are still there. Not one of them got fired or went to prison.
…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 first 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. The case is now wending its way up to the US Supreme Court, where it will no doubt set some interesting legal precedents, possibly even Constitutional. 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…
resumes his pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activism at a New York City rally that also decries the US strikes on Iran, days after he was released on bail from a jail for immigrants and even as US President Donald Trump’s administration says it will continue its efforts to deport the recent Columbia University graduate.
The pro-Iran protest quickly morphed into a “Welcome Home, Mahmoud” rally on the steps of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
Among those clustered near the cathedral doors were some familiar faces—Professor Rashid Khalidi and a mix of radical activist leaders. pic.twitter.com/GNcCVtR7E6
[ToloNews] Acting Minister of Interior Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani ...son of Pashtun warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, still titular head of the Haqqani Network.... said during a public gathering in Paktia that the past 20 years of struggle were for independence and the implementation of Sharia, not for oppression or seeking privileges.
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani also emphasized unity among the people.
He stated: "Jihad was not waged to gain a position or to make myself a warlord or ruler. It was fought to liberate this sacred land from disbelief and corruption."
Speaking about government downsizing, he said: "Downsizing is being done to eliminate unnecessary positions that place pressure on both the budget and the people."
At the same gathering, tribal elders raised their demands regarding reconstruction, healthcare, education, and the construction of water dams and other development projects.
Juma Khan, a tribal elder in Paktia, said: "When fruits ripen in our orchards, their season passes and apples are sold for just 60 to 70 afghani per kilogram. Our neighbors profit from our fruits."
The acting minister of interior also stated that according to a decree from the leadership of the Islamic Emirate, a general amnesty has been granted to all, and no one will be held accountable for their past actions.
[ShabelleMedia] Somali government forces, in coordination with international partners, carried out an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in the central district of Aadan-Yabaal in Middle Shabelle, destroying vehicles loaded with explosives and a weapons cache belonging to the holy warrior group al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... , officials said Sunday.
Government security officials confirmed that the strike targeted a site where al-Shabaab fighters were preparing vehicle-borne improvised bombs (VBIEDs) for potential attacks against civilian and military targets.
"The precision airstrike successfully destroyed several explosive-laden vehicles and a key weapons depot used by the terrorists," a senior government security officer told Radio Shabelle on condition of anonymity.
The official added that the operation was part of a wider military campaign aimed at weakening al-Shabaab’s operational capacity in central and southern Somalia.
[KhaamaPress] The U.S. has resumed Special Immigrant Visa services for Afghans, offering resettlement support including housing, jobs, and language training.
Afghan Evac, has confirmed that the U.S. government has resumed its Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program for eligible Afghans. The announcement marks an important development for thousands awaiting relocation after months of uncertainty.
In a message shared on its official X page on Wednesday, June 18, Afghan Evac called on SIV holders who arrived in the U.S. within the last 90 days to promptly contact a resettlement agency. This is essential to begin accessing available assistance.
According to the organization, SIV holders who connect with a resettlement agency will receive support with housing, job placement, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and other essential services to help them integrate into American society.
The agency clarified that those SIV holders who have not yet entered the U.S. will be eligible for these services as soon as they arrive. Afghan Evac is continuing to coordinate efforts with American authorities to ensure a smooth transition for newcomers.
This policy shift follows a period of restriction under former President Donald Trump ...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried.... , who had imposed a travel ban affecting citizens from 12 countries, including Afghanistan. The lifting of these restrictions now allows many Afghan allies to seek safety and stability in the United States.
As resettlement efforts resume, the cooperation between U.S. institutions and groups like Afghan Evac will be critical to ensuring a humane and effective integration process for Afghan families seeking a new life in safety.
[Garowe] At least seven Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers were killed during a fierce three-day joint operation to recapture Sabiid-Anole town from al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... Lions of Islam in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
Brigadier General Felix Kulayigye, the Defence and UPDF Spokesperson, confirmed the casualties in a Sunday briefing to the press, describing the loss as a "painful but heroic sacrifice in the line of duty."
The soldiers were part of a coordinated offensive involving the Somali National Army (SNA) and African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) troops.
The operation, codenamed "Operation Silent Storm," led to the elimination of 30 al-Shabaab fighters, the recovery of weapons caches, and the dismantling of numerous Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
The fallen soldiers were killed during intense close-quarter combat as the joint forces stormed holy warrior hideouts and cleared underground tunnel networks where the gunnies had taken refuge.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, the AUSSOM Force Commander, Lt Gen Sam Kavuma, praised the efforts of the joint forces: "I commend the bravery of our gallant AUSSOM-UPDF troops and the Somali National Army. This operation is part of our continued effort to degrade al-Shabaab and fully implement the Somali Transition Plan, which will eventually see security responsibilities handed over to Somali forces."
Sector One Commander, Brig Gen Joseph Musoke Ssemwanga, described Sabiid-Anole as a major logistical and planning hub for al-Shabaab.
"Since March, this town had become a strategic location for the snuffies to plan attacks, hide weapons and vehicles for VBIEDs, and erect illegal checkpoints to extort civilians," he said.
Military sources confirmed that after the town was secured, AUSSOM and SNA units began consolidating control and are now engaged in follow-up operations to eliminate remaining pockets of al-Shabaab fighters in the wider Afgooye District.
The remains of the seven fallen soldiers are expected to be repatriated to Uganda for burial with full military honors.
Uganda has played a frontline role in stabilizing Somalia since 2007 under the African Union framework. al-Shabaab, affiliated with al-Qaeda, continues to carry out attacks despite sustained offensives.
In 2022, AMISOM transitioned to AUSSOM, focusing more on supporting Somalia’s security transition and reducing the presence of foreign troops over time.
[Rudaw] Two explosive-laden drones were downed near a village northwest of Erbil, Kurdish counterterrorism forces said on Sunday, as regional tensions soar following US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
"Two explosive-laden drones were destroyed and downed. Fortunately, no material or human casualties resulted from them," the Erbil-based Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD) said on Facebook.
The drones reportedly fell on an agricultural land near Qalachoghan village in Erbil’s Baharka subdistrict, a few kilometers from the city’s international airport. Rudaw’s Ranja Jamal, reporting from the scene, said security forces had arrived to investigate.
The origin of the drone and who downed it remains unclear.
The incident comes amid escalating conflict 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. On Sunday, the United States struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites - Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
The Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s followed a deadly Israeli assault on June 13 that killed several senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. In retaliation, Iran has launched multiple waves of missiles and drones targeting Israeli sites.
The Kurdistan Region and Iraq lie beneath the flight paths of many of these projectiles. In recent days, there have been several reports of drones and debris falling from the sky, occasionally sparking fires.
[Rudaw] Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria (Rojava) have not discussed handing over control of camps housing families 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.... (ISIS) members to the Syrian interim government with either Washington or Damascus, a senior Rojava official told Rudaw late Friday, days after the US embassy in Syria appeared to back such a transfer of control.
The embassy said in a post on X on Tuesday that Washington "commits to a responsible transfer operation for managing" camps in Rojava to the interim Syrian government. The post was later deleted, but a screengrab of it was shared by Charles Lister, director of Middle East Institute’s Syria program.
Rudaw English reached out to the US embassy in Ankara, which oversees the American mission in Syria, for clarification on the deleted post on Saturday but did not receive an immediate response.
Sheikhmous Ahmed, who supervises northeast Syria’s camps for the displaced, told Rudaw English that he saw the embassy’s statement and denied any plans to give up control of the camps that house around 40,000 people with alleged ties to ISIS.
"What they shared is not true. A few days ago, we transferred some families from al-Hol camp to Aleppo city, which is under the control of the interim government of Damascus," Ahmed said.
He added that the US funds humanitarian organizations to transfer the families.
"These camps will not be handed over to the [Syrian] government. The US and the Damascus government have nothing to do with these camps. The Damascus government is only allowed to receive their people and the US can provide assistance in this regard through their humanitarian organization," he said. "There has been no discussions on the handover."
There are several camps in Rojava housing displaced people. The main ones are al-Hol and Roj.
Conditions in al-Hol camp are poor and draw frequent criticism from international monitors. Human Rights Watch said in a report in February that people held in the camp face an uncertain future.
"People detained unlawfully in al-Hol and Roj camps should not be left to languish forever," said Hiba Zayadin, senior Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Their dire situation needs to be included in discussions about Syria’s future, and the fragility of the situation in Syria should push countries to repatriate their nationals with even greater urgency."
Weeks after the fall of Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... ’s regime in December, Rojava authorities announced that Syrians held in al-Hol camp could voluntarily return to their homes. In May, Ahmed said they had reached an agreement with Damascus to "establish a joint mechanism for evacuating Syrian families from al-Hol camp and returning them to their original areas."
The return of Syrians displaced by the conflict was also part of a landmark agreement signed in March between Rojava and Damascus.
"Ensuring the return of all displaced Syrians to their towns and villages and ensuring their protection by the Syrian state," reads the agreement, though it does not mention control of Rojava’s camps.
Nearly half of al-Hol’s population is Iraqis. Baghdad is repatriating its nationals in groups of several hundred at a time, putting them through a rehabilitation program before they can return to their home regions.
There are also a significant number of other nationals in the camps. The Iraqi government will hold a conference in Geneva in September to encourage countries to repatriate their citizens from the camp, Iraq’s national security advisor announced earlier this month.
[Powerline] 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 always claimed that its nuclear program is aimed at civilian uses, not production of nuclear weapons. This is an absurd pretense: Iran has abundant oil resources, and no reason to build nuclear power plants. Do other oil-producing countries, like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... and the Emirates, invest countless billions in atomic energy? Of course not. Nevertheless, the mullahs have stuck doggedly to this excuse.
Earlier today, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council and 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... ’s right-hand man, let the cat out of the bag:
"What have the Americans accomplished with their nighttime strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran?" Medvedev questioned in a post on social media. "The enrichment of nuclear material — and, now we can say it outright, the future production of nuclear weapons — will continue. A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads."
Well, there you have it. The issue is not electricity, it is the "future production of nuclear weapons," which "now we can say...outright." So our military strike was fully justified.
What about Medvedev’s claim that multiple countries are lining up to hand nukes over to the mullahs? I don’t believe it; if that were true, they could have done it a long time ago and saved Ayatollah Khamenei and his cohorts a lot of trouble.
But Medvedev’s claim confirms the necessity of regime change. If we can now stipulate that the mullahs want nuclear weapons for the purpose of attacking their enemies, including the U.S., and we believe there is a serious risk that they will acquire such weapons either through their own efforts or because they are supplied by other enemies of the U.S. who may be deterred by rational calculation from attacking us themselves, there is no solution but to overthrow the regime and install a sane government.
[IsraelTimes] Hanging of Majid Mosayebi comes among arrests of dozens on charges of carrying out acts of espionage since start of Israel’s bombing campaign on June 13
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... executed a man on Sunday who was convicted of being an agent for Israel’s Mosssd ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... spy service, the judiciary said, as fighting raged on between the two foes for a tenth day.
Israel jails spies, Iran hangs ‘em.
"Majid Mosayebi... was hanged this morning after going through the full process of criminal procedure and after his sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court," the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said.
Mosayebi was accused of seeking to provide "sensitive information" to the Mossad, it said.
It did not detail when Mosayebi was arrested.
Iran has carried out multiple arrests of people it suspects of spying for Israel since the start of its campaign against the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s nuclear program and military infrastructure on June 13.
On Saturday, police in Iran’s Qom province said 22 people "linked to Israeli spy services" had been arrested since June 13, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
"Twenty-two people were identified and arrested on charges of being linked to the Zionist regime’s spy services, disturbing public opinion, and supporting the criminal regime," the agency said, citing the head of police intelligence in Iran’s Qom province.
Then on Sunday, judiciary front man Asghar Jahangir said three people had been arrested in the western province of Kermanshah on allegations of espionage.
The arrests were made thanks to "the rapid presence of the population and their assistance to the intelligence services, law enforcement agencies, and judicial officers," he said.
"One of them is said to be a national of a European country," he added, quoted by Mizan.
Jahangir also announced that "special judicial branches would be formed" in provincial prosecutors’ offices and courts to handle Israeli-linked espionage cases on an "extraordinary" basis.
Iran regularly announces arrests of suspected spies, without producing evidence, and has put to death many individuals over the years that it accuses of having links with Mossad and facilitating its operations in the country.
The Islamic Theocratic Republic is the world’s second most prolific executioner after China, according to human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... groups including Amnesty International.
According to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, at least 223 people have been arrested nationwide on charges related to collaboration with Israel, cautioning that the actual figure was likely higher.
[IsraelTimes] Iran executes a detainee named Mohammadamin Shayesteh who was sentenced to death for allegedly collaborating with Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, semi-official Tasnim news agency reports.
Shayesteh was arrested in late 2023 and was described by Tasnim as “the head of a cyber-team affiliated with Mossad.”
[ZeroHedge] Computer engineering grads face double the unemployment rate of art history majors, according to the most recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The stats show art history majors have a 3 percent unemployment rate while computer engineering grads have a 7.5 percent unemployment rate. Computer science grads are in a similar boat, with a 6.1 percent rate.
The trend appears notable among STEM majors.
Graphic design is at 7.2 percent, chemistry at 6.1 percent and fine arts at 7.1 percent. Physics and sociology — which represent both sides of the spectrum — came in with similar numbers, with 7.8 percent and 6.7, respectively.
The highest on the list is anthropology at 9.4 percent. The lowest is nutritional sciences at .4 percent.
But not all STEM fields are struggling, Asked to weigh in on the findings, economist Mark Perry, a University of Michigan Flint emeritus professor, told The Fix.
“All of the engineering fields except industrial engineering (at 4.6%) have jobless rates at 2.4% or lower (civil, aerospace, mechanical, engineering technologies, chemical, electrical, general, etc.),” Perry said via email. “Engineering graduates also have very high salaries and very low rates of underemployment (about 20%).”
Georgetown University’s Professor Nicole Smith, chief economist of the university’s Center on Education and the Workforce, said that although STEM majors appear to be in high demand in the employment sector, their skill sets developed as undergraduates are less marketable than graduates of liberal arts schools.
Liberal arts majors, such as art history, have a “wider pool…they can sort their talent from,” Smith said. She said liberal arts majors can have “several other occupations [and] industries” to sell their skills within, an advantage not often available to STEM majors.
Perry noted the bank’s 2025 data relied on information from 2023, and the next set of data to be released in 2026 might paint a different picture.
“Labor market conditions are dynamic and change constantly, so the high jobless rates for computer science majors in 2023 may change,” he said.
[JustTheNews] Islamic terrorist threats increased under the Biden administration.
After President Donald Trump ordered U.S. military to strike three Iranian nuclear targets, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state law enforcement to elevate readiness in the event that any retaliatory response may occur in the state.
In response to the attack, Abbott said he supported Trump’s “decisive action” and was taking additional measures in Texas.
“As we unite as a Nation, we as a state must remain vigilant to secure our homeland,” Abbott said. “To ensure the highest level of safety in our communities, and out of an abundance of caution, Texas is elevating the readiness of our Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Texas National Guard, increasing patrols around high-risk locations and ensuring our state is fully prepared to address any threat. At this time, there is no need to worry. We want to keep it that way.
“Texas stands with America’s Commander-in-Chief. We will defend our communities and support our troops."
Threats of escalation continue after Islamic terrorist threats increased under the Biden administration, and the FBI and Department of Homeland Security in January again warned of potential terrorist attacks targeting Americans, The Center Square reported.
[Breitbart] The border state of Tamaulipas is listed as a level 4 Do Not Travel region, the highest designation, which is also used for active war zones.
The U.S. Consulate in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, issued an alert over a series of kidnappings along certain Mexican border highways. The warning follows the actions by teams of gunmen who abducted at least ten people in at least three separate cases in recent days. It remains unclear if other similar cases have not been reported.
The warnings come after gunmen kidnapped five musicians and their driver on June 16 as they traveled to a city called General Teran, where suspected cartel members held them at gunpoint and kept them for over 24 hours. The gunmen had set up a makeshift roadblock.
Just days later, gunmen kidnapped three women who were driving from Monterrey to Reynosa. Almost at the same time, gunmen also kidnapped a doctor who was traveling the same route. Authorities in Nuevo Leon raided three separate locations near Los Ramones, where they were able to rescue the victims.
The gunmen are believed to be from the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas, who have been pushing into areas previously controlled by the Gulf Cartel.
[Breitbart] Members of the Western NATO military alliance reportedly agreed to increasing defence spending to five per cent of GDP within the next decade in a major victory for U.S. President Donald Trump, who has long demanded that America’s allies pay more for their defence.
Ahead of the NATO summit this week at The Hague in the Netherlands, members agreed in principle to increasing individual nation-state defence spending to five per cent of GDP by the year 2035 at the latest, German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported. The figure would be the first time NATO has set itself a formalised, increased spending floor since the two per cent agreed on at the Cardiff summit in 2014.
“Those damned Americans always demand we live up to our treaty commitments! We were so excited about Barack Obama finally being one of us, but he’s just a cowboy like the rest of them.”
Even over a decade later now a considerable number of NATO members still don’t hit that two per cent, though, including Portugal, Italy, Canada, Belgium, and Spain.
They never intended to, and so they didn’t.
Nevertheless the new deal, which came in the wake of pressure from the Trump administration, stipulates that at least 3.5 per cent of GDP must be spent directly on military needs, while the additional 1.5 per cent can be devoted to related defence costs.
With all the social spending promised to their illegals and Moslem colonists, can they afford so much as 2%, let alone the higher number?
While socialist-run Spain had initially threatened to block the agreement, Madrid is said to have dropped such plans after securing an exemption from the new spending target.
Nice to have formalized what they intended anyway…
Spain has frequently failed to meet the current NATO spending obligations of 2 per cent of GDP, including last year, when it ranked dead last among all NATO members having spent just 1.28 per cent of its GDP on defence.
Embattled Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez said that the scale of the expected military investment is “disproportionate and unnecessary,” while openly declaring that his nation would not abide by requirement.
In contrast, Poland, long one of the top contributors in Europe, committed earlier this year to reaching the five per cent threshold, after having already surpassed four per cent last year amid growing concern over Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.
Guarding the gates of Europe since the Ottomans tried to come through.
The reported move by NATO to collectively agree to increasing defence spending to five per cent will represent a significant victory for U.S. President Donald Trump.
…only if they actually do it instead of just trying to placate him. Being played for a sucker is no victory.
Dating back to his first term in the White House, President Trump was openly critical of prosperous European nations leaning on American might and wealth to subsidise their defence.
A particular punching bag for the American leader was Germany, which he frequently lambasted for failing to meet their NATO defence spending commitments while being the richest country in Europe and while forking over billions to Moscow in exchange for Russian natural gas.
In 2018, then-President Trump accused Germany and others of being “captive” to Russia, paying Moscow billions in exchange for natural gas, as they demanded American protection from Putin.
While figures within the liberal political establishment and legacy media often attempted to cast Trump’s approach as alienating other Western allies, his novel tactics were later credited for increasing NATO power.
In 2019, then-NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that President Trump’s hardline methods were critical in securing an additional $100 billion in spending from NATO allies.
Which certainly is something, if not enough to allow Europe to defend itself, should Russia actually surge over the border. Though why Russia would want to is beyond me.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Six teenagers are in critical condition after gunfire broke out in a residential neighborhood in California - as police frantically search for the suspect.
Shots were fired just before 11:00pm on Saturday in Moreno Valley, located in the Southern part of the Golden State. Riverside County Sheriff's Office deputies rushed to the scene in response to several calls about the commotion, finding five victims with severe gunshot wounds.
Paramedics then arrived and took the injured people to the hospital. Another person with a gunshot wound went to the hospital on their own, and police later connected them to the same horrifying incident.
Authorities said the ages of those who were injured ranged from 14 to 18 years old and later revealed they were all at a 'social gathering.'
As of Sunday morning, no arrests related to the shooting have been made, KTLA 5 reported. The events are under active investigation, and more details have not yet been made available.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office for comment.
Saturday night's incident comes about two months after a 22-year-old man was shot and killed in the same city.
According to Crime Grade statistics, Moreno Valley has a slightly higher crime rate than the average American city. It is safer than 37 percent of cities, but less safe than the remaining 63 percent.
[GEO.TV] Palestinian health ministry said on Sunday that Israeli attacks killed at least 51 people in the past 24 hours with another 104 wounded, Al Jazeera reported.
The latest figures bring the number of people killed in Israeli attacks since the start of Israel's war in October 2023 to at least 55,959, with 131,242 others wounded.
[GEO.TV] Israeli forces have bombed tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the al-Buraq camp near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to videos posted online.
The footage, verified by Al Jazeera's Sanad fact-checking agency, showed a deep crater resulting from the bombing. It also shows people searching for those trapped following the bombing.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/23/2025
00:09 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[32 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
Hopefully this is merely someone nuts or evil, and not an agent of Iran causing trouble as ordered by the Mad Mullahs.
[AyPee] A man who opened fire outside a Michigan church filled with worshippers on Sunday was struck by a vehicle and then fatally shot by security staff who averted a potential mass shooting, police said.
Churchgoers attending a morning service at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne spotted the gunman driving recklessly and then saw him exit his car wearing a tactical vest and carrying a rifle and a handgun, police Chief Ryan Strong said at an evening news conference.
The man began firing as he approached the church, striking one person in the leg.
“A parishioner struck the gunman with his vehicle as the gunman shot the vehicle repeatedly,” Strong told reporters. “At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing the fatal wounds.”
Police described the suspect as a 31-year-old white male with no known connection to the church. His motive remains unclear, but it appears he was suffering from a mental health crisis, Strong said.
The shooting occurred around 11 a.m. in Wayne, a city of about 17,000 people located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Detroit. The person who was shot in the leg was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the chief said. Nobody else was hurt.
Strong said a church member ran the suspect over with his pickup truck, giving security staff time to shoot him.
“We are grateful for the heroic actions of the church’s staff members, who undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting,” the chief said.
About 150 people were inside the church at the time. The church’s website says it hosts a worship service on Sundays at 10:45 a.m.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces will emerge from the "stupid defense"
Ukrainian forces will go on the offensive, so they are now creating and expanding assault units.
The ZSU combines defensive actions with active offensive operations in various directions of the front. For this purpose, assault units are being created and scaled up, Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky said at a meeting with journalists on June 22.
"We are not going to sit in a deep defense," he emphasized, noting the importance of creating combat-ready reserves for active counteroffensive actions.
Earlier, Syrsky said where he would get forces for the offensive, and also announced control of the territory in Kursk region. According to him, the Defense Forces still control the territory of about 90 square kilometers in Kursk region.
[IsraelTimes] In pre-recorded press conference, premier says he expects campaign in Iran to help Israel achieve goals in Gaza; predicts it will ultimately lead to expansion of Abraham Accords
Israel is very close to achieving its goals in Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, having inflicted significant damage both to its ballistic missile program and its nuclear facilities.
He promised not to let Israel be dragged into a "war of attrition" with the Islamic Theocratic Republic, but stressed that this did not mean he would be prepared to end the campaign before all its objectives had been met.
The prime minister was speaking to news hounds in a pre-recorded presser on Sunday evening, following the US strikes on Iran’s key nuclear facilities the night before.
He said that the US had inflicted "very serious damage" on Iran’s hard-to-reach Fordo nuclear site, but declined to go into detail about the extent of the damage.
"We are sending them back, we are removing the threat," he said of Iran’s nuclear program.
"We won’t pursue our actions beyond what is needed to achieve [the goals], but we also won’t finish too soon," Netanyahu said, vowing to avoid entering a war of attrition. "When the objectives are achieved, then the operation is complete and the fighting will stop," he told Israeli news hounds.
"I have no doubt that this is a regime that wants to wipe us out, and that’s why we embarked on this operation to eliminate the two concrete threats to our existence: the nuclear threat and the ballistic missile threat. We are moving step by step towards achieving these goals. We are very, very close to completing them," he said.
Asked about the whereabouts of Iran’s 400 kilograms of 60-percent enriched uranium, Netanyahu claimed that Israel has "interesting intel" pertaining to the issue, but declined to go into detail.
"We’ve been following that very closely. I can tell you that it’s an important component of a nuclear program," he said. "It’s not the sole component. It’s not a sufficient component. But it is an important component and we have interesting intel on that, which you will excuse me if I don’t share with you," he said.
At least until Israel launched its opening strikes against Iran’s nuclear program on June 13, the Islamic Theocratic Republic had been refining uranium to up to 60% purity, a short step from the roughly 90% that is bomb-grade and far higher than the 3.67% cap imposed by a 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump pulled out of in 2018. It is the only non-nuclear weapon state to enrich uranium to that degree, which has no civilian use.
Regarding the timing of Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear facilities, Netanyahu said Israel "had to act" because Tehran was rushing toward nuclear weaponization after the killing of Hezbollah leader His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...The late, lamented satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...> in September 2024.
Hezbollah, once Tehran’s strongest proxy, was severely weakened by Israel over more than a year of conflict, including several months of all-out war in southern Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... , after the Lebanese terror group began attacking communities and army posts on Israel’s northern border in the immediate aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... terror onslaught in southern Israel.
Netanyahu also cited Iran’s plans to build 300 ballistic missiles per month as a deciding factor in launching the campaign at this time. He said more than half the ballistic missile launchers in the Islamic Theocratic Republic had been taken out in the past 10 days.
The premier said he had shared his concerns with US President Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... , whom he said understood the magnitude of the threat.
"I told him of our need to act, and he understood it very well. And I knew that when push comes to shove, he would do the right thing," said Netanyahu. "He would do the right thing for America. He would do the right thing for the free world. He would do the right thing for civilization."
GAZA WAR ’COULD END TOMORROW’
Turning 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... , where Israel’s war against Hamas is now in its 20th month with no end in sight, Netanyahu insisted that the attacks 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... would help Israel achieve its goals in the Strip.
"Without the Iranian scaffolding, it all collapses," he asserted.
He claimed that the war there "could end tomorrow."
"It could end today if Hamas surrenders, lays down all its arms, releases all the hostages. It’s over in a moment," he said. "We think we can give Gaza a different future."
The war in the enclave was triggered by the Hamas-led onslaught in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
Paleostinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip are still holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 kidnapped on October 7, as well as the body of a soldier killed in 2014. They include the bodies of at least 28 confirmed dead by the IDF. Twenty are believed to be alive and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others.
Negotiations for their release and an end to the war have been at an impasse in recent weeks, following Hamas’s response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal for a temporary ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The US proposal had offered a 60-day truce in the war-torn Gaza Strip, accompanied by a partial Israeli military withdrawal and increased humanitarian aid deliveries, in exchange for the release of 10 living hostages and 18 deceased hostages.
Hamas’s response, deemed unacceptable by Israel and Witkoff, had included a demand that would make it more difficult for Israel to resume fighting if talks on a permanent ceasefire were not completed by the end of the 60-day truce. It also envisioned the release of the 10 living hostages being spread out throughout the truce, rather than in two batches on the first and seventh day, as the US offer had stipulated.
Yet despite the impasse and the new conflict with Iran, Netanyahu indicated that Israel was still in contact with mediators, and was trying to get Hamas to agree to a 60-day ceasefire during which half the hostages would be released.
"I have a plan for permanent peace," he insisted. "We’re prepared to enter negotiations right now on the proposal that Mr. Witkoff gave."
VISIONS OF A BRIGHT FUTURE
Looking beyond Gaza, Netanyahu said he believed the operation in Iran would also lead to an expansion of the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization deals between Israel and Arab countries that were brokered during Trump’s previous term.
"Extraordinary opportunities are being opened up here," he said, and reiterated that Israel’s show of strength "is opening up opportunities that we can’t even imagine."
"I can imagine a massive expansion of the peace agreements," he continued. "I can see collaborations that might seem fantastical right now, but maybe you understand they’re not fantastical."
"We will see a bright future of security, of prosperity, of hope, and also of peace."
Overnight, one person lost his life and seven others were injured by gunfire.
On June 21st at 11:00 PM, Officers working at the busy Juneteenth Festival heard shots ring out, and chaos erupted as people began running in multiple directions.
While trying to regain control of the area, a 22-year-old man was struck and killed under the overpass on Greenwood. Seven other individuals, ranging in age from 17 to an elderly woman, were hit by gunfire and transported to local hospitals for treatment.
Currently, at least one 24-year-old man is in critical condition.
As Officers cleared the Greenwood area, many people fled into other parts of downtown, causing disturbances throughout the Blue Dome area.
Numerous bars exceeded capacity and called the Tulsa Police Department for assistance in managing the overflow. With help from the Tulsa Fire Department Fire Marshals and a significant presence from TPD personnel, officials were able to stabilize the downtown area.
The crime scene extended over several blocks, and all of Greenwood was closed from the I-244 overpass to John Hope Franklin Boulevard.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) was called in to assist with documenting the crime scene using their FARO unit, while our Crime Scene Investigators collected all the evidence.
Several individuals we interviewed were unwilling to provide much information about the shooters, and others were unsure where the shots had originated.
At this time, we believe there were at least two different shooters, and it remains unclear who the intended targets were.
This is still a very active investigation, coming right after a weekend of shootings at three other locations with numerous victims.
If you have any information about this incident or any of the other shootings, please call Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS.
[ShabelleMedia] The Somali National Army has captured the strategic towns of Sabiid and Caanoole in the Lower Shabelle region, marking a significant advance in its ongoing offensive against the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab ... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa... group, military officials said Friday.
The military launched a coordinated operation earlier this week, forcing al-Shabaab hard boyz to flee their hideouts and abandon key positions, according to army sources.
"This is a critical victory that reflects our sustained efforts to eliminate al-Shabaab from Somali territory," said Colonel Ahmed Gaashaan, commander of the 7th Battalion under the army’s 12th Division.
Government forces are now conducting clearing operations in the newly liberated areas to secure them from potential threats and to ensure the safety of civilians, military officials added.
The offensive is part of a broader campaign by Somali authorities, backed by local militias and international partners, to dismantle al-Shabaab’s grip on southern and central Somalia.
After a battle, the Al-Shabaab militants on various frontlines, the Somali National Army (SNA), with the help of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) Forces, managed to recover two strategic towns in the country.
Following weeks of clashes with the militants, the SNA announced the capture of Sabid and Anole towns within Lower Shabelle.
Also actively present during the operation were the Ugandan People's Defence Forces (UPDF) serving in the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia. The towns are roughly 30 kilometres away from Mogadishu.
The insurgents had seized the area in March, but the military has sustained operations against the group in various frontlines, leading to the latest capture. The militants have recently retreated after an intensified crackdown against them.
The Somali army is also fighting to recapture Adan Yabaal town, which they lost to Al-Shabaab in May, leading to the disruption of supplies across the country. Al-Shabaab maintains a strong presence in central and southern regions.
President Hassan Sheikh announced total war against al-Shabaab when he recaptured the seat in 2022, but the results are underwhelming. Critics accuse him of being obsessed with internal politics as opposed to the fight against Al-Shabaab. After a battle, the Al-Shabaab militants on various frontlines, the Somali National Army (SNA), with the help of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) Forces, managed to recover two strategic towns in the country.
Following weeks of clashes with the militants, the SNA announced the capture of Sabid and Anole towns within Lower Shabelle in a major successful operation within the Horn of Africa nation, which is struggling with instability.
Also actively present during the operation were the Ugandan People's Defence Forces (UPDF) serving in the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia. The towns are roughly 30 kilometres away from Mogadishu.
The insurgents had seized the area in March, but the military has sustained operations against the group in various frontlines, leading to the latest capture. The militants have recently retreated after an intensified crackdown against them.
The Somali army is also fighting to recapture Adan Yabaal town, which they lost to Al-Shabaab in May, leading to the disruption of supplies across the country. Al-Shabaab maintains a strong presence in central and southern regions.
President Hassan Sheikh announced total war against al-Shabaab when he recaptured the seat in 2022, but the results are underwhelming.
That’s considerably blunter than usual…
Critics accuse him of being obsessed with internal politics as opposed to the fight against Al-Shabaab.
[HotAir] Shaping up to be a terrific place, and one that is also lurching, under the sway of Labour climate cultists drunk on power, into a self-induced energy catastrophe.
I covered how close they came to a near island-wide blackout back in January, as temperatures plunged, their much vaunted wind died away, and the two gas plants that did kick in to pick up the slack made £12m for three hours of operation.
The other part of the problem that night caused by the extreme demand and brutal conditions?
The interconnector lines that the country relies on from the European continent experienced significant outages. The only thing that saved Britain from a blackout was being able to bring one of the interconnectors back online in the nick of time. And the fact that one of the gas plants didn't trip while running at peak capacity.
There was no capacity to spare.
Of course, Labour - specifically Energy Minister Ed Miliband - was frightened into a realistic assessment of just where their lunacy was taking the country's energy independence, right?
Perhaps a change of course, more emphasis on reliability vice the windmills of their fevered Green minds?
'Tis to laugh...or cry, depending on where you live.
The big plan from the British government is to rely on more imported electricity to cover what reliable baseline sources they're stripping off the island with their policies, counting mainly on the French nuclear program to keep British lights and heat on.
The same interconnectors that had outages not five months ago, and the British government 'hopes' to have more cables laid by 2030.
What a plan.
The country is increasing its reliance on things that stop turning or 'switch off at night' while simultaneously increasing its reliance on imported sources of the very thing they're removing in their own country at ruinous cost.
And Labour keeps pulling the renewables knife across the British throat for their farcical NetZero Kabuki theater.
Miliband is destroying more baseline capacity generation, even as his efforts are failing to force British citizens into appliances run on electricity that is already an unreliable resource at an unholy cost.
[ShabelleMedia] Somali intelligence forces, backed by international partners, have killed at least 12 al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... fighters — including senior commanders — in a special operation carried out in theAadan Yabaal district of central Somalia, NISA said Friday.
The operation, led by the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), targeted a strategic compound used by the snuffies in the Middle Shabelle region. According to the government, the site served as a key logistical hub where al-Shabaab stockpiled weapons and organized holy warrior deployments.
"Several top al-Shabaab figures were eliminated in the raid, which was executed successfully," the Somali Intelligence Agency [NISA] said in a statement, noting that battle vehicles, large quantities of weapons, and other military supplies were also destroyed.
The spy agency confirmed that the identities of the slain commanders would be released following full verification. These individuals were reportedly involved in orchestrating attacks against civilians and state institutions across Somalia.
According to reports, the militants lost 12 fighters after the security teams targeted the hideouts within the Hirshabelle state, which is considered a hotbed of terror activities across the federal republic of Somalia.
Senior operatives were among those killed by the security teams. The local militia also participated in the operation, signifying close collaboration between the security forces and local fighters who are also on the battlefield.
The Ministry of Information said the joint offensive targeted a key Al-Shabaab logistics base in the Aden Yabaal district, which the group reportedly used to stockpile weapons and coordinate attacks.
“Combat vehicles, weapons caches, and other critical equipment used by the militants were destroyed during the operation,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that the mission achieved its objectives without major resistance.
There is a deliberate effort to degrade the militants even as the country struggles with internal political feuds, driven by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s push for constitutional reviews, which have ignited sharp divisions.
[MSN -Newsweek] ...on Saturday, the Iranian Parliament has voted in support of closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil transit chokepoints, according to media reports.
Any final decision on retaliation, however, will rest with the country's Supreme National Security Council and leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The parliament vote merely advises him of the option to pursue.
----------------------- The IDF could probably sink every Iranian surface naval vessel (bigger than a kayak) in the Persian Gulf in 12 hours. The ports themselves would also be destroyed quickly if the IDF wanted to do that also.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kamran Gasanov
[REGNUM] The Middle East conflict has emerged on three levels: Israel's attacks on Iranian proxies, its strikes on Iran itself, and, finally, the United States' strikes on the Islamic Republic.
And Turkey has its position at every level. At the first level, its position is crystal clear. One of Iran's proxies, Hamas, is also an ally of Turkey. That is why Ankara is most active when rockets fall on the Gaza Strip. Here, Netanyahu is accused of both genocide and fascism.
Lebanon's Hezbollah is not a friend of Turkey, to put it mildly: they were at odds during the civil war in Syria. But the violation of Lebanon's sovereignty as such is also unacceptable for Ankara.
The change of power in Syria has opened another front in the confrontation with Tel Aviv: it has set its sights on the Turkish bases being built in Syria.
At the second level, it would seem that Turkey's position should sound less definite. After all, Iran is its historical rival and competitor in the Middle East and, at the present stage, in the South Caucasus. But nevertheless, since the instigator of the war is Israel, here too Erdogan takes the side of the Muslim neighbor. Well, that's a load of bullshit
The topics of Iran and Gaza are closely linked for the Turkish president. As Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Israel's attacks on Iran are attempts to "distract attention from the genocide in Gaza." The more Iran weakens, the stronger Israel becomes, and its journalists are planning to outplay Turkey itself in the future.
But everything becomes much more complicated when the United States comes out against the same Iran. Here it is not only the fact that Türkiye is a member of NATO: this factor has never stopped the two countries from mutual reproaches and pressure.
Washington has tried to overthrow Erdogan several times, put a spoke in his wheel in Syria and supported the “Kurdistan” project. The US has tried to limit the multi-vector foreign policy of the Turks by imposing sanctions for parallel trade and the deal to supply S-400 systems to Russia.
At the same time, when relations between Turkey and Russia worsened in November 2015 due to the downing of a Russian Su-24, NATO, led by the United States, disowned Turkey, and in October 2023, shot down a Turkish drone in Syria.
Trump, who came to the White House, was not considered a true friend of Turkey. In his last term, he caused considerable damage to its economy when, in the wake of the arrest of American pastor Andrew Brunson and Erdogan’s operations against Kurdish separatists in Syria, he announced new tariffs on steel and aluminum, threatening to collapse the Turkish economy.
This time there were no illusions about him either. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in his assessments allowed for the possibility of reaching an agreement with Trump on Syria, but was not entirely confident in the possibility of concluding a profitable deal.
But Trump 2.0 proved more accommodating. He began showering Erdogan with compliments, calling him smart and noting Turkey’s strength in “taking over Syria.”
In Ankara, they couldn’t get enough of such compliments: Erdogan values personal “chemistry.” But at the same time, he can’t help but understand that the sympathy across the ocean was far from altruistic.
The American leader respects power, and Turkey has much more of it. Ankara did not become the hegemon of the Middle East, but after the change of power in Damascus, it made both America and Europe respect it.
The existence of American bases in Kurdish territories now largely depends on the goodwill of the "Turkish Sultan." And having sensed the breath of Trump's isolationism in Ukraine, Europeans have begun to treat Ankara more warmly, seeing it as an integral part of the new security architecture of the Old World.
Trump's current sympathy for Turkey is felt in two key areas of world politics at once. Thanks to Erdogan's mediation and call, the occupant of the Oval Office took an unprecedented step - he met with the new Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, for whose head the US had previously promised $10 million.
The US also partially lifted sanctions on Syria and restored the ability of its banks to use the SWIFT system. However, Turkey is outraged that for some reason the restrictions on the supply of the latest American fighters have not been lifted.
In parallel with organizing negotiations with Syria, Trump asked Erdogan to host a meeting between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul.
Moreover, Erdogan's weight increased even more when Trump asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be more reasonable and not to conflict with Turkey in Syria. And Israel went to de-escalation talks in Baku.
Trump's close relationship with Erdogan should have influenced Turkey's response to the American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on the night of June 21-22. And in fact, it did.
Unlike the bombing of Gaza and the Israeli strikes on Iran, Türkiye has refrained from making aggressive and emotional statements in response to the American strikes.
The country's Foreign Ministry is merely "deeply concerned about the possible consequences of a US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities." Turkish diplomacy is trying to shift the blame to Israel as the main instigator of the war.
"We always pay attention to the risk of the conflict in the region, which began with Israeli aggression, spreading and destabilizing the security situation. Today's US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities has raised this risk to the highest level," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on June 22.
Erdogan does not want to break ties with Trump. After all, if confrontation is allowed even at the rhetorical level, the unpredictable and emotional Trump may escalate the situation with Turkey.
In a situation of financial and economic volatility, new US sanctions would be tangible and would become an additional motivation for the revival of barely subsided protests due to the arrest of Erdogan's political opponent, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
In such a conflict, it would be dangerous for the Turks to count on the hypocritical European leaders: neither the EU nor Britain will cover them. London itself is determined to overthrow the Iranian regime, Germany has fallen under Trump, and Erdogan has his own scores to settle with Macron.
One explanation for Turkey’s flexibility is its attempts to act as a peacemaker. Before the American strikes, Erdogan received Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and said he was making diplomatic efforts to end the fighting and return to dialogue.
Axios reported that Erdogan offered Trump to organize a meeting of Iranian and American representatives in Istanbul. The Turkish president contacted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Araghchi, but the latter allegedly failed to contact Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In addition, Erdogan is trying to present himself as the leader of the Islamic world. During the attacks on Gaza, he proposed that fellow Muslim countries form an Islamic coalition against Israel.
On June 21-22, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was held in Istanbul. Erdogan organized exactly the same summit when Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israeli. So the demands on Ankara as the leader of the Muslim world are considerable, and this puts a lot of pressure on the Turkish president.
The only problem is that, despite the verbal condemnation, few Arab and, more broadly, Islamic countries are ready to seriously oppose Trump.
As long as military actions in Iran do not go beyond strikes on nuclear facilities, Turkey, like a number of countries in the region that have multi-billion dollar businesses with the US, military cooperation and warm personal relations with Trump, will be able to maneuver.
Ankara will bet on peacekeeping, hoping to pull the negotiations from Oman and Rome to Istanbul.
At the same time, increasing the degree of escalation will put Turkey in a very uncomfortable position. Of course, one can try to remove the geopolitical competitor with Trump's hands, but the price of a potential war could be very high for Turkey.
The country is already suffering from millions of Syrian refugees. Destabilization of the region threatens oil and gas supplies from the Persian Gulf, rising energy prices and many other things - man-made disasters, increased terrorist activity and other troubles.
And in domestic affairs, US support will not add points to Erdogan - the Turkish population, like the population of Arab countries, has become more anti-American in recent years.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/23/2025
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[38 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
[Naharnet] Israel's military said Saturday its navy hit a Hezbollah "infrastructure site" near the southern Lebanese city of Naqoura, a day after Israel's defense minister warned the Lebanese gang against entering the Iran-Israel war.
"Overnight, an Israeli Navy vessel struck a Hezbollah 'Radwan Force' terrorist infrastructure site in the area of Naqoura in southern Leb ...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?... ," the Israeli army said in a statement.
The military said the site was used by Hezbollah "to advance terror attacks against Israeli civilians."
In a separate statement on Saturday, the military said it had "struck and eliminated" a Hezbollah Death Eater in south Lebanon the previous day, despite an ongoing ceasefire between both sides.
In a statement carried by the official National News Agency, Lebanon's health ministry said late on Friday that one person was killed in a "strike carried out by an Israeli enemy drone on a cycle of violence" in the southern town of Baraasheet.
Earlier in the day, Israeli warplanes launched a wave of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s on the heights of the Jezzine district, with the Israeli army saying the raids targeted "Hezbollah rocket launchpads and arms depots" and claiming that the Lebanese group had been "trying to rebuild its capabilities in these sites" in violation of the ceasefire understandings.
The November ceasefire aimed to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which sparked months of deadly hostilities by launching cross-border attacks on northern Israel in solidarity with Paleostinian ally Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... following its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Lebanon's army, which has been dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure as part of the truce, said earlier in June that the Israeli military's ongoing violations and "refusal to cooperate" with the ceasefire monitoring mechanism "could prompt the (Lebanese) military to freeze cooperation" on site inspections.
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
At the violent Antifa insurrection on the ICE building in Portland on June 14, felon Sabian Mateo Crisantos (b. Nov. 2, 1999), was arrested and charged with attempted assault of an officer. The attack happened while he was out on parole for a violent felony conviction.… pic.twitter.com/xuPK8iRQUn
Breaking: Violent convicted felon and Oregon Antifa member Joshua Ames Cartrette, 46, is among the first two Antifa militants to be federally charged for allegedly violently rioting outside the @ICEgov building.
[ Naharnet] The Lebanese health ministry said an Israeli strike on south Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... 's al-Abbasiyeh killed one person, as Israel said it killed a member of Hezbollah.
Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes on Lebanon despite a November ceasefire with Hezbollah and an unprecedented bombing campaign it launched on 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... last week.
In a statement carried by Lebanon's state-run National News Agency, the ministry said that an Israeli dronezap on a vehicle killed one person near the southern village of Abbassiyeh.
The Israeli army named its target as Mohammed Khadr al-Husseini and said he was "commander of the Hezbollah firepower array in the Litani sector".
The military alleged that Husseini "advanced numerous attacks toward Nahariya, Haifa and additional cities" during the war and supported efforts in rebuilding Hezbollah's arsenal since then.
Israel said it would continue its strikes on Lebanon until Hezbollah was fully disarmed.
As Israel's war with Iran entered its eighth day, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hezbollah to keep out of the conflict, saying: "If there is terrorism, there will be no Hezbollah."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] More than 20 people were killed in a terrorist attack during a service at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Damascus, Syria TV reported on June 22.
“According to preliminary data, more than 20 people were killed as a result of the terrorist attack in the church in Duweil,”
…I think that means the Damascus Old City district of Duweil'a, a traditional Christian neighbourhood…
the publication’s Telegram channel said.
The incident occurred in the Duweil area, where the Christian population lives. It is noted that the suicide bomber, who entered the temple, opened fire on believers with an automatic weapon, after which he detonated an explosive device.
The area was cordoned off by police and ambulances arrived at the scene.
According to SANA, the terrorist was a member of the Islamic State (IS, a terrorist organization banned in Russia). This information was later confirmed by the Syrian authorities.
A jacket wallah in Syria on Sunday let 'er rip inside a Greek Orthodox church filled with people, killing at least 20, Syrian state media reported.
The explosion in Dweila, on the outskirts of Damascus, took placej as people were praying inside the Mar Elias Church. SANA, citing Syria’s health ministry, said that at least 53 others were maimed.
Britannia-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were at least 19 people killed and dozens of others maimed, but did not give exact numbers. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.
The attack on the church was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus, under its de facto Islamist rule, is trying to win the support of minorities. As President Ahmad al-Sharaa struggles to exert authority across the country, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of bad boy groups in the war-torn country.
No group immediately grabbed credit Sunday, but the Syrian Interior Ministry said an bad boy from the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group entered the church and fired at the people there before detonating himself with an explosives vest. The account echoing some witness testimonies.
Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the attack, calling it a terrorist attack.
"This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together," he said on X. "We will not back down from our commitment to equal citizenship... and we also affirm the state’s pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organizations and to protect society from all attacks threatening its safety."
Church Bishop Moussa Khoury said the attacker also threw a grenade into the church during the afternoon Mass.
"He started shooting, went and then he blew up the church," he told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
A witness who identified himself as Rawad told AP he saw the attacker, accompanied by two others who fled, as he was driving near the church.
"He was shooting at the church.... He then went inside the church and went kaboom!," he said.
However,
man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... Meletius Shahati, a church priest, said there was a second gunman who shot at the church door before the other person let 'er rip
Twenty people were killed and 52 others injured in a suicide bombing that targeted Mar Elias Church in Damascus on Sunday, according to Syrian authorities.
The Syrian health ministry confirmed in a statement that "nine civilians were killed and 13 others were injured in the terrorist attack that targeted Mar Elias Church in the Dweilaa area of Damascus."
Mar Elias Church is regarded as one of the most prominent Christian places of worship in rural Damascus. It holds deep spiritual and historical significance for Syria’s Christian community and frequently hosts both religious and social gatherings, particularly on Sundays and during holidays.
[GEO.TV] Inter-Services Public Relations Director General (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that only the state can declare jihad, stressing that "no individual or group has this authority".
Lt Gen Chaudhry said this while interacting with members of various religious and social circles during an event in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
on Sunday. The statement has come over a month following a days-long military engagement between Pakistain and India. Since the military conflict, officers of Pakistain's armed forces have held a spree of meetings with people belonging to different walks of life.
During the meeting, the members of religious and social circles welcomed the military's top spokesperson and expressed strong solidarity with the armed forces. They described the meeting with the ISPR chief as valuable and wished to hold more such sessions in the future.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said that followers of all religions are equal citizens who enjoy full constitutional rights in Pakistain. "National unity is maintained only through equality and harmony."
Furthermore, ethnic or linguistic hatred emerges through ignorance, he said, adding that "all Paks are equal". "If we remain united, no force can defeat us."
To a query, the top army's spox said that India is backing terrorism in Pakistain, and the Pakistain Army is responding to the enemy with modern warfare strategies.
The 87-hour-long conflict last month — which included cross-border strikes by both countries — was the largest battle between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in decades. It had left 40 civilians and 13 armed forces personnel martyred in Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/23/2025
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[47 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Who's this guy all of a sudden?
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
06/23/2025 0:56
Comments ||
Top||
#2
...Well, that oughta do it then. Thanks, Ahmed.
[Garowe] al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... holy warriors have released footage purportedly of Wargaadhi town within Middle Shabelle, where they ran over a military base manned by the Danab Special Forces, a contingent of the Somali National Army (SNA) which is trained by the US Africa Command.
The Danab Special Forces play a critical role in the fight against the group, which is dominant in central and southern regions. The Special Forces are trained and equipped by Americans, and in most cases, they are engaged in sophisticated operations.
According to the narration in the new video, the holy warriors seized the strategic base in late April. The holy warriors insisted that they will still run over the bases of the special forces while castigating Americans for training the soldiers.
"You can train them like the 400,000-strong Afghan army, but you can’t teach them to defend what they don’t truly believe in. Ownership of land and loyalty to the nation are not things you can install like software," a spokesperson said.
"The so-called Somali National Army SNAForce is nothing more than a tribal militia wearing uniforms, collecting Western taxpayer money under the banner of counterterrorism. Just like the failed Afghan experiment."
The Biden Politburo legacy.
The spokesperson further accused Americans of training and funding the Somali army while faulting the strategy used by the Death Eaters. Several weapons were seized by the group during the April battle, officials said.
Somalia has intensified the crackdown against al-Shabaab holy warriors in central and southern regions, with the US Africa Command and the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) assisting the military.
But internal political divisions have significantly eroded gains made by the military in reclaiming strategic towns, with the holy warriors managing to push further. The recent fall of Adan Yabaal is a classic example of the dwindling military strength.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The missiles "hit the negotiating table" on Iran's nuclear program, and it was hard not to see where exactly they came from. This was stated on June 22 by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.
"Missiles hit the negotiating table today. It was hard not to notice where they came from. Why is it that this time all the statements are smoothed over and impersonal?" the diplomat wrote on her Telegram channel.
In this way, the representative of the diplomatic department commented on the call by the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, to return to the negotiating table to discuss Iran’s nuclear program and to again allow the agency’s inspectors to Iranian nuclear facilities.
Earlier on June 22, the head of the IAEA said that he could not assess the damage caused to the nuclear facility in Iran's Fordow, but admitted that it could be insignificant. Grossi also announced that he would speak at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Iran.
More from regnum.ru Zakharova advises the US and EU to carry out perestroika
The US and the EU need a large-scale restructuring, Western politicians need to gather strength and admit to the huge number of mistakes they have made, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on June 22.
She commented on NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's statements that the West should increase military spending to avoid having to learn Russian. Western politicians are trying to find an explanation for their citizens' economic problems, Zakharova noted.
"As for America, [US President Donald ] Trump said that the country needs some kind of large-scale reboot or even restructuring, it would be good to remember this word. Western Europeans, the British cannot say that, they are oriented, the current regimes, including liberal dictatorship, they are fed and nourished from there," Zakharova said in a conversation with TASS.
Western politicians are clinging to mythical threats from Russia and China because they cannot find the strength to admit their mistakes, the Foreign Ministry official added.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, Rutte had previously announced the alliance's intention to prepare for a conflict with Russia within three to five years. According to him, the Russian economy has allegedly switched completely to a military regime, so European countries need to speed up the militarization of their economies.
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied allegations that Russia allegedly has plans to attack Europe. He called such accusations nonsense. According to the head of state, by whipping up this hysteria, Western countries are trying to justify increased military spending and the arms race.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] President Vladimir Putin is not ready to “turn the page” of history with the coup d’etat in Ukraine, since it was at that moment that the foundations of the future conflict were laid, the head of state’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on June 22.
He answered a question from VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin about why Putin so often returns to the topic of the 2014 coup d'etat in Ukraine. An excerpt from the interview was published on Zarubin's Telegram channel.
“This is the precursor to the entire situation, when the legitimate succession of Ukraine’s leadership was interrupted,” Peskov noted.
He recalled that Western countries then refused to fulfill their obligations and later admitted that they had invested huge amounts of money in the coup d'etat in Ukraine.
“Everything that happened afterwards was the consequences of this coup,” Peskov said.
Zarubin noted that Western colleagues are essentially proposing to “turn the page” of history, since these events are in the past.
"No, the Russian side and President Putin are not ready to turn over anything. We must correct the root cause," Peskov responded.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, Putin previously indicated that Russia is not fighting with the Ukrainian people. The president noted that the population of Ukraine has become hostage to the Kiev regime.
On June 20, the president again stated that he considers Russians and Ukrainians to be one people, and emphasized that Ukraine deserves a better fate than being a tool in the hands of Russia’s opponents.
Putin also noted that Russia had never questioned Ukraine's right to independence. But Ukraine, the president recalled, was proclaimed a neutral state. He pointed out that Russia was demanding from the Kiev regime not capitulation, but recognition of the realities that had developed on the ground.
IRGC Claims Attack on Ben Gurion Airport, Command Centers in Israel
[Regnum] Iran attacked Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, a biological research center and decision-making centers at various levels during a morning attack on Israel, the Tasnim agency reported, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, part of the country's armed forces).
It was stated that during the 20th wave of attacks carried out as part of Operation True Promise 3, the Iranian military used several long-range ballistic missiles with solid and liquid fuel. The missiles with powerful warheads overcame Israeli air defenses, the IRGC said.
“The main targets were Ben Gurion Airport, the Israel Biological Research Center, logistics bases and various command and control center bureaus,” the statement said.
Israeli media reported that about 30 Iranian missiles were fired at targets in Tel Aviv and Haifa.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, Iran launched a missile strike on Israel after the US attack on nuclear facilities on the night of June 22. US Air Force B-2 bombers attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow. The last target, as US President Donald Trump specified, was dropped with a "full load of bombs."
Iranian authorities have confirmed that nuclear facilities were hit from the air. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the US violated international law and the UN Charter. He recalled that Iran has the right to a legal response for self-defense. In this regard, Iran retains all opportunities to protect its sovereignty, interests of the country and the nation, the minister emphasized.
More from regnum.ru Israel Simultaneously Strike Targets in Four Areas of Iran
The Israeli military simultaneously struck rocket launchers, drones and military installations in four areas of Iran. About 30 fighter jets hit dozens of targets across the country, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) press service reported.
"The Israeli Air Force struck missile and drone targets in Isfahan, Bushehr, Ahvaz and, for the first time, Yazd," the IDF said in a statement on its Telegram channel.
It was reported that missile launchers were hit in Isfahan, Bushehr and Ahvaz, as well as military facilities involved in the production of air defense batteries, the Third Brigade UAV command center and a drone warehouse located near it.
In the Yazd region, the Imam Hussein strategic missile command center, where the Khorramshahr long-range missiles were stored, was hit. About 60 missiles were launched at Israel from this center, the IDF noted.
It is specified that the fighters fired more than 60 munitions. Among the destroyed targets were Iranian servicemen loading missile launchers.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on the night of June 13, Israel announced the start of a large-scale military operation against Iran, "Rising Lion", under the pretext of eliminating the threat of nuclear weapons. The Israeli army struck Iranian territory, and several heads of Iran's military departments were killed.
Tehran responded by launching Operation True Promise 3 and began striking Israeli military and military-industrial facilities. Residential areas were hit on both sides, and civilians were killed and wounded in both Israel and Iran.
"The US attacked us. If you were in such conditions, what would you do? Naturally, they must receive a response to their aggression," the Iranian president's press service quotes him as saying.
Pezeshkian recalled that earlier, American representatives claimed that they intended to ensure the "peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program," and Tehran welcomed this. However, in the midst of the negotiations, the US began to act "in full coordination with the Zionist regime," the Iranian president said.
The Iranian side has always been ready to negotiate within the framework of international law, but instead Washington demanded Tehran's capitulation, Pezeshkian noted. The people of the republic will not succumb to force and intimidation and will respond accordingly to the aggression of the American side, the Iranian president concluded.
Earlier on June 22, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran would respond to US attacks as long as it deems necessary. The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy, Alireza Tangsiri, said that Iran would completely close the Strait of Hormuz, through which oil is exported from the Persian Gulf countries to Asian markets, in response to US attacks on nuclear facilities.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on the night of June 22, US Air Force B-2 bombers attacked Iran's nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow. US President Donald Trump called on Iran to conclude a deal and threatened new attacks in case of refusal.
Russia strongly condemned the US strikes. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that Iran would continue to work on its nuclear program and that there were countries in the world ready to transfer their nuclear weapons to Tehran.
[IsraelTimes] Air force chief details surprise raid on missile production site over 2,000 kilometers away; Tehran governor says Israel has hit ‘over 200’ sites in capital
Israel’s top general said Sunday that the country’s conflict with Iran had reached a pivotal moment following US strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities, as Israeli planes continued to pound targets in Tehran and western Iran after 10 days of fighting.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir credited close coordination between Israeli and American diplomatic and military leaders for a series of high-powered strikes on Iran’s Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites, as Washington stepped into the fray. The US bolstered Israel’s military offensive aimed at destroying Iran’s ability to enrich uranium or build atomic weapons.
“We’ve gotten to a turning point in the battle, after last night, [when] the US military struck central nuclear sites in a lethal, precise and very impressive way,” Zamir said.
“This strike was made possible thanks to the courageous leadership of our partners in the United States and a combined diplomatic and military effort,” he added, noting his close coordination with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Daniel Caine and US Central Command chief Gen. Michael Kurilla.
In the US, President Donald Trump said the dozen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs dropped on the key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with attacks on nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz, had removed the nuclear threat that had longed stalked Israel and the wider region.
“We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the ‘bomb’ right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!)” he said on social media.
But Zamir noted that the campaign was far from over for Israel. “We still have targets to strike and objectives to complete,” he said. “We are continuing to increase the pace of our attacks in accordance with the plan and are prepared to continue for as long as required.”
According to the military, some 30 fighter jets carried out bombing missions in four areas of Iran earlier Sunday, targeting missile and drone sites. A second sortie later Sunday involved 20 planes dropping 30 bombs on various sites, including in the capital, Tehran.
In the first raid, dozens of targets were hit simultaneously in Isfahan, Bushehr, Ahvaz, and, for the first time, also Yazd, according to the IDF.
The IDF added that some 60 munitions were dropped by the fighter jets in the strikes.
“As part of the wave of strikes, fighter jets targeted for the first time the ‘Imam Hussein’ strategic missile headquarters in the Yazd area, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored,” the military said, adding that some 60 missiles had been fired at Israel from the facility.
Footage released by the IDF on June 22, 2025, shows Israeli airstrikes on Iranian missile launchers and soldiers in Iran. (Israel Defense Forces)
According to the military, Israeli Air Force fighter jets flew some 2,200 kilometers (1,400 miles) from Israel to strike the site, marking one of its longest sorties yet.
“In broad daylight, we surprised the Imam Hussein missile headquarters in central Iran, the furthest target we’ve struck to date,” said IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar in remarks published by the military.
“We destroyed Khorramshahr missiles before they were launched at Israel and struck tunnels used to store the missiles,” Bar said.
Last week’s Israeli jets bombed the Mashhad airport, over 2,300 kilometers from Israel.
At the same time as the strikes in Yazd, Israel also hit missile launchers, air defense battery production sites, a headquarters of an Iranian drone regiment, and a drone storage facility in Isfahan, Bushehr, and Ahvaz, the military said.
During the strikes in Yazd, the IDF said an air force drone identified Iranian soldiers “arming missile launchers, and eliminated them shortly afterward.”
“We are continuing waves of strikes across Iran, disrupting the enemy’s ability to launch salvos into Israeli territory, degrading their firepower capabilities, and operating decisively to defend the Israeli home front and reduce rocket fire,” Bar said.
According to local Iranian media, at least nine members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed Sunday in Israeli attacks on central Iran.
“Following the aggression of the barbaric Zionist regime and its mercenaries against two military centers in Yazd city, seven Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps personnel and two conscripts were martyred,” the Tasnim news agency reported, quoting an IRGC statement.
Others were injured in the attack, it added. The Fars news agency had earlier said Israeli strikes targeted two military sites in Yazd.
Separately, Iranian news agencies reported that an IAF airstrike killed three more IRGC members on Sunday.
The Mehr and Tasnim news agencies reported that the attack took place in Zanjan province in western Iran.
The military announced Sunday evening that its planes also hit infrastructure used to store and launch ballistic missiles, as well as satellites and radar sites in Kermanshah and Hamedan “used for aerial intelligence-gathering.”
Additionally, an air defense system was bombed in “the heart of Tehran,” the military added.
The IDF said the strikes were part of efforts to “degrade the military capabilities of the Iranian regime.”
On Saturday night, hours before the US carried out its strikes, Israeli jets hit an Iranian ballistic missile engine production site near Iran’s Shahrud, some 2,000 kilometers from Israel, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Sunday.
According to the military, the strike hit “planetary mixers and critical machinery used to manufacture missile engines” of the kind that have been fired at Israel in recent days.
“The targeted site is part of the effort to disrupt the Iranian regime’s surface-to-surface missile production industry, which is intended to produce thousands of missiles in the coming years,” the IDF added.
Israel has said 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.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/23/2025
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[99 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Denis Davydov
[REGNUM] At exactly 4 o'clock on June 22, 1941, German bombers did not bomb Kyiv. A formation of machines with white "Balkenkreuz" on their wings appeared over the city at the beginning of the eighth morning, dropping their bomb load on important objects (for example, the Bolshevik plant and Plant No. 43 on the Brest-Litovsk highway) and military airfields.
But already on this day the first enemy plane was shot down.
The I-16 fighter, which took off from the suburban airfield of Zhulyany, was piloted by Captain Ivan Krasnoyurchenko, a hero of Khalkhin-Gol and Hero of the Soviet Union. Since April 1941, he had held the position of inspector for the preparation of fighter aviation of the Air Force Directorate of the Kiev Special Military District and had arrived the day before for an inspection.
Having taken off, the experienced pilot caught up with the lagging Ju-88, which was taking photos of the results of the raid, and shot it with machine guns. Later, it was dragged to the center of Kyiv for the amusement of the people, and then the airfield duty shift immediately set off to the crash site to capture the pilots.
And this case was not the only one and not only in Kyiv. Only three anti-aircraft divisions covering Lutsk shot down 21 German aircraft in the first ten days of the war. And there were other cases, for example, on June 22, a Junkers landed due to a breakdown on Soviet territory near Tarnopol. The navigator shot himself, the rest of the crew surrendered.
On June 23, a German bomber, whose crew included Karl Fieg, Franz Hummel, Heinrich Menning and Paul Hofbauer, managed to drop 14 bombs on the Ovruch airfield, but was shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft guns. The pilots were captured.
“The most terrible morning,” according to the recollections of Kiev residents, did not come on the first day of the war, but on June 25, when anti-aircraft guns and machine guns were firing from all sides, shrapnel fell like rain, and houses shook as if during an earthquake.
Cadets guard the same Ju-88 that was shot down on June 25 near Brovary
But on that day, during a raid on an airfield near the left-bank town of Brovary, a Ju-88 from the second group of the 54th "Dead Head" squadron was shot down, and the entire crew was captured. But the most interesting thing is not that the Germans were shot down, but how the captured crews were later used in Soviet propaganda.
And what it really influenced.
"RUN, FOOLS"
The young men who had made a forced landing near Brovary (which was recorded in the report of the KG54 “Dead Head” squadron) soon appeared in the press with an “open letter”.
The newspapers Pravda and Krasnaya Zvezda informed their readers that the pilot, a native of Breslau, Hans-Julius Hermann, the pilot-observer from Frankfurt am Main, Hans Kratz, the Czech corporal Adolf Appel from Brno, and the radio operator from Regensburg, Wilhelm Schmidt, had deliberately decided to go over to the side of the Red Army.
And they landed the plane themselves.
"We often asked ourselves: Why is Hitler fighting against the whole world? Why does he bring death and ruin to all the peoples of Europe? " simple German guys invisibly wave their hands on the pages of Pravda on June 29. " We were often worried by the thought that because of the bloody dog Hitler, many innocent women and children were dying from our bombs. That is why this time we dropped our bombs in such a way that they did no harm. We had long harbored the idea of escaping from Hitler and starting a peaceful life, but we were afraid. Now that Hitler has declared war on Russia, in which he will certainly lose his head, we have decided to make an escape."
In short, they dropped bombs into the Dnieper and landed near Kiev, where they were taken prisoner by local peasants, which “once again convinced us that the Soviet people are united, prepared to fight and will win.”
The talkative flight gunner-mechanic Hoffbauer also made his mark in the press; he was the only one from his crew who was willing to communicate, and therefore was presented as the one who had “flown over” in the singular.
On June 30, 1941, the same Pravda published “A Conversation with a German Pilot.” The newspaper’s special correspondent Grigory Pevzner (writing under the pseudonym P. Grinev) reported:
"Paul Hofbauer is 23 years old. He is a frail man of medium height. He holds the rank of corporal. He is wearing a German pilot's suit made of poor-quality steel-colored cloth. The yellow shoulder straps are decorated with pilot's insignia. The left side of his jacket is intercepted by a black, white, and red ribbon - the sign of being awarded the Iron Cross of the Second Class. In addition, he has been awarded the Iron Cross of the First Class...
Paul Hofbauer has been in the German army for two years. The Nazis sent him 17 times to bomb French and English cities and villages, and then ordered him to bomb peaceful Soviet cities.
Hofbauer did not return to his base. He flew to the Soviet side and landed."
In this story, the plane was also "instantly surrounded" by a crowd of ordinary villagers, in whom the war-weary upholsterer from Munich saw his brothers and sisters. In an interview with Pevzner, he said that he did not want to fight, because "it was clear to each of us that Soviet Russia was a huge force, that a war with it would not lead to anything good."
And only the threat of execution drives pilots and soldiers of other branches of the armed forces to war, while the German people do not want war, because “fascism and Hitler are hateful to every working German.”
The next day, July 1, Hofbauer’s appeal to German pilots and soldiers was published in Krasnaya Zvezda and other Soviet newspapers, which generally repeated the main set of ideas: the mad Hitler had begun a treacherous campaign against Soviet Russia and would lose, we were blind, brothers, we cannot fight against a country “where the working man feels like a true man, where everyone works for his own good and the good of his homeland.”
All German pilots, oppressed by the Hitlerite fascists, were offered not to drop bombs on peaceful Russian cities and to fly to Soviet Russia to help destroy bloody fascism.
However, all this had no visible effect, since Soviet propagandists preferred to work in the picture of the world that was in their heads. Without taking into account the realities of the other side and the life principles of the "oppressed pilots". Although the prisoners gave fairly detailed testimony during interrogations in the NKGB of the Ukrainian SSR - these documents were preserved in the archive.
And at the same time they told how the bombing of Kyiv was organized.
So we have a great opportunity to find out what the real answers of the upholsterer Hofbauer were and what the members of Kratz's crew, who in the photo in the case do not look as inspired as in the newspaper, thought about what was happening.
AN INCOMPREHENSIBLE ENEMY
Despite his 24 years of age, Hans Georgievich Kratz (as he was called in the protocol by the NKGB officers) was, in the terminology of the newspaper Pravda, a seasoned Hitlerite ace. He volunteered for the army in 1936, and after graduating from the school for observer pilots, he flew a fair amount. In 1940–41, he took part in the bombing of London, Portsmouth, Plymouth, and sank ships in the Atlantic.
There is even a photo of its crew during service in Paris, where the 54th Bomber Squadron of the Luftwaffe "Totenkopf" was based, taking part in all campaigns and major battles in the European theater of war.
And in June the unit was transferred to Lublin, not far from which, near the village of Malkiew, there was a field airfield. It was from here that flights were carried out at the end of June 1941 to bomb Lutsk, Rivne, Rava-Ruska, Kovel, Zhitomir, Berdichev and Kyiv.
The "voluntarily flown" crew of the "Ju-88" on June 22 as part of a group carried out three raids on Lutsk (in the morning, at noon and in the evening) with the aim of bombing the airfield. On June 23 they worked to search for tank formations. On June 24 they bombed the Vladimir-Volynsky airfield twice and were hit, the plane caught fire.
From the beginning of the war until the plane was shot down, they carried out combat sorties over Soviet territory seven times, without experiencing any pangs of conscience at all.
"The mood of the soldiers of the German army is good. The soldiers are fed well, they receive food three times a day, for each flight the soldiers receive a separate ration. The soldiers go into battle with enthusiasm," Kratz reports to the head of the 3rd department of the NKGB of the Ukrainian SSR, state security captain Zavgorodniy.
At 4 a.m. on June 25, two dozen aircraft under the command of Major Kraft took off from the airfield near Lublin. They flew blindly above the clouds straight through Kovel, Sarny, Ovruch to the Dnieper, and then turned south in the direction of the Brovary airfield. The task was to drop the entire load of SC high-explosive bombs, and then take photographs of Kyiv.
This task was completed, but the plane was hit by anti-aircraft guns.
Later, during interrogations, all crew members behaved very reservedly, answered questions sparingly, and the investigators’ questions about the number and location of the paratroopers’ drop (since the Soviet command from top to bottom was simply obsessed with enemy landings) looked downright funny.
At the same time, pilot Herman briefly reports that the command announced to the personnel several hours before the raid: the USSR intends to seize new territories, and to prevent this, it is necessary to enter the war.
“After concluding a pact with Germany, the Soviet Union forcibly seized part of the territory of former Poland, Bessarabia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and that Germany will no longer allow the USSR to expand its territory at the expense of other states,” in this quote from a non-commissioned officer one can easily recognize the source of inspiration for Viktor Suvorov-Rezun.
The concept of German propaganda throughout the war was built exclusively on defensive motives: enemies are all around, everyone wishes harm to the peaceful Reich, and it is literally forced to defend itself. And from some point on, it literally became a war "for the survival of the nation" - approximately the same thing is being done by Ukrainian propaganda today.
The talkative Hofbauer (in the protocol - Paul Georgievich) happily explains all geopolitics to the state security officers.
The Munich upholsterer was clearly interested in the issue, since he quite clearly gives an outline of the problems of international relations: after the friendship treaty of 1939, the USSR began to strengthen its positions in the western regions of Ukraine and to pull up large units of troops to the border. Then there were claims to control over the Dardanelles Strait, friction with Germany's allies - Bulgaria and Romania.
"With the help of the USSR, a government coup was carried out in Yugoslavia, and in the event of war with Germany, the Soviet Union was obliged to help Yugoslavia with military materials. In confirmation of this, Germany found the relevant documents in Yugoslavia. This aid to Yugoslavia was proof that the USSR was no longer helping Germany. Soon before the start of the war, Soviet troops invaded German territory, and Germany became convinced that the time had come to take up arms," says the knowledgeable Paul Georgievich.
And he adds that the German people were shocked by such betrayal: everyone thought that the Soviet country, a brotherly one, would help the Germans, who would transfer troops through the USSR to Asia to conquer the colonies of the hated English.
And here they had to take up arms. The soldiers were very confused, because they consider the USSR a powerful state that will be difficult to defeat. But the order must be carried out, how else?
By the way, Hoffbauer is the only one who talks about some discontent among the flight crew. Only it concerns the unexpected continuation of the war for everyone: his colleagues hoped to rest after England and go home. But the appeals through Pravda and Krasnaya Zvezda had nothing to do with demotivation and, of course, did not affect the readiness of the bombers to continue to rain bombs from the sky.
They clearly did not feel like "workers and farmers in soldiers' uniforms" fighting against the USSR under duress, as the Bureau of Military-Political Propaganda assured the Soviet audience. And they cooperated mainly to save their lives.
Of course, there were exceptions.
The pilot of the Ju-88, Eberhard Kazirius, who was captured near Tarnopol, forgot about his membership in the NSDAP, graduated from the school of the Anti-Fascist Front in the Comintern structure, actively worked in propaganda, and in the post-war GDR headed the People's Police.
But in general, ideological work in relation to the enemy turned out to be an absolute failure, and by the summer of 1942, another formula was put into use: “Kill the German!”
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Dmitry Gubin
[REGNUM] If you ask any more or less educated person - at least our compatriot - what event of the past is associated with June 22, then with a high degree of probability the interlocutor will mention the attack of Nazi Germany and its allies on the USSR. And he will be right - the date, which is rightly called the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, really does remind us of the most tragic period of both our and world history. But we should also remember that on June 22, two Patriotic Wars began at once.
On June 22, 1812, the French Emperor Napoleon addressed his army from his headquarters in Wołkowyszki in Poland (now Vilkaviškės in Lithuania) with an appeal – essentially, to the troops of a united Europe. Let us recall that in the Grande Armée, ready to throw itself to the east, the French made up only half of the “bayonets”, the rest were: Poles, Germans from the Rhine Union and Prussia, Italians, Spaniards, Croats, plus the allied Austrian corps.
A similar “international” (excluding perhaps the Poles) will cross the border of the USSR on June 22, 1941.
So, Bonaparte, in a traditionally pompous but atypically brief appeal, accused Russia of violating the Tilsit Peace Treaty and called the upcoming war with Russia “the second Polish war”:
"Russia has sworn to be in eternal alliance with France and in war with England; now she is breaking her oaths! She does not wish to give any explanation for her strange actions until the French eagles withdraw beyond the Rhine and thus abandon their allies to her mercy."
The semantic coincidence with the instructions of Joachim von Ribbentrop to the Reich ambassador in Moscow, Werner von Schulenburg, from June 21, 1941, on the basis of which the diplomat transmitted the corresponding note to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Vyacheslav Molotov, is curious. Our country was once again accused of "violating oaths", in this case the agreements of August-September 1939, as well as of subversive actions against the German allies - Finland and Romania.
The logic of a united Europe in 1812 and 1941 has not changed. There was, however, a difference in the observance of the written rules of war.
The Grand Army crossed the border river Neman two days after the Emperor's proclamation was published, on June 24, 1812, and Schulenburg handed a note to Molotov at 5:30 a.m. on June 22, 1941, already hours after the Wehrmacht's invasion, including across the same Neman. Napoleon did not stoop to a treacherous attack. But the coincidence of the pathos of the Volkovyshka appeal and Adolf Hitler's address to the nation, which Joseph Goebbels read on Greater Germany Radio at the same 5:30 a.m. on June 22, is characteristic.
Napoleon had it this way: “Russia is carried away by fate. Its destiny must be fulfilled… The peace that we conclude will bring with it a guarantee for itself and will put an end to the destructive influence that Russia has exerted on the affairs of Europe for fifty years.”
Hitler echoed his predecessor:
"... Over the last two decades, the Jewish-Bolshevik rulers of Moscow have tried to set fire not only to Germany, but to all of Europe. It was not Germany that tried to transfer its nationalist worldview to Russia, but the Jewish-Bolshevik rulers in Moscow have been steadily attempting to impose their domination on our people and other European peoples." And further - about "the greatest troop advance in its length", which should become fatal for Soviet Russia and "ensure the security of Europe."
PARALLELS WITH NAPOLEON'S FAILURES
Did Hitler look to Napoleon when he set the date for Operation Barbarossa? This assertion can be found in journalism, but there is no documentary evidence to support it. So this assumption stands in line with others – that the Fuhrer, out of a penchant for the mystical legacy of his ancestors, timed the attack on the USSR to coincide with Sommersonnenwende – the Day of the Summer Solstice.
Or, as a number of authors suggest, the Fuhrer symbolically "tied" it to the anniversary of the capitulation of France. On June 22, 1940, the French signed an armistice, which the top brass of the Third Reich staged with all possible symbolism. The public humiliation of France took place in the same place - the city of Compiegne, where the capitulation of the Second Reich - Kaiser's Germany - was signed in November 1918. In the same train car that was taken out of the museum through a hole specially punched in the wall.
So the date of June 22 was, of course, important for the corporal of the First World War Hitler. But, let us repeat, there is no documentary evidence of "tying" the date of the attack on the USSR to 1918 or 1812 in the surviving documents of the Reich.
There is a point of view, confirmed by documents and generally accepted in historical science. Directive of the OKW (Wehrmacht High Command) No. 21 — also known as the Barbarossa plan — was signed by Hitler on December 18, 1940. The document contained the date of "completion of preparations" for the implementation of the plan — May 15, 1941. But the protracted campaign in the Balkans shifted the deadlines. Already after the completion of the occupation of Yugoslavia and Greece, on April 30, 1941, an adjusted date was entered into Barbarossa — June 22.
On the other hand, one cannot discount the fact that Hitler, despite not having received a systematic education, was well acquainted with military history, including the history of “Napoleonics” – it is no coincidence that one of his reference books was the work of Carl von Clausewitz, a Prussian military theorist and practitioner during the Napoleonic Wars (by the way, during the campaign of 1812, when the Prussians sided with Bonaparte, Clausewitz went into Russian service).
The fact that the two Patriotic Wars began for us on the same day may be a simple coincidence, but it is unlikely that Hitler accidentally began his “Russian campaign” in the summer – like his predecessor, counting on the rapid defeat of our country.
Symbolic parallels with the Napoleonic invasion began to be drawn on the first day of the Great Patriotic War - in the Message to the pastors and believers of Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky), locum tenens of the patriarchal throne. The Berezina River not symbolically, but quite practically became an obstacle to the Wehrmacht's advance, as well as to the retreat of Napoleon's army.
And in October 1941, when units of the German 4th Army entered into battle with units of the 32nd Infantry Division of the Western Front on the Borodino field, the unit commanders were given the banners of the Russian (“tsarist”!) regiments that had participated in the Battle of Borodino in September 1812.
At the same time, in the autumn of 1941, Hitler’s military leaders recalled the unsuccessful experience of Napoleon’s blitzkrieg – due to the course of the Battle of Moscow:
"The German armies were exhausted and, as the weather worsened, movement became increasingly difficult... Most of the German generals were in favour of breaking off the offensive and taking up advantageous positions for the winter. They remembered the sad experience of Napoleon. Many of them began to reread Caulaincourt's dismal report," noted one of the leading British military theorists and historians, Basil Liddell Hart. The diplomat Armand de Caulaincourt accompanied his emperor on the Russian campaign of the Grand Army and recorded the failure of this campaign.
Photographs of captured soldiers of Paulus' army, wrapped in unimaginable rags, clearly made historically savvy German officers recall images of the flight of the Grande Armée (where, let us recall, Prussians, Rhinelanders and Austrians served). It was time to become a fatalist, as Bonaparte had become by 1815 - especially since in a series of symbolically coinciding dates there was another event that put an end to the history of Napoleon's project of a united Europe.
ANOTHER JUNE 22ND
There was another document, also signed on June 22 and also by Napoleon Bonaparte, only in 1815. It is remembered much less often than what was adopted in 1812, 1940 and 1941. This is the second and, as it turned out, the last abdication of the emperor from the throne after the defeat at Waterloo, after which in the life of this conqueror there will be only an attempt to escape overseas and exile to the island of St. Helena.
Just recently, the self-confident conqueror justified himself to his compatriots in this way:
"Having begun the war to preserve national independence, I counted on the unification of all efforts, all desires and the assistance of all the authorities of the nation. I had reason to hope for success and did not attach importance to all the declarations of the government directed against me..." And he finished on a pompous note: " I sacrifice myself to the hatred of the enemies of France."
Hitler ended differently from Napoleon, but his last word to his “subjects” – a political testament dictated on April 29, 1945 – is strikingly reminiscent of Bonaparte’s statements 130 years earlier. The same assurances that he did not want war, but was forced to respond to the intrigues of enemies, and now, together with the people, he is sacrificing himself – although in this case not in the name of “national independence,” but in the name of the ideas of National Socialism.
It is doubtful that before the war or during the Second World War, Hitler carefully studied Napoleon's "political testament" - he, like Bonaparte, despite all his claims to messianism, did not have the gift of foresight and could not imagine that even exile to a distant island would not be in his future. Just as it would not be in the future for those leaders of "enlightened Europe " who would want to repeat the experience of their predecessors.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 20:55 Russian Ministry of Defense:
At about 19:10 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed one Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle of the airplane type over the territory of the Rostov region.
20:35 Signalmen of the 144th Motorized Rifle Division of the Zapad group began to use the new Spirit-030 satellite communications stations.
The fighters note that the new station is significantly smaller in size, easier to operate and has a higher-quality signal. Thanks to the reduced size of the antenna, the station can be placed closer to the line of combat contact, reducing the risk of detection —video.
19:46 Assault units of the East Group of Forces are undergoing engineering training in the South Donetsk direction.
Assault units of the 29th Army are trained to clear explosive objects, including foreign-made mines, and to install minefields in tank-hazardous areas. Practical training is conducted under the guidance of experienced instructors —video.
18:55 FPV drone operators of the Vostok group hit enemy UAV control points in the area of the settlement of Yalta in the DPR —video.
17:52 The Kh-39 missile, also known as the LMUR, destroyed the location of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kherson region —video.
17:28 The Anvar detachment is clearing the border area of the Chernihiv region from Ukrainian militants —video.
16:57 As a result of the coordinated joint work of aerial reconnaissance and artillery of the 18th Combined Arms Army, a control point for the Ukrainian Armed Forces' UAVs was destroyed in the Antonovka area —video.
16:29 An FPV drone strike destroyed an enemy observation post in the village of Romashkovo on the right bank of the Dnieper —video.
15:45 Russian Ministry of Defense:
From 13:00 Moscow time to 15:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type over the territories of Kursk and Belgorod regions.
15:00 Three people were injured when a Ukrainian drone struck a bus stop in Svatovo. This was reported by the LPR Government.
"According to the LPR Minister of Health Natalia Pashchenko, three people were injured - two drivers of "Lugansk Avtodor" and a passenger - an elderly woman born in 1938. All the victims were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds in a local hospital," the report says.
14:10 A Ukrainian Armed Forces pickup truck attempted to break through to the state border: our UAV operators worked hard, –video.
Severian scouts uncovered the movement of a Ukrainian Armed Forces pickup truck from the settlement of Iskriskovshchyna (Sumy region) in the direction of the Ukrainian border village of Volfino.
The coordinates were immediately transmitted for fire destruction and already on the eastern outskirts of Iskriskovshchina the enemy vehicle met our FPV drone.
13:20 Summary of Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation as of June 22, 2025
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation.
– Units of the North group of forces improved the position along the forward edge, defeated concentrations of manpower and equipment of five mechanized, airborne assault brigades, an airborne assault and four assault regiments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a territorial defense brigade, as well as the special forces detachment Chimera of the GUR in the areas of the settlements of Pavlovka, Andreevka, Khoten, Zapselye, Novaya Sich, Yablonovka, Bessalovka, Kondratovka, Sadki and Ryzhevka in the Sumy region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 240 servicemen, three combat armored vehicles, three automobiles, four field artillery guns, an electronic warfare station, and a warehouse of materiel.
– As a result of active and decisive actions by units of the “West” military group, the settlement of Petrovskoye in the Khar'kov region has been liberated.
Formations of two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a territorial defense brigade and a border detachment of the Ukrainian border service were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Gorokhovatka, Novaya Kruglyakovka, Peschanoye, Kupyansk in the Khar'kov region and Kirovsk in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost up to 210 servicemen, a US-made M-113 armored personnel carrier, six pickup trucks, four electronic warfare stations and three ammunition depots.
– Units of the Southern Group of Forces improved their tactical position. They defeated the manpower and equipment of four mechanized, motorized infantry, mountain assault, assault, airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a territorial defense brigade and the Azov special forces brigade in the areas of the settlements of Seversk, Slavyansk, Kaleniki, Semenovka, Belokuzminovka, Ilyinovka, Dyleevka, Kramatorsk, Kleban-Byk and Konstantinovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 140 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, an artillery piece, and five vehicles. Three ammunition depots and a supply depot were destroyed.
- Units of the "Center" group of forces have taken up more advantageous lines and positions. They have defeated formations of eight mechanized, mountain assault, assault, two airborne assault brigades, a brigade of unmanned systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two brigades of naval infantry and a national guard brigade in the areas of the settlements of Petrovskoye, Dachnoye, Novopavlovka, Lenina, Krasnoarmeysk and Novotoretskoye of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy's losses amounted to more than 500 servicemen, two Cossack armored vehicles, three pickup trucks and four field artillery pieces, including a British-made 155mm AS-90 self-propelled artillery unit.
– Units of the “East” group of forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy’s defense and, as a result of successful actions, completed the liberation of the settlement of Perebudova in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
The manpower and equipment of the mechanized brigade, the assault regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the marine brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Novokhatskoye, Zeleny Gai and Chervona Zirka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 195 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, five cars and two artillery pieces.
– Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of the mechanized brigade, the coastal defense brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Stepnogorsk, Kamenskoye, Mala Tokmachka in the Zaporizhia region and Antonovka in the Kherson region.
Up to 70 servicemen, nine vehicles, four electronic warfare stations, three ammunition depots and two supply depots were destroyed.
Operational-tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces groups damaged the infrastructure of a military airfield, workshops for the production and assembly of strike unmanned aerial vehicles, their storage sites, ammunition and fuel depots, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian Armed Forces units and foreign mercenaries in 143 districts.
Air defense systems shot down six JDAM guided aerial bombs and two US-made HIMARS multiple launch rockets, as well as 164 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
12:21 Governor of Belgorod Region Vyacheslav Gladkov:
Information about the strikes carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on ours over the past 24 hours:
– In the Belgorod district, 5 drones attacked the villages of Dubovoye and Malinovka, the villages of Bessonovka, Nikolskoye and Chaiki, one of which was shot down by an air defense system. In the village of Dubovoye, two private houses were damaged, in the village of Nikolskoye - a power line, in the village of Bessonovka - an industrial enterprise building.
– In the Valuysky municipal district:
The villages of Borki, Dolgoe, Kazinka, Kukuyevka, Posokhovo were attacked by nine drones, four of which were suppressed. One artillery shell was fired at the village of Nizhnie Melnitsy. In the village of Posokhovo, a communications infrastructure facility was damaged, in the village of Kukuyevka, a private house. This morning, two private houses were damaged in the village of Borki.
– In the Volokonovsky district, three drones attacked the villages of Borisovka and Grushevka. In the village of Borisovka, an outbuilding and one car were damaged, in the village of Grushevka, a car and a summer kitchen.
– In the Graivoronsky municipal district, the city of Graivoron, the settlement of Gorkovsky, the villages of Bezymeno, Poroz and Spodaryushino were subjected to five attacks, during which 23 rounds of ammunition were fired, and one drone was attacked. There were no consequences.
– In the Krasnoyarsk region, 59 rounds of ammunition were fired during 8 artillery attacks and nine drone strikes were carried out on the settlements of Zadorozhny and Prilesye, the villages of Vyazovoe, Grafovka, Kolotilovka, Popovka, Repyakhovka and Staroselye. Information on the consequences is being clarified.
– In the Shebekinsky municipal district:
Four munitions were fired and 15 drones attacked in the villages of Voznesenovka, Murom, Novaya Tavolzhanka, Rzhevka, Chervona Dibrovka and the Mukhin farm, seven of which were suppressed and shot down. In the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka, four trucks were damaged, in the village of Murom - technical equipment and the premises of an agricultural enterprise. Tonight in the village of Chervona Dibrovka, a commercial facility and three trucks were damaged by FPV drone strikes.
11:28 Russian Ministry of Defense:
From 8.45 Moscow time to 11.00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type:
Two UAVs over the territory of the Belgorod region and
One UAV over the territory of the Kursk region.
10:49 Criminal Kyiv regime continues shelling civilian infrastructure of populated areas of the left bank of the Kherson region
Yesterday, during the day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces released:
– Four rounds to the settlement of Velikiye Kopani;
– Two rounds in the village of Tsukury;
- According to n.p. Novaya Kakhovka 3 rounds;
– Four rounds to the settlement of Kairy;
– Two rounds in the village of Malaya Lepetikha.
In Vinogradovo, two civilians were injured as a result of an attack by Ukrainian Armed Forces drones. In Velyki Kopani, a civilian was injured as a result of an attack by Ukrainian Armed Forces on a market. In Chernyanka, power lines were damaged as a result of an attack by Ukrainian Armed Forces drones.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the villages of Korsunka, Aleshky, Proletarka, Velyki Kopani, and Kakhovka, firing a total of 15 rounds from cannon artillery. Civilian casualties and infrastructure destruction are being clarified.
10:14 Frontline summary as of the morning of 06/22/2025
Zaporizhzhya Front. No significant changes in LBS. Positional battles with active use of long-range weapons on both sides continue.
Fighting continues in Malinovka in the Gulyai-Polye direction. Information is coming in about the advance of Russian troops here, but it needs to be verified. Nevertheless, the assault on the settlement has begun.
Donetsk Front. Here, the Russian Armed Forces continue the active offensive phase in several directions. In the South Donetsk direction, Russian troops are advancing west of Fedorovka in the direction of the settlement of Voskresenka.
Fighting is underway in the area of Perebudov, a settlement adjacent to Komar. It is reported that Russian troops are advancing here toward the central part of Perebudov.
The settlement of Zaporozhye in the DPR has been liberated. It is also reported that Russian troops are advancing toward Shevchenko, which is north of Volnoye Pole. Here, Russian troops have begun a direct assault on the settlement.
In the Pokrovsk direction, fierce fighting continues in several areas. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are actively counterattacking. The fighting is often counter-insurgency.
Chasov Yar direction. The Russian Armed Forces were able to take control of several Ukrainian Armed Forces positions in Chasov Yar. Fighting continues in the Stupochki area.
Sumy direction. The "North" group of forces continues to repel the attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border Glushkovsky and Tetkinsky districts. It is reported that over the past 24 hours, ten attempts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to penetrate into Russian territory in small groups have been repelled.
All attacks have been repelled, more than half of the Ukrainian militants who participated in the offensive have been destroyed. In addition, five units of enemy equipment have been destroyed.
Counterattacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Sumy region continue. According to unverified information, the Ukrainians managed to achieve some success in Andreyevka and regain control of part of the settlement. Russian troops are taking action to destroy the enemy.
9:40 The Russian Armed Forces, using a Kh-39 guided missile, destroyed a UAV control post of the 128th Separate Territorial Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement of Kamenskoye, –video.
9:00 Calculation of the Strela-10M anti-aircraft missile system of the Vostok group discovered and destroyed enemy reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles in the South Donetsk direction.
8:10 During the past night from 22:30 Moscow time on June 21 to 02:55 Moscow time on June 22, air defense systems on duty destroyed 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type:
Nine over the territory of the Bryansk region and
One each over the territories of the Smolensk region and the Republic of Crimea.
Oil prices surged over 4% after U.S. strikes on Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites.
Brent crude rose to $80 per barrel, with analysts warning prices could hit $100 if Iran retaliates by targeting Gulf oil infrastructure or the Strait of Hormuz.
[LB] The enemy controls the southern part and the city center of Toretsk.
by Ivanna Kapustianska
Russian troops have intensified assaults in the Pokrovsky and Novopavlivskyi directions, trying to break through to the administrative borders of the Dnipropetrovsk region. At the same time, Ukrainian defenders are inflicting significant losses on the Russian army, including at least seven tanks destroyed in a day.
This was stated on the air by the spokesman for the Khortytsia municipal district administration, Viktor Tregubov, writes "Suspilne".
According to the spokesman, active fighting continues in the Pokrovsky and Novopavlovsk directions, "so here, let's say, it is simply impossible to talk about anyone's control," the speaker said.
At the same time, losses are being observed among the Russian troops in the Pokrovsky direction.
"If there were 700 there before, then there are already about 800 per day, if we take the previous day. Seven tanks were knocked out again, it has been a long time since then, they use heavy equipment, in principle, to a limited extent. Therefore, in principle, it is clear that there are already sufficient forces gathered there and have already been thrown, let's say, into active "meat grinders", into active attempts at assault actions along, in principle, the entire line of demarcation," says Tregubov.
The hottest section of the front remains the western part of the Pokrovsky direction and the Novopavlivsky direction, where Russian troops are trying to advance to the administrative borders of the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. The second section is the eastern part of the Pokrovsky direction, where the Russian army is trying to break through towards Kostyantynivka.
"We can't call it the Kostyantynivka direction simply so as not to scare people, because Kostyantynivka is very far away. But they are trying very hard to break through the Pokrovsk-Kostyantynivka highway, and some of the main assaults are concentrated there, and so there are large assaults, in which, in principle, heavy equipment is involved."
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy controls a significant part of the city of Toretsk — the southern part and the center, but the city has not been captured and cannot advance further to follow the highway to Kostyantynivka.
"Chasiv Yar is, in principle, identical to Toretsk. Indeed, it is very similar. The Russians really wanted to come, the Russians made every effort, it seemed until the last moment that they might succeed. But, let's say, in the last kilometers the Russians ran out of steam, and they ran out of steam there a long time ago, and got stuck, and they haven't been able to advance there for a long time. Therefore, both Toretsk and Chasiv Yar are actually ruins of cities on which the Russians have not been able to advance for months."
According to the General Staff, over the past day, the most clashes occurred in the Pokrovske and Lymanske directions.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] President Mahdi Mohammed al-Mashat affirmed that Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... will confront and oppose any American involvement in aggression 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... through all legitimate means.
''We will instruct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit a memorandum to the United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... , notifying it that we are closely monitoring the preparations and readiness of certain member states to join the Israeli entity in its aggression against Iran,'' President al-Mashat said in a statement. ''We have every right to take this stance—on humanitarian, religious, and moral grounds—and it is supported by international and regional charters as well as Yemeni law.''
President al-Mashat called on all Arab and Islamic nations, along with peace-loving countries around the world, to adopt a similar stance rather than wait until they too become targets.
He stressed that when some states abandon their responsibility to uphold international peace and security—and instead become direct supporters and participants in aggression 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... , Leb ...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , Syria, Yemen, and Iran—the only viable response is for nations to unite in a strong and principled position.
He warned, ''The fire will spread to every country if we do not act collectively to stop the arrogant powers and their schemes to violate the illusory sovereignty of nations.''
President al-Mashat reiterated that Yemen has always maintained a consistent and principled stance: any hostile act targeting any Islamic country will be met with opposition and resistance from Yemen.
He further warned that if the United States joins the Zionist entity in its aggression against Iran, it will bear full responsibility for the consequences.
He confirmed that the Humanitarian Operations Center will take necessary measures in accordance with Yemeni law.
He concluded by emphasizing: ''Anyone who takes part in or supports Israel in its aggression must bear the consequences of their decision.''
Posted by: Fred ||
06/23/2025
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[24 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] In the first official Iranian response to US Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s that targeted three nuclear sites within the country, Iranian authorities confirmed Sunday morning that there were ''no signs of contamination'' or threats to nearby populations.
Iranian officials emphasized that the core infrastructure of the nuclear facilities remains intact and secure.
"There may be 2,000 to 3,000 more centrifuges that were slated to go into this new enrichment plant," he said. "Where are they?"
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization stated it had immediately conducted inspections, confirming that ''there are no signs of contamination resulting from the American attacks on the nuclear sites.''
The National Nuclear Safety System Center added that monitoring systems detected no radiation leakage at the Fordow, Natanz, or Isfahan nuclear facilities, affirming that the situation is fully under control.
In related remarks, the representative of Qom in the Iranian parliament Mohammad Manan Raeisi assured that Fordow nuclear facility had not sustained serious damage contrary to the US President's claim.
He said that only the part that was on the ground had been damages which can be restored.
Raeisi said assured the people in the region that there was no radioactive emission after the aggression as the risky material had been evacuated from the site.
He said that it is now Iran's turn how to respond to the US president's foolish action in attacking Iranian nuclear sites.
They noted satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showing "unusual activity" at Fordo on Thursday and Friday, with a long line of vehicles waiting outside an entrance of the facility.
''There is no danger to the people of Qom and the surrounding area'', said the province's crisis management department, according to the official IRNA news agency.
[israelTimes] 6 holes seen punched into mountain above Iran’s deep nuclear plant, after series of bunker-busting bombs dropped; experts worry that nuclear material was moved prior to the attack
Commercial satellite imagery indicates the US attack on Iran’s Fordo nuclear plant severely damaged — and possibly destroyed — the deeply-buried site and the uranium-enriching centrifuges it housed, but there is no confirmation, experts said on Sunday.
"They just punched through with these MOPs," said David Albright, a former UN nuclear inspector who heads the Institute for Science and International Security, referring to the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker-busting bombs that the US said it dropped. "I would expect that the facility is probably toast."
But confirmation of the below-ground destruction could not be determined, noted Decker Eveleth, an associate researcher with the CNA Corporation who specializes in satellite imagery. The hall containing hundreds of centrifuges is "too deeply buried for us to evaluate the level of damage based on satellite imagery," he said.
To defend against attacks such as the one conducted by US forces early on Sunday, 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... buried much of its nuclear program in fortified sites deep underground, including into the side of a mountain at Fordo.
Satellite images show six holes where the bunker-busting bombs appear to have penetrated the mountain, and then ground that looks disturbed and covered in dust.
The United States and Israel have said they intend to halt Tehran’s nuclear program. But a failure to completely destroy its facilities and equipment could mean Iran could more easily restart the weapons program, which US intelligence and the UN ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) say it shuttered in 2003, but which Israel says has continued in secret ever since.
Iran has long insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. But it has been enriching uranium to levels that have no civilian use, and has over the years regularly threatened to flatten Israeli cities.
’UNUSUAL ACTIVITY’
Several experts also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of Fordo before the strike early Sunday morning and could be hiding it and other nuclear components in locations unknown to Israel, the US, and UN nuclear inspectors.
They noted satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showing "unusual activity" at Fordo on Thursday and Friday, with a long line of vehicles waiting outside an entrance of the facility. A senior Iranian source told Rooters on Sunday that most of the near weapons-grade 60-percent highly enriched uranium had been moved to an undisclosed location before the US attack.
"I don’t think you can with great confidence do anything but set back their nuclear program by maybe a few years," said Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. "There’s almost certainly facilities that we don’t know about."
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a US Democrat and member of the Senate intelligence committee who said he had been reviewing intelligence every day, expressed the same concern.
"My big fear right now is that they take this entire program underground, not physically underground, but under the radar," he told NBC News. "Where we tried to stop it, there is a possibility that this could accelerate it."
In response to Israel’s attacks, Iran’s parliament is threatening to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the cornerstone of the international system that went into force in 1970 to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, ending cooperation with the IAEA.
"The world is going to be in the dark about what Iran may be doing," said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group.
’DOUBLE TAP’ Rooters spoke to four experts who reviewed Maxar Technologies’ satellite imagery of Fordo, which shows six neatly spaced holes in two groups in the mountain ridge beneath which the hall containing the centrifuges is believed to be located.
General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told news hounds that seven B-2 bombers dropped 14 GBU-57/B MOPs, 30,000-pound precision-guided bombs designed to drive up to 200 feet (60 meters) into hardened underground facilities like Fordo, according to a 2012 congressional report.
Caine said initial assessments indicated that the sites suffered extremely severe damage, but declined to speculate about whether any nuclear facilities remained intact.
Eveleth said the Maxar imagery of Fordo and Caine’s comments indicated that the B-2s dropped an initial load of six MOPs on Fordo, followed by a "double tap" of six more in the exact same spots.
Operation Midnight Hammer also targeted Tehran’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, he said, and struck in Isfahan, the location of the country’s largest nuclear research center. There are other nuclear-related sites near the city.
Israel had already struck Natanz and the Isfahan Nuclear Research Center in its 10-day war with Iran.
Albright said in a post on X that Airbus Defence and Space satellite imagery showed that US Tomahawk cruise missiles severely damaged a uranium facility at Isfahan and an impact hole above the underground enrichment halls at Natanz reportedly caused by a Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker-busting bomb that "likely destroyed the facility."
Albright questioned the US use of cruise missiles in Isfahan, saying that those weapons could not penetrate a tunnel complex near the main nuclear research center believed to be even deeper than Fordo. The IAEA said the tunnel entrances "were impacted."
He noted that Iran recently informed the IAEA that it planned to install a new uranium enrichment plant in Isfahan.
"There may be 2,000 to 3,000 more centrifuges that were slated to go into this new enrichment plant," he said. "Where are they?"
Posted by: Fred ||
06/23/2025
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[130 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.
1.UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi slipped up and tells us. IAEA inspectors known IRAN already has 4,400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%. BUT! For an extended time, the UN IAEA inspectors have not known where it is stored.
2. A simple gun-type fission bomb, like the one dropped on Hiroshima, required 64+/- kg of highly enriched uranium. However, modern weapons use much less, thanks to advanced leaked designs.
3. Iranian Centrifuge farms show ready supply and certain important key equipment has been set up, so it can be quickly moved. Then set back up at a pre-build alternate location and be back in operation in as little as 21 days.
4. Uranium in the Hiroshima bomb was about 80 percent uranium 235. Of the 64 kilograms of uranium in that bomb, less than one kilogram underwent actual fission.
5. The entire energy of the Hiroshima explosion came from just over half a gram of matter that was converted to energy. That is about the weight of a butterfly.
6. Technically, a nuclear weapon can be made with as little as 20% enriched uranium-235.
7. So the missing 4,400 KG of Uranium enriched at 60, could be used to make a dozen or so low yield, or as many dirty bombs.
8. Imagine popping a dirty bomb over the NYC business district, or Times Sq. on New Year Eve.
9. now use "https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/" and detonate a small 10 KT over your chosen target
#3
Caine said initial assessments indicated that the sites suffered extremely severe damage, but declined to speculate about whether any nuclear facilities remained intact.
#4
Not sure why Americans keep looking for simple solutions to this. We don’t want Iran to have nukes; we don’t want to be embroiled in another foriegn war with boots on the ground; we don’t want the mullah in charge; we don’t want Hormuz closed to shipping by mines, Boghammers, and drones. Nor do we want Iran to descend into another hell state like Libya, Syria or Afghanistan. Mostly, we don’t want to miss Dancing With the Stars. Living in an adult world is tough.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/23/2025 7:07
Comments ||
Top||
#5
@1 The entire energy of the Hiroshima explosion came from just over half a gram of matter that was converted to energy.
That's Einstein's mass defect E=mc**2 which applies to all physical processes including chemical explosions.
The only known process that could release this energy is matter antimatter annihilation.
A gram of highly enriched Uranium poses no threat beyond that of a radioactive alpha emitter with a half-life in the hundreds of millions of years.
This stuff shouldn't be inhaled or ingested but it can not cause a nuclear explosion.
#6
8. Imagine popping a dirty bomb over the NYC business district, or Times Sq. on New Year Eve.
I can and I am underwhelmed. Two factors: dosage and half-life make the 'dirty bomb threat' a boogie man story. Dosage is the problem that bedevils the users of chemical weapons: how do you get the payload to spread efficiently? Half-life means that the longer the half-life the less radioactive the isotope is in practice and Uranium has a half-life of millions of years(!). Uranium and Plutonium are toxic chemically but not as dangerous as many other poisons.
#7
Scientific American did an analysis of this maybe 30 years ago, including areas uninhabitable for various periods. They surmised the deaths from the panic to get out of town would be much worse than the radioactive effects.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/23/2025 10:33
Comments ||
Top||
#8
There are nonradioactive chemicals (not traditional chemical weapons agents) that would have a far more devastating impact if they were used in an attack.
This is no secret. Reports on these chemicals have appeared in popular science media for decades, which is how I learned about this.
[GatewayPundit] Lessons from Taiwan’s defense planning reveal serious vulnerabilities in U.S. homeland security, particularly the risk that Beijing could activate sleeper cells composed of gangsters already inside the United States.
Each year, Taiwan conducts the Han Kuang military exercises, a nationwide defense drill in which the military, public servants, civilians, and even schoolchildren participate in simulated responses to a Chinese invasion.
These scenarios are drawn from ongoing assessments of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and recent Chinese military activity, using U.S.-designed simulation software that models invasion strategies based on current PLA trends.
These exercises test Taiwan’s preparedness against a wide range of threats far beyond a conventional military assault. Scenarios include cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining public morale, naval blockades to cripple the economy, and amphibious assaults targeting key ports and airports.
The U.S. intelligence community and Department of Defense monitor these exercises and use the information to assess how a Chinese attack might unfold, taking steps to deter or counter such tactics.
However, one scenario emphasized in Taiwan’s planning remains largely overlooked in the United States: the potential presence of a Chinese fifth column.
This refers to sleeper agents, sympathizers, or covert operatives already inside the country who could activate pre-positioned assets and conduct sabotage operations targeting power grids, telecom networks, and transportation infrastructure, seriously undermining national defense and internal stability.
Chinese criminal networks are firmly established in the United States. These organizations include traditional triads such as the 14K Triad, led by Wan Kuok Koi, “Broken Tooth,” a key figure in global organized crime.
While the 14K dominates meth trafficking in the Asia-Pacific, it also exemplifies a criminal enterprise providing services to the Chinese government.
Other major networks include Sun Yee On, Wo Shing Wo, and Tongs like the Fuk Ching and Flying Dragons.
Additional actors include Snakehead smugglers involved in human trafficking, the Fujian Gang, the Cantonese Mafia, and diaspora gangs with mainland links that operate through business fronts and student associations.
Chinese organized crime in America operates through a loose but disciplined confederation overseen from New York by mafias rooted in southern China, according to U.S. officials.
Known as “triads” after historic secret society emblems, these groups wield influence both within China and across the diaspora, and are believed to maintain ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
The coordination is extensive. In 2019, the DEA discovered that triad bosses had traveled from China to New York for sit-downs to issue directives and broker peace among factions. New York had become a command hub for narcotics and money laundering.
Even more concerning is the documented connection between Chinese organized crime and state intelligence services. Beijing has built a broad surveillance network on U.S. soil.
Between 2016 and 2022, four Chinese public security bureaus reportedly established 102 overseas police service stations across 53 countries.
In the U.S., these stations have been identified in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and San Francisco, as well as in smaller communities in Nebraska and Minnesota.
In the event of a conflict, Beijing could activate Chinese criminal networks to advance broader strategic objectives.
These groups, with technical expertise and ties to the Chinese government, are well-positioned to support both cyber and physical operations.
Chinese cybercriminals—early adopters of artificial intelligence—could assist state-sponsored attacks targeting ports, railways, airports, 5G infrastructure, fiber-optic lines, power grids, energy facilities, and water treatment plants.
U.S. agencies including CISA, the NSA, and the FBI have already warned that PRC cyber actors are pre-positioning themselves within American IT networks in preparation for potential attacks.
[X] Moscow issued its warning after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a phone call condemned Israeli attacks on Iran and urged a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Israel launched an unprecedented wave of strikes at Iran last week, to which Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks.
Russian foreign ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters: "We would like to particularly warn Washington against military intervention in the situation."
Posted by: 3dc ||
06/23/2025
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[24 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Iran warned Donald Trump it would unleash sleeper cell terrorists to wreak havoc on US soil if he attacked, according to reports.
Trump received a communiqué from the regime just days before he ordered US military strikes on its nuclear facilities, sources told NBC News.
The official message was delivered to Trump through an intermediary at the G7 summit in Canada last week.
The president left early on June 16 to consider his options amid the conflict between Israel and Iran, according to the sources.
After his departure from the G7 summit, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One he planned to hold 'early' meetings with his security team in the White House Situation Room after issuing a stunning call for people to 'evacuate' Tehran amid Israeli bomb attacks there.
After the US deployed B-2 bombers to drop more than a dozen 'bunker busters,' Iran's foreign minister called the strikes 'outrageous' and said that Tehran 'reserves all options' to retaliate.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin Sunday warning of possible cyber attacks and violence, including antisemitic hate crimes, following the strikes.
'The ongoing Iran conflict is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States,' the bulletin said.
Although there are 'no specific credible threats,' the department warned that low-level cyber attacks against US networks are likely.
'Iran also has a long-standing commitment to target US Government officials it views as responsible for the death of an Iranian military commander killed in January 2020,' DHS said.
'The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland.'
Former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker told Fox News Digital the Joe Biden's border crisis may have exacerbated the number of sleeper-cells in the country.
'Because of the open borders, we are at a serious catch-up phase. We don't know where those thousand Iranians are and who knows how many others got across the border,' he said.
Over 1,200 Iranian nationals reportedly entered the US during the Biden Administration, according to Trump's border czar Tom Homan.
Swecker explained that during Biden's tenure, the FBI focused on homegrown terrorists and lost track of foreign threats.
'There's a certain population of Iranians in the U.S. that we know about, but there's thousands and thousands that we don't know about because of the open border situation,' Swecker said.
'The Bureau was concentrating their resources on so-called domestic terrorists like white supremacists and right-wing extremists, and calling them the most serious terrorist threat to this country when it was absolutely the international terrorists that should have been the focus of the bureau's efforts.'
Cities across the United States are on high alert following the airstrikes on three nuclear cites in Iran.
Police in New York City and Washington DC revealed they increasing their presence amid fears of a retaliatory attack.
The New York City Police Department said in a post to X: 'We're tracking the situation unfolding in Iran.
'Out of an abundance of caution, we're deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across NYC and coordinating with our federal partners. We'll continue to monitor for any potential impact to NYC.'
Not long after that post, the Metropolitan Police Department also released a similar statement.
It said: 'The Metropolitan Police Department is closely monitoring the events in Iran.
'We are actively coordinating with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to share information and monitor intelligence in order to help safeguard residents, businesses, and visitors in the District of Columbia.'
[FoxNews] Trump's decisive action against Iran raises alarm about security risks following Biden's release of 729 special interest aliens
Over 1,500 Iranian nationals who illegally entered the U.S. at the southern border were arrested during the Biden administration, and nearly 50% of them were released back into the country, according to a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) source.
More specifically, Border Patrol agents arrested 1,504 Iranian nationals from fiscal year 2021 through fiscal year 2024. Of the 1,504 individuals who were arrested, 729 were released into the U.S.
The number of Iranian nationals arrested at the southern border increased year-to-year, with 48 being arrested in FY21; 197 in FY22; 462 in FY23 and 797 in FY24.
Likewise, the number of Iranian nationals released also increased, with 12 in FY21; 40 in FY22; 229 in FY23; and 448 in FY24.
It is unclear how many of the Iranians released into the U.S. were on the terrorism watchlist, as the Biden administration repeatedly denied Fox News’ Freedom of Information Act requests and appeals for the data. The Biden administration cited "privacy concerns" of the people on the list, as well as "minimal public interest" for denying the requests.
Still, there were over 2 million known gotaways at the border during the Biden administration, and because they were never caught, there is no way of knowing where the individuals were from.
All Iranians are considered "special interest aliens" because of national security concerns. Therefore, they are supposed to receive enhanced vetting from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The news comes as U.S. officials sound the alarm regarding the threat of terror-backed sleeper cells in the country just hours after President Donald Trump ordered the successful strikes on key nuclear facilities within Iran.
Hours after Trump addressed the nation about the military strikes, the DHS issued a memo sounding the alarm to a "heightened threat environment" in the U.S.
While the bulletin did not cite any specific threats, it came as Iranian officials vowed retaliation against the U.S.
The bulletin points to law enforcement within the U.S. disrupting "multiple potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots" since 2020, while noting the Iranian government’s unsuccessful attempts to target critics of its regime.
The advisory comes after Trump ordered military strikes on Iran’s key nuclear facilities in what officials are calling "Operation Midnight Hammer," prompting law enforcement to be on high alert regarding the threat of foreign adversary operatives conducting an attack on U.S. soil, with thousands of Iranian nationals previously crossing over the border.
"Because of the open borders, we are at a serious catch-up phase," Former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker told Fox News Digital. "We don't know where those thousand Iranians are and who knows how many others got across the border. We missed an opportunity when they caught and released those thousand. We missed the opportunity to gather intel by interviewing them and thoroughly vetting them. We just simply let them go, which is gross negligence on the part of the Biden administration."
The possibility of foreign cells carrying out a domestic terror plot was pushed into the national spotlight last year after federal prosecutors announced a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and two U.S.-nationals were arrested for allegedly plotting to murder then-President-elect Trump and a U.S. citizen critical of the Iranian regime.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
06/23/2025
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[131 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Note to any Iranian 5th column, warned and spoken about here on RB for years.
Bubba is ready, with response times usually near instantaneously.
Given our 2nd Amendment rights, that your LSD loving buddies have failed to steal and/or restrict. We guard our families, our churches, and our communities.
#2
Bubba has also NOT signed the Geneva convention. So no crying about pork covered bullets, being boiled in pig grease or being staked out for coyotes.
#3
The official message was delivered to Trump through an intermediary at the G7 summit in Canada last week.
Nice that Iran verifies they are conducting war time activities within our own borders. Now we can shift the sedition classification to treason for those who aid and abet.
#5
Trump would be well advised to publicly and officially confirm this.
He should also make the identity of the G7 intermediary public.
This unoffical communication channel is toxic in itself because it is part of Iran's asymmetrical warfare infrastructure which, in part does rely on secrecy.
#6
Swamp, cinder-block, rope, gators. Add Jihadis or other miscreants. In the Rockies, replace swamp with abandoned mineshaft, gators with rattlesnakes. Iran just THINKS it knows how to be mean.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/23/2025 10:06
Comments ||
Top||
#7
Netanyahu already told us Iran was behind the assassination attempt on Trump. What more reason do we need?
He also said Iran will have an ICBM capable of striking the US mainland. War is upon us, it's time to destroy Iran. They're our enemy and the enemy of our closest ally. Why else do we have this trillion dollar military if it's not so we can *use* it?
[BBC] US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has warned of China posing an "imminent" threat to Taiwan, while urging Asian countries to boost defence spending and work with the US to deter war.
While the US does not "seek to dominate or strangle China", it would not be pushed out of Asia nor allow its allies to be intimidated, Hegseth said while addressing a high-level Asian defence summit on Saturday
In response, China has accused the US of being the "biggest troublemaker" for regional peace.
Many in Asia fear potential instability if China invades Taiwan, a self-governing island claimed by Beijing. China has not ruled out the use of force.
Speaking at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth characterised China as seeking to become a "hegemonic power" that "hopes to dominate and control too many parts" of Asia. China has clashed with several neighbours over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea.
He said Beijing was "credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power" in Asia, and referred to a 2027 deadline that President Xi Jinping has allegedly given for China's military to be capable of invading Taiwan.
This is a date put forth by US officials and generals for years, but has never been confirmed by Beijing.
China "is building the military needed to do it, training for it, every day and rehearsing for the real deal", Hegseth said.
"Let me be clear: any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world. There's no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent. We hope not but certainly could be."
The US does not seek war or conflict with China, Hegseth added.
"We do not seek to dominate or strangle China, to encircle or provoke. We do not seek regime change… but we must ensure that China cannot dominate us or our allies and partners," he said, adding "we will not be pushed out of this critical region".
In response, the Chinese embassy in Singapore posted a note on its Facebook page saying the speech was "steeped in provocations and instigation" and said Hegseth had "repeatedly smeared and attacked China and relentlessly played up the so-called 'China threat'".
"As a matter of fact, the US itself is the biggest 'troublemaker' for regional peace and stability," it added. Examples it cited included the US "deploying offensive weapons" in the South China Sea and conducting reconnaissance of what the embassy called "Chinese islands and reefs".
"What the US now offers the most to the world is 'uncertainty'," the embassy said. "The country claims to safeguard peace and not to seek conflicts. We've heard it. Let's see what moves will it take."
China's robust rhetoric came as it deliberately diminished its presence at the dialogue.
Organised by think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Shangri-la Dialogue has traditionally served as a platform for the US and China to make their pitches to Asian countries as the superpowers jostle for influence.
But while this year the US has sent one of its largest delegations ever, China instead sent a notably lower-level team and scrapped its planned speech on Sunday.
…coming from London members of the Islamic Republic of Iran have attacked a
0:18
a group of anti-IRGC Londoners the Metropolitan Police have now arrested a
0:24
few of them with six people with potential connections and links to the
0:29
Iranian embassy and in this live reporter we're going to show you a number of videos from the scene in
0:36
central London
#1
The UK was informed of the mission, codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer, but played no part. Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds last night warned that Iranian activity in the UK was already substantial, and it was 'naive' to think it won't escalate.
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.
...son of Pashtun warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, still titular head of the Haqqani Network....
...
...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried....
... the personification of Somali state failure...
...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Six teenagers are in critical condition after gunfire broke out in a residential neighborhood in California - as police frantically search for the suspect.
[IsraelTimes] In pre-recorded press conference, premier says he expects campaign in Iran to help Israel achieve goals in Gaza; predicts it will ultimately lead to expansion of Abraham Accords
Asked about the whereabouts of Iran’s 400 kilograms of 60-percent enriched uranium, Netanyahu claimed that Israel has "interesting intel" pertaining to the issue, but declined to go into detail.
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa...
... the personification of Somali state failure...
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord....jpg)
...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 
