If only Israel hadn’t hit that Hezbollah building in Dahiyeh with missile that melted the gold until it flowed away into the rubble.
[Israel.time] Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group has informed homeowners in southern Beirut’s Dahiyeh district that it is freezing compensation for repairs to homes damaged or destroyed during the war with Israel in October and November of last year, the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reports. "But what about my Home Warranty™?"
According to the report, the suspension of funding is due to a cash shortage affecting Hezbollah, with no clear indication if or when the group will resume payments.
The Saudi paper does not specify the cause of Hezbollah’s financial shortfall.
Last week the newspaper Al-Jadeed reported that the recent assassination of Said Izadi, a commander of Iran’s Quds Force and head of a unit responsible for funneling Iranian funds to Lebanon, was expected to impact financial support for Hezbollah and its ability to pay for the rebuilding of Dahiyeh.
The densely populated neighborhood, a Hezbollah stronghold, was rocked by an intense Israeli air campaign over several weeks last year as part of a military campaign aimed at dismantling the Iranian proxy group following nearly a year of daily cross-border rocket and drone attacks.
In the past, Hezbollah has used payouts and other forms of social welfare to build up its popularity among Lebanese Shiites.
[IsraelTimes] Israeli troops arrested several members of a terror cell deployed by Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... in southern Syria in an overnight raid, the military says.
The cell was operating in two locations near the border with Israel and was targeted based on intelligence gathered over recent weeks, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
During the raid, troops from the 474th Golan Regional Brigade, who carried out the raid together with field Sherlocks from Military Intelligence’s Unit 504, also seized weapons, including firearms and grenades.
The IDF says it will continue efforts to thwart the entrenchment of Iranian-linked terror groups in Syria, particularly near the Israeli border.
Israeli troops have been stationed in Syria since the fall of the former Assad regime in December, where they are holding a small buffer zone near the border.
Israel's military said on Wednesday its had apprehended members of an Iranian-backed "terrorist cell" in southern Syria, where state TV reported three arrested by Israeli troops.
An Israeli military statement on Wednesday said that in a "targeted night-time" raid, troops "apprehended several terrorists" and seized weapons.
It said the operation targeted "a terrorist cell operated by Iran", Israel's arch-foe against which it had fought an unprecedented 12-day war last month.
Syrian state TV said an Israeli patrol "consisting of eight vehicles and around 40 soldiers arrested three individuals from the village of Al-Bassali" in the Quneitra area of southwest Syria bordering the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported an operation which "resulted in the arrest of three citizens of Palestinian origin".
It said the people were inside a farm "at the time of the raid, without any clashes or intervention by (Syrian) military or security forces in the area".
According to the Observatory, the overnight operation came two months after a relative of the three was arrested and transferred to an Israeli prison.
Since the December overthrow of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes primarily on military sites and sent troops to carry out raids aimed at denying military assets to the Islamist-led interim administration. It has also deployed troops across the demilitarized zone on the Syrian side of the armistice line that used to separate the opposing forces on the Golan, with Israeli troops regularly carrying out raids in southern Syria.
On June 12, Syria said the Israeli military killed one civilian and detained seven people during an overnight incursion, with the Israeli army saying it seized members of Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Israel said Monday it was "interested" in striking normalization agreements with Syria and neighboring Lebanon, but insisted the strategic Golan Heights -- which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognized by the United Nations -- would "remain part of" Israel under any peace accord.
[IsraelTimes] A terror cell responsible for hurling Molotov cocktails at a civilian road near the West Bank settlement of Efrat last month has been apprehended, the IDF and Israel Police announce in a joint statement.
According to the IDF, the four suspects carried out the attack on June 9, targeting a road near Efrat, south of Bethlehem. No injuries were reported.
Acting on intelligence from the Israel Police’s West Bank division, IDF reservists arrested the suspects this week in the Paleostinian village of al-Khader. The men confessed to the attack during interrogation and were transferred for further investigation.
In separate overnight operations, IDF forces arrested four additional wanted individuals in the Hebron-area village of Beit Ula and seized weapons near Bethlehem. Several suspects were also questioned in the area.
[IsraelTimes] Rights groups warn Vienna’s move could set a dangerous precedent, arguing that Syria remains officially unsafe for return under international law
Austria is preparing to deport a Syrian man whose asylum status was revoked due to a criminal conviction, in what an EU official and rights groups say will be Europe’s first forced deportation to Syria since the fall of former president Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators... Rights groups are concerned that Austria’s plan could set a precedent, encouraging other European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... member states to follow suit amid rising anti-migration sentiment across the 27-nation bloc.
The 32-year-old man, who was granted asylum in Austria in 2014, lost his refugee status in February 2019 because of his criminal record, his legal adviser Ruxandra Staicu said. She declined to specify the nature of his conviction.
The Austrian Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Deportation to Syria was not possible during the country’s civil war as it was considered unsafe. The Austrian government argues that Assad’s fall means the situation has changed and it has begun proceedings to strip some refugees of their status, though rights groups say it is premature to do so.
Austrian and Syrian authorities agreed for the man to be deported last week, but the closure of airspace across several countries in the region, including Syria, due to Israel’s 12-day conflict with Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... delayed the process, Staicu and a Western diplomat said. Hundreds of flights were forced to turn back or reroute when the strikes began.
The diplomat, who requested anonymity, added that the deportation would now go ahead once the airspace reopened.
Since 2015, European countries have received around 1.68 million asylum applications from Syrian nationals. Some governments, most notably Germany, initially welcomed them warmly as civil war ravaged their homeland.
But rising public concern over the scale of immigration has fueled support for far-right, anti-migrant parties.
IS SYRIA STILL DANGEROUS?
With the fall of Assad in December, many EU governments were quick to suspend the processing of Syrian asylum applications, and some have called for the security situation in Syria to be reassessed to enable deportations to resume.
In Austria, former Chancellor Karl Nehammer, from the ruling Austrian People’s Party (OVP), is among those calling for such a reassessment, amid pressure from the far-right Freedom Party.
Some rights groups and lawyers say it is still too dangerous to begin returning people to Syria.
"There are attacks against people and we have no idea in which direction [Syria] will go," said Staicu, adding that her client’s deportation would violate the European Convention on Human Rights that prohibits torture and inhumane treatment.
The United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... refugee agency (UNHCR) told Rooters: "Syrians... must not be forcibly returned from any country, including those in the European Union, to any part of Syria" due to the overall situation there.
Rights groups cite attacks against minorities since Assad’s fall. Syria also remains in the grip of a severe humanitarian crisis, with 90% of the population living below the poverty line, according to UN estimates.
Staicu said her client had received a negative asylum decision in April. He has filed another asylum application and is awaiting a response.
[IsraelTimes] Slain soldier named as Sgt. Yaniv Michalovitch, 19; Palestinian media claims head of Gaza City hospital killed in IDF strike alongside wife, 3 kids; 7 allegedly killed near aid site
An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed during fighting in the northern Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip, the military announced on Wednesday, as it continued its push further into northern Gaza.
The slain soldier was named as Sgt. Yaniv Michalovitch, 19, a tank crew member in the 82nd Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade, from Rehovot.
According to the IDF, Michalovitch was killed in combat in the northern part of the Strip. A tank commander and another soldier from the same battalion were seriously maimed in the same incident.
In a separate battle in northern Gaza, a soldier from the Egoz unit of the Commando Brigade was also seriously maimed.
All of the maimed soldiers were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment, and their families have been notified.
Michalovitch’s death brings Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... in Gaza and in military operations along the border with to 442. The toll includes two coppers and three Defense Ministry civilian contractors.
Also Wednesday, two rockets were launched from the northern Gaza Strip, triggering sirens in the city of Sderot and the nearby town of Ibim. Both projectiles were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, with no reports of impacts or injuries.
A few hours later, the military’s Arabic-language spokesperson issued an evacuation warning for residents in several neighborhoods of Gaza City — including Tuffah, Daraj and the Old City — ahead of expected IDF operations in the area.
The statement said the IDF was operating with "very strong force" and would strike "any area used to launch rockets toward Israel."
Residents in the affected areas were urged to evacuate immediately southward to the humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi and to refrain from returning to the designated combat zones.
Meanwhile,
...back at the pond, the enormous newt was trying to decide if Gloria was edible... the IDF and Shin Bet announced that they had killed two Hamas operatives responsible for the deaths of seven Israeli soldiers in a bushwhack in Khan Younis on June 24.
According to a joint statement, an Israeli Air Force drone, directed by the Shin Bet and the IDF’s 188th Armored Brigade, struck and killed Mosaab Yasser Abdallah Galban and Abd al-Latif Mousa Hagag Barbakh in the Khan Younis area on Thursday last week.
The two were involved in the ambush that killed seven IDF soldiers: Lt. Matan Shai Yashinovski, 21; Staff Sgt. Ronel Ben-Moshe, 20; Staff Sgt. Niv Radia, 20; Sgt. Ronen Shapiro, 19; Sgt. Shahar Manoav, 21; Sgt. Maayan Baruch Pearlstein, 20; and Staff Sgt. Alon Davidov, 21.
Earlier in the day, while visiting IDF troops in Rafah, Defense Minister Israel Katz told soldiers that Israel won’t "give up or compromise" on defeating Hamas or recovering the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
Katz was accompanied by Southern Command head Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, Gaza Division commander Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, Tourism Minister Haim Katz, and senior officers from reserve brigades operating in the Strip.
"The maneuver is aimed at achieving two goals — returning the hostages and ensuring Hamas no longer exists here. We will not let go of this objective," Israel Katz told troops.
"To kill the enemy, bring the hostages home and win — that is our mission. There’s no chance we’ll give it up or compromise on it," he said. "Hamas has not changed. It wants to continue what it did and to destroy [Israel]."
Katz also accused Hamas of working with Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... to implement its plan to destroy Israel by launching missile attacks and coordinating invasions from Gaza, Syria, Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... , Jordan and other fronts.
Along with Katz’s visit, the IDF announced a partial reduction of the closed military zone in Israel along the Gaza border in line with a new situational assessment, allowing additional civilian areas in the Western Negev to reopen for the first time since October 7, 2023.
The affected areas had been closed to civilian movement since Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, which triggered the ongoing war and led to the imposition of broad security restrictions in the border area.
The updated order, signed by the head of the Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, limits the closed military zone to areas outlined in a revised map, which includes key roads and areas adjacent to the Gaza Strip.
Entry into these zones remains restricted. Only permanent residents, authorized agricultural workers and individuals conducting essential work — coordinated through the IDF Gaza Division and Home Front Command — will be granted entry. Violators of the order may face legal action.
The order remains in effect until August 31, unless modified earlier.
SEVEN SAID KILLED NEAR AID SITE, DOCTOR KILLED IN GAZA CITY
On Wednesday morning, Paleostinian media reported that seven people were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor overnight, adding to the growing toll of those said to have been killed at or near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid sites.
After the reports, the IDF said it is looking into the incident and has launched an investigation, adding that it has no information at this stage confirming any casualties but is reviewing the details.
There have been repeated instances of Paleostinians being shot near aid distribution sites, with Hamas’s health ministry claiming the corpse count is over 500. The IDF has said it is investigating, and denied that troops are ordered to open fire on civilians.
On Monday, after weeks of reported incidents, the IDF released a statement acknowledging that Paleostinian civilians have been killed and injured by its fire near aid distribution sites, including by artillery fire, but claimed that the tolls provided by Hamas authorities are exaggerated.
The military also announced that it "reorganized the access routes" to the humanitarian hubs, adding new fencing and signage along with additional paths to the aid sites, and that they have revised their methods of crowd control at the sites after "learning lessons" from their probes of the incidents.
Later Wednesday, media outlets in Gaza reported that Marwan Sultan, the director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, was killed in an Israeli strike.
According to the reports, he was killed along with his wife and other relatives when his home in Gaza City was hit.
In the past, the IDF has said that Hamas used the Indonesian Hospital as a base for its terror activities and had fired at Israeli forces from the site. The hospital was cleared by the IDF several weeks ago and is no longer operational.
The IDF has not yet responded to the reports.
Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency said seven people were killed in the strike early Wednesday afternoon, including Sultan, his wife and at least three of his children. The doctor’s body was taken to the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, where mourners gathered around it, AFP journalists reported.
"His face was unrecognizable, we could barely identify him," the director of that facility, Mohammad Abu Salmiya, told AFP.
"His whole life was devoted to medicine and the struggle to treat patients," the doctor’s surviving daughter Lubna Sultan told AFP. "There is no justification for targeting him and his martyrdom."
The Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, the group that runs the hospital, called the killing of the doctor and his family "a flagrant violation of humanitarian principles and a grave act of injustice," saying those responsible "must be held accountable."
[IsraelTimes] Cecile Kohler and partner Jacques Paris also accused of ‘conspiracy to overthrow the regime’ and ‘corruption on earth,’ with all the charges carrying the death penalty
Two Frenchies detained for more than three years 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... have been charged with spying for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... , diplomatic and family sources told AFP on Wednesday.
They have also been charged with "conspiracy to overthrow the regime" and "corruption on earth," the Western diplomatic source and the sister of Cecile Kohler, who is being detained along with Jacques Gay Paree, told AFP.
"We have been informed of these accusations," the diplomatic source said.
"All we know is that they have seen a judge who confirmed the three charges," said Kohler’s sister, who said the two Frenchies were still being denied access to independent lawyers.
All three charges carry the death penalty Iran had previously claimed the two had been arrested for spying but had not revealed exactly whom.
Tehran has not confirmed the new charges.
"These charges, if they are confirmed, are completely unfounded," the French diplomatic source told AFP.
"Cecile Kohler and Jacques Gay Paree are innocent," the source added, demanding that the pair are given access to lawyers.
The news came a day after the French charge d’affaires in Iran was able to visit the pair in prison.
The fate of Kohler and Gay Paree had been unknown since Israel targeted Tehran’s Evin prison in an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... last week, before a US-proposed ceasefire between the Middle East foes came into force.
Iran’s judiciary said the Israeli strike on the prison had killed at least 79 people.
It has also said the Iranian prison authority transferred inmates out of Evin prison, without specifying their number or identifying them.
Kohler, 40, and Gay Paree, her 72-year-old partner, have been held in Iran since May 2022.
Iran is believed to hold around 20 European nationals, many of whose cases have never been publicized, in what some Western governments including La Belle France describe as a strategy of hostage-taking aimed at extracting concessions from the West.
Three Europeans, who have not been identified, have also been arrested in the wake of the current conflict, two of whom are accused of spying for Israel, according to the authorities.
[IsraelTimes] Rev. Johnnie Moore, executive chairman of controversial new GHF, tells The Times of Israel that safety and order will improve, blames Hamas for violence and disinformation
Rev. Johnnie Moore is a believer, in more ways than one.
The 41-year-old clergyman was one of US President Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... ’s early Evangelical backers, a man whose deep faith has brought him to refugee camps in Africa and to palaces of Middle Eastern leaders.
He also believes that the humanitarian aid initiative that he runs 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... as executive chairman is the antidote to a fundamentally flawed humanitarian system that has caused human suffering well beyond the war-torn Strip.
"I’m a Christian," Moore told The Times of Israel on Friday. "I can’t think of anything more Christian than feeding people. I happen to also believe that a broken aid system has only prolonged suffering not just in the Gaza, but all over the world." Meddling often does.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started distributing aid on May 26, following a nearly three-month Israeli blockade amid a war that has already seen shortages that have plunged Gaza into a humanitarian crisis.
The secretive group has touted its delivery of 52 million meals since its launch, but this has been marred by reports of near-daily shootings of Paleostinians who trekked long distances while crossing IDF lines to reach the small number of GHF distribution sites.
I can’t think of anything more Christian than feeding people.
The effort runs counter to the mainstream aid community, which argues that the organization is unable to meet needs in Gaza and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon by determining who can receive it. Critics, including much of the international community, have also accused the GHF of putting aid seekers in harm’s way by placing the distribution centers in IDF-controlled zones and requiring Gazooks to walk long distances in order to reach them.
On Tuesday, more than 165 major international charities and non-governmental organizations, including Oxfam, Save the Children, and Amnesty, called for an immediate end to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Responding to the aid groups, GHF called on them to join their operations.
"Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza," the statement said. "We are ready to collaborate and help them get their aid to people in need. At the end of the day, the Paleostinian people need to be fed."
Moore said the mainstream aid groups cling to "a commitment to the existing system almost with fundamentalism... actually prolonging this conflict and causing more suffering to the Gaza people."
An official working for an international organization providing aid to Gaza told The Times of Israel that "those working to provide aid are almost always guided by morally good intentions. But good intentions don’t guarantee good outcomes."
The aid effort in Gaza reflects a closed culture shaped by moral tribalism, where participation and loyalty to group values are prized above critical evaluation, even when the consequences are harmful.
"Humanitarians cannot assume that providing aid in war is universally good," explained the official, granted anonymity in order to speak openly. "Aid can be manipulated by bad actors, and upholding core humanitarian principles like neutrality isn’t always possible, or even ethical. Speaking and thinking critically about aid in any context, including the war in Gaza, shouldn’t be taboo. It’s accountability."
The aid official concurred with Moore that "the aid effort in Gaza reflects a closed culture shaped by moral tribalism, where participation and loyalty to group values are prized above critical evaluation, even when the consequences are harmful."
The GHF has also come under criticism for near-daily reports of lethal violence against civilians traveling to aid centers or waiting for them to open.
Last week, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said at least 549 people had been killed and 4,000 had been wounded trying to pick up aid from GHF sites or while waiting for UN food trucks since the GHF launched.
The numbers have not been verified, but between May 27 and June 24, there were at least 19 IDF shooting incidents related to humanitarian aid distribution, according to a review of reports out of Gaza conducted by The Times of Israel.
“Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families,” the international aid groups said in their joint news release on Tuesday.
On Monday, the IDF admitted in a statement that it has killed several civilians near aid sites in recent weeks and said it has learned lessons that will help it avoid similar incidents in the future.
Moore said that when there are incidents, he can pick up the phone and call the IDF, which investigates. “The difference between the IDF and Hamas is Hamas lies about everything all the time.”
He blamed Hamas for “intentionally killing people in order to disincentivize them from accessing aid or to further their disinformation campaign that our free food distribution sites are somehow traps.”
The difference between the IDF and Hamas is Hamas lies about everything all the time.
“We’re not denying that there haven’t been tragic incidents in the Gaza Strip of people seeking aid, and they’ve been harmed,” Moore continued. “We just don’t know what’s true and what isn’t true. What we do know is what has and has not happened in our sites. There hasn’t been violence in our sites. There hasn’t been violence in proximity to our sites that we’ve heard or that we’ve witnessed. What we do witness every single day is some arbitrary, I believe, arbitrary number that comes from Hamas that’s reported by the press because somehow Hamas has decided it.”
[IsraelTimes] ‘We have enough problems without deliberately importing bigotry,’ says minister about US rapper known for antisemitic outbursts, amid surge in anti-Jewish incidents since Oct. 7.
[IsraelTimes] As the war drags on and aid supplies are increasingly precious, large, heavily armed clans in the southern Strip are openly defying the terror group. Could they be viable partners for Israel?
A powerful 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... family exchanged fire with Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... last week at a major hospital in Khan Younis, in a conflict that ended with burned vehicles and destroyed equipment.
Hamas and the Barbakh clan blamed each other for the fight at Nasser Hospital: While Hamas claims it acted against a Barbakh relative who had stolen aid — and blamed the clan for damaging the hospital — anti-Hamas media outlets allege that Hamas operatives took refuge inside Nasser after murdering a clan member.
The clash then morphed into a war of words. The Barbakh family lashed out against the terror group in a post on a popular anti-Hamas Telegram channel, alleging that since Hamas’s 2007 takeover of the territory, "the Barbakh family has paid the price for its positions and has been subjected to Hamas repression. The time for a response has come."
The family is not alone: For the first time in nearly two decades of Hamas rule in Gaza, large, heavily armed clans are openly defying the terror group, through both public statements and armed confrontations. The opposition marks a serious challenge to Hamas’s ability to maintain local control, and comes amid the group’s declining military strength and waning popularity among Gazooks as the nearly 21-month-old war with Israel drags on.
Israel has suggested that the clans could supplant Hamas rule in Gaza, but this is not necessarily a positive prospect: Even as they’ve begun to publicly counter Hamas, the families have continued to harshly criticize Israel and distance themselves from it.
Despite growing perceptions of armed clans gaining influence in parts of Gaza, Michael Milshtein, head of the Paleostinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University, told The Times of Israel that the phenomenon remains geographically limited to the southern Gaza Strip and does not yet pose a serious threat to Hamas.
"At this stage, I see the clans as a nuisance and a challenge to Hamas — but not a real threat to its rule, and certainly not a coherent or viable partner for Israel for the day after," he said.
"I still see Hamas as the dominant force in Gaza, particularly through its special unit ’Saham,’ which is responsible for maintaining public order, especially in the northern Strip," he said. "In the south, where the IDF has more control, we’re seeing more of these clan-related phenomena."
A CORE SOURCE OF IDENTITY
The Gaza clans consist of dozens of extended families whose total populations range from hundreds to thousands of members, though exact numbers are hard to come by. The clans, which are typically linked by distant kinship and shared patriarchal lineage, serve as crucial sources of economic and social support. For many, clan identity surpasses the national Paleostinian cause.
The families are often concentrated in particular areas of the Strip. The Barbakh clan, according to videos it has circulated, operates in southern Gaza around the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, while the Abu Ziyad family is based in the village of Zawaida, near Deir al-Balah in the center of the territory.
Prior to the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, the families organized under an umbrella group called the "Clans Committee," originally founded in 2012 by West Bank-based Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....> . The committee provided an avenue for the clans to maintain tribal courts to resolve disputes and violent mostly peaceful incidents through customary mechanisms like financial settlements.
The committee continued operating under Hamas control after Abbas called for its dissolution in 2019. Clan leaders regularly held public visits with Gaza officials under the committee’s auspices. In July 2023, representatives of the committee even traveled to Cairo to meet with then-Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister of Gaza after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continued as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintained a separate PM in the West Bank. Zapped during the 2023-24 war, to eveyone's satisfaction... For the nearly 20 years it has controlled Gaza, Hamas was able to coexist with the clans. Violent festivities were rare, occurring only when Hamas saw the families as a threat to its authority. More often, it co-opted their influence to pursue its own goals, while in other instances, it ensured that they remained focused on internal matters without challenging its authority.
[IsraelTimes] Legislation aims to ‘ensure full support for the inherent rights’ of Iran, ‘especially uranium enrichment’; IAEA says ‘awaiting further official information’ from Tehran.
[IsraelTimes] PM stresses that goals of eliminating Hamas and freeing hostages ‘work together’; 14 said killed in strikes in Gaza; Hamas gives boss of clan armed by Israel 10 days to surrender
Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... suggested Wednesday it was open to a ceasefire agreement with Israel but stopped short of accepting an American-backed proposal announced by US President Donald Trump ...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down... hours earlier, insisting on its longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. The US leader has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war, sparked by the terror group’s onslaught on October 7, 2023.
Trump said the 60-day period would be used to work toward ending the war — something Israel says it will not accept until Hamas is defeated. The US president additionally said a deal might come together as soon as next week.
But Hamas’s response, which emphasized its demand that the war end, raised questions about whether the latest offer could materialize into an actual pause in fighting.
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the terror group was "ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement." He said Hamas was "ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war."
Later Wednesday, Hamas confirmed that it was discussing the latest proposal it received from mediators and was holding talks with them to "bridge gaps" on returning to the negotiating table to try to reach a ceasefire agreement.
A Hamas delegation is expected to meet with Egyptian and Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... i mediators in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the talks with the media.
There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials on Trump’s post, which appeared to be referring to a proposal for a temporary ceasefire that has been discussed over the past several months.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed Wednesday evening that Israel’s aims of both defeating Hamas and freeing the hostages are still both attainable: "I am telling you, there will be no Hamas," he said during a visit to the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company headquarters in Ashkelon. "There will be no Hamastan. We are not going back to that. It is over. We will release all our hostages."
Any suggestions that those two goals are in opposition are "nonsense," he added, saying that "it works together. We will complete this together, contrary to what they say. We will eliminate them to the end."
Throughout the nearly 21-month-long war, ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over whether the war should end as part of any deal.
Hamas has said it is willing to free the remaining 50 hostages, less than half of whom are said to be alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
Israel says it will only agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and exiles itself, something the terror group refuses to do.
Trump views the current moment, after the war between Israel and Iran, as a potential turning point in the brutal conflict that began when Hamas-led Death Eaters attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Hostage-ceasefire talks are being mediated by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, whose latest proposal, the authenticity of which was confirmed to The Times of Israel by two sources familiar with the negotiations, would see Hamas release 10 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza and return the bodies of 18 deceased hostages during a 60-day ceasefire. The rest of the hostages would be released if a permanent ceasefire is reached.
Israel has yet to publicly comment on Trump’s announcement. On Monday, Trump is set to host Netanyahu for talks at the White House, days after Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a key Netanyahu adviser, held discussions with top US officials about Gaza, 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 other matters.
14 KILLED IN GAZA STRIKES Meanwhile,
...back at the shouting match, a new, even louder, voice was to be heard... fighting continued in Gaza on Wednesday, with the Hamas-tied civil defense agency saying that 14 people were killed in strikes across the Strip.
Civil defense front man Mahmoud Bassal, who Israel has said is an active Hamas terrorist, said that five members of the same family were killed and several others maimed in an Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... that hit a tent housing displaced people in the coastal al-Mawasi area.
He additionally said that four people from the same family were killed in a predawn Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza City, and another five in a dronezap on a house in the central Deir el-Balah area.
There was no comment from the IDF on the strikes.
The conflict has left the coastal Paleostinian territory in ruins, with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting. More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced, often multiple times. And the war has sparked a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, pushing hundreds of thousands of people toward hunger.
10 DAYS TO SURRENDER
On Wednesday, the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza said the leader of a clan supported and armed by Israel and securing title='humanitarian aid'>humanitarian aid in the Rafah area must turn himself in to the "relevant authorities" — i.e., Hamas — for prosecution within 10 days.
In a statement from the ministry, Yasser Abu Shabaab, an armed gang leader opposed to Hamas, was accused of treason, forming an illegal armed gang, and leading an armed rebellion.
The Abu Shabaab clan operates in western Rafah, an area under Israeli security control. According to footage published by the clan, it has been securing humanitarian aid entering the area and has even established residential compounds. Israel recently acknowledged that it had transferred weapons to local actors as part of its effort to weaken Hamas, after reports that it had armed Abu Shabaab.
The statement does not specify what measures would be taken if Abu Shabaab failed to surrender to Hamas. Gazook media outlets have reported in recent weeks that Hamas has attempted unsuccessfully to assassinate Abu Shabaab, whose gang is thought to have previously been involved in drug running and aid looting.
The ministry also called on the Gazook public to come forward with any information regarding his whereabouts.
Hamas rules Gaza with an iron fist, and while it allows the presence of smaller groups and various local clan power structures, it has allowed little space for political dissent or support for Israel, executing Gazooks who have protested the terror group’s control of the Strip and many others it accuses of collaboration.
but there are other groups in Gaza who could carry on the war for Israel's extermination
also the Democratic Party USA and its socialist affiliates in the EU could carry on that war
and of course, there is Islam itself
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
07/03/2025 10:22
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It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet.
-- Hassan al-Banna
This is the mission statement of Qatar, the MB and Hamas (sorry for repeating myself).
This isn't "America First", this is "America and the entire world enslaved!"
Why is there such a broad consensus in the Western political class that this militarily weak political movement should be preserved and appeased?
This is how you get never ending wars at best and subjugation at worst.
[Yahoo] The House of Representatives sent Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" to the president for his signature Thursday after a record-setting and emotional debate over a piece of legislation that will be felt across the economy for years to come.
The final vote was 218-214 with just 2 Republicans voting no in the end.
ULULULULULULULULU!!!
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/03/2025
14:39 ||
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Massie and Fitzgerald (PA) are the No's
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/03/2025 14:46
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…if there was any question who needed to be primaried.
[NBC Chicago] A mass shooting outside a lounge in Chicago's busy River North neighborhood overnight has left at least four people killed and 14 others injured, police said, with several victims hospitalized in critical condition.
The deadly drive-by shooting occurred about 11 p.m. Wednesday outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge, in the 300 block of West Chicago Avenue, as a crowd gathered after the album release party for Rapper Mello Buckzz, sources told NBC Chicago. Well, what's a Rapper Album Release party without a body count?
Sources told NBC Chicago the boyfriend and best friend of rapper Mello were among those who died.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/03/2025
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And a great start to the extended 4th of July weekend body count in Chicago.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] California Gov. Gavin Newsom swallowed his pride and officially applied for disaster relief assistance from President Donald Trump.
In a statement on the approval for aid, Trump's Small Business Administration (SBA) said it took weeks for Newsom to ask for federal disaster relief in the midst of violent and destructive pro-illegal immigration riots in Los Angeles.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler approved $2 million in an Economic Injury Disaster Loan for businesses to apply for in order to support their normal operating expenses like payroll, rent and utilities.
Newsom spoke disparagingly about Trump and his administration's reaction to the riots as leaders in the state sought to downplay the violence and bump up the reason for unrest – mass deportation policies and crack down on illegal immigration.
Loeffler said the California Democrat finally asked for the administration to 'bail him out.'
'After weeks of no real solutions and inflammatory social media statements, Governor Newsom finally requested federal disaster relief to bail him out – again,' she said.
[IsraelTimes] Public safety chief warns of national security risks as emergency infrastructure funding gets left behind.
Let not the perfect be the enemy of the good. This is the first spending bill, not the last worked on by this session of Congess. Improvements to a working 911 system is a minor concern in comparison, and may not even be the rightful concern of the federal government, no matter how impassioned its cheerleaders.
As lawmakers push forward with the sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the executive director and CEO of the oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals warns that its failure to include funding for Next Generation 911 (NG911) is a serious national security oversight with consequences for public safety.
"This bill does many good things," Mel Maier, executive director and CEO of APCO International, told Fox News Digital. "However, it leaves something out that’s very important, and that’s funding for Next Generation 911 and failing to modernize that first call for help."
NG911, Maier explained, is not just a modernization project but a public safety and national security necessity as the public remains on high alert following the U.S. strike against Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
He emphasized that NG911 is also a matter of national security, especially considering escalating global instability and the increasing threat of foreign cyberattacks.
"Next Generation 911, at its heart, is really about national security," Maier said. "Whether it's cybersecurity from national threat actors, or from internal actors, we need to get that information to the field-based responders out there as quickly as possible."
Pointing to the recent concerns about sleeper cells in the U.S., Maier said that the vulnerabilities that the current system has could easily be jeopardized.
"We know that cyberterrorists and threats are being directed against 911 today, and it’s affecting us today," he said. "Ransomware attacks have taken down 911 centers, police departments, fire departments, EMS agencies across the U.S. We need to stop that."
Despite these warnings, NG911 funding was not included in the current "big, beautiful bill."
"We do believe that working with Congress in a bicameral and bipartisan way is the only effective way to make this happen," he said. "We’ve had assurances from Congress on both sides of the aisle that this is a national priority."
[NY Post] Not sure who to root for here
The sophisticated digital activist, who knocked the Ivy League’s systems offline for several hours on June 24, swiped social security numbers, citizenship status, university-issued ID numbers, application decisions, employee salaries, and other private records, Bloomberg News reported.
A university official told The Post the savvy hacker appeared to target specific documents to advance their political agenda.
"We immediately began an investigation with the assistance of leading cybersecurity experts and after substantial analysis determined that the outage was caused by an unauthorized party," Columbia said in a statement Tuesday.
"We now have initial indications that the unauthorized actor also unlawfully stole data from a limited portion of our network. We are investigating the scope of the apparent theft and will share out findings with the University community as well as anyone whose personal information was compromised."
The lone intruder behind the massive outage later owned up to the breach in an anonymous message to Bloomberg News, which confirmed it had examined the 1.6-gigabyte haul of stolen files.
The alleged hacker, who declined to reveal their identity to the outlet, said they targeted the embattled Manhattan university to find documents indicating the use of affirmative action in admissions — a practice banned by the Supreme Court last year.
The trove of extracted documents allegedly included 2.5 million applications dating back decades, along with financial aid packages, the outlet reported.
A university official said Columbia’s admissions processes are compliant with the high court’s ruling.
The cyber trespasser told Bloomberg they were able to infiltrate Columbia’s classified information after spending more than two months gaining access to the university’s servers.
The hours-long incident temporarily locked students and faculty out of university systems and caused bizarre images to appear on screens across campus.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/03/2025
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caused bizarre images to appear on screens across campus.
Like, what sort of bizarre images? They show an episode of young turks or something?
The government had a flimsy case and prosecuted Combs, but failed to show it is illegal to be an out of control negro.
[NYTimes] Sean Combs, the hip-hop mogul who crafted a business empire around his personal brand, was convicted on Wednesday of transporting prostitutes to participate in his drug-fueled sex marathons, but acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, the most serious charges against him.
Though Mr. Combs, 55, still faces a potential sentence of as much as 20 years in prison, he and his lawyers were jubilant after the acquittals on the more severe charges in an indictment that accused the famed producer of coercing women into unwanted sex with male prostitutes, aided by a team of pliant employees.
A judge ordered the hip-hop producer detained until his sentencing, citing his history of domestic violence. He was found not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
Prosecutors had portrayed Sean Combs as the head of a criminal enterprise who “used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted.” But jurors found him not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
The RICO case should never have been brought. The only thing the government proved beyond a reasonable doubt was that Combs used his enterprise for his personal pleasure. Not exactly a crime.
#3
Well, there was the ever-present violence and threats of violence to coerce. Not exactly a RICO case but assaults and beatings are crimes. He's still a despicable POS
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/03/2025 7:45
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#4
I doubt he's on a route to reform. He'll likely be in the news again.
Just an FYI: Maurene Comey is a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and is the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey. She has been involved in high-profile cases, including the prosecution of Sean "Diddy" Combs for sex trafficking charges.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/03/2025 7:56
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#7
Bad blood line. That pretty much explains her failure.
#6
Oh even better, it's electric and can fly all of 18 miles on a charge. Yeah that's some serious range all right. To quote Lem on the show "Better off Ted", ""Flying through the air at 60 miles an hour in any direction … A lot of people are going to die."
[IsraelTime] Aragchi says ‘no one exactly knows what has transpired’ at key facility but Tehran ‘able to make up for lost time’ if a decision is made to renew uranium enrichment
The US bombing of Iran’s key Fordo nuclear site has "seriously and heavily damaged" the facility, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said in an interview with CBS News broadcast Tuesday.
"No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordo. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Aragchi said in the interview, which took place 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... and was broadcast in two parts, on Monday and Tuesday.
"We need to wait and see if they are able to be relaunched or if they will be relaunched," he said.
"The Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran is currently undertaking evaluation and assessment, the report of which will be submitted to the government," he said through a translator. CBS did not say if it provided the translator.
US President Donald Trump ...The man who was so stupid he beat fourteen professional politicians, a former tech CEO, and a brain surgeon for the Republican nomination in 2016, then beat The Smartest Woman in the World in the general election. Then he beat Kamala while dodging bullets... has said the US strikes "completely and totally obliterated" Iran’s nuclear program, but US officials acknowledge it will take time to form a complete assessment of the damage caused by the US military strikes last month.
Intercepted Iranian communications downplayed the extent of damage caused by the strikes, the Washington Post reported Sunday, citing four people familiar with classified intelligence circulating within the US government.
The top Iranian envoy also addressed the question of talks over a nuclear deal, saying that while discussions may not be held immediately they were still an option so long as the US did not carry out any further strikes during talks.
"In order for us to decide to reengage, we will have to first ensure that America will not revert back to targeting us in a military attack during the negotiations. And I think with all these considerations, we still need more time," he said.
However,
you can observe a lot just by watching... Araghchi also insisted that "the doors of diplomacy will never slam shut."
Trump said Monday he was not offering Iran anything nor engaging in talks since the country’s nuclear facilities were "totally obliterated."
Still, US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff has continued direct and indirect communications with Iranian officials, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, when asked for an update on an ostensible meeting between the sides that Trump said would take place this week.
TEHRAN ABLE TO ’MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME’
When asked about UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi’s assessment that Iran likely will be able to begin to produce enriched uranium "in a matter of months," despite damage to several nuclear facilities, Araghchi said Tehran would be able to "make up for lost time."
"One cannot obliterate the technology and science for enrichment through bombings," Araghchi said. "If there is this will on our part — and the will exists — in order to once again make progress in this industry, we will be able to expeditiously repair the damages and make up for the lost time."
He said that while the facilities may not be intact "the technology and knowhow is still there."
When pushed on whether Tehran would return to enriching uranium, Araghchi said Tehran was "in the process of assessments... and developing our policies."
"We have done a lot for our enrichment industry to thrive. We have borne a lot. Our people have borne a lot," he said. "And now Iran’s peaceful nuclear program has turned into a matter of national pride and glory. We definitely continue to convince the international community and the countries concerned that our nuclear program will remain absolutely peaceful.
"We have also gone through 12 days of imposed war in addition to all that we have done for this nuclear program. Therefore, people will not easily back down from enrichment."
The US and Israel said the strikes were intended to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons and to radically degrade its ballistic missile capabilities.
Iran, which openly seeks to destroy Israel, claims its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use, but it has enriched uranium to 60 percent purity, above levels needed for civilian usage and a short step from the level needed for weapons production, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.
Israel says it holds intelligence information indicating that Tehran was taking active steps to build a bomb. It has also warned that it could take further military steps if it sees Iran attempting to rebuild its nuclear and missile programs.
#1
When I read "... Fordo nuclear site has "seriously and heavily damaged" the facility, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi..."
I asked myself. Why would the Iranian FM stick his neck out for cutting by saying this. So, it gets me to wondering if the damages were as bad as we thought or was the processed enriched nuclear materials already moved ahead of the bombing to a safer area?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/03/2025 7:20
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If the damage was minimal the regime would have had smiling CNN reporters swarming all over the site to prove how wrong DJT was. And I'm sure CNN applied. "Hey, we're on the same side here."
Posted by: Matt ||
07/03/2025 11:33
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#4
If they were rational actors, and the sites were not destroyed completely they'd exaggerate the damage to avoid new strikes.
And they would try to salvage/repair as much as possible without raising suspicion.
#5
Strategically, Israel is in a good position. They own the skies over Gaza, southern Syria, Lebanon and Iran. By having air dominance, Israel controls the roads to Fordo if Iran had any thoughts about re-building the facility.
[FOX] The federal government is planning to breed millions of flies and dump them over Mexico and Texas via airplanes in an effort to combat a flesh-eating maggot.
The pest being targeted is the flesh-eating larva of the New World Screwworm (NWS) fly. The Department of Agriculture plans to ramp up the breeding and distribution of adult male flies. The flies will be sterilized with radiation before they are released.
They mate with females in the wild, and the eggs laid by the female aren't fertilized and don't hatch. There are fewer larvae, and over time, the fly population dies out.
#5
1) Title your link (doesn't have to match the hyperlink)
2) Highlight those link words
3) copy the hyperlink in a separate tab
4) Hit Fred's globe/hyperlink symbol in the Bold/Italics/etc. toolbar
5) Paste your hyperlink over the "https:" prompt
Voila!
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/03/2025 19:10
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The Department of Justice continues to throw down the gauntlet.
4 more Portland Antifa militants charged for criminal offenses carried out during ICE facility occupation, including felony arson, assault on police, and vandalizing government property. https://t.co/omYCYOL4mz
— Katie Daviscourt 📸 (@KatieDaviscourt) July 2, 2025
Posted by: Fred ||
07/03/2025
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A spaceship with the remains of 166 people and marijuana bushes sank in the Pacific Ocean. This was reported on July 1 by the British newspaper The Sun.
"The SPACE capsule, which was carrying the remains of 166 people and numerous cannabis plants, was lost at sea after an unexpected crash," the publication said.
The material shows that on June 23, the carrier rocket of the American entrepreneur Elon Musk's Space X company launched The Nyx capsule into orbit with commercial cargo, including cannabis - it was planned to study the effect of microgravity on it. The presence of human ashes on board is explained by their participation in the space burial program.
The ship achieved orbit and a controlled entry into the Earth's atmosphere, but the capsule's landing parachutes failed to deploy, causing it to crash into the Pacific Ocean on June 24.
Here is the Sun article in question. The article adds that the Nyx capsule was built by German aerospace startup The Exploration Company.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
When they turn off the transmission of satellite data and intelligence data, as well as target designations, then we will talk. But for now, this is talk for the benefit of the poor. The US, as before, is directly involved in the war in Ukraine.
Believe only in deeds. Otherwise, it will be like with Iran, which believed too much in negotiations before the start of the war.
P.S. The US has indeed suspended the supply of missiles for the Patriot air defense system and a number of high-precision missile positions. If this is really for a long time, then this is a problem for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Europe will not be able to close some things without the US.
P.S. 2. Also, today the US lifted sanctions from 11 Russian banks and the Moscow Exchange until the end of 2025.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Investigative actions were carried out at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ingushetia, including at the head of the department. This was reported to TASS by the law enforcement agencies of the republic.
The agency's interlocutor noted that two months ago, the heads of the financial departments of the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs, district and municipal units were detained. The searches were conducted by the first group of the Main Directorate of Internal Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, which arrived from Moscow.
“The searches were carried out as part of an investigation into the theft of federal funds,” a law enforcement representative clarified.
He added that a second group is expected to arrive soon for inspection.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, in May, a tax inspectorate employee suspected of abuse of office was detained in Ingushetia. According to the investigation, the detainee and his accomplices deliberately entered false information into the database about desk tax audits and the absence of tax violations by several legal entities. As a result of non-payment of value-added tax, more than 130 million rubles
…US$1.65 million…
did not enter the Russian budget. Two more defendants in the case were arrested earlier.
[AmericanSpectator] Incompetent leaders misled the Marine Corps into ‘force design.’ It badly needs to return to conventional combat power.
However, there is a new breed of Feather Merchants, those being the three and four star generals who have turned the Marine Corps from the nation’s 9-1-1 force to a China-oriented missile force that has failed the nation’s call three times in the last six years, leaving the other services scrambling to make up for their lack of availability. And the Corps doesn’t even have the missiles to accomplish the new mission yet.
The last commandant
…General David H. Berger (2019-2023)…
told the nation that amphibious operations were obsolete and the Navy could get by with fewer amphibious ships. Consequently he released it from the commitment to maintain enough ships to maintain a 24-7 amphibious presence in the world’s most likely trouble spots (the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf, and the Western Pacific).
Now, the current commandant
…General Eric M. Smith (since 2023)…
says we need more big deck amphibs to maintain the 24-7 commitment; but he enthusiastically supported the last guy’s position when he was the Assistant Commandant. When asked how many amphibious ships the Marine Corps’ current Assistant Commandant could not come up with a number.
The senior marine leaders have now admitted that they cannot logistically support the new anti-China force — that they call Force Design — due to Navy procurement failures in contracting the new small amphibious ships needed to support the concept. After six years not a single keel has been laid even though the Marine Corps gave up much of its conventional combat power to create the new concept called “Force Design.”
Worse still, none of the nations in the region (with the exception of the Philippines) have agreed to host the anti-China force; and they will not allow their territory to be used in the defense of Taiwan, which is the most likely regional conflict. In addition, the missiles that the Marine Corps is buying to implement the concept are sub-sonic and likely obsolete against current Chinese technology. The question that should be asked of the current senior Marine Corps leadership is, “can’t anyone here play this game?”
There is a deeper moral question here, and that is one of integrity. There is ample evidence that the war games that “validated” the Force Design concept were manipulated to get the “right” answers that the the commandant at the time wanted. This whole idea was his and was supported by some handpicked sycophants.
The current commandant blatantly lied to a group of Pentagon reporters when he told them on January 15th that the Marine Corps had never bought in to DEI, while his staff was trying to expunge the record of that collusion. Apparently, the line in the Marine Corps Hymn that talks about “keeping our honor clean” escaped these two characters.
The rank and file of the Marine Corps is still made up of superb warriors, but the current senior leadership consists of careerist flunkies and is seriously in need of an enema; but who will perform the procedure?
It would be easy to totally blame the Biden administration for the current state of the Corps, as most of the damage occurred on Biden’s watch, but the current administration and Congress seem equally clueless and uninterested. This is probably because most former marine veteran congressmen were relatively junior and were taught to regard their senior leaders as infallible; this includes Vice President Vance. Their loyalty has been betrayed. The current state of Headquarters Marine Corps more resembles the pre-reformation Vatican than the leadership of a competent military organization.
There are many competent and combat tested senior leaders in the Corps that were forcibly retired for objecting to the situation that the organization is currently in. President Trump wisely brought a general officer out of retirement to head the Joint Chiefs. The Marine Corps badly needs the same treatment. Get rid of the Feather Merchants and restore the honesty and usefulness of one of America’s great institutions.
#1
The whole idea was that some dictator/mullah,etc seeing a waterborne Marine assault group parked off their shores might give them pause.
And if they didn't calm down, 'things happen'.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/03/2025 11:02
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The world's leading maritime power MUST be able to aggressively project overwhelming conventional land power across littoral boundaries when needed. It must thin consolidate and sustain the beach-head and establish battle-space dominance against land, sea and air response. This is the core mission of the Marines and their structure, doctrine and equipment must support that, period!
[X] That means the hudna is over. Take your mark, IDF. Get set….
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem: “We will not submit to threats and will not surrender our weapons to the Israeli enemy.” pic.twitter.com/AltN66bNzm
Lebanese officials are racing against time to reach “acceptable formats” for a Lebanese paper responding to a U.S. proposal calling for an end to Israel’s attacks and the withdrawal of its forces in return for Hezbollah’s disarmament, a media report said.
“Hezbollah has partially opened the door to discussions over this topic, which had been a taboo in the past, without giving clear answers on whether or not it accepts the principle,” Lebanese sources informed on the ongoing deliberations told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
“Hezbollah is engaged in a difficult internal debate over the issue, in parallel with another debate within a panel comprising representatives of President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam, which is tasked with devising the Lebanese response paper,” the sources added.
Revealing that the panel’s discussions are seeking “acceptable formats that comply with the constitution,” the sources added that “the Lebanese response to the proposal is focused on specifying the priorities and phases according to which the agreement will be implemented, seeing as Israel has not committed to the ceasefire decision until the moment, despite Hezbollah’s compliance and its withdrawal from the South Litani area.”
The sources added that in its “preliminary response,” Hezbollah has demanded “real guarantees” in order to implement ant solution that might be reached.
Official Lebanese sources meanwhile revealed to Asharq al-Awsat that “Lebanon is readying a technical response prepared by the Lebanese Army to explain the step-by-step mechanism and what can be achieved if Israel carries out positive steps, such as withdrawal, ending airstrikes and releasing the captives.”
Political leaders are meanwhile seeking “guarantees that would pave the way for a gradual disarmament that would begin with heavy-caliber weapons and end with medium-caliber weapons,” the sources said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/03/2025
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#1
We'll take your weapons from your cold, dead hands.
To be fair, in addition to digging tunnels, they did also kidnap and kill Jews from time to time, Also shot off rockets, and remember the fire balloons that they did for several summers in a row? Really, the Gazans didn’t have time to catch their breath, they were so busy jihading their little hearts out.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/03/2025
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#1
Pretty amazing if it was actually undiscovered till now.
#4
They were given all that nifty concrete (and 'water pipes') by various helpful agencies for 'infrastructure construction purposes', so one would assume that Hamas diverted a lot of that material for strengthening tunnels (and making rockets), Mercutio.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/03/2025 10:56
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#5
Looking at the photos that appear from time to time, they have not only subsidences all over, but the subsidences are more or less filled and surrounded by unstable rubble from the buildings above, buildings that are laced with explosive boobytraps. This is why President Trump wants the population moved out to somewhere safe and livable while the entire Gaza Strip is cleared for rebuilding — this is not a project that can be done piecemeal. The entire tunnel system has to be destroyed so the land above it can be dealt with. President Trump spent much of his career dealing with large scale construction issues, where the underlying strata were a primary concern.
Rantburg’s civil engineers no doubt have strong opinions on the subject.
Iran’s new Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Mousavi, after the loss of 30 top generals, the collapse of air defenses, zero control over their skies , destroyed missile production sites, nuclear facilities, and the death of 11 key scientists:
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] More than 210 thousand contract soldiers entered the Russian Armed Forces in the first six months of 2025, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev reported on July 2.
He held a meeting of the Security Council commission on staffing Russian troops with contract soldiers.
During the specified period, more than 18 thousand people were accepted into the volunteer units of the Russian Armed Forces, the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council reported.
“The pace has been good,” Medvedev noted.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, in 2024, about 450 thousand people signed a contract for military service in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces, and another 40 thousand people joined volunteer formations.
Earlier, Medvedev expressed gratitude to the soldiers who stood up to defend the Motherland and, in the most difficult conditions on the front line, demonstrated mutual assistance and genuine brotherhood in the face of trials. He called on regional leaders to pay special attention to the soldiers returning from the front.
In December 2024, President Vladimir Putin noted that more than 1,000 people sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense every day. The head of state emphasized that people go to the front voluntarily, since the military receives enormous support from society, and the country's citizens understand what Russia is fighting for and what it is protecting.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A car exploded in the center of Moscow, causing at least two cars to burn. This was reported on July 2 by the press service of the capital's Ministry of Emergency Situations.
“Two cars caught fire in Staropimenovsky Lane,” the department’s Telegram channel said.
According to eyewitnesses, there were several explosions. The footage shows the aftermath of the incident. The firefighters from the Ministry of Emergency Situations who arrived at the scene completely extinguished the fire. The fire was extinguished on an area of 6 square meters. There is no information about victims or injured. The cause of the explosion will be determined by an expert examination.
The day before, on July 1, 13 taxis burned in a parking lot in the Moscow region. According to eyewitnesses, the flames quickly flared up and were accompanied by numerous pops.
Gas tanks and tires exploded. Preliminary, the cause of the incident was a short circuit.
How very odd. What had a short circuit bad enough to cause so many vehicles to burn?
The total area of the fire was 104 square meters. There is no information about victims.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gevorg Mirzayan
[REGNUM] US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has suspended the delivery of weapons to the Kiev regime (artillery shells, Patriot missiles). The official reason: the Pentagon is conducting an audit of what remains in its arsenals. According to White House spokesperson Anna Kelly, the decision was made "based on the priority interests of the United States."
Supporters of the Kiev regime in Washington are, of course, unhappy. “American air defense systems, including the Patriot, are the backbone of Ukraine’s defense. They work, saving lives every day,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, co-chair of the pro-Ukraine congressional caucus. According to her, refusing to supply weapons “will inevitably result in the deaths of many Ukrainian civilians and soldiers.” Kaptur and her supporters demand that supplies be restored immediately.
Restoration is certainly possible, but its likelihood directly depends on the real reasons why supplies to Kyiv were suspended. And there are at least four of them.
ZELENSKY'S SPANKING
The first reason is the deep personal dislike that Donald Trump has for Volodymyr Zelensky. The dislike apparently intensified after their meeting in The Hague, at the NATO summit, where Zelensky probably did not listen to the demands of the American president.
It is no secret that Trump wants to end the Ukrainian conflict as quickly as possible. Someone else's war, from which he receives no benefits - neither personally nor for the United States as a whole. And now it is time to get out of this adventure. And get out before it escalates into a third world war.
Trump dreams of getting out by reaching a compromise between the parties (he also plans to receive a Nobel Prize for his mediation), but a compromise is not working out.
Russia does not go for it, because it does not want to give up either its territories or the demands to turn the rest of Ukraine into a neutral state. And, finally, simply because it is winning on the battlefield.
Trump does not want to pressure Moscow - he needs to do it in a way that does not spoil relations with Vladimir Putin, who could greatly complicate Washington's strategy in the Iranian and Chinese directions. Therefore, Zelensky needs to be pressured - which is what Trump is doing.
However, the head of the Kyiv regime is stubborn. He hopes for European support and does not want to make concessions on territorial and other issues. Accordingly, he needs to be flogged for disobedience - which is what Trump did by suspending arms supplies.
In this situation, the probability of resuming aid is there, but it is below average. Simply because Zelensky is unlikely to succumb to Trump's pressure. For him, rejecting Russian demands is a matter of his own survival. He can only make cosmetic concessions. The question is whether they will satisfy the owner of the White House.
SALE INSTEAD OF DONATIOn
The second reason is Trump's reluctance to make "Biden's war" his own. The American president emphasizes in every way that the war in Ukraine was started by his predecessor, and he must answer for all the consequences.
But the problem is that the funds allocated under the Biden administration for supplying Ukraine are running out this fall. And if Trump now allocates a new package — gives even one cent, even one bullet to Zelensky — then it will be his war. For the consequences of which he will be responsible just as much as Biden.
And if the president is guided by this very motive, then the probability of resuming deliveries, oddly enough, is quite high. If the problem is precisely Trump's unwillingness to give weapons to Kyiv, then he may well sell them.
Zelensky has already said that he is ready to buy weapons - naturally, not with his own money, but with the money of the European Union. The EU is ready to pay and must ensure that this payment does not anger the Kremlin (for example, it does not come from income from Russian funds frozen in European banks).
Or, for that matter, so that the payment does not go directly to Kyiv. For example, France first buys the weapons, and then transfers them to Ukraine.
GAME WITH MOSCOW
The third reason is the continuation of active negotiations between Russia and the United States on stabilizing bilateral relations. At stake is not only Ukraine, but also China, the Middle East, arms control, the non-proliferation regime, and serious economic projects.
And Trump's decision to freeze arms supplies to Kyiv could create the necessary background for negotiations. Or become part of an already concluded deal. For example, a deal that implies Russia's refusal to supply weapons to any other country.
And if this is really a deal, then Kyiv will most likely never see American ammunition again.
ISRAEL NEEDS WEAPONS
Finally, the fourth reason may be a banal shortage of weapons. Not only and not so much because there are none in the Pentagon warehouses, but because, within the framework of the “American interests above all” policy, they are needed elsewhere.
For example, in Israel, which has depleted its stockpiles of anti-missiles in 12 days of war with Iran. And which need to be replenished urgently - especially considering that military actions can resume at any moment. After all, they stopped to move on to the diplomatic process, and there is already an obvious snag.
Israel may want to start manufacturing their own, as they have some other things — any excess during peacetime can be sold to the DoD or any number of other eager buyers.
Israel wants Iran to completely abandon its nuclear program, the US agrees to deprive it only of the right to enrichment. However, the ayatollahs have already stated that they will not agree to either the maximum or minimum program.
The nuclear program remains for them not only a legitimate right, but also a symbol of national pride and even, to some extent, identity. For them – and for the Iranian population, whose wrath they fear more than a new clash with Israel or the United States.
Therefore, Washington needs not only to rearm Israel, but also to protect its own bases in the region. With the same air defense systems - after all, if the war resumes, the Iranians may not warn the US about a new strike, as was the case at the very end with the attack on the American base in Qatar.
And in this case, Ukraine will not see Patriot systems. Because America is above all.
#4
I wonder how well Marcy Kaptur represents the folks back home in Northwest Ohio. Toledo has been a Dem stronghold forever. Other places in her district are rural and tend to be more conservative. Her constituents must like her as she keeps getting re-elected.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Elena Kuleshova
[REGNUM] At the trial, she asked not to arrest her - she needed to prepare her daughter for the new school year, put her affairs in order, and sort out her debt obligations (she pays a mortgage).
The 42-year-old resident of Yekaterinburg, an English tutor who ordered the murder of her husband, spoke as if it were a matter of punishment for jaywalking.
The investigation claims that in order to kill her husband, Natalya Isaeva hired a hitman - an industrial climber, who, however, had never killed anyone in his life and had never even held a weapon in his hands (although he did have some criminal experience). As often happens, the hitman first took money from the client, and then tried to extort money from the would-be victim.
The outcome was partly predictable: Natalia is in jail, her husband is alive and well. Their child, apparently, will now live with his father.
BROKEN COUPLE
Natalia Isaeva's ex-husband stated in court that his wife cannot be released under house arrest. Otherwise, she might order it again, out of revenge.
"I fear for my life and the lives of my loved ones," Oleg Doroshenko said. However, in an interview he said that he wanted "the mildest punishment with all the concessions."
Natalia's friend Alina said that Natalia and Oleg did not register their marriage, although they had a daughter together, as well as Natalia's son from her first marriage. After some time, the relationship fell apart, and Natalia left Oleg.
He couldn't stand this attitude: he broke into the apartment of his ex-wife's parents, even started a fight with her father. According to his friend, he called Natalia and shouted into the phone: "Who needs you with two children?!"
— Open the door! — Oleg Doroshenko demands on the video intercom. — Listen, animal? Hello! Greedy creature, why won’t you give me our child? Do you want money? Greedy creature. Are you writing this down, perhaps? Write it down. Write down that you’re a rat, a selfish creature. Come out, let’s talk! Give me the child already, okay? (swears, spits copiously) Rat, animal…
Since the beginning of 2024, Natalya Isaeva has written: five statements to law enforcement agencies, three to the prosecutor's office, and one to a deputy, asking to protect her from her husband.
But, according to her lawyer Evgeniya Krotova, there was no help. For the IA Regnum, the lawyer explained the reason for Natalia and Oleg's separation:
— We broke up because of systematic beatings. He hit her on the body and face — our daughter was only three months old at the time.
For some time after the breakup, Doroshenko did not bother her, but in 2020, the stalking began. He came to Natalia's house, rang the intercom many times - at any time of the day. Then he went to her parents - also rang. He waited for Natalia in the yard, grabbed her hands, swung them, provoking her to answer, shouted. He tried to snatch his daughter by force. The same thing happened near the school - and all demonstratively, for show.
Having despaired of reaching an agreement with her husband peacefully, as Evgeniya Krotova told IA Regnum, Natalya wanted to file a petition to deprive Oleg of parental rights. But he got ahead of her, going to court with a request to establish a schedule of visits with his daughter.
Evgeniya Krotova writes in her Telegram channel:
— Her [Natalia's] persecution by her former cohabitant, the father of their daughter, was unprecedented. After the aggressive behavior of her ex, when she turned to the police for help, Natalia Isaeva hoped for help and a resolution to the situation, but she was met with indifferent indifference and inaction. Natalia did not receive help [in a timely manner] and became bait for scoundrels and deceivers, who perhaps convinced her that no one would help her except them.
Now the defense is collecting characterizing material on Natalia. And at the same time - on Oleg, and there is already a video in which he does not look at his best. However, an attempt on someone else's life must be punished, regardless of what influenced this decision.
Unfortunately, Oleg Nikolaevich is out of reach: both phones are switched off, he does not appear on social networks. Therefore, we will not know his truth. What has changed for Doroshenko over these nine years, why did his ex-wife turn into a "rat" in his eyes and how did it happen that, despite the father's passionate desire to raise his daughter, the child has now been taken by Natalia's parents.
THERAPIST VS. PEDIATRICIAN
And there are many similar cases. When ordering the murder of a husband or lover, some women want to put an end to addiction, some are encroaching on the inheritance, and some do it out of jealousy.
Shakespearean passions unfolded in the village of Kudryashovsky in the Novosibirsk region: pensioner Svetlana Zhironkina, with the help of a family friend, Yashar Isaev, hired a killer for 100,000 rubles.
About US$1,270.
The reason for the murder was her husband's drunkenness and infidelity.
They prepared solidly: Svetlana herself destroyed the servers of the surveillance cameras in the cottage, Yashar told about the daily routine of the victim. Those who ordered the murder received 13 years, the direct perpetrator - 12 years in prison.
Another elderly lady, a 69-year-old Muscovite, also made an attempt on her husband. The husband announced his desire to get a divorce, and the real estate in Dubai literally slipped away from under the pensioner's nose. The Muscovite acted more subtly than the Siberian: she chose poison as the murder weapon and assigned a detective to her husband to find out as much as possible about his movements and contacts. But she made a fatal mistake: she asked the detective to find the killer.
The detective immediately reported the criminal proposal to the authorities. From that moment on, the potential poisoner was under the control of the investigation. On February 10 of this year, the fake killer sent a photo of the "corpse" and asked for a fee - the customer was arrested at the moment of transferring the money.
A resident of the Chelyabinsk region had a similar motive in 2020: she did not want to divide property during a divorce. The 55-year-old woman tried to hire a killer to get rid of her husband, and found nothing better than to turn to an acquaintance. He initially agreed, but then changed his mind and turned the customer over to investigators.
A resident of Smolensk did the same when a friend offered him a job as a killer: her relationship with her husband had not worked out so well that she was ready to give her last - 50 thousand rubles - to break this relationship forever. As in the Chelyabinsk case, fear of inevitable punishment brought the would-be killers to their senses.
In the Moscow region, a 50-year-old therapist from Pushkino ordered the murder of her ex-husband, a pediatrician at the Shchyolkovskaya City Hospital. Oksana Gorlova and her husband moved to Pushkino from Lugansk in 2020, and divorced in 2022. But here's the problem: under the regional quota, they were allocated a two-room apartment, which did not want to be divided into two one-room apartments. And then Oksana decided that it would be easier to eliminate her ex-husband. Having found the perpetrator for 400 thousand rubles,
…about US$5,080…
she did not suspect that at that moment she was already being followed by the police, and the killer was a setup. Now the therapist faces imprisonment for up to 20 years.
But the story of Severodvinsk resident Tamilla Akhmedova is completely different. She ordered the murder of her husband, and the killer even tried to carry out the order, but the victim survived. The Akhmedovs lived together for 24 years. According to Tamilla herself, her husband began to harass her eldest daughter from her first marriage: he wrote obscene messages, pestered her - and this continued for many years. But he cooled towards his wife: he brutally beat her, did not hesitate to talk about his infidelities, and drank.
Tamilla was sentenced to eight years in prison. The son does not communicate with his mother. She repeatedly asked her ex-husband for forgiveness - and even received it. But the husband himself does not ask for forgiveness and was not punished for domestic terrorism: there is no evidence.
AN EXPLANATION IS NOT AN EXCUSE
In Russia as a whole, if you count the decisions of the courts of first instance, over the past five years about 1,500 husbands and cohabitants have died at the hands of their wives. Some break the law, citing the unacceptable behavior of men.
— Women who find themselves in a difficult life situation should critically evaluate their actions in choosing a way to protect their lives and health, — retired judge Tatyana Pirozhkova told IA Regnum. — The criminal law provides for criminal liability not only for murder, but also for attempted and prepared murder. I advise seeking help from law enforcement agencies and psychological services in a timely manner.
Meanwhile, in Russia in 2024, a bill “On combating intrusive stalking” was submitted for consideration and rejected.
It specifies the types of harassment: surveillance, waiting in places most likely to appear, persistent attempts to contact, including by phone calls, SMS, Internet messages. According to legislators, violating the restraining order should be punished, but it is unclear how: the draft states briefly - "at the discretion of the court."
For now, a restraining order in Russia can be imposed if there is a danger to a person’s life, health or freedom, or if there is a danger of a crime being committed.
In a number of countries, stalkers are punished quite severely. In the US, about 90% of requests for protective orders are granted, and a third of the orders are violated. Violations can be punished, at the discretion of the court, up to a real prison term.
In Germany, a Schutzanordnung is issued by a family court to prevent the abuser from coming within a certain distance of the victim or being under the same roof with them at the same time. The measure is valid for a period of 6 to 12 months. In the UK, the order can be issued by the police for up to 48 hours to allow the parties to cool off, or by the court for 28 days or more.
In Serbia there is no warrant, but there is a court order prohibiting the offender from approaching the victim at a certain distance and for a certain time. In total, 120 countries in the world similarly protect people who suffer from excessive attention and aggressive behavior of others.
Until we have a restraining order, lawyers advise victims of violence to film the beatings and write statements so that there is an evidence base in court. Notify the local police officer, seek help from a lawyer, enlist the support of colleagues, friends and relatives. Record phone calls and save messages, even if they hurt you very much.
The main thing is to stay within the law and not cross the line.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
Not everything is about Russia, sorry. But I look forward to discovering how long the HTS conquerers can be overtly civilized before reverting to type.
[REGNUM] About six months have passed since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. The country's new government is gradually getting back on its feet, with active assistance from external players among Damascus' former opponents.
Among others, US President Donald Trump recently showed unprecedented generosity by ordering the lifting of US sanctions on Syria, a month after similar steps by the European Union. However, this was done rather in advance with the aim of turning Damascus into a new US diplomatic battering ram in the Middle East.
UNPRECEDENTED SCOPE
Trump's order suspended most of the restrictions on Syria that had been in place since the mid-1970s.
The White House not only lifted foreign trade and financial restrictions, but also effectively nullified the “Caesar Act” adopted in 2020, which automatically imposed American sanctions against all public figures and companies who cooperated with the Syrian authorities.
True, the sanctions were lifted with a caveat: only countries friendly to the US can freely interact with the “new Syria.” The restrictions on cooperation with Russia, China, and Iran remain the same as five years ago.
In addition, the decree allows for a review of the status of people from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* (HTS*) group who, led by its former leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, have taken up leadership positions in the new Syrian government.
At the same time, Trump emphasized that the United States reserves the right to reintroduce restrictions if the conditions for their lifting (democratization, normalization of relations in the region, economic openness) are violated.
NEW "FRIEND"
The main reason why the US has taken on Damascus in earnest is the desire to “make friends” between Syria and Israel, thereby achieving the expansion of the Abraham Accords.
It is known that Damascus and Tel Aviv have already held several rounds of negotiations on the territory of third countries and are gradually moving towards normalizing relations.
For Trump, as the main ideologist of the agreements, this is a question of image, since over the past four years the Israeli “group of friends” has failed to expand, and the Middle East has begun to doubt the viability of the initiative.
Moreover, Syrian-Israeli normalization should, in theory, push the “doubting” players – Qatar and Saudi Arabia – to take similar steps.
On the other hand, the idea of normalizing relations with Israel does not find understanding on the ground.
The murmur is being caused by numerous leaks that claim Damascus is preparing to hand over the Golan Heights to Israel in exchange for normalizing relations and withdrawing the army from the so-called “David Corridor” – a buffer zone created in early January 2025 to protect Israeli regions from possible attacks from Syria.
Revanchist sentiments are growing in light of the fact that the previous Syrian government was criticized, among other things, for its inability to fully restore control over the Golan Heights.
The al-Sharaa cabinet is unable to explain in detail what exactly Syria will gain from a possible normalization of relations with Israel. Moreover, it is trying to avoid touching on this topic at all.
Moreover, Israeli politicians, including, for example, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, directly say that Tel Aviv dictates the terms of the negotiations.
NATIONAL QUESTION
Another sore spot in Syria that Trump is trying to smooth over with generous gestures is the situation of minorities.
Damascus has been unable to establish dialogue with representatives of religious and ethnic groups, as they remain afraid of persecution by the authorities.
The cause for concern was given by the Syrian leaders themselves, who allowed a series of large-scale clashes with the Alawite (March 2025) and Druze (April-May 2025) communities.
And although the leading role in the purges was played by various "gray" units, connected to Damascus only nominally, the responsibility for their implementation fell on the al-Sharaa cabinet. Especially since the authorities did not pursue the instigators of the clashes with due consistency and limited themselves to arresting only a couple of minor figures.
In addition, the "national question" inevitably overlaps with the problem of countering the terrorist threat. Radicals seek to discredit Damascus by attacking minority areas and turning each attack into a "manifesto" of the new authorities' inability to protect the population.
However, there are also positive developments. Thus, Damascus managed to establish a dialogue with the Kurds, who control part of the country's large oil-bearing regions, and to achieve their participation in the negotiation process on building a "new Syria."
The leader of the Syrian Kurds, Mazlum Abdi, judging by his latest statements, looks at the situation optimistically and expects to soon achieve new constitutional rights for the Kurds.
Although, in parallel, it maintains active involvement in the construction of a “united Kurdistan” on the territory of Syria and neighboring countries.
However, as the Kurds themselves admit, “united Kurdistan” is more a symbol of the unity of communities from different countries than a real geopolitical project, and does not pose a threat to Syria’s national security.
The self-dissolution of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in May 2025, whose fighters were active in Syrian territory, carrying out guerrilla raids against Turkish troops, also helped to increase trust between Damascus and Abdi's supporters.
After the PKK was eliminated, both Syria and its ally Türkiye stopped seeing Kurdish communities as a “first-order threat,” which helped build bridges.
But we are still far from full normalization.
AMERICA IS IN A HURRY
Trump is increasingly rushing Damascus. He demands that it distance itself from its “dictatorial past” as soon as possible, resolve problems with minorities, provide guarantees of internal stability, and achieve normalization of relations with its neighbors.
The time that Washington is ready to give to new partners is measured in months at best. Thus, the American president wants the first visible progress by the end of September – by the summit of the UN General Assembly leaders, which will take place in New York.
There is a reason for haste.
Given the desire for a constant audit of the US presence in the Middle East, a solution to the “Syrian case” would give Trump serious advantages in the further reshuffling of military contingents.
In addition, strengthening al-Sharaa's power and regional image will help attract attention to the previous ambitious military-political projects of the United States. For example, it will give a chance to revive the "Middle Eastern NATO", where Syria will become one of the links on an equal footing with Israel and the Arabian monarchies. And this will significantly strengthen Washington's position in the region.
However, without resolving the problems inside Syria, moving forward will simply be impossible. And this will require much more time than Trump has given Damascus.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:33 General losses of personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for June 2025, according to the reports of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, amounted to 40,530 people.
The total losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the beginning of the year, according to reports, amount to 265,320 people wounded and killed.
20:14 Advance of the Russian army in Chasov Yar –MAP
20:06 UAV operators of the Southern group of troops destroyed an International MaxxPro combat armored vehicle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Konstantinovsky direction, and in the area of the settlement of Belokuzminovka - a minibus with enemy personnel.
FPV drone crews of the Ussuri separate guards airborne assault unit disabled military equipment with Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in Sumy Oblast.
Drone operators of the "East" group of forces hit a militant pickup truck in the Donetsk People's Republic. All equipment for the enemy's UAV operation, which was in the pickup truck, was destroyed.
Operators of the Molniya and Lancet UAVs from the Vostok group destroyed a T-72 tank of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the South Donetsk direction.
A crew of an FPV drone on fiber optics from the West group of forces destroyed a pickup truck of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Khar'kov region.
19:54 The Russian army is restoring the situation in Tetkino. Our units are trying to clear the last section of the state border in the area of the treatment plant –MAP
17:41 Footage of an airstrike on a road bridge across the Volchya River in the area of the settlement of Iskra.
15:54 Crew of the T-90 tank of the "Center" group of forces liquidated machine gun point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
Tankers from the 37th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the "East" group of forces destroyed more than 40 Ukrainian militants during the assault on a stronghold in the South Donetsk direction.
14:43 Northerners scouts opened camouflaged position of a Ukrainian howitzer in the Sumy region. The enemy artillery crew was located relatively far from the line of combat contact and felt completely safe in the forest belt.
The coordinates were transmitted to our FPV operators, who carried out a targeted strike, destroying the Ukrainian Armed Forces artillery piece.
14:30 From 10.20 Moscow time to 11.05 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed four Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type over the territory of the Republic of Crimea.
14:01 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation as of July 2, 2025
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation.
Units of the North group of forces in Sumy Oblast improved their position along the front line. They defeated the manpower and equipment of two mechanized, a Jaeger, three airborne assault brigades, three assault regiments and an assault battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Varachino, Sadki, Proletarskoye, Bessalovka, Mogritsa, Alekseyevka, Yunakovka and Andreyevka in Sumy Oblast.
In the Khar'kov direction, units of the motorized infantry brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Ogurtsovo and Volchansk in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 175 servicemen, an armored personnel carrier, two vehicles, six field artillery pieces and an ammunition depot.
Units of the "West" group of forces defeated formations of three mechanized brigades and a regiment of unmanned systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Petrovka, Kupyansk, Gorokhovatka, Peschanoye, Blagodatovka, Kovsharovka and Berezovka in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 210 servicemen, a US-made M-113 armored personnel carrier, 11 vehicles, and a Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery unit. An electronic warfare station and five ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the "Southern" group of forces improved their tactical position. They defeated the manpower and equipment of five mechanized, mountain assault and airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Seversk, Svyato-Pokrovskoye, Serebryanka, Zakotnoye, Chasov Yar, Konstantinovka, Kleban-Byk and Slavyansk of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost over 165 servicemen, four pickup trucks, an artillery piece, an Anklav electronic warfare station and two warehouses of supplies.
Units of the "Center" group of forces improved their position along the front line. They defeated formations of five mechanized, airborne brigades, two assault regiments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two territorial defense brigades, two naval infantry brigades and two national guard brigades in the areas of the settlements of Dimitrov, Krasnoarmeysk, Petrovskoye, Boykovka of the Donetsk People's Republic, Novopavlovka and Filiya of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to more than 450 servicemen, a Novator combat armored vehicle, a US-made MaxxPro armored vehicle, three vehicles and two field artillery pieces.
Units of the "East" group of forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defense. They defeated the manpower and equipment of five mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a naval infantry brigade in the areas of the settlements of Zeleny Gai, Novokhatskoye, Novopol, Zelenoe Pole and Voskresenka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 165 servicemen, a tank, two vehicles, two field artillery guns and two electronic warfare stations.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces improved their tactical position, defeated formations of two mechanized, mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Novoandreevka, Kamenskoye, Orekhov, Stepnogorsk in the Zaporizhia region, Nikolskoye and Antonovka in the Kherson region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 70 servicemen and five vehicles. Six electronic warfare stations, an ammunition depot, two military-technical equipment depots and a fuel depot were destroyed.
Operational-tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces groups have damaged an enterprise of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, workshops for the assembly of strike unmanned aerial vehicles and their storage sites, ammunition depots and military-technical property, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian Armed Forces formations and foreign mercenaries in 139 districts.
Air defense systems shot down seven guided aerial bombs and 131 unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the following have been destroyed:
663 aircraft,
283 helicopters,
66,608 unmanned aerial vehicles,
612 anti-aircraft missile systems,
24,106 tanks and other armored combat vehicles,
1,573 multiple launch rocket systems,
26,847 field artillery pieces and mortars,
37,551 units of special military vehicles.
13:44 Kursk Region. The enemy has been driven out of a stronghold east of Tetkino, –MAP.
13:40 June 30, near the settlement of Pisarevka, a Rubicon crew discovered and destroyed a Leopard 2A6 tank, –video.
13:33 Two sabotage groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the 239th Battalion of the 129th Separate Troops Brigade attempted to infiltrate deep into the Kursk region near the border village of Gornal (Sudzhansky district).
The first group of saboteurs was destroyed in full force, the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers from the second sabotage and reconnaissance group fled to Ukrainian territory with heavy losses.
12:01 Calculations of the 122mm MLRS "Grad" of the 25th combined arms army of the "West" group of forces destroyed UAV control points and concentrations of Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower.
11:00 From 8:00 Moscow time to 9:00 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed eight Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of the Republic of Crimea.
09:38 Zaporizhia direction(right flank)
During fierce battles, the units of the Guards "East" drove the enemy out of the village of Malinovka (Zaporozhskaya). She returned home again.
Assault units continue to advance along the Yanchur River in the direction of Poltavka (Zaporozhskaya) and attack enemy positions in the direction of Olgovka.
09:22 Calculations of the Geranium-2 UAV detected temporary deployment point of the 36th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement of Yablonovka.
08:39 Crew of the 152mm 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled gun of the Center group of forces destroyed a camouflaged command post of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Krasnoarmeysk direction, and a D-30 crew of the Dnepr troop group is a command post for enemy UAVs on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region.
07:31 Changes to map over the past 24 hours:➡️
Advance in the area of the Kleban-Byk settlement
Adjustment of the control zone in favor of the enemy in the Tabayevka area
07:04 During the past night, air defense systems on duty destroyed five Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type:
Two UAVs over the territories of the Kursk and Rostov regions and
One UAV over the territory of the Republic of Crimea.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces are engaged in heavy fighting in the east and south of Ukraine.
The enemy's greatest activity was recorded in the Pokrovsk direction. There, the Ukrainian Armed Forces stopped almost 20 assaults near 14 populated areas.
Since the beginning of the current day, 76 combat clashes with Russian aggressors have occurred on the front. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report as of 16:00 on Wednesday, July 2.
Thus, in the Severo-Slobodskoy and Kursk directions our defenders repelled eight enemy attacks. At present, another battle is ongoing.
In the Yuzhno-Slobodskoy direction, the occupiers attacked 12 times near Glubokoe, Volchansk, Milovoye, Ambarnoye and in the direction of Mitrofanovka. Six clashes continue.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy attacked six times in the areas of the settlements of Stepovaya Novoselovka, Kolesnikovka, Zagrizovo, Zelenyi Gai and in the direction of Petrovpavlika.
In the Liman direction, the Russians carried out eight attacks near the settlements of Redkodub, Torskoye, Grigoryevka and in the directions of Cherneshchyna and Novy Mir. Two clashes are still ongoing.
In the Seversky direction, the enemy is conducting one offensive operation towards Fyodorovka. The battle continues there.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy has stormed the positions of the Defense Forces five times in the direction of Bondarnoye, Markovoye and in the area of Chasovy Yar. Our defenders have already stopped two assaults
In the Toretsk direction, five armed clashes occurred in the areas of the settlements of Toretsk, Petrovka, Rusin Yar and in the direction of Pleshchievka. One battle continues.
In the Pokrovsky direction, Russian invaders carried out 21 assaults near the settlements of Popov Yar, Poltavka, Mirnoye, Novoekonomichnoe, Mirolyubovka, Promen, Lisovka, Udachnoye, Novosergeevka, Dachnoye, Alekseyevka and in the directions of Vladimirivka, Razinoye, Molodetskoye. The defense forces repelled 19 attacks. Two clashes continue.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, eight battles took place in the areas of the settlements of Zaporizhia, Poddubnoye and Shevchenko. Two clashes are ongoing.
In the Orekhov direction, units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding back an attack in the Kamyanskoye area.
Earlier on Wednesday, the General Staff refuted Russian propaganda claims about the seizure of a "bridgehead in the Dnipropetrovsk region ." The Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed the Russians who were able to enter the village of Dachnoye.
[RedState] A new CIA assessment was released on Wednesday that shows how far the Obama administration went to stand up the Russian collusion hoax. John Ratcliffe announced that "all the world will finally see the truth" before name-dropping James Clapper, John Brennan, and James Comey as those primarily implicated in the scheme.
All three men took "unusual" direct roles in shaping the now-infamous ICA that was released during the presidential transition following the 2016 election. It was that report that would form the building block of the Russian collusion narrative and eventually lead to a special counsel investigation.
The review identified “multiple procedural anomalies” that undermined the credibility of the ICA, including “a highly compressed production timeline, stringent compartmentation, and excessive involvement of agency heads.”
It also questioned the exclusion of key intelligence agencies and said media leaks may have influenced analysts to conform to a false narrative of Trump-Russia collusion.
“The rushed timeline to publish both classified and unclassified versions before the presidential transition raised questions about a potential political motive behind the White House tasking and timeline.”
The review found that Brennan directed the compilation of the ICA, and that his, Comey’s and Clapper’s “direct engagement in the ICA’s development was highly unusual in both scope and intensity” and ”risked stifling analytic debate.”
The CIA assessment went on to note that 13 of the 17 intelligence agencies were excluded from the report, with Brennan having "handpicked" the analysts who produced the ICA. The former Obama lackey also mandated that the discredited (then and now) "Steele Dossier" be included over the objections of the agency's top Russia experts.
Still, the million-dollar question is going to be what comes next. Was it legal for Obama, Brennan, Clapper, and Comey to purposefully manipulate intelligence to try to take down a duly elected president? It would seem odd if it were, and if it wasn't, when do the arrests start? Because I'm pretty sure Republicans aren't going to be satisfied with just an assessment that will be forgotten in a few days.
Posted by: NoMoreBS ||
07/03/2025
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Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
I'm not seeing a lot of other indictments for past nefarious actions by former government officials, so not holding my breath on any of these guys.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/03/2025 6:48
Comments ||
Top||
#2
"New Klingon assessment."
Please pull up all previous assessments beginning in 2012.
#3
I don't see anybody expressing any surprise here.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/03/2025 12:40
Comments ||
Top||
#4
Why do I think of treason and other offenses when I read these names: Obama, Brennan, Clapper, and Comey? Trump would be in the clink for a long time if these people had been successful. I see that Hillary's name as well as many others are missing. There needs to be consequences for serious crimes.
[NYP] Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem gave a bizarre and sickening account Tuesday of how federal agents nabbed a purported cannibal illegal migrant who started to eat his own arms during a deportation flight.
Noem shared the disturbing anecdote while visiting the "Alligator Alcatraz" deportation camp in the South Florida Everglades alongside President Trump.
"The other day I was talking to some [US] Marshals that had been partnering with ICE," Noem recounted. "They said that they had detained a cannibal and put him on a plane to take him home and while they had him in his seat, he started to eat himself, and they had to get him off and get him medical attention."
Noem, the former governor of South Dakota, used the story to argue that federal agents are targeting the worst of the worst illegal migrants in the US — rather than hard-working, upstanding community members, as critics of the administration claim.
Palestinian sources report that a targeted strike on a tent in Mawasi Khan Yunis killed Qassam commander Bilal Abu Aassi (Abu Sohaib) along with his entire family. pic.twitter.com/pYI1bZb9qR
[PUBLISH.TWITTER] They’re a free resource for the country, and back home every time they eat it costs money. Pudge will weep over their deaths, but that is, after all, why he sold them to Russia.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/03/2025
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Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
Sending more...
Given the serious NK shortages of basic items. Is Kim solving two problems at once? Helping Russia for basic food supplies and items. While trimming the oversize NK military and the number of mouths to house, feed and cloth.
Iran State TV’s New York correspondent, Rachel Hamdoun, reports from a pro-Iran rally in Times Square, saying the protest is celebrating Iran’s “triumph in Operation True Promise III.” pic.twitter.com/TIEbpQZZ5M
Most assuredly this Iranian correspondent is not also a Mossad spy, nor anyone in the “far left” Bronx Antiwar Coalition (funded by very rich CCP tool Neville Singham), which allies with Within Our Lifetime and Samidoun. Amusing that all the shots are so tight, so we can’t get a feel of the small size of the crowd — maybe as many as two dozen, mostly communist allies who came to swell the numbers — we can see the professionally printed signs for the (Marxist–Leninist-Trotskyist) Workers World Party and at least one t-shirt for the (Revolutionary Marxist-Leninist, CCP client) Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Another example of the red-green alliance so popular nowadays.
[Rudaw] Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... on Tuesday vowed to hold accountable those responsible for allegedly disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad and other revered religious figures, following public backlash over a controversial caricature published by The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... ’s satirical magazine LeMan, which denied disrespecting the Moslem prophet.
Erdogan criticized the publication during a presser, indirectly addressing LeMan. "Those who are insolent towards our Prophet [Muhammad] and other prophets will be held accountable before the law," he stated, condemning the cartoon as "an open provocation disguised as humor" and labeling it "a vile provocation."
The cartoon, released last Thursday, depicts two characters hovering above a city under bombardment. One character says, "Salam aleikum, I’m Muhammad," and the other replies, "Aleikum salam, I’m Moses."
Many interpreted the characters as representations of the Moslem Prophet Muhammad and the Jewish Prophet Moses, in an apparent reference to the recent Israel-Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... conflict that began on June 13 and lasted 12 days.
LeMan, known for its political satire, denied the caricature targeted any religious figure.
In a statement posted Thursday on X, the magazine emphasized, "This IS NOT a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad," arguing that the name "Muhammad" is shared by over 200 million people worldwide. It stressed that the cartoon does not reference the Prophet of Islam or any other revered figure.
In response to the controversy, Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor launched an investigation last week. On Monday, Ottoman Turkish police detained at least four cartoonists accused of creating and distributing the illustration.
The cartoon has sparked widespread protests, with demonstrators gathering outside LeMan’s offices and in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, chanting slogans and demanding legal action against the magazine.
Meanwhile,
...back at the pond, Gloria slowly backed away from the eight-foot bull frog. If the creature croaked she would surely be deafened... public opinion in Istanbul appears to be divided over the matter.
Speaking to Rudaw on Tuesday, Zafer Denk, a local resident, said, "I think it is very wrong that in a Moslem-majority country, such provocative things would unfold."
In contrast, Metehan Celiksoy, a student in Istanbul, commented, "I think this caricature thing should not be blown out of proportion," while also noting that "freedom of expression should not insult other people’s beliefs."
[Rudaw] Iran-aligned groups have denied involvement in recent rocket and drone attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region and territories disputed between Baghdad and Erbil. Several of their leaders and affiliated politicians have publicly denied any involvement, blaming either 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) remnants or political scapegoating ahead of Iraq’s November elections.
A string of unclaimed drone and rocket attacks have hit the Kurdistan Region and several disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad since the start of the week, with no group claiming responsibility. The incidents come amid heightened tensions and diminished air defense capabilities following the Iran-Israel conflict in June, which left much of Iraq’s radar infrastructure inoperable.
A source from Iraq’s defense ministry told Rudaw on condition of anonymity that the radar systems remain severely compromised.
"Out of three radars, two have been taken out of service during the Iran-Israel war. One was in Baghdad and the other in Nasiriyah. Now, only the western sector radar is working, and that's not enough to track these objects," the source said.
Intelligence units in the Defense Ministry and other security agencies have launched investigations, but the source warned that the lack of functioning radar is delaying tracking and response efforts.
The renewed drone activity follows a US-brokered ceasefire that ended a 12-day war 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. During the conflict, numerous drones and missiles flew through Iraqi airspace, including the Kurdistan Region, where several drones fell or were intercepted, and a renewed series of similar incidents began again on Sunday.
RECENT DRONE AND ROCKET ATTACKS
On Tuesday, two explosive-laden drones were intercepted over Sulaimani province, with one crashing in the Tasluja area. No casualties were reported, according to local officials.
That same day, a drone struck the Darkar camp housing displaced Yazidis about 36 kilometers northwest of Duhok. The Kurdistan Region’s Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD) said the drone was laden with explosives and caused material damage. Civil defense teams from Zakho reported that three cabins at the camp caught fire as a result of the crash. No injuries were reported.
In Kirkuk, ... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time... Governor Rebwar Taha said three Katyusha rockets struck the city overnight. One hit a residential home, while two others landed between the civilian and military zones of Kirkuk International Airport. No fatalities were reported.
In Salahaddin province, three people were maimed on Sunday when a kaboom hit the Baiji oil refinery. While some media outlets claimed the site was targeted by 12 drones, Saif Muhannad, head of the Salahaddin provincial council’s media office, said only two drones were confirmed, and there is no evidence of a coordinated 12-drone attack.
"This isn’t the first time the base has been targeted, but there are some gangs that are dominant in that area," he said.
MILITIA GROUPS DENY INVOLVEMENT, BLAME ISIS
Mahdi al-Kaabi, a political committee member of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, an Iran-aligned Iraqi militia group, denied responsibility for the recent attacks.
"We, as the Nujaba movement, are not participating in any way in these recent attacks carried out with missiles and drones," he told Rudaw, adding that there is coordination between the resistance groups and the Iraqi government to prevent military escalations.
Kaabi suggested the accusations against militias are politically motivated.
"Pointing fingers at us and other resistance front groups is somewhat related to the approaching elections," he said, referring to Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary vote set for November.
Mohammed al-Bayati, a senior Badr Organization official in Kirkuk, also denied involvement.
"Never do the Popular Mobilization Forces [PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi] and Badr attempt to carry out attacks in that manner, especially at this sensitive time," he said, suggesting that ISIS bad boys, who remain active in some regions, may be behind the attacks.
ISIS, which seized large parts of Iraq in 2014 before being territorially defeated in 2017, continues to carry out hit-and-run attacks from remote mountain and desert areas.
In Diyala, Turki al-Attabi, a member of the provincial council, said that no evidence has emerged linking the government-affiliated and Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) to any of the drone or rocket attacks. "If any necessary evidence is obtained, we will inform the public," he said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
07/03/2025
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Working to get off President Trump’s Naughty list.
[ShabelleMedia] Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency has rolled out a new biometric border control system aimed at combating human trafficking, reducing illegal migration, and strengthening national security against terrorism.
The system, known as PISCES (Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System), was officially launched on June 30 at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, with technical support and training provided by the United States.
PISCES collects biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images from travelers entering and exiting Somalia, enabling immigration officers to quickly verify identities and cross-check individuals against national and international security watchlists.
The agency hopes the system will serve as a critical defense mechanism against terrorist threats and criminal networks operating across Somalia’s borders.
The new biometric platform builds on earlier U.S.-supported initiatives that began in 2018 with the MIDAS program, which introduced fingerprint scanners at key ports of entry. PISCES also aligns with Somalia’s national digital ID program launched in 2023, which integrates biometric data across government agencies to improve security and public services.
Mustafa Duhulow, Director General of the Immigration and Citizenship Agency, emphasized that the system is not only about technology but about protecting citizens and restoring public trust. A U.S. embassy official said such systems "save lives, prevent crime, and build confidence in government institutions."
The PISCES system operates under Somalia’s 2023 Data Protection Act, which regulates the handling of personal and biometric data while balancing privacy rights with national security needs.
Globally, biometric border controls are gaining momentum. The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... plans to launch its Entry/Exit System in October 2025, and countries like Malaysia are adopting advanced facial recognition and biometric CCTV along their borders.
Somalia’s adoption of PISCES highlights how biometric technology is becoming central to modern border security, reflecting broader regional and international efforts to combat transnational threats.
#1
The PISCES-project was initiated by the Department of State, Terrorist Interdiction Program (TIP) in 1997, initially as a system for countries in improving their watchlisting capabilities by providing a mainframe computer system to facilitate immigration processing in half a dozen countries.
Ancient.
technical support and training provided by the United States.
[KhaamaPress] 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... arrested 50 people in Sistan-Baluchestan over alleged links to Israel and terrorist groups, seizing weapons and intensifying security operations.
Iranian authorities have arrested 50 people in the restive province of Sistan and Baluchestan, accusing them of links to Israeli intelligence and terrorist groups, according to a report by the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) on Tuesday, July 1. Officials allege the group was plotting sabotage operations targeting economic and infrastructure assets in southern Iran.
The arrests, part of a broader national security operation, reportedly led to the deaths of two individuals during festivities with Iranian security forces. Authorities claim the group had amassed a large cache of weapons, including U.S.-made arms, raising concerns about foreign involvement in domestic unrest.
The identities and affiliations of the detainees have not been disclosed in detail, and it remains unclear how many are specifically charged with collaborating with Israel. However,
nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits... the Iranian parliament and state media have repeatedly accused foreign intelligence services—particularly Israel’s Mossad ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... —of backing destabilizing activities in minority-populated regions.
Human rights organizations have expressed alarm over the pattern of arrests and executions under vague security-related charges. According to a new report by Hengaw, an independent human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... monitor, at least 26 people were executed in the first half of 2025 for political, religious, or protest-related activities, including alleged espionage for Israel. The report also noted that 29 prisoners died in jug under suspicious conditions during the same period.
The Iranian government says it is continuing operations to arrest additional suspects allegedly involved in the recent plot. Critics, however, argue that such crackdowns often target marginalized ethnic groups, particularly the Baloch and Kurdish minorities, under the pretext of combating terrorism.
The wave of arrests highlights Iran’s intensifying use of national security narratives to control dissent, especially in provinces marked by economic deprivation and ethnic tensions. International watchdogs, including Amnesty International and the UN Human Rights Council, have consistently urged Tehran to ensure fair trials and transparency in cases involving alleged espionage or terrorism.
As Iran’s geopolitical tensions with Israel and Western nations continue to rise, analysts warn that internal repression could deepen. The international community is being called upon to closely monitor Iran’s treatment of detainees and press for accountability in its justice system.
#2
Invention: "O Mothers, O wars,
Not least in the province of FARS,
[cue carpets of fustian
and outward combustion]
You've given Iran flying cars!"
[blasphemous Invention's head rolls]
[KhaamaPress] The UK government abruptly ended Afghan resettlement programs without prior notice, leaving thousands at risk and drawing strong criticism from humanitarian and refugee groups.
The UK government has quietly shut down its flagship resettlement schemes for Afghan nationals who supported British operations, triggering alarm among human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... groups. The change, introduced without prior public announcement, was outlined in a low-profile explanatory note issued by the Home Office, updating immigration rules.
Under the updated policy, the Ministry of Defence’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) closed to new applications at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1. The scheme, which aimed to resettle Afghans who had assisted British forces, now only applies to those who submitted applications between April 1, 2021, and before the July 1, 2025 cutoff.
Simultaneously, the Home Office has also ended new intakes under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), which was designed to help vulnerable Afghan nationals and those linked to British civil and military operations. With both schemes closed, no legal routes remain open for new Afghan applicants seeking UK protection.
Humanitarian groups condemned the move as a betrayal of vulnerable people left behind. Gunesh Kalkan, head of a refugee support charity, said the closure "leaves children and families we support in danger and without hope." She urged the UK government to expand, not restrict, safe migration pathways.
Dr. Sara de Jong, an academic and refugee rights advocate, described the sudden closure as shocking and poorly communicated. "Not even half an hour before the deadline, there was any update on official websites. What about applicants waiting on appeals or preparing submissions?" she asked. De Jong added that while the UK had pledged to resettle 20,000 at-risk Afghans by 2021, only 65 percent of that goal has been met.
Despite the policy changes, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Afghans previously granted eligibility may still apply for family reunification. However,
some men learn by reading. A few learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves... critics argue that the government’s handling of the program has been marred by systemic failures. The UK High Court previously described the processing of Afghan special forces’ cases as so mishandled that it resembled a "scene of the crime."
By the end of May 2025, more than 21,000 Afghans had been resettled in the UK through the ARAP and ACRS programs. Yet widespread delays, misjudgments, and administrative errors have left hundreds of eligible individuals stranded in Afghanistan and exposed to Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... threats. Advocacy groups are calling for a review and urgent reinstatement of accessible and safe migration channels.
[Rudaw] An estimated 2,000 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) forces of Evil remain active in Syria’s vast desert regions, a spokesperson for a faction aligned with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) warned in an interview with Rudaw, highlighting the group’s ongoing efforts to regroup.
The US-backed SDF serves as the de facto army of northeast Syria (Rojava).
Mahmoud Habib, spokesperson for the North Democratic Forces - a component of the SDF - said on Tuesday, "There are no fewer than 2,000 forces of Evil in the Syrian desert," citing Western intelligence reports that indicate "significant movements" among ISIS elements.
The Syrian Desert, or Badiya, spans approximately 500,000 square kilometers, covering about 55 percent of Syria’s total landmass. Located primarily in the country’s southeast, it stretches across several key governorates, including Deir ez-Zor, Hasaka and Raqqa, as well as parts of Hama, Homs, and Rif Dimashq. Major cities, including Damascus and Palmyra, lie within or along the fringes of this vast arid region.
Habib emphasized that the desert’s rugged terrain and lack of consistent oversight provide ideal conditions for ISIS to regroup, operate, and finance its activities. "The threat remains high, particularly for Syrian population centers and cities," he warned.
In response to the enduring ISIS threat, Habib predicted that the United States is likely to maintain its military presence in Syria for the foreseeable future. "The presence of US forces in Syria has become a strategic decision for the US administration and is not expected to change anytime soon," he said.
Habib added that Washington is consolidating its presence by shifting to "two massive bases in northeast Syria [Rojava]" to enhance operational efficiency and security." This restructuring ensures continued support for the SDF’s counter-terrorism efforts, he elaborated.
"US forces are staying and [the forces in] these bases will be able to intervene in required tasks, whether air, ground, or operational," he insisted.
The remarks come despite the gradual reduction of US troops in Syria.
Rudaw learned in early June that the US is gradually withdrawing troops from Syria, aiming to reduce its presence from roughly 2,000 to about 1,000 forces - a move then confirmed by a US defense official. The official noted that troop levels in Rojava remain flexible and will be "adjusted according to the evolving security situation."
The remarks followed a mid-April announcement by Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell, who said the "Secretary of Defense directed the consolidation of U.S. forces in Syria under Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve to select locations in Syria.
"This consolidation reflects the significant steps we have made toward degrading ISIS's appeal and operational capability regionally and globally," he added, noting that "this deliberate and conditions-based process will bring the U.S. footprint in Syria down to less than a thousand U.S. forces in the coming months."
Despite the reduction, Parnell stressed that the "U.S. Central Command will remain poised to continue strikes against the remnants of ISIS in Syria," Parnell added.
Additionally, the spokesperson for the North Democratic Forces, Habib, also said that the SDF is working toward integration with the Syrian defense ministry.
"Joint committees are examining all the necessary details to achieve this integration," he said, describing the effort as part of a broader initiative to build a unified, stable Syria free from Death Eater threats.
This move aligns with the vision of SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi, who has advocated for a unified national army in Syria, Habib underlined.
[FoxNews] Florida Attorney General Uthmeier warns commissioners their vote to terminate ICE partnership violates state law prohibiting sanctuary cities
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said leaders in the state's most southern municipality face possible removal from office if they fail to restore an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On Tuesday, the Key West city commissioners voted 5-1 to void an agreement that requires its police department to partner with ICE.
The federal program known as 287(g) allows local authorities to perform certain federal immigration enforcement functions, including allowing officers to question, arrest and detain people suspected of violating immigration law.
"I try not to make decisions with my heart because it can get me into trouble," said Commissioner Donald Lee, the city’s former police chief who voted to sever the so-called 287(g) agreement, the Miami Herald reported. "Tonight, I am going to make a decision from my heart, and I hope it doesn’t get the city in trouble."
Ummmm…. about that:
In a letter Wednesday to the commissioners, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said their vote violates state law and has essentially made Key West a "sanctuary city."
"Florida law unequivocally forbids sanctuary cities," Uthmeier wrote while demanding the city reverse course. "Failure to take corrective action will result in the enforcement of all applicable civil and criminal penalties, including removal from office by the governor."
Law enforcement agencies that operate county jails in Florida must enter partnerships with the federal government so their officers can carry out limited immigration agent functions, the Herald reported.
On Tuesday, DeSantis told reporters Key West leaders could face suspension for not upholding the agreement.
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.