#5
Nice little work station she has there. All the parts and tools are within easy reach and she has obviously been at it long enough to be proficient. Just another day at the shop.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/02/2024 11:24
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#6
I got confused and tried to check out Betty Grable’s manicure and workstation.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/02/2024 12:08
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[Rudaw] The Kurdish forces announced on Monday that they had arrested one of the emirs of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) in eastern Syria earlier in the week following a series of operations against the group in the area.
Asayish, internal forces in Kurdish-held areas of Syria, said in a statement that they carried out a "qualitative operation" in Deir ez-Zor province early Saturday.
The province is partially controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) while the rest is in the hands of the regime forces and snuffies backed by Damascus and Tehran.
Asayish said the arrest came after "a series of precise security operations aimed at enhancing security and stability in the region."
Asayish accused the unidentified ISIS suspect of "carrying out a series of recent bombings and liquidations that targeted civilians" in one of the towns of the province.
A "limited" confrontation took place between the suspected ISIS emir and Asayish forces, it noted.
Sometimes there’s no way to protect someone from himself..
[IsraelTimes] An Israeli-American who served seven years in an Israeli prison for multiple counts of extortion and waging an intimidation campaign of bomb threats, including against Jewish Community Centers in the United States, has been detained in Norway on a US extradition request, Channel 12 reports.
The hacker, who was a teen at the time of his conviction and whose name remains under gag order in Israel, admitted to making some 2,000 fake bomb threat calls to hospitals, airlines, schools and various Jewish institutions out of boredom.
According to Channel 12, he was released on parole last week and travelled to Norway where he submitted an asylum claim. However,
today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... Norwegian authorities rejected the claim and detained him on an existing US extradition charge.
He remains in jug until his next hearing.
Israel had refused to extradite him to the US and tried and sentenced him in Israel.
"My client was sentenced to an unprecedented sentence in Israel, despite the fact that he was recognized as a person on the high end of the autism spectrum for offenses allegedly committed on US soil," his lawyer Nir Yaslovitzh tells Channel 12.
"Unfortunately, the US apparently decided to administer a coup de grâce and, after a long time and in a clearly unjustified manner, request my client’s extradition from Norway to the US despite the fact that my client has already paid his debt with many years of imprisonment."
The Ashkelon native was found guilty of hundreds of counts of extortion, publishing false information that caused panic, computer offenses and money laundering, among other charges.
Authorities say he made thousands of threatening calls, mostly to community centers and schools in the US, from January to March 2017, using an online calling service that disguised his voice and allowed him to hide his identity. He also targeted hundreds of airlines and airports, malls, and cop shoppes, in the US, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Britannia, and tried to extort Republican State Senator Ernesto Lopez from Delaware.
In addition to the bomb threats, M. offered his extortion services through an online black market. Court documents linked him to a post on the now-shuttered illicit marketplace AlphaBay, advertising a "School Email Bomb Threat Service." The ad offered to send customized threats to schools for $30, plus a surcharge if the buyer seeks to have someone framed.
His threats caused fighter jets to scramble, planes to dump fuel and make emergency landings, schools to evacuate, and numerous other chaotic consequences. In some cases, he allegedly threatened to execute children he claimed to be holding hostage. Police also found hundreds of photos and videos of child pornography on his computer.
According to the US Justice Department, if convicted, M. could face a maximum jail term of 20 years for each of the hate crime charges; 10 years for each of the bomb threats; and five years for other hoax and cyberstalking charges.
[IsraelTimes] Head of UN agency says route via Kerem Shalom no longer safe, largely blames Israel; Jerusalem downplays announcement, says only 7% of aid via crossing is coordinated with UNRWA
It marked a further deterioration of ties between Israel and the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which have crumbled amid the ongoing 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... that was started last year by the Paleostinian terror group Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... ”We are pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom... The road out of this crossing has not been safe for months," UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini wrote in a post on social media platform X, blaming Israel.
"On 16 November, a large convoy of aid trucks was stolen by armed gangs," he recalled.
"Yesterday, we tried to bring in a few food trucks on the same route. They were all taken," Lazzarini added.
The UN official did not specify who is carrying out the looting.
Lazzarini largely blamed Israel for the breakdown of humanitarian operations in Gaza, citing alleged "political decisions to restrict the amounts of aid," lack of safety on aid routes, and Israel’s targeting of the Hamas-run police force, which had previously provided public security.
The Israeli military has said that attacking convoys and stealing aid is an ongoing problem in Gaza. COGAT, the military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, has said convoys are attacked by Hamas Death Eaters and known crime families.
Lazzarini called on Israel to ensure aid flowed to Gaza and said the country "must refrain from attacks on humanitarian workers."
In response, Israel’s COGAT sought to downplay the significance of UNRWA’s announcement by stating that almost all the aid wasn’t being coordinated with the UN agency.
"Only 7% of the aid that came into the Gaza Strip in November was coordinated by UNRWA," the Defense Ministry liaison body said on X.
"There are dozens of humanitarian organizations operating in the Gaza Strip that continue to take a growing role in delivering humanitarian aid," it added. "Last week, over 1,000 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were collected from the various crossings and distributed throughout the Gaza Strip.
"We will continue to work with the international community to increase the amount of aid making its way into Gaza, through the Kerem Shalom Crossing as well as the other 4 crossings between Israel and Gaza," it concluded.
Israel has long argued that it allows enough aid into Gaza, blaiming UNRWA and other agencies for failing to deliver it. It accuses UNRWA of having allowed Hamas to deeply infiltrate its ranks, including dozens who actively took part in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel, and passed legislation to sever ties with the agency last month.
During a press visit Thursday, the IDF showed aid shipments at the crossing and said they have waited at the Gaza side of Kerem Shalom for months.
Kerem Shalom is the only crossing between Israel and Gaza that is designed for cargo shipments and has been the main artery for aid deliveries since the Rafah crossing with Egypt was shut down in May when Cairo refused to cooperate with the IDF on operating the gateway after it was captured. Last month, nearly two-thirds of all aid entering Gaza came through Kerem Shalom, and in previous months it accounted for an even larger amount, according to Israeli figures.
The UNRWA move followed an Israeli strike on Saturday that killed three contractors of the US charity World Central Kitchen, including one who Israel’s military said was involved in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that opened the war.
The United Nations said last month that 333 aid workers had been killed since the start of the war in October of last year, 243 of them employees of UNRWA.
Lazzarini reiterated his call for a ceasefire "that would also secure the delivery of safe and uninterrupted aid to people in need."
As mediators relaunch efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, a Hamas delegation was in Cairo for talks Saturday and an Egyptian team was reported to visit Israel in recent days, though there was no official confirmation for the latter trip.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the talks included negotiations on reopening the Rafah Border Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which Egypt shuttered once Israel took control of the border region. Arab negotiators told the Journal that an agreement could lead to the crossing’s reopening by early December.
The report added that under the proposed deal, administrative control of the terminal would be given to the Paleostinian Authority, and Israel would be given access to information on those crossing.
[IsraelTimes] Boulos’s son Michael is married to Trump’s daughter Tiffany. The businessman and lawyer played an integral role in expanding Trump’s support among Arab and Muslim Americans in last month’s election, echoing the GOP leader’s pledge to end wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Massad Boulos will likely work alongside Steve Witkoff, who Trump last month appointed as his special envoy for the Middle East.
A source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that Witkoff will deal more directly with Israel, while Boulos will be Trump’s point-man to Arab countries. The president-elect campaigned on expanding the Abraham Accords that he brokered at the end of his first term, which saw the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco normalize relations with Israel.
Boulus has also served as Trump’s conduit to 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....> , handing over a letter that the latter wrote to the then-Republican nominee condemning the July attempt on his life. Trump sent the letter back to Abbas with a note expressing thanks for the well-wishes.
Boulos then met Abbas in person on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September, and, earlier this month, coordinated the first phone call between the two leaders in over seven years, during which Abbas congratulated Trump on his election win.
In a Truth Social post announcing the appointment, Trump touted Boulos as a "highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the international scene."
"He has been a longtime proponent of Republican and Conservative values, an asset to my Campaign, and was instrumental in building tremendous new coalitions with the Arab American Community," Trump continued. "Massad is a dealmaker and an unwavering supporter of PEACE in the Middle East."
It was the second time in recent days that Trump chose the father-in-law of one of his children to serve in his administration.
On Saturday, Trump said that he had picked his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father, real estate mogul Charles Kushner, to serve as US ambassador to La Belle France.
In recent months, Boulos campaigned for Trump to drum up Lebanese and Arab American support, even as the US-backed Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah in Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... Boulos has powerful roots in both countries.
His father and grandfather were both figures in Lebanese politics and his father-in-law was a key funder of the Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... , a Christian party aligned with Hezbollah.
Boulos’s son, Michael, and Tiffany Trump were married in an elaborate ceremony at Trump’s Florida Mar-a-Lago Club in November 2022, after getting engaged in the White House Rose Garden during Trump’s first term.
Boulos has been in touch with interlocutors across Lebanon’s multipolar political world, three sources who spoke to him in recent months say, a rare feat in Lebanon, where decades-old rivalries between factions run deep.
Particularly notable is his ability to maintain relations with Hezbollah, they say. The Iranian-backed Shiite terror group has a large number of seats in Lebanon’s parliament and ministers in the government.
Boulos is a friend of Suleiman Frangieh, a Christian ally of Hezbollah and its candidate for Lebanon’s presidency. He is also in touch with the Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... Party, a vehemently anti-Hezbollah Christian faction, the sources say, and has ties to independent politicians.
Aron Lund, a fellow at the Century Foundation think tank, said Boulos was well placed to influence Trump’s Middle East policy after playing a small but significant role in expanding Trump’s appeal to Arab American and Moslem voters during the campaign.
"Boulos’s Lebanese political past gives no real indication of a geostrategic or even national vision, but it demonstrates ambition and a set of political allies that will stand out in Trump’s circle like a sore thumb," Lund wrote.
Boulos, a billionaire with extensive business ties in Nigeria, was born in Lebanon, but moved to Texas as a teenager, where he attended the University of Houston, earned a law degree and became a US citizen.
Trump’s election win in Michigan came in part because of Boulos’s help flipping some of the 300,000 Arab Americans and Moslems in the state who overwhelmingly supported Biden in 2020, but opposed Biden’s policies in Israel, Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... , and Lebanon, Trump campaign officials and supporters told Rooters.
"Boulos played a big role in the outreach to Moslem voters," said Rabiul Chowdhury, co-founder of Moslems for Trump.
Beginning in September, the Trump campaign held weekly meetings in person and via Zoom with dozens of Arab American and Moslem civic leaders and business executives.
Boulos spent weeks on the ground in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and other states with big Arab American and Moslem populations, assuring audiences in private lunches and dinners that tapped his own connections to Lebanese American businessmen that Trump was committed to ending the wars in the Middle East.
The Trump campaign spent tens of millions of dollars on the effort to mobilize Arab American and Moslem voters, Boulos told Rooters in an interview shortly after the election.
Trump won endorsements from Moslem imams and the Moslem mayor of Hamtramck, another town near bankrupt, increasingly impoverished, reliably Democrat, Detroit ... ruled by Democrats since 1962. A city whose Golden Age included the Purple Gang... with a large Arab American population, as well as the large Bangladeshi community, and courted Iraqi Americans, Albanian Americans and others.
While the events on the ground in Lebanon played a factor, the economy did too. And conservative Arabs and Moslems were concerned about what they saw as the Democrats ...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy,white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects... ’ "far-left ideology," including support of transgender rights, Boulos said.
The new role could offer Boulos the kind of political clout he could not achieve in Lebanon. He had a brief run for Lebanon’s parliament in 2018 alongside pro-Hezbollah candidates, but since then he has not consistently aligned himself with any particular party, sources in Lebanon said.
He hails from a Greek Orthodox family. In Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, that would cap his chances at a senior role in government at the level of deputy speaker of parliament. The post of president — the highest Christian role in the country — is reserved for Maronite Catholics.
While he used to travel to Lebanon frequently, he has not visited in the last four years, one of the sources said.
[IsraelTimes] Israeli warplanes intercept flight, order it to turn around; incident comes amid efforts to prevent all weapons shipments to Lebanese terror group
An Iranian flight suspected to be ferrying arms to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon was blocked by the Israeli Air Force over Syria overnight between Saturday and Sunday, The Times of Israel has learned.
IAF fighter jets intercepted the Iranian plane over Syria and ordered it to turn around, and it did a short while later, a defense source said.
The incident was first reported by Ynet, although the news site showed a screenshot of flight data from an unrelated Iranian Mahan Air plane that landed in Syria’s coastal city of Latakia in the afternoon hours of Saturday.
The interception of the flight came as part of Israel’s efforts to prevent Iranian weapons from reaching the Lebanese terror group, during a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
In recent months, the Israel Defense Forces has forced several Iranian flights to make U-turns over Syrian or Iraqi airspace, after they were suspected of carrying weapons to Hezbollah.
The IDF has said that, during the truce, it would continue to act to prevent all weapon deliveries to the Lebanese terror group, including by striking shipments anywhere in Lebanon or Syria.
Last week, a senior military official said that the IDF would not just strike the weapon shipments, but Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime would pay for aiding Hezbollah.
In the hours before the ceasefire early Wednesday, the IDF carried out strikes against Hezbollah’s smuggling routes. Three border crossings between northern Lebanon and Syria, which the military said were used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons, were destroyed. The IDF assessed that it would take time to repair the crossings, and during that time, Hezbollah would have limited routes to bring in weapons, which would be easier for Israel to monitor.
On Saturday, during the ceasefire, IAF fighter jets struck infrastructure in Syria near the country’s border crossings with Lebanon, which the IDF said were being “actively” used by Hezbollah to transfer weapons.
Thousands of trucks and hundreds of planes carrying missiles and other components for Hezbollah have traveled from Iran to Syria, and later to Lebanon, in recent years, according to the IDF. Reports of Israeli strikes on Hezbollah weapons shipments began to emerge in early 2013, with Israel officially keeping mum to avoid blowback from Damascus and its allies, in light of the civil war there. It has increasingly opened up in recent years about the sorties, which have complemented a longstanding aerial campaign aimed at keeping Iran from gaining a foothold near Syria’s border with Israel.
[IsraelTimes] This month, the Balva family and US attorney Jonathan Missner filed a suit against the Islamic Republic for funding the terror group that killed US citizen Sgt. 1st Class Omer Balva
Eyal Balva visits the Military Cemetery in Herzliya at least once a week to sit by his son Omer’s grave and talk.
An antitank missile fired by Hezbollah killed Sgt. 1st Class (res) Omer Balva on October 20, 2023. The 22-year-old was stationed at Netu’a, a moshav in northern Israel, just two miles from the Lebanese border. He’d only just rejoined his unit when he died.
"We were very close. Not just father and son close, but like friends. I always promise him that I will keep fighting for him, that I will make him proud," Balva said in a video interview with The Times of Israel from his condominium in Maryland, where the family splits time with their Israeli home. Behind him hangs a portrait of a joyful Omer.
American citizens have previously sued Iran for orchestrating terror attacks. And although Iran never defends itself in court, the plaintiffs often win default judgments.
Balva and his wife Sigalit are among the dozens suing 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... for its role in the death and injury of American citizens, both in and out of the Israeli military, during the October 7, 2023, Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... -led invasion of southern Israel.
Some 1,200 men, women, and children were slaughtered in the onslaught and 251 were kidnapped to the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip. In the subsequent multi-front conflicts with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in the north, 46 civilians and 458 IDF soldiers and reservists have been killed.
The lawsuit, filed on November 17 in the US District Court of the District of Columbia, details Iran’s funding of Hamas as well as its links to other terrorist organizations including Hezbollah, the Paleostinian Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... , and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine. Documents seized in Gaza, which have been viewed by The Times of Israel, provide the foundation for much of the suit.
But behind the bureaucratic language of the complaint and accompanying exhibits, are the 47 plaintiffs — the mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, daughter and sons — each of whom signed on to this lawsuit knowing there would be many hurdles to overcome. For Balva, knowing that his close friend Jonathan Missner — a managing partner at Stein Mitchell Beato & Missner — is representing him makes the path forward a little easier.
"I don’t know if I could do this without Jon. He was like a father to Omer. I know it’s going to be hard, but I have to do it for the memory of Omer. There has to be accountability for terror," Balva said.
From the time Missner’s son Ethan and Omer met at age 5, they were inseparable, Missner said.
"Omer Balva was a remarkable young man who only had love and humor in his heart. He lit up any environment he was in. My son believes he was an angel sent to Earth for a purpose. He selflessly volunteered for dangerous missions to defend Israel and the Jewish people, and he was murdered by Hezbollah. There is no legal matter that I have ever pursued that is more personal or important to me than this one," Missner said.
Missner’s firm represents 20 plaintiffs in the current suit, including the Balvas and Yechiel Leiter, who was just named Israeli ambassador to the United States. Leiter’s son, Moshe Leiter, a 39-year-old father of six, was killed in the northern Gaza Strip while serving in the IDF reserves. The firm has pooled resources and clients with co-counsel from Jenner & Block LLP and Osen LLC.
’STANDARD’ DAMAGES FOR TERRORIST ATTACKS
However difficult it may be to win cases like this, Missner said, it is possible.
In 2021, a federal court in Washington held Iran and Syria liable for damages to the four children of Eitam and Naama Henkin, an Israeli-American couple who were shot and killed by Hamas turbans at close range in front of their children in the West Bank in 2015.
Missner, who represented the Henkin children, said he believes the case can serve as a model for the October 7 lawsuit.
In ordinary terrorism cases, the direct victims — those killed or maimed — are harmed in one location, such as aboard an aircraft or inside a restaurant, and their closely related family members — spouses, parents, siblings, and children — are elsewhere, Missner said.
As such, the courts typically award damages for the close family members to compensate for the grief of having to live without a loved one or with someone who was maimed in the attack. Over time, US courts have developed "standard" damages awards of $8 million for spouses, $5 million for parents and children, and $2.5 million for siblings, Missner said.
In the Henkin case, the court awarded the children $10 million. The amount reflects both their grief of having to live without their parents and also the fact that they witnessed their parents’ murder, Missner said.
"A number of the October 7 victims — in our case and others — were present while their loved ones were murdered, maimed, or kidnapped. Their damages awards should account for not just the grief of living with the aftermath of the attack, but also for experiencing the horror of the attacks in real-time," said Missner, who also serves on the board of the Israel Economic Forum.
Several weeks before he was killed, Omer Balva had been vacationing in the United States — first in Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, with his parents, siblings, and girlfriend, and then in Maryland, where he was born and lived until graduating from the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School.
Omer was staying with the Missners in Maryland when he first learned Hamas turbans had invaded Israel’s southern border by air, land and sea. After getting word that four of his soldiers were killed in the initial attack, Omer was determined to return to Israel.
"He kept calling me every two hours to get him on a flight," Balva said. He and the rest of the family were already back in Israel.
The night before Omer left, he and Ethan packed a duffel bag full of gear for his unit — knee pads, elbow pads, earmuffs, anything they could think of. Omer flew back to Israel on October 15. On October 17, he and his father made the three-hour drive north. Balva tried to console himself with the knowledge that Omer would be in the north, since the majority of the fighting at the time was in and around Gaza. Omer was killed three days later, on October 20.
"When the doorbell rang, I said to my wife, ’They are here to tell us about Omer.’ Even so, when I opened the door I said, ’Tell me he is just injured.’ I knew they don’t come to your home to tell you someone is injured, but I wanted to make them say it," Balva said.
IRAN, THE HEAD OF THE HYDRA
American citizens have previously sued Iran for orchestrating terror attacks. And although Iran never defends itself in court, the plaintiffs often win default judgments.
The current lawsuit seeks compensatory damages under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and Anti-Terrorism Act, as well as punitive damages under the FSIA.
Payments come from seized or frozen assets that have been deposited in the US Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. A special master administers the fund and determines entitlement and the payment amount.
Part of the strategy in this case will be to trace Iran’s financial fingerprints as well as its relationships with Hamas leadership, Missner said.
"Financial institutions that aid and abet this conduct are indistinguishable from the criminals that plan and participate in the attacks. In fact, we have applied this expertise in many matters such as our investigation of Swiss banks that provided financial support to the Nazis during World War II and even kept some of that Nazi money until as recently as a few years ago," Missner said.
In this case, several exhibits accompanying the 103-page complaint detail $1 million, $2 million, and $3 million payments allegedly made from Iran to several Hamas leaders including Yahya Sinwar, 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 continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... , and Marwan Issa between 2014 and 2020. The complaint also covers "the big project," which is how Hamas referred to the planned October 7 onslaught.
"Hamas was preparing for Sinwar’s ’Big Project’ — a multi-pronged attack, coordinated with Hezbollah and the IRGC-QF, to annihilate the State of Israel," according to the complaint. "To this end, Hamas held a conference in Gaza on September 30, 2021, titled ’Ensuring the End of Days — Paleostine After Liberation.’"
While it will be some time before a judge rules in this case, Balva said he feels confident Omer would insist he fight Iran in the courts.
"We have to do this, to do something better for the world and to remember him," Balva said.
[IsraelTimes] As Netanyahu vows ‘intense reaction’ to terror group’s entrenchment in south Lebanon will continue, Paris reportedly says Israel isn’t using agreed mechanisms to enforce ceasefire
The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that it was continuing to enforce the ceasefire in Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... by striking Hezbollah forces violating its terms, as La Belle France was said to charge that Jerusalem, too was repeatedly violating the days-old truce.
The IDF is still deployed in much of southern Lebanon, and it has until late January to withdraw under the 60-day ceasefire deal clinched last week that sought to end more than a year of fighting.
Early on Sunday, Israeli jets launched an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... over a southern Lebanese border village of Yaroun, while troops shelled other border towns and villages still under Israeli control, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported. Neither the military nor Hezbollah commented on the incidents.
In another incident that the IDF said Sunday took place the previous night, soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade spotted a group of armed Hezbollah operatives close to a church in southern Lebanon, a site previously known to have been used by the terror group.
The paratroopers shot up the button men, killing them, the IDF said.
"The bandidosforces of Evil who were eliminated were active in [Hezbollah’s] ground defense, anti-tank and artillery arrays in the area, and took part in the fighting while using the church," the military said in a statement.
After the operatives were killed, the IDF said soldiers scanned the church Sunday and located a tunnel shaft that was used to store weapons.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Sunday that Israel was "very resolutely enforcing the ceasefire agreement, and every violation is immediately being met with an intense reaction by the IDF." He vowed that this would continue.
Meanwhile,
...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter wished he had a cup of coffee. Even instant would do... Hebrew media outlets reported on Sunday that, according to French diplomatic sources, La Belle France has accused Israel of 52 ceasefire violations.
The sources claimed that although Israel was acting against Hezbollah’s own violations, the IDF did not go through the proper channels to report the Lebanese terror group’s transgressions to the US-led international oversight body, of which La Belle France is a member, as required by the terms of the agreement.
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the Lebanese military have accused Israel of violating the agreement with daily airstrikes and overflights since the ceasefire went into effect.
The first phase of the ceasefire is a 60-day cessation of hostilities where Hezbollah operatives are supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon to north of the Litani River and Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. Lebanese troops are to deploy in large numbers in the south, effectively being the only armed force in control of the south alongside UNIFIL observers.
The ceasefire agreement was aimed at halting 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which began when the Iran-backed terror group, unprovoked, began firing into Israel on October 8, 2023, saying it was acting in solidarity with Paleostinians 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... . The relentless attacks forced the displacement of some 60,000 residents of northern Israel.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before Israel ramped up its operations in Lebanon in mid-September, eventually launching a ground operation into Lebanese territory that dismantled much of the terror group’s infrastructure throughout southern Lebanon.
The offensive was launched with the aim of securing the return home of the 60,000 people evacuated from homes in the north of Israel due to the Hezbollah attacks and concerns the terror group — which seeks Israel’s destruction — would carry out an invasion similar to the Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... onslaught from the Gaza Strip on southern Israel. In that attack, 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages to Gaza.
Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 45 civilians. In addition, 76 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes, attacks on Israel, and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September.
The IDF said it had confirmed with high confidence the deaths of 2,500 Hezbollah operatives, though it estimated that number to be closer to 3,500. Around 100 members of other terror groups have also been reported killed in Lebanon.
Images showed Hezbollah holding large funeral ceremonies Friday for dozens of their fighters killed over the past two months.
According to data published by the Lebanese health ministry, 3,823 people have been killed in Israeli actions since October 8, 2023, a figure that does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
[IsraelTimes] Israel is watching the jihadist rebels’ advances in Syria with considerable wariness, with intelligence chiefs telling the political echelon developments in Syria could ultimately spell trouble for Israel, Channel 12 reports.
Referring to a consultation hurriedly convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday evening with key figures in the defense establishment, the TV report quotes intelligence officials assessing that “Iranian infrastructure in Syria has been harmed, and much of it has been captured by the rebels.”
Netanyahu was reportedly told that Hezbollah’s attention will now be shifted to Syria, and “so will its forces, in order to defend the Assad regime.”
This, in turn, will bolster the likelihood of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire holding, the prime minister was reportedly told.
As regards Syrian territory itself, where the IDF has been working to prevent the transfer of weaponry to Hezbollah and to thwart direct threats from pro-Iranian forces, Israel’s “freedom of military operation will apparently widen.”
The intelligence chiefs reportedly noted that “the latest developments appear to be positive.” But, they are said to have warned, “the collapse of the Assad regime would likely create chaos in which military threats against Israel would develop.”
Zionist org preps list of foreign pro-Hamas students, hoping Trump will deport them
A Zionist organization is compiling names of foreign students on visas in the US who spewed anti-Israel bile at campus protests — and is hoping President-elect Trump will give the haters a one-way ticket back home.
So far, the group, Betar, has about 30 names of students from nations such as Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Canada, and the United Kingdom currently enrolled in some of the nation’s top universities, including Columbia, UPenn, Michigan, Syracuse, UCLA, The New School for Social Research, Carnegie Mellon, and George Washington University.
“We have started commencing lists of Jew-hating foreign nationals on visas who support Hamas,” said Ross Glick, director of the US chapter of Betar.
Betar has IDed the haters using a combination of facial recognition software and “relationship database technology” to weed out people who were busted at antisemitic campus protests over the last year.
“One of our issues is processing power, there is just so much video to work through,” Glick said.
Betar is already in contact with “prospective” Trump administration appointees in the Justice Department about how best to take action on those identified, Glick said.
Among those on the list is Momodou Taal, a British national and PhD candidate in Africana studies at Cornell University, who was suspended twice for participating in a pair of on-campus Palestinian protests, most recently in September. University officials initially told Taal that the latest incident would lead to his F-1 visa being revoked, Newsweek reported. The Ivy later backed down.
Rutgers Faculty Set to Vote on BDS Measure
The faculty of Rutgers University is set to vote in early December on a BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) referendum that aims to have the school pull out of its collaborations with Tel Aviv University, stop investing in companies that do business with Israel and in Israel Bonds.
Spearheading the vote is the American Association of University Professors-American Federation of Teachers (AAUP-AFT), the union that represents more than 5,000 employees at Rutgers. The union is led by Todd Wolfson, a Rutgers professor in the media department, who also serves as the president of the national AAUP.
The national AAJP in August reversed a longstanding policy that opposed academic boycotts, saying that such boycotts “can be considered legitimate tactical responses to conditions that are fundamentally incompatible with the mission of higher education.”
In its BDS resolution, the union claims that there is “scholasticide in occupied Palestine” and that Israeli universities “play a key role in supporting Israel’s system of apartheid rule.”
Uncovered emails reveal multiple university administrators at Columbia University and Northwestern University engaged in negotiation efforts with protesters while demonstrations continued to rage on campus, according to the report from the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Northwestern President Michael Schill appointed two “radical anti-Israel” professors, Jessica Winegar and Nour Kteily, to oversee negotiations with protesters, the report found. Messages obtained by the committee expose that Kteily applauded Rutgers University and the University of Minnesota for following in Northwestern’s footsteps and conceding to protesters’ demands.
Columbia’s leaders meanwhile drafted a “menu” of options to concede to each of the protesters demands, including providing amnesty to many of the students involved in the encampment that overtook the campus for weeks, formally reviewing divestment demands from protesters, funding scholarships for students in Gaza and the West Bank, and creating a $10 million “resilience fund” for Gaza. Administrators also approved of a program in collaboration with a Palestinian university in which “Hamas is active on campus.”
America’s Largest And Most Expensive DEI Program - University of Michigan - Is About To Go Up In Flames
The University of Michigan’s (UM) multi-million dollar diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program - $250 million since 2016 - may soon be dismantled. The university’s board of regents has reportedly asked UM president Santa Ono “to defund or restructure” the DEI office amid growing criticism and public pressure, according to emails shared on X. The board is expected to vote on the matter on Dec. 5.
The major catalyst of this change, Sailer explained, was the series of fiery protests that ravaged college campuses across the country after Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which were “absolutely a big part of the story.”
A bunch from Campus Reform:
University of Rochester anti-Israel groups blast university's handling of anti-Semitic posters, say it's an example of 'Anti-Palestinian racism'
Four students involved in an incident where anti-Semitic “wanted” posters were put up around the University of Rochester campus have been arrested.
Multiple student-led pro-Palestinian groups took to Instagram following the arrests and response from the University to claim that they are being treated unfairly.
Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Rochester and the Rochester Democratic Socialists of America were among the groups that made the post.
Some Jewish patients reportedly hide identities as UCSF faces accusations of bias and activism
Faculty at UCSF’s medical center have raised concerns about anti-Semitism, claiming it has created an environment where Jewish patients hide their identities.
They also criticize mandatory training sessions for promoting ideological activism and undermining professionalism.
Recently, Rupa Marya, a professor at UCSF, was suspended for statements she had made about an Israeli student who was taking one of her classes.
Anti-Israel group at Columbia calls for removal of Jewish organization Hillel
Columbia University’s “Palestine Working Group” (PWG) recently called for the elimination of the Hillel Jewish student organization, accusing it of supporting Israel’s “imperialist” agenda.
Critics, including the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish advocacy groups, condemned the statement as antisemitic and reflective of a broader trend of hostility toward Jewish campus organizations.
NYU activists protest 'pro-apartheid wall,' call for 'student intifada'
A group of nearly 4 dozen anti-Israel student activists recently protested against a 'pro-apartheid wall' outside of New York University's Gould Plaza.
Students were also said to protest the increased police presence as a result of the wall, as well as promote other pro-Palestine political causes.
The NYU activists were said to have left the demonstration to join other local, anti-Israel student activists at Columbus Circle in response to the National Students for Justice in Palestine’s “International Day of Action.”
Chapter of Faculty for Justice in Palestine, org accused of ‘influencing student-led antisemitic activism,’ formed at George Washington University
The professors said they ‘stand in solidarity with the students and grieve the continued atrocities against the people of Palestine.’
A study by a group opposed to anti-Semitism recently found that ‘the presence of FJP chapters correlates strongly with the rise of violent antisemitic behavior on campuses.’
The formation of the group was mentioned by professors Peter Calloway, helen [sic] DeVinney, Amr Madkour, Sara Matthiesen, and Dara Orenstein in an Oct. 28 op-ed published in The GW Hatchet.
FJP chapters have been spreading across American higher education, including to schools like the Universities of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Harvard. FJP members routinely participate in anti-Israel protests similar to those engaged in by activist student groups.
Florida professors complain about threats to 'academic freedom' over course reviews of anti-Semitism
Some Florida public university professors have expressed reservations about being asked to review course materials for anti-Semitism.
In August, State University System of Florida Chancellor Ray Rodrigues tasked the system's university presidents with examining courses for 'antisemitism or anti-Israeli bias.'
CUNY announces free speech task force after controversy over anti-Israel protests
The City University of New York (CUNY) announced plans to create a free speech task force in response to tensions surrounding anti-Israel protests on its campuses.
Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez emphasized balancing free speech with campus safety and zero tolerance for hate.
University of Michigan appoints Title VI coordinator amid campus anti-Israel protests
The University of Michigan hired Anlyn Addis as its new Title VI coordinator to address discrimination and harassment issues on campus, following anti-Israel protests.
This role aligns with a U.S. Department of Education agreement aimed at ensuring compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws.
Campus Reform recently reported about two Jewish students at UMich being attacked, prompting a police investigation and an official condemnation from the university administration.
Mizzou president doubles down on barring SJP from homecoming parade, rejects latest demand letter
University of Missouri President Mun Choi has reaffirmed his decision to deny Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) from participating in the school's homecoming parade out of safety concerns.
On Friday, the Mizzou SJP chapter took to Instagram to share that President Choi had stood by his decision and rejected the groups latest list of 'demands.'
According to the SJP chapter, Choi’s response came after the group teamed up with other organizations to send him a letter concerning the school’s “pattern of mistreatment and exclusion.”
”After months of silence and discriminatory actions, the administration not only barred MSJP from participating in this year’s Homecoming parade but also publicly labeled us as a threat to public safety,” the letter read. “This dangerous lie has placed Palestinian and pro-Palestinian students at greater risk of harm and and has fueled slander from Zionist groups both on and off campus.”
Signatories of the letter also included Mizzou’s Young Democratic Socialists of America, the Legion of Black Collegians, the Muslim Student Organization, and Progressive Jews of Mizzou.
🇮🇶🤝🇸🇾 Zionist U.S.-Israeli proxy aggression in Syria is doomed: Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) advancing to aid the SAA, countering HTS and SNA. Two columns in Damascus, more from Iraq. #UnitedAxis#Iraqpic.twitter.com/WreOS9PzMH
— Mohamad Al Shami محمد الشامي 🇾🇪🇵🇸 (@mamashami) December 1, 2024
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
BREAKING:
A-10 Warthogs of the U.S. Air Force have been flying strafing runs against the Iraqi Shia militia columns that entered Syria and were heading toward Damascus to link up with Assad’s forces and fight against Turkish-backed rebels.
#6
The ultimate CAS aircraft validating the great utility of industrialized homicide, close-up and personal, on-demand. How refreshing for the USAF to demonstrate why the A-10 belongs in the inventory!
[Mil History] THE NAME Martin James Monti may not carry the same measure of infamy in the United States as Benedict Arnold, the notorious turncoat of the War of Independence. Yet the obscure St. Louis, Missouri native does hold the dubious distinction as being the only known American serviceman to have willingly defected to the Nazis in World War Two.
In October of 1944, the 23-year-old U.S. Army second lieutenant stole an unarmed reconnaissance plane from an Allied airbase in southern Italy and flew it into enemy territory as part of a bizarre bid to change sides.
The child of German and Italian immigrants and raised in a staunchly anti-communist household, Monti became a firebrand critic of the western Allies’ support for the Soviet Union. In fact, despite enlisting in the Army Air Corps in November, 1942, the young flying officer saw Nazi Germany as the best hope for stopping what he saw as the real threat to world peace: Bolshevism.
Over the next year and a half, Monti hatched a brazen scheme to join the fight against the Red Menace by casting his lot in with the fascists.
[FoxNews] China may have ruined President Biden’s Angola trip before it starts
Legacy or lethargy? President Biden this week steps onto African soil for the first time in his presidency, in a visit to Angola seen by many as an attempt to leave a legacy. But China, analysts say, is threatening, through a decade of investment in Africa, to thwart the Biden administration’s aims to bring sweet memories in Africa of his time in the White House.
"The headline on Biden’s legacy in Africa is likely to be ‘over-promised and under-delivered,’" analyst Cameron Hudson told Fox News Digital. Hudson, director of African affairs at the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration, and now senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Affairs, added, "Biden set high expectations that he would revamp relations with the continent, when instead his approach and results have not substantially differed from any of his predecessors."
African analyst Cobus van Staden added his thoughts: "The Biden administration's legacy in Africa is somewhat mixed." Van Staden is managing editor of the China-Global South Project, an organization that acts as a watchdog on Beijing’s actions and is a project contributor for the South African Institute of International Affairs.
"While it (Biden’s administration) contrasted with the first Trump term in upgrading the optics and rhetoric of U.S. engagement, it remains unclear how many of the announced projects will be completed. Overall, Africa was included in Biden's approach of coalition-building as a response to growing Chinese power. His term also saw the positioning of critical minerals as a key U.S. strategic priority. However, so far this hasn't translated to many gains on the African side," he said.
Speaking at a special State Department briefing on Biden’s Angola trip, Dr. Frances Brown, special assistant to the president and senior director for African affairs at the National Security Council, pushed back on criticism. Referring to the African leaders’ confab in 2022, he noted, "At that summit, we – the U.S. – pledged to invest $55 billion in Africa over three years. We are over-delivering on that thus far. Two years later, we’ve spent – we’ve invested more than 80% of that commitment."
At another briefing, senior Biden administration officials noted that over "the past two years since the Africa Leaders Summit, the administration has had over 20 Cabinet level and senior officials travel to the continent," the senior official added, "I think this administration is about the totality of those visits and those initiatives, and we're proud of our record on that front."
Brown claimed last week that "billions of dollars have been mobilized" in the Lobito Rail Corridor, a planned 800-mile railway that is central to Biden’s Angola visit – and his legacy. Brown claimed it is one of his ‘signature initiatives’.
The rail system will stretch from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and a point close to Zambia, to the port of Lobito, on Angola’s Atlantic seaboard. Washington is hoping that it can be used to transport critical raw materials (CRMs), such as cobalt and lithium, needed for the likes of electric vehicles, EV, batteries, and cut down transit time from the current 45 days to under a week.
"The International Energy Agency (IEA) has estimated that between 2020 and 2040, demand for nickel and cobalt will increase by 20 times, for graphite 25 times, and for lithium more than 40 times," Dr. E.D. Wala Chabala wrote in a recent paper for the Africa Policy Research Institute.
Chabala, a former chairman of Zambia Railways and an economic policy consultant, added, "This projected surge in demand for CRMs has fueled great interest in the Lobito Corridor, and with it an inevitable scramble for access. The DRC, as the world’s largest producer of cobalt (estimates are consistently around 70% of global production), has found itself at the epicenter of this scramble, as has, by association, Zambia."
But there’s a large panda in the room: China. Chabala pointed out "the targeted materials (CRMs) are mostly already locked in by China, and the Asians are leaders in EV technology."
Chabala added, "Not only are the Chinese ubiquitously present on the African continent, but China is already far ahead in building supply chains for cobalt, lithium, and several other essential metals and minerals. And what is more, China is moving to take over the running of the TAZARA railway line, which runs from central Zambia to the port of Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean."
"The reality of the Lobito Corridor development is that it may be coming too late in the day. What is more, there is a proposed route, shorter by some 500 km, to the east between Lubumbashi and Dar es Salaam."
"The European Union (EU) and the U.S. are not currently leaders in EV technology. It is reported that almost 90% of cell component manufacturing, the most significant step in the battery value chain, is undertaken in Asia," Chabala said.
Van Staden told Fox News Digital, "The viability of the rail corridor partially depends on external factors. It will compete with the TAZARA rail line between Zambia and Tanzania, which will be upgraded by Chinese companies over the next few years. There will likely be pressure from the African side to connect the two lines, because that would realize a long-held goal to connect the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts."
"The U.S. has no choice but to seek access to critical minerals in Africa, as many of these are crucial components to the kind of high-tech manufacturing that the U.S. is trying to remain competitive in," Hudson told Fox News Digital, adding, "We simply cannot afford to cede that territory to China, nor is it too late to try to claw back our influence in this sector."
"More importantly, there is an opening to do so because Africans want diversity in their economic partnerships. Just as we are wary of China cornering the market on critical minerals in certain countries, so too are those countries worried about being so beholden to Chinese interests."
Hudson continued, "The Lobito project is really a proof of concept that the U.S. can and should be undertaking the kind of large-scale commercial infrastructure projects similar to what China has been doing on the continent for decades. Importantly, it is a recognition that we have heard the calls from African leaders that they want a relationship that is based on ’trade not aid.’"
Chabala told Fox News Digital this week that another factor working against U.S. interests is that the Chinese are involved in ownership of the mines producing CRMs in the DRC. "They own 80% of the largest cobalt producer in Congo, they are heavily involved in the EV battery value chain, with the bulk of the value chain activities being undertaken in Asia, and they are currently the number one global producer of EVs (the Chinese auto manufacturer BYD)," he said.
He added, "The long-term strategy of the EU and U.S. ought to be to invest and establish strong counterweight economies, so much so that the impact and consequences of the Chinese economic dynamics are counterbalanced. The African continent has 1.4 billion people, 60% below the age of 24, with a landmass of more than 30 million square kilometers (over 11 million square miles)."
"This is double the population of the EU and U.S., and almost double their landmasses. The quantities of materials on the African continent and the potential they represent for the global economy are astounding. This represents [an] unfathomable potential for establishing industries on the continent, not only to counterweight the Chinese economy, but to lock in a future market for all the top brands of EU and U.S. businesses. The mind boggles that the EU and U.S. have not embarked on pursuing this strategy, decades ago."
Van Staden noted, "Chinese actors make up less than 10% of all the mining done on the continent and there is space for more engagement from many stakeholders, as long as that happens on African terms."
Hudson concluded that, with his new administration, President-elect "Trump needs to be paying attention, treating Africans as equal partners, not talking down to them, and recognizing that they have choices. If we want Africa to choose us, then it will be through the attractiveness of our offer and not as a result of pressure."
Mainstream media is not dealing well with the rise of independent media and the loss of control they have over X since Elon Musk took over.
He chastised the media types who were losing "authority," yelling, "No, you're not!" at X being the news.
"You guys f**ked us too many times," he scolded.
And we don't believe you anymore! And so, the only way to find out what's real and what's not real is someone posts it online and then everyone looks at it. And then you get the Community Note. And that's way better than The NY Times telling me that the Fruit Loops in Canada are exactly the same as the Fruit Loops in America, except for a bunch of sh** that's banned, and that's the point...Meanwhile they're factchecking RFK Jr, so now I don't trust you any more either.
[RedState] When the Democrats booted Joe Biden and swapped in Kamala Harris in a truly anti-democratic move, it was a truly unprecedented act. It was putting aside the primary choice of the Democratic voters for someone who ended up losing spectacularly.
But one of the people who factored into the drama was actor George Clooney, who wrote an op-ed asking Joe Biden to step aside and said they weren't going to win with Biden. That was after he helped throw a fundraiser for Biden just weeks before. But Clooney didn't say anything about a problem until the op-ed, even though he realized there was a problem during the fundraiser.
Clooney even tried to sell us on how Biden was like the most selfless person since "George Washington" in September.
Then of course it all went south for them, when they got crushed on Nov. 5.
According to a new report from Radar Online, Clooney "is furious with Obama for disappearing after the election disaster and leaving him holding the bag for pushing the plan with his Hollywood pals," a showbiz insider said. "He used me like a condom. A scumbag!"
A "political mole" told Radar it was Barack Obama who asked Clooney to call for Biden to step aside, "fearing fallout if he did it himself."
#2
Actors need to be exposed as dumbasses who only recite lines from a script. Obama needs to be exposed as the one who writes the script. Here's hoping that they will no longer be as influential as they once were.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/02/2024 11:55
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[RedState] Reactions have come fast and hard following Kash Patel's nomination to lead the FBI. Donald Trump made the selection amid years of corruption and abuse within the nation's top law enforcement agency, citing Patel's role in uncovering the Russian collusion hoax.
To be sure, though, his resume extends much further, having held numerous high-level positions in the Pentagon, DOJ, and NSC. Anyone claiming he's not "qualified" is simply not telling the truth.
Still, some are trying to make that case by sharing a quote from Bill Barr's 2022 tell-all book in which he trashed Patel as having "virtually no experience that would qualify him to serve at the highest level of the world’s preeminent law enforcement agency." At the time, Barr was referring to the possibility of Patel becoming deputy director at the FBI.
I categorically opposed making Patel deputy FBI director. I told Mark Meadows it would happen "over my dead body." In the first place, all the leadership positions in the bureau, except the director, have always been FBI agents. They've all gone through the same agent training and have had broad experience in the field and at headquarters. Someone with no background as an agent would never be able to command the respect necessary to run the day-to-day operations of the bureau. Furthermore, Patel had virtually no experience that would qualify him to serve at the highest level of the world’s preeminent law enforcement agency.
If I could only write one more sentence for this article, it would be this: I can't think of a better endorsement for Patel to serve as FBI director than that.
Fortunately, I can write a few more, and I've got just a few things to say. First, the idea that the FBI should perpetually staff itself is exactly how it became a corrupt agency more intent on protecting "the shield" and damaging its political enemies than serving the American people. The bureau is not a fourth branch of government, free from the confines of the accountability of voters.
Trump was not elected to keep the status quo rolling, and those using Barr's 2022 quote to try to attack Patel's nomination should realize they are irrelevant. No one cares about "norms" when those norms have produced the targeting of Christians, the arrest of pro-lifers for expressing free speech, and the surveilling of parents at school board meetings. Never mind the litany of FBI figures such as Andrew McCabe and Peter Strzok, who have been exposed as corrupt partisans who abused their power to try to take down Trump.
To put it frankly, the FBI has forfeited any right to claim sovereignty and "independence." Too much has transpired, and if any of the rank-and-file have a problem with the coming reforms, they are welcome to quit.
Further, the fact that so many left-wingers are freaking out only serves as more evidence that Patel is the right man for the job.
No, we aren't heading for a "constitutional crisis" because the FBI is not a constitutional agency. It is a bloated, corrupt bureaucracy under the direct leadership of the president and one in desperate need of a house cleaning. It is not in question whether the bureau has abused its power to go after the political enemies of the left. That demands a reckoning, and a reckoning is coming whether the Beltway elites like it or not.
[RedState] President-elect Donald Trump (still enjoying that) hasn't even taken office yet, but the impact of his election victory is already making itself felt across the land — and south of the border. In the latest example of this, the Mexican government has reportedly broken up two small illegal immigrant caravans headed for the United States.
Mexican immigration authorities have broken up two small migrant caravans headed to the U.S. border, activists said Saturday.
Some migrants were bused to cities in southern Mexico, and others were offered transit papers.
The action comes a week after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to slap 25% tariffs on Mexican products unless the country does more to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S. border.
There would appear to be a catch: Some of the illegal immigrants were offered "transit papers," which presumably allowed them to continue. So not a complete fix; not yet. But it's a step.
The usual suspects are already clutching at pearls.
On Wednesday, Trump wrote that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had agreed to stop unauthorized migration across the border into the United States. Sheinbaum wrote on her social media accounts the same day that “migrants and caravans are taken care of before they reach the border.”
Migrant rights activist Luis García Villagrán said the breaking-up of the two caravans appeared to be part of “an agreement between the president of Mexico and the president of the United States.”
The President-elect has already spoken with the Mexican president on this topic.
But the interesting part of all this is the leadership aspect. Not in Mexico, mind you, but in the United States. President Joe Biden has, it seems, already been replaced. Oh, he still holds the formal trappings of the presidency. He still sleeps in the White House — at least, every now and then, when he isn't relaxing at his Delaware beach house. He still rides around on Air Force One, and (we note with no small apprehension) he still has nuclear weapons release authority.
In negotiations with other nations, it sure looks like Donald Trump has already assumed the role of acting president. He has already been talking with other world leaders, and he has already been influencing those other leaders to take actions that Trump wants them to take. This Mexican action is a great example.
The world doesn't seem willing to wait until Joe Biden finally shuffles off to Rehoboth Beach for keeps. They're talking with Trump already. That's probably for the best, and it speaks volumes as to the capacities of both men.
#1
President Trump is already behaving as if he's back in office. First Mexico and now Justin Trudeau are falling to their figurative knees because he's promised (not threatened) to do serious damage to their already wimpy economies if they don't.
[RedState] With our new feature we assess the news landscape from the past seven days and ascertain if one news organization rose up by lowering itself on a consistent basis. This week, we made a slight change to our strict arbitrary measurement process by adding a compulsory holiday element: In order to be considered an outlet, it had to be seen trashing the Thanksgiving holiday traditions in some capacity.
Fun at the link as the contenders are lightly flayed.
Killing time while waiting for Allah to send a miracle. Possibly via President Trump, who as an American will surely be moved to force Israel to surrender in the hope of getting back the Israeli-American hostages, right?
[GEO.TV] Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... is open to discussing "all ideas and proposals", a senior Hamas official told AFP, as representatives arrived in Cairo Saturday for talks on a possible ceasefire 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... The group has "not received any new offer or proposal so far", the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered... because of the sensitivity of the topic.
But Hamas "is open to discussing all ideas and proposals that lead to the end of the war, Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced, the entry of humanitarian and relief aid, and a serious deal to exchange prisoners," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/02/2024
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[11160 views]
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#1
When the Nazis [“officially”] started WWII with its surprise-attack on Poland on 1 Sept 1939, Hitler went on radio asserting his openness to negotiations for ending all hostilities peacefully. Sound familiar? Why do otherwise intelligent people fall for this stuff over and over and over and over again?
Posted by: Ginger Hale ||
12/02/2024 3:19
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#2
Hitler’s speech from that day are easily available online. It’s remarkable how similar his words are to those of Hamas.
Posted by: Ginger Hale ||
12/02/2024 3:25
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[GEO.TV] The Paleostinian health ministry said the Israeli army killed four people in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, as Israel announced a strike that killed four "terrorists".
The ministry updated the corpse count from two earlier on Sunday, saying four people were killed "due to the occupation's aggression on the village of Siir, Jenin district", referring to Israel.
"Immediately after the strike, (Israeli) soldiers conducted a targeted raid in the area and located three weapons on the terrorists' bodies," the army said.
[IsraelTimes] Another three gunmen killed in strike in town of Sir, northern West Bank; Wael Lahlouh murdered Yonatan Deutsch, wounded another man in August attack
An Israeli drone strike near the West Bank city of Jenin on Sunday morning killed four Palestinian gunmen including a Hamas terrorist responsible for a deadly shooting attack in the Jordan Valley in the summer, the military said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the cell of four gunmen killed in the airstrike in the town of Sir, close to Jenin, was responsible for several shooting attacks against Israeli towns bordering the northern West Bank.
The head of the cell, Wael Lahlouh, 31, from Qabatiya, carried out a shooting attack on August 11 at the Mehola Junction on Route 90, the main north-south artery in the Jordan Valley, killing Yonatan Deutsch, 23, and wounding Anas Jaramana, 32.
Lahlouh and another Hamas terrorist managed to flee the scene of the attack. The terror group later released a video showing the shooting. The IDF said that, following the attack, Lahlouh worked to recruit additional terrorists in Jenin for “imminent” attacks.
After the four gunmen were targeted in the drone strike, troops raided the site and seized three guns from their bodies, the military said.
Additional weapon parts and military equipment were also captured, the army added.
The Palestinian Authority health ministry said it was informed of the deaths of the four, indicating that their bodies are being held by Israeli authorities.
The West Bank, which is controlled by Israeli security forces, has seen a sharp rise in violence since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
The onslaught was followed by sharp restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank and wide-scale counterterrorism operations there. On Wednesday, the Shin Bet said it thwarted an arms shipment to the West Bank by Iran, Hamas’s benefactor.
Since the Hamas onslaught, Israeli troops have arrested some 5,250 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,050 affiliated with Hamas.
According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 716 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or terrorists carrying out attacks.
During the same period, 41 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another six members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.
[GEO.TV] Amid the government's efforts to ease tensions in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram district, a ceasefire was finally reached between two warring tribes in the restive district, the Deputy Commissioner confirmed on Sunday as the corpse count in deadly festivities surged to 130.
"Armed rustics were removed from the firing posts while police and forces have been deployed [in the region]," the DC said in a statement without divulging details.
The latest spell of violence, which continued for the 11th consecutive day, has claimed at least 130 lives and injured 186 others as six more individuals bit the dust and eight others sustained injuries in the overnight firing.
The question is merely which group of Sunnis went after the Shiite Hazeras — Pak Taliban, Afghan Taliban, ISIS, their civilian neighbours on a tear? So many possibilities, so little information.
The recent episode of festivities began eight days ago with ambushes on two separate convoys under police escort, resulting in 52 deaths on November 21. Since then, violence between the warring clans has escalated, with police struggling to maintain control.
The Kurram region is facing a communication blackout, with mobile and internet services suspended and educational institutions closed.
The closure of the main highway has not only disrupted local transportation but also caused a complete suspension of trade with Afghanistan, particularly at the Kharlachi border.
A 10-day truce was brokered earlier this week, but intermittent violence has rendered it ineffective.
In the statement issued today, the deputy commissioner said that the jirga participants would "speak to elders to reopen roads and sign a peace agreement."
Furthermore, the official said, Kohat Division elders and parliamentarians would visit Kurram district to ensure a peace agreement between the warring tribes.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistain recorded 79 deaths in the region between July and October this year, highlighting the persistent instability.
[GEO.TV] Two Pakistain Army soldiers, including a captain, embraced martyrdom, while eight bad boyz were potted in two separate operations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the military's media affairs wing said on Sunday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR): ''Eight khwarij have been sent to hell in two separate operations conducted in KP from November 29 to December 1, 2024.''
Back in August the government of Pakistan declared the Tehrik-e-Pakistan (TTP) as "Fitna al-Khawarij,” and then banned them. This had exactly the non-effect one would expect.
An intelligence-based operation (IBO) was conducted in the general area of Baka Khel, Bannu District, based on reports of terrorists' presence.
The ISPR stated that security forces effectively engaged the bully boys' location during the operation, killing five holy warriors and injuring nine.
However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... during the operation, Sepoy Iftikhar Hussain, 29, having fought gallantly, embraced martyrdom.
In another operation, the security forces neutralised three holy warriors and arrested two in the general area of Shagai, Khyber District.
During the intense exchange of fire, Captain Muhammad Zohaib Ud Din, 25, who was leading his troops from the front, fought bravely, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat.
According to the military's media wing, the murderous Moslems were involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces as well as innocent civilians.
"Sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate any other holy warriors found in the area as security forces were determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthened our resolve," said the ISPR.
Meanwhile,
...back at the buffalo wallow, Standing Buffalo watched the circling Commanches and asked himself What would Geronimo do?... President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in... and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appreciated the security forces for conducting two successful operations against ''Fitna-al-Khawarij'' in KP.
In their separate messages, they praised the bravery of security forces for killing eight terrorists. They also paid rich tribute to Captain Zohaib and Sepoy Iftikhar who embraced martyrdom in the operations against bully boys.
President Zardari said the sacrifices of deaders for the security of motherland will not go waste. He reiterated his commitment to continue the actions against the menace of terrorism till its complete elimination.
[GEO.TV] US President-elect Donald Trump ...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons... issued a strong warning to BRICS nations on Saturday, demanding they pledge not to create a new currency or back any effort to replace the US dollar, Rooters reported.
He threatened that failure to comply would result in 100% tariffs on their goods.
''We require a commitment from these countries that they will neither create a new BRICS currency, nor back any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar or, they will face 100% tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful US economy,'' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He added: ''They can go find another 'sucker.' There is no chance that the BRICS will replace the US dollar in international trade, and any country that tries should wave goodbye to America.''
Some BRICS leaders, notably from Brazil and Russia, have discussed creating a new currency to reduce the US dollar's dominance in global trade. However,
ars longa, vita brevis... internal disagreements have hampered these efforts.
Trump's comments have raised speculation that his tough stance may be part of a broader negotiation strategy. Republican Senator Ted Cruz;
...US Senator from Texas. Republican contender for president in 2016, his stiff and abrasive manner earned him the title most hated man in the Senate. After a close win over Beto O'Rourke, who tried to out-Lastino him, he grew a beard and let his biting wit shine through. Cruz's comments have been known to leave life-threatening wounds at better than forty feet... , when asked about Trump's tariff proposals, highlighted the strategic use of leverage. ''You look at the threat of tariffs against Mexico and Canada, immediately [it] produced action,'' Cruz said on CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday.
A majority of the gold is "SAID" to 12 miles underground 🤣.
But China "claims" at least 1000 tons of ($80-B) gold reserves at a depth of around just over 1.8 miles, "according to Xinhua".
But that's just a drop in the bucket compared to what the Obama/Biden Coup and DC Swamp wasted each week.
#4
BRICS'leverage comes from Biden's willingness to debank Russia. You can't trust the US
Posted by: Regular joe ||
12/02/2024 11:44
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#5
#3. I follow gold exploration, and this story reminds me of a Canadian company called Bre-x. The Chinese company is publicly traded, btw, caveat emptor.
[GEO.TV] Iraq's parliament postponed until Monday a vote on controversial legal amendments, including a reworked family law bill that had sparked civil outrage over fears of a resurgence in underage marriages.
A session devoted to the legislation scheduled for Sunday did not go ahead and would now be held the following day, parliament's communications department said.
The proposed amendments would let people choose between religious or state regulations for family matters, such as marriage, inheritance, divorce and child custody.
Critics fear the move could erode protections for Moslem women by lowering the legal age for marriage — currently set at 18, or 15 with the consent of legal guardians and a judge — and pave the way for the adoption of law that could allow girls as young as nine years old to marry.
A revised version of the bill sets the minimum age at 15 with court approval and retains "current conditions", according to MP Raed al-Maliki, who backs the new proposals.
If passed, holy mans and lawyers would have four months to establish community-specific regulations.
Parliament would then vote again to finalise the changes.
The draft law has already undergone two readings, with votes previously delayed.
An earlier version faced a backlash from feminists and civil society groups.
In October, Amnesty International warned the amendments could legalise unregistered marriages — often used to bypass child marriage bans — and strip protections for divorced women.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/02/2024
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#1
Are scott rittter, p diddy,and 3/4 of Hollywood now moving to iraq?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[RIA] A sudden escalation: militants from several extremist groups attacked positions of the SAR government forces. The terrorists managed to capture a number of settlements, bring up reserves and consolidate their positions. The army is trying to recapture what was lost. RIA Novosti reports on the situation in the north of the Middle Eastern country.
THE DASH TO ALEPPO
The offensive began on the morning of Wednesday, November 27, in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo. The Jabhat al-Nusra and Syrian National Army
…a combination of Turkics from the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, and China, Syrian Muslim Brotherhood types, and ISIS remnants united by Turkey paying their salaries and set to guard Turkey’s new territories on the Syrian side of the border. From time to time they also harass the native Kurds…
groups managed to secretly move significant forces to these areas in advance. Violating the de-escalation agreement concluded in 2020 with the participation of Russia, Turkey and Iran, they attacked on a broad front and reached the outskirts of Aleppo, one of the largest cities in the country, which was the site of intense fighting in the 2010s.
According to specialized Telegram channels, the situation around Aleppo was rapidly deteriorating. Militants were advancing from three sides at once: to the west in the Bashnitra area, to the southwest on the cut section of the M-5 highway, and to the south near Saraqib. Government troops are still holding this settlement. One of the strongest units is operating here — the 25th Special Forces Division, trained by Russian instructors. The militants were unable to pass through it.
On Thursday, the Defense Ministry reported that extremist groups had suffered heavy losses in equipment and manpower. "Government forces are confronting terrorist organizations with various firepower and together with friendly forces," the communique said. However, militants' activity has not decreased.
On the same day, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants and their supporters began storming the city of Anadan, nine kilometers northwest of Aleppo, to cut off an important route north to Nubol and Az-Zahra, where civilians could theoretically be evacuated and troops could retreat. Apparently, they want to encircle Aleppo.
To the west, heavy fighting continues in the vicinity of Kafr Dael and Bashkatin. To the south, the militants have occupied Jamiyat Kahraba and Khan al-Assal, capturing many trophies there - artillery, tanks, ammunition, cars. From there, the terrorists are advancing towards Aleppo itself.
On Friday, the Syrian army counterattacked. More than 400 militants were reported killed. The Russian Aerospace Forces provided active support to the government forces in repelling the offensive, including strikes with aerial bombs with universal planning and correction modules (UMPK), which are used in Ukraine.
UKRAINIAN TRACE
Moscow has already responded to what is happening in the northern regions of Syria. The president's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin is in favor of constitutional order. He described the militants' actions as an encroachment on Syria's sovereignty. Iran has responded more harshly. The official representative of the Foreign Ministry, Ismail Baghaei, said that all this is part of Washington's plan to destabilize the region in general.
How fortunate that President Biden will be gone in January. President Trump has stated he intends to run things differently
Be that as it may, the militants' tactics clearly reflect the experience of others. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has published footage of objective control of the combat use of FPV drones, as well as drones designed to drop homemade ammunition, on its Internet channels. The extremists' UAVs are hitting army armored vehicles and field positions. They even claim that a kamikaze drone destroyed a government helicopter. It appears that the operators were trained by foreign instructors.
The Middle East Spectator reports that Ukrainian field commanders have been spotted among the militants attacking government troops. Ukraine, in coordination with the United States, has long been training Hayat Tahrir al-Sham*, as Ukrainian media outlets themselves have written about. At the same time, Kiev is conducting large-scale recruitment campaigns in the region to make up for the shortage of manpower in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The final touch is that the Islamist militants wear armbands made of blue and green tape. Just like in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
TIME BOMB
According to experts, the hand of not only Washington and Kyiv, but also Ankara is visible in this.
According to experts, the hand of not only Washington and Kyiv, but also Ankara is visible in this.
"First of all, these are Syrian-Turkish problems," said Andrey Grozin, head of the Central Asia Department at the CIS Institute. "Erdogan and his proxies in Syria, who are currently attacking, have recently had strained relations with Damascus. Assad is strengthening his position in the regions under the control of pro-Turkish militants. A spring offensive by his army would be entirely expected. Syrian sources have indicated a high probability of such a development. Turkish proxies want to play ahead."
The survival of the friendly Syrian regime is extremely important for Moscow, the political scientist continues. The withdrawal of the Russian military contingent from the Middle East would further complicate the already difficult relations with Ankara. It is also necessary to take into account the Iranian factor - Tehran will not like it if Russia leaves Syria. Therefore, we should expect an intensification of the Russian army's actions in this region.
As observers note, there are many Central Asians among the militants - Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. Having gained combat experience, they will return home. And from there they can get to Russia under the guise of migrant workers. There is no doubt that Western "partners" are preparing such scenarios. It is best to defuse this "time bomb" as far from the Russian borders as possible.
The Syrian army has not allowed terrorists to pass north of the city of Hama and has taken control of several important areas, a source from the Syrian Defense Ministry told the Al-Ikhbariya TV channel.
"Our Armed Forces units <…> managed to take control of a number of areas after expelling terrorists from them, the most important of which were Qalaat al-Madiq and Maardas," he said.
According to the TV channel’s source, dozens of terrorists were killed there, and the rest escaped.
At the same time, units operating at night in the northern outskirts of Hama reinforced defensive lines with firepower, personnel and military equipment and prevented the terrorists from breaking through, the source added. As a result, according to him, thousands of militants have been eliminated over the past three days.
The Syrian air force continues to destroy terrorist strongholds in the vicinity of Aleppo and Idlib , the channel’s source concluded.
On Wednesday, November 27, groups belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* violated the de-escalation agreement and attacked the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib. They struck settlements and military positions on a broad front.
The Syrian army responded to the attack, as a result of which the terrorists suffered losses in manpower and equipment. According to the deputy head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria Oleg Ignasyuk, over the previous day, Syrian government troops destroyed at least 300 militants in Aleppo and Idlib.
Syria has been in the grip of an armed conflict since 2011. After the army liberated most of the country, scattered terrorist groups operate in the desert regions of the north and northeast.
Militants periodically carry out raids on civilian and military vehicles on highways and terrorize residents of remote villages. The Syrian army continues active targeted operations to eliminate the remaining militant units.
Posted by: badanov ||
12/02/2024
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#2
Russia's been under pressure, calling back troops and drone operators to shore up the Ukraine fight.
When Israel smacked Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran had to shift personel to support, or risk a domino fall.
Which sounds like a great time for their opposition in Syria to push, because the calvary is not gonna be riding out to save Assad. They got other things to do.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/02/2024 9:41
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[Jpost] On Sunday, I returned to The Jerusalem Post after being drafted as an IDF reservist for almost 80 days for my second tour of duty in Gaza since the October 7 massacre. My anecdotal experience as an infantryman and perspective as a journalist in civilian life have given me a unique perspective on war issues, familiar and unexplored alike.
These ten takeaways from someone who has been in the mud of the battlefield should be considered by policymakers and citizens in which much of the information about the war is second-hand information or hearsay.
1. The IDF is winning, and needs to be allowed to win
Compared to their operations during my first tour at the end of 2023, there is a sense that Hamas is collapsing. The terrorist organization once fielded ambush cells that conducted frequent hit-and-run anti-tank missile attacks and ambushes from a wide network of bunkers and tunnels for a guerilla defense-in-depth strategy.
Almost a year later, Hamas seems unable to operate on a strategic level, even from areas in which its battalions have remained structurally intact or reconstituted from degraded units. This is exemplified by Hamas’s inability to launch targeted reprisals for the death of military leaders or even attempt traditional attacks on Jewish holidays or the anniversaries of October 7.
By and large, they do not operate at night or the light of day, clinging even closer to the low visibility of dawn and dusk, whereas their operatives would once openly operate in daylight hours due to being able to escape underground after an attack. It appears that their tunnel networks have been greatly compromised, as they have had to travel along roads and weave between buildings.
Their legitimate operations focus on improvised explosive devices and lone sniper attacks rather than using heavier munitions, but a greater focus has been filming any engagement so that they can edit the footage so they can claim to foreign supporters and Israeli citizens that they have destroyed Israeli vehicles. Stealing humanitarian aid was apparently not enough for some Hamas battalions, as in one case, they resorted to sending plainclothes operatives to loot food and supplies from abandoned IDF positions.
Their mortar bombs fall far less accurately than they once did, and we did not encounter any enemy drone activity. The Netzarim security corridor seems relatively safe, with paved roads and outposts enjoying electricity provided by power lines.
While many soldiers left Gaza positive about the IDF’s advancements, the path to victory is long, and the journey should not be confused with its destination. Many soldiers have mixed their sense of Hamas’s significant degradation with the feeling that the military is being held back from decisive action, entering and leaving areas to allow Hamas to retain territorial control.
2. Gaza has suffered heavy damage
The extent of the damage to infrastructure hasn’t been completely appreciated by the general public, and Israeli and international leaders will need to develop extensive plans to rebuild the territory. Whole neighborhoods have been leveled during direct combat, the search and destruction of tunnels and booby traps, and the establishment of defensible positions.
If buildings have not been damaged by their proximity to explosives or pocked by suppressive fire, they have had their outer walls shaved away to reveal the possible presence of terrorists. Concrete rubble and trash are strewn along wide fields in the Strip and will need to be collected and moved before some areas are traversable, let alone livable. The IDF will need to prepare to explain the extensive damage to civilian infrastructure.
3. Gaza was far from an 'open-air prison'
One of the great shames about the extensive damage to Gazan infrastructure is that it was not the desolate "open-air prison" that it had been advertised as in anti-Israel propaganda. While there certainly were residents living in desperate conditions, the houses, apartments, and villas that we cleared and took position in had a decent and even opulent quality of life. All the homes we saw had televisions, computers, refrigerators, decorations, and stores of food in line with an Israeli suburb.
Our impression was not one of squalor but normal conditions. In rural areas, villas and mansions oversaw sweeping vineyards on one side and a view of the ocean on the other, and in urban areas, large schools, restaurants, and other facilities. The lost potential and degraded conditions in Gaza make Hamas’s decision to attack Israel and weaponize its territory rather than develop what they held a shame all the greater.
4. Hamas weaponized Gaza
Much has been said about Hamas’s use of civilian shields to deter IDF operations — a detained civilian told our troops that he was unable to travel from the north to the south along humanitarian corridors because he had to bribe Hamas operatives who were bent on keeping civilians around them as cover. Yet the civilians are just one aspect of Hamas turning Gaza into a weapon to try to destroy Israel.
Tunnel networks are not just placed around or under civilian objects; terrorist infrastructure is integrated into civilian infrastructure in a way that makes the two indistinguishable. Civilian homes are turned into lookout and reconnaissance outposts, with members of families hired by terrorist organizations to provide intelligence, as was exemplified by the capture of spotters by a neighboring battalion.
Armories are hidden within houses to be accessed by plainclothes terrorists when they have the need to shed the veneer of being civilians. Tunnel entrances can be found on the first floor of apartment buildings, not just in their backyards. Other homes are booby-trapped, leading to widespread suspicion of each home being laced with explosives. With Gaza being weaponized in such a fashion, it has led military units to take precautions and actions that damage buildings and homes so that they can stay alive.
5. The IDF is not conducting a genocide
The purpose of our operations was not geared toward the elimination of Gazan civilians. There were never orders to kill civilians wantonly, and there were debates on whether we had enough information to use deadly force and when it was legitimate to open fire. Civilians were allowed to pass by our positions along humanitarian corridors unmolested.
These elements would not be found among a force that is devoted to mass murder or genocide. Civilian casualties are tragic, and unfortunately, they always occur in war, which is why such conflict should be avoided in the first place.
6. The IDF needs to restore discipline
While IDF soldiers are not engaged in mass war crimes or genocide, there is inappropriate and even criminal behavior. Other soldiers have shared with me stories of looting, and I had to stop someone who had been temporarily attached to our battalion from taking a necklace from a house.
While my battalion did not bring our cellphones into Gaza until our last week, when we were moved back to a rearguard outpost, we have seen the widespread use of phones by other neighboring units.
This is all the more shocking not just because posting on social media can be used by enemies to geo-locate positions and gather intelligence but also because the violent machismo and inappropriate fooling around in videos and photographs discredits the moral legitimacy of the military and create an overly relaxed and familiar environment that can get people killed.
While journalists have to answer to the IDF censor, it felt to many of us that the IDF has done little to crack down on soldiers who are acting as poor spokespeople, even documenting what appear to be crimes. Even small issues such as unsanctioned edgy uniform patches lead to a breakdown in discipline, which may lead to even greater behavior unbecoming of the IDF’s ethics.
The military leadership seems unwilling to deal with the overly involved families and loss of manpower that comes with disciplining inappropriate behavior.
7. Trust has been eroded in military leadership
The failures of the October 7 massacre have led to a distrust of the military brass among many soldiers and reservists I have spoken to. It has become a common refrain among the ranks to not trust anyone above the rank of a battalion commander.
High-ranking officers are viewed critically as out-of-touch "October 6" officers who care more about the advancement of their careers through checking task boxes on their clipboards than actually changing the reality on the ground.
Reservists and mandatory soldiers alike are results-oriented, and if they feel that officers are more focused on satisfying their superiors than the realities on the ground, their orders will have less validity. The military brass, like the political leadership, needs to prove to their men that their sacrifices for victory will not be in vain.
8. Reservists are frustrated with domestic squabbles
As the news broke that defense minister Yoav Gallant had been fired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fierce debate broke out in the company about the legitimacy of the move. While Netanyahu’s camp claimed that there were professional differences over strategy that could not be overcome and that the prosecution of the war required Gallant’s firing, too much suspicion and bad blood had been developed about political plays within the current government.
Many believe that the move was made to save the coalition because the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties threatened to leave because of Gallant’s work towards drafting haredi youth. Such suspicions have been informed by some politicians continuing to pursue their prior political interests, such as major judicial reform proponents calling to renew the process.
While soldiers are fighting and dying, they don’t feel that the politicians are with them and take the war seriously. This distrust extends to the opposition as well. With many of the same actors that were involved in the anti-reform camp pushing for hostage deals at varying costs, many soldiers have expressed to me that they can’t help but wonder if they are motivated by the good of the nation or their own political agendas.
9. The IDF needs more soldiers
As the war and debate about who has been drafted continued, reservists have become increasingly frustrated that some demographic groups are benefiting from the blood and toil of reservists while not contributing to the endeavor themselves. My battalion deputy commander and company commander have become involved in movements calling for a more equal draft.
The need for an increased draft comes as current reservists face multiple tours and are pushed off retirement. Our battalion saw a drop off in reenlistment as some reservists had to deal with crumbling families, businesses, and health. Many reservists came despite these challenges — the sacrifices that they have made are beyond just the risk of death and injury.
10. Soldiers deserve victory
The sacrifices that were made by reservists and mandatory soldiers were made under the implicit promise that they would be in exchange for victory. The state has to consider in its policies and strategic decisions not just the feelings of hostage families and residents who have to return home but also those who have willingly given everything for them and the state.
Reservists want a resolution to the problems that led to October 7; they don’t want this war to become yet another round in an ongoing conflict. While we will continue to fight for Israel, we don’t want to have to come back to Gaza and Lebanon in a few years’ time — for not just our sake but also for that of all Israelis and Palestinians.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
12/02/2024
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[Breitbart] Sixteen people were shot, two of them fatally, in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s (D) Chicago by Saturday afternoon for Thanksgiving Weekend.
Breitbart News reported that one of the two shooting fatalities was that of Oak Park Police Detective Allan Reddins.
Reddins was shot Friday morning around 9:30 a.m., upon responding to a call about a man leaving a bank with a gun. He died approximately 40 minutes after being shot.
ABC 7 pointed out Jerell Thomas was arrested and charged with first degree murder in connection with Reddins’ death.
CBS News noted the other fatal shooting occurred just before 2:20 a.m. “in the 2800 block of West Polk Street,” where a 17-year-old boy was shot. The 17-year-old was standing on the street when someone pulled up in a vehicle and opened fire, hitting him numerous times.
The 17-year-old was rushed to a hospital, where he died.
The Chicago Sun-Times pointed out 515 people were killed in Chicago thus far this year.
[Breitbart] Jerrell Thomas, described by police investigators as a “habitual criminal,” is under arrest and charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Oak Park police detective Allan Reddins.
Breitbart News reported Reddins responded to a call Friday morning about a man leaving a bank with a gun and, upon arriving on scene, was shot around 9:30 a.m.
Reddins died shortly thereafter and was the first Oak Park Police Department officer killed in the line of duty since 1938.
On Saturday, ABC 7 noted that 37-year-old Thomas was arrested in connection with the shooting.
Police investigators described Thomas as a “habitual criminal” and ABC 7 pointed out some of his previous charges include “multiple arrests for aggravated battery to a police officer, domestic battery, battery and resisting a police officer.”
Thomas allegedly opened fire on Reddins after being asked to “show his hands.” Reddins was fatally wounded in his left side and Thomas was struck in the leg via return fire.
[FoxNews] This cornbread casserole recipe is the perfect dish for wranglers, its creator told Fox News Digital.
Debi Morgan of Asheville, North Carolina, is the creator of the Southern food blog Quiche My Grits. She said she was "inspired to make this Cowboy Cornbread Casserole because it's a Southern version of a tamale pie."
As she told Fox News Digital, "This easy skillet meal is topped with homemade buttermilk cornbread, which makes it rich and delicious."
[FoxNews] The US is competing with Russia and China to develop hypersonic weapons.
The Pentagon is in the process of fitting the first-ever shipborn hypersonic missile system to a U.S. stealth destroyer once considered to be defunct.
The USS Zumwalt is stationed at a Mississippi shipyard as it undergoes the retrofit. The U.S. Navy is installing missile tubes towards the vessel's bow, where two inactive gun turrets were once positioned. The turrets had never been activated due to cost.
"It was a costly blunder. But the Navy could take victory from the jaws of defeat here, and get some utility out of them by making them into a hypersonic platform," Bryan Clark, a defense analyst at the Hudson Institute, said of the Zumwalt's retrofit.
Hypersonic missiles hold a key advantage in contemporary warfare because they travel at such high speed that missile defense systems cannot reliably shoot them down.
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to target Ukrainian government buildings in Kyiv with hypersonic missiles last week. Such missiles are also believed to be capable of reaching the U.S. West Coast.
Putin's announcement came after President Biden approved Ukraine to use U.S.-made ATACMs missiles on targets in Russian territory.
Putin claims Russia's production of advanced missile systems exceeds that of the NATO military alliance by 10 times, and that Moscow planned to ramp up production further.
#3
Proco, the problem here has been promising to deliver something that's basically just smoke, but "we can make it if you give us a bajillion dollars. Maybe."
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/02/2024 15:55
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[DailyFinland] The University of Leipzig has cancelled a lecture by Israeli historian Benny Morris planned for next week, reported dpa.
The reason for the cancellation were statements made by the historian, some of which could be read as offensive and even racist, the university announced. This had led to understandable but frightening protests from individual student groups.
Various groups had called on the Faculty of Theology to cancel the lecture as part of the lecture series ‘Traditions and Present of Anti-Semitism’. ‘Together with the security concerns that have arisen, these points mean that the lecture by Prof Benny Morris will not take place,’ the university said.
Thus neatly demonstrating the point that he would have made, had he been allowed to speak.
CRITICAL DISCUSSION WAS PLANNED
The purpose of the event with Morris was therefore a critical discussion, not an endorsement of his theories or later statements. The university emphasised that inviting speakers does not necessarily mean that they agree with their views: ‘We distance ourselves firmly from Prof. Morris’ controversial statements.’
Morris criticised the cancellation in the Israeli newspaper ‘Haaretz’ as ‘disgraceful’, above all because the reason was fear of possible violence by the students. The history professor spoke of ‘cowardice and appeasement par excellence’.
German universities have a long history of kowtowing to vicious radicals within and outside the government.
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]A wise decision — even if Mr. Patel is not confirmed, either he will work there until rejected, or his replacement will have the same ideas — because that is what President Trump want
s in that role. Good luck in the private sector, guys.
🚨 Breaking 🚨
The staff in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office of the FBI are threatening to resign if Kash Patel is confirmed as FBI Director. pic.twitter.com/QNHDvDJsle
1.0 Introduction
The history of war shows that conflict can be a catalyst for technological advancements. The situation in Ukraine is no exception. It highlights a new dimension of the importance of drones in modern large-scale combat operations (LSCO). Both sides are advancing their research and development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for battlefield applications, with production going into the millions of units per year. [source, source]
Many observers and analysts conclude that drones will be a decisive factor in the outcome of events in Ukraine. Kyiv’s recent development of the Sting drone coincides with Ukraine’s announcement to create a separate military branch for Unmanned Systems Forces. [source]
Sting is an “anti-drone drone.” Its main purpose is to take down other drones, specifically the Iranian-designed Shaded 136, which is locally produced in Russia under the name of Geran 2. Sting provides a cost-effective way to boost Ukraine’s air defence, which often is overwhelmed by the high number of drones and missiles deployed by Russia.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has used a special paint scheme to camouflage a small armored artillery boat and an Island-class patrol vessel. The ministry published the footage on its Facebook page (owned by Meta, a company recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation).
The ships, painted in jagged patterns in various shades of grey, appeared in photographs from a meeting between Ukrainian sailors and a delegation of Danish industry representatives.
This type of camouflage is called deforming or dazzle. The paint is designed to make it difficult for the enemy to assess the ship's shape, course and speed by using angular shapes and contrasting colors.
It has not been established when exactly this camouflage was applied to the Ukrainian boats.
The first to use such camouflage was Great Britain during the First World War (1914-1918) due to losses incurred due to threats from German submarines. The pattern technique was developed in 1917. Similar camouflage was also used in the Second World War (1939-1945), but with the development of radar it became ineffective and practically disappeared.
Text taken from the telegram channels of @rybar together with @usaperiodical
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics.
[C9lonelCassad] The American press continues to publish alarmist forecasts regarding the future of Donald Trump's cabinet almost every week. This time, The Economist has published an article about the prospects of the American intelligence community after the inauguration of the newly elected president.
In short, the National Intelligence Agency, the CIA, and the FBI are facing purges and repressions. All because of the candidates Trump is proposing for the leadership positions of the above-mentioned intelligence agencies.
The politician nominated former member of the House of Representatives, his ardent supporter Tulsi Gabbard, for the post of Director of National Intelligence. Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe for the post of CIA Director, and ultra-loyalist Kashyap Patel for the post of FBI Director.
Gabbard and Patel scare the establishment the most. Gabbard is feared for her isolationist views and consistent criticism of the entire American foreign policy. Patel once promised that he would fight "corrupt officials in the government" and take revenge on Trump's enemies. Well, Ratcliffe was not afraid in 2016 and published sensitive intelligence information proving that Donald Trump had no ties to Russia.
The establishment does not like radicals - it is difficult to negotiate with them. In this regard, Patel is definitely questionable, since it is through the FBI that one can dig up any information on any politician.
And, of course, it is always worth remembering that the US does not like loud and demonstrative reprisals against political opponents. Even the Democrats, trying to sink Trump, acted very carefully.
That is certainly one view of events.
That is why many experienced employees of the American intelligence services doubt that the FBI, CIA and National Intelligence await any completely radical purges - the experience of Trump's previous term showed that no radical measures were taken in this direction.
P.S. I believe that these plans will be sabotaged from within these intelligence agencies.
I imagine some will try — that’s just human nature.
#4
Did they foresee the fall of the Soviet Union? Did they foresee the military expansion of China by Western subsidizing? Did they foresee 9/11? Where they able to stop 'known wolves'?
#5
Did they foresee the fall of the Soviet Union?...
While they may have missed the large geopolitical trends and events, they also pooched the small things, like bombing that Chinese embassy in Belgrade, the one with the sign out front that said "Chinese Embassy".
#6
The overall issue is, How can you be utterly wrong all the time, but it never affects your career?
Most people that continually stupid, in the real world, would be ... running major car companies or big media outlets. Or maybe brokerage houses.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/02/2024 16:01
Comments ||
Top||
#7
The CIA would be more effective and accurate if they simple breezed the World Wide Web daily.
Posted by: Jack Salami ||
12/02/2024 19:32
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Top||
#8
Rantburg is a raw information feed for a number of publis and private groups, I understand. No reason the CIA couldn’t peruse us, too.
[Breitbart] Afghanistan’s governing Taliban terrorist organization on Sunday demanded representatives be allowed to join all future U.N. global climate talks after returning from COP29 in Baku where its officials were welcomed for the first time.
AFP reports the Afghan delegation had attended in the wake of the Taliban sweeping to power in August 2021 through a bloody takeover, having failed to get an invite to the past two COPs (Conference of the Parties) held in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
This is despite a Taliban representative previously claiming the jihadist organization will, if permitted, play an “indispensable role” on the international stage engaging in climate issues among other supposed global challenges.
Now it is again calling for inclusion. "We want in on the boodle!"
“Afghanistan must participate in such conferences in the future,” said Matiul Haq Khalis, the director general of Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency, at a press conference on Sunday.
He described Afghanistan’s attendance last month at the talks as a “big achievement.”
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] 1. The Syrian army was able to hold the capital of Hama province and move on to stabilization measures in Hama province and in the Al-Ghab valley. Several cities and villages have been liberated. The threat of losing Hama has been temporarily removed.
2. On the other hand, a hole in the front to the southeast of Aleppo remains. After capturing Kuweiris and Al-Safir, the militants continued their offensive to the southeast and captured Khanasser. The situation there is out of control.
3. The militants and the Turks are also clearing out the Kurds in Tal Rifaat. The city has effectively fallen, as has the Menaj airbase. The Kurds in the Sheikh Maksoud area have been given an ultimatum - get out to Rojava or else things will be bad.
Dammit. Not surprising — the Kurds have been a thorn in President Erdogan’s side since the Arab Spring started, and this is clearly a Turkish operation — but even so.
4. Iranian proxies
…meaning Hezbollah or meaning various Shiite paramilitaries with poor to fair military skills? It will be interesting either way… UPDATE: we have tweets reporting that columns of Popular Mobilization Forces — Iran commanded Shiite Iraqi paramilitaries — headed toward Syria are being strafed by American Warthogs. Very interesting times…
have left for the front, large columns are coming from Iraq. But it will take them time to reach the front line. Iraq is strengthening its border with Syria.
5. The Russian Aerospace Forces are currently operating very effectively, inflicting heavy losses by striking columns and concentrations of enemy manpower. But air strikes alone cannot stop the enemy's advance.
6. Lieutenant General Kisel has left the post of commander of the Russian group in Syria. His place has presumably been taken by Colonel General Chaiko.
7. In addition to Russia and Iran, Egypt, Iraq, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have spoken out in support of Syria.
Nobody likes President Erdogan even though nobody trusts Iran.
The head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry arrived in Damascus today. The issue of deploying Iranian proxies in Syria was discussed.
8. In the southern regions of Syria, it has so far been possible to contain the unrest of militants in Daraa. But with further failures at the front, there may be a flare-up there too.
9. Assad is now in Syria. Rumors of a coup d'etat are fabrications. As are the statements that Assad is hiding in Russia.
All that might even be true.
10. In general, the crisis continues to develop and it is too early to talk about its containment. The consequences of the catastrophic failure of the Syrian army near Aleppo are currently being collected. In fact, 1.5 provinces were surrendered in a few days. The reasons for this failure have yet to be determined.
They’re Arabs. They don’t trust their fellows to stand and fight, so they do not stand and fight.
SDF says working to evacuate its people from Tal Rifaat
[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Monday said it is working with "relevant parties" in Syria to safely evacuate the people of the strategic town of Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province to northeast Syria (Rojava) amid intense attacks by Ottoman Turkish-backed krazed killers.
"Our forces have bravely defended our people in Aleppo, Tal Rifaat, and the Shahba region. We are coordinating with all relevant parties in Syria to ensure the safety of our people and facilitate their evacuation from Tal Rifaat and Shahba to our secure regions in northeastern Syria," said a statement from Mazloum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the SDF.
While the Kurdish-led force is still in control of the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods in Aleppo city, its attempts to establish a corridor connecting Rojava with Aleppo and Tal Rifaat were "disrupted" by Ottoman Turkish-backed krazed killers, according to Abdi.
"Our forces face intense attacks from multiple fronts," he stressed.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britannia-based war monitor, reported on Saturday that Ottoman Turkish-backed bandidosforces of Evil took control of Tal Rifaat and nearby villages from the SDF.
As a coalition of rebel forces led by the jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS) marched on Aleppo and sent regime soldiers fleeing, the SDF took control of strategic locations in eastern Aleppo and formed a corridor to the city from the Euphrates River, briefly capturing key sites such as Aleppo International Airport.
It later tactically withdrew from many of the sites, while maintaining hold over Aleppo’s Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh, both long held by the People’s Protection Units (YPG) - the SDF’s backbone.
On Sunday, the HTS-led opposition government in Idlib called on the SDF to withdraw from Aleppo towards northeast Syria, promising to take care of civilians in the Kurdish-held neighborhoods.
But SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami rejected rumors that the Kurdish force had withdrawn from the neighborhoods.
Rojava’s ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) claimed in a statement on X that the Kurdish-held Shahba area in northern Aleppo is "witnessing massacres" by The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... -backed krazed killers.
The SDF on Sunday urged the people in Rojava to "heed the call" for a general mobilization declared hours prior by the Kurdish-led administration.
Turkey, which backs various Syrian rebel groups, has threatened in the past to carry out an offensive to remove Kurdish fighters from Tal Rifaat. It said it is closely following the situation and urged the clashing parties not to cause "larger instabilities."
Ankara also accused Kurdish forces in Tal Rifaat and nearby Manbij of "trying to take advantage of the current state of instability.
Fear looms as half a million Kurds, Yazidis trapped in northern Aleppo
Iso
[Rudaw] Fear grows over the fate of approximately 500,000 Kurds and 5,000 Yazidis trapped in the Kurdish neighborhoods of Aleppo province, activists warned on Monday, as Kurdish forces remain under siege in the conflict-stricken province.
“There is now a great fear regarding the Kurdish residents of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo, and the Shahba region. There are concerns that large-scale retaliation might be carried out against the Kurdish civilians in the area,” Ali Iso, the director of Ezdina, a Germany-based Yazidi rights organization, told Rudaw.
“There is another fear for the Yazidi Kurds, as there are Kurds on one side and Yazidis on the other. According to our information, the fate of a 63-year-old Yazidi civilian is unknown,” he added.
Media affiliated with the Kurdish-led Rojava administration on Sunday reported fierce clashes between the SDF and Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) in northern Aleppo province, near the Kurdish-held town of Tal Rifaat near Afrin and Shahba.
Also on Sunday, the Idlib-based Syrian opposition government called on the Kurdish forces in Aleppo to withdraw from the city towards northeast Syria, promising to take care of the Kurdish civilians in the Kurdish neighborhoods.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The Japanese auto firm which employs 7,000 people in the UK and 17,000 in the US has embarked on a huge cost-cutting programme after suffering heavy losses.
Nissan said last month it would axe 9,000 jobs and 20 per cent of its global manufacturing capacity, as it scrambles to reduce costs by $2.6billion (£2billion) in the current fiscal year amid a sales slump in China and the US, its two biggest markets.
Chief executive Makoto Uchida is taking a 50 per cent pay cut and it has now been reported that chief financial officer Stephen Ma is stepping down.
But insiders fear the moves may not be enough as Nissan struggles to stay competitive with rivals who have pushed ahead more successfully with popular hybrid cars.
The warnings come as a strategic deal signed with competitors Mitsubishi and Renault back in 1999, covering European, Japanese and US markets, could be ending.
Two anonymous 'senior officials' at Nissan have been quoted by the Financial Times as saying that Renault is now looking at reducing its financial stake in Nissan.
That could leave Nissan requiring cash backing from the Japanese or US governments over the next year to remain in business, according to the report.
[Breitbart] Authorities in Mexico rescued 22 migrants being held by cartel gunmen at a ranch in southern Mexico. The rescue came after a fierce gun battle where a soldier and a police officer died during the clash with more than 15 gunmen.
The rescue operation occurred on Thursday afternoon near Tapachula, Chiapas, in southern Mexico. According to the newspaper El Diario del Sur, authorities had been investigating the recent kidnapping of four Cuban migrants. They were tipped off about a ranch near the Tapachula-Viva Mexico highway being used to warehouse migrants. When authorities arrived in the area, they were met by more than 15 gunmen who opened fire.
During the shootout, a state police officer and a Mexican soldier died. Authorities managed to arrest one gunman while the rest escaped. After the confrontation, authorities found more than 14 rifles and rescued 22 migrants that the gunmen were holding against their will.
The rescue comes after weeks of complaints by migrants that authorities in Chiapas were not investigating kidnappings of migrants. According to El Diario del Sur, the migrants claimed gunmen were taking Haitians, Venezuelans, and Cubans to force their loved ones to pay fees of around $5,000 USD for their release.
The kidnappings come as Chiapas continues to be one of the leading immigration hotspots where thousands of migrants continue to enter Mexico. The migrants request travel permits to make their way to the U.S. border to claim asylum. The abuse of asylum claims continues to be the dominant trend used by human smugglers and migrants trying to reach the United States to make a credible fear claim.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Rebels from the Yemeni Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement said they attacked a US military vessel and three supply ships in the Arabian Sea using several missiles and UAVs, rebel spokesman Yahya Saria said.
"They struck an American destroyer and three supply ships of the American army. The operation was carried out using 16 ballistic and cruise missiles and a drone in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden," he said on the Al Masirah TV channel.
Did they strike or did they merely launch and let Allah see to the intersection of missile and target? The latter is their usual approach — though Allah almost always chooses to prevent the intersection, one way or another…
According to him, the US military supply ships Stena Impeccable, Maersk Saratoga and Liberty Grace were attacked. The Houthis intend to continue attacking US and Israeli-linked ships until the operations against the Gaza Strip cease.
As reported by Regnum, on November 22, the Houthis announced the launch of a hypersonic missile at the Nevatim airbase in Israel. It was claimed that such operations would not be stopped until the end of "Israeli aggression in Gaza and Lebanon."
On November 17, the Ansar Allah movement attacked a target in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, a Houthi spokesman claimed.
On November 12, Yahya Saria announced a successful attack on the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. The operation lasted eight hours. In addition to the aircraft carrier, the Houthis attacked two US destroyers in the Red Sea.
Following the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Yemen's Houthis have warned that they will shell Israeli territory and prevent ships linked to the Jewish state from passing through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Since October 7, 2023, they have attacked dozens of ships linked to Israel, the US and the UK.
[IsraelTimes] US Navy destroyers shot down seven missiles and drones fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the warships and three American merchant vessels they were escorting through the Gulf of Aden. No damage or injuries are reported.
US Central Command says that the destroyers USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane shot down and destroyed three anti-ship ballistic missiles, three drones and one anti-ship cruise missile. The merchant ships were not identified.
The USS Stockdale was involved in a similar attack on Nov. 12.
[Breitbart] Texas Department of Public Safety troopers detained a Mexican woman after she allegedly paid a human smuggler $8,000 to bring her five-year-old daughter across the Rio Grand. Troopers made the discovery after a traffic stop in Del Rio, Texas.
Texas DPS spokesman Lieutenant Chris Olivarez posted a video showing a Mexican woman being detained after a traffic stop. The woman claimed to be the mother of a five-year-old girl strapped in the vehicle’s back seat without a child safety seat.
The trooper stopped the driver of a Ram 1500 truck in Val Verde County on Friday. The traffic stop followed information developed from a border surveillance camera. The camera captured an image of a man running from the border carrying a little girl that police say matched the girl in the truck.
Incoming Border Czar Tom Homan took note of the incident with a post on X.
During questioning of the mother, Dolores Lopez, she allegedly said she used the internet to find a smuggling organization to bring her daughter to the U.S. Lopez was residing in North Carolina as a temporary resident, Olivarez reported.
Lopez claimed to have paid the smuggler $8,000 to bring her daughter to her in Del Rio. Troopers turned Lopez and her little girl over to Border Patrol agents.
The Trooper arrested Roman Ibarra Rojo, also a Mexican national, on a charge of smuggling a person under the age of 18. Rojo allegedly confessed to being paid $1,000 to smuggle the five-year-old.
The Val Verde County District Attorney is reviewing the case for possible charges against the mother.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The General Staff assessed the situation at the front.
In Kursk region, Ukrainian defenders are currently repelling six enemy attacks; in total, 12 clashes have already occurred in this direction today.
Since the beginning of the day, 111 combat clashes have occurred on the front. Our defenders are stopping the enemy, holding the lines and ruining the plans of the Russians. At the same time, the occupiers continue to concentrate their efforts on the Kurakhovsky, Pokrovsky, Vremovsky directions and the Kursk region. This was reported in the General Staff report on Sunday, December 1.
In the Kharkov direction, the Defense Forces repelled six assaults by enemy troops near Staritsa, Tikhe and Vovchansk, one combat clash continues.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy tried to advance towards our positions in the Lozovaya, Kruglyakovka and Zeleny Gai areas six times during the day. Two combat clashes are ongoing.
The aggressor also increased the number of attacks to six in the Liman direction . Attacked near Druzhelyubovka, Grekovka, Grigorovka, Terny and Torskoye. Two clashes continue.
In the Kramatorsk direction, our defenders repelled one attack by the occupiers in the area of Chasovy Yar.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy tried to advance five times in the Toretsk area and in the direction of Shcherbinovka. The battle is currently ongoing.
The enemy's activity also continues in the Pokrovsky direction . Clashes of varying intensity have started here 22 times today. Enemy attacks have been repelled in the areas of Mirolyubovka, Luch, Lisovka, Dachensky, Zhelty and Mlechny. Five combat clashes are still ongoing.
Fierce fighting continues in the Kurakhovsky direction . Near Berestki, Solntsevka, Zarya, Novodmitrovka, Kurakhovoye, Dalniy, Yelizavetovka and Gannovka, 33 combat clashes occurred during the day, 14 attacks by the occupiers are continuing.
In the Vremovsky direction, the aggressor attacked the positions of our defenders 19 times in the area of Konstantinopolskoye, Trudovoye, Velikaya Novosyolka, Novosyolka, Novy Komar and Novodarovka; nine combat clashes continue.
In Kursk region, Ukrainian defenders are repelling six attacks by invaders; in total, 12 clashes have occurred in this direction today.
While in other areas there were no significant changes in the situation.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] An terrorist who allegedly shot a Jewish man walking to a synagogue in Chicago has been found dead in his jail cell.
Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22,
… illegally entered America from Mexico a year and a half ago, ie. April/May 2023…
an migrant from Mauritania, was found unresponsive in 'an apparent suicide attempt by hanging' in his cell Saturday afternoon, The Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Cook County Sheriff's officials said jail staff were conducting a routine security check at around 3.30pm in the medical facility of the jail - where Abdallahi has been held since he was critically injured in a shootout with police - when they saw him in the cell.
Staffers initiated life saving measures and first responders transported Abdallahi to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Authorities say there is no evidence of foul play, but the cause and manner of his death will be determined by an autopsy conducted by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force will also be conducting an independent investigation under protocol.
Abdallahi was arrested on October 26 after he allegedly shot a 39-year-old Orthodox Jewish man wearing traditional attire.
The victim was walking to a local synagogue, and police say Abdallahi approached him from behind.
Neighbors then rushed to help the injured man as police and paramedics raced to the scene. As officers then searched for the gunman, they said, Abdallahi emerged from an alley and started firing on the cops - hitting a Chicago Fire Department ambulance.
He reportedly screamed 'Allahu Akbar' as he fired at the officers, who then fired back and shot the suspect multiple times. No officers were injured in the exchange.
Footage later showed the 22-year-old being wheeled away from the scene in a stretcher after being shot multiple times. He was hospitalized in the aftermath, and was transferred to the jail's medical facility on November 15.
The victim, meanwhile, was hospitalized, but was later released.
An ensuing investigation found that Abdallahi's phone contained evidence that 'indicated he planned the shooting and specifically targeted people of Jewish faith, Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling said.
Prosecutors also alleged that Abdallahi mapped the locations of several Chicago synagogues and Jewish day schools in the days leading up to the attack.
The attack then occurred in the West Rogers Park neighborhood, the home to the highest concentration of Jewish citizens in the city.
'This was not anything but a planned attack... an attempted assassination of these people,' Assistant State's Attorney Anne McCord Rodgers said at a hearing on November 22, the Sun-Times reports.
'This was a calculated plan on a public street, and an attempted slaughter of that person and law enforcement officers.
She added that his phone also contained more than 100 'antisemitic and pro-Hamas' photos and videos.
It was also determined that Abdallahi was an illegal immigrant who came from West Africa in March 2023.
He crossed southern border illegally last year, but authorities did not find any criminal or terrorist ties at the time, sources told the New York Post.
Abdallahi told agents he was going to live with a friend in Indiana, and although he initially said he didn't fear being returned to Mauritania, he later filed for asylum, the outlet said.
At the hearing on November 22, Assistant Public Defender Josh Thigpen noted that Abdallahi had lived in the US for 'at least two years' and worked at an Amazon warehouse.
Still, Judge Susana Ortiz ordered him detained.
His death is no loss to humanity whatsoever, though he should get credit for saving Illinois taxpayers the cost of his trial and subsequent incarceration.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 19:23 The United States is not considering returning to Ukraine the nuclear weapons the country gave up after the collapse of the Soviet Union, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
18.24 President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin could attack again in a few years if the war is frozen without strengthening Ukraine.
16.53 Since the beginning of the day, 111 combat clashes have occurred on the front. Our defenders are stopping the enemy, holding the lines and ruining the plans of the Russians. At the same time, the occupiers continue to concentrate their efforts on the Kurakhovsky, Pokrovsky, Vremovsky directions and the Kursk region. This was reported in the General Staff report on Sunday, December 1.
4.29 The occupiers have created a second bridgehead on the western bank of the Oskol River in the Kharkiv region and captured the village of Berestki in the Donetsk region, the DeepState project reports. The enemy has also advanced near Masyutovka, Lozovaya (Kharkiv region), Zheltye, Pushkin, Dalny and Blagovatnoye (Donetsk region).
1:30 In the Zaporizhia region, the construction of defense has almost been completed. This is a multi-layered defense not only of the city, but also of nearby settlements, in order to make the region well fortified, said the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov. According to him, modern fortification structures are significantly improved compared to those built earlier.
November 30
21.48 President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the US is preparing a new military aid package for Ukraine worth $725 million. He also announced important decisions on Ukraine’s security.
20.51 A rescue operation is underway in the Dnipropetrovsk region after a Russian missile strike. So far, four people are known to have died in the village of Tsarichanka. Another 21 people were injured.
19.52 Russians launched a missile strike on the Dniprovsky district. At least three people were killed and 19 were injured. Among the injured, one child - an 11-year-old boy - is in hospital in moderate condition.
19.36 Russian invaders attacked the city of Kherson with a drone and killed two civilians - a 46-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman.
17.33 The Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine showed how its fighters destroyed positions and equipment of Russian invaders on the front line in the Zaporizhia region with the help of drones for a week.
16.48 Since the beginning of the current day, 153 combat clashes have occurred on the front in eight directions. The enemy is exerting the greatest pressure on the Kurakhovsky direction, where 12 battles are ongoing, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in a report as of 16:00 on Saturday.
15.21 Russian invaders shelled the city of Mirnohrad in Donetsk region. At least two people were killed and three were wounded, the local OVA reported.
14.55 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Oleksandr Syrsky presented awards to servicemen of the 414th separate regiment of strike unmanned aerial systems, also known as the Birds of Madyar.
14.37 The Cabinet of Ministers has expanded the list of areas whose workers can be reserved from mobilization. This is reported in a government decree. We are talking about prosthetists-orthotists, prosthetist-orthotists technicians, prosthetist engineers-technologists, prosthetist engineers, and mechanics of prosthetic and orthopedic products.
13:50 The war in Ukraine could end next year, but it depends on the will and decisions of other leaders, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Sky News.
12.53 Given the security situation, it is not yet possible to partially open the airspace over Ukraine, so it is important to develop alternative routes for cargo delivery and passenger transportation. This was stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during the International Transport Forum.
11:24 Russian troops attacked the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region at night. A 38-year-old man was killed. This was reported by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional council Nikolai Lukashuk. According to him, the occupiers also hit the Krasnogrigoryevskaya and Pokrovskaya communities with drones and artillery. The attacks caused a fire, damaged seven private houses, four outbuildings, and affected power lines and infrastructure.
11:00 As a result of the operation of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in the temporarily occupied Crimea, three expensive Russian radar systems were successfully struck. This was reported by the press service of the Main Intelligence Directorate. It is noted that one Kasta-2e2 radar and two Podlet radars were hit.
10.17 A Russian drone dropped explosives on a minibus in Kherson, injuring four people. This was reported on November 30 by the Kherson OVA. It is noted that women aged 35, 52 and 62 received blast injuries and shrapnel wounds to the abdomen, and a 59-year-old man received a shin wound. All victims were taken to hospital.
9.56 Drones allegedly attacked objects in Kaspiysk. This was stated by the head of Dagestan Sergey Melikov. According to him, "there is no information about destruction or casualties." According to media reports, the operation of Makhachkala airport has been suspended due to the UAV threat, and the "Carpet" regime has been introduced. The Russian Defense Ministry announced an attack by 11 Ukrainian drones on the night of November 30. It is noted that all UAVs were allegedly shot down - eight over the territory of the Belgorod region and three over the Black Sea.
9.35 According to the General Staff, 192 combat clashes between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and the Russian invaders have been recorded on the front over the past 24 hours. Aviation, missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces carried out two strikes on areas of concentration of Russians, a command post and one important enemy facility.
8.50 The Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed 1,740 Russian occupiers in one day. The enemy's total combat losses from 24.02.22 to 30.11.24 are approximately 740,400 people. This was reported on November 30 by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
7.45 About 200 pallets of winter gear for Ukrainian troops have been delivered to Ukraine. This includes sleeping bags, thermal underwear, boots and socks. This was reported by the Canadian Ministry of Defence.
7.23 . The high-speed armored excavator-loader JCBHMEE, which is one of the most popular excavators in many armies around the world, has been codified and approved for use in the units of the Defense Forces. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Defense.
[ABC] Lying POS, but not unexpected
President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, on Sunday night, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family. "My word as a Biden"
The Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after convictions in the two cases in Delaware and California. The move comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive his punishment after his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on tax charges, and less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.
It caps a long-running legal saga for the younger Biden, who publicly disclosed he was under federal investigation in December 2020 — a month after his father’s 2020 victory — and casts a pall over the elder Biden's legacy.
Biden, who time and again pledged to Americans that he would restore norms and respect for the rule of law after Trump's first term in office, ultimately used his position to help his son, breaking his public pledge to Americans that he would do no such thing.
In a statement released Sunday evening, Biden said, “I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.”
The president's sweeping pardon covers not just the gun and tax offenses against the younger Biden, but also any other “offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.”
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/02/2024
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Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#2
No surprise, as it was predicted here, what? 3+ years ago, on the RB?
Once again, the so-called Tinfoil Hats were right month/years ahead of the real truth.
BUT THE PARDON IS ALSO A WIN.
Hunter now, cannot plea the 5th, or lie with cover.
When he is questioned about WHO was involved in the Obama/Biden Coup's voter fraud, various coverups, pay to play, bribery, kickbacks, special DOJ treatments, and etc.
He will have to name names. Otherwise, he can and will be charged with a collection of related Felonies.
In short, we now have an inside man as to what he saw and/or was a part of, or handled. When questioned we'll know which WH staff, MSM, _ _ _'s, RINO's and various DC staff were involved. Just the laptop or the $ million for paintings, bribery cover-ups investigations alone, should be worth some serious DC names.
Then those guilty parties will likely seek plea deals and more names and crimes will be uncovered.
The Epstein control process can only be used so much.
#6
The pardon only goes through actions Hunter took before 1 Jan 2025 so
- he can commit lots of crimes this month
- starting next year, it is a different story and if he is caught tax evading or drug dealing or sex trafficing, it is bad time for him
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/02/2024 9:14
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#7
I guess he figured, after pardoning the turkeys, what's one more?
It will be interesting, if there's a inquiry into Joe's dealings, because Hunter won't be able to plead the 5th.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/02/2024 9:55
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#8
I wouldn't count on much coming out of Hunter testifying.
Although he may not plead the 5th, he can say he doesn't remember or he wasn't of sound mind at the time.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/02/2024 10:03
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#9
Maybe I'm the first to bring up the distinct possibility of Joe Biden pardoning everyone who has worked for him or supported him in the same exact way he pardoned his son. Imagine Merrick Garland, Christopher Wray, Fauci, the entire FBI and DOJ, etc. etc. There's nothing and no one to stop him between now and January 2025.
Following the news Sunday evening that Joe Biden had pardoned his son Hunter, Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire claimed in a bombshell series of posts on X that the younger Biden had once tried to pay back rent for a property his family owns in California with “art made from his own feces.”
Maguire said renting to Hunter “was a big mistake” and called him an “absolute shit bag.”
The venture capitalist revealed that the deadbeat still owed his family $300,000 in back rent for the Venice, California, home he lived in from 2019 to 2020.
After hearing that Biden pardoned his son for all crimes he may have committed spanning 11 years, Maguire posted on X: “So what happens to the $300k+ in back pay rent that Hunter Biden owes my family from 2019-2020? Is that pardoned now? Thanks Joe.”
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Donald Trump signaled Sunday night that he intends to use Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter to his own advantage, linking it to his own prospective controversial pardon of January 6 defendants.
'Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!' Trump wrote, in his first public comment since Biden announced the pardon Sunday.
That came not long after Fox News commentator Charlie Hurt made the linkage.
'I think he should at least commute the sentences of all of them and pardoned every single one that was obviously just following the person in front of them wandering through the capital,' he said.
'Pardon every single one of them. There were some that did more than just that. And I think he should commute their sentences and let them all out! Every single one of them,' he said.
According to the Justice Department, 140 police officers were assulated during the attack on the Capitol, including 80 U.S. Capitol Police officers and 60 from DC's Metropolitan Police Department.
Trump repeatedly floated the idea of the pardons himself during his campaign. His new choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, has also taken up the cause of January 6 defendants. He also played 'Justice for All,' a rendition of the national anthem as sung by January 6 defendants, at campaign rallies.
More than 1,200 people have been charged on January 6-related charges. Many battled with police officers. Others got charged with interfering with an official proceeding on a day Congress met to certify the electoral votes that made Joe Biden president.
'I am inclined to pardon many of them. I can't say for every single one because a couple of them, probably, they got out of control,' Trump said during a May 2023 CNN town hall. 'I would say it will be a large portion of them and it would be early on' in his term.
Trump has avoided specifics on which defendants he might pardon. Some were convicted of using explosives or using blunt force objects to batter police officers.
Trump did not directly criticize the president for the move, but his incoming communications director used it to punch back at what Trump calls the many 'witch hunts' against him. In yet another stunnign move last week, special counsel Jack Smith asked a federal judge hearing the January 6 election overturn case against Trump to dismiss the case now that Trump has been elected, citing his immunity under DOJ guidelines.
'Dismissal without prejudice is appropriate here,' Chutkan Tanya Chutkan wrote in her decision.
'Dismissal without prejudice is also consistent with the Government’s understanding that the immunity afforded to a sitting President is temporary, expiring when they leave office,' she added.
Biden made the shock announcement Sunday night that he would issue a presidential pardon for his troubled son, calling his prosecution 'selective' and 'unfair.'
In a statement, a spokesperson for Trump slammed what they called the Democrat-controlled justice system but didn't appear to disagree with the decision.
In October, Trump, who issued a slew of pardons during his four years in office and on his way out the door in January 2021, weighed in on the Hunter Biden pardon issue, with a response that surprised many.
Asked by radio host Hugh Hewitt last month if he would consider pardoning Hunter Biden, Trump said, 'I wouldn’t take it off the books.
'See, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they’ve done to me, where they’ve gone after me so viciously, despite what - and Hunter’s a bad boy, there’s no question about it, he’s been a bad boy.
'But I happen to think it's very bad for our country,' Trump said of what he considers politically motivated prosecutions and punishment which he likens to his own experience.
#2
Trump should commute almost all sentences, pardon most of them, and start prosecution of the government actors involved in instigating other crimes.
#3
Whether J6 was planned by the Feds needs to be answered. Whether there cheating in Fulton County needs to be answered. There can’t be a mulligan on treason.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/02/2024 12:27
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Jan 28, 2023 #truestory #survivor #inspiring
Welcome back to Unfiltered Stories! Today's guest is Anneke Lucas, a survivor of child s*x trafficking. Anneke was just six years old when her mother sold her to an elite ped*phile network that abused and killed children. Listen to her story of how she rose from slave to victorious lady!
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The enemy is trying to advance in Donbass.
At present, enemy troops are physically present in the village and are being targeted by the Defense Forces.
Russian troops stormed Novy Komar near Velikaya Novosyolka with six military equipment. This was reported by analysts of the DeepState project on Sunday, December 1.
"In the morning, the Katsaps from Razdolnoye with 6 VVTs set off towards Novy Komar. The last ones to arrive were 4 BMPs and 1 tank. The VVTs had a landing party that scattered around the village, and the Defense Forces managed to knock out at least 2 BMPs. The rest retreated," the analysts noted.
It was also noted that at present the enemy is physically located in the village and is being targeted by fire.
Let us recall that DeepState previously stated that the Russians had occupied the settlement of Berestki in the Donetsk region.
Linked article is available only through a VPN
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kharkov region, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of the AFU 92nd Air Assault Brigade near Liptsy (Kharkov region). Two counter-attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 57th and 58th mechanised brigades were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 30 troops, one armoured personnel carrier, two motor vehicles, and two 122-mm D-30 howitzers.
Units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the 53rd Mechanised Brigade of the AFU, 109th, 241st Territorial Defence brigades, and 1st National Guard Brigade near Novomlynsk, Kovsharovka, Dvurechnaya, Zagryzovo, Kupyansk, Petropavlovka (Kharkov region), Torskoye, and Seversk (Donetsk People's Republic).
Eleven counterattacks launched by assault detachments of the 14th Mechanised Brigade, 3rd Tank Brigade of the AFU, 113th and 117th Territorial Defence brigades were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 500 troops, two pickup trucks, one Anklav-N electronic warfare station, and four ammunition depots.
As a result of active offensive operations, units of the Yug Group of Forces liberated Ilyinka (Donetsk People's Republic).
Losses were inflicted on formations of the 23rd Mechanised Brigade, 81st Airmobile Brigade, 79th Air Assault Brigade, and 10th Mountain Assault Brigade of the AFU near Orekhovo-Vasilyevka, Grigorovka, Chasov Yar, Predtechino, Kurakhovo, and Dyleyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 380 troops, one U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carrier, two motor vehicles, and one UK-made 155-mm FH-70 howitzer.
As a result of active offensive operations, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces liberated Petrovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of the 95th Mechanised Brigade, 49th Assault Battalion of the AFU, 38th Naval Infantry Brigade, and 116th Territorial Defence Brigade near Dzerzhinsk, Shcherbinovka, Pushkino, Novoalekseyevka, and Zarya (Donetsk People's Republic).
Eleven counterattacks launched by assault detachments of the 28th, 42nd, 100th, 117th, 151st Mechanised brigades, 59th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the AFU, and 35th Naval Infantry Brigade were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to more than 470 troops, two Kozak armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, one 152mm D-20 gun, one 152mm Msta-B howitzer, and two 122mm D-30 howitzers.
Units of the Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing to the depth of the enemy's defences and inflicted losses on formations of the 32nd Mechanised Brigade of the AFU and 241st Territorial Defence Brigade near Velikaya Novoselka, Razliv, and Novy Komar (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 100 troops, one U.S.-made HMMWV armoured fighting vehicle, five motor vehicles, one 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, and one 122mm D-20 howitzer.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the 65th, 110th Mechanised brigades of the AFU, 124th and 126th Territorial Defence brigades near Tokarevka, Antonovka, Belozerka (Kherson region), and Malaya Tokmachka (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 85 troops, three motor vehicles, one electronic warfare station, and two ammunition depots.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces struck infrastructure of military airfields, UAV workshops and depots, as well as engaged manpower and hardware clusters of the enemy in 136 areas.
Air defence systems shot down 55 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 649 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 37,013 unmanned aerial vehicles, 586 anti-aircraft missile systems, 19,577 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,497 MLRS combat vehicles, 18,807 field artillery guns and mortars, and 28,905 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise an enemy group, which broke into the territory of Kursk region.
Units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of the 21st, 41st, 44th, 47th Mechanised brigades, 17th Heavy Mechanised Brigade, 5th Tank Brigade, 80th, 82nd, 95th Air Assault brigades, 36th Naval Infantry Brigade, 112th, 116th, 117th, 129th Territorial Defence brigades of the AFU near Aleksandriya, Viktorovka, Zazulevka, Lebedevka, Leonidovka, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Nikolsky, Novoivanovka, Plyokhovo, and Sverdlikovo.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Bondarevka, Goncharovka, Zaoleshenka, Kurilovka, Nizhny Klin, Nikolayevka, Novaya Sorochina, Staraya Sorochina as well as Basovka, Belovody, Zhuravka, Miropolye, and Pavlovka in Sumy region.
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to up to 255 troops. Two armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, and two mortars were destroyed.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 37,105 troops, 225 tanks, 160 infantry fighting vehicles, 123 armoured personnel carriers, 1,204 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,063 motor vehicles, 305 artillery guns, 40 MLRS launchers, including 11 of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the USA, 13 anti-aircraft missile launchers, seven transport-loading vehicles, 70 EW stations, 13 counter-battery warfare radars, four air defence radars, 27 units of engineering and other materiel, including 13 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, six armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:00 Russian troops continue to strike military targets in various regions of Ukraine 21:00 Crimean paratroopers sharpen their skills at the training ground in Kursk region
Experienced instructors with combat experience conduct classes in tactical, fire, and medical training.
19:57 Crews of the 220mm BM-21 Uragan MLRS artillery of the Vostok group of forces destroyed accumulation of Ukrainian Armed Forces equipment in the South Donetsk direction of the Northern Military District.
18:55 The Russian Armed Forces were able to gain a foothold on the outskirts of the village of Dvurechnaya on the western bank of the Oskol River in the Khar'kov region.
17:57 Units of the Russian Armed Forcescame inin the village of Martynovka in the Kursk region and established themselves there.
17:22 Drone operators of the "North" group of troops destroyed enemy vehicle in the Khar'kov region.
Scouts of the "North" group of troops identified a pickup truck with Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters heading to their positions for rotation. After analyzing the intelligence data received, a decision was made to fire at the enemy pickup truck.
16:56 Su-35s crews completed air cover for bomber and attack aircraft, as well as army aviation helicopters, carrying out air strikes against armored vehicles and personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border areas of the Kursk region.
16:25 Russian Aerospace Forces carried out an airstrike on targets in the temporarily occupied Zaporozhye.
16:16 The Russian army repelled another attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Khar'kov region –video.
15:49 A camouflaged field ammunition depot of a Ukrainian Armed Forces unit in the Khar'kov region was destroyed by an FPV drone crew of the North group of forces –video.
14:55 Control zones and advances of the Russian Armed Forces at the front lines:
- Russian forces advanced in the direction of Blagovatnoye.
- after the liberation of Zheltoye, the Russian Armed Forces advanced in the direction of Novotroitskoye. There are also battles for control over the settlement of Pushkino
14:08 Destroyed field ammunition depot of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The VOG-30D munition, dropped from an unmanned aerial vehicle, destroyed all identified targets in the area of the Druzhba settlement.
12:57 Whisper of the Front reported on the successes of the Russian Armed Forces in the area of Velikaya (Bolshaya) Novosyolka
"The Russian Army is pressing the garrison of the settlement of Blagovatnoye to the bed of the dried-up Mokrye Yaly River. The road to the north has already been cut off, and they are now actively working on the western direction. All roads will soon be cut off."
12:14 Russian Armed Forces took control of the settlements of Petrovka and Ilyinka in the DPR — Russian Defense Ministry.
11:50 Iskander struck the center of the Special Operations Forces "South" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the settlement of Rovno in the Nikolaev region. The temporary deployment point of neo-Nazis was destroyed –video.
11:24 The Russian Armed Forces continue to rapidly advance south of Pokrovsk, reported the Ukrainian resource Deep State.
Russian troops have approached the settlements through which the road in the direction of Kurakhovo goes - Shevchenko, Novotroitskoye and Novoyelenovka. The Russian Armed Forces are less than a kilometer away from the settlement of Shevchenko, said an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the call sign "Alex".
11:05 War Chronicle reported about the entry of Russian troops into Starye Terny north of Kurakhovo. There, the Ukrainian Armed Forces tried to blow up a dam to slow down the advance of the Russian Armed Forces.
10:52 Units of the Russian Armed Forces have established themselves on the outskirts of Dvurechnaya and Novomlynsk –map.
The enemy attacked the positions of Russian forces twice. Two armored fighting vehicles, a tank and up to 40 militants were destroyed, the Napravilets channel reported. Work is underway to expose and destroy the Ukrainian Armed Forces fire crews that are urgently being transferred to threatened areas.
09:49 Enemy reports: "The Russian Armed Forces are crossing the Oskol River near Masyutovka (Khar'kov Oblast). This is already the second bridgehead in that area. The Russian Armed Forces are strengthening south of Dvurechye. The situation is difficult for the Ukrainian Armed Forces."
09:24 The Viking squad destroyed another Starlink in the Zaporizhzhya direction –video.
08:59 Russian Armed Forces again hit targets in the Kyiv region.
08:41 New strikes on Kyiv.
08:35 On the night of December 1, the Russian Armed Forces struck enemy targets in the Kyiv, Zhitomir and Chernihiv regions. A series of explosions were heard throughout the night in Kyiv and its suburbs.
08:11 Special Force sdestroyed supply routes for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Chernihiv region.
In the villages of Karpovichi and Timonovichi, special forces of the Sever group destroyed two bridges through which supplies were being delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border zone.
08:07 Enemy reports: “The Russian Armed Forces took control of Berestki and also advanced near Masyutovka, Lozovaya, Zheltye, Pushkino, Dalny and Blagovatnoye.”
08:00 Servicemen of the "Center" group of troops spoke about the liberation of the settlement of Novoalekseevka in the DPR –video.
The Syrian army and the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed at least 320 militants in one day
[Regnum] The Syrian Armed Forces, together with the Russian Aerospace Forces, destroyed at least 320 militants and 63 pieces of equipment in the provinces of Idlib, Hama and Aleppo in one day. This was reported on December 1 by the deputy head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, Captain 1st Rank Oleg Ignasyuk.
"Over the past 24 hours, missile and bomb strikes were carried out on areas where militants and equipment were concentrated, ammunition and weapons depots, MLRS and artillery positions, and command posts. At least 320 militants and 63 units of automobile and armored vehicles were destroyed," he specified.
In addition, the aviation of the so-called international anti-terrorist coalition led by the United States continues to create dangerous situations in the skies of Syria, carrying out flights in violation of deconfliction protocols and violating the airspace of the Arab Republic. Over the past 24 hours, Ignasyuk noted, three cases of violation of the deconfliction protocols of December 9, 2019, related to flights of unmanned aerial vehicles not coordinated with the Russian Federation, were recorded. In November 2024 alone, 54 such cases were identified, he added.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on November 27, groups of Syrian militants began an offensive against the Syrian army positions in the Aleppo region. They managed to capture 13 settlements and the largest base of the government army in this area.
On November 29, Al-Mayadeen TV reported that the Syrian army had launched a counteroffensive against the militants of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) in Aleppo and Idlib. Government forces had liberated the city of Al-Bakum.
On December 1, the Syrian government army announced that it had repelled the militants' attack and intended to launch a counteroffensive in the near future to liberate all territories. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that Damascus is capable of defeating the terrorists with the help of friends and allies. He added that terrorism in Syria will be defeated, no matter who sponsors it.
The militants' offensive on the positions of Syrian government troops is an encroachment on the repu
More from regnum.ru Syrian Air Force Destroys Terrorist Armored Column Near Aleppo
The Syrian Air Force struck a column of armored vehicles of terrorist groups on the Aleppo-Damascus highway, thereby disrupting their offensive. This was reported on December 1 by a source in the Syrian security forces.
"Syrian aircraft carried out several strikes on a column of armored vehicles belonging to terrorists on the M-5 road, who were planning to carry out an offensive, and destroyed the equipment," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, groups of Syrian militants launched an offensive on Syrian army positions in the Aleppo region on November 27. They managed to capture 13 settlements and the largest government army base in the area.
On December 1, the Syrian government army announced that it had repelled the militants' attack and intended to launch a counteroffensive in the near future to liberate all territories. Before this, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that Damascus was capable of defeating the terrorists with the help of friends and allies.
Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said on December 1 that the West was playing a dirty game in Syria and Ukraine by supplying weapons there. She also quoted one of her friends in Syria calling terrorist fighters with equipment, uniforms and training a “dark force” and acknowledging that they were internationally supported and trained forces, not some “bearded men” with AK-47s.
“The units of our armed forces that operated in the northern part of Hama last night strengthened the defense line with firepower and equipment, confronted terrorist organizations and did not allow them to break through,” reads a message on the Syrian Armed Forces command page on Facebook (owned by the Meta company, which is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia).
It is specified that the Syrian government army also took control of a number of areas, during which dozens of terrorists were destroyed.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, earlier on December 1 it became known that the Syrian government army was repelling the militants' attack and intended to launch a counteroffensive in the near future to liberate all territories. It was noted that the Syrian Armed Forces had redeployed in order to save the lives of civilians and their soldiers.
Before this, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that Damascus is capable of defeating terrorists with the help of friends and allies. He stressed that the republic currently continues to defend its territorial integrity from terrorists and their supporters
Armed groups of Syrian militants launched an offensive on Syrian army positions in the Aleppo region on November 27. They captured 13 settlements and the largest base of the government army.
Yet, again, more from regnum.ru White House Denies US Involvement in Terrorist Attack in Syria
The United States denies involvement in the attack by the terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (an organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation) in Syria. This was stated in a statement released on November 30 by White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett.
The document states that the White House is closely monitoring the situation in Syria and has been in contact with authorities in the Middle East region for the past 48 hours.
"The United States has no involvement in this offensive, which is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a designated terrorist organization. The United States, along with its partners and allies, calls for de-escalation and the protection of civilians and minorities," the statement emphasized.
The White House spokesman noted that the refusal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government to "participate in the political process" and its "dependence on Russia and Iran" created the ground for the current crisis.
Earlier, Regnum news agency reported that the Syrian Armed Forces are decisively repelling the militants’ attack and are planning to launch a counteroffensive in the near future to liberate all territories.
Syrian President Assad, in a conversation with his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said that Syria is capable of defeating terrorists with the help of friends and allies.
The Syrian army has launched a counteroffensive against militants of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) in Aleppo and Idlib. Government forces have liberated the city of Al-Bakoum.
The Russian leadership views the worsening situation in Syria as an encroachment on the republic's sovereignty, commented the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov. On November 26, the director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergei Naryshkin, stated that the West is deliberately destabilizing the situation in key regions of the world. Western elites do not want to accept the loss of their former power in the world, he added.
[IsraelTimes] A senior member of a Syrian rebel group tells Israel’s Channel 12 that the surprise offensive launched against Syria’s military last week coincided with the start of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , after the rebels assessed that members of the Iran-backed terror group were likely to flee across the border from Lebanon into Syria.
The officer, who was identified by Channel 12 only as "Y," says that the renewed fighting against Syrian President Bashir al-Assad’s forces is necessary to ensure that "Hezbollah members from Lebanon, who have come to Syria and have stood by the Assad regime, will not have a permanent foothold."
He says that the rebel group realized the offensive was necessary and that "this is the right time" to carry it out.
"We will not allow them [Iran’s proxies] to fight in our areas, and we will not allow the Iranians to settle there and support the Iranian militias in carrying out hostile actions against the regions we liberated, whether in Idlib or the Aleppo province," the rebel officer adds.
He says that the rebels’ dream is to "overthrow the Assad regime and create a climate for all Syrians, and all ethnicities and nationalities," and to form strong relations "with all neighboring countries."
"It will be a country based on equality and justice for all Syrian citizens without exception, where there will be peace and security with the entire region, including with Israel," he tells Channel 12.
Also speaking to Channel 12 is exiled Syrian opposition leader Fahad Al Masri, who urges Israel to act against Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... in support of the Syrian rebel groups.
"We call on the Israeli leadership to launch intensive attacks against the positions and troops of the Iran-backed militias in Syrian territory," he says. "It will be necessary to strike sites in Homs, Damascus and on the Lebanon border. This will help rid Syria’s territory of the Lebanese presence and Hezbollah’s weapons and the octopus tentacles of Iran."
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.
...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 
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
..always the voice of sweet reason...
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
[Mil History] THE NAME Martin James Monti may not carry the same measure of infamy in the United States as Benedict Arnold, the notorious turncoat of the War of Independence. Yet the obscure St. Louis, Missouri native does hold the dubious distinction as being the only known American serviceman to have willingly defected to the Nazis in World War Two.
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
